I do quite a bit of auction buying for a side business I run selling collectibles. Earlier today, I went to pick up an item from an estate auction I had won online that, and after some difficulty finding the home where the sale was located, I called the contact number given in the sale information, and I had the distinct displeasure of speaking to Bill Howze, the owner of Renaissance Auctions.
This was the rudest treatment I have EVER received in a decade and a half of dealing with auctioneers. From the second he picked up the phone, Mr. Howze adopted an incredibly condescending and haughty attitude, acting like I was an idiot for not finding the house.
Apparently, the Google Maps and Waze information for the location of the house, as well as the map provided by his own appointment signup service was inaccurate, leading to an address with as similar number in a different part of the development, about a block and a half away from where the pickup location was located. Mr. Howze admitted to KNOWING this fact and failed to mention it in either the original listing or ANY of the communications sent out after the auctions.
What's more, he went on and lied to my face that he had previously provided both detailed directions and a notice that the GPS would be inaccurate. I have reviewed both the original listing and ALL communications received afterward, and the extent of the directions given were merely the street address and instructions to pull around into the common parking area in the back, with absolutely zero instructions of how to find the home upon entering the maze-like suburban development where the home was located.
Incidentally, the incorrect location on GPS ALSO has such a common area with similar numbering, an easy and obvious source of confusion. I continued to drive around looking for the correct house, and when I indicated to Mr. Howze the names of the streets on the intersection, ONE block away from where the actual sale was, he told me he had "no idea where that was."
Frustrated, I eventually hung up on him and managed to finally find the correct location myself. Upon arrival, I told him I did not appreciate his attitude, and he intimated that he was not going to release the item to me. I informed him we had a contract, and that I would be happy to pay for the item and never deal with him again, upon which he repeatedly called me a "jerk" while processing my payment.
So much for customer service.
Notably, I would like to point out that the other gentleman who was working with Mr. Howze was QUITE polite and professional, making sure the lot I was picking up was complete and wishing me a good day when I left. So it's not like he does not like he lacks a handy example of basic professionalism.
The laugh's on him, though, as I am currently preparing an auction of items from the substantial estate of a relative who recently passed away, and his had been one of the houses I had been considering due to his proximity and potential convenience. He can now kiss any chance of the mid-five figures of commissions he would have been likely to have received. I've dealt with most of the auction houses in both Berks and Lancaster County, and in the future would prefer to deal with ANY of them rather than Renaissance. read more
