Posted by
ezpz
15 yrs ago
It is really frustrating to find so many bogus listings on asiaxpat. Editor - please do something about it. I have called up several properties that are listed for sale / rent and most of the time, the agents don't even know what I am talking about and 9 out of 10 times, the property is not available for viewing or is "sold / rented out already" which we all know is not true as the same ads are still there after weeks and months. Today, I called up Fortune Land Properties Agency and spoke to Simon. This company has about 20 listings under Clearwater Bay / Saikung for sale. I asked to see all of them since they were within my budget and finally, he told me that only 5 are available. There was one ad in particular titled CWB Whole Block priced at HK$9.5 million. I asked why this property has been listed by his agency and others on asiaxpat for almost a year but each time I call, I can't seem to get an appt to view. He told me flatly that the property is sold already. I told him then how can he list something that is not available and mislead the public. He hung up on me. This is crazy and I think they should have this agency's license revoked for such unethical practice.
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Ed
15 yrs ago
If you encounter such ads please hit the Report Abuse option on the listing - we then warn the agency that they must delete the ad and if they continue to post inaccurate listings we terminate their membership
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ezpz
15 yrs ago
Yes I know this and tried looking for the Report Abuse button but strangely, it cannot be found on the listing today. Could you please check? Or perhaps I was so shaken by the experience and the attitude of the agent that I couldn't see properly. Will check again.
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They are trying to "drum up business", and it is a common practice. They will only show you the cheapest prices in the ads (low floors, etc), and then home they can cross-sell you something else.
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Since properties for sale and for lease come and go every day, it is very hard for anyone to keep track of all of them at all times so it is better for you to call; check and find out if they are available and if they are, go and inspect them in person. Try different ways when it comes to buying or leasing a property. Internet or dealing with agents are one of the good but not the only options. As a consumer, you have the right to ask for the proof from the agent(s) if you ever in doubt about if the listings are "bogus"
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I have been trying to view a property in Sheung Wan which is privately leased by the owner. The owner tried to tell me that she was in Milan with the keys and in order for me to receive the keys and view he apartment I would have to send one months rent and a deposit through Western Union to her.........
This is a scam which I cannot 'report abuse' on!
Please sort this out
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Do not send her anything at all. Looks like it is definitely a scam because there is no need to pay anything to view any apartment in Hong Kong. I am a real estate broker and I work in the Central and Sheung Wan areas. If you need help, please let me know.
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It's "Buyers Beware" situation. The onus is on you to find out and verify anything yourself before making any commitment by using your common sense and judgement. Dealing or advertising with Asiaxpat.com is no different from dealing with any other media or sources and it is very hard for them to monitor everything for you. That's why they have that 'report abuse' button for you to use to report anything suspicious to them.
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They charge a substantial amount for the ads and have a duty of care to their users. They'll soon find their advertising revenue drop off if they are too mean to spend money ensuring a decent service.
If the site offers no quality assurance why would anybody ever use it? As I mentioned I noticed a substantial drop off in the response rates to my ads over the last few years which leads me to believe people are losing faith in the site already
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I am not too sure about this "duty of care" but it is a good idea whether or not it is economically and physically feasible to do it, is another thing but one thing we should agree that almost all advertising media accept your ad if you meet their minimum requirements and standards. The economy and fierce competitions could be one of the contrubuting factors for diminishing business because it does not only affect advertising business but all other businesses too. Mind you, there are media out there offering free advertisings.
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In your property listings, a very common "mistake" is to place the property to a more expensive district .
For example : I saw today Connaught Garden's location to be advertised "Sheung Wan" or in another add even "Midlevels West" .
The place (155 Connaught Rd. West) is very clearly is Sai Ying Pun and whereas someone who does not know HK well, would possibly confuse Sheung Wan with Sai Ying Pun, how on the Earth can you think that a Connaught Rd. address (sea level) is located in Mid-Levels??!!
Gimme a break.
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If I am not mistaken, Sai Ying Pun is west of Western Street of Sheung Wan and Mid-level west is south of Sheung Wan and Sai Ying Pun. There is a chance that Conduit Rd is being mixed up with Connaught Rd West but this is no excuse. I always carry a map with me and double check with anyone for the exact direction and location of any property that I want to see.
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"If I am not mistaken, Sai Ying Pun is west of Western Street of Sheung Wan "
I would say it's west of Eastern St.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sai_Ying_Pun
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Ed
15 yrs ago
All ads are vetted before they go live however in many instances we cannot ensure accuracy... for instance... there are thousands of buildings in HK... we get upwards of 200 new listings per day - therefore it is impossible for us to ensure the building is in the correct district... even an experienced property agent would not know...
As mentioned all ads have a huge Report Abuse option at the bottom of them - if you see incorrect info please click that - we log these reports and warn agents - if they get multiple reports then we stop their accounts...
http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/apartments-for-rent/499127.asp
If you find that an agent has:
* Posted misleading information about a property (particularly the asking rent).
* Posted a listing that is not on the market.
* Posted the same listing multiple times.
Please click here to send this agent an abuse report with specific details of the problem(s) with their property listing. This message will also be sent to the AsiaXPAT Editors and if we find that a particular agent is constantly posting inaccurate or misleading information we will suspend and/or terminate their account.
Thank you for helping us ensure that our property channel contains accurate and up to date information.
Agency Reference ID: 165
0783305E-042B-4DC7-9DF9-025ED69303E4
We are relaunching the sites before the end of the year and will implement further measures at that time to ensure accurate quality listings.
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ok, thanks. I just went by the map I have 2010 Hong Kong Map published by Face Magazine Limited.
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ezpz
15 yrs ago
Dear Ed
I went to the Apts for Sale section again today to find almost all listings in page 2 are under Fortuneland Property and 90% of them are not "real" postings as mentioned. I am surprised you did not receive any complaints about this agency. I asked my colleague to call them up as well to check which ones she can view; only to be told that most are already sold or not on the market and he has others to show. These were the same reasons he gave me 2 weeks ago but the listings are still there and not adjusted. I also tried to find the Report Abuse button but could not find it on the ad. Please investigate this agency's listings so they do not waste the readers' time. Many thanks.
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Ed
15 yrs ago
Thanks - we will deal with this shortly. Please advise if you see any others.
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Ed
15 yrs ago
Can you confirm the agency name - is it Fortuneland or BEST FORTUNE PROPERTIES AGENCY LIMITED (C-024070)
Please send me a link to one of the listings - thanks
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ezpz
15 yrs ago
Hi Ed,
As mentioned in my original thread, it is Fortuneland Property Agency. The agent's name is Simon. If you go to Apts for Sale and click on Clearwater Bay / Saikung listings, you will see most of the ads in page 1 and 2 are under this agency. Here is one of the links - http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/apartments-for-sale/398559.asp
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Ed
15 yrs ago
Thanks for the clarification - we are removing all listings and suspending their account - this is not the first time we have had this problem....
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ezpz
15 yrs ago
Thanks Ed. I hope you will ban this company asap as they are misleading the public and wasting the time of interested buyers. FYI, they and other agencies have been advertising this same property for over 6 months (maybe more but I only started looking at properties 6 months ago). What caught my suspicion recently was the fact that each time I asked the agency if I could view this apartment, they tell me it is not possible and offered to show me something else. 2 weeks ago when I called Fortuneland Property to express my interest in viewing; he said it was sold and will take it off the listing. I just checked and it is still there!!! I can't believe they are using such tactics and non-existent properties as a bait entice unsuspecting buyers like me. It is a nice property with good renovation and attractive price. Surely to attract buyers. Very clever but unethical. Please click on this link - http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/apartments-for-sale/323086.asp
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