Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  09/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 9/12/2022 I received a postcard from Ed **** with EBC Capital Partners, LLC. The post card was a marketing advertisement addressed to my wife and me offering to pay 100% cash for our house "as is" and to get a "no obligation" offer. What disturbed me the most about the post card is that it had a very recent picture of my property taken by my sidewalk on both the front and the back of the postcard. I could tell that the picture must have been taken within the past week or two based on the landscaping within that picture and was not pulled off of ****** maps street view or any previous listings related to my property. I value my privacy and found it highly unprofessional and intrusive that 1.) We are not in the market to sell our house and consider any of these types of offerings junkmail and 2.) That our privacy was breached by Ed **** with an unsolicited recent picture of our property for purposes of EBC Capital Partners marketing campaign and 3.) Upon further ****** search of this company - this practice of taking unsolicited pictures of private property for marketing purposes has been complained about within ****** Reviews for over a year, and is still being utilized. I also find it extremely invasive to think this company hires/sends individuals through neighborhoods taking pictures of peoples homes to be used in their unsolicited advertising/marketing campaigns.

  Business response

  09/12/2022

  Good evening,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We are a local Real Estate investment company out of Thomasville NC and take pride in running a legitimate professional business. We abide by all laws and in no way intend to make anyone feel uncomfortable or targeted. We do not share pictures or data with anyone else nor do we make any contact with property owners other than with our postcards. Most recipients find our postcards to be a unique method of marketing and we generally receive positive feedback. However we understand not everyone feels this way, which is why we added the statement on each postcard that if the property owner wishes to not receive any additional postcards, they can text, call or email us to be immediately removed. Unfortunately, we did not receive any communication from this property owner letting us know they did not wish to receive postcards, however they have now been removed from our mailing list and will receive no further contact from us.   

  Customer response

  09/13/2022

   I am rejecting this response because: While I appreciate the timely response to my BBB complaint, I wanted to correct some facts based on the response received by EBC Capital Partners, LLC. The response incorrectly states that the postcards mailed out include a disclosure of opting out of future marketing advertisements and how to opt out of future marketing solicitations (included as attachments both the front and back of the postcard I received). The postcard I received does not even state the business which is responsible for marketing - it simply lists Ed ****'s name and phone/email, I had to search Ed ****'s name and address on google in order to identify which company he was associated with, hence why I went through the BBB to complain as opposed to contacting your unnamed company directly to opt out of future marketing. In addition, to wanting to opt out, I was more concerned about the fact that an individual hired by this company was driving around my neighborhood taking pictures of my property to create this marketing in the first place. As to the response provided by EBC that they do not wish for people to feel "uncomfortable or targeted", I can't think of a more direct way to make people feel uncomfortable or targeted then by having people employed by your company driving around and taking pictures of peoples homes to extend a cash offer for a house that is not for sale. You might as well have come up and knocked on my door at this point so I could tell you face to face that I'm not interested. 

  I want assurance from this company that my homes picture and any other personal identifying information they have obtained about myself or my wife be deleted and that we receive no further solicitations. I will be speaking with other neighbors throughout my community to see if they received similar marketing postcards and be instructing them to file similar complaints. I would also like assurances from this company that they will no longer be sending individuals employed by them around ***** ***** **. taking pictures of peoples personal property.

  Sincerely,

  **** *******
  
  

  
  

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