Dear Mr & Mrs Popa, I am very sorry that you feel so upset by your recent dealings with us but I must clarify some facts. You offered £372,500 on the Mullards Close house on the 14th September and the seller did accept your offer but you were still considering the other property in Worcester Park so were unable to commit. You reduced your offer to £372,000 on 15th September and the seller accepted your reduced offer. I advised you that due to the seller’s very strict timescale you needed to get your finances in place as soon as possible. You advised me that you were unable to see your mortgage broker until the 28th September, I advised you that our broker would be able to see you much sooner but you declined to take me up on this offer. We had 3 viewings booked for Saturday 19th September which the seller wanted to go ahead and on 21st September we received an offer from another buyer for £383,000, some £11,000 more than your offer. The sellers were informed and asked me to call you to see if you would increase your offer. When I spoke to you I explained about the competing offer and gave you the opportunity to increase which you chose not to. We are legally obliged to inform the seller of all offers received and the decision of how to proceed is with the seller not us. Your review says that we are ‘cold-blooded, thick-skinned’, unfortunately in this market there is little room for sentiment. I always deal with all of our customers professionally and politely. I always keep everyone fully informed of all of the facts. You go on saying that ‘the team would trash anything in their way for a bigger commission’. Well the higher sales price gives me £8.25 (less income tax and N.I) more commission! Anyway, believe it or not, we never even consider our commission when dealing with offers, just the seller’s best interests. You continue saying that ‘we were honest, something that we learned, one should never be when dealing with estate agents’. Well we were honest with you, and everything you told us would not have changed this outcome unless you are saying you would lie to us by making a higher offer that you didn’t intend to stick to? You talk about gazumping and that ‘it is common practice around here, but that’s so inconsiderate’. True gazumping is harsh (fortunately very rare as sellers wouldn’t usually instruct us to accept further offers once a sale has begun) but your sale had not begun, solicitors were not in touch with each other and you had not had a survey carried out. If you put yourself in the sellers’ position, accepting £11,000 more for your house is inconsiderate, really! You say that we have ruined your lives. I don’t really know how to respond to that, obviously if we really have, I am devastated. But please have a serious review of what actually happened and I am confident that maybe that comment is a little overstated. We are a ‘bunch of heartless people, think twice about buying from them’. Absolutely not true, I regularly get very upset about the outcomes of sales. However, I get over this by going home knowing that I have done the best for the seller and have been open and honest with all concerned. Again, I am very sorry that you feel the way you do and that rather than speak to me you felt the need to post a nasty ‘sour grapes’ review to the world. Maybe by doing so you feel better now. I hope you look back on this experience and see the whole picture. Fleur Tickner.