We found an advertised rental home online, and rented it through Real Estate Agents, William (Bill) and Carrie Proper of Century 21 Metro Alliance in Arizona. We requested of Mr. Proper that he conduct a title search and confirm for us that there were no foreclosure problems. Bill Proper reported back to us that he had checked things out & "everything is fine, the title is free and clear." So, we signed the lease, submitted the deposit and moved into the house. The day after we moved in, a NOTICE OF TRUSTEES SALE was posted on door. Bill and Carrie Proper led us into a contractual agreement on a house that was more than a month into foreclosure. Proper insisted that it was not in foreclosure.
We called the Title Company and learned (within minutes) that the notice was valid. Line 206 of the Century 21 Metro Alliance lease agreement says, Landlord shall not allow the Premises to become the subject of a trustees sale. Agency entered into a fraudulent agreement more than a month after the premises had already become the subject of a trustees sale.
When we demanded our deposit back, the Propers tried to illegally evict us. They said if they returned deposit, we would have to vacate NOW! They said, they were concerned for our safety, because wed be trespassing & anything could happen to us and we wouldnt be protected."
Prior to moving in, Mr. Proper notified us that the Century 21 Metro Alliance written lease agreement stipulated that once weve moved into the house, our dealings would be with the landlord not Mr. Proper. However, William Proper has consistently refused to provide us with the owners contact information as mandated by the ARIZONA RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT.
He began a series of phone calls and voicemail messages like, "You are trespassing. Unless you return the door key, the mailbox key and garage door opener to my (Century 21-Metro Alliance) office by tomorrow, I'm going to have resort to another method and that way you won't like.
I contacted Century 21 Metro-Alliance designated broker, Charles McLean, by email letter first; then by phone. He said hed received my letter, and that he and some of his managers would be meeting with William Proper and Carrie Proper at 4:00 the following day. He said would, try to find out what they were hoping to accomplish by going this route. McLean said he would call me back after meeting with Century 21-Metro Alliance Realtors, Mr. And Mrs. Proper. I did not hear from Mr. McLean again.
However, about 10 days later, I received a call from his partner, Phil Mercurio. Mr. Mercurio said was calling to see if he could help me find house. When I asked if they had met with their accused realtors, he replied that they did meet, and that they had Bill and Carrie to submit a written response to the charges against them. I asked if the Propers had seen my letter, Mercurio replied, "Yes, we gave them a copy of it." I said, "Great. Now, can I get a copy of their response letter?" He replied, I dont think I can do that.
Phil Mercurio reiterated that his reason for calling was to see if he could help me find house. He went on to say that he didnt see where it mattered what his agents response to my charges was. He wanted me to understand that he was trying to get me to let him help me, by finding me a house. It's odd that he should think that I would still want to use them as my realtors. He has yet to provide a copy of that response letter.
This seems to be a normal practice with Century 21 Metro Alliance. First, his realtors, Carrie Proper and William Proper have consistently refused to provide us with the owners contact information as mandated by the ARIZONA RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT. Now, their superiors tell us that they cannot share with us what their agents response to our complaint is. Then, I read a Better Business Bureau (BBB) report that says this company didnt even respond to them. And this was before my complaint.
I suppose working with Century 21 Metro-Alliance is like playing Russian roulette. Who knows if all goes well, your experience might be pleasant. However, if there is a problem along the way, it appears as though they see nothing, hear nothing and say nothing. With so much money on the line, are you willing to take that chance?
Maybe Im wrong, but I believe owners Mercurio and McLean seem more interested in protecting Bill Proper and Carrie Proper than honoring the Realtors Code of Ethics. With business methods such as I have experienced, one can easily comprehend why the Better Business Bureau (BBB) gave Century 21 Metro Alliance an Unsatisfactory Rating.
BBB report
BBB Reliability Report for
Century 21 / Metro Company
BBB Rating Unsatisfactory
BBB issues Reliability Reports on all businesses, whether or not they are BBB accredited. If a business is a BBB Accredited Business, it is stated in this report
BBB Definition:
report - A summary of activity reflected in a company's BBB file.includes basic business background, BBB Accreditation information, and BBB complaint activity over the previous three years. Also reports may include any known government actions, advertising issues or other information that results from activity conducted by the BBB.
Name: Century 21 / Metro Company
Phone: (602) 993-3900
Fax: (602) 866-5372
Address:
19820 N. 7th Street #100
Phoenix, AZ 85024
Original Business Start Date: October 1980
New Owner Date: January 1989
Principal: Mr. Charles McLean, Owner
Customer Contact: Mr. Charles McLean, Owner - (602) 993-3900
TOB Classification: Real Estate
BBB Accreditation: This organization is not a BBB Accredited business.
Additional DBA Names
Century 21 Metro Company
Century 21 Metro Alliance
Nature Of Business:
This company offers full service real estate.
Customer Experience:
Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB due to failure to respond to a complaint.
BBB Definition: unsatisfactory record -
A company has an "unsatisfactory business performance record" with the BBB is based on the experiences reflected in BBB files. This file condition results when the company has failed to resolve or respond to complaints, repeatedly failed to respond or resolve issues in a timely manner, failed to resolve the underlying issues for a pattern
BBB Definition: pattern -
More than 2 complaints involving the same allegations usually within 12 months that are significant in relation to the company's size and volume of business.
Of complaints, failed to honor their commitment to mediate or arbitrate disputes or honor mediated agreements or arbitrated decisions, failed to substantiate, modify or discontinue false advertising claims that are challenged by the BBB, or failed to discontinue unauthorized use of the BBB name and logo, a Federally protected trademark.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints. Contract Issues
BBB Definition: Contract Issues -
Claim of alleged failure to honor contract or agreement, work performed without authorization, or invalid contract.
No Response
BBB Definition: No Response -
The company failed to respond to the complaint.
1 - Company failed to respond to the BBB to resolve or address the complaint issues.
Never Again
Metroplolitan-Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.
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