GovernmentAuction.com Ripoff Scam Junk "A sucker is born every minute" Tehachapi, California
A sucker is born every minute. I was born a sucker a little more than a week ago when I decided to do business with GovernmentAuction.com, an online auction house.
Being new to online auctions, I was drawn to the apparent great value this outfit offered for jewelry, collector coins, semi-precious stones, etc. in its "Government High Value Asset" auction. Every item listed impressive estimated values and these were frequently supplemented by official-appearing documentation by Gemological Laboratory of America (GLA), Inc. suggestive of an authentic appraisal. Admittedly, I went a little crazy during the auction and ultimately spent thousands and thousands of dollars on winning bids. I rationalized that I had obtained great value as everything I won was well below its estimated value. That was until the merchandise began arriving.
Junk, cheap junk, cheaper junk. I became flushed as it was immediately clear that I had been scammed. It would have been one thing if I had overpaid for items of value but it was apparent that virtually all items had been exaggerated with respect to their value by 10-100x. Particularly egregious are the items with GLA documentation. Close examination revealed that these are no more than for insurance purposes and the so-called gemologists are not certified by any recognized organization such as GIA. Their estimates are ludicrous given the quality of items I received (e.g., a bracelet estimated by them to be ~$48K is no more than $100.) For this reason and many other examples, I believe GLA is a co-conspirator in this scam particularly since they request $18 to "register" each item on their website.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
governmentauction
Tehachapi,California,
United States of America
Response to Fraudulent Claim
#5UPDATE Employee
Fri, January 25, 2013
Good morning.
We are very sorry that you are unhappy with your purchase. At Governementauction we stand behind our auction items 100%. GLA is one of the largest appraisal service in the Los Angeles area. The person who owns GLA is Certified and has a degree from the University of Southern California. If you would please contact our Customer Service Department at 661-823-1543, they will be happy to issue you a Readmittance Advice, so you can mail your items items that you were unhappy with back to our offices. Regardless of the time that has passed, we will still honor your refund. Upon receipt of your items we will issue you a 100% refund on your purchase.
Thank you and have a nice day,
Brian
jimbo
Milford,Utah,
United States of America
Fraudulent claims!
#5Consumer Comment
Thu, January 24, 2013
As to the claims reported with Certified product. These items are fraudulent and are junk. If GLA is certified they would know
that these items are clearly not of gem quality and are worthless. I took these to a Gemologist to have appraised they basically told me this is fraudulent certificate even for insurance purposes, as if for some reason I needed to file a claim to replace the item they would not pay because the items hold no value and is a fraudulent certificate. As for the 30 day money back guarantee, it takes time to follow up on the value 30 day guarantee would not be long enough as I am disabled and have to
travel any where to get any type of services from where I live. This is definitely a scam and I will file complaints about these company's with consumer affairs. Why would any gemologist put a value on a certificate like this when it is clearly junk. It is unethical and a ripoff. Looking at the items I have purchase in a government auction this is what I thought I was bidding on, Exactly how it was presented.
Est. Value 8.3K - 13.8K 287.19CT Ruby & Sterling Silver Necklace, Jewelry and Gem
Est. Value 34.7K - 57.8K 1,724.45CT Oval Cut Emerald Gemstone, Jewelry and Gem
jimbo
Milford,Utah,
United States of America
Fraudulent claims!
#5Consumer Comment
Thu, January 24, 2013
As to the claims reported with Certified product. These items are fraudulent and are junk. If GLA is certified they would know that these items are clearly not of gem quality and are worthless. I took these to a Gemologist to have appraised they basically told me this is fraudulent certificate even for insurance purposes, as if for some reason I needed to file a claim to replace the item they would not pay because the items hold no value and is a fraudulent certificate. As for the 30 day money back guarantee, it takes time to follow up on the value 30 day guarantee would not be long enough as I am disabled and have to travel any where to get any type of services from where I live. This is definitely a scam and I will file complaints about these company's with consumer affairs. Why would any gemologist put a value on a certificate like this when it is clearly junk. It is unethical and a ripoff. Looking at the items I have purchase in a government auction this is what I thought I was bidding on, Exactly how it was presented.
Est. Value 8.3K - 13.8K 287.19CT Ruby & Sterling Silver Necklace, Jewelry and Gem
Est. Value 34.7K - 57.8K 1,724.45CT Oval Cut Emerald Gemstone, Jewelry and Gem
Paul Sabesky
Tehachapi,California,
United States of America
We sincerely wish you had contacted us so that we could've helped you.
#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, June 08, 2012
Dear KyCar,
We wish you had contacted us regarding your dissatisfaction so that we could answer any questions you may have had with your purchase. We're sorry that you feel that you have been taken advantage of, but had you contacted our office or been aware of our terms and conditions , you would have found that we offer a 30 day money back guarantee of all asset items. If you are still within the 30 day time frame you are welcome to return the items.
In answer to your complaints:
In regards to GLA, Gemological Laboratory of America is a independent third party appraisal company located in Los Angeles. They have been in business for numerous years and are one of two appraisal companies that we utilize. The gemologists at GLA are graduates of Gemological Institute of America. GIA is the foremost authority in gemology and grading. If asked I'm
sure GLA would have no problems providing graduate documentation to you.
As you mentioned in your complaint the appraisals are for insurance purposes and are categorized as "Retail Replacement Value" appraisals. What this means is that these appraisals are valued a bit more and reflect the price you would pay to replace the item for insurance purposes. It is not the discounted price that you pay for an item. We make no secret of this type of appraisal and in fact all the asset items are listed as such in numerous places.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call our office at: 661-823-1543
Paul Sabesky