So I did some online Bidding at Barretts Today!

[fastappy]

Anyhow, I had the opening bid ($1,000) on hip #254, a Tale of the Cat mare ift Good Journey via the internet (bidder 12686). There were four subsequent bids to $1600, and I made the final bid of $1800. So the bids close at $1800, and I get the scrolling transcript indicating"12686 bids $1800, Sold to 12686 for $1800". Bid Response sent: "$1800 for Lot #254. Bid Accepted!"

I call a friend of a friend to go look at my purchase, and I'm told an onsite buyer purchased the mare for $1600, and he was standing next to her when she signed the ticket.

I call the Barretts number and no one picks up. I have the friend go to the sales office of Barretts, and they state no one called. I then call Barretts again and get through to the sales office via another office worker, and they tell me that, they'll call me back, that the sales people are in conference. I fax them the transcripts of the sales ledger, which verifies that I had the opening and closing bid, and my final bid was accepted.

Nonetheless they apparently sold the horse to the under bidder, and have not returned my call!

Just thought I would vent. I was advised by the friend that they accepted immediate payment from the onsite underbidder.

Just thought I would vent!

[Diane]

Whoa, that's BAD. Was that scenario covered in any of the conditions for online bidding? I doubt it. I assume online you gave a credit card number? Immediate payment? And you are taking your print out of the transaction to Barrett's in the morning and demanding the situation be rectified? Someone in that office had a friend who wanted that mare and they are trying to pull a fast one? Please let us know tomorrow how it all falls out. Good luck

[tbrace]

This is very typical of the way Barrett's operates. If they were not the only game in town, they couldn't survive.

[Sierra]

I am very interested in this situation.

The buyer on record, at $1,600, is Cry of the Cat Partners. That is actually the name of the mare in question/Hip 254.

Please do keep us informed.

[zinn21]

Appy, I couldn't even get a video stream. I called Barrett's and told them a plug in failed to install; could I talk to their Tech Dept. They told me there was no Tech Dept. and the reason the plug in would not install was because there was too much traffic. That is BS.

I think Barrett's is a poor organization who don't do their homework and are far from detail minded. I swore I would never sell another horse through them and now will likely never buy a horse from them.

[LB]

What a shame you lost a mare you wanted--and thought you had. And it's a shame for the sellers too, who should have made more money on the sale. It sounds like a good thing that I don't have to deal with Barretts.

[Sysonby]

FWIW, I've purchased in person through Barretts and had absolutely no problems. Its also been my experience that selling a horse successfully there has the most to do with the ability of the consignor, the quality of the horse in question and the reasonableness of the expectations of the seller and not the auction house. Plenty of people where there yesterday, the facility is nice but if you led bad product up there, you weren't getting a bid. If you set an unreasonable reserve, you weren't selling your horse.

That's not necessarily Barretts fault.

[Sysonby]

I should add that whatever happened with the original poster's bid, I'm not defending that but I don't understand the other criticisms.

The original poster notwithstanding, I suspect that the bulk of the buyers are still doing this in person or they have agents onsite. The auctioneers and bid spotters are the team from Keeneland. The barns are nice and have plenty of room to show horses. The pavilion has been completely redone.

The market in California stinks but that's not Barretts fault.

[fastappy]

Well I called Barretts at 9 am and was disconnected. I called them again and the sales woman said she would connect me to "Bill", and of course I only got a voice mail. I left a message to call me back. I called a 3rd time left a 2nd message for "Bill".

I doubt this is going anywhere but I would at least like an explanation. The mare is probably off the grounds by now. What's unprofessional about them is they don't anser the phone to say their first name & position (Sales or Barn Area, etc.). The one woman I could get a hold of had to transfer me to sales because she says the phone automatically transfers to the barn area when sales does not answer (which appears to be regularly ).

I am gonna keep trying just to get clarification on this issue so they don't repeat their flawed system on some other unsuspecting soul.

[Diane]

If that's the way they do business they'll be #2 as soon as someone else decides to do better. We do alot of buying/selling through online auctions, granted not horses but money is money. There are some traditions that will last in Tb racing/breeding purely for the sake of tradition. Selling at auction like this isn't one of them. Fastappy was willing to buy online, unseen, just think how many others are out there willing to buy online.

[fastappy]

OK, I got an email explanation on my bid from William Baker, & there were 2 emails to me while I was expecting the phone call (which they said I would get) and did not notice these emails until now. Here goes;

Jon,

I can’t see the sales transcript right now for some reason. The woman who was clerking the sale here ( Sharon ) said that the software did accept an $1,800 bid from you. However, the auctioneer did not acknowledge it and said that the final bid was $1,600 because Sharon could not retract your bid of $1,800 as being the actual live bid in time to allow you to bid $1,800 again.

Unfortunately, this was not communicated to the live auctioneer in time for you to actually bid again. The live auctioneer is in control of when the actual hammer falls and he recognized the on-site bidder at $1,600.

Sorry for this, but there is really nothing we can do since, according to Condition Fourth (Bidding Disputes), “the auctioneer’s decision on all such manners shall be final and binding.”

Bill Baker

Barretts Equine Limited
A Fairplex Company
http://www.barretts.com
Phone: (800) 467-7379
FAX: (909) 629-2155
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2nd email;
I watched the video of Hip 254 selling. The auctioneer received your bid after the hammer was dropped on the horse. It is clearly shown on the video. You can have XXXX (name only deleted by me) come into the office and watch it if you like.

Sorry for the miscommunication.

Bill Baker

So, I guess what they're saying is their software accepted the bid, but it was not synchronized with the live aution. Just guessing on this, but they do need to pay closer attention and/or make sure their software is in synch.



Barretts Equine Limited
A Fairplex Company
http://www.barretts.com
Phone: (800) 467-7379
FAX: (909) 629-2155

[fastappy]

If that's the way they do business they'll be #2 as soon as someone else decides to do better. We do alot of buying/selling through online auctions, granted not horses but money is money. There are some traditions that will last in Tb racing/breeding purely for the sake of tradition. Selling at auction like this isn't one of them. Fastappy was willing to buy online, unseen, just think how many others are out there willing to buy online.

I usually have a person or two I can call to look at the mares, so I'm not completely in the blind.

[Diane]

Great excuse, hammer fell without checking to see if there was any online bid. Sorry seller, that $200 doesn't mean a thing to you, really, it's only $200. Why bother to use Liveglobalbid at all? How many others had that happen? I hear a durge playing.......

[madelyn]

Good explanation, though. I have noticed when I watch Keeneland and F-T online that there is a good 3 or 4 second delay. If you were trying to "snipe" like on eBay you would be just s*** out of luck. It is VERY possible that the online bid was submitted after the fall of the hammer.

[tbrace]

I also have bought and sold many horses live at Barrett's. I would not be one to recommend them.

False bids, favored consignors and buyers, sloppy office work, non-responsive officers, etc., have all combined to make us take our horses and do our purchasing elsewhere.

If you have ever bought or sold a horse in KY, WA, or elsewhere, then you know how a pleasant and efficient auction house is run. Very different from Barrett's.