4 years ago
I was moving to the area several months ago and ne...
I was moving to the area several months ago and needed to quickly find a place to live temporarily. I submitted a rental application for a home that was managed by this firm, sent all required documentation, send a certified check, and spoke to the agent from C21AC. Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly. Suddenly all communication from C21AC shut down. I discovered that the agent from C21AC and the agent that was working with me had a "spat" over fees, began stalling the process with numerous excuses, would not speak to me, and would not give me any answers. I had to fly from my (then) home to Orlando (at considerable expense) to find another temporary housing option as I would have had no place to live. I went to C21AC twice to pick up my documents, as they had my social security number, bank account information, past two years of tax returns, checks, brokerage statement, and other sensitive and confidential financial information. When I asked for my documents, they simply handed them to me WITHOUT ASKING FOR ANY IDENTIFICATION - and we had never met. TWICE - TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. The 2nd person who simply handed me my documentation was the Broker/Owner. After reading the National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, consulting with my (other state) realtor, and discussing the situation with the Ethics contact at the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, I had intended to file a formal complaint, but time slipped away. As both agents and both broker/owners (of the two involved agencies) were copied on my emails, and were aware of the situation, I would caution anyone from working with either company. I especially hold the two broker/owners responsible for not stepping in and rectifying the situation. The only person who was damaged by their lack of responsibility was me, the customer/client. I would recommend that the four involved individuals undertake training to reinforce their understanding of their obligations under the National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice to the customer/client. In addition, Century 21 Alton Clark needs to provide internal training for all personnel in the proper handling of sensitive and confidential customer/client information. I do NOT recommend this agency.