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propertyroom/Duchi auction horseshit

2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Latebraker 
#1 · (Edited)
Local paper ran a story the other day about how propertyroom.com is this amazing outlet for seized property, auctioned to the public, no regard for value, just get it out of the local constabulary's evidence locker type outlet.

My brother, a cop, read this, logged on, found a series of auctions for "velocita" pocket bikes, all with an opening bid of $119. He called me. I checked it out, did a quick search on the net, and saw that these velocita bikes are selling for ~$150.

The one thing that concerned me for a second was the shipping and handling noted in the auction - also $119. Funny coincidence, that. I read the auction twice, even pulled up their pop-up description of the auction terms to double check. I was convinced that the selling price included the $119 shipping and handling since all other vendors of the same item only charge less than $50 for shipping the same item. Stupid me.

So I bid on one. In 24 hours, I've won the auction, and my confirmation notice is the first communication that I get that spells out that the winning bid is $119, and the shipping and handling will be added on in my final bill. Still no complete bottom line communicated.

I'm suspiscious after the auction winning confirmation, so I contact the seller, who, by the way isn't actually a police force property room, but just some vendor... don't get me started. They confirm for the first time that the bill would actually be $238. They sense the disappointment in my voice and ask if I want to cancel the order. I say yes. Seems like I dodged the bullet there..

I go back to propertyroom.com and find their "contact us" web form. I leave them this message:

my message to propertyroom.com said:
I am extremely disappointed with my propertyroom.com experience.
The item I bid on had the opening bid set to the same price as the shipping and handling, an odd price of $119. The text of the auction is not technically clear about whether the shipping and handling price is included in the final auction price. That fact is much more clear after a bid has been placed. This is a deceitful, dishonest practice. The shipping price and opening bid price were obviously set in the hopes of tricking bidders. The opening bid represents a resonable savings over the going price for the item - not a "too good to be true" deal. The opening bid plus the inflated shipping fee represent a huge increase over the going price for the item.

Shame on you, trading unfairly on the good reputation of law enforcement offices. I intend to tell my friends, family and associates to think very carefully about enagaging your web site for any future purchases.
They reply with this trite little ditty:

propertyroom.com support bastards said:
Hi
I see you are upset. However I feel that this seller was very clear. They listed both the shipping and handling and the opening bid seperately. The opening bid price was even noted in 2 places. This information was present prior to any bid, clearly stated in the item description. It is the bidders responsibility to thouroughly read the entire description before placing a bid.
I fired off this response:

banda's pissed off response to propertyroom.com said:
Clear?

Is setting the opening bid to be the exact price of the (ridiculously high) shipping and handling, an odd number by the way, completely clear?

Do you think that the opening bid price and the strange shipping and handling price are just completely coincidentally the same?

Come on.

That is some completely crooked shit, as virtually anyone would agree.

It smells like a scam. And you should be ashamed of yourself for defending it. If you're not, then certainly someone else is ashamed for you.

I have already contacted the distributor (seller? Who knows? Your web site doesn't make any of that stuff very clear either) and cancelled the order.

If I see the charge on my account, I will open a dispute with my bank, and I will pursue it through the complete arbitration process. If I don't get relief there, I will contact my state attorney general's office, and use their resources to pursue justice. And I won't stop there. I will use every communication channel available to me to spread the message that propertyroom.com is a conniving, double-dealing, consumer fraud perpetrator of the worst kind.

You have only scratched the very surface of how upset I am with your organization, and you haven't done yourself any service in the way you've handled it so far.

If you're interested in making all of this worse for yourself, you're on the right path. Keep it up, and see what happens.
So that's where I am. I have no idea which organization would have charged my credit card, but I'll be damned if I give either of them a cent.

Maybe I was an idiot for falling for this shady auction. Tell me if you think I was. I don't care. What I want people to know is that propertyroom.com is a bunch of sneaky bastards, and you need to think about all the weasel-like things that a vendor might pull before you enter into any auction transactions with them.
 
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#2 ·
... If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is. :rolleyes:

Every year, seems like more and more shady motherfuckers out there sellin' shit in a crooked way. :mad: :banghead

Hope your credit card isn't charged, but if it is... hopefully you don't get screwed over in the end... however long that takes.
 
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