Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers - Buyer beware!

[dirtworksequip]

Eddie, your first thought was that the machine needed major dollars to fix it. Lets suppose you took it to the auction to get rid of the problem. Now, someone comes along that knows Case equipment inside and out. They get a steal of a deal because everyone else thinks its got major problems. So,instead of getting stuck with a piece of junk they just got a machine that needed a minor adjustment. Auctions can work both ways.

 

[TwinWillows]

podunkadunk - That garage floor is something else! Is it really tile as the picture appears?

 

[Barton]

Hey podunkadunk, I thought they changed the name of Frostproof to Frostbit because of the freezes in the 80's. I was there last month. We ate at the relatively new hamburger joint on the north side on hw 17 called the Frost Bite. I use to live in Cody Villa, between Frostproof and Babson Park. My mother lives in Babson Park so I'm down there often.

 

[dsb5610]

I spoke with a friend who worked for Ritchie Bros. His job was to locate construction equipment for auctions. I posed this scenario to him. His response was that before each piece of equipment is auctioned, the auctioneer states a disclaimer that, among other things, includes it is the buyers responsibility to verify the item before bidding.

Personally, I think any auction is 'buyer beware' but I also think it is a great opportunity to find good deals.

dsb

 

[kubotaman68]

So this is a bad situation but its almost like extortion to ritchie brothers to keep their name up in this column. I know its the only reason I looked in at it. So i guess this is just an oportunity for people to air their dirty laundry out instead of information exchange. I have enjoyed reading and responding to things in the past but this really seems like a mud run. Sorry just my opinion and if I made that kind of mistake it wouldn't be the fault of the seller , if i stop by the side of the road and look at a muscle car for sale and the hood has 396 on it and I didn't open the hood because it was raining and I got it home and it had a 350 I think thats my responsibilty .

 

[dirtworksequip]

Ultimately it comes down to it is the buyers responsibility to throughly inspect any item he chooses to bid on. Would you buy a piece of property without a deed and title search? The auction companys guarantee nothing, thats just the way that business is conducted.......PERIOD!

 

[BleedGreen]

Just playing devil's advocate here, I guess. (I know you "orange" guys don't like us "green" guys very much anyway ) Did the auction paperwork say "Hydrostatic Transmission" or just "Hydrostatic"??? The reason I ask is that Deere used to print that they had "hydrostatic power steering". I am sure that your 3130 has power steering, so maybe it is of the "hydrostatic" variety...???

 

[DavesTractor]

Last year at a RB auction they sold a bunch of grey market tractors. They were all freshly painted and had new decals. Funny thing is there was a Mitsubishi D1500 with Iseki D2650 labeling, and so on. No big deal, none of the units were worth much, but it demonstrates a point of buyer beware. But I must say I really see the posters point that this unit wasn't just going across the auction block as an "item", it was a leader in their advertisement and clearly identified as Hydrostatic. Perhaps they have all kinds of "outs" as far as the auction rules, but what about truth in advertising? It seems in such a clear case of "oops" that they might give a little out of the profits on this sale. The poster is not asking for all his money back, just the difference.

As far as dragging RB through the mud, my comments are for equipment auctions in general. I think RB does a good job for the most part. Many will learn from this thread, so it is not a waste of time.

 

[Bird]

It seems in such a clear case of "oops" that they might give a little out of the profits on this sale. The poster is not asking for all his money back, just the difference.

And should it be the auctioneer refunding part of the money, or should it be the owner of the tractor that was sold? I don't think we even know which of them provided the erroneous information. But as many others have said, I've never been to an auction that provided any kind of warranty at all; strictly up to the buyer to determine what he's bidding on and what he's willing to pay.

 

[DavesTractor]

And should it be the auctioneer refunding part of the money, or should it be the owner of the tractor that was sold? I don't think we even know which of them provided the erroneous information....

Good point, and we will never know who made the error. But I will say that the guys that go out into the field and look for auction inventory aren't dummies so I still say they should take some responsibility for advertising it as a different model.

I'm not relieving the poster of responsibility though. Auctions have always been "Buyer's Beware". If you don't know anything about what you are bidding on, you shouldn't be bidding. You should buy from a trusted friend or a trusted dealer. I wouldn't bid on a piano or a horse...I know little about either. I'd bring a knowledgable friend to help if I were trying to buy either at auction.