ComplaintsforLive Auctioneers LLC

• Initial Complaint

  11/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a Lot 425 from SS ************* through LiveAuctioneers on October 28, 2021, for $2,750.00, plus a buyer's premium of $687.50. The Terms and Conditions for the auction posted on LiveAuctioneers website stated: "********** sales tax of *****% will be charged on all purchases unless (a) buyer provides a resale certificate or (b) for items being shipped out of state by a commercial carrier, in which case, we must be provided with a receipt by a commercial carrier. If a receipt is not provided at time of pick-up, item will not be released until tax is paid." I arranged for a commercial carrier to pick up the item, but the invoiced generated by LiveAuctioneers included taxes of $223.45. I contacted LiveAuctioneers to dispute the $223.45 charge on 10/28/2021. LiveAuctionners stated, despite the terms and conditions, it would not remove the amount representing taxes unless a resale certificate was provided. I told them not to automatically charge my credit card until this issue was resolved. Despite this, LiveAuctioneers automatically charged my credit card three days later because the auctioneer had enrolled in the Autopay program. I repeatedly went back and forth with the LiveAuctioneers support team. LIveAuctioneers now claims that it is just a passive conduit and that the dispute must be resolved with the auction house. However, LiveAuctioneers generated the invoice that included taxes on behalf of the auction house. And I never gave my credit card information to the auction house, so the charge resulted from LiveAuctioneers charging my credit card.LiveAuctioneers is now citing its own Terms and Conditions to say that it has no liability for charging my credit card for the wrong amount. LiveAuctioneers apparently believes that Terms and Conditions are a one way street, imposing obligations on others without giving them any enforceable rights when LiveAuctioneers fails to comply with the posted Terms and Conditions.

  Business response

  11/19/2021

  Dear ******, 

  Thank you for reaching out. I am sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you but when you are registered to a sale which has AutoPay enabled, you are accepting to be auto-charged. Did you possibly reach out to the Auction House to arrange a different method of payment? Please reach out to us to [email protected] for further assistance. 

   

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  11/23/2021

  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:

  The problem is not AutoPay per se. The problem is that the invoice included tax, which the Terms and Conditions of the auction explicitly stated would not be collected in the event that the item was being shipped out of state by a commercial carrier. I informed LiveAuctioneers that I had arranged to have the item shipped out of state by a commercial carrier. LiveAuctioneers indicated that it would only send a corrected invoice in the event that a resale certificate was provided. I sent numerous emails to the email address indicated pointing out that the Terms and Conditions stated that tax would not be collected in two instances-- when a resale certificate is provided OR when the item is picked up for shipment out of state by a commercial carrier. LiveAuctioneers simply refused to read and apply the applicable Terms and Conditions for the auction, even though it was generating the invoice and ultimately charged my credit card under the AutoPay program. I have attached the invoice in question, which plainly states the applicable Terms & Conditions, which LiveAuctioneers refuses to honor. It is maddening that they keep telling me what I agreed to buy bidding, when they themselves refuse to follow the applicable Terms and Conditions. They continue to assert that Terms and Conditions are a contract that binds only bidders, while LiveAuctioneers remains free to ignore the applicable contract. That is not how contracts work. 

   

   

   

   

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

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

  Business response

  01/13/2022

  Dear ******,

   

  Hello ******,
  
  As our Terms and Conditions state We are not an auction house and are not conducting live auctions. Our service allows you to participate in live auctions conducted by the Auction House. We are solely a passive conduit to facilitate communication between you and the Auction House.
  
  Though we are not experts, we work to mediate situations where Auction Houses and buyers have issues. In regards to this case, we have exhausted all we can do to assist and any further communication should be made to ***************. directly.
  
  You can find all of the contact information listed below:
  **************** ** ************************************************************************************* ***** ************ ******* ************ ***** ************************ ***************************

  If autopay ran and your credit card was charged, you agreed to be in a sale that had autopay enabled. 

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers.

  Customer response

  01/25/2022

  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]

   LiveAuctioneers was not a "passive conduit" in this transaction. They charged my credit card and paid the auction house. The charge appeared on my credit card **** under LiveAuctioneers, not the name of the auction house. You can't charge and collect the amount improperly listed on the invoice (which also was generated by LiveAuctioneers!) and claim to be a passive conduit. And I am sick of being told to read your Terms and Conditions. I read the Terms and Conditions that LIVEAUCTIONEERS posted on ITS website for this auction before the auction to decide whether or not to bid-- and those terms and conditions clearly stated that tax would not be collected in this instance. LiveAuctioneers doesn't view Terms and Conditions as a binding contract on both parties-- just a way to avoid its own obligations. I don't know why people bid through LiveAuctioneers, when the buyers premium is generally 4% to 5% more, when LiveAuctioneers doesn't provide any additional benefit to buyers beyond bidding directly through the actual auction house and paying less. And if I do want to bid online, Invaluable has almost exactly the same items, and I haven't run into this issue with them.

   

   

   

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

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

• Initial Complaint

  11/12/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  About two years ago after a decade of being a consumer on Liveauctioneers, I bid on several items from a ******** Auctions against my better instincts from the type of presentation in partially concealed photos and lack of detailed condition reports or response to queries about them.Upon setting up a pick-up, one item was not given to us and instead given to another even when payments were forwarded by me.The other items were in such despicable, falling apart condition that the shipper was not wanting to ship nor insure them!Items were returned to ******** auctions and I received my funds back minus the costs of the shippers back and forth with this matter!******** Auction opened disputes via Liveauctioneers and therefore my privileges to bid were halted as a result.This subpar auctioneer did not care that these misrepresented items were returned and out of greed and spite opened up a dispute against me on this bidding site to retaliate!Liveauctioneers has now after two years been going after the other members of my family who have been on their site as bidders and claiming their accounts are mine since we share the same address and phone etc.!This is unacceptable and this harassment is unjust!I have been asking for Liveauctioneers to once and for all delete my account and stop manipulating my family members accounts!There has been no resolution and the deletion of my account needs to be done and harassments of others stopped!

  Business response

  11/12/2021

  Dear *********************,

  Thank you very much for reaching out and I am so sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. Unfortunately, accounts with open disputes can't be closed. 

  Upon checking your case, I see that the bidder support team has been already in communication with you. I will reach out to them and see if they can assist with contacting the Auction House for a mutual resolution. 

  Please do reach out to ************************ if you have any other questions or concerns.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  11/16/2021

  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]

   The filed complaint has TWO PARTS and BOTH need to be addressed!

  1. LIVEAUCTIONEERS needs to STOP! harassing and suspending the accounts of the other members of our household based on my account being suspended!They have no right to do this as each individual is their own entity and it is unjust! 
  

  2. As Ive explained before ALL items purchased were RETURNED to ******** Auctions and my funds retrieved! One item won and paid for was sold to another by this same defficient auction house!-there will be NO FURTHER BACK AND FORTH with ******** Auctions any more after almost two years!- resolution was reached where Ive retrieved my funds and they in return opened cases on Liveauctioneers resulting in deactivation of my long standing account!

  In conclusion:

  #1 STOP DEACTIVATING AND LINKING MY ACCOUNT TO OTHER HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS!!! THIS NEEDS TO STOP!!

  #2 DELETE MY ACCOUNT OR NOT! THERE WILL BE NO FUNDS GIVEN BACK TO ******** AUCTIONS AS ALL MISREPRESENTED ITEMS WERE RETURNED AND THEY SOLD ADDITIONAL ITEM TO ANOTHER! WE HAVE RETRIEVED OUR FUNDS!AGAIN!STOP LINKING MY ACCOUNT TO OTHER MEMBERS AND FORFEITING THEIR RIGHTS TO USE LIVEAUCTIONEERS AS A PLATFORM!!

  The aforementioned needs to be resolved immediately!

  No further emails will be sent to your useless ************************ !

  ****

   

   

   

   

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

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

  Business response

  12/09/2021

  Hello *****,

   

  We have checked your complaints on our site based on your previous emails and see that you have been asking for us to delete your account with LiveAuctioneers for some time. Unfortunately, our system will not let us remove accounts that still have open disputes (from the ******** Auction) and therefore all details related to that account are currently flagged because of the dispute. 

  We would suggest reaching out to the auction house(s) involved and try to reach an agreement so that they can drop the open disputes under your name and we can proceed with your account deletion and reinstatement of your companions' accounts as soon as possible. Please reach out to us at ************************ for more information, or if you would need further assistance.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  12/09/2021

  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]

   

   YOU ARE DODGING THE QUESTION!!!! ANSWER MY QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  I FRANKLY DO NOT CARE IF MY ACCOUNT IS DISABLED!--AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED I RETRIEVED MY FUNDS FROM THAT SHODDY SUPPOSED AUCTION HOUSE!!

  YOU ARE A DISGUSTING BUSINESS AS IT IS OBVIOUS HERE! AFTER MULTIPLE NON-SENSE/ NON-REPLIES ON YOUR PART!

  YOU HAVE UNJUSTLY 'DEACTIVATED' THE ACCOUNTS OF THE MEMBERS THAT SHARE THE SAME ADDRESS BASED ON MY ACCOUNT!!!!!!

  YOU NEED TO STOP CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN THIS MANNER! YOU ARE OVER STEPPING THE BOUNDARIES!

  THAT IS WHAT YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN!!!

  THAT IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE STOPPED!!!

   

   

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

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

• Initial Complaint

  10/19/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I used LiveAuctioneers.com to make purchases from one of their chosen preferred sellers, Gold Standard Auctions. Gold Standard Auctions made Fraudulent claims about items they auctioned to include relative Professional Grades and ($) Values that they items they were selling were both authentic and would achieve these values. Being a Law Enforcement Officer myself I can tell you these claims were based in Misrepresentation in a form of Fraud to incite higher bids from potential customers. I have authenticated all purchased items and many have no relative value and I contacted both LiveAuctioneers and Gold Standard Auctions to return the items in an attempt to solve this prior to seeking legal action or a larger Class Action Lawsuit after review of many other complaints in the same category. I am asking for a refund 4 of the items purchased out of the 13 items I purchased. I have attempted to contact both parties who continue to give me the run around. I have a document with further info

  Business response

  10/21/2021

  Hi ********

  We are truly sorry for the negative experience you've had with Gold Standard Auctions. Upon checking your case I do see that the Auction House has already agreed to take the return and process a refund. 

  I am glad everything got sorted. If there is anything else we can help with, please email us at ************************* 

   

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  10/12/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  i would like money back for this item cost **** the item is a beat les signed item but all four are fake Your PSA/DNA QuickOpinion request for the item described as, ********************* signed album, live auctioneers Lot No. ***, was rendered on 10/10/2021 and the result is:Likely Not Genuine Here are the details:Comments: Request ID: ****** Request By: 10/11/2021 Your PSA/DNA QuickOpinion request for the item described as, ***************************** signed album, live auctioneers Lot No. 196, was rendered on 10/10/2021 and the result is:Likely Not Genuine Here are the details:Comments: Request ID: ****** Request By: 10/11/2021 Your QuickOpinion Result Dear *********************,Your PSA/DNA QuickOpinion request for the item described as, *************************** signed album, live auctioneers Lot No. ***, was rendered on 10/10/2021 and the result is:Likely Not Genuine Here are the details:Comments: Request ID: ****** Request By: 10/11/21

  Business response

  10/12/2021

  Hello,

  Thank you for your email and sorry for the inconvenience you've had with the Auction House. 

  We at LiveAuctioneers do not hold funds nor the items of the Auction House. Have you already reached out to the Auction House for the refund? 

  Please reach out to us by emailing [email protected] if you need further assistance. 

   

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers.

  Customer response

  10/13/2021

  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 i 

   

   i triese d to get money from the seller but they called me a liar it took four months to get it too me. its hard to believe you have nothing available for refund i also tried the credit card but they said no because i received the i would even accept a partial refund 

   

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

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

  Business response

  10/28/2021

  Hello ******,

   

  Thank you for letting us know about this. Upon checking your records, the auction house has messaged you saying that the delay in shipping your item was due to *** breaking the item, but they have fixed it for you and have resent it. Did the item arrive at the designated shipping location?

  Kindly email us at ************************ with the latest information about your case so that we may better assist you.

   

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  10/12/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On March 07, 2021, I won an auction on LiveAuctioneers.com website for 2 items (i) Lot **** and (ii) Lot **** run by LiveAuctioneers seller ******** *******.On March 08, 2021, as instructed by Live Auctioneers LLC, we paid via wire transfer an amount of $6,947.89 to ******** *******.In the ensuing weeks/months, both Live Auctioneers and ******** *******s said that the 2 items above were being sent, are in the mail, were returned back to them, etc. WE NEVER RECEIVED THEM.This feels like an attempt by Live Auctioneers to conduct online fraud and steal $6,947.89 of our money via payment to ******** *******.

  Business response

  10/12/2021

  Dear *****,

  Thank you for your email and once again we are truly sorry for the inconvenience you've had with ******** *******. Please know that this seller is no longer able to sell in our site and we are still trying to get a hold of them regarding your issue. 

   

  I understand this is not the answer you'd like to hear but we are continuously trying to reach out and have them resolve their pending issues. 

  If you need further follow up on this, please email ************************. 

   

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers.

  Customer response

  10/13/2021

  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:

  Live Auctioneers enabled a fraudulent seller, ******** ******* to run a sham auction on their website and steal $7,000 of our money.

  Live Auctioneers response does not provide any evidence of contact with ******** *******

  Live Auctioneers should pay back our $7,000 that we were induced to send to one of their Auction houses.

  This is fraud in the textbook sense and we should be made whole by Live Aucitoneers.

  We will also lodge a formal complaint with the ************************ (FTC) against Live Auctioneers.

  Best regards

   

   

   

   

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

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

  Business response

  11/04/2021

  Hi *****,
  
  We have been reaching out to ******** ******* but, unfortunately, we have not heard back from them. Their LiveAuctioneers account will remain closed until this is resolved. As soon as we have news, we will let you know. I copied the auction house's contact details below, for your reference.

  Berkeley Auction
  ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* ************ ******* ***********************
  ***************************

  Please know that we continue to reach out and try to get these issues resolved. 

  Regards, 

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  11/21/2021

  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:

  LiveAuctioneers's response is completely fraudulent and unacceptable as we have already done all of the above and so have LiveAuctioneers to no avail.

  - We have contacted ******** ******* since May 2021 (6 months) repeatedly via phone and email. There is no response.

  - We have lodged a complaint against ******** ******* in ******, ** (at the address Live Auctioneers provides below) with **************** and **************************** but financial authorities in ****** tell us that there is no registered company called ******** ******* that exists. This is a scam operation.

  - LiveAuctioneers is taking no responsibility for $7,000 that was stolen from us on LiveAuctioneers LLC platform which itself is a fraudulent website

  LiveAuctioneers is operating a scam platform to enable fraudulent sellers like ******** ******* to steal our money and Live Auctioneers should refund our $7,000 which was stolen by ******** *******.

  LiveAuctioneers should return our $7,000 as we are preparing to report LiveAuctioneers via complaints to ************************ (FTC) and ************************************ (CFPB).

  Best regards,

   

   

   

   

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

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

• Initial Complaint

  10/08/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  i would like my money back for this item 0196: THE BEATLES AUTOGRAHED ALBUM COVER ALL 4 LENNON $1,625 May 26, 2021 ICZ Auctions i bought the item listed above it arrived after four months without a frame i have asked three times to give money back but they wont respond

  Business response

  10/12/2021

  Hello,

   

  Thank you for reaching out and I am sorry for the negative experience you have had with the Auction House. From what I see, payment for the invoice below was paid directly to the Auction House:

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

  In this case, we are not able to process any refunds. Please reach out to the Auction House directly or ************************ for further assistance. The contact details of the Auction House are below:

  
  ICZ Auctions
  *********************
  ***** ** ** * **** ****** * **  ****** ******  ***** ************

   

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  08/26/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have used this website over ten year to conduct our business and have paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions and fees. They have just falsely accused of doing things against their company policy and have gone ahead a blocked and deleted our upcoming auctions which has potentially caused tens of thousands of dollars in financial damage and not to mention other losses such as those caused by defamation accusations and personal stress which it has cause to us at ***** auctions. In addition to potential lawsuits brought about by our consignor due to our inability to deliver our services. There is no foundation to any of the allegations which they have so irresponsibly not discussed with us and so they have not given us the opportunity to address any issue they might have. They have acted as judge Jury and executioner unilaterally without any communications three days before our major International art and antiques auction for which we have paid thousands of dollars.

  Business response

  08/26/2021

  Dear *****, 

   

  Thank you for reaching out. Upon checking, I see that your account has already been re-instated and was limited due to non-payment. If you have any other questions, please reach out to **************************** 

   

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer response

  08/26/2021

  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]

   That issue is not the one is current and my complaint is about . LiveAuctioneers staff have taken down our three upcoming auctions and have cancelled all the bids. In an email they said ***** auctions fabricated account in order to bid and then file dispute and avoided paying commission hence they have permanently closed our account.  This accusation is false and we are speaking legal action against that company.  

   

   

   

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

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

  Customer response

  09/03/2021

  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]

   This is precisely the nonsense they stated at the beginning and that is precisely the nature of my complaint.I refer you to my first email above. it is absolutely impossible to open an account with the same information such as same phone number and email. We are not aware of any methods and we absolutely categorically resent their repeated accusations that we fabricated 350 accounts. I say it again neither myself or anyone in our establishment has ever created a false account. The previous occasion they refer to was also a case of fraudulent activity allowed by their insecure system which victimized ***** auctions and caused us to lose almost $20000 worth of merchandise to a gang of online thieves who orchestrated a con scam through ******************* website which allowed them to open an account and purchase the merchandise in our auction and then used fake credit cards in an elaborate scheme to steal $20000 from us. when we complained to the Liveauctioneers staff we were hit with same heavy handed respond as this time; ie. closed our account so we could not do business or talk to anyone in their establishment. Whatever circumstantial evidence they think they have we like to see in order to get to the bottom of it. We did NOT do anything of the sort that they are accusing us  of doing. As I said before it would be in their interest to cooperate with us to find out what really happened in order to secure their system so this kind of things will never happen again instead of blaming us for it. I ask you even if, as they accuse us, it was possible for us to do that dont you think anyone else would be able to do? Dont you think they should be acting responsibly and make sure that their system is secure? As I said in my email to LiveAuctioneers this is precisely what I have been urging the ******************* to do for many years in my multiple conversations with various people in their establishment such as mr ************************* who is my account manger.

   

   

   

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

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

  Business response

  10/05/2021

  Dear *****, 

   

  Hello,
  

  Per our email sent to you in August, 2021, it was brought to our attention that there were multiple bidder accounts bidding on ***** Auctions that seemed to be displaying odd behavior. On further investigation we found over 350 fabricated bidder accounts created by ***** Auctions since June of 2020 and bidding solely on ***** Auctions catalogs. Several of these accounts had won items and had disputes filed to avoid commission charges. This is in violation of our policy regarding false bidding which can be found here:
  
  ******************************************************************************
  "Shill or false bidding is a serious crime punishable by law which can result in revocation of your auctioneers license and dismissal from ******************. Sellers are not permitted to place any shill or false bids within their sales. In an effort to eliminate such practices from our platform, our team diligently investigates any reports of suspicious bidding activity, reviewing and keeping a record of sale transcripts and other pertinent documentation, to substantiate or invalidate the claim."
  

  We have had this conversation with ***** Auctions before, and it was explained that false bidding and bid manipulation was not something that we would accept when ***** Auctions account was suspended for 60 days in 2018 following several bidder complaints. Because this is a repeated violation and a suspension was already issued, I'm sorry to say that at this point we will be permanently closing the ***** Auctions account on LiveAuctioneers. While I am not able to reverse this decision, your account manager ************************* and myself are available to answer any questions you may have in the meantime.

   

  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. ↩