After a day of his dropped calls (he was in an area with poor reception) and text messages, I finally spoke to Coby (Cody?). I found him to be less than professional and somewhat insulting with his self justification and presumption that the caller had little understanding of apartment pricing structure, and wanted such detail 2 minutes into a conversation.
Very early in the call he suggested one facility by name, and it was already $300 more than the range I gave him (oh, but I got a 1 minute diatribe about how wild and cool it was that his most recent clients, though unrelated, all had the same price range as me!).
It was also a lease length that didn't work for me, but he launched into a lengthy explanation of how with a year lease it would be the price I wanted, when I already specified I needed a 6-month lease... well, I think you get the point. He is rambling on and on, and I said, OK, well if that's your best option. Then he gets all self-justifying and defensive, and starts explaining how he's a rental expert and he has other options in Houston and he was "just explaining the pricing in general."
He abruptly ended the call with, "Well if you want more info, I'm free..." Really, this is his best attempt at professionalism during a phone conversation? Sorry, but I was so done, I had to hang up knowing I would not want more info from him.
We spent one day having 1 minute conversations where he consistently lost cell phone service. He was persistent in trying to reach me by adding text messages (so brownie points for that), but his extreme informality, overly chatty tangents and obviously insecurity that prompted a need to say what an expert he was made me realize this is not someone I could work with. I can only surmise that he took my statement as an insult --- "If that's your best option"--- does that sound like an insult to you? Not to me...
Why the heck was he rambling on about a year-lease pricing structure example when I already noted I want a 6-month lease? I also noted that I prefer Missouri City but want to consider all options in Houston in my price range. Obviously, I wouldn't have called if I didn't think they were experts at their job. Why he would take my comment as an insult I have no idea.
I would say to Coby [Cody?]:
"I'm not your college buddy looking for an apartment. I'm an adult professional who needs an apartment until I can sort out buying a house, which is why I want a 6-month lease. Your high level of informality should be avoided until you have established a repore with clients. Also, please don't feel the need to explain yourself and what an expert you are and how well you know the market as a justification when you aren't listening to what the client is saying.
The way you speak to a client on the phone is the ONLY way I can assess how professional you are, and how respectful you are of another person's time, and you send the wrong message --- you don't listen, and you don't hear what the person is saying. Perhaps it's a great message for those in their 20s, but not for someone who has been a professional for 20 years. Stop talking so much and LISTEN to the person on the other end of the line, who is not trying to insult you or question your expertise! You are in a service industy, become a better listener."
Perhaps someone else at Bamboo Realty would be a better choice, but I would recommend you stay away from Coby [Cody?] unless you have a lot of time to spare.
P.S. By the way, his name might be Cody rather than Coby, we had a bad phone connection and he didn't reintroduce himself when we finally talked. read more
