mirami

Having moved a number of times in and around Sydney over many years, I am happy to recommend Palmers Removals as one of the best and most professional removalists I've dealt with. They moved my house twice before, with service with a smile. Fast, efficient and stress less. No groaning and moaning how difficult the job was going to be! No complaints and/or extra charges for not parking right outside the door, being on first floor without lifts! No problem working in the rain. Above all, giving what they promised - no surprise extra fees!

This a a true Australian company with Australian values, i.e. to provide efficient service at reasonable cost. They own their own premises in Chullora, just past Bankstown. They know what we need and have numerous various storage options to offer you - much cheaper than other companies. Their units are clean, dry, safe and secure as well as easily accessible. Most importantly, they have a staff dedicated to SERVICE, i.e. big, experienced guys who will go out of their way to help you, even after hours. Because they DO understand that the customer, i.e. their bread and butter, comes first!

I recently engaged Getitdone Removals for a smaller job where I wanted to move my reduced goods to Storage King in Rockdale. Full review of this company will be posted here soon. I chose this company because they advertised NO HIDDEN fees. I received a confirmation sms from their contractors ONE DAY before the move, advising that I may be CHARGE EXTRA for the stairs. No mention of this on their website or in our previous conversations or EXACTLY how much! Was informed that it would be 3 extra hours and that I could take it or leave it! 3 days before I was due to move out of the apartment! Although the guys were polite and careful with my things, they lost all track of time! They were still loading my stuff at 2.00pm (since 9.00am) at which time I voiced my concerns to their operations manager and Storage King. Regardless, we showed up at Storage King at 4.30pm! They close at 5.30pm and no amount of pleading would move them to stay back and allow us to unload! The removalists didn't worry one bit and had no solutions to offer. The operations manager and I rang around to find other storage companies to help us unload.

I contacted Palmers who not only immediately offered me the right sized unit to store my stuff but also to stay back after business hours for us to be able to do so. At EXTRA cost to me, thanks to Getitdone Removals who overcharged me and are STILL ignoring all my requests for part refund! Not only have Palmers been more helpful but they are also much cheaper than Storage King Rockdale. I don't know about you but this is the kind of service I expect from people who call themselves PROFESSIONALS. I now KNOW that Palmers are and will NEVER move with anyone else again. I highly recommend this company, their storage facilities and all services.

I'd like to give a BIG thumbs up for Qantas. I again recently flew on a domestic flight with this company and have nothing but praise for their professionalism and service with a smile. Am getting used to and starting to love their self service at the airport. It's so easy to use and there's always someone very helpful nearby to give you a hand if need be. Checking in now also seems to be much faster than before. I also love their huge luggage scales and tables for repacking. This came in extremely handy during my last journey as I wasn't able to weigh my suitcases before. Sorted it all out easily at the airport. Had to check in extra luggage at no cost so that was an unexpected change and a bonus!

It's so encouraging to see this company having turned its business around in the past year or so and starting to make the profit it deserves to have. The new modern uniforms look smart, the food has also improved. The genuine desire to serve is a welcome change to so many shonky businesses out there not giving a damn about their customers! I've recently joined their frequent flyer program and look forward to many more journeys with Qantas. Well done guys!

My friends and I had a fantastic Christmas meal at this restaurant. I used to visit it at Balmain and am glad to see it moved to Glebe. It is a much better location for them and for its patrons, being close to the city. The decor is very simple and cosy, reminding me of sitting in downtown Prague. The food and service has no fault. It's good old European tucker and the portions are large. Can't wait to eat there again!

Last year (2012) I rented my recently renovated house to a young professional family, recommended to me by Ray White Rockdale. I took out Honan Landlords Insurance (underwritten by the Guild Insurance) and paid the premium outright, directly to Honan's.

A couple of months later, the professional family suddenly became tenants from hell when the husband bashed his wife and she took an AVO against him. She then decided that this incident entitled her to stop paying me rent and leave her belongings in my house while she moved to a refuge. Paying rent there instead. To cut short a long and unpleasant story with the tenant and Ray White Rockdale, I managed to force the tenant out of my house 3 months into the lease. She left it 2 days after I exchanged Contracts of Sale on the house. Helping herself to some of my belongings that Ray White Rockdale property manager didn't bother to list on the inspection report. The house sale was finalised 5 weeks later, during which time the house was empty and I was losing more rent needed for the mortgage payments.

I've informed Honan Landlords Insurance of the situation and was advised to put in a claim for the 5 weeks loss of rent and stolen items. I filled in their simple form, clearly stating what I was claiming. I also advised them that in the first instance, I was hoping to recover my losses from the tenant or Ray White Rockdale in CTTT hearings. No resolution was achieved in the conciliation hearings and the follow up ones were rescheduled to the new year, 4 months later.

During this extremely stressful time, I dealt with 7 various people at Honan's. I provided them with information requested by the Guild Insurance, their underwriters. For some reason, these people could not/would not understand my simple claim, documented on their simple claim form. Apart from the many emailed explanations and supporting documents that I kept sending a number of times while they kept getting “lost”, I also had numerous telephone conversations with most of them. Explaining again and again what I was claiming.

The CTTT hearings were over in March this year (2013). I wasn't able to recover my financial losses from the tenant or Ray White Rockdale. I informed Honan's and pursued my claim through them. When the Guild Insurance's claim specialist declared my claim invalid because I didn't advertise the property for rent (for the five weeks while it was being sold!), a customer service officer from Honan's undertook to assist me with the claim.

It took him another 4 months to document all my dealings with Honan and the Guild Insurance to persuade them to award me the 5 weeks lost rent. I had to resend some documents for the third time as the Guild Insurance claimed they weren't received until July! Since my stolen belongings weren't documented on the inspection report, I was not entitled to claim them.

As soon as I was informed of the Guild Insurance's decision, I contracted a life threatening illness, no doubt exacerbated by the enormous stress I experienced during the past year. I spent a few weeks in ICU. When I returned home, I searched my accounts for the insurance refund. It was nowhere to be found. I informed Honan of this at least 3 times. They finally traced it to Ray White Rockdale account! Somebody in the Guild Insurance decided to transfer it there, 9 months after my house was sold. Not only without my knowledge and permission but also without any reference to me! For a month, my refund sat in Ray White Rockdale's account earning them interest until I claimed it upon my return from hospital, again involving a number of people. An interesting fact to note was the Guild Insurance's and Ray White Rockdale's ability to sort out this problem within 24 hours! When to this day Ray White Rockdale refuses to take any responsibility for the problems they caused me with the tenant and all my subsequent financial losses. And when it took the Guild Insurance “only” 9 months to process my very simple claim!

I recently lodged a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman against the Guild Insurance and requested compensation suggested by my solicitor, for the way I was treated with respect to my claim. For my wasted time and the stress my dealings with them caused me. Unfortunately, the Financial Ombudsman's compensation terms are limited to a maximum $3000 that would not cover my losses with regard to my claim. The Guild Insurance informed me they “don't pay for pain and suffering” and will therefore not be responding further to my compensation claim. Not a word of apology from them either!

After a year of unpleasant dealings with exceptionally incompetent and unprofessional staff at Honan and the Guild Insurance, I have now severed all my association with them. Because of my experiences, I DO NOT recommend Honan Landlords Insurance (underwritten by the Guild Insurance) to anyone and will never deal with them again.

I was recently admitted to St George Public Hospital with a life threatening illness where I spent 2 weeks in ICU. I've never been so sick before and have never been to a hospital with an illness. The whole experience was very unnerving, unpleasant and frightening.

I would like to thank and compliment all doctors, nurses and other staff in ICU, on L4 and L5 wards for taking exceptional care of me, keeping me alive and nursing me back to good health. It was so refreshing to see everyone's dedication to their craft and community service.

I am so grateful for the excellent help and care that I received. This is a top hospital and the staff are pure healing angels.

I agree with everyone here. I had very unfortunate dealings with this agent and have now started legal proceedings against this agency. The principal is refusing to hand over my files to my solicitor, has ignored all correspondence from him for the past 4 months, even refusing to sign the delivery of registered letters. No doubt hoping I'll go away, which won't be the case. Just doesn't want to accept any responsibility for any of his actions with regard to my property. Will be going to local courts and the media shortly. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to join me. Otherwise stay away from this real estate agent if you don't wish to be treated like this!

I have just recently come across this DEFAMATORY and UNTRUE comment from Con Economos on nicelocal.com.au:

The Review from Mira Mikulic is a lie.
The Department of Fair Trading found that Mira Mikulic lost on all grounds with her false claims. Ray White Rockdale operated fairly and Justly. The Judge found all of Mira Mikulics claims baseless. A copy of the decision by the department of fair trading can be obtained.

After my very unpleasant and costly experience, I didn't want to have further dealings with him. Here is my reply to his allegations:

1. The Department of Fair Trading, CTTT and ASIC that I complained to , certainly didn't allege that I made false claims against Con's company Ray White Rockdale. Particularly when I submitted TRUE documents, correspondence and photos supporting my complaint against him. My claims got dismissed not because of any lies but because of lack of further documentation that Con Economos refused to provide to my solicitor. Feel free to request the rulings from him.

2. The complaint was based on problems and financial losses a tenant they sourced for me caused me. As described above.The tenant was presented to me by Ray White Rockdale as a professional woman with a husband and one small child. They prepared a lease with this information which I still have and I agreed to rent out my house to her. It was signed by the tenant and agent with this FALSE info. The tenant states on another complaint site that:

I did mentioned to your Real Estate ROCKDALE RAYWHITE that i have 3 children AND A RAGDOLL WHITE CAT...

I would have never allowed her into my recently renovated house had I been told the truth. She has turned out to be a tenant from hell. Moved to a refuge a few weeks after living in my place and having been bashed by her husband. While not paying me rent. I wasn't the only one she left in a lurch with non payment as she was recently again been chased by a law enforcement agency for doing a runner on someone else.

3.That wasn't the end of my problems with Ray White Rockdale. After I got the tenant out and decided to sell my house, unfortunately through this agent, Con Economos himself illegally ALLOWED a demanding prospective buyer into the house AFTER EXCHANGING CONTRACTS and BEFORE SETTLEMENT. The prospective buyer CAUSED DAMAGE to my property while checking for white ants and doing their own inspection without my PERMISSION and KNOWLEDGE. As described above. I still have photos and documentation of this damage.

I stand by this and my earlier review of Ray White Rockdale. Feel free to read other negative comments about this agency online and the way Con Economos operates this company. Based on my very unpleasant dealings with him, I cannot recommend him or his company to anyone.

I've signed up Ray White Rockdale to help me rent and sell my beautiful, recently renovated home that's been in my family for 30 years.

They had clear instructions to rent the house out to a professional couple without children. After showig my house to a number of applicants I would never approve, they found a 'professional couple with their own business and one child` which I did agree to rent my home to.

Even though the house was in perfect condition, the couple regularly requested repairs that the property manager started calling me about. Just over two months into their tenancy, I found out that the husband bashed his wife and moved out of my house. The wife felt entitled to stop paying me rent and I quickly fell into arrears with my mortgage payments. I also found out that the tenants had a history of domestic violence, two kids and a cat that I didn't give permission to live in my house. Not only that but apparently their large, extended family also lived in my home without my knowledge and permission.

This situation obviously suited Ray White sales staff who started processing buyers offering me up to $100K less than what we agreed to sell my property for, by way of 'trying to help me'. Even though eviction notices were issued to my tenant, no extra attempt was made to collect outstanding rent payment from her. Since she previously invited me to communicate directly with her, I went to see her at my property where she pushed me around and threatened to bash me. I filed assault charges report against her and the police helped me to remove her from my house. Half way into the tenancy.

The tenant left some of her rubbish at my property, left a devastated garden, helped herself to some of my items without my permission, damaged a door and left my beautiful home dirty and violated, with cat stench inside and out. Beautiful new carpets stained and dirty. Property manager's response: none of the above is true and the house is in immaculate state! Arrived at this conclusion by excluding me from the requested inspection and forming her own opinion! I've never seen my house look like this before. The agent is refusing to list this tenant on the National Tenancy Database to warn future landlords.

Since I questioned their lack of professionalism in handling my tenant, the agent didn't bother to request the bond return which the tenant refused to release to me. Thanks to their 'service`, I had to contact Dept of Fair Trading and do this myself.

In the meantime, I agreed to sell my property to this agent's buyer, at ca $70K less than the original price. The buyer had 'extraordinary' demands for things to be done to my property to proceed with the sale, all of them denied to them by my solicitor. They agreed to proceed with the sale and we are two weeks away from the settlement. Even though I have a written agreement with Ray White about not posting any of their signs on my property, this did not stop them from plastering their SOLD sign on my fence which I had to remove. Not only that but I noticed that Ray White staff and the buyer entered my property last week without my knowledge and permission and ripped back part of the carpet in the lounge room. They also tampered with the hot water system and the toilet in the laundry, both of which are now leaking.

I am so impressed by Ray White's management and selling style that I'm taking them to the Consumer Tribunal to recover all my financial losses and request compensation for this 'out if this world` experience! Seems I'm not the only one treated like this by Ray White Rockdale!

I have just recently come across this DEFAMATORY and UNTRUE comment from Con Economos on nicelocal.com.au:

The Review from Mira Mikulic is a lie.
The Department of Fair Trading found that Mira Mikulic lost on all grounds with her false claims. Ray White Rockdale operated fairly and Justly. The Judge found all of Mira Mikulics claims baseless. A copy of the decision by the department of fair trading can be obtained.

After my very unpleasant and costly experience, I didn't want to have further dealings with him. Here is my reply to his allegations:

1. The Department of Fair Trading, CTTT and ASIC that I complained to , certainly didn't allege that I made false claims against Con's company Ray White Rockdale. Particularly when I submitted TRUE documents, correspondence and photos supporting my complaint against him. My claims got dismissed not because of any lies but because of lack of further documentation that Con Economos refused to provide to my solicitor. Feel free to request the rulings from him.

2. The complaint was based on problems and financial losses a tenant they sourced for me caused me. As described above.The tenant was presented to me by Ray White Rockdale as a professional woman with a husband and one small child. They prepared a lease with this information which I still have and I agreed to rent out my house to her. It was signed by the tenant and agent with this FALSE info. The tenant states on another complaint site that:

I did mentioned to your Real Estate ROCKDALE RAYWHITE that i have 3 children AND A RAGDOLL WHITE CAT...

I would have never allowed her into my recently renovated house had I been told the truth. She has turned out to be a tenant from hell. Moved to a refuge a few weeks after living in my place and having been bashed by her husband. While not paying me rent. I wasn't the only one she left in a lurch with non payment as she was recently again been chased by a law enforcement agency for doing a runner on someone else.

3.That wasn't the end of my problems with Ray White Rockdale. After I got the tenant out and decided to sell my house, unfortunately through this agent, Con Economos himself illegally ALLOWED a demanding prospective buyer into the house AFTER EXCHANGING CONTRACTS and BEFORE SETTLEMENT. The prospective buyer CAUSED DAMAGE to my property while checking for white ants and doing their own inspection without my PERMISSION and KNOWLEDGE. As described above. I still have photos and documentation of this damage.

I stand by this and my earlier review of Ray White Rockdale. Feel free to read other negative comments about this agency online and the way Con Economos operates this company. Based on my very unpleasant dealings with him, I cannot recommend him or his company to anyone.