GovPlanet, one short day a week pickup times, Anyone else having this problem???

[Tornadogt]

I have been noticing that several lots, some On-base and some off-base, are only open for pick up one day a week and it is a short day 9am-1or2pm. I have 2 HWWMVs in a private lot in Texarkana (not New Boston, or RRAD) and am being told the only pickup time is Mondays 9am-2pm. I is making it hard to setup a transporter. I only mention this because Fort Hood also have the same time restraints, Gatesville(north Ft Hood) is only Wednesday 9am-2pm, Ft Hood(south) is only Thursday (9am-2pm). Also it would seem the main GovPlanet office has no idea on what lots these items are on, I have spoke with the site managers and they say they send all the information to the main office but it does not get relayed to the auction listings. I have been told the Zip code on the auctions are correct even if the city/base name maybe wrong, but that also is not correct. I know each Site Manager is responsible for several lots at several locations, some of these items it can be 30-50 miles from where they are listed in the sales. Is this common in other locations, states??

The auctions say to call and schedule pickup times, but how are you suppose to do that when they don't even know where the items are? Are we suppose to call, then get relayed to the site manager, on every item we maybe interested in to find out if it is a 1 day a week pickup location?

I guess what it all comes down to and my question is, Is GovPlanet understaffed or do they not care about the difficulties and expense it causes there customers? Does Govplanet have plans to help their customers in these areas?

 

[98G]

I've had the same experiences from TX to as far as the east coast (Ft Bragg).

I'll add that although the sites are only open 1 day per week and only 4 hours or so on that day that GP still considers Monday-Friday to be business days for purposes of calculation of your 8 day window. In other words you have but one or two opportunities for pickup without going beyond the allotted timeframe.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

I'm guesstimating that GP is doing an internal reshuffle since they're soon going to be a part of the Ritchie-Bro's family. "Understaffed" may be seen as "cost effective" from their view point but not keeping track of where items are being stored has no excuse. I had a M101 that was purchased at RRAD, updated to New Boston, and actually located in Texarkana. To get this picked up it required ME to relay the information between their office and yard manager. It's not my job unless I'm getting paid for it and I'm not holding my breath for that.

 

[98G]

I took a flatbed from OKC to Ft Bragg to pick up three M105A2 trailers. Upon arrival, I find that one of the three is actually at Camp Lejeune and that it'll be five days before Camp Lejeune's single pick up window.

Granted, GP refunded me the purchase price of the M105A2 (after a couple of months), but the costs of the trip are now spread over two trailers instead of three.

I can't count the number of times Jwade has had to intervene to make something right. I fear for the outcomes now that he won't be available....

 

[rhurey]

Sounds like a YMMV problem.

The juts at JBLM have been great so far at the pickups I've done. Really flexible hours.

 

[155mm]

IMO if you are going to charge me storage fees after 8 business days, then you should be open for pickup during those 8 business day. I am not saying you have to have a body on site 5 days a week, but be AVAILABLE to load 5 days, or heck, 4 days a week.

 

[rhurey]

Yeah.. GL pulls the "Must pickup within 10 business days from invoice. MTuW only."

If you're not open, it's not a business day for you.

 

[Mspike]

Has anyone actually been charged storage fees? Having the same issues at Fort Hood and the site manager has been pretty accommodating for my shipper and even offered to allow pick up on "off" days.

 

[Bulldogger]

I had trouble/concern with the limited window of Ft Meade and arranging transport during their limited window (which was the local Defense Logistics Agency policy NOT GP's), so sent a concerned email to customer service. They replied promptly and said they'd be flexible, and they were. Once I had the cell # of the local GP contact who manned the yard as the GP rep at DLA I felt better.
I ended up picking up about 2-3 weeks past the "sell by" date, and had no issues with DLA or GP.

If you email them ahead of time, it shouldn't be a big problem. It's likely to come down to whether you're asking for a couple of weeks, versus months. Weeks was not a problem for me.

The "Must retrieve by" is a policy GP inherited from Iron Planet, which likely has MUCH less security and base-related issues to deal with for their heavy machinery sales.

There are problems to get excited over when dealing with GP, but in my personal experience, this isn't one of them.

Bulldogger

 

[Tinstar]

Was just at Texarkana last week.

Pickup is 9-2
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

No pickups on Thursday and Friday.

Unless something's changed.
That lot is too busy for only one day a week pickup.

Call GP Rep Evan.

 

[98G]

I emailed customer service, and was told the pick up timeframe would not be extended, even at sites that are open one day per week.

Although I have had much better results contacting the site rep directly. On-site reps have without exception been very accommodating.

I have paid a late fee once, at the Ft Polk off post location, when picking up a trailer one day past the 8 day window.

 

[155mm]

I agree 110% that the site reps are so much easier to get along with, they understand that life happens, especially when you are dealing with shippers or having to travel 100's of miles to get to the nearest GL or GP.

If I may ask, what was the storage fee for 1 day? If i remember correctly, if your car gets impounded its $10/day

 

[snowtrac nome]

its not that hard gp will give you the contact info for the yard operator. I called Justin told him I had to arrange transportation all he needed was the paperwork so he could close out the sale in the allotted period and he told me to take my time to get down and pick it up. in my case it was real easy to talk with the yard operator direct I found the phone staff less than knowalagable about the process, especially if you had a different circumstance you were working around. I feel my dealings with gp was very good only because I asked the right questions.

 

[computer54]

Yes they like to hold money back on refunds , it took me 4 months to get 20.00 back from them.

 

[Postman515]

Bought 3 Items out of Georgia. One day a week pickup. Monday 8-2. Also no forklift on site so have to schedule with another guy for him to bring it down to load. WOuldn't have bought there if they would have disclosed that pickups are nearly impossible at that location. Site rep was really pleasant but just couldn't do a whole lot.

 

[The FLU farm]

Hopefully it was an isolated incident, but when I bought a trailer located in New Mexico (and payed handsomely, because I needed it) it took several months before a pickup could be arranged.
Supposedly there was only one person doing the job in the entire state, and he was training a replacement.
In all fairness, I never got charged for not picking the trailer up in time. On the other hand, when I finally got my hands on it, I no longer needed it, so it's been sitting since.
While things may have changed since, I'm not about to buy anything out of New Mexico again - unless I don't really want or need it.

 

[computer54]

What did you get.

 

[The FLU farm]

Oh, it was just an M105A2, so nothing special. And it may and up being used, for something, down the road. It was supposed to become a fueling trailer.

 

[computer54]

I got one too and at the time I wanted it and now it's setting in back of the house.

 

[The FLU farm]

That's funny. I hid mine behind the house, too. Not wanting to see it and get reminded.