I began dealing with the Copart broker "A Better Bid" (ABB) in April 2023.
I made several calls (on a recorded line) and sent emails to the broker regarding specifics on purchasing and purchasing specific lot numbers.
I asked questions regarding the ownership documents I need for the state in which the vehicle would be titled.
I was told multiple times that these three documents would be provided (BOS, Certificate, Appraisal) and I would be able to receive these legal documents that I would need in order to purchase.
In my state, these three are all required by law.
Additionally, ABB approved my user account which stated the state and purpose of the account.
There are multiple attempts where ABB could have declined, blocked purchases, raised concerns, etc. however none were made and I made several confirmations.
After the lot was won, I asked for the confirmation of the ownership documents.
I understand the Bill of Sale (BOS) is provided after payment, and the Certificate would be many weeks after payment, that's fine. However, the Appraisal Document is immediate and can even be received before the sale in some cases.
As you can tell, I have experience in these dealings and never had any issues when purchasing direct without a broker involved.
These three documents were confirmed to have existed (and the insurance document legally has to be created for all salvage vehicles to change the title to salvage to begin with) and I was informed multiple times I would be able to get the BOS and Appraisal immediately and the certificate later on.
I emailed later the same day the lot was won and asked for two of the documents to be forwarded for my review. ABB said they do not have them and after many attempts they still have been unable to provide these documents. This is the broker's job. To broker the deal, which they have failed. ABB has made some sly attempts to try and get me to give them the payment and hold the vehicle so they could try and charge me extra fees on top of the purchase even. I saw through this and declined.
Upon reviewing the BOS, they have additional "extra" charges outside of what is stated such as a gate fee (not picking up so does not apply), a mailing fee (I don't see this listed in the fees list), and a bidder fee (which is already included in the Copart Buyer fee but they are attempting to sneak it in there twice).
After noticing this breach of trust, mis-use of financial information, repeated failures and lack of communication, I promptly requested the purchase be cancelled as I won't be legally allowed to own this vehicle without the ownership documents nor would I want to continue to deal with a company that has these many issues, and a "F" rating on the Better Business Bureau. We are going on day three now since I informed ABB of my cancellation of the purchase and contract obligations. ABB is still not cancelling the purchase and continues to try and avoid responsibilities. They are operating under illegal business practices.
ABB has also made an attempt to charge 15% [$2,475] (and now they are deciding to change that to 20% [$3,300]) of the final bid amount [$16,500]. Copart's cancellation fee is 10% which is [$1,650] for this lot. Both prices are of course are high, however there is no sound business or ethical reason as to why the cancellation charge would be any different then what Copart has listed in the TOS. Doesn't matter if you're a Broker or not, this is simply unethical business practice to try and double the cancellation charge as well as change it on the spot. Copart needs to intervene. Additionally, I should not be responsible for any cancellation fees, as it's not the customers job to procure the ownership documents. As I mentioned before, ABB stated on record they would have these documents for me by the deadline which I required, and they did not, and still do not have them.
After spending several weeks since the start of my interactions, it's extremely apparent how inconsistent the emails are. I have plenty of examples where one day ABB will tell me one thing, and the next day it's completely different. One day they say you can cancel a purchase, the next day you cannot. One day something costs this much, next day it's completely different.
ABB has made countless business errors that could end up costing customers thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. ABB should not be allowed to remain as a broker and legal action will have to be taken if the deposit amount that ABB is holding hostage is not returned. read more