Auction advice

HSE2 · 02-06-2009, 07:43 PM

Need some advice. I think I know where I stand but would like to know what others think.

I have taken part in an auction by absentee form. In doing so you are registered with a number and everything so that the auction house can place bids on your behalf up until your maximum amount. It s like eBay but with people doing the bidding instead of the computer.

I was interested in two lots.

When I checked the results I found that I must have won both items as they sold for less than my maximum. When I rang to organise payment there was only a record of me being successful once.

It turns out that although I was prepared to go higher than the winning bid someone at the auction house stuffed up and never bid on my behalf.

Now supposedly this has never happened before so the auction house has to ring me tomorrow to let me know what will happen. I think I know what that will be. I mean if I didn’t check the lots myself does anyone seriously think they would have come clean and told me of the mistake.

I am pretty devastated about it. To be beaten fairly is one thing but to lose like this is hard to take.

Anyone have an opinion or advice on my situation.

Regards
Ian

Sam · 02-06-2009, 07:59 PM

Had a similar situation happen to me on a tender for a toolbox from a local council, it was advised to me that i won, and then didnt have the highest offer on the toolbox. I left it at first but curiosity got the better of me so later that day i rang the finance office to go through what had actually transpired. It appeared that someone at the depot wanted it for $50 so they had rung me to let me know that my $150 offer was not successful. Regardless, i picked it up that day and then sold it for $650 the next!!

In short Ian, I'd definitely speak to someone above the "auction floor" level to confirm what has happened.

Buzz Box · 02-06-2009, 09:37 PM

I suppose the obvious question is do you want both lots?

HSE2 · 02-06-2009, 09:39 PM

Yes I want both lots, the one I missed out on was the more important one.

Buzz Box · 08-06-2009, 10:14 PM

So is there an update from during the week?

HSE2 · 08-06-2009, 10:35 PM

Yes there is.

The auction was Shannon's, held last Monday. Basically they failed to call me back in a time frame that was acceptable to me, siting “they are a very busy” organisation.

In such a matter it’s up to the head auctioneer to decide the dispute. He was a very arrogant person who essentially came to the conclusion that the winning bidder (who was also an absentee) was higher than my maximum bid so it effectively there was a no issue. Never really an apology but I got a lecture on how a low bid doesn’t beat a higher bid. Who would have thought. I was more interested in who no bid worked.....
On face value, if their word is any good, the right person won and the only person hurt was the vendor, who, in the absence of my bids, lost a significant amount of money on the lot in question.

I have taken the matter up with the vendor (seeing as Shannon’s discloser on the issue was rather lacking) who isn't inclined to be using Shannon’s in the short term and not just because of what happened to me.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend absentee bidding to anyone but for me it was this option or not at all. Next time it will be not at all. In my case not even a phone bid would have worked because I wouldn’t have received the call either. A suspicions mind would conclude that I was excluded from this lot on purpose. Can’t and won’t be proving it but you certainly learn from one’s mistakes and move on.
I have my cars insured with Shannon’s and if this is any indication of the level of competency of said organisation, then god help me if I ever need to make a claim.

Buzz Box · 09-06-2009, 10:43 PM

Well I suppose at least they gave you the facts and now you know.

From an outsiders perspective its easy to say yes what they said is probably right if he had a higher maximum than you the only loser is really the vendor but I understand your side its frustrating but like I said at least you got the facts and 1 car......... :-S

Looks like for their next auction you'll be coming to visit us on the mainland huh :-P

cupic · 09-06-2009, 10:44 PM

Bid with your head and not your heart

cheers

Go baby Go · 10-06-2009, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HSE2

Yes there is.

The auction was Shannon's, held last Monday. Basically they failed to call me back in a time frame that was acceptable to me, siting “they are a very busy” organisation.

In such a matter it’s up to the head auctioneer to decide the dispute. He was a very arrogant person who essentially came to the conclusion that the winning bidder (who was also an absentee) was higher than my maximum bid so it effectively there was a no issue. Never really an apology but I got a lecture on how a low bid doesn’t beat a higher bid. Who would have thought. I was more interested in who no bid worked.....
On face value, if their word is any good, the right person won and the only person hurt was the vendor, who, in the absence of my bids, lost a significant amount of money on the lot in question.

I have taken the matter up with the vendor (seeing as Shannon’s discloser on the issue was rather lacking) who isn't inclined to be using Shannon’s in the short term and not just because of what happened to me.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend absentee bidding to anyone but for me it was this option or not at all. Next time it will be not at all. In my case not even a phone bid would have worked because I wouldn’t have received the call either. A suspicions mind would conclude that I was excluded from this lot on purpose. Can’t and won’t be proving it but you certainly learn from one’s mistakes and move on.
I have my cars insured with Shannon’s and if this is any indication of the level of competency of said organisation, then god help me if I ever need to make a claim.

Most of those who have seen Bill Welwood and Chris in action more than likely wouldn't use the word arrogant to describe them. i have bought from there before (but admittedly not via phone) and had no problems. Why is it Murphy's law lets you miss out on the one you really want...?
I noted you also wrote "a time acceptable to me.."surely you werent wanting them to call 1 minute prior were you? have you been to one? It's not uncommon to have 12 shannons staff there with phone bids, and i have seen them 1st hand frantically trying to get through to people when a lot comes up. Now i am not on their payroll, but can see both sides. if there were a ton of phone bidders, then maybe they need to look at a system which will reduce any issues. But also as you said, it is the first time it has happened. So, I guess if someone else bid higher (actually i have the list here somewhere of all the items and what they went for - i wrote them down on the night) then that's the luck of the draw.

I don't suppose one of the items in question was a boat was it....... (we bought one there)

Cheers,

HSE2 · 10-06-2009, 09:07 PM

On reading your reply for the 50th time there are issues you seem to have missed.

Its not what happened at the auction that I had a phone issue or contact issue with but rather the follow up during the week.

Go baby Go · 10-06-2009, 09:29 PM

i think more i was looking at from a different angle

HSE2 · 10-06-2009, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Go baby Go

i think more i was looking at from a different angle

Hmmm.

An absentee bid has nothing to do with Shannon’s staff calling you on the night. As I explained in post one, they effectively already had my bids. They assigned a person to bid on my behalf. That person or persons made a mistake that cost people alot of money. That’s Shannon's issue to take up with the vendor. Essentially they didn't do their job. Was it innocent or on purpose? If the one person was assigned to bid on my behalf, why didn't he report the instance himself on the night? It was my first bid on the form. And it goes on.

Anyone who attends these auctions knows what a dog’s breakfast they can be. I don’t know how they do it as most of the time I can't even understand what they are saying.

Now I am not sure what angle you are trying to approach but my comments are purely to do with how Shannon’s reacted to their own mistake and for me that is a measure of a man (or woman) In this case Shannon’s were found wanting in a very big way. When you have a dispute to settle one doesn't lecture on your in availability by saying how important you are or describing the intricacies of elementary maths.

That's arrogance in anyone's book.

Acceptable to me is "finalising the account" under the terms and conditions of the Auction. I was actually chipped of sorts on payment while the account was in dispute. Your angle seems to insinuate I was expecting a call for the Auction. An absentee bid requires no such action. The call I required regarded the investigation and the subsequent action arising from Shannon’s mistake and the clarification of further action.

Two completely separate events as far as I can see. Your list of highest bidders will be incorrect because registered bids weren't placed which is the heart of the issue. Now it would be easy for Shannon’s not to effectively offer this free service but they do in the interest for catering to the widest audience with the view of attracting the maximum profit for themselves and vendor. That process fell over and that's up to them to investigate why.

When I originally posted this topic it was essentially to ask the question that if you are the highest registered bidder and the Auction house undertakes to place bids on your behalf and then fails to do so what action would be possible.

Reading the fine print, which I did before hand, makes the situation pretty clear cut but simply I thought there might be a bigger knowledge pool here that might have been able to shed more light on the inevitable outcome.

The last post essentially covers how Shannon’s reacted (or failed to) in the following days.

Again if you are privy to those specifics in that "different angle" then I would love to hear it.

There is a bottom line here. With auctions you take your chances but as the old adage goes, if you want something done right, do it yourself. Never rely on another party to get the job done.