Swoggi penny auction site or scam?

JDills

It's not a scam, I agree, its because people are bidding against each other, for example:
Person A: Won auction by bidding £90
Person B: Didn't win but bid £89
Person C: Didn't win but bid £60

So total it they would of got £239, for something that cost £150. Its a clever business, but not a scam, just people need more common sense.

ms_e_u

JDills wrote: »

It's not a scam, I agree, its because people are bidding against each other, for example:
Person A: Won auction by bidding £90
Person B: Didn't win but bid £89
Person C: Didn't win but bid £60

So total it they would of got £239, for something that cost £150. Its a clever business, but not a scam, just people need more common sense.

After trying swoggi with free bids on thin air I find "smart" comments like yours very distasteful. It is made against all 5 pages of SCAMMED people...

Have some decency!

chancesare_2

ms_e_u wrote: »

After trying swoggi with free bids on thin air I find "smart" comments like yours very distasteful. It is made against all 5 pages of SCAMMED people...

Have some decency!

You registered to post that? Really?

If you find that comment distasteful, you might want to hang around some more….:D

FangSword

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

I'm wondering if anyone actually believes this sort of thing:

People are expected to believe that the person concerned signed up to Swoggi and won the first two items they bid on, getting a £400+ ipad for £57 and an ipad air for £91.

can't unfortunately copy the link, but basically the link Shaun commented

Shaun, this is the same website which I heard about swoggi from, I believe it to be a scam, after going on this website I signed up for an account with swoggi but I then saw the page asking me to buy credits. So I then did a google search for "is swoggi a scam" and I came across this forum with many saying to stay away from it, I then went back onto my swoggi account and cancelled my account without giving them any extra details about me, or credit card details, or paypal details, so beware of this website which Sean also came across as this is a scam promoting a scam! I feel bad for all those who have lost money through this, keep fighting to try and get it back! I have got into a routine of always double checking websites like these which sound to be good to be true, as most of them are! If it wasn't for double checking swoggi then I would of been scammed as well, it is sad that some people do things like this to scam people out of money, so if you see this forum while thinking about signing up to them then don't, it is a complete scam!

thewad

Madbid isn't a scam read JDills post.
I have actually won something for about 33% of it's retail price but was probably lucky.
At just over £40 that means there was over 4000 bids for the item.
At approximately 7p per bid that's at least £280 they took.

ballisticbrian

Madbid isn't a scam read JDills post.
I have actually won something for about 33% of it's retail price but was probably lucky.
At just over £40 that means there was over 4000 bids for the item.
At approximately 7p per bid that's at least £280 they took.

If it's not a scam, why are there so many confused people on here who sincerely believe they've been misled and their money as good as stolen?


Even I can't tell by glancing at the site whether it's a shopping / gaming or gambling site and I'm a qualified IT security expert.

RHemmings

I think that sites like Madbid and Swoggi show us why we need consumer protection in law. As clearly people do fall for scams and false or misleading advertising. I don't believe that everyone who fell for it is stupid or an idiot. In hindsight the scams are obvious, but when you come across a scam that you haven't seen before, it's easier to fail to notice the warning signs and fall for it.

BTW: I haven't fallen for the penny auction site scams. But that doesn't make me feel smug or superior to those who have.

soolin

I am amazed that Madbid in particular get away with their current TV adverts- I believe the ads to be misleading and frankly give the completely wrong impression about what this site is.

People should register a complaint with the ASA

http://www.asa.org.uk/

Edit: They have already had 4 complaints against them upheld (one only partially) so come on, get those complaints in - if everyone who posted on here complained at least once they would perhaps investigate the ads again.

http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications.aspx?SearchTerms=Madbid#results

RHemmings

The ASA has no teeth. They rely on the good will of advertisers to follow their directives. If advertisers don't, the ASA can do little more than put them on the naughty step. Scroll down, some of those advertisers have been ignoring the ASA for years with no comeback. While in theory the ASA can refer uncooperative advertisers to Trading Standards who can pursue the matter, this tends not to happen.

That's one way in which Madbid (etc.) can 'get away with it'. By simply ignoring the ASA.

There comes a point where complaining again to the ASA is not enough (though it won't hurt). If companies just ignore the ASA, then it may be time to write letters to your local MPs asking for better consumer protection from misleading advertising.

Gingernutty

JDills wrote: »

It's not a scam, I agree, its because people are bidding against each other, for example:
Person A: Won auction by bidding £90
Person B: Didn't win but bid £89
Person C: Didn't win but bid £60

So total it they would of got £239, for something that cost £150. Its a clever business, but not a scam, just people need more common sense.

At an auction, if I put in a bid, that means I'm prepared to pay that amount of money if no one bids any higher than me.

I don't expect to pay to lose.

Person B did not bid £89, he/she paid £89 and got nothing.

Person C did not bid £60, he/she also paid £60 and got nothing.

That's not how an auction works.

Even ebay works more fairly than that.