- Report: #455836
Complaint Review: Bidz.com - Internet
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Bidz.com
bidz.com Internet, U.S.A.
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Bidz.com Transaction fees and handling fees = sneaky Internet
*UPDATE Employee: Bidz.com
*UPDATE Employee: Bidz.com
*Author of original report: What does that have to do with my complaint?
*Author of original report: Necklace Broke
*Author of original report: Necklace Broke
*Author of original report: Necklace Broke
*Author of original report: Necklace Broke
*UPDATE Employee: Bidz.com
*UPDATE Employee: Bidz.com
I have purchased several things from Bidz, and have actually been pleased with the quality and speedy shipping time. However, on my last order I happened to notice two things that really bother me.
1) The 3% transaction fee-yes, it is stated in the help desk somewhere, but bottom line is it should be stated on EVERY auction, that you need to add 3% to the winning bid. This is very sneaky, and usually is against VISA/MASTERCARD policy. I believe this is an expense that the company should absorb as a cost of doing business.
When they set up an internet based company they knew that they would have to take credit card payments, this should not be passed on to me, and it should be much more clearly stated, instead of hidden in the terms and conditions. I understand the point of view that Bidz has expressed on this website, that the customer needs to take responsibility for knowing what they are getting in to, but the business should want to be above board and clearly state that there is a fee, instead of appearing to be sneaky.
2) The "handling" fee that is assessed to additional products in the same order-this really irritates me, they already over-charge on the first shipping cost (10.95), to send a single piece of jewlery that weighs maybe a couple of ounces, but then to tack on an additional 3.00 for simply throwing another piece in the box? Ridiculous, especially since I am paying a 3% transaction fee.
Here is the bottom line: I won an auction for a necklace that was made of some agates for about $11, but after the 3% transaction fee and the 10.95 shipping fee, I wound up paying over $22 for it. Seems a little ridiculous to me, if this would have been stated on the auction, like it is on Ebay, I may not have bid. So the question that is left in mind is "if all of the shipping is a standardized amount, and the transaction fee is always 3%, why can't that be listed in every auction?"....I guess the answer is that people may decide that those fees are excessive BEFORE they bid...but I wouldn't....I would have bid anyway, but I won't anymore, i don't like dealing with companies that aren't honest and that don't give me the choice to make that decision.
If the products, and prices they have to offer are that fantastic, they should have more confidence in the fact that these fees won't scare away customers, but make them more secure, feeling that they are dealing with an honest company.
Ryan
PORTLAND, Oregon
U.S.A.
1) The 3% transaction fee-yes, it is stated in the help desk somewhere, but bottom line is it should be stated on EVERY auction, that you need to add 3% to the winning bid. This is very sneaky, and usually is against VISA/MASTERCARD policy. I believe this is an expense that the company should absorb as a cost of doing business.
When they set up an internet based company they knew that they would have to take credit card payments, this should not be passed on to me, and it should be much more clearly stated, instead of hidden in the terms and conditions. I understand the point of view that Bidz has expressed on this website, that the customer needs to take responsibility for knowing what they are getting in to, but the business should want to be above board and clearly state that there is a fee, instead of appearing to be sneaky.
2) The "handling" fee that is assessed to additional products in the same order-this really irritates me, they already over-charge on the first shipping cost (10.95), to send a single piece of jewlery that weighs maybe a couple of ounces, but then to tack on an additional 3.00 for simply throwing another piece in the box? Ridiculous, especially since I am paying a 3% transaction fee.
Here is the bottom line: I won an auction for a necklace that was made of some agates for about $11, but after the 3% transaction fee and the 10.95 shipping fee, I wound up paying over $22 for it. Seems a little ridiculous to me, if this would have been stated on the auction, like it is on Ebay, I may not have bid. So the question that is left in mind is "if all of the shipping is a standardized amount, and the transaction fee is always 3%, why can't that be listed in every auction?"....I guess the answer is that people may decide that those fees are excessive BEFORE they bid...but I wouldn't....I would have bid anyway, but I won't anymore, i don't like dealing with companies that aren't honest and that don't give me the choice to make that decision.
If the products, and prices they have to offer are that fantastic, they should have more confidence in the fact that these fees won't scare away customers, but make them more secure, feeling that they are dealing with an honest company.
Ryan
PORTLAND, Oregon
U.S.A.
9 Updates & Rebuttals
Bidz_auction
United States of AmericaBidz.com
#2UPDATE Employee
Fri, June 24, 2011
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your time and effort to provide feedback on our response. We would like you to know that buyers auction fee we charge is not
only a fee for a payment mentioned by you in your post. Buyers auction fee that all online auctions charge is for running the marketplace and managing services such as payment collection and fulfillment. The handling fee is a fee that we charge per additional item you add to the order. This charge is for processing the item (pulling, inspecting, and packing). We sincerely thank you for your input and would like to hear from you regarding this post or any other concerns at [email protected]
Bidz_auction
United States of AmericaBidz.com
#3UPDATE Employee
Fri, June 24, 2011
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your time and effort to provide feedback on our response. We would like you to know that buyers auction fee we charge is not
only a fee for a payment mentioned by you in your post. Buyers auction fee that all online auctions charge is for running the marketplace and managing services such as payment collection and fulfillment. The handling fee is a fee that we charge per additional item you add to the order. This charge is for processing the item (pulling, inspecting, and packing). We sincerely thank you for your input and would like to hear from you regarding this post or any other concerns at [email protected]
Anon1979
PORTLAND,Oregon,
U.S.A.
Necklace Broke
#4Author of original report
Sat, June 13, 2009
OH, yeah, wanted to throw on here, one of the "agate" necklaces i bought, which turned out to be plastic beads with shiny enamel paint and a clear coat on them completely fell apart. It was worn TWICE....but, we were about two weeks passed the 15 day period, and, based on what I have read here, it would be an exercise in futility to pursue it passed the 15th day, but thought everyone should know.
Anon1979
PORTLAND,Oregon,
U.S.A.
Necklace Broke
#5Author of original report
Sat, June 13, 2009
OH, yeah, wanted to throw on here, one of the "agate" necklaces i bought, which turned out to be plastic beads with shiny enamel paint and a clear coat on them completely fell apart. It was worn TWICE....but, we were about two weeks passed the 15 day period, and, based on what I have read here, it would be an exercise in futility to pursue it passed the 15th day, but thought everyone should know.
Anon1979
PORTLAND,Oregon,
U.S.A.
Necklace Broke
#6Author of original report
Sat, June 13, 2009
OH, yeah, wanted to throw on here, one of the "agate" necklaces i bought, which turned out to be plastic beads with shiny enamel paint and a clear coat on them completely fell apart. It was worn TWICE....but, we were about two weeks passed the 15 day period, and, based on what I have read here, it would be an exercise in futility to pursue it passed the 15th day, but thought everyone should know.
Anon1979
PORTLAND,Oregon,
U.S.A.
Necklace Broke
#7Author of original report
Sat, June 13, 2009
OH, yeah, wanted to throw on here, one of the "agate" necklaces i bought, which turned out to be plastic beads with shiny enamel paint and a clear coat on them completely fell apart. It was worn TWICE....but, we were about two weeks passed the 15 day period, and, based on what I have read here, it would be an exercise in futility to pursue it passed the 15th day, but thought everyone should know.
Anon1979
PORTLAND,Oregon,
U.S.A.
What does that have to do with my complaint?
#8Author of original report
Wed, June 10, 2009
Your response has nothing to do with my complaint, the "effort" that Bidz makes on this site is laughable, I think it would do more good to say nothing at all than to copy and paste canned responses that have *nothing* to do with my complaint. As a recap my complaint is about sneaky transaction fees that you are not warned about PRIOR to bidding, and that are not mentioned on the actual auctions, instead they are hidden in the "help desk" for customers to find. Secondly, i think that the initial fee of 10.95 to ship something that weighs almost nothing through USPS is ridiculous, but to charge an additional 3$ to throw another piece in is just a ripoff.
Customer Service Team
Culver City,California,
U.S.A.
Bidz.com
#9UPDATE Employee
Fri, June 05, 2009
Dear Jami, We would like to begin by apologizing for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have reviewed your account and have found that two of your purchases did receive free shipping. You can find the discount that applied to your orders by looking at your invoice. On the invoice you will find a field that says: Discount, any discounts applied to your orders will disclose the amount discounted. Please be advised that all promotions offered by Bidz.com provide you with detailed terms and conditions that supply you with any restrictions and expiration dates. You can obtain this information by clicking on the advertising banner or by accessing it directly from our Help Section. Our free shipping promotions expire on the same day that they are offered. The terms are as follows: In order to receive free standard shipping 5 items must be won and paid for on the same day (day the promotion is held). Free shipping offer is valid for Bidz and Buyz items and does not apply to any merchant items. We have reviewed your purchases that did not receive free shipping. One of your purchases was made after our free shipping promotion had expired, consequently not qualifying for free shipping. We had no free shipping promotions around the time you processed your last purchase. If you have received any promotions by mail you need to ensure that you read its terms and conditions so that you can use them accordingly because we offer various promotions for both of our sites, Bidz.com and Buyz.com. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our customer service department via LiveHelp, send us a quick email to [email protected] or contact us at 800-444-8124.
Customer Service Team
Culver City,California,
U.S.A.
Bidz.com
#10UPDATE Employee
Fri, June 05, 2009
Dear Jami, We would like to begin by apologizing for any inconvenience this may have caused. We have reviewed your account and have found that two of your purchases did receive free shipping. You can find the discount that applied to your orders by looking at your invoice. On the invoice you will find a field that says: Discount, any discounts applied to your orders will disclose the amount discounted. Please be advised that all promotions offered by Bidz.com provide you with detailed terms and conditions that supply you with any restrictions and expiration dates. You can obtain this information by clicking on the advertising banner or by accessing it directly from our Help Section. Our free shipping promotions expire on the same day that they are offered. The terms are as follows: In order to receive free standard shipping 5 items must be won and paid for on the same day (day the promotion is held). Free shipping offer is valid for Bidz and Buyz items and does not apply to any merchant items. We have reviewed your purchases that did not receive free shipping. One of your purchases was made after our free shipping promotion had expired, consequently not qualifying for free shipping. We had no free shipping promotions around the time you processed your last purchase. If you have received any promotions by mail you need to ensure that you read its terms and conditions so that you can use them accordingly because we offer various promotions for both of our sites, Bidz.com and Buyz.com. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our customer service department via LiveHelp, send us a quick email to [email protected] or contact us at 800-444-8124.
