Bad experience with Kung Si Wei

by **peterlam** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:34 am

I’ve just had a bad experience using Kung Si Wei’s agency. I wanted to share it so that others won’t have to go through the same nightmare.
I was breaking my contract early and agreed with the landlady that I would help her find a new tenant in return for a return of the deposit. I got in touch with Kung Si Wei and introduced her to the landlady. Si Wei brought a few potential tenants to the house and I always made time to be available. I even did all the talking during the visits to introduce the good points of the house.
Si Wei eventually got a tenant to sign a contract as I found out from my former neighbours. But both Si Wei and the landlady did not inform me about the new tenant. And when I asked Si Wei, she actually lied and said that the tenant had not signed the contract. Basically, she was colluding with the landlady so that I would not get my deposit back. You might ask why she would do that. I really don’t have a clue. Maybe the landlady offered her some money to keep her mouth shut. Or she was just so keen to seal the deal that she agreed to any requests the landlady had.
I find it completely unscrupulous for a real estate agent to lie so blatantly and be so willing to screw others. So be warned…

by **canuckyyz** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 4:59 pm

From the sounds of it you did not have a "diplomatic clause" in your tenancy agreement. Also sounds like the landlady is the type who would have tried to screw you out of the deposit at the end of the lease anyway.

by **Cylon** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 5:20 pm

So why don't you blame the landlord at all? Ultimately she is the one responsible for all this.

Whether you get your deposit back or not doesn't affect the new agency.

by **peterlam** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 9:37 pm

Of course the landlord is ultimately at fault. But if the real estate agent whom you know and introduced to the landlord decides to lie blatantly to you, then I think the agent is very unprofessional. The agent was fully aware of my situation, but she actually lied and said that the contract was not signed when the contract had been signed. In fact, the new tenant was actually moving in that very day (my friendly neighbours told me).

by **operadave** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:51 pm

Although I have no knowledge of the OP's situation, I dealt with Kung Si Wei for my current apartment. She was the most helpful and professional real estate agent I have ever used, as both tenant and landlord, on 3 continents. On this basis I whole heartedly recommended her to friends, colleagues and clients.

by **Cylon** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:28 pm

What about calling the landlord directly and tell her you have been informed of the new tenant moving in and reminding her about your deal?

by **Adrienne** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:32 pm

Looks like your situation was a benefit to the agent as she introduced a new client and would have got commisson which I am guessing was some of your deposit. And it would have been an extra bonus to the agent because you didn't fulfill your term. I am sorry to hear this. Was it made crystal clear that the landlord would give you back all of the deposit if a new tenant was found? Did it matter who introduced the new tenant? Were there any other conditions discussed that you may have missed? When there is an early termination without diplomtic clause the landlord also has take into account the past commission paid and the new commission paid for the introduction of a new tenant. Some tenants forfeit a certain percentage to cover the landlord's losses but this should all be discussed and made clear with the landlord, agent and the tenant. It's usually calculated pro-rata.

Adrienne
http://www.shanghaiprops.com

by **peterlam** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:29 am

In this case, I had written confirmation from the client about returning the deposit and it had been shared with the previous agent. The landlord also agreed to use an agent to speed things up. Which is why I diligently showed the house on my own and through a few agents. At no point did the landlord mention any conditions until after the tenant moved in.

I had some decorations and furniture in the house that the landlady, Kung Si Wei and I agreed to leave there for sale to the next tenant. Now I can't even get my furniture back or the money for the sale! If Kung Si Wei had informed me of the new tenant, I would have ensured I got paid for the furniture or move them out (I still had the keys because we did not do the handover since the house was still being shown to potential tenants). The unbelievable thing is that Kung Si Wei outrightly lied and said that the contract had not been signed on the day I found out that the tenant was moving in (from my former neighbours). Whatever the circumstances were for this case, I believe is not professional for Kung Si Wei to lie.

In response to Lurker's post, I agree that there will be good and bad experiences with any agent. All I am saying is that there is a risk working with someone who had been dishonest to a client...

by **nelsonclassic** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 6:00 pm

Hello friend,

I also have many bad experiences of moving,but it was only last time when we hired my company],then we got satisfying service...
You are right it's really not easy to get a good moving and packing company..we should choose very carefully,to save ourselves from being cheated..

Regards,
Nelson

[edited for truth by moderator]