Steadfast Auctions

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below I will pursue this with the licensing board in Virginia Regards, [redacted]

On May 20, we contracted with *** * *** *** to conduct an auction at their then current residence in Crozet, Virginia on June 20, at noonWe did indeed provide an inventory for the initial auction, which took place as scheduledUnfortunately, despite advertising the sale
on ***, in the closest major newspaper, "The *** ***" and significant promotion on social media, attendance at the sale was weak. Mr*** was present on the day of saleI spoke to him, detailing the fact that we had very low attendance and we discussed his optionsThree options were available, 1) We could have packed up and left, leaving all the contents of the sale in place2) I offered to purchase the remaining goods, assuming we could negotiate a price3) We could pack up and transport the goods to our warehouse and attempt to resell the remaining merchandise online.Mr*** chose option I took a helper with me, drove an hour back to our warehouse to pickup equipment to move the merchandiseThe move took full round tripsI billed the *** for my helper's labor (I was free as discussed) and mileage at our standard ratesI did bill for setup help, during days of tagging the saleI discounted that labor because of the poor results (at no time was my own time billed).In the complaint to the Revdex.com, Mrs*** asked why merchandise was not returnedOn the original contract, signed by *** ***, in the presence of Mrs***, it was requested that any merchandise not sold, will be "Donated to a local Charity or Disposed of at Steadfast Auction's discretion." If the ***'s wanted to keep the items to sell online, as Mrs*** stated, Mr *** had the perfect opportunity to make that selection when the initial auction did poorly and we discussed his optionsIt was my understanding that the *** were moving and needed to be out of the house ASAP.At no time did I make any prediction of sale pricesAs a matter of fact, I clearly stated multiple times that I cannot guarantee pricesAt no time did I state any value to the remaining itemsI did not do that when we signed the contract, and certainly not after we had such little interest in the items offered for sale at the residence. There was an overstuffed chair and sofa that contained an extremely large amount of cat hair and damageThe top of the sofa was shredded on one side from cat clawsWe were unaware of this until the sofa and chair were loadedThese items were disposed of, as the VA Department of Health will not allow sales of damaged upholstered furniture in the State of Virginia. To touch on a couple other items in the original complaint, the dining set that Mrs*** stated was in excellent shape, was full of scratches on its finished metal surfaceThe chairs had stains, and had been recovered at some point with a low quality fabricThe Oreck Vac was included in the original sale as wellThere were vacs in the home, one was retained by the ***s, one was offered for sale.The "*** ** ***" crib sold so cheaply, in part due to conditionIt needed new casters, was dirty and the bottom drawer was, quite literally, falling apart.The *** system was sold as found in the house, with turntable and allAgain, the victim of the cat, the speaker covers were non existent due to being shredded by the catOut dated electronics can be a difficult sale. As far as the remaining items, it becomes a bit difficult to compare the original list with the second auctionItems were completely relisted, some were combined, etcThe lots were not created equally.I can understand the fact that the *** are frustrated over the results of the saleAs a professional auctioneer, I do my best to advertise the sales, promote the sales and conduct each sale in compliance with the laws of Virginia and regulations imposed by the state board as well as complying with a strict standards of ethicsThe cold fact is that, while I do my best to promote the sales, it is up to the buyer as to how much they want to pay for each individual itemOften times, sellers are shocked at the disparity between the original purchase price of individual items, such as furniture, and the used value of that same piece.I decline the request of the seller to obtain personal contact information for the buyersThe buyers, first and foremost, have a right to privacy and to not have their contact information shared.I am sorry the *** are not happy with the resultI did what I could to make both sales work for themI was completely upfront and honest with themThey knew I was new in the auction businessI told them I would advertise the sale, as I didWhen it did not work, I did what I could to minimize the effect by spending the remainder of a holiday weekend moving their belongings to my warehouse.I hope the remainder of their move went well and they are enjoying their new home in Las Vegas.Sincerely,*** ***Steadfast Auctions

On May 20, we contracted with *** * *** *** to conduct an auction at their then current residence in Crozet, Virginia on June 20, at noonWe did indeed provide an inventory for the initial auction, which took
place as scheduledUnfortunately, despite advertising the sale on ***, in the closest major newspaper, "The *** ***" and significant promotion on social media, attendance at the sale was weak.
Mr*** was present on the day of saleI spoke to him, detailing the fact that we had very low attendance and we discussed his optionsThree options were available, 1) We could have packed up and left, leaving all the contents of the sale in place2) I offered to purchase the remaining goods, assuming we could negotiate a price3) We could pack up and transport the goods to our warehouse and attempt to resell the remaining merchandise onlineMr*** chose option I took a helper with me, drove an hour back to our warehouse to pickup equipment to move the merchandiseThe move took full round tripsI billed the *** for my helper's labor (I was free as discussed) and mileage at our standard ratesI did bill for setup help, during days of tagging the saleI discounted that labor because of the poor results (at no time was my own time billed)In the complaint to the Revdex.com, Mrs*** asked why merchandise was not returnedOn the original contract, signed by *** ***, in the presence of Mrs***, it was requested that any merchandise not sold, will be "Donated to a local Charity or Disposed of at Steadfast Auction's discretion." If the ***'s wanted to keep the items to sell online, as Mrs*** stated, Mr *** had the perfect opportunity to make that selection when the initial auction did poorly and we discussed his optionsIt was my understanding that the *** were moving and needed to be out of the house ASAPAt no time did I make any prediction of sale pricesAs a matter of fact, I clearly stated multiple times that I cannot guarantee pricesAt no time did I state any value to the remaining itemsI did not do that when we signed the contract, and certainly not after we had such little interest in the items offered for sale at the residence.
There was an overstuffed chair and sofa that contained an extremely large amount of cat hair and damageThe top of the sofa was shredded on one side from cat clawsWe were unaware of this until the sofa and chair were loadedThese items were disposed of, as the VA Department of Health will not allow sales of damaged upholstered furniture in the State of Virginia.
To touch on a couple other items in the original complaint, the dining set that Mrs*** stated was in excellent shape, was full of scratches on its finished metal surfaceThe chairs had stains, and had been recovered at some point with a low quality fabricThe Oreck Vac was included in the original sale as wellThere were vacs in the home, one was retained by the ***s, one was offered for saleThe "*** ** ***" crib sold so cheaply, in part due to conditionIt needed new casters, was dirty and the bottom drawer was, quite literally, falling apartThe *** system was sold as found in the house, with turntable and allAgain, the victim of the cat, the speaker covers were non existent due to being shredded by the catOut dated electronics can be a difficult sale.
As far as the remaining items, it becomes a bit difficult to compare the original list with the second auctionItems were completely relisted, some were combined, etcThe lots were not created equallyI can understand the fact that the *** are frustrated over the results of the saleAs a professional auctioneer, I do my best to advertise the sales, promote the sales and conduct each sale in compliance with the laws of Virginia and regulations imposed by the state board as well as complying with a strict standards of ethicsThe cold fact is that, while I do my best to promote the sales, it is up to the buyer as to how much they want to pay for each individual itemOften times, sellers are shocked at the disparity between the original purchase price of individual items, such as furniture, and the used value of that same pieceI decline the request of the seller to obtain personal contact information for the buyersThe buyers, first and foremost, have a right to privacy and to not have their contact information sharedI am sorry the *** are not happy with the resultI did what I could to make both sales work for themI was completely upfront and honest with themThey knew I was new in the auction businessI told them I would advertise the sale, as I didWhen it did not work, I did what I could to minimize the effect by spending the remainder of a holiday weekend moving their belongings to my warehouseI hope the remainder of their move went well and they are enjoying their new home in Las VegasSincerely,
*** ***
Steadfast Auctions

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint There was no offer made.I am very dissatisfied with the response from Steadfast Auctions. Only my husband and myself can attest to what was said or not said by Mr***However, we had a handyman working for us at the time before, during and after the auction who can attest to the condition of many of the items that Mr*** refers to in his note as damaged. Mr*** referred to his extensive advertising and maximizing turnout when he spoke to usHe only mentions two places where he advertised in his note I can believe it was only one or two places, since only people showed up for our auctionA road sign for a garage sale would have brought in more people We have had more people show up for garage sales. The third option Mr*** mentions in the note, his buying all our goods for a negotiated price, was NEVER discussed nor offered At the end of the auction, my husband asked if it was really worth taking all the unsold items to Steadfast and incurring the cartage and warehousing fees Mr*** told him that he thought there was another $or $to be soldIt turns out, that of the original inventory of items (prepared by Mr***), items were sold (while my husband was present) for a total of $at the auction at our home (average price $21.53) after commission, $355.31 totalOf the remaining items taken to Steadfast warehouse, another items were sold for a total of $(average price of items sold $6.76, average price of all items taken to the warehouse $2.65)After subtracting haulage and commission, we received $of the total $soldIt cost us $in haulage plus $in commissions ($in total) to sell the $in goods that Mr*** sold after our belongings went to storage He made $on the deal and we lost $of what we should have received from the original auction Is this incompetence or intentional? We did agree to having unsold items donated It turns out that only of the items on the original item inventory list were soldLess than halfNo documentation has been provided to show what was donated or to whomSo, we have no documentation for tax purposesThe sofa that he now says was too damaged for him to legally sell, was on his original inventory for sale It was a very large piece and my husband should have been told it was unsellable, if that was the case, to save money on haulage. The metal and glass dining room extendable table with chairs was originally listed on Mr***'s advertised inventory as "#- Glass Dining Set Exends to almost double sizedNice piecechairs"Now, he says the table was badly scratched and the chairs were stained and reupholstered in cheap material Any scratches could be buffed and polished outThe chairs did not have stains when he took themThey had been reupholstered in very expensive, stain-resistant, ultra-suede from Calico CornersFar from cheapWhen we first met with Mr***, we set at that very table and he used it as an example of not selling things for ridiculously low pricesHe said, "If someone offered $for thistable, I wouldn't take it because I know it's worth much more." He sold the table with chairs for $22.50, approximately $and change for the table, not even $5. The component *** stereo that he sold for $did have stereo covers that were damagedThe covers consisted of black muslin-type material stretched over a frameIt might have cost $to fix that I have simply taken the covers off, long agoThe speakers are not integrated into the systemThey can easily be replaced (the benefit of a component system). Even without speakers, the undamaged cabinet, turntable, amp, receiver, cassette player, equalizer, cd player and cd changer should not have been sold for less than $100. The *** ** *** crib is a similar situationHe says that the casters were broken and crib under-drawer was broken. The casters were in fine working order when it was in our house We moved it around alot the last weeks before it was auctioned while we sorted goods for sale and packing Casters are cheap, if they were broken when he moved or warehoused the cribThe plywood bottom of the drawer was warped and needed to be straightened or replaced and stapled to the bottom of the drawer That does not justify a $for a $crib. The vacuum that was sold for $was disappointing since I had sold a similar vacuum at a garage sale for $a few months before He sold a Garmin GPS for $when similar used Garmins are on Ebay and the lowest current bid I could find was $ If Ebay can do times better that an auctioneer, he shouldn't be in business. Mr*** told us he was an experienced auctioneer starting his own business Were we the sacrificial lambs to his learning curve? Typically, beginning businesses expect meager, if any, profits until they build a customer base, experience and reputation Mr*** seems to think his client should take the hit of his ineptitudeWhy did items soldat our house get so much better prices than what he sold after our auction? Why did we not even recover the cost of haulage from the additional items sold, but he did? Why did he take so long to pay? Why won't he provide proof of what he sold (he must have a receipt book for tax purposes) or provide proof of what he donated, when, and to whom? I was a corporate auditor for a Fortune company and I know when things don't add up. Steadfast Auctions did, at best, an incompetent job; at worst, a dishonest job of selling our household goodsWe were told by Mr*** that licensing regulations required him to send us a check within days of the auction When no check was forthcoming, we repeatedly inquired where the check wasFinally, we were told he was on vacation and forgot to send the check before he leftHe did not tell us how much we were owed, or how poorly he performed selling what he took to his warehouse or that we actually lost money by having him take the rest of our goods while he connived to take 75% of the proceeds The auction was on 6/and the last items sold for us were on 7/ He did not even try to sell our goods for a full days or extend the term to account for his vacation time, when our sales were not being worked.The following is a timeline of sales as compiled from the list I did receive from Steadfast The list contained item descriptions, date sold, price, commissions, other fees It was not sorted in any discernible order, i.edate, alphabetical, value, nor was there any reference to original inventory item numbers.Date Items Sold Total Sale Price Commission Client profit Avg Selling Price Other Fees Fees Owed Client Profit6/ $ $ $ $ Labor/Haulage $ $ 06/ $ $ $ $ ($177.69) remaining haulage $10.187/ $ $ $ $ $259.55Total $ $ $ $ $ $259.55 Steadfast Auctions should be thoroughly investigated and their licensing reviewed. I am cashing the check received, but this in no way indicates that I am satisfied or consider the payment final
Regards,
*** *** *** ***

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Revdex.com:
At this time, I have not been contacted by Steadfast Auctions regarding complaint ID
***
Regards,
Michael Forbes

[A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
At this time, I have not been contacted by Steadfast Auctions regarding complaint ID...

[redacted]
Regards,
[redacted]

On 8/27/2015 I received the latest response from the [redacted] through Revdex.com communication.
I read the very lengthy response. I found it riddled with insults and inaccurate statements. 
I will be brief as possible. During the interview process I told the [redacted] that I was new as an Auctioneer. I was asked if I had a "following." That is when advertising was discussed. I told them, no, I was new, that I would have to get bidders through advertising. I advertised the sale in many ways, 2 online sites ([redacted]) as well as in the [redacted], the local paper. I also placed a sign in front of the residence 3 weeks before the sale. Also it was listed on my own website as well as social media.
As for haulage, I charged mileage to recoup the expense of moving equipment to and from the house and to pay for the labor used to move the merchandise. I did indeed give Mr [redacted] the option of having me purchase the remaining items after the initial sale failed. He dismissed that idea before we ever spoke of a price.
There were no warehousing fees charged.
The law in the state of Virginia states that Auctioneers must pay clients within 30 days, not 7. We paid well within that time frame.
I made it clear that we would put the remaining items in upcoming online auctions and did not give a specific date. 
A detailed sold items list should have been included with the settlement. If it was not, it is an error. I will resend that list by mail to the [redacted] for their records.
I am sorry that the [redacted] were not satisfied with the prices realized at the sales. For each auction, we provided and advertised a complete description with detailed photos of every item.
The "handyman" in question may well attest to the condition of items. If he is truthful in his account, I welcome it. 
I was told in the reply that the [redacted] were not happy with my first response because we did not include an offer to resolve this matter. Frankly, one is not necessary. We have a contract to sell the items. I conducted the sales according to the contracts and well within the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The [redacted] seem to believe that all the revenue I bring in goes to my pocket. With a disappointing sale, I lose money as well. I spent more to conduct these sales than I made on them.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Steadfast Auctions

On 8/27/2015 I received the latest response from the [redacted] through Revdex.com communication.I read the very lengthy response. I found it riddled with insults and inaccurate statements. I will be brief as possible. During the interview process I told the [redacted] that I was new as an Auctioneer. I was asked if I had a "following." That is when advertising was discussed. I told them, no, I was new, that I would have to get bidders through advertising. I advertised the sale in many ways, 2 online sites ([redacted]) as well as in the [redacted], the local paper. I also placed a sign in front of the residence 3 weeks before the sale. Also it was listed on my own website as well as social media.As for haulage, I charged mileage to recoup the expense of moving equipment to and from the house and to pay for the labor used to move the merchandise. I did indeed give Mr [redacted] the option of having me purchase the remaining items after the initial sale failed. He dismissed that idea before we ever spoke of a price.There were no warehousing fees charged.The law in the state of Virginia states that Auctioneers must pay clients within 30 days, not 7. We paid well within that time frame.I made it clear that we would put the remaining items in upcoming online auctions and did not give a specific date. A detailed sold items list should have been included with the settlement. If it was not, it is an error. I will resend that list by mail to the [redacted] for their records.I am sorry that the [redacted] were not satisfied with the prices realized at the sales. For each auction, we provided and advertised a complete description with detailed photos of every item.The "handyman" in question may well attest to the condition of items. If he is truthful in his account, I welcome it. I was told in the reply that the [redacted] were not happy with my first response because we did not include an offer to resolve this matter. Frankly, one is not necessary. We have a contract to sell the items. I conducted the sales according to the contracts and well within the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The [redacted] seem to believe that all the revenue I bring in goes to my pocket. With a disappointing sale, I lose money as well. I spent more to conduct these sales than I made on them.Sincerely,[redacted]Steadfast Auctions

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I will pursue this with the licensing board in Virginia.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I will pursue this with the licensing board in Virginia.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: I have contracted with this business to sell the contents of my home: furniture, china dishes, crystal glassware, collectibles and antiques. They do not seem to exist as a business any longer and have left no forwarding information.

Attempts to contact owner and his wife by calling and writing have not been successful, and telephones of owner and wife have been disconnected.Desired Settlement: Fair payment for all items.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

At this time, I have not been contacted by Steadfast Auctions regarding complaint ID [redacted]

Regards,

Review: Presented himself as an honest, professional auctioneer. Stated that he would not sell anything for an obviously ridiculously low price. Said that we probably had another $3000 dollars worth of items to be sold after the initially auction did not draw many people. He lied. He sold a European metal and glass extending dining table and 6 chairs for $22.50. The set was originally $5000 and in excellent condition. He sold a [redacted] Stereo System with Amp, turntable, tuner, cassette player, CD player, equalizer and 2 standing speakers for $2.00. Triple dresser with mirror, armoire, 2 nightstands, king bed all solid wood for a total of $195. A Garmin GPS for $1.00. Oddly, the turntable was not listed with the [redacted]. It alone was worth $100, as turntables are hard to find. Our oversized recliner and sofa with 2 built in recliners is nowhere on the inventory. He lists an Oreck XL vacuum with bags as sold for $8.00. Odd, since we pulled the vacuum from the auction. A $600 [redacted] crib was sold for $1.50. After he took his fees and commissions, his inventory states that only $1051.75 was sold and of that he took $533 in expenses and $263.04 in commission; leaving us with $255.71 for a whole house of goods and furniture. Now, his website won't even load. I have no explanation for the items he took that are not on the sales inventory. He sold things for far less than their value and should have offered us the opportunity to take the items back and sell them on-line for 10 times the money. I believe his inventory is a total lie, due to missing items, ridiculous prices and items listed that weren't even there. I have his original inventory which lists the missing items.Desired Settlement: This man owes us at least $2000 for the items missing from his inventory and the items he grossly undersold. I want the names and addresses of some of these lucky low bid buyers so that I can actually confirm the prices paid.

Business

Response:

On May 20, 2015 we contracted with [redacted] to conduct an auction at their then current residence in Crozet, Virginia on June 20, 2015 at noon. We did indeed provide an inventory for the initial auction, which took place as scheduled. Unfortunately, despite advertising the sale on [redacted], in the closest major newspaper, "The [redacted]" and significant promotion on social media, attendance at the sale was weak.

Review: John and Kimberly F[redacted] of Steadfast Auctions were contacted to help my family remove and sell a number of items both in storage at our home and in a rental storage unit in late 2015. While they inspected the items at our home, we mentioned a vehicle we owned, and they agreed to list it as well; subsequently the vehicle was sold and we were paid satisfactorily. However, additional items were also sold; while a lot of jewelry was sold at auction and we were reimbursed by check, other items including a western saddle (which, we were informed, had sold for $750.00) and items of furniture, a Craftsman compressor, and miscellaneous items were entrusted to Steadfast. In January 2016 Mrs. F[redacted] contacted my wife concerning the transfer of their auction facility from Bremo Bluff to Charlottesville (VA), along with their new telephone number ([redacted]). After that time, we received no further contact from the F[redacted]s. We made numerous calls to the above telephone number, along with e-mail to Mr. F[redacted]'s address. Finally my wife was able to contact Mrs. F[redacted] to inquire about payment for the saddle and any other items that had been sold. Mrs. F[redacted] indicated that she thought her husband had sent a check, and that she would call back to let us know. No further contact has been received, however. We know that we are owed payment for the above-mentioned saddle, and feel that if the F[redacted]s were having some problems (health, financial, or whatever) that the least they could do was to explain to us what was happening.Desired Settlement: We wish both to have an explanation of what items have been sold, what our share of profits should be, and what Steadfast Auctions intends to do with our property from this point forward. Of course we would require that a fair settlement of payment be made to us, and we would hope that this business would be more straightforward with clients such as us in the future.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

At this time, I have not been contacted by Steadfast Auctions regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Regards,

Michael Forbes