East Bristol Auctions

[welshwookie]

Went to collect my lots today, what a waste of time.
I will not be purchasing anything from them again.
Extremely economical with descriptions ,and pictures are cleverly taken to obscure flaws.
Even when asked if there was any marks to a bubble they stated it was clear when it wasn't.
And another item purchased had a split bubble .
Just recieved an email reply telling me that basically a mark doesn't have to mean a dent and some ******** about light glare.
I've a feeling if the items were posted out a courier would be having the blame.

 

[theforceuk]

Not good at all, have you lodged a complaint?

 

[welshwookie]

Not good at all, have you lodged a complaint?

Yes. A guy Andy is making out that I'm an idiot.
And that a question " are there any marks to the bubble (in a specific area ) or is it light glare" , doesn't seem to mean or include dents.

Below is a reply about the cracked bubble

" I personally inspected and catalogued all of the star wars figures from that collection - and listed them as fairly as I possibly could. If I missed a crack in a bubble, then I am sorry - BUT - the onus is legally always still with the buyer to satisfy themselves for that reason. That's why everything is photographed so well. "

Regards

Andy

 

[maxf]

" I BUT - the onus is legally always still with the buyer to satisfy themselves for that reason. That's why everything is photographed so well. "

Legally they may be right, but thats the problem with relying on dated laws - these auction houses expect the benefit of massive international audiences afforded through being online, then try to hide behind dated laws; shoddy behaviour which needs publicly outing IMO.

 

[welshwookie]

" I BUT - the onus is legally always still with the buyer to satisfy themselves for that reason. That's why everything is photographed so well. "

Legally they may be right, but thats the problem with relying on dated laws - these auction houses expect the benefit of massive international audiences afforded through being online, then try to hide behind dated laws; shoddy behaviour which needs publicly outing IMO.

They have had a few bad reviews on google,for similar problems, but the photographs are done in a way to hide certain flaws.
And distance of sale is not covered as the items are second hand, not new. But personally if you miss a crack in a bubble you should not be giving them a condition report.

I appreciate Vectis are not perfect,( no auction house can please everyone all the time) but of late if you ask about a figure they are prepared to add extra pictures. Which does help.

 

[TK-7785]

Sorry to hear you've had to bear the brunt of East Bristol's economical use of the truth (at best). I suffered from their descriptions being incredibly misleading when I bought a loose lot a few years ago that stated "orignal vintage Star Wars figures and accessories". Any reasonable person could expect that to mean both the figures and accessories were original. In fact grammatically speaking that is exactly what it means, otherwise it should be 'original figures with accessories', if you want to try and worm your way out of it. Needless to say they screwed me and I've never bid with them again. Unfortunately there are many people like us who have been flat out mislead and/or lied to by these charlatans. In your case, where you have asked specifically before the auction, I think their behaviour and response is despicable! How did you pay? Perhaps you have some recourse with your CC company?

 

[welshwookie]

I paid with my debit card when I was there. Obviously before seeing the goods.
They don't take credit cards ( over £200 )
so its debit, bank transfer or cash on collection.
If you read all the small print for every auctioneer's its all geared for them.
What is the most annoying is that although he is trying to twist my question about marks on a bubble, a crack in a bubble should be disclosed.
I feel trading standards should be visiting regularly and checking for inconsistency.
There's better buyer protection on Ebay. :shock:

 

[Mini99]

There's better buyer protection on Ebay. :shock:

Unfortunately you are correct, there is.
I hope that you get this resolved to your satisfaction, but I'm afraid to say that I suspect it will be a long hard slog.

 

[welshwookie]

There's better buyer protection on Ebay. :shock:

Unfortunately you are correct, there is.
I hope that you get this resolved to your satisfaction, but I'm afraid to say that I suspect it will be a long hard slog.

I can't see it going anywhere.
Rang to speak to someone at 9am and am still waiting.
Most frustrating thing is he admits he could have missed the crack. Sorry, but tough.
I could really do without wasted travelling and time away from home at the moment incase I'm needed with my mother.

 

[Mini99]

I don't know how much the item was, but sometimes you have to accept the inevitable and put it behind you and then concentrate on what's really important.
I understand that these things can get under your skin, but I suspect that you are correct and there will be no resolution.
The best thing to do is learn from this and move forward with the important things in your life at present.
I hope that the above does not come over as a lecture. :wink: my thoughts are with you and yours.

 

[welshwookie]

Ha, not at all mate, as the wife said its only money, and I will learn from it... think she's after something myself :lol:
Hopefully others will read this and be a bit cautious with East Bristol, especially as I'm not the only one who has had issues with them.

 

[theforceuk]

They sound like a right shoddy company. Anyway I thought what ever you buy you have the right to return within a certain amount of time if the item is not as desrcibed, no matter who you purchased it from. If your not happy with it I would take it further.

 

[Mini99]

They sound like a right shoddy company. Anyway I thought what ever you buy you have the right to return within a certain amount of time if the item is not as desrcibed, no matter who you purchased it from. If your not happy with it I would take it further.

I'm not certain that that applies to auction houses, I believe it's more a case of buyer beware. :?

 

[Mini99]

They sound like a right shoddy company. Anyway I thought what ever you buy you have the right to return within a certain amount of time if the item is not as desrcibed, no matter who you purchased it from. If your not happy with it I would take it further.

I'm not certain that that applies to auction houses, I believe it's more a case of buyer beware. :?

 

[welshwookie]

I read so much this afternoon...
It's a lot to do with items are not new, like buying from currys or Amazon, and the rights are different.
I was going to go to the bank to see if I could get a charge back, as the 1 item was left in Bristol. But that opens an option of a court case against me , it's all set up to be one sided to them.
http://eastbristol.co.uk/buying-at-auction/
Look at section 8 and 13.
Vectis has similar conditions, and other auction houses. As stated earlier they rely on internet bids these days to a far larger audience, the conditions should cover the non attending bidder more. Especially if a picture or description is deliberately misleading.
So looks like I will be making another drive soon to collect what I've paid for. At least if need I can sell it on, but the cracked bubble is probably a different story.

 

[theforceuk]

Right stitch up it is!

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

I've reported East Bristol to Trading Standards in April 2018. TS actually gave me a call back and said they were going to be discussing with them "just how many offences they'd committed" :lol: . They were selling Real Ghost Busters proof cards as having been obtained directly from an ex-Kenner employee. That was a total fabrication as they came from a forum member here! And even he hadn't got them from an ex-Kenner guy. It was a guy by the name of Andy Stowe who bought them and then sold them through EBA. He's actually an employee (undeclared on the listings and no requirement to do so) at EBA and sells stuff through them. They also sold a load of really nice vintage Lego sets years ago. All declared as "complete". I bought half a dozen. Not one was remotely complete.

They're not the only bad auctioneers. Just one of many. Aston's also have a highly dubious track record. I've had a condition report from them before which failed address a lifted (opened) bubble. After some tooing and froing I did get some money back, fair play to them. They've also been called out on selling undeclared repro weapons and even undeclared Toy Tonis despite featuring on Rip Off Britain giving words of advice on how to spot them :lol:

Sadly, even a "condition report" isn't enough to protect a buyer. Their T&Cs state that even those are only "opinionsl and not facts and the onus is entirely on the buyer in all cases. Aston's even state that "under no circumstances" will a refund by given.

It's one area where consumer protection has nose dived following the move to the interweb.

 

[welshwookie]

I've reported East Bristol to Trading Standards in April 2018. TS actually gave me a call back and said they were going to be discussing with them "just how many offences they'd committed" :lol: . They were selling Real Ghost Busters proof cards as having been obtained directly from an ex-Kenner employee. That was a total fabrication as they came from a forum member here! And even he hadn't got them from an ex-Kenner guy. It was a guy by the name of Andy Stowe who bought them and then sold them through EBA. He's actually an employee (undeclared on the listings and no requirement to do so) at EBA and sells stuff through them. They also sold a load of really nice vintage Lego sets years ago. All declared as "complete". I bought half a dozen. Not one was remotely complete.

They're not the only bad auctioneers. Just one of many. Aston's also have a highly dubious track record. I've had a condition report from them before which failed address a lifted (opened) bubble. After some tooing and froing I did get some money back, fair play to them. They've also been called out on selling undeclared repro weapons and even undeclared Toy Tonis despite featuring on Rip Off Britain giving words of advice on how to spot them :lol:

Sadly, even a "condition report" isn't enough to protect a buyer. Their T&Cs state that even those are only "opinionsl and not facts and the onus is entirely on the buyer in all cases. Aston's even state that "under no circumstances" will a refund by given.

It's one area where consumer protection has nose dived following the move to the interweb.

Thanks for that bit of information , a guy called Andy on emails( or possibly Andrew in house) is responsible for the toys. Did you report to Bristol Trading standards ? as our trading standards are a nightmare to get hold of.

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

It did end up with Bristol TS who called me. The way it works now is you have to report the matter through Citizen's Advice Bureau and they pass it on to the local TS if it's appropriate to do so. Yes, Andy and Andrew are one and the same person. I have his surname but as this is more of a "watch out" thread than a witch hunt and for the sake of Edd's blood pressure let's stick with "Andy" :lol:

 

[welshwookie]

It did end up with Bristol TS who called me. The way it works now is you have to report the matter through Citizen's Advice Bureau and they pass it on to the local TS if it's appropriate to do so. Yes, Andy and Andrew are one and the same person. I have his surname but as this is more of a "watch out" thread than a witch hunt and for the sake of Edd's blood pressure let's stick with "Andy" :lol:

I`ll probably send an email to Bristols trading standards on the weekend. last time I had to go through Citizens it was so time consuming.
but thanks again for info, no witch hunt intended, but possible bidders should be aware of this.

 

[UKS]

The stuff I got wasn't complete (obviously so) but was "seems complete".

That's how auctions work though. It's why one needs to go see it in person. And not rely on any point of view of anyone else.

Caveat Emptor.

UKS

 

[TK-7785]

As Simon says, East Bristol aren't the only shysters in the game but they're certainly in the running for top slot. Unfortunately with auction houses we don't have the kind of buyer protection that you do with ebay or Paypal. I see a lot of people who get caught like this when they're new to using auction houses. Even when dealing with those houses that have a much better reputation I still err on the side of caution with condition, completeness etc and bid accordingly. It means I don't win as many lots as I used to but I also haven't been hoodwinked in while either.

Stick the bastards on your black list and spread the word. I hope TS have enough complaints with which to take some action against them some day, but in the meantime we can only really vote with out wallets.

 

[welshwookie]

The stuff I got wasn't complete (obviously so) but was "seems complete".

That's how auctions work though. It's why one needs to go see it in person. And not rely on any point of view of anyone else.

Caveat Emptor.

UKS

I never rely completely, however when a question about condition has been asked, you would expect a truthful answer back.
And that should carry a bit of weight if there is an issue.
However if you read the auction houses conditions once you bid that is it.
An exapmle could be attending the auction in person, viewing the item, and the porters or whatever they are called dropping it and damaging it out of your view.

 

[welshwookie]

Just rang again, as had no reply from yesterday, and spoke to a nicer man who deals with records.
Certainly more approachable, and can see my point of view, and agrees with me, although sadly not his department.

 

[Rich200]

Having a bad experience with this auction house myself. Purchased two mocs in their last auction which were damaged in the post.

In both cases the figure has bashed against the bubble causing it to crack. First moc the figure head has cracked the top of the bubble and the second moc the bubble is severely cracked at the btm. and to the face of the bubble. They made a reasonable attempt to package them and did use a star case, however no protection was provided around the bubble. This has all been accepted by them and they are putting it down to a "freak accident". Whilst i appreciate this can happen i am very disappointed that there packaging was not better.

After some back and forth they have offered a partial refund, unfortunately it's not at a level i would accept. They have also refused a full refund.

Not really sure where i go from here. I could fight it legally and try to recover payment but expect this will just get me more frustrated and result in a similar inadequate partial refund and no refund option. Has anyone else had a similar experience with an auction house for items damaged in transit ? Should i just accept it and move on or is it worth a fight ?

 

[TK-7785]

Having a bad experience with this auction house myself. Purchased two mocs in their last auction which were damaged in the post.

In both cases the figure has bashed against the bubble causing it to crack. First moc the figure head has cracked the top of the bubble and the second moc the bubble is severely cracked at the btm. and to the face of the bubble. They made a reasonable attempt to package them and did use a star case, however no protection was provided around the bubble. This has all been accepted by them and they are putting it down to a "freak accident". Whilst i appreciate this can happen i am very disappointed that there packaging was not better.

After some back and forth they have offered a partial refund, unfortunately it's not at a level i would accept. They have also refused a full refund.

Not really sure where i go from here. I could fight it legally and try to recover payment but expect this will just get me more frustrated and result in a similar inadequate partial refund and no refund option. Has anyone else had a similar experience with an auction house for items damaged in transit ? Should i just accept it and move on or is it worth a fight ?

This is a bit of a bitter pill to swallow but the reality is, even with those auction houses who regularly deal with vintage toys and Star Wars in particular, don't really understand how to package a MOC to properly protect them against cracking and lifting bubbles. Most collectors still fail to take their packaging far enough. Star Cases are fine to a point and offer some protection against outward crushing but do little to nothing on their own to prevent bubble damage from within due to hard knocks.

My advice, if you haven't already done so is to make a claim through the postal service or courier it was sent through. It hasn't arrived in the condition in which it was purchased it should be covered. That is assuming East Bristol Auctions sent it with appropriate cover against loss or damage?

 

[Mini99]

Did you pay via your credit card?
If so is it worth giving them a phone and explaining the situation?

 

[welshwookie]

Did you pay via your credit card?
If so is it worth giving them a phone and explaining the situation?

Sorry I didn't realise others had posted on this.

I don't think I would have had a charge back with the bank due to the auction house sale conditions.
And if I remember rightly ,they don't take CC only debit, due to fees.
If auction houses want to sell over the internet, the regulations should be changed to include distance of sales, like on Ebay.
But as advised by salesroom- always ask for more clearer pictures.
Although if it goes wrong don't expect too much help as they are not interested . They get too much commission.
Bristol did eventually offer to re auction the items with no charge, via Evan McPherson who is one of the directors, but I certainly would have been out of pocket on the one which has a bloody big crack to the bubble, and to be honest I don't ever want to deal with them ever again.
And I don't think I'm the only one, from some of the comments on here.
Paul

But Rich200 I would certainly try and claim off postal insurance, as I have a bad feeling that my crack :lol: would have been blamed on the post.
If items are not covered for the cost that is Bristol's problem .As they should have told you that cheap postage would be under insured.
And if you bought via salesroom complain to them, just incase anything is logged.

 

[lejackal]

Having a bad experience with this auction house myself. Purchased two mocs in their last auction which were damaged in the post.

In both cases the figure has bashed against the bubble causing it to crack. First moc the figure head has cracked the top of the bubble and the second moc the bubble is severely cracked at the btm. and to the face of the bubble. They made a reasonable attempt to package them and did use a star case, however no protection was provided around the bubble. This has all been accepted by them and they are putting it down to a "freak accident". Whilst i appreciate this can happen i am very disappointed that there packaging was not better.

After some back and forth they have offered a partial refund, unfortunately it's not at a level i would accept. They have also refused a full refund.

Not really sure where i go from here. I could fight it legally and try to recover payment but expect this will just get me more frustrated and result in a similar inadequate partial refund and no refund option. Has anyone else had a similar experience with an auction house for items damaged in transit ? Should i just accept it and move on or is it worth a fight ?

Do a charge back if you paid by credit card, failing that take them to the small claims court. The costs are minimal and if they have already admitted liability to you then you will win hands down imo

Plus you can do it online

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

 

[welshwookie]

Rich200, have they not mentioned claiming on the couriers insurance, or given a reason why they / you can't?
As logically, if they reimburse you, via a courier claim everything should work out fine. And it shouldn't cost them anything. But for a refund off themselves, they would now have the damaged item ( returned ? ) on their hands.
The seller wants his money, as item sold, (but they probably haven't settled with him yet), so will have to claim off their own company's insurance for damages incurred in their possession .
Seller is not going to accept damaged property back.... and this is the reluctance on the auction house, and perhaps items were not insured for the full value to start with.
Does anyone actually know who has previously sold via auction houses ,who is responsible if they get damaged in house ?
Or does the seller sign a disclaimer ?

Paul