GovDeals.com and bad item descriptions

[FireFighterHill]

So I bought two panasonic toughbooks through govdeals. I get them home and they dont match the specs as advertised. This is after spending an hour waiting for them to find a missing battery when I went to pick it up. Im not happy returning them for a refund would cost me another tank of gas and another 5 bucks in tolls.

By the way the one was advertised as a 1.8ghz and it has a 1.06ghz and the other was advertised as 1.0ghz and it has a 700mhz processor. These are BIG differences in processing power.

 

[spartan_185]

What models were you tricked into buying? It sounds as if they mistook two CF-28s as CF-29s. I have two CF-29s with the 1.6g processors. They make great mechanics computers.

 

[FireFighterHill]

They are cf-72's There are about 5 different processors, chipsets, and graphics combos for the cf-72.

Im just pissed that I drove 280 miles round trip and paid almost 10 dollars on the toll roads to get there and one was missing the battery, waited around an hour for IT guy to get back from lunch to find a battery. Then I get them home and fired up and they arent as specified.

So what do I do now? If I return them im out almost 80 dollars in gas and tolls not to mention 8-10 hours of wasted time I could have spent working making money instead of taking off work to pick up these laptops during business hours.

It wouldnt even be such a big deal if these CPU's could be upgraded, but they cant they are soldered to the MOBO. Not to mention the 1.8ghz model is a P4 mobile and these are both P3's

Think they would give me a partial refund?

 

[spartan_185]

You might check your auction page to see what kind of guarantee they give about misrepresentation. Most of the IT equipment I see on GovDeals comes with a clause like " any claim of misrepresentation must be made before removal of equipment." Coming from the IT field in the government sector, I can truthfully say that this kind of mix up doesn't surprise me. Ive seen the government order hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of incorrect, or incompatible equipment. Even worse, order the right stuff, and never figure out how to utilize it.

 

[FireFighterHill]

Yeah, you are right I might be SOL. I would not have been able to even tell what processor was in them when picking them up because the batteries were dead and there were no power cords. So even though the terms and conditions state

"Description Warranty. Seller warrants to the Buyer that the property offered for sale will conform to its description. Any claim for misdescription must be made prior to removal of the property. If Seller confirms that the property does not conform to the description, Seller will keep the property and refund any money paid. The liability of City of Palm Bayshall not exceed the actual purchase price of the property. Please note that upon removal of the property, all sales are final."

I dont think its right that they sell something with no way to verify before leaving. Thats like a bait and switch scam. I was unable to verify what CPU was inside until charging them up and installing Windows XP. The model and serial number alone wont verify absolutly what is installed.

 

[FireFighterHill]

I guess im just banking on the fact that there is still honest and fair individuals out there who will admit there mistakes and make it right and who are willing to compromise so that I do not lose out any money for something that is in no way my mistake.

 

[spartan_185]

I was unable to verify what CPU was inside until charging them up and installing Windows XP. The model and serial number alone wont verify absolutly what is installed.

Yeah, I doubt the dead battery status, and missing battery just happened by chance. I figure they didn't even look into verifying what was actually in those things. They probably found a comparable model on eBay, and just cut and pasted the specs. For future endeavors into tough-book buying, (if your into these notebooks) Try and find a model number nomenclature sheet. Something like here
You should be able to decipher what each PC has for hardware. Its a good cheat sheet to take with you when examining lots. I kinda got into the ultra rugged notebooks for a while(kinda reflects on my choice in vehicles too!)

 

[goldneagle]

Yeah, you are right I might be SOL. I would not have been able to even tell what processor was in them when picking them up because the batteries were dead and there were no power cords. So even though the terms and conditions state

"Description Warranty. Seller warrants to the Buyer that the property offered for sale will conform to its description. Any claim for misdescription must be made prior to removal of the property. If Seller confirms that the property does not conform to the description, Seller will keep the property and refund any money paid. The liability of City of Palm Bayshall not exceed the actual purchase price of the property. Please note that upon removal of the property, all sales are final."

I dont think its right that they sell something with no way to verify before leaving. Thats like a bait and switch scam. I was unable to verify what CPU was inside until charging them up and installing Windows XP. The model and serial number alone wont verify absolutly what is installed.

I would still contact them and give them the info. They may do something for you since there is no way to verify the items with dead batteries. It will not hurt to try!

 

[FireFighterHill]

Yes I do know the site is ran in part by GL. But you are dealing with citys and counties in person not GL employees. They seemed nice when I was there and apologized for the missing battery. If I can get them to cut me a check for between 50-80 bucks refund I will be happy.

Being as they are so underpowered I can not use them for my intended purpose and they will most likey end up as a DVD players on car trips to keep kids happy.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

That's why I hesitated from buying from Govdeals for computers. But press for "not as advertised" and see what you get.

 

[papercu]

Yeah, you are right I might be SOL.

There is ALWAYS that risk when you buy surplus.
That is why companies that sell this stuff put disclaimers like the the ones you quoted on items they sell.
A inspection would go a long way in determining price, NO inspection = lower price.
Seems like these days some people equal surplus as just like going into a store buying retail. Wayne

 

[papercu]

dealing with another division of GL

You mean because of Liquidation.com?
I think Liquidation.com is just a site that list companies that sell surplus. Kind of a ebay for surplus. Seller Help - Liquidation.com
More on GovDeals GovDeals Online Auction Services Program
Wayne

 

[FrankUSMC]

The last item I bought off Govdeals I got GREAT service. You are NOT dealing with GL, you are dealing with the town, or who ever is selling the item.
When I went to pick up my item, the girl told me were is was, as it was not at the town hall but one of the garages. When I showed up at the town hall to pay for the item, the girl had went during her lunch break to the garage and picked up the very heavy item. After I payed she helped me unload it from her pick up to mine.
Give them a call there is a very good chance they will refund you your money or help you.
One of the few, Frank USMC RET

 

[FireFighterHill]

Unless they refund me my gas and tolls it cost me to pick up and return the items its not worth it to return it. By the time I return them for a refund I will be out almost half what I paid for the items. Im hoping they will give me a partial refund of the purchase price.

 

[Mike Hopper]

Buyerbeware

[h=4]Fraud[/h]Purchased car from City of Fleminsburg, KY. Auction listed it as Working and Running. Got down there and found out battery switched and fuel pump broken - not working. Went back to sheriff and then the Mayor to get money back right then and there with no luck. Other surprises down the road I found.
Make sure you turn car on before handing anybody the money. Don't think a sheriff or mayor of any town are honest in the least.
Called govdeals to report them but they could care less - Got me no where.

 

[patracy]

Fraud

Purchased car from City of Fleminsburg, KY. Auction listed it as Working and Running. Got down there and found out battery switched and fuel pump broken - not working. Went back to sheriff and then the Mayor to get money back right then and there with no luck. Other surprises down the road I found.
Make sure you turn car on before handing anybody the money. Don't think a sheriff or mayor of any town are honest in the least.
Called govdeals to report them but they could care less - Got me no where.

Was the auction listed as is? Did you inspect it before you bid? Doesn't sound like you inspected it before paying.

 

[Recovry4x4]

If anyone can show anywhere on the Govdeal site or any other site that any of the stuff is guaranteed to do what it was designed to do, I would appreciate it. Be more informed people, it's an auction of surplus items. The agency didn't want them for some reason.

 

[patracy]

If anyone can show anywhere on the Govdeal site or any other site that any of the stuff is guaranteed to do what it was designed to do, I would appreciate it. Be more informed people, it's an auction of surplus items. The agency didn't want them for some reason.

You mean those stories of brand new in the crate jeeps for $25 isn't true?

 

[steelypip]

Speaking generically about buying computer hardware surplus: there tend to be very specific model configurations, and they can vary significantly with things like a letter suffix. For example, the laptop I got for my kid to do schoolwork on is a Panasonic Toughbook CF-W7. Sounds pretty specific, right? Not as much as you'd hope: actually a significant difference between a CF-W7B and a CF-W7D. In the case of the toughbooks, you actually have to read the serial number to get the submodel. I believe there are at least three variants of the CF-52, for instance.

Lenovos and IBMs are similar-the four digit suffix to the model number can make the difference between a hot rod and a slug of the same general configuration.

If you're buying sight unseen, don't pay any more than you would for the least valuable system of that size, shape, and visible model number. Just as with an MV, I wouldn't assume that one or two of any type computer in a lot work whether or not they are claimed to in the advertisement. And the only way you can be sure of what you're getting, aside from visually inspecting the lot yourself, is to see a photo of the model/serial sticker and look it up yourself.

It's like the difference between a deuce with a Gold Comet (gasser) and a deuce (A3) with the Caterpillar engine. Both are deuces. Both are M-35s. To the uninformed eye they look a lot alike, but they're completely different trucks.