How would you like your Staging Services be Auctioned Off to the LOWEST Bidder?
Yes - that's right - the LOWEST Bidder. Sort of like a reverse Auction where they devalue the service being auctioned off - a way to make sure a cheap price wins.
WOW. Would you want to be affiliated with a company that does that?
What if this company claimed to be training qualified Stagers? Yikes!
What if YOU graduated from this place expecting to have Staging work, and was not aware that you were being Auctioned off to the lowest bidder - and the client was ENCOURAGED to do this as way to get the cheapest price?
I was shocked when I read this - straight from the supposed Staging training company. We have all heard of these people as they advertise on a prominant TV channel, however the negative press and blog posts that have been rampant from their graduates or others that have interacted with them are proof that this company is a disgrace to what reputable Home Stagers do.
It's terrible that this company would degrade the people that are paying them for education - and cheapening the service of professional Home Staging like a used car lot.
Here is a DIRECT EXCERPT from an email that was sent to solicit business from a Realtor with a listing that was in need of Staging. This email was sent from the company directly and not from one of their graduates:
Then, using your offer as a starting point, we'll have Professional, Accredited Home Stagers in your local area (Or their Team Leaders) bid against each other to win your job. (The Auction helps drive down your price even further!)
Upon completion of the Auction (Usually about 8 hours) we'll notify you of the lowest bid below your original offer.
What this group is REALLY after is NOT helping their Stager grads win business - it's to promote their TV advertisement service and to solicit realtors and sellers to put their houses on some TV program to get exposure - for a fee of course.
By the way, based on their calculations of what it should cost, they believe Stagers are only worth about $25.00 per hour - if that. It's pathetic how this company is driving down the professional image of Stagers with their schmaltzy and slick advertising, and total lack of understanding of what it really takes to Stage a house.
My personal opinion is - I am most disturbed by the people they have deceived. Good people who are investing their dollars in training only to be greatly disappointed. For some of them - they don't have any other money to put towards a reputable training and real success as a Stager. For some they have to suck it up and try to put what little they learned and received to work. Complaints are unanswered, their hard-earned dollars gone - and they are disappointed that they were rooked by a scam.
I have heard from some of these people - the same story over and over. I think the best thing people can do is continue to write about the deceipt and poor business practices. And if you are reading this - DO YOUR HOMEWORK. If a training option seems too good to be true, it is. Stay far away from inflated promises and something that seems too easy.
This new information that I learned about the Auction - is just one more example of what a poor representation this company is to our industry. I wish we could collectively disown them from the Staging profession. They do not have one redeeming quality - and that is really sad.
