Complaint Review: Sothebys Intl Rlty - Bakersfield California

Funny I should come across this posting.  I have no knowledge of any details pertaining to the Rip Off Report, however I have met Cissy Johns in a Business setting and found her to be quite pretentious and shallow.  As I read to the end of her rebuttal I had to laugh when she described herself as a Community Leader !  That will be the day.  The way I see it she is full of herself and has an ego the size of Texas.  She makes business decisions without having important facts or the complete story.  She seems to be most interested in cosmetics and how things look rather than looking any deeper to learn how things work and the total cost of Ownership.  From my experiance I would believe she is somewhat of a scammer....if it were something to make her look good or to appear more important than she actually is.  She has a way of talking down to people as if she is high and mighty.  Getting involved with her kind in anyway, especially business is bound to end in disappointment.

Thank you for the rebuttal opportunity. It is good to know that consumers like me have a place to go & be heard about true harmful company. Preside Sothebys International Realty (previously Ryan & Johns) is not one of these. After reading the Rip-off Report (which a concerned client sent to my attention) I was greatly upset that someone would knowingly lie to cause harm. To direct such slander & malicious libelous rummage at such a reputable corporation is shameful. As the owner of the company I pride myself on our reputation. This includes every person under our roof. We have only had one other name since opening 4 years ago. I recently changed the name due to a founding partner leaving the corporation. No assumed names. This is public record. And, as far as me being a skillful scam artist, it is an absolute lie. My entire company of licensed agents & I, work pro-bono until an escrow closes. We do not take monies up front for listing or selling any property. Never have in all of my years in land acquisition representing developers, large or small, has a penny been received prior to the close of a transaction. I do not ask for an upfront fee. It is not my industry standard. Nor have I ever had a developer offer me money up front to find them property. That makes no sense. A true professional developer would never pay an up front fee to a Broker. Nor would they work with one that does. The Broker makes their money when the transaction is closed. Then they receive their earned commission. Period. I am bound by the Dept. of Real Estate & ethics to perform at such a level that most never thinks about. I am also scrutinized by my Affiliate Franchise. I would however like to speak to this person & address these issues directly. I am extremely concerned that after seeing this, that there might be someone out there using my name to benefit & line their pockets. I do find it interesting that this report was filed in a timely manner after I participated in a joint effort to expose a fraudulent hedge fund representative. Who was placed on this website by those he stole from. Now, this person did ask for upfront fees & took many people in several states for much money. He & his company did loose many of their licenses to practice business in numerous states. As a community leader, supporter & business woman it concerns me that anyone can jump on anywhere & put whatever they want out for the public to see without a confirmation of the story. With no consequences or accountability for their untruths. This is ultimately harmful to our city & our associates. Not just harming my reputation & my family, which I regard jealously. I would like to see this removed immediately. It's slanderous for anyone to attack in this manner & cause harm. I would encourage this person DI to come see me personally. Or, for this person DI to contact the DRE & file a complaint against me. But, since this is an absolutely fabrication it will never be filed. Warmest regards, Cecilia (Cissy) Johns President/Broker Preside Sothebys International Realty