Sara ~
I have been happy with this service. I do not know about any of the advice you have given to date. This is my first experience with the forum and my first lost snipes. Frankly, I would have rather reported this more privately, but since I had other auctions pending, and I had no idea if there were support people around to help me. I wanted to know if this was a glitch, others were experiencing at this moment.
I guess I just wish I knew about these scenarios before today. The home page says "Place your bid exactly when you want … seconds before the auction closes!" and I just trusted it. Place an asterisk there saying "except during peak times" with a hyperlink to a section in the FAQ that clarifies these scenarios. I did not read the FAQ "fine print" or the forums. Yes, that is my fault. Perhaps this is a win-win situation if such a link were present. I do not know. Back in the day, I have screwed up my own manual snipes due to clumsy error. In any case it is just frustrating and sometimes unforgettable (I still hate my mistake in one situation).
Please remember not everyone, including myself, has read your wisdom in these forums. IMHO ... the "Next comes the part ..." and "Then I tell you that ..." was unnecessary. I do believe you when you said, "we did the best we could with your snipe, giving you the best chance possible of winning."
I appreciate your assistance in this matter. I am now wiser for the next time. I live and learn still. =)
~ Geoffrey