Redman Casey Estate Agents were censured by the ASA for basing a 97% customer satisfaction rating, which first appeared on its website in January this year, on flimsy data.
The firm also told its customers that it had 50 years’ estate agency experience and had built up ‘strong relationships over many years’ despite it only trading for one year.
Redman Casey said the result was based on feedback received in 2014. But when asked for proof, the firm submitted a large number of testimonials dated between January and June 2015 and findings from a questionnaire carried out in June 2015, following the complaint. The ASA also disagreed with the way the result had been calculated. It found that the true reflection of the feedback showed 89% satisfaction.
In response to the claim of 50 years’ experience alongside relationships built up over many years, Redman Casey said it was referring to the experience of the staff and not the amount of time the firm has been trading.
In July, a North London estate agent Hugo West was told to remove claims from its website that it had won a Sunday Times award and details of trade bodies it said it belonged to because it was unable to provide proof the statements were true.
