BCA Trustpilot

[Arthur thicken 13]

Before you risk buying a car from BCA go to:   www.trustpilot.com/review/www.british-car-auctions.com

Copy and paste it into your browser, If this was a review for a hotel, I would rather sleep in a bus shelter.

25 years of having an account, I have bought my last car from them, which has faults, again, inspector been out today and

confirmed our diagnosis, wonder how long this will take to unravel.  What a shit show they have turned into..

Edited October 27, 2021 by Arthur thicken

[BHM 994]

1 hour ago, Arthur thicken said:

inspector been out today and

confirmed our diagnosis, wonder how long this will take to unravel. 

If they’re anything like Manheim then from my formal rejection of the car (which was about 30 minutes after they delivered it) to receipt of my money it was about 7 weeks.  The cheeky chappies used every trick in the book to try & avoid their obligations. In the end it went via their delightful Surecheck system (for a second time) & an external inspector. The best thing was it was rejected under misrepresentation, not a warranty issue, but greedy Manheim still kept the Surecheck fee because they said they’d only accepted it back via Surecheck. 

I fully accept many cars are chopped-in for a reason & correcting these faults is all part of the game BUT the auction houses’ blatant refusal to accept liability for their (honest) mistakes & oversights are an absolute disgrace.

Edited October 27, 2021 by BHM

[G Dog 7]

Both as bad as one another !

If most of us stayed away it might send a message to them.

[FHP11 8]

Doesn't help that these days, all the big dealer groups are keeping their good PX's back to sell at their own Used Car centres, just sending the Crap to auction.

 

Even BCA are at it themselves, picking out all the good WBAC stuff.

[Glevum 6]

I am a platinum card holder for the last 15 years and used to buy approx 150 cars a year from BCA up until this year - I have only bought14 in total and none for the last 3 months - I don't intend buying any more scrap through them. Anything OK goes to Cinch and all us lot are fighting each bidding ridiculous amounts to try and buy stock,. All the Cinch rejects go straight back in the block. I  used to get cars described well but not this year - every one of them had major faults (DMF flywheels / turbos  / transfer boxes....) . You just cannot deal with them - they reject any claims. Buying without being able to see them in the flesh is far too dangerous when these unscrupulous people have such a ruthless attitude.

[metcars 397]

7 hours ago, Glevum said:

........Buying without being able to see them in the flesh is far too dangerous when these unscrupulous people have such a ruthless attitude.

Works nicely for them? Plus they clearly feel they’ve been doing us all a huge favour operating like this?

[David Horgan 564]

8 hours ago, Glevum said:

I am a platinum card holder for the last 15 years and used to buy approx 150 cars a year from BCA up until this year - I have only bought14 in total and none for the last 3 months - I don't intend buying any more scrap through them. Anything OK goes to Cinch and all us lot are fighting each bidding ridiculous amounts to try and buy stock,. All the Cinch rejects go straight back in the block. I  used to get cars described well but not this year - every one of them had major faults (DMF flywheels / turbos  / transfer boxes....) . You just cannot deal with them - they reject any claims. Buying without being able to see them in the flesh is far too dangerous when these unscrupulous people have such a ruthless attitude.

BCA are just the bottom of a deep pile nowdays , the other trade outlets are just as bad . main dealers are hard work too , trade to trade are the pits of rubbish , worst thing ever was when we buy started , 

BCA in the days before the virus was always limited to the feeling of the traders in the hall on any sale , even buying on line we saw the cars go through the hall , saw other traders looking and walking off , The auctioneers responded to the hall feel , now the best Auctioneers have left , the new boys know zilch . Its a different world , auctions were a dangerous place before this but imagine starting out again , Lord help any ( if any ) new starters . Must be a lot of wasted money right now with any new traders buying at auction , 

[BHM 994]

43 minutes ago, David Horgan said:

Lord help any ( if any ) new starters . Must be a lot of wasted money right now with any new traders buying at auction , 

How the f*** anyone fresh to the game could get started nowadays is beyond me.

1 hour ago, metcars said:

Works nicely for them? Plus they clearly feel they’ve been doing us all a huge favour operating like this?

They are absolutely having it off but as long as all the big players stick together I can’t see an improvement anytime soon. As for one of Manheim’s supposed open sales I visited one - no keys, not allowed in the cars & the drivers had been instructed to not open windows & talk to the filthy scum (formerly known as paying customers). These shysters hide behind COVID but it’s f.a. to do with COVID, it’s all about managing us. Of course, it can’t be proven & they’d swear blind otherwise but as an old farmer once told me ‘Never trust an auctioneer’.

[Bava46 0]

Don't forget the no card payment option. Only pay by bank transfer. 

[metcars 397]

14 hours ago, BHM said:

How the f*** anyone fresh to the game could get started nowadays is beyond me.

They are absolutely having it off but as long as all the big players stick together I can’t see an improvement anytime soon. As for one of Manheim’s supposed open sales I visited one - no keys, not allowed in the cars & the drivers had been instructed to not open windows & talk to the filthy scum (formerly known as paying customers). These shysters hide behind COVID but it’s f.a. to do with COVID, it’s all about managing us. Of course, it can’t be proven & they’d swear blind otherwise but as an old farmer once told me ‘Never trust an auctioneer’.

I’ve seen a few posts from guys that have platinum cards feeling they are not be shown any respect from the auctions. They feel that the auctions should be ‘grateful’ in some respect? It seems to me that the auctions would rather sell more cars to newbies/small timers and earn more from their higher buyer premiums. Auctions have exploited the lockdown and tapped in to the current trend for everyone to have a ‘side hustle’ flipping cars. It’s  easy to get trade insurance, it’s easy to open an auction account. There seems to be an endless stream of facebook chancers with a breakdown truck selling cars with their ambiguous trade with a small ‘t’ adverts? Even saw one yesterday with images taken in manheim Colchester car park!

[slademotors 3]

I brought a Micra 2007 plate full 12 months MoT no advisory. Got it serviced -- The mechanic tells me its soo crusty underneath like its been sat in water. I know they are only essential check the guys do but surely the guys should check for this stuff. 

I new to trading and only brought from BCA - but looking to go broaden the scope and go Manhiem/Aston Barclay 

[BHM 994]

You must be very new to trading - the average 8-10 yr old car starts to look horrible underneath so as for a 14yr old Micra I’d honestly be more surprised if it wasn’t fucked.

To put it simply, at 14yr old it’s beyond it’s life expectancy. If you’re buying cars like that you MUST see them yourself. The place to buy 14yr old snotters is NOT from auctions - tbh their fees are more than the average old banger is worth. 

Also, I’m afraid expecting the auction house reports to put them on a ramp & give you a full, honest & in-depth appraisal is optimistic to say the least.

Edited December 6, 2021 by BHM

[slademotors 3]

46 minutes ago, BHM said:

You must be very new to trading - the average 8-10 yr old car starts to look horrible underneath so as for a 14yr old Micra I’d honestly be more surprised if it wasn’t fucked.

To put it simply, at 14yr old it’s beyond it’s life expectancy. If you’re buying cars like that you MUST see them yourself. The place to buy 14yr old snotters is NOT from auctions - tbh their fees are more than the average old banger is worth. 

Also, I’m afraid expecting the auction house reports to put them on a ramp & give you a full, honest & in-depth appraisal is optimistic to say the least.

Yes i am new.. But youd expect the rust to be highlighted on the MOT history however it wasnt mentioned anywhere in the recent or in the previous ones. I find buying privately hard work takes up more time at least with BCA or auction houses the cars are there.. i had BMW 3 series coupe which was totally fine.. i am operating at the sub 3K market  so its pretty low end stuff.. 

[BHM 994]

15 hours ago, slademotors said:

I find buying privately hard work takes up more time

Some lads can make it pay (I think those buying lumpier stock where private buyers don’t like buying privately) but I sacked it off many many moons ago. Like yourself, at the lower end I usually found it a waste of time looking at severely misdescribed shite.

The last time I actively went buying from privates was in pre-Facebook times. I’d hate to think what it’s now like buying from one of the many ‘privates’ on FB wanting to meet in Asda’s car park 

15 hours ago, slademotors said:

But youd expect the rust to be highlighted on the MOT history however it wasnt mentioned anywhere in the recent or in the previous ones.

A couple of tins of Hammerite Schutz & 10 minutes of your garage’s time with their spray gun is your friend here. As we’ve all found out there are MOTs & there are MOTS. Sometimes I wonder what the hell the last tester was advising on, yet others pass cars that are blatantly unroadworthy.

Edited December 7, 2021 by BHM

[Jack Regan 116]

20 hours ago, slademotors said:

Yes i am new.. But youd expect the rust to be highlighted on the MOT history however it wasnt mentioned anywhere in the recent or in the previous ones. I find buying privately hard work takes up more time at least with BCA or auction houses the cars are there.. i had BMW 3 series coupe which was totally fine.. i am operating at the sub 3K market  so its pretty low end stuff.. 

Find another mot tester 

[slademotors 3]

10 minutes ago, Jack Regan said:

Find another mot tester 

It was already MOT before i brought it from BCA.. My MOT tester very strict if it was MOT myself. 

[BHM 994]

Long term you’re better off with a harder tester & because you’ve already identified the car’s latest test is somewhat suspect I’d be getting it tested properly (after a coat of Schutz). 

Shite testers passing shite cars is a recipe for comebacks & possible disasters. Personally I’d rather draw a blank on a car with a proper MOT than make a few quid selling a death trap that ends up snuffing someone out - however plenty of banger sellers will disagree!

 

[It's me 615]

I changed mot stations when tester started listing slight corrosion to all underside because its a killed sale

Strangely my mot tester now will only write this on a test if I bought him something like a micra from the northeast or a hyundai or say a kia because once they reach 6 years old from a life in Sunderland they are indeed really nasty underneath

[BHM 994]

2 hours ago, It's me said:

I changed mot stations when tester started listing slight corrosion to all underside because its a killed sale

Agreed, it kills a car stone dead. I know which cars will look brown underneath so 2 or 3 tins of Schutz before I visit the tester does the trick. I also check the MOT histories of every car I’m interested in bidding on & if I see “corrosion” I immediately forget the car - once it’s on an MOT it’s a brave tester who then won’t pass comment on a subsequent MOT.