ComplaintsforLive Auctioneers LLC

• Initial Complaint

  09/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bid/won 6 items (>$10,000) thru Liveauctioneers website, from the auction house 'Key Date Coins'. I paid the invoices immediately, and was informed I would receive an email with delivery/tracking information soon thereafter. Have not gotten a single correspondence from the auction house. After a couple weeks I emailed them multiple times, called them and left voicemails, and even texted the number they recommended. Have gotten zero responses, except one that said it would be shipped the next day (never happened). Now I wish i would have checked the reviews on Key Date Coins before i bid, since their reviews are all the same (almost carbon copies of the experience I had). Have tried reaching out to LiveAuctioneers to assist in resolving this, to no avail yet. They send you back a quick email with a ticket#, but that's it. Perhaps they will help with the auction house, but I am not optimistic. This whole experience has been terrible, and I am concerned I will never receive the product or reimbursement. I am somewhat shocked that LiveAuctioneers allows them to continue doing business on their platform. Somebody did raise the option of a class action lawsuit, which would likely result in alot of new information in the discovery process. I am assuming based on the reviews I read on BBB, and other places, that this is something we could get traction for.

  Business response

  10/02/2024

  Hi ****,
  

  Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. Im truly sorry to hear about the frustrating experience youve had with Key Date Coins and the lack of communication regarding your items.
  

  Our team is actively working to resolve this issue. We appreciate your patience during this time and kindly ask for a bit more. 

  Thank you for your understanding. Were committed to assisting you and will keep you updated as we learn more.
  

  Best regards,
  LiveAuctioneers Bidder Support

• Initial Complaint

  09/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I used Liveauctioneers site to make a purchase & make a payment. Then the individual auction house contacted me directly for my full credit card number to pay for shipping because Liveauctioneers does not provide that information to them. That's great on Liveauctioneer's part for not providing them with the full number because the original purchase is secure. Being contacted directly from auction house ask me for my credit card number seems wrong and like credit card fraud/scam waiting to happen. I don't feel comfortable being asked to complete any part of that transaction outside of the Liveauctioneers site. Liveauctioneer should put better guidelines in place for the security of it's buyers. All aspects of the transaction should be able to be completed without risk of exposing personal finacial information.

  Business response

  09/13/2024

  Hi ********,

  We're sorry to hear that your experience on our platform didn't meet your expectations. We understand the hesitation when providing credit card information over the phone, especially when dealing with an auction house for the first time. LiveAuctioneers is merely an online bidding platform, which means auction houses on our platform set their own Terms & Conditions, including payment and shipping policies. To ensure bidders make an informed purchasing decision, auction house's Terms & Conditions are on each listing. We also provide a way for bidders to reach out to the auction house directly with any questions and requests they may have. If you're uncomfortable sharing your credit card information over the phone, we recommend reaching out to the auction house directly to explore alternative payment options.

  If you have additional questions or concerns, please send us an email at *******************************.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  
  

  Customer response

  09/18/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because, 

  You are promoting an environment of fraud. Liveauctuineer should provide secure place for any & all payments to be made. Take a que from **** & other online sales platform. The lack of security for customers, which you are also profiting from, is very disappointing & unsafe. Liveauctioneers needs to do better. 

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a clock with an online auction bidding platform, **************** and bid on clocks auctioned there by Wersching Auktionen De, Transaction date: June 22, 2024 with main principal, ******* *********. 1- they took on, and I paid them for shipping with insurance. They packed as if they were hoping for damage, as if clock was already damaged as a possibility. The clocks arrived broken, and as I explained, with copy of letter uploaded I sent to ****** police, the merchant never paid for insurance and to this date, despite all that has transpired, including absolute proof provided from ***, the shipper, they are going back and forth with me as to who is to make the claim. The problem is without having their item insured there can be no claim, which is fraud.I would like to include Liveauctioneers.com as when seeking help from them for a problem with an auction house on their platform, they have been responding with self serving letters that fly in the face of this, thus enabling the fraud.

  Business response

  09/02/2024

  Hi ***,

  I'm sorry to hear that the lot arrived damaged.  I reviewed your case, and I saw that my colleague on the Bidder Support team has been in communication with the auction house. They said they had filed a claim for one package because that was the only one that was damaged.  The seller wrote:

  "The other parcel has no damage so there was no need of claim to it. Maybe this clarifys the thing. Also *** ******* is complaining that we did not insure the parcel. Thats not correct, every DHL parcel is like said before automatically insured to 500."

  Since you filed a chargeback with your credit card company for the full amount, it'll be up to your bank to decide the outcome of your dispute. If you have questions about this case, please continue to reach out to my colleague on the Bidder Support team.
  

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  09/04/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  They are lying, as I have since filed with the postal inspectors office for fraud against both Live and their cohort in *******. They obstructed and enabled throughout. There never was insurance and they keep falling back on that tired excuse they are waiting on me to have postal inspection of damage. 

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** *******
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Customer response

  09/05/2024

  I did not file a chargeback with my bank, since I paid by credit card.

  Business response

  09/16/2024

  Hi ***,

  I'm sorry to hear this purchase has been a disappointing experience for you. I read the update from the shipper (which the auction house forwarded to us) after their investigation on the damage claim. I also saw that you had spoken to your local post office who said there was no claim opened. I can understand why you have decided to file a chargeback with your credit card company. Your bank will gather all information and will determine the resolution for this dispute. Once they've made a decision, they will let both parties know.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  08/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On August 17th I received bid reminder/notice of auction items I wanted to bid on first via an email with direct "Place Bid" buttons. I had marked a couple of favorites after registering and being pre-approved by auctionzip weeks earlier and am quite sure I would never recieve my bid links without approval. Once the auction started I opened up Clarks auction website and my email. I also recieved a text message a little after auction started (3:13) as a second reminder with more text links to bid. I clicked the *************************** text link and placed a bid for $65 which gave me a confirmation of my bid accepted of $65. I then saw that there was another item that I was interested in a ********************* *********************** poster so I went to the item and had some trouble but it did accept my bid. Then I tried to go back to the *************************** item and the system started telling me I must register to bid. I thought I had accidentally logged out so I went to my account to log back in but it seemed OK so I went back to my item that I had already bid on and,again, it tells me to register. After trying repeatedly to go to my current items and other favorite item it continued to say I had to register so I went ahead and registered again. Then it seemed to kick me out and came up with the same screen after I registered again and after the third time it told me registration was "pending". I was very frustrated so I called Clarks Auction because I did not want to lose my opportunity to bid on my other item - no answer. During my pending I could not get in to bid on my other item and, while "pending" approval my other item was sold.Seeing that I still should have the other two items (I could see the winning bid for the ****** item was won at the $65 which I had my $65 bid confirmed and I was high bidder on other. I called ****** again - a guy answered and brushed me off saying I had to "text my issue"; it was ignored.Emails to: ******, Live Auctioneeers, and Auctionzip. No responses.

  Business response

  09/02/2024

  Hi ******,

  We're sorry to hear that you did not have a positive experience with the auction. My colleague on the bidder support team answered your email on the day you sent it and below is part of what she sent you:

  "I'm sorry to know that your bidding experience was far from great. I checked the screenshots you sent and it appears that you might have confused the two bidding platforms, LiveAuctioneers and AuctionZip where you initially registered for the auction and was approved.
   
  I also confirm that you have a bidder account on ****************** where it also shows that you registered for Clarks Auction on the day of the sale, 08/17/2024 but it is showing as "Pending" since your registration was submitted when the sale already started."

  I'm sorry you didn't win the lot you were interested in.  The bids you placed on the LiveAuctioneers' bidding console were not accepted because you had not been approved to bid by the auction house. For future reference, it would be best to stick with one online bidding platform so that you don't accidentally bid against yourself. If you have questions about this sale, please reply to my colleague who sent you the email or send another email to *******************************.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello, I won an auction with ********* galleries via liveauctioneers.com on April 7th and promptly paid for the item and an additional fee for ********* galleries to oversee shipping the item to me. I paid them app. $75. I was told the item would arrive the following week. I did not receive it. I wrote them at end of April asking sbout my item. On May 2nd they responded claiming there was a mixup with my order but it had been resolved and was sent to the shipper and I could expect tracking info soon. I never received any info from them regarding track8ng.So, on may 17th, I wrote again asking about my item and when I could expect it but got no response until a month and a half later when I wrote them AGAIN on June 24th asking for a refund.On June 25th I received the second email ever sent from them regarding this matter, claiming they had left me several voicemails (they left 3, all of which I responded by calling but they were closed each time.) This time, they claimed that the shipper had misplaced my item and they had went ahead and ordered me another. They said they wanted to know if I chose to wait for the replacement or receive a refund even though I had already written them the day before requesting the refund.I responded again on June 26th very angrily telling them that they should send the item and refund me as a professional courtesy and that the way they had handled the situation was deploreable.On june 27th I received the 3rd and final email ever sent by them but this time they claimed they had never received vm from me which was an untruth but made no mention of the numerous emails I had sent over 4 months time.I have also contacted their platform site LiveAuctioneers.com who offers support to bidders via a support email: ******************************** and received only an email asking for feedback for their support. They never responded to my request for support.Had to omit much of my explanation. Please see included correspondences.

  Business response

  08/28/2024

  Hi ****,

  I'm sorry to hear that you have not had a great experience with this sale. I looked into your complaint and saw that my colleague on the Bidder Support team emailed you on July 31st.

  I asked my colleague to give you an update on the refund and the replacement lot. She will also escalate your complaint to the next level if necessary. We will continue to reach out to the auction house and will be sure to update you soon.

  Best regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  08/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On May 22, 2024, I won a lot on Liveauctioneers with ***** Auctions. I selected the lot to be shipped to via Liveauctioneers shipping. The lot was shipped. I got a notice from *** that it was being held at the local depot but the package had an address error. I contacted Liveauctioneers for help. An "person" named ***** contacted me via e-mail. We had back and forth e-mails. ***** claimed to send several emails to the shipping agent and closed the case. I recontacted Franc and said if ***** wasn't willing to call the shipper, I would, and please send me their phone number. I got a phone number from Franc the day *** sent the packaged back.I had several interactions with Franc. The last tone being Franc from Franc saying that they had asked the national agency to contact the local shipper, and Franc closed out the my case. A month has passed. I contacted ***** again and asked for a refund for my expenses of $270.00. It's been three months. ***** responded that ***** was sorry to hear that I was having a hard time and Franc was going to contact the shipper to see what was going on. I restated my request for a refund and Franc responded that my items had been sent back to the warehouse. There is not warehouse. This sin't Amazon. I'm concluding that Franc is a bot.In the meantime, it's been nearly three months and I believe the item it lost and i want a refund for my total expenses.

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Live Auctioneers-Auction House is ********** 8/6/2024 Bid on 2 items: a table and loveseat- I bid accidentally on the table Contacted both of the above by email. Live Auctioneers stated I needed to contact **********. Called and emailed *** ****** several times on 8/6/2024 and 8/7/24. Called 8/8/2024 no response.They billed my credit card on 8/7 for the items, but I cannot reach them to have my shipper pick up the items. I emailed Live Auctioneers explaining no contact by *** ******; now Live Auctioneers have not responded. There is a 2 week pickup window and storage fees if not picked up timely. Since I have to arrange to have someone pick up the items, I have to authorize the pickup person to ********** in order for them to release the items. Unfortunately, they have not contacted me. I will contact my credit card company regarding this dispute.

  Business response

  08/16/2024

  Hi *******,

  I'm sorry to hear you have not had a good experience with this sale. I looked into your case, and I see my colleague also had a hard time getting a hold of the auction house. I've asked her to continue to reach out and to update you soon.

  Please reach out to my colleague handling your case if you have any questions.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  08/21/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  I have not received a call back. Also, the person who replied did not leave a contact number for her colleague.

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business response

  08/28/2024

  Hi *******,

  I looked into your complaint, and I see that my colleague on the Bidder Support team has called and emailed the auction house since you reached out to us on August 16th. She will give you an update today on the status of your case. Please reply to her email if you have any questions.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  09/16/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. LiveActioneers sent an email asking that I contact ***** at **********, as he was looking forward to my call. I contacted this company several times and left messages and have not heard back.

  At this time, you can close the complaint, as it appears *** ****** does not respond to inquiries either online or by phone.  I understand that LiveAuctioners cannot force them to contact me.

  I will no longer patronize either business in the future.

   

   

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  
  
  
   
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Using Liveauctioneers, I bid and won a $20 Double Eagle Gold Coin from Golden Gate auctions! I paid the same day for the coin $3159.99. I never received the coin & after a month of trying to get information from the auction house & requesting help from Liveauctioneers, I have received on response from either party. Liveauctioneers guarantees the auction houses that they represents.My complain is with Liveauctioneers, whose website holds the auctions I would like my Gold coin or a full refund

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Hi,

  We're sorry for the delayed response to your email. We will work hard to improve our response times to bidders who contact us. I reviewed your case and I see that the auction house sent a response yesterday. They wrote:

  "Thank you for your email. I see the consignor shipped this to our auction house but hasn't moved in the **** system. We have two options:
  Wait one week to see if the package is delivered. If not, we will refund.
  Mark the package lost and issue a refund.

  Please let me know which you prefer!"

  Please respond to the auction house which option you choose.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  08/01/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing to file a formal complaint against Live Auctioneers regarding a refund for Invoice #******* I have encountered several issues with the transaction involving Golden Gate Auctioneer, a seller on the Live Auctioneers platform:1. Misrepresentation of Item: Golden Gate Auctioneer listed photos of the bracelet that do not accurately represent its color. The photos make the item appear lighter than it actually is, which the seller admitted via email.2. Lack of Response: I have reached out to Live Auctioneers on July 16, 2024, and July 19, 2024, but have received no response.3. Suspicious and Extortionate Behavior: Upon contacting Golden Gate Auctioneer, they admitted to posting photos with altered lighting. They refused to issue a refund and demanded that I send them a check via mail for 15% of the price in order to "cancel" my order, which I find highly suspicious and extortionate. This is why I need Live Auctioneers to help me get a refund as I bought the item through their platform.Proof of Item Not in Possession:-FedEx Tracking Number: ************ Attempts to Resolve the Issue:I have made the following attempts to resolve these issues:- July 16, 2024: Reached out to Live Auctioneers with no response.- July 19, 2024: Reached out to Live Auctioneers again with no response.- **Contact with Seller: Reached out to Golden Gate Auctioneer, the seller I bought the item through Live Auctioneers. They admitted to posting photos that do not accurately represent the color but refused a refund, demanding 15% of the price to cancel the order.Despite these efforts, the issues remain unresolved, and I have not received a satisfactory response from either Live Auctioneers or Golden Gate Auctioneer.Desired Resolution:I am seeking the following resolution:1. Full Refund: I request a full refund of $7,279.99 for the misrepresented bracelet.I appreciate your assistance in resolving this matter and look forward to your prompt response.

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Hi ****,

  We're sorry to hear that you've, not only, had a poor experience with this sale, but that our response to your email was late. I looked into your complaint, and I saw that my colleague on the Bidder Support team replied to you on July 23rd, which is a week after you sent the email on the 16th. Apologies again for the delay. We will strive to do better in our response time.

  Regarding your complaint on the color of the lot, below is the response from the auction house:

  "All items have been authenticated. What you could be seeing is the difference in studio lighting. While all sales are final, if an item is proven to be unauthentic, we will absolutely process a refund."

  With regard to the 15% cancelation fee, this was disclosed in the auction house's Terms & Conditions. I copied a section below for your reference:

  "In the event GGA approves a refund, the buyer will be responsible for a 15% restocking fee based on the item's hammer price, all shipping costs, and the buyer's premium. The restocking fee, shipping costs, and buyer's premium will be deducted from the refund. Sales tax will also be adjusted based on the refund."

  If you have questions, please ask my colleague on the Bidder Support team by replying in your email thread. She will be more than happy to assist.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  07/31/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

  I need a refund because I dont have the bracelet in my possession and the seller admitted to posting photos that do not represent the true color of the item.

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business response

  08/08/2024

  Hi,

  I reviewed your case and I see that you rejected the package and had the lot returned to the sender.  The auction house said that if you want to cancel the sale, you will have to pay the 15% fee (see below message from the auction house). If you want the lot shipped back to you, please let the auction house or the LiveAuctioneers agent who handled your case know.

  "****,
  If you truly want to cancel your order, we have a 15% penalty to cancel. If you'd like a refund, please overnight a check for 15% of the total invoice. I also highly recommend reaching out to Live Auctioneers to have a full understanding of the bidding and winning process."

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On May 18, I bid on and won on an antique sideboard through a Live Auctioneers authorized auction house, Trunky Fresh. On May 19th, I messaged Trunky Fresh notifying them that I would be arranging shipment. My shipper, ***************************, called the auction house to get the details from them in regards to pick up, in that call he was told that I hadnt authorized him to pick up my items. On June 4th, I sent an email authorization for ******* to pick up my items. On June 4th, I received a message back from Trunky Fresh, that I needed to let her know when my item would be picked up BECAUSE ALL ITEMS WERE TO BE PICKED UP BY MAY 31, which I was completely unaware of. But that is neither here nor there, because I find it absolutely ludicrous that one would only allow a LESS THAN 2 WEEK WINDOW for pick up. As I look back on the auction details, she also only had 2 scheduled pick up windows as well. Never once were storage fees mentioned in ANY communication EVER. My shipper then arranged with the auction house for pick up of the item a week out on a Tuesday. Upon that Tuesday morning, he called to let the warehouse know his time of arrival. Upon calling the warehouse he was told that the item would not be released because I had not paid my storage fees in the amount of $750.00. I do feel as if this auction house is trying to extort money for storage. I am happy to pay a reasonable fee for storage of the sideboard, but I do not feel $750 for what was roughly a few weeks is reasonable. I do feel as if this storage fee information was withheld so that they could continue adding up the fee in order to make more money. They have also tried to bill me for shipping, even though I specified I would arrange my own shipper. I have tried to call Live Auctioneers numerous times as well as have also emailed Live Auctioneers numerous times and have YET to hear back. I am hoping that this complaint will get their attention.

  Business response

  07/19/2024

  Hi ******,

  I'm sorry to hear about your poor experience with this sale and for the lack of communications regarding the storage fees by the auction house. After reviewing your complaint, I saw that my colleague on the Bidder Support team replied to your email pointing out that the auction house's Terms & Conditions stated that storage fees would incur after a period of time. We can understand your surprise and frustration over being charged the storage fees if you missed this disclosure in their auction policy.

  While we strive to offer support, it's essential to note that as an online bidding platform, we serve as intermediaries and do not have direct authority to resolve post sale issues like your complaint. The best we can do in this situation is to contact the auction house to relay your complaint. We will get back to you with their response.

   Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  07/22/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  I will completely admit that I missed the disclosure of having to pick up within 2 weeks, that is on me.  However, being that these Auction Houses are authorized auction house through Live Auctioneers, I must have made the assumption that these were trusted auction houses.  At NO POINT in my communications with Trunky Fresh Auction House, did they EVER mention storage fees.  At NO POINT was I contacted saying that I needed to pick up the console by a certain date.  I do believe that a trusted auction house would communicate that an item needed to be picked up by a certain date in there communication.  They would also state what the storage fees would be as they stored it until it was picked up.  They would also send a weekly or monthly storage bill, which was not the case here either.  What happened in my situation was, my mover had made an appointment to pick up the console ONE WEEK PRIOR to and then drove his truck states over to pick it up.  The morning of pick up, ****** Fresh and called him and canceled the pick up because I hadnt paid my storage fees.  He asked what those storage fees were so he could let me know, she responded that I owed roughly $750 in storage fees.  My mover was dumbfounded as hes been picking up from auction houses for years and years and hes NEVER heard of an amount so large, EVER.  Frankly I feel like Im being extorted to pay her storage fees as she doesnt store at her own storage facility.  I dont think she EVER communicated my owing of storage fees in order to 1. Either rack up more to extort more money out of me or 2. Just waited until pick up to mention a large sum so that again she could get more money out of me in order to get my auction winnings. I do realize that Live Auctioneers is just the between person but I would hope that they would be able to do more in protected their customer base.  I will NEVER use ********************** again. 

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business response

  07/30/2024

  Hi ******,

  My colleague on the Bidder Support team relayed your complaint to the auction house but they didn't agree to give you a refund or shoulder the storage fees.  They said that you didn't arrange a shipper until nearly two months after the auction ended, without any prior communication. The furniture you won had to be stored at a third party storage facility. My colleague also sent you screenshots of the emails sent to you starting in June to let you know about storage fees and pick up, as well as the emails sent to ensure that the shipper does not show up until fees are paid.

  I'm sorry to hear you're disappointed, not only with the auction house, but also with LiveAuctioneers. If you have any questions about this complaint, please reach out to my colleague on the Bidder Support team.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩