If I contact you about a specific property and then we meet and you show me a different property, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.

1) You just started the relationship by lying to me, I don't want to do business with you.
2) You just wasted both of our time, that pisses me off.
3) Either you have **** for brains or think that all foreigners have **** for brains. We don't. **** you.

Three times now with three local agents. I show them the exact unit on their respective websites that I would like to see. Good prices, very nicely furnished, good location, LCD/Plasma TVs.

I arrive: green or wooden sofas, ten year old TVs, higher price than agreed on. Not one of them mentions that they were going to show me a different unit than the one we had arranged to see. To top it all off they all act surprised that this might not be good business practice.

These parasites are on this board, craigslist and local websites. Is there any reputable agent here who actually has a website with up to date listings that we can look at and if we find one we like ACTUALLY SEE IT? I'm doing all the hard work so we don't have to waste each others time. This shouldn't be so complicated.

Talk to Adrienne, she posts here.

Many local agents put really good pics in ads to hook you. These places either do not exist or have already been rented. Don't beleive them either when they tell you that construction is just during "legal hours" or that the huge empty lot in front of the place they are showing you is going to be a park. I have the name of an agent that we have used and she (and the company she works for) are really good. Pm me if you want her info.

All the same. Be patient.

Suggest to stay away from Metropolis and Phoenix. Both a total waste of time. Metropolis is actually the worst we have ever had to deal with. With them straight out lie to your face over and over again. Don't ever believe they have any realtionship with the landlord or a landlords agent either. Be cautious no one takes any accountability in the end with Metropolis. Supposedly owned by an Expatriate which I find hard to believe now.
Joanna Realestate is known for running ads where the property doesn't exist and they continue to run the ad over and over even when you call them on it.
Funny in some countries that is called bait and switch.
Use Adrienne , I wish we did.

We never has same problems with real estates agents. How we did ? For example: 1. select an area. 2. Walk around and check for all close agencies. 3. Try it. First ask about cheapest ones - same way you will broke an expectations about "rich/stupid lowai". 4.Bargaining about fees. Sometimes it maybe as low as 500 rmb. 5. Working hard for leave minimum deposit, because finally you will be hard to get it, and lend lord/agency will find a hundreds reasons for fooling you. Take care. Checking everything. Here no place for "trust to a word" or any kind of kindness. Good luck

Yeh I always followed Roots plan.

But know how you feel Huaidan. Its not the cheating that annoys me, just the fact that they wasted my time.

Actually I don't think it's a Shanghainese or Chinese problem.
Also in my hometown in Italy real estate agencies put advertisement on local magazines about apartments that don't exist, at least not at that price.