Bitterly let down by sharp practice and broken promises
I held Eden Estates in very high regard and genuinely believed they operated at the apex of local estate agencies. Sadly, my recent experience with them on a purchase in the Maidstone area proved to be an absolute masterclass in bad faith and sharp practice.
We entered negotiations on a property. After back-and-forth discussions, their negotiator, Jon, called me directly and put forward an agreed figure. I accepted that agreed price in good faith. Following this verbal agreement, the property was marked SSTC. We believed the deal was concluded and prepared our side accordingly.
Instead, the sequence of events left me with the very strong impression that our agreed position had been used as leverage while a higher offer was secured from another party. From my perspective, I had been reduced to an unwitting pawn in a bidding process I had not even been told was continuing. Once another purchaser was secured, our agreement was simply cast aside without us being given any opportunity to respond.
To make matters worse, Jon did not even possess the professional courtesy to call me himself to deliver the news. Instead, another member of staff was left to explain what had happened. Having personally called me to put forward the figure that he said would secure the agreement, I found his failure to speak to me when that agreement subsequently collapsed deeply disappointing and, in my view, seriously lacking in professional integrity.
To compound matters, when I submitted a formal written complaint regarding this conduct, the agency did not even have the professional courtesy to respond or acknowledge it, in clear disregard of proper complaints handling procedures.
The sole redeeming feature of this agency is their front-of-house team. Emily has consistently been outstanding—polite, responsive, professional, and a true credit to the company. The on-site staff we have encountered have demonstrated genuine decency.
Would I deal with Eden Estates again? Probably yes—the agency has good stock and some wonderful people on the ground. However, I would not touch their negotiator Jon with a bargepole. If you deal with this firm, my advice is to proceed with extreme caution, insist on dealing with someone other than Jon, and get every single commitment in black and white immediately.
A thoroughly disappointing 1-star experience from a company I expected far better from.
