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I have has just bought a property from a person is currently working there in their plush office, to put things simple, this nice office is all just a front, the obviouslty have no money.
I bought a apartment in dubai 3 weeks ago and the deal did not go ahead, i have asked many times for this money but i keep getting told to call back later even when i turn up to meet their supposed CEO (ben smith) he does not come to see me.
they have stolen my money and are obviously using this to pay for their office and bills.
aviod this scam company at all costs. i have been in contact with my lawyers to retreive the money,
H.K Sajwani
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Dear H K Sajwani
We have no records of you as a client of Smith & Ken. Please provide your full name and contact details and then we can discuss your accusation with our lawyers.
Kind regards
Ben Smith
I used to work for Smith and Ken for a few months until I realised that everything they do is a scam, avoid using them at all costs they are nothing but a bunch of ex english double glazing salesmen exploiting an unregulated property market
Hi,
i used to work for Smith and Ken for few month as well, i didnt see anything wrong there. regarding Ben, i found him very professional man, he knows what he is doing. i had a visa issue and i left them. i really respect him as a manager and i will never forget him and his effort to train me to be a good real estate agent. he has change my life to see better and be focous on the details of this job.
smith and ken dubai real estate property fu**ing smithandken.comf are just scammers
Couldn't agree more...So we sold our house in Dubai and used Smith and Ken. The say in their literature that they like to give clients the “WOW” factor and they certainly delivered that!
The transfer went through first thing on Thursday, and am expecting the money next day as advised..spend the next few days chasng and fobbed off with various escuses from being too busy to pay the cheque in to "the person in charge has left for the day”
On Tuesday, I am starting to get nervous so I ask for a receipt to be sent, on chasing I am told “I would like to inform you that the request form was submitted to the bank. The driver informed us the bank system was down and despite submitting the request the bank will only process tomorrow morning” I am in complete disbelief, this is on a par with the dog ate my homework! I ask for details of the bank branch with systems down several times of various people there and don’t get a response I am wondering if I am ever going to get my money..
Wednesday, still Mafiy folous ..now very stressed so I email the CEO who says “The funds have been sent today. Apologies for the delay; I had an unexpected emergency which led me to leave the country on Thursday morning and be outside of the country until last night. The transfer was pending my signature which was completed earlier today”. So if this is true, why didn’t someone just tell me that was the case? What was that about the driver going to the bank and the bank systems being down?
The money was sent at 12.15 on Thursday, arrived on Monday...a week after expected …the company‘s corporate principal is to “be ethical” and their values include TRUTHFUL and PROFESSIONAL, I am honestly struggling to understand how they can say this. They say they have won 7 International property awards and are RERA registered. It just goes to show that you really can’t trust anyone these days despite what awards and accreditation they have.
Very poor service and you should avoid them. When I signed on my new Villa, their agent Nowar promised an Ejari contract within two weeks but however failed to disclosed that the house has no deed. This cost me a grave inconvenience as my wife and children can't proceed with the visa. it has been 45 days and they don't reply or answer my calls. obviously collecting the commission and run.
do not use this company unless you are an absolute idiot, enjoy worse than rubbish service, enjoy having someone live in your property without a tenancy agreement, like e mailing your rentals manager, or in fact many rentals managers and no one tells you has actually been fired or left the company and their e mails are un monitored, like having your tenants ring you because they are disgusted by the complete lack of service they get, shall i go on?
Ive got the letters to prove all of this so if you are looking for some one to charge you about £2000 a year to do nothing and treat you like a ###, then go to smith and ken, or if you want a normal level of service, avoid this company at all costs.
you have been warned
The most unprofessional and incompetent company I have EVER had the misfortune of dealing with. Agents are corrupt and forced me to pay more agency fees than was fair in order to secure my apartment. I've been in my apartment for 1 month and still chasing up my original contract on a daily basis. STAY AWAY FROM SMITH AND KEN!
Well people! Here is my story.
I was interviewed by Smith and Ken very recently and when I went there I found the office atmosphere to be very creative! But little did I know of the Hell I was going to be put through after sailing thru the interview and I was completely transparent and told them that I was on a Tourist Visa and would need to return Home and wait for my Employment permit. Of course I did have a few negotiations up front, which was gladly accepted by them. I got a call the next day at 8:30 p.m. and it was a Thursday, half of my requests were fulfilled. When I asked them about the rest, the HR Manager starts raising her voice like she's lost it! It was highly un-professional, l after all she is the HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER! I had to literally tell her to calm down and that I did not appreciate the way I was being spoken to! (I wonder if all the employees are treated that way?). I finally got her to say that the contract will be sent on Sunday (After the week-end), Sunday came and went! So did Monday and Tuesday, I was continuously calling to see what was going on, but only got either the receptionist saying that the Manager is not available or I got their Voice Message. Finally on Tuesday, when I got through to her after a long time, I was told that I would need to OVERSTAY my current VISA and join in the coming week. They wanted me to commit a Crime against this Nation! Which would result in a fine for 200 AED for the first day and then 100 AED for each consecutive day. Then I told her that since I am on a Tourist Visa and not a Visit Visa, I would have to exit the country, inorder for the company to apply for my employment visa! She bluntly replied that she would take care of it! Then I told her that it is ILLEGAL FOR ME TO WORK ON A TOURIST VISA! She just told me if I am willing to do that, I have the Job because they wanted me to join the in the following week (this was something that i just learnt). Finally I said that I wanted to see a copy of my contract, they refused and told me after I comply to their terms, I would get my contract. I was cornered and said that I will agree (But no way in hell, was I going to break the law). After I sent a mail to them I had to call for 2 days to finally get a hold of her, to which I was told that the person who was supposed to leave the position to which I was being taken on-board had decided to stay back! Thus my candidature is rejected.
From this I have a few things to point out :
(i) They wanted me to work ILLEGALLY and was about to (I dont know if they really wanted to or were just using me for a month or so) ILLEGALLY PROCESS my visa while I worked for them. If caught I would be served with a life-ban from entering the UAE and pay a fine and the company will have to pay a fine in-tune to 50, 000 AED (Which I don't think would worry them at all, considering the complaints on this page about the money they are swindling!).
(ii) If an employee is leaving the company, does he/she not require to put in here notice period of leaving. Once the papers are put in, the EXIT Interview and process should have commenced and hence, non-transferable (HR POLICY), and apparently the employee decides to stay in the company on the last day of her employment! (Maybe she did not get an offer anywhere else! - Nature and functioning of the company : I would say, PROBABLY!)
(iii) Employees in the Human Resource Department should learn to be professional and distinguish their work from other social activities. They should be taught to RESPECT and KEEP THEIR EMOTIONS and TEMPERS under control. If they don't have this, I would simply call them Un-Professional and UN-Fit to be in the HR department of ANY Company. (Everyone turns to the HR department for help and advice, but when they meet with the faculty I dealt with, I'd rather take my problems else where).
OVERALL : If you are interested for a career (or) are called to take up a position, my advice, STAY AWAY FROM "SMITH AND KEN REAL ESTATE" in DUBAI, UAE! if you want your life in perspective. They just lead you on with false promises and make you work at your own expense!
Regards,
A person who is happy to help a fellow job-seeker.
I agree a 100%. Completely unprofessional in their ways. They have all these fake ads posted on dubizzle and propertyfinder to attract new customers. Scammers to be avoided!
I wish I saw these reviews before. But, this is my story.
The agent from S & k made a real brainwash, prepared us to a less expected price-we are sellers. The whole process was very unprofessional. He brought the only one copy of the MOU, forced us- psychologically- to sign it immediately without proper reading late in the evening. He did not give us any time for reading. I was waiting for my copy of the MOU for two weeks with numerous requests from my side. But the main thing is that he made us sign the addendum to the MOU where we agreed to pay 4% agency fee! being told that this money buyer needed for house renovation and as she takes finance they can't sign that in the MOU so they made this addendum and as soon as they would get the money from us they, s& k will transfer it to the buyer, that will never happen. The buyer was totally unaware of all that scam. So Smith and Ken took 6% agency fee from that sale. I tryed to tell them somy things about their reputation, but they are all the same in that company, a gang of bad people
I agree 100% and the employees are all aware that this is how things are done & they are just as scheming as the management.
Stay away at all costs!
They are utterly useless. Most of their property advertised are either fake or no longer available. Can not believe RERA is still allowing these bunch of crooks to trade. DO NOT USE THEM.
These people are absolutely f**king useless. They do not return phone calls and are incompetent ###s. They provide absolutely no service whatsoever and will rip you off. Do not take a property "managed" by these clowns. AVOID!
Avoid Smith and Ken at every cost. Donate your money to charity instead.
They took money upfront from me to manage my property in Dubai. Did not provide any service, never returned any phone call or e-mail. They still have not made a refund of the deposit money and other cash they are holding despite repeated reminders. Their employees change and disappear as vapours from the kettle.
The receptionist are instructed to tell caller that 'Mr x is in a meeting' then never return your call
They are playing with fire and laws of the land will catch up with them soon.
Until then avoid them and spread the news
They are not professional. They will not survive a day in a civilized word. They are just using the old British colonial charm for their business. Compared with British standard they will be classed as completely incompetent
Niaz Ahmad, UK
Hello sar I am heavy driver 3 year India 3 year Doha Qatar and 2 month Dubai experience
Niaz Ahmad, UK: I have exactly the same issue with them - paid the property management fee and they don't even transfer the money from the tenant's cheques they have cashed! Thiefs! How can I contact you? Anyone else out there with a similar situation?
My advice is to keep away from Smith & Ken real estate as they are far from being trustworthy.
After 6 years living in Dubai I had the unfortunate luck of having my last lease managed by Smith & Ken and still past 3 months of my
end of lease clearance I am still battling to receive the refund of my security deposit while Smith & Ken team (Leah Eviota and Sean Cope) does not even bother to respond to my emails and calls and were not even capable of communicating what the issue is.
I should have predicted things would only get worse since from the day I moved into the apartment I had to follow up with Smith & Ken hundreds of times to get half of the things sorted out.
It was simply the worst experience I ever had with a real estate agency, and unfortunately it seems far from an end!
Hes trading again in the uk same old tricks
SMITH AND KEN IS AWESOME ! THERE IS A REASON WHY THEY HAVE WON MULTIPLE AWARDS AND ARE THE WORLD'S LEADING AGENCY. This comes from a very happy customer. Those that are writing bitter posts are that of competitors and jealous foreign customers!
This company is nothing but fraud and scam artist taking illegal commission without the buyer or sellers awareness with theft of money. Stay away from Smith Ken Dubai they have many legal cases against them and the CEO Benji Smith has now gone to Los Angeles by the page here https://www.facebook.com/smithandkenla many time you call the office and he never return to Dubai for long time. Let your friend know on all social medai about this company before they loose.
Dear Mohammad Dubai,
It's interesting you've set up your profile on the 3rd of September 2014 to write one comment and then disappear. If Smith & Ken was taking commissions without a Buyers awareness then how did they get paid from the Buyer in the first place if the money didn't come from the Buyer's bank account?
We recommend you attend RERA's course on the procedure of real estate within the emirate of Dubai whilst study the laws in Dubai of slander.
DUBAI REAL ESTATE SCAM! WARNING TO ALL PROPERTY INVESTERS AND FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS!
Smith and Ken, also known as S&K, are the latest criminals to use a UAE registered company in order to conduct Real Estate scams in Dubai.
Beware of the following names in the Real Estate industry:
Benjamin Smith Company CEO / ben.smith@smithandken.com
Susanne Adam (Smith) Head of Client Services +[protected] susanne.adam@smithandken.com
Rhea Malagum Head of Conveyance +[protected] rhea.malagum@smithandken.com
David Kodama Senior Sales Negotiator +[protected] david.kodama@smithandken.com
Jeremy Bentley Head of Smith and Ken Homes and Loans +[protected] jeremy.bentley@smithandkenhomeloans.com
Rebecca Cooper Admin Manager +[protected] rebecca.cooper@smithandken.com
Beware of these names as they are all part of the same British criminal organization conducting property scams in Dubai. They set up their operation in the UAE in 2008 and started taking advantage of the fact that many property owners fled the country due to non-payment of mortgage loans which created an opportunity to set up fake property deals. Smith and Ken use names of previous title deed owners to get clients to commit to fake agreements. Smith and Ken is collecting 10% deposits in the name of their company, instead of the name of the seller. This is NOT legal in Dubai. The cheque should be in the name of the seller, NOT the agent. The funds should NOT be cashed until the transfer date.
They should be collecting a deposit from both buyer and seller which protect both parties. Smith and Ken collect deposits from only one party involved and do not return the deposit once it is determined the transaction will not close.
I have contacted each of their banking partners to show them the evidence and suggested they revisit their partnership agreements with Smith and Ken. I have also visited several online advertising websites to start the process to have this organization banned from advertising on several popular real estate sites. I have also been speaking to Gulf News about making my story public so others know how to protect themselves from these types of scams. Every day they hold my money, I will invest my own time in warning people electronically about Smith and Ken and their criminal activities in Dubai.
Please take this as a WARNING from someone who fell victim to their scam. Currently, police reports have been filed on each of the names above and criminal charges are warranted. RERA has threatened to suspend their licence and charge additional fines for not returning the money by Wednesday this week. Help keep this city free from the parasites that come here and exploit the real estate market for their own personal financial gain.
Protect the value of your home by spreading this message!
Dear Andrew Patterson or shall we refer to you by your actual name - Shawn Parker,
It's interesting you failed to write the above in your actual name as you are well aware of the slander laws in the UAE and writing stories that are deceitful and I factual. As you've decided to post on the internet, we therefore shall do the same about the actual situation. You signed an MOU in October 2013 for Unit 309 in Churchill Tower, Business Bay. After discovering that the Seller was about to go into defect you decided to contact the mortgage lender direct, cutting out both Smith & Ken and the Seller, and put the property into your name for 25% less than the agreed selling price with the Seller. This act of deceit means that you have defrauded the Dubai Land Dept out of its true 4% of the transfer fee. Because the deposit was paid to Smith & Ken when you signed the MOU and you have attempted to complete the transaction without us it's fairly obvious the deposit will remain with Smith & Ken until our fees are paid in full.
In addition to this, you have sent threatening text messages to female members of Smith & Ken that you will physically hurt them. Such behaviour and deceit has no place in this world and therefore to prove you are nothing more than a criminal, upon approval from Dubai Police, we will be posting the case details against you on this website.
This page has been set up to commend the excellent service offered by Smith & Ken to counteract the slander that has been put on this website by competitors of Smith & Ken. Such is the danger of websites such as these, where comments are not vetted, means good company's such as Smith & Ken can be damaged. Being a loyal client of Smith & Ken's and friends with some of the people who work there, I have taken it upon myself to create this post.
Smith & Ken has completed over 2, 000 transactions since 2008, even if the wild accusations on this website were true (8) then that's a complaint rate of 0.004%; what company in the world is able to celebrate such a success rate?
If you too are a happy client of Smith & Ken then please comment on this post.
Thanks
Jonathan Greyside
(Purchaser of 3 buy to let (income) properties through Smith & Ken).
I am really surprised to read these comments, of any in relation to Smith & Ken and their agents. In all the years I have worked with them, and this involves numerous agents and not just one, they have been nothing short of professional, straight forward and satisfactory.
In my personal experience reading such derogative comments about specific agents on a personal level tends to be the result of failing competition or a disgruntled ex-employee. It's very clear that when you approach a real estate business it's usually for one of 4 reasons - to buy or rent a property; or to sell or let a property. This company has proven to me personally that I can not only trust them but I will continue to recommend them to anyone I know.
Maybe good idea for all to contact Smith & Ken Los Angeles 14556 Ventura Blvd Los Angeles, California 91403 tel +[protected]
Susanne Adam from Smith and Ken is very angry today, not only because she notice that people are starting to unveil the secrets behind the Smith and Ken scam, but also because she found out that the UAE laws do not govern comments posted on the world wide web. The local municipal police have told her that they do not govern freedom of speech on websites supported by .com so these warnings will continue to be posted. As one of the agents included in the list of names who have advised me incorrectly and walked me into the company scam, her name and her contact details will continue to be posted as a warning to others who are conducting business with Smith and Ken. Don't get caught in Susanne's wed of lies. Luckily for Susanne, there is a way to make this go away. If the money she has stolen is returned, as per RERA's instructions, I will remove my posts. I have now posted warnings about the Smith and Ken's shady business practices on 12 public websites and will continue to post on more websites daily until my deposit is returned. In the end, this scam will cost the company more than they managed to steal from me if they continue to drag out the inevitable. DO NOT SUPPORT REAL ESTATE BROKERS WHO SCAM FROM HARD WORKING HONEST PEOPLE WHO COME TO DUBAI TO CONTRIBUTE TO IT'S GROWTH!
Smith and Ken's policy is to train their agents to request for 10% deposits made payable to their company, which is illegal in the UAE. Smith and Ken has been warned about this, although their agents refer to this as a "grey area". A 10% deposit is to be held in good faith, by the broker, in the name of the seller, to ensure the buyer intends to fulfill his agreement to purchase the property as per the MOU. Brokers do not have the right to cash these cheques and hold the funds in their own account which Smith and Ken did to me and many other Dubai property investors. BUYER BEWARE, Smith and Ken use title deed details of delinquent payers who lost their properties to the banks during the 2008 crisis. Smith and Ken agents are trained to refer to this type of incident as an "honest mistake", but warnings from the public are suggesting that Smith and Ken is doing this specifically for the purpose of challenging the right to keep their client's deposit. In my case, Smith and Ken actually cashed the "deposit" before the transaction date, without client consent, which is also illegal in UAE, and the funds are still in their own bank account where they have been since the beginning of 2014. RERA has ordered Smith and Ken to pay back the funds in full and have given them a limited period of time to return the deposit or have their Real Estate license suspended. This information can be verified with RERA and I will share the complaint details, and RERA investigator contact information, with those who have a similar complaint about Smith and Ken. If you, or someone you know, is currently buying or selling a property through Smith and Ken, I strongly urge you to contact RERA immediately and request more details on the ongoing investigations to ensure that your investment is not at risk.
A message to all who are having issues with Smith and Ken and feel they have been treated unfairly...
Today, it is with great pleasure that I have learned that Smith and Ken is about to be brought to justice for the crime of not returning my 10% deposit. The punishment they are about to receive will be more harsh than they have experienced in the past and they will not be able to hide behind the company shell for this crime. The company CEO, Ben Smith who now sits comfortably in his office in LA, California, may be able to keep himself out of jail as long as he stays away from UAE, but the managers who continue to operate this scam will not be so lucky. This company has had their real estate license suspended and is not allowed to be using the name Smith and Ken in UAE. They have been issued fines, including a recent fine of 150, 000 AED for not complying with UAE regulations. After many weeks of case building with the officials at Real Estate Regulatory Agency, they have agreed to take more serious action against this company for their crimes which will include more than just fines and suspension of license. I strongly urge all parties who fell victim to Susanne Adam, Rebecca Cooper, Jeremy Bentley, and David Kodama's scam, please go to RERA and file your complaint today. These are some of the key members who will be help personally accountable for their crimes in the UAE and I will be following up daily to ensure they are brought to justice.
Buyers and Sellers BEWARE!
There are several UK expats that have set up a Real Estate scam in UAE using a FAKE company called Smith and Ken. Smith and Ken was once a registered company operating in UAE but shady business practices have caused them to have their license revoked by The Real Estate Regulatory Agency. This can be verified with RERA and the Dubai Lands Department.
Company CEO Ben Smith has fled the country when the authorities caught onto his scam and he will be arrested if he ever ends up back in the UAE. He uses Susanne Adam, Jeremy Bentley, David Kodama, Rebecca Cooper and several other UK expats to continue to run their scam, right here in The UAE.
I agreed to buy a property from them in September of 2013 which "sales agent" David Kodama showed me. I agreed to buy the property but had no idea that the seller listed on the MOU was not even the real seller. The property had been repossessed by the bank during the 2008 crisis.
Jeremy Bentley from Smith and ken Home Loans charged me an additional 8, 500 AED to get me a personal loan which he was not able to get, so he gave me the contact details for a competitor who was able to get me the loan. Jeremy ended up cashing my cheque anyway which was supposed to be a deposit, which was cashable only provided the loan is approved. Jeremy claimed that this was a mistake and promised to return the deposit, but weeks later, Susanne Adams (Head of Client Services) stepped in and said the funds would not be returned because they assisted by introducing me to the bank who offered me the mortgage. The wording of the MOU were very transparent and clearly said that the deposit would be returned if the personal was not approved and RERA investigated this matter and ordered Smith and Ken to return the deposit, but my funds have still not been returned.
Susanne Adam (Smith) claimed that my MOU details were a simple mistake on their part and claim they did not realize the property had been repossessed. Once it was determined that Smith and Ken was not able to close the deal, I asked them to return my 10%, but they refused to communicate with me again. I reported the incident to Mr. Abdulla, Senior Investigator from RERA, and he ordered Susanne Adam and Rebecca Cooper to attend a meeting at RERA. They showed up the same day and it was determined that they should NOT be using the name Smith and Ken to conduct business in the UAE. It was also determined that brokers are not allowed to ask for 10% deposits in the name of the company. The 10% deposit should not be cashed until the day of the transfer. In my case, the funds sat in the broker's account where it is still currently sitting today! This is something Susanne had been warned about before and part of the reason why Smith and Ken lost their Real Estate license.
Susanne told Mr. Abdulla that Smith and Ken will return the deposits which total about 130, 000 AED, but will keep the commission for putting in the effort which was about 24, 000 AED. Mr. Abdulla determined that Smith and Ken was not entitled to keeping the commission since they did not complete the terms of the agreement and was given 48 hours to return the funds to me.
Before the payment deadline date two weeks ago, Susanne, Rebecca and David made several attempts to negotiate the total that was to be paid to me but no evidence was presented to justify keeping any of the funds. On the last day, Rebecca told Mr. Abdulla that Smith and Ken will not return my deposits.
RERA has officially given Susanne and Rebecca until Thursday of last week to pay the funds or be faced with severe consequences. I was told that this can include prison time in the UAE since several laws were broken to scam me out of my 130, 000 AED.
If my funds are returned in full, I will update my statement and admit that Smith and Ken made good on their word, but at this point, I am doubtful. Either way, I will continue to ad updates on this site and all other websites that warn the public of these people and their true motives.
I actually found the contact details for Company CEO Ben Smith who established the business in 2008. It turns out that Ben has a "legit" Real Estate business in Los Angeles called Smith and Ken. So far, his US business seems to have a positive name, but I have warned him that public forums and online customer feedback is what US businesses rely on to survive. I have given him until this coming Monday at 6pm to return the funds before I start to put out public warnings all across the US. This will include contacting the names on his LinkedIn account and feedback under his youtube interviews.
130, 000 AED might be peanuts to most property investors living in the UAE, but to this expat, this is enough money worth chasing. The fact that this money was outright "stolen" by the Smith and Ken group means that I will spend what ever time necessary to follow the names involved in this scam so they can not continue to take advantage of others no matter where they hide.
If you are approached by anyone claiming they work for Smith and Ken, do not give them money. Notify the police right away!
Today, Smith and Ken has agreed to settle this matter. They have agreed to return my deposit tomorrow at 9:30 am. The amount we agreed to had some deductions that I do not feel is entirely fair, but as we have both agreed to the amount, I will consider this matter settled if they bring the cheque tomorrow. I will not post any additional comments regarding this matter if they make good on their word
Smith and Ken has come to an agreement on the settlement amount and are scheduled to drop off a cheque this morning. I will consider this matter closed and will not take further action
Smith and Ken has dropped off the cheque today for the agreed amount. I consider this matter to be settled
Someone needs to stop Ben Smith. Now he's doing the same thing in the UK. He has an office at Studio 9 Netherconesford, 93-95 King Street, Norwich NR1 1PW and is hiding behind his brother's name Daniel Smith.
After posing as a potential client, I found out some useful information. Here's his home address too. [address removed]
Time to get your money back!
Jason (ExPatMatt), former employee.
Would you be so kind as to remove my personal information from this website. It's a serious breach of data protection and extremely unprofessional.
Remove the address of the house as this is illegal