Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/08/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Last October, Latair Auctions, a vendor through Liveauctioneers, negligently shipped a painting I won from them, causing damage to it. I filed a claim and the post office's inspection of the item, the box it was shipped in, and the shipping materials, determined that the auction house was negligent, and my claim was denied. Despite this, ****** has refused to take responsibility by issuing me a refund in exchange for the return of the painting. Therefore, I contacted Liveauctioneers' customer support department in hopes of getting help to resolve the issue. Although I've been in contact with different Liveauctioneers reps since October; recently, the first rep escalated my complaint since ****** has continued to make excuses for not returning my money. Cherry P., the most recent Liveauctioneers rep I have been in contact with, has chosen to believe that ****** is appealing the claim denial, although I repeatedly explained that ****** missed the deadline in December. I also explained that ****** agreed to issue me a refund when I threatened Ben ***** the person operating as ******* with a lawsuit. So, although Liveauctioneers can issue me a refund and take other steps to prevent ******'s unethical business practices on its website, their rep is still waiting for the auction house to file an appeal that should've been filed within 30 days of Nov. 20, 2023, the day my claim was denied.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/20/2024

  Hi ******,
  
  We're sorry to hear about the damaged lot and the delay in getting a refund from the auction house.  I see that my colleague on the Bidder Support Team has asked the auction house for an update on the appeal they said they filed and have asked for a turnaround time on their decision on your complaint.  As previously mentioned in your conversation with my colleague, LiveAuctioneers is a technology provider and our role in this matter is solely as a mediator to make certain both parties remain in contact while assistance is being requested.  We will continue to reach out to the auction house for their response to your complaint. I'll have my colleague update you as soon we hear back from the auction house.
  
  Regards,
  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/09/2024

  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 made it clear in the documentation I provided to Live Auctioneers’ support reps and in my complaint to the BBB that Latair Auction House had missed the deadline to appeal the insurance claim. For whatever reason, the respondent to my complaint chose to ignore that information and likely didn’t take the time to review the documents I submitted, including the claim letter from the post office that showed that Latair had until December 2023 to appeal its decision. I submitted every email between me, *** **** who is doing business as Latair, and the bidder support team, to show that *** **** has continued to make excuses for the past seven months with no intentions to rectify the situation. The respondent for Live Auctioneers also stated that I was aware that its bidding support team is simply there to mediate. Once again, he ignored the correspondence in which the reps gave the impression that they would take action against Latair. One of the support reps even stated that my case was being escalated. To a customer, that means that the company is taking decisive action and getting someone with more authority involved. It also means that Live Auctioneers will be proactive in not only resolving customer issues but having in place a system to vet auction houses and to penalize them when they are involved in unethical business practices. Cherry, the rep that my case was forwarded to, mentioned that Live Auctioneers has the ability to issue refunds. But despite every email I forwarded to her in which *** **** (Latair) agreed to refund me, I still don’t have my money. To this day, *** **** has agreed to issue me a refund but hasn’t done so. So what the respondent to my complaint is really saying is that Live Auctioneers doesn’t have anything in place to protect the consumers who utilize its site. The reps simply state that they will continue to reach out to the auction house, although the last email I received from Cherry, dated March 12, confirmed that I’m on my own in trying to get my money back. Yes, there are risks when you bid on items, but this is a clear case of shipping negligence and the refusal to take responsibility on Latair’s part. So, I’m disappointed in the respondent’s dismissive response to my complaint and now I understand why so many complaints have been filed against Live Auctioneers. I’m certain that Live Auctioneers can do more to help resolve the situation; at the very least, the company can prevent Latair from doing this to someone else through its website (look at the auction house’s reviews). Live Auctioneers has the ability to return my money; instead, the company is allowing Latair to take advantage of bidders.

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

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

  Business Response

  Date: 05/06/2024

  Hi ******,

  I'm sorry to hear you have been forced to go the legal route.  I reviewed your complaint and I see that we stopped mediating when you said the auction house contacted you about meeting up to pick up the lot and to give you a check for the refund.  We didn't hear back from you so it looks like my colleague assumed your complaint was resolved. If you want to reopen this case, please send us an email at *******************************.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/11/2024

  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:

  [Throughout this process, you have latched onto parts of my messages and email exchanges with ***************/ Latair that you believe absolve Live Auctioneers from any responsibility. Interestingly, in your previous response, you stated that you would continue to reach out to ***************/****** to try to resolve the issue. So, I'm confused by your latest admission that you stopped mediating, especially considering that I have proven that *** **** has lied and made excuses throughout the entire process. Therefore, I rejected your latest response, not because I still expect Live Auctioneers to take action, but because it is due to my own efforts that I'm close to a resolution. I had to travel to ************* to appear in small claims court Thursday, May 9, to present my case. Unsurprisingly, *** **** did not show, so the magistrate entered a default judgment. In fact, Ben **** left the state the day before the court case. I know this because as I was waiting for the damaged painting in Baggage Claims, his name was announced over the intercom, informing him that his international flight was soon departing and that he needed to get to the gate for final boarding. But again, you have proven that Live Auctioneers is not proactive in investigating auction houses for unethical behavior unless it impacts the company directly. After all the evidence I presented, I would like to think that Live Auctioneers (and Invaluable and any other related auction sites that Latair also uses since they're all owned by the same corporation) would see Latair as a liability. But as long as it doesn't affect your bottom line, you will continue to allow ***************/****** to get away with what I learned he had been doing to his customers for years. So, don't bother to send an empty, patronizing response about how you're glad that the issue is finally settled because you played no part in it. I will make that clear everywhere I can post a review about Live Auctioneers and Latair since I know that the BBB will close my case and, unfortunately, label it as "resolved."] 

   

   

   

   

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

  
  Signed,
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I won a pair of diamond earrings on Dec 10th 2023 auction.The seller sent a different pair of earrings than what was listed(different size and different color and clarity). I had them appraised to make certain I was right. The seller sent an appraisal which fraudulently states that the earrings are the same color and clarity of the ones he had listed. I have been emailing Liveauctioneers for one month with no resolution. All I want it is to return the earrings and get all of my money back. They keep repeating that they are 3rd party, but surely they need to vet their sellers and make sure they aren't crooks, which I believe that the seller is. When I ****** him there are bad reviews and another fraud case in ******* where he tried to sell fake diamonds for real ones.Please help me not have to call an attorney or ***************** attorney in ********.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2024

  Hi ****,

  We're sorry to hear that you're unhappy with the pair of earrings you received from the auction house.  The auction house has declined the return/refund of the lot, stating all sales are final.  My colleague on the Bidder Support team wrote:

  "They also pointed out that the sale is final, which is reflected in their terms and conditions. Most auction houses offer a little more leeway beyond the "items are sold as-is" terms in their catalog, but the decision of whether to accept a return remains theirs to make."

  I know you're disappointed in the level of service we've provided but I'd like to reiterate that our role in this matter is solely as a mediator to make certain both parties remain in contact while assistance is being requested.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/16/2024

  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 realize that the auction house says that all sales are final, but surely that is if the buyer has received the correct merchandise. I did not, and I uploaded all the documents to prove that the earrings that were sent to me were not the ones listed. 

   

   

   

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

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

  Business Response

  Date: 02/26/2024

  Hello ****,
  

  Thank you for reaching out. Weve thoroughly investigated this matter and have exhausted all avenues for mediation.
  Its important to clarify that as a third-party platform, we dont directly control the operations of the auction houses that utilize our service.
  Regarding your inquiry, all auction house sellers undergo a screening process before being featured on our platform. Additionally, we conduct regular audits, both directly and through monitoring review sites and our own feedback scores for each auction house. While its challenging for us to make subjective judgments on the value offered by individual items or auction houses, we strongly believe in the importance of accurate and transparent descriptions. We have a zero-tolerance policy for intentionally misleading information on our site, and any questionable behavior results in the suspension of the auction house from future postings on our platform.
  We will continue to try and mediate a solution with the auction house until a response is provided for your case.
  

  Best regards,
  LiveAuctioneers Bidder Support

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/01/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This platform is infested with fraudulent auction houses whose sole purpose is to cheat people out of their money. Oftentimes they will operate under a specific name until they need to refresh due to their terrible reputation. An example of this is Federal Assets Auctioneers who is/was Seized Assets Auctioneers. They are not affiliated with any Federal organizations nor are the items sold by them seized. It is a front and a money making scam. Their sole purpose is to scam people. They have 1 star on ****** and countless BBB complaints yet they have a 4.6 rating on Live Auctioneers. Live Auctioneers must be aware of their conduct and their ****** bidding and low quality items and lack of character yet they have done nothing to purge their platform of these predatory, trashy, thieving companies.This is false advertising plain and simple and people are being conned out of their money on a daily basis.Why do you allow these dishonest scammers to operate and damage people on your platform? Start by explaining Federal Assets Auctioneers and Live Auctioneers lack of oversight and basic standards.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2024

  Hi *****,

  We're sorry to hear that you have concerns over the legitimacy of some auction houses on our platform.  We take the integrity of the LiveAuctioneers platform seriously and investigate any and all reports of fraudulent behavior. While we certainly cannot police all lots for accuracy as there are millions of submissions of unique items, we have a zero fraud tolerance policy.  I looked for an email from you regarding this claim but found only one email when you reached out due to a dispute that was filed on your account for an unpaid invoice.  Please email us at ******************************* with proof of your claim so we can investigate.  Thanks for your time.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/25/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Saw piece of ******** art at an upcoming auction on Live Auctioneers at the Art ******* Auction House located in *******. The sale ended on November 30, 2024.Emailed auction some questions on November 23, 2023 Bid on the piece of art on November 30, 2023 Piece delivered on December 7, 2023 The artwork came in a damaged frame and hazy glass to obscure it. Took it out of frame and realized that the piece was probably a fake.After discussion with a highly reputable auction house in *******, it was deemed to be forgery.I contacted the Art ******* Auction House as Live Auctioneers asks you to do first, on January 16, 2024. The reaction was horrible and adamant that they would refund not my purchase (emails available). I then contacted Live Auctioneers on January *****, 2024. I provided the proof of the forgery as requested. They contacted the auction house and said "Unfortunately, they are firm that they cannot cancel the sale nor reimburse since they already paid the consignor (seller) for the piece." All steps I had already tried.A reputable auction house would without hesitation refund your purchase if they sold an item that was proven to be a fake or not as described. Live Auctioneers should also take responsibility as well because of the service they offer and that payment goes through Live Auctioneers.I am reaching out to you to lodge an official complaint. All I'm asking that in return for the forged artwork that I receive a full refund of my purchase including shipping (an additional $247 so total in US dollars to date is $1260.05 + return shipping. My communication with Live Auctioneers seems to be over and even requesting that this specific auction house should be banned and taken off their platform so that others don't get trapped in their ongoing forgery scheme. The link is ***********************************************************************************************

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2024

  Hi ****,

  We're sorry that you're unhappy with the lot you won and with the service we've provided for your complaint.  As my colleague on the Bidder Support team has already told you, "LiveAuctioneers is merely a 3rd party website that connects buyers and sellers online. We do not create listings that appear on our site nor do we provide images for offered items. We are not experts in the items that appear on our site."  As a technology provider, we act as mediator to so that both parties are in contact.  With that being said, we cannot process any refunds without the auction house's consent. In this case, the auction house is standing behind their Terms & Conditions which states that all sales are final.

  I checked your email exchange with my colleague, and I see that she has logged your complaint and sent it to the appropriate team for review. Please continue to email us if you have any questions about your case.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/08/2024

  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:

  Good afternoon.  Even as a third party, you still have responsibility and liability.  As I've researched there are numerous complaints about this vendor.  What are you policies on a vendor that continues to produce fake items and sell them on your platform?  At the very least they should be removed from your third party platform.  That is question one.

  Someone must bear responsibility when a business is engaging in known reproductions of fake works and nothing happens.  They benefit by my money and Live Auctioneers benefits saying it is not at fault either.  In the end it's the consumer who pays.

  Like the auction house, you should be ashamed.  If this is how you treat customers when they have a valid and documented claim it's a fraud to say that no one has accountability.

  Again I would like the Art ******* Auction House removed permanently from your platform and my full funds refunded as any reputable company would do.
  

   

   

   

   

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

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

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/23/2024

  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 responses have not answered one of my questions directly about the sale of knowingly fake art work.  

  (1) According to your art policy, artwork "should be described as "in the style of" both in title and description.  This was not done in my case.

  (2) According to your art policy - The art piece itself should not bear the signature of the artist being replicated.  Mine had a clear signature and was one of the flags that once an expert looked at it flagged it as a forgery.

  (3)

   

  With these taken into account:

  (1) There are numerous feedback reports as well as a newspaper article about this vendor producing and selling known forgeries and those buyers being trapped and no way for them to have a discourse for return/refund.  I would like this vendor banned and taken off your platform.

  (2) What is your process of removing a vendor that has ongoing complaints?

  (3) You are a large business on the ****.  You take a percentage of every single sale so you do have third part responsibility for you and your vendors.  2.8% if I'm not mistaken.

  The answer seems to be that you are as fraudulent as some of these auction houses are.  Take some responsibility and stop trying to skirt the real and legal issues.  I will never use your platform again as I've lost over $1500 of money I worked for.  Please respond to my questions and who I can escalate this issue with in order to move forward. 

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

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

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2024

  Hi ****,

  We're sorry to hear that you're unhappy with the purchase from Art ******* Auction Gallery.  The auction house stands behind the lot description and below is their response to support why they have declined your request for a refund:

  "Thank you for letting us know, please be advised that the bidder also contacted us in reference to this matter, and we explained to ****************** that this lot was never described as Original, Authentic or Signed by the artist, nor we did we offer any type of COA in the listing, the estimate and starting bid is low precisely because it is not accompanied by any COA the painting has been described as an "Attribute" to the artist the same terminology used by ***************************** the reputable auction house that client tried to use to resell the piece.
  
  As you can see in the attached screenshot the piece was listed as an attribute to the artist, it is on both sides in the description and in the condition report very well explained, and proof that the client saw it and knew the term since the beginning, here I sent a screenshot of his email from November 22nd many days before the auction where he asks before the auction for a photo of the back of the painting and I quote "to help attribute it" which proves that not only did he see our description of the painting but but also knew that the meaning of it. Attached is our response to the bidder where we clearly informed him that we are only the auction house not the owners of any lot. it is also in our terms and conditions that all sales are final which he accepted in order to participate. Almost two months have passed and as we stated in our terms and conditions bidders are responsible to clarify all their doubts before bidding on a lot, with that being said unfortunately we cannot cancel the sale nor reimburse the customer since we already paid the consignor (seller) for the piece."

  The auction house did clearly state the attribution qualifier in the lot description and then again under the condition section.  While they failed to add the attribution in the title, it is not enough to consider banning the auction house from our platform.  We're sorry for the disappointment and frustration this experience may have caused you.
  

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ************* auction house sells counterfeit items. They are covering up a huge scheme of fake and counterfeit items.Every 2-3 months they sell the exact same antique ******* icons pretending they are 18th or 19th Century items. Until I realized the exact same items Ive been watching in the past were actually sold in September 2023 and now again at auction on 1/13/2024. However, fhe same items were sold in July 1023. I realized because one lot had the same misleading and incomplete description. Now I ran over the same item and realized I had to ask the same question as I did in the past. Then I searched over my past saved lots and realized many exact same items offered for auction on 1/13/24 were on my list already since 2023. They all been sold already. I reached out to the auction house directly with clear examples and they tried to say the invoice did not get paid. Ok, but for ***** items? None of them got paid? Were they all purchased by the exact same buyer? Or how come many buyers all the sudden decided not to pay their invoices? And what happened during the summer 2023? Same person bought them again, did not pay their invoices and then they were allowed to bid again?Very odd hoe this auction house has so many antique ******* icons. These are very rare anyway, but is it not strange how hundreds of them end up somewhere with a small company, way far away from ******? Or is this just an excuse? There are many reviews about this auction house indicating the same thing, they sell counterfeit items. Intentionally and with full knowledge.This is not ok. They need to be stopped and banned from doing business anymore. Before too many other people Will be scammed and lose their money.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/18/2024

  Hi,

  Thank you for reaching out to us.  We take authenticity concerns seriously and will investigate your claim.  I looked into this, and I saw that my colleague from the Bidder Support Team has sent you an email yesterday.  He wrote:

   

  'Hello ******,
  
  Thank you for your continued correspondence and for providing additional information. We understand your concerns and rest assured these are being escalated to the appropriate team for immediate attention.
  
  We are actively reviewing the evidence you've provided and are in the process of conducting a thorough investigation into *************'s practices. Our goal is to ensure that all listings on our platform are genuine and accurately represented.
  
  Please understand that while we aim to resolve these matters as quickly as possible, a detailed investigation is necessary to ensure the appropriate course of action. We are working diligently to address this.
  
  We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this process."

   

  If you want to follow up on this or provide us with additional information, please reply to the email thread.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/19/2024

  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 still researching while many other people lost their money. They needed to cancel the most recent aucrion, in order ro avoid additional loses, until the lots offered for auction could be cleared and confirmed as original.
  ************* did not respond to my complaint. Only the online platform ( Live Auctioneers) did. My complain is originally with *************, that sells counterfeit items (I strongly believe there are many more items that are not real, they are counterfeit but they cover up by not doing due dilligence; however these are a little harder to prove). Then my complaint is also with Live Auctioneers , the online platform, that does not do enough to prevent such business on their platform. They are taking too much time to research something I already provided to them. I did alll the work, I spent lots of time and effort to show them exactly how many items were sold 3-4 times in the past 1-2 years. And they are still talking time to research. A quiick review of auction history, which they store the data on their platform, it would be evidence of the fraudulent business. Not sure why it takes so much time. ************* has other auctions coming up (tomorrow 1/20/2024) and by taking their time, they are not doing anything soon enough to prevent more people losing their money and being attracted to counterfeit items that are describes as originals.

   

   

   

   

   

   

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

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

  Business Response

  Date: 03/27/2024

  Hi ******,

  As we've said previously, we can only take action if you provide us with concrete proof that the lots are not authentic. Relisting the lots multiple times is not proof that there is an authenticity issue.  There can be many reasons why a lot is relisted other than the item being mass produced.  My colleague has also pointed out that what you have given us, so far, is subjective, while what we need is proof from a third-party expert.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/29/2024

  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 INSANE!

  i am not a third party. I am not doing the work for you. I am not an expert.

  I am simply a customer complaining of possible fraud. I gave you examples why I think its fraud. I explained. But you dont listen. You refuse to understand.

   

  this is a complaint from a customer. Its your responsibility to investigate in the first place and avoid such practice and such business conducted on your web site. 
  

  it ia way too evident what they are doing and your excuse/answer is stupid.

  I explained several times. The same lot sold multiple times during 2022, 2023 and 2024. You can see that ON YOUR PLATFORM by a simply search. Just like I did. So there is no reason to send you proof and its not subjective. Its the history of lots sold ON YOUR PLATFORM by this auction house. If you do your research and due dilligence you will realize more than ***** lots sold each 5-6 times during 2022-2024, every 2-3 months. A normal person whould simply question how is it possible that exactly the same, identical icon sells 6-7 times and the description says original 19th century. How many exactly identical icons are possible to exist from 19th century? All from ****** and strange enough they all ended at this auction house? 
  yes , there can be multiple items, but they cant be identical. And odds are very low they all ended in the same place. So many of these. And they all keep showing for sale every 3-4 months.

   

  to me this seems like a scam. Someone is mass producing copies , one afte another, and then keep putting them on the marlet every few months, so it doesnt raise suspicion.

   

  in fact, you should be do this work. If you see something doesnt make sense, you should be the one to do something about it. But you dont. You are too cheap of a company and too lazy to protect your customers. Which is ok, its your decision what type of business youd like to be.

  but by not protecting the customers, you are part of their fraud. And you are responsible for not doing anything to stop the fraud.

   

  hope you finally understand what the issue is. I sent way too many messages directly and through BBB , there is no excuse you dont understand whats going on. To me, your platforn is liable of fraud.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/02/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 12/08/2023 I mistakenly sent a wire transfer to *************** (DBA Live Auctioneers) The amount of the transfer was $9,500 USD. I had saved this seller in my phone and by mistake transferred money meant for a different recipient. I contacted my bank ***** of America) who provided me with a Federal Transfer number which is #********************** This is the **** of America's confirmation that the wire was sent by them and received by the other party. We believe that the bank the funds went to was Comerica **** in ******** **. The phone number of *************** listed online is disconnected and numerous attempts to email them requesting help have gone unanswered. I need help recovering my $9,500. I know I made an error but this is not a small amount of money and I need help recovering it.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/04/2024

  Hi ******,

  I'm sorry to hear that you mistakenly wired such a large amount of money to the wrong auction house. I would suggest that you go to the auction house's page on LiveAuctioneers (simply type the auction house's name in the search field) so you can see their contact information and to send them a message directly, if you wish.  You can also ask my colleague on the Bidder Support team for help getting their contact details.  Good luck! I hope you're able to get a hold of the auction house and get the funds returned to you soon.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Liveauctioneers are an online auction platform. They have vendors that hold auctions for all types of items. I bought some art from a company that goes by the name of First Art ******** All of the items turned out to be fake. They list real images in the sale and then ship counterfeit copies. I have presented Liveauctioneers and First Art with numerous unarguable examples to back up my claims. I will upload only some of these so as not to overwhelm you or confuse the situation but I can send literally 100s of images, screenshots, and chat logs. I am out a lot of money which I am seeking to recover somehow but that's not the most pressing concern right now. Liveauctioneers are allowing these scammers to run another auction TODAY.************************************************************************************************ know the sell counterfeit product and do not ship the items listed yet they let them carry on. One of the files I will upload will be the review section on Liveauctioneers for First Art ******** It speaks for itself.Please treat this as a matter of urgency to protect other unsuspecting customers. I will also upload another image (of the many I have) that proves their items are fake. Compare where the red overlaps the border on the left to an authentic piece here ********************************************************************************************** . This would never be the case on a high quality screenprint worth several thousand dollars.Please stop them hurting other people and help me recover the fraudulently obtained funds they have of mine.Thank you. And please feel to call or email me anytime.Best regards ******************* - ************

  Business Response

  Date: 12/26/2023

  Hi ****,

  I see that you've reached out to us several times regarding your complaint against the auction house and the lot you had won from them.  We have logged your complaint against the auction house which will bring this to the appropriate team's attention for review.  With regard to your complaint about the authenticity of the piece you won in their auction, I'm told that the chargeback you filed for the transaction has not closed yet.  The chargeback will determine if it will close to your favor or the auction house's.  In the meantime, we are unable to action on the complaint while the dispute is still open.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/11/2024

  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 just wanted to let you know that despite months of complaints from me and other reviewers saying the same and having evidence that First Art ******* was selling fake prints, Live Auctioneers allowed them to run another sale 12/19 with 3 more of the same "*************************" prints In bought as well as other duplicates. 
  
  FYI.. these are very limited edition prints and very rare. The chances of an auction house having exactly the same 3 prints they sold in their previous sale in their next sale are zero ! Couple this with the fact that I have been in touch with the director of the ************************* Foundation and he has confirmed the one piece I sent images of to be fake is damming.

  The fact that they allowed the same seller, despite plenty of complaints and warnings, to run another sale is appalling. As you can see from the attached images, the vendor used the same image in the listing for the December sale of the piece that they had already sold to me in October ! (and sent me a completely different piece with different handwriting, numbering, and signature). You can also see comparable areas in the piece listed and the piece sent (the piece sent having been confirmed fake by the foundation of the artist).

   

   

   

   

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

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

  Business Response

  Date: 01/31/2024

  Hi,

  The chargeback process is with your credit card company.  When you reopened the chargeback, the funds from the transaction are put on hold until your bank makes a decision.  The stage we are in at the moment is where they gather information from both parties.  If your bank told you to return the lot, then please reach out to the Bidder Support colleague handling your case to get the address for the return.  You can also send an email to *******************************.

  I would strongly suggest that you contact your credit card company if you have questions about the chargeback process.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/20/2024

  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:

  **** *** and the scammers that you allow openly conduct fraudulent business on your platform
  
  I lost all the money bc you were of no help whatsoever. but i will survive. you won't
  
  The only successful B2C companies put their Cs first. You do anything but. So your customer base will dwindle and dwindle until *** decides to cut their losses and file. You're probably in the red already lol.
  
  Thanks for reaching out though... months later. I wish you a ******* *** ********* *******
  
  From one of you once most loyal customers... 
  
  *** ** **** *** *******
  
  Regards,
  
  ******************* - ************
  
  **** *** ** 
  

   

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

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an item through proxibid. Salamanca auction house collected the money. I have a receipt that shows that it is paid with my shipping address on it. They never sent it and now they have it relisted being sold a second time. Zero communication, even though I have called them.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2023

  Hi *****,

  I'm sorry to hear that you haven't received the lot you won and paid for. I would love to be able to help you with this but from your post, it looks like you won the item from the Proxibid platform. I would suggest you reach out to the Proxibid customer service team for help reaching out to the auction house.

  If you have any questions or issues with an item you won on LiveAuctioneers, please feel free to contact us at *******************************.  Have a good day!

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Two interested buyers looking to do business with live auctioneers and theyre crooked sellers..Originally winning the auction bid for highly collectible, ************************* print from first art auction also known as First antique and art auction house using the LiveAuctioneers website After several months of back-and-forth, and even complete silence from the seller, which I have yet to hear since August at the time of this review My print arrived severely, damaged, considering it was not package properly from the very start one end to the tube was not intact, and was just covered with bubble wrap and tape The tube itself was super small, making it very easy for anyone to understand that such a super tight roll was going to indent the print through the process Immediately I, reached out to live auctioneers about this as well as my credit card company and the crooked seller I left several detailed messages to LiveAuctioneers from the entire process, including pictures of such damage to the print This was dated August 5 2023 only to receive a response August 9 telling me in the last sentence I will keep you posted since that message I have yet to receive any update I even sent one more message almost a week ago and again still no reply to either messages Anyone looking to do any purchasing business on LiveAuctioneers should be forewarned that you have no protection from LiveAuctioneers and you were pretty much left on your own as that is how I feel this entire process has been Seriously it is better to do business on **** It will be rather tough for either of these two companies to have a disputable argument to be greater than mines considering the amount of time I had to wait for the item and more importantly I have live video recording showing the item has it looked before it was opened, during the process of opening the package, and what it look like once I got it out of the tube Potential customers to LiveAuctioneers enter at your own risk

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2023

  Hi ******,

  We're sorry to hear about your poor experience with the sale and that you're disappointed in the level of customer service we have provided. ****************** is a technology provider.  This means we cannot process refunds or force returns as our policy states we are merely a 3rd party website that connects buyers and sellers online. We act as mediator to make sure bidders and auction houses communicate with one another when an issue arises from a sale.

  I looked into this case, and I saw that my colleague handling your complaint recently reached out to the auction house asking them to look into your case again.  She will get back to you with their response.  If you'd like an update or have questions, please email us at ******************************* or reply to the email we sent.

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/16/2023

  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 a complete copout on your part. Has any company who is doing business? Regardless of whatever position they have in the sale in which your company is getting a percentage of the sale is allowing for shady thieves to Pose as art dealers with the ability to hide under this protection. Its interesting to see that your company is the only one that doesnt provide such protection to buyers who are the real victims here. What it actually shows is that what is more important to your companies protecting the profits than the integrity. This makes your company, just as shady as those that you allowed to conduct business in a very illegitimate matter. Shame on you. I hope that many come to lead my review and can avoid your auction house all together so that they dont get screwed like I did!  Bad business 

   

   

   

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

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

  Business Response

  Date: 01/04/2024

  Hi ******,

  We're sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with the level of service we've provided and with our current processes/policies.  Our Bidder Support team has been reaching out to the auction house, but they are firm in declining to process a refund.  My colleague has urged them to initiate a damage claim instead.  Since you have filed a chargeback, our payments team will now be working with the auction house and your credit card company to investigate this case.  For updates, please reach out to your credit card company for the most up to date news on your complaint.

  Regards, 

  LiveAuctioneers

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company has (at least twice in the past two months) attempted to illegally sell pieces that belong to ME and are/were listed on ***** The first is **** item number ************, a Lalique black "Bacchantes" vase that I have listed for $5,900. Activity auction copied my **** photo (with a water bottle adjacent to the piece to show its size) and attempted to sell the piece at its October 21st, 2023 auction. The second is a Lalique "*******" vase/bowl that ***************** attempted to sell last week; the circumstances are identical: the company copied my **** photo (with a water bottle adjacent to the piece) and attempted to sell my piece at auction. This piece just sold in my bricks and mortar store.I have never authorized this company to attempt to sell my pieces and I hope that the ******** Attorney General will investigate it for fraud! *************************, **********, **

  Business Response

  Date: 12/04/2023

  Hi ***,

  I'm sorry to hear about your lots being listed without your permission by an auction house.  We take complaints like this seriously and make sure to investigate as soon it's brought to our attention. I looked for an email from you regarding this complaint, but I didn't see one.  Can you please send us an email at *******************************?  Including the links to the **** listing and the auction house's listing, as well as any relevant information, would be appreciated. 

  Regards,

  LiveAuctioneers