Mock Auctions/Here today, gone tomorrow cheap electrical goods

anewman

There seems to be an epidemic of these types of sales. I thought it might be a good idea to make a thread specifically for these so they can be discussed within the same thread, and the thread can also serve as a warning to anyone who may have seen and considered going to one of these places. (Maybe sticky??)

If you see any such sales please report them to the following website -
Rip-off Tip-off - Mock-Auctions or 'One day Sales'... (thanks to hollydays)

They have popped up in the following threads -

• Stock clearance at HILTON HOTEL!
• Leeds City Centre - Bargain Bazaar
• Dodgy shop on Oxford Street selling £20 iPods

(If you spot anymore PM me and I'll add to the list.)

Overview

People are lured in with amazingly cheap advertised prices for expensive electrcal goods, and then scammed.

Fuller description

These shops open up in unused shops in City Centres, and sometimes use the exhibition facilities of what at face value may appear to be a reputable place (for example in the link above, The Hilton). They promise cheap electrical goods both in the windows and often in a (usually photocopied) leaflet. They tend to have a poorly made shop sign and photocopied pieces of coloured paper advertising the "amazing" prices.

Examples of such offerings are as follows -

• XBox 360 £50
• Ipods £20
• Sony PSP's £50
• and so on....

These sales tend to vary but run along a general theme which goes somewhat as follows.

There is often a prearranged sale time where customers are let into the shop. In go the customers and the doors close behind the customers. There is often an array of electrical equipment boxes displayed. A mock auction will follow where good things are "sold" to people the salesman knows in the crowd at astonishingly low prices. They may demonstrate that these are complete and fully working, in an attempt to be more convincing.

With the customers mesmerised at someone apparently getting an XBox 360 for £200 less than it is around the corner, and other such bargains, they will then go on to sell either non-working goods, boxes with bricks in, and possibly occasionally stolen goods. Or more often they will sell lower value items and claim the value of these is higher than it really is and sell them for much more than you would get them elsewhere.

Invariably these types of places will open for a day or in some cases a week or two, then close. Sales are cash only and sometimes the organisers also engage in pickpocketing during the sale.

Legality of these sales

I have seen these shops pop up again and again over the years in Leeds and I recognise the same people stood outside them. If they were illegal it is likely that they would be in jail or have been in jail and dissuaded from conducting such sales. My guess is these people travel the country looking for new places to set up shop and scam people.

I am unclear myself on the legality of these sales. As far as I know, mock auctions in themselves are technically illegal. However, these sales in themselves possibly skirt around the law, remaining legal. People pay more than the value of goods willingly, or pay for the contents of a black binliner not knowing what is inside willingly. The whole charade is to persuade people to part with money. While misleading, as the law stands it presumably is not yet illegal, hence the number of places doing this.

Final word

These sales vary in their presentation, what is actually sold and for what price. At the heart of all these type of sales is a psychological trick to get people to pay more than something is worth.

You are highly unlikely to get any of the goods shown at the advertised price and it is higly likely to be a waste of your time and money. You are strongly advised to stay away from such places and avoid all temptation.

hollydays

consumer direct have a section about them.Also one for traders,who find themselves hosting them.Consumer direct have an email facility called rip-off tip-off.

angelatgraceland

They realy are a ripoff. They charge you at the door to start with in many cases so people feel they have to buy something to justify the entrance fee. Its all cheap tack-not the stuff they advertise at all-buy the box for a tenner and you tak a chance what is inside-it if they get enough people fall for it ONE of them will be lucky and get the actual item! People in the place posing as Joe public who are buying but actualy work for the company-a few show interest(set ups)and the rest follow like sheep. well thats the whole idea! Keep away from them They should never be allowed to be called auctions as they are NOT auctions.

gyzmo

The website for your local Trading Standards department will (or should) also have a "ripoff tipoff" section, as well as a news and alerts section dedicated to your area.

wlf

There is a chapter in the book 'The Hard Sell' by Colin Clark & Trevor Pinch, which is probably the most accurate(and maybe only) account of exactly how these 'auctions' actually work.

Very interesting reading, it is a very elaborate scam with several stages.

One of the things that most astounded me was that in some cases they actually sell peoples money back to them(!)

gyzmo

There are unfortunately ways of circumventing the Mock Auctions Acts, and these crims, the experienced ones, know it.

New regulations are soon to be introduced which will hopefully simplify consumer protecton laws and be more wide-reaching than existing legislation.

geo555

"The Real Hustle" did a "mock auction" in their latest edition.
Basically, all the good stuff, iPods, mobiles etc, get sold to plants in the audience, the rest get to buy the !!!!!! watches, cameras and aftershave.

This edition can be seen on BBC 3 tonight (7th Oct) at 9.05 and again on Sunday night at 11.25