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Del Boy

Dodgy auction tactics

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I’m gonna keep this as short as I can, let the newbies know the sort of fun and games these big auction houses get up to...

I won a car from BCA about 6 weeks ago paid clean £3800 with a clear assured report. 

Went to collect it and the dash was lit up light a Christmas tree. After a week or so of BCA messing me about they agreed to a refund but had ‘lost’ the spare key and paperwork. They would not refund me until the docs were found. 

Eventually after 5 wasted phone calls I had to threaten them with court (via recorded letter) and eventually got my money back, albeit less the assured fee that they got wrong in the first place. 

Anyway, that was just the beginning. 

Since being refunded I have kept an eye on the car and the new assured report is showing all lights are on and also the listing correctly states no spare key/paperwork etc, fair enough. 

However it’s since gone through the hall FIVE TIMES. Each time the bid starts at about 2k and the auctioneer is pretending people in the hall are bidding however they are not. He is even saying things like ‘SOLD to the guy in the shorts!’ I’m looking around and no one is even looking at the car, let alone wearing shorts!  

Every time it’s ‘sold’ it appears in the list again the next day.  

I know this isn’t exactly breaking news for most of us, I just feel the newbies need to know they might be bidding against BCA not another trader. 

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Oh how I miss sma Leeds now it's bca don't bother going as it's just a race for the auctioneers to see who can finish fist and not how many cars are sold

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To add another one, I was bidding on a car at an auction but was outbid ! Ok, but as I was leaving through the car park one of the auctioneers came running after me, that car you was bidding on the winning bid was a banned bidder so do you want it at the under bid, I DON'T THINK SO.

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11 minutes ago, Row said:

To add another one, I was bidding on a car at an auction but was outbid ! Ok, but as I was leaving through the car park one of the auctioneers came running after me, that car you was bidding on the winning bid was a banned bidder so do you want it at the under bid, I DON'T THINK SO.

Why not? You'd of got the car you wanted at the price you wanted with the  chance to mark the auctioneer's card. That's a win win in my book.

 

 

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Just now, sparky said:

Why not? You'd of got the car you wanted at the price you wanted with the  chance to mark the auctioneer's card. That's a win win in my book.

 

 

Because there's a good chance you'll get it cheaper in the next sale

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3 minutes ago, sparky said:

Why not? You'd of got the car you wanted at the price you wanted with the  chance to mark the auctioneer's card. That's a win win in my book.

 

 

I wouldn't be marking his card, I would be marking mine that I was an easy touch.

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18 minutes ago, Row said:

To add another one, I was bidding on a car at an auction but was outbid ! Ok, but as I was leaving through the car park one of the auctioneers came running after me, that car you was bidding on the winning bid was a banned bidder so do you want it at the under bid, I DON'T THINK SO.

Had this b4 and you did right, next time that auctioneer will know not to mess you around 

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3 minutes ago, Row said:

I wouldn't be marking his card, I would be marking mine that I was an easy touch.

Fair enough. Personally that's never been my approach. Each to their own though.

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4 minutes ago, sparky said:

Fair enough. Personally that's never been my approach. Each to their own though.

If you get in with the auctioneers the gates open... They'll look after you, when they can.. Their hands are tide with unrealistic £'s GTB's (got to be's) and they know its fake. Just play the game, get the auctioneers on your side and reap the benefits, they will look after you. 

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2 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

If you get in with the auctioneers the gates open... They'll look after you, when they can.. Their hands are tide with unrealistic £'s GTB's (got to be's) and they know its fake. Just play the game, get the auctioneers on your side and reap the benefits, they will look after you. 

Agree entirely. 

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3 minutes ago, sparky said:

Agree entirely. 

Sparky, there are successful newbies buying online who haven't even visited an auction room, cars are a commodity. Buying remotely is the future.... 

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26 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

Sparky, there are successful newbies buying online who haven't even visited an auction room, cars are a commodity. Buying remotely is the future.... 

Really? Who'd of thought? ;)

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Nothing new, I’ve seen auctioneers running the bids up while looking at their watch, and as you say cars having the hammer down as sold only to appear again at the next sale or even shipped to another bca site.

Best ones when they run the bids up then drop back down because they can’t get a catch. They know we all know what they’re up to.

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I've stood in an empty hall... Just me, the auctioneer and the car, listening to the bids running up without online bids!!! I've always understood its legal upto the reserve, I maybe wrong. Whereas on the goodies side, spinning anyone, legal or not 

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54 minutes ago, Arfur Dealy said:

If you get in with the auctioneers the gates open... They'll look after you, when they can.. Their hands are tide with unrealistic £'s GTB's (got to be's) and they know its fake. Just play the game, get the auctioneers on your side and reap the benefits, they will look after you. 

Exactly what I was going to write Arfur. 

The auctioneers are only doing their job, help them .... they will help you. 

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Its just part of the game. I've been going to auctions for 30 years. If you can't play the game, don't get involved. 

If it was a level playing field for everyone there would be no advantage for the more experienced and switched on.

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These days auctioneers/ managers are generally nice straight people.It used to be the auctioneers you had to keep in with ( know what I mean Harry ) but they now often have vendors reps watching over them,so few quick knocks,their hands are tied.They also must get above Cap Clean for a lot of fleet stuff because that is what they guarantee to a lot of the vendors.Nowadays,I think you may be better off keeping in with the provisional office guys.

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I used to put a LOT of cars through the auction, all sensible reserves, many no reserve [ under a certain price house rules are no reserve] always balanced out at the end of the week or the auction would see me right, one particular example, never forget it, third week through the hall, i had already reduced the reserve to create auctioneer interest [ it shows on entry form], it once again failed to meet my reserve, after getting promising bids  and auctioneer looked at me when it was driving out, i announced to the auctioneer, "sell the dam thing " and he said, over the microphone !" i would sell the bloody thing if i had a bid " i felt one foot tall :lol:

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I quite like the Bca auctioneers in Scotland, I feel sometimes if I’m the the hall and bidding against online they will sometimes just bang the hammer down quicker than they should and say sorry too slow online. 

They seem to treat the people actual their fairer than online bidders.

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Do you recon the vendors have a rep on the rostrum with the auctioneer to keep them on there toes.

 

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Ever since auctions started, auctioneers have started the bidding and run bids to reserve whether  a car auction or something else. Its how the world turns and is covered in the terms as 'bidding on behalf of the vendor' and is only done up to reserve.

If only genuine bids could be taken think how long it would take and how much time would be wasted with offers miles off what anyone would take on hundreds of cars.

We might nick the odd one but it would be unworkable day after day. 

Everyone knows the rules and looks to make it work for them, both sides of the rostrum. 

 

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I know what i want to pay i wont (usually) go over my limit and i dont care who the other bidders are wall or real....................... when i stop biding he can take the number of the wall and see how far that gets him !!!!!

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2 hours ago, Blenheim Car Sales said:

I know what i want to pay i wont (usually) go over my limit and i dont care who the other bidders are wall or real....................... when i stop biding he can take the number of the wall and see how far that gets him !!!!!

sometimes you just have to trot other bidders up whether its in real life or online,my reasoning is is it will stop them buying the next one because they are stuffed with this one

 

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