Skiatook Auction Service LLC

Being new to the area, we learned about the Skiatook Auction, so decided to go, as we need to furnish our new home. On 8/1/11 we went to the auction house & purchased what was advertised the night of the auction as a brand new mattress set from this auction house. Normally you get to view the items before you bid on them, however in this instance, the mattress set was blocked by large, heavy furniture, so we couldn’t inspect it beforehand. They were still wrapped in the factory plastic. The auctioneer reported that the mattresses were all brand new, obtained from an insurance settlement from a truck that had tipped over. Since we were told they were brand new, we figured they’d be in pretty good shape (like scratch & dent). When we got them home & unwrapped them, we found the top mattress had mildew & black mold all over it. I had called the auction house twice & left messages, asking them to return my call. No one did. I called again on Monday, Aug 8 & spoke to Richard. I explained the situation to him, and asked if we could get a replacement.  Richard informed me that purchases are “as is” & that there were no other mattresses. That was not the truth, because their website this very day had pictures of that nights items & there were mattresses in those pictures.  Shame on us for not insisting on being able to take the plastic off & see the mattresses prior to buying. However, one would assume when they are told something is brand new (even at an auction house) that the item would not be mildewed & moldy. (Lesson learned-don’t assume anything!). We do understand “as is”, but selling mildewed & moldy items as brand new is deceptive. Shame on you Richard at Skiatook Auction, because not only did he tell me no, but he had the nerve to inform me that if I wanted to bring the mattress back, in the plastic as a consignment, he would try to sell it for me, so I could try to recoup some of my loss.  Really, Richard?!?! So, not only would he profit from our $135 but also whatever he could get for reselling the same item again. I have scruples, and would never sell a moldy mattress to someone when I don’t want a moldy mattress in my own  house. Yes, it is our fault for not insisting on them moving the heavy furniture beforehand so we could see the mattresses, but a little community goodwill would go a long way in keeping customers satisfied & coming back. Goodwill…Shame on you Richard & Skiatook Auction. You have just lost a customer. A perfect example of goodwill…I recently purchased an air mattress from a liquidator in Sapulpa. When I got it home & aired it up, it had a leak in it. I called them & told them about the leak and they said “please, bring it back & we’ll be happy to let you pick out another one”. They have a no return, no refund policy, but they wanted to keep us coming back…Goodwill! The only reason I did not give Skiatook Auction an “F” is because of our not insisting on them moving the heavy furniture so we could see the mattresses (I will take the blame on that).