Alivio made one costly mistake after another
Alivio made one costly mistake after another while handling the auctioning of my possessions, including re. the vehicle for sale's odometer reading, saying it's fine to drive it until the pick up day, but then the buyer saw it changed from the advertisement & was extremely upset.
They messed up on the used vehicle info package: brought down the value of the car as it went to the 2nd bidder [whom I had to give another additional discount to for his patience] instead of the first who offered $4000 more. The 1st bidder lost their patience / got uncomfortable once they saw there wasn't even a mandatory document called the UVIP available, AND needed to wait while it was fetched by the owner [me], who was scrambling to get the package + even had to go in person to pay for it a 2nd time at Service Ontario, since the online package never came after 10 business days.
Alivio then claimed I made "an additional $500 more than what the dealership offered at $3000" -> no, the car dealership offered 3K at the unrepaired state, not post-repairs which would've fairly brought the value **up** according to the trade-in assessor at the dealership.
For the posted advertisements: Countless misspelled words, "Booth" was misspelled for boots, couldn't even get this correct.
For jewelry: completely blurry and out of focus photos, this cost more than 2K? well, in the end after the legal loopholes they took to charge me an extra $1100, it cost $3100?
Kitchenware: cookware photos were unbelievably poor quality, there were items put into the wok to save counter space, and the items **were not even removed when the photos were taken**, so the close up of it even included other items in a super weird confusing out of focus shot that's supposed to show the inside of the cookware.
Electronics: a new GHD duet styler that cost almost $600 had a description not even separating the words in the ad, reads as "iron and hairdryer in oneTestedFairly new" such shoddy writing & staging in ham-fisted postings that no doubt did further damage to the bidding potential of buyers who are viewing the items.
All the other loopholes used to blindside a customer on their bill at the end - I thought the time was being counted down from the time the buyers are scheduled to come pick things up, why do they tell staff to come 2 hours earlier and have the staff's labour costs start getting counted at 9 AM when no buyer pick-up is even scheduled for the 2 hours?
Yet there were many buyers who DID show up at 9
The people who came to pick up ALL said they saw on their ends that the pick up window opens at 9 - what is going on there then? alivio claims the auction pick up can be done in 3 hours instead of telling the customer to just get a more expensive package if the time isn't sufficient, but instead blindsides the customer by using loopholes to charge for the pricier alternative of "employee overtime" by actually timing the auction to start 2 hours earlier than the pick up windows, then even charge for the full hour as "ending at 4 PM"" even though it ended at **3:15 PM** -- so you think it's "normal" to charge a customer time for your employees just taking a break to sit around & chat with the home owner in a friendly manner after, which is not even work but those were even billed as overtime hours?
On top of it all: I was getting lectured on the phone by 'Rita' then repeatedly complained at on how it's going to be a total chaos if "Alivio's signs" aren't allowed to be used in the residential building, which is unbelievably unprofessional not to mention time wasting as the buyers stood there silently waiting while the manager carries on like this, toward a client who is paying them thousands of dollars, to get lectured for condo building regulations beyond any client's control -
What the client [me] DID do was tell alivio beforehand about all the regulations through FORWARDED EMAILS from the condo management, and STILL the alivio management was totally disregarding this on auction day?
And being extremely unprofessional complaining about these regulations? Would anybody sign up if Alivio said at the beginning "we can do whatever we want, you should be thankful, we can easily have taken way more money from you", which is what they emailed in the end when they simply got asked about the bizarre extra charges + "credit card fee" that was charged for their *debit** e-transfer deposit of the auction profit? Why does a debit account e-transfer deposit amount to credit card fees for a customer? What credit card was used? After calculating, they didn't even charge the printed "2%", my lawyer & I both noticed it was more than this and the math didn't even check out.
So in the end, in fact, whatever tiny meager 'profit' was there was totally not worth it for this entire mess, would've preferred to just get the big chunk of profit through the car sale done with the car dealership, then sell the high value personal belongings myself through online ads and marketplace platforms.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $3,100.00
- Company Response
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. To clarify the points you raised: Firstly the cost of our service was effectively $0, as the auction proceeds covered our entire fee. Additionally, you made an extra $3,100 in profit, not including the side deal with the bicycle.
Vehicle Odometer Reading: We advised that the vehicle could be used for regular commutes until the pickup day, not the equivalent of a return trip to Chicago as the buyer put it. The significant increase in mileage due to extensive use affected the buyer’s decision. It was not the lack of a UVIP that made the client back out which he could have got by doing a Carfax report right away. It was the 2000 extra kilometers added to the odometer in a couple of days that the buyer did not like. While we understand your frustration, we cannot control the buyer's actions or decisions.
Used Vehicle Information Package (UVIP): The decrease in the vehicle's value was primarily due to the increased mileage. The requirement for a UVIP is a recent change from Service Ontario, which was not communicated to us by the auction team. Changing your oil is not a repair that increases its value. The car still remains heavily damaged, and that is what determined the dealership's offer of providing you $300 less than the black book value of $3000. Although frustrating this was a situation beyond our control yet we worked tirelessly, without charge, to try to help you rectify this.
Auction Organization and Communication: We worked closely with you, seeking feedback on the photographs and listings. Any inaccuracies or issues with the photos should have been addressed collaboratively, and we gave you a window of time to do so.
Auction Pickup Timing: As clearly described in the detailed plan provided, our team arrived early to organize and group items efficiently for the buyers, ensuring a smooth pickup process. Although buyers are penalized for not respecting their pickup time by the auction house, their arrival outside their scheduled times is beyond our control. We are committed to transparency and fairness in our billing practices. The extra charge was explained to you onsite in real time and was due to the team working an additional 4 hours to ensure everything was handled properly. You had the option to opt-out. You were not charged overtime at 1.5x the rate; in fact, you were actually charged the reduced rate, which we clearly discussed. The team did not sit down and chat with buyers; they did not even take a break or lunch in 7 hours.
Building Regulations and Signage: We communicated the importance of adhering to building regulations and requested your assistance in obtaining authorization. However, you did not provide any documentation or description of the building's regulations and simply said that it was "fine and we're set to go ahead." Our intention is always to ensure a smooth process for the buyers, so they do not give up and forgo their pickup. Not having a sign is a known reason why buyers give up. It seems that the urgency of the matter was taken as lecturing when, in reality, we are on your team.
Credit Card Fees: The 2% credit card fee is charged for processing by the credit card company. This fee is standard for transactions processed through credit cards and was clearly outlined in the agreement.
Of note, making a side deal for the sale of your bicycle with the auction buyer outside of the auction agreement is a serious contract violation, which could lead to actions by the auction house if they were notified.
All in all at Alivio Downsizing, we are dedicated to delivering exceptional service and going above and beyond for our clients. We are genuinely surprised and disheartened to see your recent review, as it does not reflect our commitment and the extensive efforts we put into meeting your needs.