Keys Auctions Reviews 35

I sold two successful lots with keys with no issues but after that it was just a headache. Lack of information, lack of communication, wasted journeys, items which I watched sell live then to be told they didn't sell with no explanation but still charged fees. Reserves placed on items when I had specifically requested no reserves meaning no sales but still charged fees. Item held for months and not put into an auction. I then contacted them to complain, had a really nice email back saying they would look into it, received a payment back for 'some' of the failures but despite two follow up emails, no further contact received from them. Very very disappointing experience and will not use again or recommend to anyone.

I purchase regular from numerous auctioneers and these people are a complete waste of time. Phoned up and requested postage to be added to my invoice, to be informed by some stroppy woman that they are recently stopped packing themselves. This is despite them stating that they use parcel force on a well known auction platform. Can even update their own details! read other reviews on Google etc, absolutely useless

To be honest words fail me with disappointment I have felt in what I had always thought was a well run established respectful family business. The way I felt was totally let down and then to be literally insulted in a telephone conversation with no thought to my feelings from a senior member of the staff. What has happened to courtesy and helpfulness and efficiency?I guess it has gone forever.

What a grubby little company. I won an auction for what was described as "a large box of war comics and others" with one picture showing the top of a large box which I took from their description to be full of the comics as described. I had asked them in advance to supply me with further details and photos of the Lot/comics but this was ignored (I now realise why...). After paying £25 P&P on top to them (and waiting 3 weeks for the box to be delivered) the parcel arrived today. Instead of the box of Battle and War comics I was expecting the Lot actually consisted of about 40 comics, many worn and damaged, along with 6kg worth underneath of old AA Handbooks, giveaway road maps, old town and city guides and various other junk ephemera that they had deliberately hidden under the comics. They haven't responded yet to my complain that this Lot was totally misrepresented and to be honest I don't expect them to (certainly not in a positive way). If you are thinking of bidding online with them (sight unseen of what you are considering bidding on) then I suggest you do yourself a favour and don't bid.
This is not a business that can be trusted in the slightest.
You have been warned - bid at their auctions unseen at your peril!

If you require shipping then “Keys” offers only two shipping companies, which you must contact yourself. The shipping itself is very expensive, especially if you do not live in UK.
However, if you won the bid and decided not to purchase the item, they store your lot for couple of days and then get rid of it, and it gets “better” after: they take money from your bank account without your permission (+VAT, +5gbp for storage/day). So in the end you’re left without the items and with your money STOLEN from you. They refuse to return the money, quote “when you won the bid the deal was made”. I have participated in different auctions which did not take your money from you if you receive 0. This is an absolute scam

Please do not ever deal with this auction house, it has too many issues and nothing is organized apart from bidding, you’ll put too much effort.

Sold my items and NEVER gave me my money. Would not answer the phone or respond to emails. Then I see them on Antiques Road Trip being oh so helpful. What a bunch of crooks

Don't use this auction house took three items in to be sold in September. No communication don't bother to answer the phone or respond to emails They said that that items where in auction but I know that they were not as I check the online catalogue. They said items had been unsold and what be in next sale. Then they told me one item had been sold but I have never received . money they now say that they can't find my clock .they said they would be InTouch but still waiting thinking that trading standards might have to get involved I am disgusted with lack of communication the customer services is apling

Worst auction house I ever experienced in regards to selling items.
Valuations are very slow to the point I had to withdraw item. Was then told/ forced to take other items out of the auction.
Treated rudely and disrespectfully as we're my items.
Poor customer service and a culture of protecting those in charge.
Have not followed up my complaint.

Unreliable, unhelpful, unprofessional, and unwilling to respond to customers. Very disappointed.

Fairly dreadful experience selling through this organisation.
Arranged for a large number of items to be collected from my late parent's house in July 2020. The removal firm used were excellent.
The administration my the auction house has been dreadful. Aware that there were a number of items that had not appeared on the sale lists I had to resort to searching through their online lists of past auctions and eventually found at least 15 lots which had been sold and we had never received notification or financial settlement for. I have now been in dispute with the company for over two months. It is now two weeks since I managed to get a response from the owner who agreed to pay the outstanding account however I am still waiting to receive the cheque.
At best this organisation's administration is incompetent, at worst it is committing fraud. They clearly deal with a large number of house clearances and it would be very easy to miss a few sold items from the seller's account.

Happy to say my one experience with this auction house was in the main positive. Certainly they took the greatest care with the packaging and dispatch of some rather costly porcelain; and it arrived exactly one week after the auction. Email communication could have been better and swifter; but hopefully they’ll address that side of things. Overall quite happy.

Absolutely brilliant service as always. Whatever SHARON WHITE gets paid is not enough; she is efficient, kind, thoughtful and now doing all she can to get the parcel to me for a set date. Service is nothing less than beyond reproach!!

The worst auction house ever. I bought a painting and I have tried to contact them after paying for it to organise transport. They wouldn’t reply to emails and phone calls. Eventually somebody did answer and said they would deal with it.....nothing. Absolutely no response whatsoever. Here I am months later out of pocket and no painting.
These people must be voided at all costs.

How this

AVOID. The worst auction house we have ever encountered!
Awful service, zero communication. We took in a number of lots for their 'so-called' birds and natural history sale. We asked whether natural history books, original wall art (together with excellent framed prints) and bird plates would be suitable, yes they said. later, without the informing us, they changed the sale to natural history and country pursuits (or something similar) and chose to not put ANY of our items into the sale; instead they were spread around various general sales. One item was wrongly catalogued and so did not sell, another they placed a ridiculous reserve on we did not ask for, it did not sell (they had the cheek to try and charge us for the unrequested reserve); the artwork which was all bought from other 'quality' sales in East Anglia at a cost well in excess of £150, sold for £6 only. They never apologise, they never accept responsibility for their mistakes. Never ever again will I attend this auction house.

I saw I piece of Porcelain that I quite liked in one of their recent auctions, so having received the condition report for it (Which was perfect) I bought the lot number. When receiving the verbal condition report, I was advised that Keys now operate their own in-house packing to reduce the burden of costs charged by the likes of Mailbox etc. On paying for the lot number, I asked about postage and was charged an additional £25.00. I asked that all paperwork i.e. invoice, paid receipts etc could be put in parcel and to notify me when to expect the goods or when it had been dispatched.
Parcelforce delivered this morning, no notification from Keys that it was on its way as I was advised would happen. The box was sealed, on opening, no paperwork and a severe lack of packing. Naturally I was a little alarmed at the quantity of padding used but it was nothing to the disappointment I felt when I unrolled the bubble wrap, the main protection to find my piece broken. The box contained some shredded old A4 pieces of filing paper and my now 'broken' porcelain just rolled in bubble wrap. The shredded papers were insufficient to pad the parcel to protect from damage. It would appear that in haste, the figure had been rolled in a sheet of bubble wrap, placed in the box and then shredded filing placed around it.
My advice would be, if you do buy anything from Keys Auctioneers, go the whole hog (As I was prepared to do) and get professionals in i.e. Mailbox. It'll cost you more but it'll have a better chance of getting to you in one piece.