Agents claim Realtor.com provided “useless” buyer leads

Lawsuit is seeking class-action status

Rupert Murdoch and realtor.com
Rupert Murdoch and realtor.com

Two real estate agents are pursuing a class-action lawsuit against Move Inc., claiming Realtor.com provided “useless” buyer leads despite, in some cases, charging hundreds of dollars each month.

Move Inc., a subsidiary of News Corp. and operator of Realtor.com, was hit by a similar complaint back in January, but now California agent John Herkenrath and Ohio agent Tina Wilson are seeking class-action status for anyone who paid Move for buyer leads since April 20, 2014. The new complaint alleges that Herkenrath and Wilson respectively paid $500 and $120 each month for leads that turned out to be either inaccurate or for people who had no interest in buying a home, Inman reported.

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The lawsuit also claims that Move fails to remove duplicate and fake leads and provides the same lead — though billed as an “exclusive” — to various Move customers.

“The allegations are without merit, and we will defend the case vigorously,” Realtor.com spokesperson Janice McDill said in a statement. “Beyond that, as a matter of policy on legal matters, we will have no further comment, except to note that tens of thousands of real estate professionals use our products to connect with clients and build successful businesses.” [Inman]Kathryn Brenzel