Cordy's - Jewellery, Fine Art & Antique Auctions — Local services in Albert-Eden

Firstly I would like to compliment some of the wonderful staff that I have got to know at Cordy's over the years of dealing with them, James, Fenella & Lesley - they are experts in their field & very knowledgeable. I think Cordy's fill a valuable space in the market & for the most part do a very good job.

However a more recent experience has been disappointing.

It is fair to say I have been a long time customer of Cordy's, both buying and selling items. I understand the items being bought and sold are second-hand.

I recently purchased an item that was a lot sold online on a Cordy's online auction. The item was a bracelet listed with a fault A/F (as faulted), what was clear from the one photo online was that the safety chain was broken, what wasn't clear - due to the lack of detail in the auction listing despite the provision to do so, was that the bracelet had a broken hinge. This wasn't obvious whatsoever because the hinge was sellotaped with clear sellotape, not only was it not obvious in the photographs, it wasn't obvious in person due to the sellotape being so firmly pressed to the hinge that you could in fact open the bracelet from the clasp and it in fact seemed to be opening fine. It wasn't until closer inspection that I realised the hinge was in fact taped and broken.

What is also important to note was this item was a gift and almost immediately after collection was given to the intended party as a gift. I was mortified that the bracelet was broken so badly and immediately offered to have the item repaired so it could be worn as intended by the recipient.

When I realised the bracelet was broken (more than expected) I contacted Cordy's, I asked for a partial refund to go some way towards the repair costs. Cordy's response (in several parts) was disappointing to say the least. Cordy's responded as follows:

"I do understand the frustration, however with over 1000 lots each week we cannot list every fault, and we have undertaken due diligence to mention that it is faulted which we would hope would encourage a phone call if questioned. The auction details also state that these are estate and second-hand items, and their condition is commensurate with age.

I have of course brought this up with the director and along with the above he said that as a gesture of good will we can refund the buyer's premium of $18.70, but he has requested that in future if you bid on anything marked A/F to please call ahead and find out exactly what the vendors were referring to before purchasing."

Commensurately I was fairly disappointed in the response from Cordy's, an $18.70 refund is not going to come anywhere near close to assisting with the cost of the repairs. But moreover the fact that the damage (A/F) was not described clearly nor accurately photographed, moreover it was deliberately taped up so you couldn’t see it in the photographs.

All second hand dealers have a responsibility to comply with the standards set out under the Consumer Guarantees Act, to be told as a client that they list 1000's of items weekly and cannot list every fault, is in fact on Cordy's. They do need to accurately describe items, especially if there are faults, and it seems ludicrous to not do so when they have a website with the clear provision to do so.

Sadly this interaction with Cordy's has somewhat tainted my overall experience and will impact my decision to spend money here as often as I have done previously, in the future.

Photograph from Cordy's auction listing of said...

I would like to warn the potential visitors to this shop about the very unpleasant experience I got yesterday (22/09/2023） from a man who seems to be a senior member of the staff. I certainly felt insulted as you can see why from the description below.

By the way, I have been a customer for more than 6 months and have had several successful bids. I have always been impressed by the excellent and polite reception I got at the counter once I got through the entrance.

Yesterday I went to browse what was on auction in the coming Monday. I had to move some items of the top layer of a box of assorted objects so that I could see what were at the bottom layer. Just when I was putting the moved items back into the right box, I heard loud shouting noise from afar. No one came near to see what was actually happening but just assumed some wrongs were being done. I intuitively responded aloud to point out that I took them out and now just putting them back. Again, no one was responsible enough to come to confirm his wrong accusation in the first place, nor apologise for the undue insult. Instead, he was saying loudly something like “There were swaps by some people before.” as if he was explaining to the onlookers. Does that justify the extremely rude behaviour? Couldn’t he come closer to verify his guess? How would you feel if you were in a similar situation when you visit the shop next time？

There were always catches like broken pieces hidden in the boxes at auctions in a second-hand shop. One has to check carefully before placing bids. So please beware of what could...

As a first time customer to the auction house this week, was keen to purchase a couple of items, one of which was of high value. Served by the most incompetent, arrogant and rude staff Lesley who gave me a telling off because I wasn’t aware that an email negotiation on the price of an item which I never placed a bid for during the auction but sent her an email asking for a price negotiation was a binding contract on my part. I was going to purchase it as I liked the item despite the rude treatment I received. Had I decided not to make the purchase, there is absolutely no legal ground for her to force me into a sale. At no stage did she advise me the email negotiation was a contract. She had the audacity to tell me I should have made it clear it was a conditional offer after I made the purchase! If she had done her job properly and advised me of the terms like a professional should, I would have known to make a conditional offer. Unfortunately I don’t work at Cordy’s and I am a customer although I certainly didn’t feel like a customer. There are no T&Cs in the email correspondence between us and nor are they listed on their website. She also commented that had I not gone ahead with the purchase she would have looked silly with the vendor. I am sorry, the 17% commission Cordys charges customers (and they charge commission for their vendors) surely more than covers her time at work?! There are plenty of places to spend your money on, I recommend against spending...