7 Aug, 2021 → by ClaimboUser882373
Damac refuses to return the refundable deposit of $13 500
1
In good faith we paid a refundable Expression of Interest deposit of AED 50 000 / $13 500 to Damac to register our interest in an apartment. After submitting all financial details to the in-house mortgage team, we received an enormous amount of pressure to sign the Sales Agreement and pay another AED 265 000 / $ 72 000. We were told that the bank gave mortgage approval, but when we asked to see something in writing, we were told this was confidential info and could not be shared with us. When we protested, it was suggested in an email by Mr. Hassan of the Sales Team that we were not cooperating and we were asked if we had something to hide. This was the final drop. Throughout the process there was a lot of sales waffle, changing information, and meeting minutes which were promised but not shared. We requested trice for the T&Cs, which were promised but never send. We lost faith in the process and decided to discontinue the sale. Only then were we told that our EOI-deposit was non-refundable as we - according to Damac - agreed to a formal booking. At no time did we sign any documents to change the status of the EOI to a booking. We tried to reason with Damac and they agreed to another meeting with a manager. He confirmed the miscommunication and apologized for the behaviour of his team, but at the same time wanted us to continue like nothing happened. As proof that we agreed to the booking they showed us a document they generated in the system, which obviously wasn't signed. He kept going on about customer satisfaction, but when we made it clear that we wanted our deposit back and we would not continue with the sale, he finished the meeting and left us empty handed. We have sales experience and my partner has a real estate sales background. We tried to manage the situation as best as possible, but their trickery even duped us. We went with Damac because we didn't want to deal with a shady real estate agency, but this is the same thing but on a larger scale. They asked me if I would recommend customers, family and friends to them: NEVER! The opposite...