War of the fees! HouseSimple criticises Yopa and Purplebricks for their upfront charges

Online estate agency HouseSimple has taken a sideways swipe at rivals Purplebricks and Yopa over their up-front fee structures. The agency’s soon-to-be released latest TV ad features a gastro pub at which a cheeky but persistent waiter asks punters to pay upfront for their drinks and food before they are served. One group of friends are asked to pay £250 upfront for their meal, while one couple are asked to pay £50 for their bottle of prosecco before its brought over. Unsurprisingly, the apparently real-life customers at the pub are baffled and even let rip with expletives when faced with a compulsory up-front payment for their nosh and splosh. Experiment “We wanted to make a point with this experiment; that in certain situations people don’t react well to paying upfront for a service they haven’t yet received and in some cases, never will,” says Sam Mitchell, CEO at HouseSimple (right). “If we don’t expect to pay upfront in these situations, why should this differ when buying or selling your home? The film captured and reinforced our decision to be the first online estate agent to have a No Sale No Fee only proposition.” HouseSimple charges vendors a £995 flat fee…