GOBID'S UNPROFESSIONAL BUSINESS PRACTICES AND FALSE AND MISLEADING ADVERTI*****TS

Gobid is an Auction Company that lacks integrity, engages in unfair business practices, including publishing misleading information on salvage vehicles that they auction. In brief, they operate as a **** and cannot be trusted when dealing with them. I had two unpleasant and trust eroding encounters with them: 1. After registering and paying the required bidding registration fees with them somewhere in last year December, I joined an online bidding session with them. I did not lock my phone before putting it into my pocket. In the process, I touched the screen and accepted a bid in error. Having realised the error, I immediately phoned the sales team and asked that they should cancel my bid and that it was made in error. The sales team told me that they would do so after the bidding is closed on that item. I also sent them the same cancellation request by email. No bidder offered a higher price above my own and so, Gobid declared me as the winner despite my subsequent cancellation requests. My R5,000 pre-bid deposit was therefore seized as a consequence. 2. In July 2026, I bought a salvage vehicle that GoBid advertised as a "Starter" vehicle amongst other attributes of the vehicle. When the vehicle was delivered on 3 August 2026, we found the car to be a non-starter. I had to hire a tow truck to pull the car off the delivery truck. I subsequently wrote to GoBid detailing the condition of the vehicle and emphasising that their advert misled me into buying a non-starter vehicle as a vehicle that is starting. I therefore requested them to choose any of the two options I offered them for us to resolve the challenge and make the vehicle drivable- i. They should send their own mechanic to go, check, and start the vehicle or ii. They should contribute R15,000 to supplement the cost of diagnosing and fixing the no-starter problem of the car. My projected cost breakdowns are- the towing cost to and back from the nearest Mercedes Benz workshop to do diagnostic test to detect what is preventing the car from starting, the cost of the diagnostic analysis, after-market replacement parts and labour cost of the repairs. Gobid, responded to me with a counter-offer of R5,000 which I rejected. For the sake of a quick resolution of the matter, I sent them an email on 19 August 2026 of my willingness to accept a minimum of R10,000 compensation or else they should send their mechanic to go and start the vehicle at where the vehicle is parked in Pretoria and pay me nothing. On this same day, I requested them in writing to send me an electronic copy of the advert upon which I placed my bid. I sent several reminders thereafter for this information, and they would not respond to me. In conclusion, GoBid comes across as an ************* and an unprofessional business that operates as a ****. Anyone doing business with them does so at his own RISK and I will NEVER do business with them again. I would have scored them a ZERO Star if it were available. I have meanwhile lodged a complaint against them with the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa (MIOSA)