Rude & incompetent

I am looking for an investment property as a cash buyer resulting in my first contact with this company, it is, I hope, definitely the last. I emailed our interest in a property for sale but after no response, called two days later. They were "just about to deal with it" when I rang. I was told that they need to give the tenants 48 hours notice of a viewing and they would telephone as soon as they could arrange an appointment. I was asked if I would like details sending out and confirmed that I did as lease details etc are not on their website.

A week later with no contact, I telephoned to ask if we were any nearer to viewing to be told that they didn't have any contact details for me, the girl entered them into their system then checked the diary for the property and told me that there was already a viewing arranged for another interested party later in the week. She couldn't explain why we had not been contacted while other customers had. I told her that I could not view the property on that day as I had a funeral to attend. I wasn't happy about the lack of communication and asked to speak to the manager, the girl was reluctant to put me through, said that the manager was on the phone, asking what did I expect her to do? Then said that she was the lettings manager and couldn't deal with me. While I was waiting she said she would try to contact the tenants but if she couldn't arrange anything sooner would I like to view with the other people. When I asked her if she had even listened to my reason for not viewing that day she told me not to speak to her like that and not to ask her to do something impossible! When I explained I was merely asking for her to do her job and provide me with an acceptable level of service she said that she would get Mr Cooke to call me and hung up!

The delightful Damien Cooke did phone, interrupted me constantly and when his aggressive behaviour failed to intimidate me he told me that they obviously couldn't match my high level of expectation of their company so they didn't want to sell me anything!

So, if your expectations are that a member of staff will contact you as arranged, post or email something to you as promised, remain polite during a telephone conversation when you are complaining about their lack of customer service then you will be sadly disappointed. I can only feel sorry for the vendors who are paying for an inadequate service, especially in the current economic climate.