GovDeals — Local services in Montgomery

You've better odds in your local casino than Govdeals.com! Defective merchandise, deceptive practices irresponsible/careless management antiqued website! They sell merchandise from municipalities around the country, no uniform rules to these municipalities (sellers) as to what they'll tell the public about the merchandise on sale so sellers can tell/lie about or hide any relevant info! Govdeals.com doesn't not care whether you're deceived or screwed and again doesn't tell sellers to be honest or describe their items accurately. Unless you're told it's BMW sedan, but you find it to be a Ford van you're out of luck!

It's basically the old local police auction conducted online by a 3rd party for profit company who will get their fees regardless. But unlike the police auction you have no opportunity to see the item in person or deal with the seller who (local police for instance) really have no reason or incentive to lie

My experience: two weeks ago I bid on a 2010 Honda civic in ND local police, car came with 5 distant photos (front, 2 sides back & dash) looked shiny & spotless only comment on it's condition was that it needs battery I bid on it for about $3750 including $500 in fees (it had 130k miles) after I called the police to arrange a pick up I was told that the car may not be road worthy (may not be safe or legal on the road) as it had extensive damage on driver side front fender, front bumper and hood that may not open! After a closer look I could see the damage barely visible and hood partially open (I saw that before but thought it was intentionally left open) I ask the police why was that information not given he said "we thought noting that was unnecessary with photos it's a seized vehicle & we know nothing about it" as you can imagine I wonder why they did not take close photos or take notes of the obviously extensive body damage instead of noting something insignificant as battery! I pleaded my issue with Govdeals.com customer reps (who are by the way quick & friendly) They told me I agreed to buy the car "as is" and I'll have to pay & take it or I'll be in default adding you can talk to the police seller about my issue Police said they've no problem of selling it to the next high bidders or relisting it if necessary. A day later I got a notice saying "you're locked out and you owe $1300 payable immediately" I sent a full page letter addressing why I thought this was deceptive perhaps unintentionally & that I'm willing to pay the relisting fee. Their response was 2 lines saying "you'll be reinstated as soon as you pay the balance of $1300 in full" which is 40% of bid price!

If they're a reputable company why not outright ban the buyer or charge a reasonable relist fee that actually goes to the seller instead of 40% in their pocket! I'm not here to bad mouth govdeals.com or judge them in one experience, a friend who introduced me to this website warned me about it, also others here, BBB and yelp are having similarissues!

It's a shame that so many government agencies are selling in this site! I've been buying items from government agencies for 20 years I never had an issue, they put items out there you see it, touch it and they deal with you fairly if issue comes up Govdeals.com gives you a ton of warning just to legally protect themselves but gives you the perception that you're buying accurately described merchandise in their platform which they make no effort to even give sellers clear & uniform directions of what information they need to give the public buyer! You're much better off with GSA, and many other federal and local government run websites no deception or...

I am extremely disappointed in what has happened to GovDeals in the past decade. It was once a unique platform to provide the public with access to municipal auctions. Today, there are many non-municipal sellers on GovDeals, some even with seller names that appear to me to resemble the ones of government agencies. Most recently, I purchased a truck from a Town that unknowingly had a lien marked on the certificate of origin, therefore I was unable to legally transfer ownership to myself. I had contacted GovDeals customer service multiple times only to be told that it was sold as is, I removed it from the property so all sales or final, and/or we will get back to you within 24 hours (and they never did). Luckily I was able to dispute the credit card charge. Even though the Town agreed to the refund and sent a tow truck to pickup the truck from me, GovDeals has yet to unlock my account. I was once a loyal customer who purchased many trucks and other items, paid quickly and picked up promptly without issues; Now I will gladly take my business elsewhere since they did not provide adequate support for me as a buyer. I hope their legitimate municipal clients start moving to other platforms, I will surly be a strong advocate...

This company is a disgrace. They will promise to support you as a buyer until they know you have a valid case, then they refuse to return calls or emails. NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY! Here is my experience: They generally have a caveat that once a vehicle is removed from the selling agency property you have no ability to dispute the items condition. In the case of a vehicle that the agency has parked just outside the property gate, they will tell you it has been removed as soon as you get into the vehicle. This becomes an issue when the transmission fails 2 miles down the road. After getting it towed home you will then be told by your mechanic that the silicone you cant see inside the transmission pan was used to fix a major leak and the discolored fluid from their patch job and leak stop to get the vehicle just down the road caused the failure. Any ability to drive the vehicle on the property would have likely identified the issue. Add onto that the fact that Govdeals will provide no support and they will even forge signatures on documents when put under pressure to refund the money by your credit card company.

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