RECR - Real Estate Client Referrals - Complaints Galore

Sorry to hear about the bad experience, Joshua.  Good for you for fighting back and helping others avoid a similar problem. 

I hope everyone hears your message loud and clear:  Anyone who calls you and wants to be paid a flat fee up front for a "good lead" is ripping you off.  Why on earth would they take a few hundred dollars instead of waiting a couple months for what could be a few thousand?  The answer:  Because they know 99% of the leads are crap.

Boy! I must have been delusional but I was stupid enough to sign up with this RECR for qualified leads!  They have no qualified leads, they are a call center that  picks up names and phone numbers from sites for foreclosures; and i should have really been aware when I heard their territories!  They get them from Google Earth.  Like others, I am instituting major complains with the BBB, the FTC, and the Attorney General in Az.  I think we should all make sure our Realtor Associations become aware of them, NAR, AAR, and all your state associations...they are preying on us in a difficult market. 

They claim a 1 in 5 closing rate - sounds to good to be true (and is) but unfortunately realtors who are either neive or desparate see that and jump all over it.

I have posted this on many boards, over the past few years and for  those who may not see it here have at it........................

Lead companies seldom generate quality leads.

You have, no doubt, seen lead companies claiming they have target market leads for your business. They target very generally, to produce massive numbers of leads for their own profit, not yours. All seven points here are lies you are literally being sold.

These are only a few reasons to generate your own leads.

Lead Generation Company Lie #1. "We Generate Target Market Leads."

For example, some lead companies place pop up ads on massive corporate investment web sites. People looking to invest a very small amount of money see a pop up ad that says "Earn $5,000 per month from home" and opt in, out of hope and curiosity. The lead is targeted to anyone who will enter their information, and then sold to you.

Does that sound like someone looking for a business, or someone who's attention was diverted by fading momentary interest?

Lead Generation Company Lie #2. "We Generate Leads."

The truth is, there are only a handful of lead companies that generate leads, and they are generally very poor quality. The others, buy their leads from them, and re-sell them to you. They, in fact, never generated the "Lead".

Lead Generation Company Lie #3. "Our Leads Are Fresh, 24 Hours Old, Or Less!"

The lead was actually just sold to the company 24 hours ago from another lead company. It could be days, weeks, or months old. Make sure to read all of the details about how the company obtained the lead to begin with.

Lead Generation Company Lie #4. "Leads Are Not Incentivised."

Incentivised means the lead company claims that they did not offer a cash payment, or gift, to the person who become a lead. They are actually posing as a survey company that promises to pay people, for filling out surveys. First, people are asked to fill in their information, so checks can be mailed to them, for surveys taken. After filling out a survey, the lead company informs the survey taker that they will not be paid, unless they sign up for a certain number of offers on a questionnaire. A good example is this:

"Would you like to work from home?" The survey taker checks the box to be paid, and their information is sent to you as a lead. They often have no idea of what just happened, or why you contacted them.

Was the "Lead" incentivised? What do you think?

Lead Generation Company Lie #5. "Company Specific Leads"

Let's say in this example your home business sells vacations. The lead company tells you that their $10 lead is targeted to people that will be interested in vacations. What that really means is, an advertisement was put in a place of interest to people looking for a vacation package, that also sells advertising space to a lead company. The ad placed on the site claims the person can get paid to take vacations, instead of purchasing one, and the shopper opts in.

Is that really a company specific lead?

Lead Generation Company Lie #6. "There Are Millions Of People Looking For A Home Business Every Day."

The truth is, there ARE people looking home businesses every day, but, there are thousands, not millions. Most leads are just the same people falling for these gimmicks, over and over. That's the reason why most home business owners fail. They go broke sorting through costly, poor quality, "Leads".

Is that what you want? Of course not.

Lead Generation Company Lie #7. "We Will Give You 10 Free Leads To Test Our Quality"

A lead company tells you that they will give you 10 leads for trying their leads. What they don't tell you is that when you give them your information, you just became a lead.

The bottom line is, lead companies CAN generate quality leads. However, they never will, because their profit comes from selling millions of poor quality leads. If they were to generate millions of good leads, their employees would use them, quit their jobs, and join a business!

I just got a call from this company wanting 99 bucks per "great" lead. I listened to this kid ramble and stutter and burp several times through his canned presentation. I finally asked if he worked on commission and he said he got 15% of what he sold. I told him instead of only getting 15 bucks from me I would pay him $500 if his "great prospect" bought a home. He said that was against company policy I said are you sure? He said yes I said well what do you think about this... SLAM!!!!!!! I almost broke the phone!!!!!

Make sure you all take the calls from these jokesters and let them roll for about ten to fifteen minutes. Then get them good with a loud slam. If we all waste this much time they will quit working at these cheese holes because they will go broke. So do your part and wipe them out!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I just received a call from a 406 area code and I let it go to voicemail. I listened to the message and it was someone named Jay telling me that he had a referral for me of a client who wants to list their townhome in my area. He said he was from RECR. I've never heard of RECR, but being somene who has been ripped off before, I decided to Google them to see if I can find out if they're legitimate before returning their call. I found this site and I can't thank you enough. If they're as over zealous as you say they are, I probably would've hung up on them, but you never know. They may have hooked me. In these times, you really can't afford to throw your money away on scam artists. Thanks again - you're doing a great service.

This company is a total scam.  I am so embarassed that I didn't do a quick Google search first...that is so unlike me.  I am battling it out with them right now, but it is a little difficult when they don't call you back. This may have been an expensive learning experience.

I have to say that they got me for 306.00 , again I have used lead companies int he past and they have worked out well. This company however is just a complete scam, they send bogus leads , then issue you a replacement that is not good until after you use all the paid leads. SO three bad leads and I am out 306.00, they all claim that you can get a refund but they are lying thru their teeth. Bad part about it is they wave their Active Rain Association like a banner makes you wonder how involved AR may be in this scam.

I have learned one extremely valuable lesson - Always check the internet before buying anything from anyone you are not familiar with. Had I done so, I would have avoided the hastle I have had with RECR; masters at a real con game. The comments above are accurate in my experience, most referrals are not really legit but are people drawn in to the foreclosure rush - I do not handle those. The worst is that this company has created a very slick sales technique and seemingly ironclad contract that let's face it, if you were foolish enough, as I was, to fall for the very sweet sounding lady that sold me, then you are not going to take the time or trouble to read anything, but instead just click the boxes because you are busy and because she promised the moon. I feel pretty foolish for having fallen for this but they are not going to get my money if I can help it.

Thank you to all who have taken the time to write about this deception.

I have learned one extremely valuable lesson - Always check the internet before buying anything from anyone you are not familiar with. RECR - <a href=" http://www.selectreferrals.com">real estate referrals</a> - Complaints Galore is nice post.

Thank you for these postings. I just got an email today from someone at RECR and I was curious about the company.  I'm Always looking for good information about companies who solicit my email.  After 5 years in business, and a few thousand dollars, I finally learned that the best referrals come from the people I know.  Paying for leads is usually a scam, or at best a waste of money.   

Wish I had seen this earlier -I thought I had sone my homework -called an agent who used them and endorsed them -but of course by the time I called back someone had taken my area -then I was promised a very lucrative area just before my 3 month date - I was thrilled -but I never got it -when I inquired i was told that it was gone.

The one referral I received was 6 hours away -and honestly don't think it was a real lead -and I forwarded it to someonelse in that area -so now I am embarassed about that as well as having been scammed.

I am from Ontario Canada and would like to see if there are other people that are in  a similar position -I would like to hear from you.