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    ComplaintsforPoliceAuctions.com

    Online Auctions
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    Complaint Details

    Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.

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    Complaint Status
    Complaint Type
    • Complaint Type:
      Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      On may 15, 2024 I participated in a on-line auction ( featured company policeAuction.com) I purchased several items ( pieces of jewelry). The said items were advertised and photo presented as quality items. Advertisement as well as description of items were very deceptive. The items are very low quality items which are projected to deteriorate soon. They are not anything comparable to the description or / and Advertisement. I am seeking full refund! Thank you

      Business response

      05/21/2024

      Please note the items are as described. We provide full gemological and material descriptions for each item. In violation of BBB rules, the customer did not contact our support department before contacting the BBB to try to work it out with us first. His purchases are within the normal window of return. If he is unsatisfied with the items, he can return them for a full refund. He will need to return the items to PoliceAuctions.com, **************************************. You may combine the returns into a single shipment. Please include a list of the auction numbers from your 'My Wins' page in the package so we can process your returns quickly. Please allow up to 5 business days from receipt of the items back for your returns to process and refunds to be issued. We recommend sending the items signature-required, insured, as we are not responsible for lost or stolen packages and you will not be refunded if we don't receive the items back. Thank you. 

      Customer response

      06/04/2024

      I am partially satisfied with response from company ( policeAuction.com). The underline fraud is not limited to merchandise . I paid over ****** in shipping cost . The company mailed each item individually costing14.00 per item ; instead of shipping all together especially since all the items were purchased same day within reasonable time frame. On returning items they requested I send all in same package which only cost me *****!! They made a huge profit off me unreasonably. The same manner they requested I return items should have been the same manner in which they shipped items! 

      Business response

      06/04/2024

      The user was refunded the full amount for each item returned, including the original shipping charges. It's a little frustrating for the user to claim otherwise. If he's complaining about the cost of shipping, the cost includes insurance and labor, as well as profit. The price for shipping is disclosed in advance of the sale. In any event, the customer was fully refunded. Thank you.
    • Complaint Type:
      Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Auction dates 4/1 and 4/6. The stones pictured in the auction are not the stones they sent. They are close in size and cut but are much darker and have numerous chipped facets. Worse is that multiple gemologists have checked the stones and each one states the stones are dyed quartz. They were listed as ********** ****** and 'sapphire'. Auction listings *************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************** ****************************************************************************************************************************************** They charge $15 per return when it should be 100% free since the auctions were fraudulent.They use artwork and website name to indicate they are either operated by actual police agencies or at least affiliated with police agencies.

      Business response

      05/07/2024

      Please note the customer failed to notify us through our site support to request a refund, this is the first that we've heard of their dissatisfaction. Please read the about section of the website, it states clearly that we are not affiliate with the police or a government agency. The item descriptions also note that the auction is non-government, and there is also a disclaimer at the bottom of every page of the site stating we are not affiliated with the police or the government. We use a portable stone tester that displays the material to verify the stones so we believe they are genuine. Anyone who eyeballs the stones and renders an opinion is acting unprofessionally since the portable stone-testers are relatively inexpensive and cost under $1000. Stone-testers measure the heat retention of the stone and that is not something you can see with your eyes. We understand when a jeweler or some other third party says negative things about the stones it can upset the customer. That said, we are not responsible for their opinions. The color of the stones may vary according to lighting. Also note, we do not charge for returns. We do not refund original shipping unless the item is disputed, but in this case, the item is disputed. Ideally, the customer could have contacted us directly to learn this, as our support team is responsive and responds in less than a day. The customer may obtain a refund by using the return links on his "My Wins' page and sending the items back to us. We recommend sending them signature required, insured, as we are not responsible for lost or stolen items.  If the item is out of the 30 day return window, please contact us through support and we will create the returns for you. If the original shipping is not included in the refund, simply contact us through support and we'll make sure that is refunded as well. Please allow 5 days from receipt of your items back for the return to process and refunds to be issued. Thank you.

      Customer response

      05/08/2024


      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

      Regards,

      *****************

       
    • Complaint Type:
      Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      The business claims to be a police auction. It is not. Following purchase I came to realize that these items were not auction items whatsoever. They are repeatedly sold on the site. The most concerning thing is that all of the jewlery is fake. It is not as described on the website.

      Business response

      04/03/2024

      The items are as described. The customer requested a refund and we responded with return instructions. We received no communication after that. If she would like to be refunded, she must return the items she wishes refunds for. The process is easy, just click the return link on the item on your 'My Wins' page and follow the instructions from there. Please note we use a portable stone tester that displays the material to verify the stones, so if someone eyeballed the stones and told you they were fake, they did you a disservice. For information on the company and use of the name, please visit the about page listed at the bottom of our site. The item descriptions in question start with 'This auction is a wholesale liquidation auction (Non-Government) where bidders are expected to read all terms carefully before bidding.' We didn't claim it was a government auction. The items purchased are gold-plated, plainly stated in the item description where full gemology and materials are listed. We're happy to refund the customer with 5 business days of receipt of the items back as long as return procedures are followed. If the customer needs help with the returns, please use the support ticket system. We typically reply within 12 hours. Thank you.

      Customer response

      04/06/2024

      The gems in the jewlery: topaz, **** and ******* are definitely fake. The return policy requires the consumer to pay to return and also does not cover the $15 charge PER item for the shipment in the first place. I reject this on the grounds that this was a fraudulent sale.

      Business response

      04/06/2024

      The items are not fake. As previously stated, we test the stones with a portable stone tester so that we know the stones are genuine. Fake is not a material used in manufacturing, it's just a comment from someone eyeballing the stones who is acting unprofessional.  The proper way to evaluate a stone is to test it with stone tester that displays the stone material. They are inexpensive and there is no excuse for a jewelry professional not to use one. We will refund original shipping, but the customer must return the items and we do not pay, under any circumstances, for return shipping. Please contact support on the site if you need assistance with the returns. Thank you.
    • Complaint Type:
      Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Purchased piece of Amethyst jewelry in online auction. Total cost $27.51 charged to credit card and haven't received item. I have read other complaints that policeauctions.com responded to with how long delivery usually takes. According to those statements i should have gotten my item weeks ago. I called them at ************** and got voicemail. It has been over 2 weeks and have not heard a word or received my item. At this point i would like a refund. Too many complaints claiming the jewelry is fake although they claim it is real. It was to be a Valentine's *** present so if they can get it here by then fine i just don't see it happening if it not already ********* been over 6 weeks

      Business response

      01/29/2024

      This is a simple case of a lost or stolen package. It was shipped in good faith. Our delivery tracking, which the customer has access to, shows it was delivered on December 22, ******************************************************* was stolen. We do not provide phone support. The customer researched other complaints that we've had, but didn't take the basic step of contacting us through support on our actual site. We have filed the insurance claim for the missing item. Please allow 8 days for the claim to process and refund to be issued. No further action on the customer's part is required. Thank you.
    • Complaint Type:
      Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      I purchased items from their bidding website, paid with my charge card, and received the items only to find out they were all fake.

      Business response

      01/24/2024

      The items are as described. The user purchased gold-plated items that are not fake. 'Fake' is not a material used in manufacturing. Please refer to the item descriptions. The user purchased these items in 2022 and created chargebacks in 2023 through their credit card company. They may have been denied the chargebacks since they didn't return the items. Once a user creates a chargeback, we defer to the credit card company's decision. The customer made no attempt during that time to return the items or contact us directly for refund. The user is outside of our ****** return window, even from the time they filed for chargebacks, in May 2023. No further action will be taken. User is banned permanently using from the website. Thank you. 
    • Complaint Type:
      Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Ive purchased three items middle of November and had no response to shipping details and Ive tried numerous times to find the correct person to email. I would like my goods or full refund promptly

      Business response

      01/01/2024

      Thank you for your New Year's day complaint. Customer did not contact us via support, there are 0 contacts there. The customer claims the items were purchased in November, and then supplies an image showing the items were paid in mid-December 2023, which agrees with our records. We allow a minimum of 30 days for International delivery. If the customer doesn't have the products in hand by January 17, ****, please contact us through support for follow up. All items are insured, you will not lose money. We would have told them this if they had bothered to contact us through support instead of creating a BBB complaint. No action will be taken at this time. Thank you.
    • Complaint Type:
      Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Said it was out for delivery but I only got one not the bracket

      Business response

      12/23/2023

      Customer is unreasonable. The item was shipped on 12/19/23 and is still within the window of delivery. If they do not receive the item by January 4, ****, they should contact us through support for follow up. All items are insured and this is normal procedure. Customer enquired on 12/2023 how long delivery would take and was told 8 - 10 days. 3 days later, they file a BBB complaint. Also note, this customer has violated our terms of service by creating more than one account. If they don't receive this item, they should contact us for the insurance claim. They will not be refunded ahead of the delivery window. Thank you.
    • Complaint Type:
      Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      I have bought several emeralds, saphires, rubys from the Police Auction. I have got these gemstones tested and they are fake!!! They are selling these as legitimate gemstones and scamming people. I want what I paid for.

      Business response

      12/05/2023

      The customer purchased several gemstones from us years ago. The items are not fake. We use a portable stone-tester that displays the material of the stone, so you know exactly what it is. Emeralds are the softest stone and care must be taken when testing *******s as the stone testers measure heat. If you hold the ******* in your hand, you can cause the test to fail, the stone must be laid on a room temperature surface. Please note we include the following in our gemstone descriptions:  "Vendor supplied description thought to be accurate but not guaranteed. We spot check gemstones with a stone-tester that measures heat retention to see if the stone is consistent with the stone-type indicated. The stone-tester indicates a specific type of stone and that matches the description. No atomic analysis is performed. We cannot guarantee 3rd party opinions or atomic structure will match the description. We do a reasonable amount of diligence on the items." One way to know that the customer is misinformed is the claim of the item being fake. 'Fake' is not a material used in manufacturing. A jeweler can make a customer upset by making this claim when they eyeball a stone. Stone testers measure heat retention and that can't be seen with the eye. It's a reliable test. The stones are not 'fake.' Thank you.

      Customer response

      12/05/2023

      FAKE!!! Is a word when items are being sold as emeralds and come back as malachite.  Also, it has not been years ago, I have bought from your company for years and recently wanted to get some jewelry made out of your fake SHIT!

      Business response

      12/06/2023

      The user purchased the gemstones in 2020, it's almost ****, so yes, that would qualify as years ago. The user made no effort to resolve this dispute by contacting us directly before contacting the BBB. As noted in our previous reply, we are not responsible for the opinions of others on the stones. The items are as described. We test them according to industry standards and practices. We understand the jeweler made the customer angry. If the customer would like to return the items for a refund, even though they are years past the return policy allowance, we will accept their returns. We will not exchange the items, we will refund them as per our terms of service. They will need to contact us through support with the items numbers for us to issue RMA numbers. The item numbers are available on their 'My Wins' page. If they elect to do so, the refunds will have be issued in the form of a company check, since it has been so long since the purchases. If the customer wishes to return them, they will need to contact support. Any use of profanity or other abuse is a violation of our terms of service and will not be responded to. Thank you.
    • Complaint Type:
      Delivery Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Ordered on 2023/11/10 nothing received and not able to access the website after they took the money

      Business response

      11/26/2023

      We have refunded the item for the customer, please allow up to 48 hours for the refund to process. Tracking shows the item was delivered to an apartment in ********, so either the post office delivered to the wrong apartment or the package was stolen. Normally, we cover this scenario with our insurance, all the customer has to do is report it to us to obtain a refund. The customer is claiming they don't have access to the site, however the site is operational and there is no restricted access. Thank you.
    • Complaint Type:
      Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Oct 23 2023 made a purchase from this site. Immediately afterwards i had 2 skip the dishes orders made with my card and I've had over 10 more since. I just noticed today and after questioning my daughter why she made 2 orders with my card without asking and her denying it I checked my account only to find out I'm missing hundreds of dollars. All starting on the 23 of October 2023. So I'm guessing I'm gonna get some bs reply from them but read the complaints not the only 1 they have done this two. Completely illegal and I will pursue my bank to investigate no matter the outcome it's this site that's to blame

      Business response

      11/03/2023

      This customer has not provided sufficient information for us to respond properly. We will need their username. They seem to be saying that their daughter used the site without permission and at the same time are somehow blaming us for it. In any event, we do not charge items to the user's card automatically or without permission. That can only be done by the user. Their first instinct seems to be to contact the BBB without providing their user information. How are we supposed to even look at their information if we don't which account it's attached to? Note that they filed this complaint anonymously as ************ Their email used in the complaint is not in or system. The customer seems to be located in ******, but that information is incomplete and we have no way to identify this account. We did not charge their card without permission. If they wish to be refunded, they will need to log onto the site and use the return links on their 'My Items' page. If they require assistance, they should contact support on the site by using the support form. The reason you see complaints from people on the internet is that, like yourself, they do not follow basic return instructions or make an attempt to resolve issues properly. Any attempt at chargeback will be disputed. It's a long process. It's much faster and easier to return items and control the purchasing done from your residence. We will disable your account, once you identify it for us. We need the user name. Please provide that immediately through support and reference the BBB. Thank you.

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