Major agency changes mailing list after complaint

Spicerhaart has run into trouble again with the Advertising Standards Authority, (ASA), after a customer complained about repeated mailshots.

The ASA approached the agency after a complaint that the letters were still sent despite multiple requests to be taken off its mailing list.

The issue was resolved informally, which avoided the need for a formal ruling from the ASA.

Unsolicited

A spokesperson for the ASA told The Neg: “We received a complaint about unsolicited letters for Spicerhaart Estate Agents.

“A complainant kept receiving the letters after multiple attempts to opt-out and being told they had been removed from their mailing list.

“We approached the advertiser about the issue that had been raised and they agreed to resolve the issue without being subject to a formal ruling. Because of this we closed the case informally, without the need for a formal investigation.”

The Neg has approached Spicerhaart for comment.

Misleading

Last year, Haart, which is part of the Spicerhaart Group, agreed to remove photos from a property listing after a complaint to the ASA.

The complainant claimed the images were misleading because they didn’t show the current condition of the property.

The ASA raised the issue with Haart, and the estate agency responded by saying that the pictures were from a previous listing to protect the privacy of the sitting tenant.

Haart then agreed to take the pictures down until they could replace them with more recent photographs.