ARGH!!!! DID NOT PLACE BID!!!

What was your lead time?

The default was 5 seconds. I checked My Snipes just minutes after the auction closed and this site said the snipe was placed, but it is nowhere in the the bid list.

Also ... just got this e-mail ...

Status Summary: Ready
Your snipe did not win because of the reason above

Frick ... nice ...

[This message was edited by Geoffrey on January 25, 2004 at 05:28 PM.]

Snipes ending on the quarter hour from 5-9pm, and especially on Sunday need a 30 second lead time.

Also your lead time was 4 seconds on that item. Thus only 1 free snipe for you:
http://www.auctionsniper.com/freeSnipes.aspx

Also you need to increase your lead time on the item you are sniping that ends exactly at 8pm. tonight.

Next comes the part where you ask us why we dont tell you this.

Then I tell you that we dont tell you because we already do it for you mostly, and it's been listed in about a billion discussions here.

In this case your snipe was placed with a 32 second lead time. And eBay still didnt handle it in time.

Most of the time our adjustments work. But in some cases they dont.

I believe we did the best we could with your snipe, giving you the best chance possible of winning.

My mistake, we used a 36 second lead time and it still wasnt enough.

quote:

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Originally posted by Sniper Sara B.:
Next comes the part where you ask us why we dont tell you this.

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DAMN! Any way to get laugh tracks on this forum.

Thanks for the reply and looking into it. I had no idea about the auto lead time built into your system. When I tried to get into my snipes yesterday and could not, I visited your forums for the first time. I even visited the forums today to make sure there were no outages that would affect my snipes today. Whatever warnings were given here I did not get. No matter ... if everything worked how it should have ... I guess there is nothing more to do. I am amazed a 36 second lead time did not get the job done.

Well I just watched another snipe NOT get placed. I guess I will cancel the rest since this service cannot get the job done today. Wow is this frusrating. So you are saying that everything is working exactly how it should?

~ Geoffrey

Geoffrey,

This post by Jabber might help (only if you are new to AS):
>>> Click here <<<

We really are in a lose lose situation here as I've always said. If we snipe early and it makes it early people arent happy. If we snipe early and they win, they still arent happy, if we snipe early and they still lose they arent happy. So far 0 for 3 on the happy scale. Then if we bid at 5 seconds and they lose because it got in late they arent happy. That's 0 or 4. And lastly if we bid on time and the win, they are happy. So I suppose 1 in 5 they are happy.

That's a good read. Thanks for the referral. The statement regarding the "1 in 20" sure rings true when it happens to a person. I just wish I learned it in another way and sooner than now. I just figured it was a "snipe and forget" situaition when I used this service. The contents of that thread should be incorporated into the FAQ. I cannot find anything about auto-lead times or changing the timelimit to 30 seconds during peak times in the FAQ. A few seconds, but not 30.

This should be proactivly stated somewhere more promently than it is. I would still use the service, but I would know in advance that this is a possibility and and what I could do to avoid it.

Then again ... I may still not have noticed it ... I don't know. I guess I am just frustrated with eBay sometimes. Today is one of those days.

Thanks again!

~ Geoffrey

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

Heh ... thanks for the welcome. =)

It's easy to overlook in the excitement.

In the three weeks or so that I've been reading these forums, it seems the two most common complaints from new users are:

"My 5-second-lead snipe for an auction ending exactly at 7:30 on Sunday evening didn't get placed"

and

"My bid was .12 more than the winning bid, why didn't I win?"

Finding answers to those questions can be frustrating, if you DON'T come to the forums. But how many new users really come to the forums and read all the posts BEFORE they have a gripe? And why should they be expected to?

The second question is actually addressed pretty well in the FAQ, and it’s an eBay issue anyway. But the first one is really only hinted at in the FAQ, and not covered in the tutorial at all. (See FAQ questions #10 and #64 -- Sorry, I haven’t figured out yet how to do the neato little Click Here link that the super-posters use.) It could be addressed with a bit more detail, and maybe a little easier to find.

Don’t get me wrong; I think AS is doing its best to meet the needs of the users. For the most part, they offer a terrific service that generally seems to be extremely reliable (this weekend being an extreme exception). They know there’s an issue here and they’re dealing with it the best way they can, by extending the lead times for you according to the data that their servers get (which is WAY more than I could do on my own!). And the friendly helpful people in the forums are good at heading off the few complaints that come through.

And since (as I said the other day in another topic) most people don’t bother to read all the carefully written instructions, FAQ’s, and disclaimers anyway, I guess there’s only so much they can do…

Welcome to AS Forums!

Hi Geoffrey and to the Forum.

Hope you stick around as you seem to have a really great way of looking at things.

Lexie

People that know know we're doing the best we can and are adjusting their snipes to give them the best chance of winning and are usually happy.

But what I'm afraid of is that most customers dont, they stop using us, and probably even spread the word. So it's quite frustrating.

Put a link to a set of FAQs on the email that is sent out to people when they lose. The FAQs could cover all the possible scenarios (Sunday night lead times, re-usuing bid groups etc etc) and thus go some way towards explaining what happened.

Thus, a frustrated loser (I know that sounds bad, but you know what I mean!) will immediately have something to read that might remove the necessity to vent their spleen on this forum. AS might even keep them on-side!

R2

I went to the gym w/ the confidence that when I returned, I would be the new owner of a pair of Like New Rockford Fosgate car speakers. When I got home, they belonged to someone else for $10 less than I would have paid. Auctionsniper said Bid too Late? What's up? Will my other 4 snipes work tomorrow? Do I get a free snipe or 2 as compensation?

Damn! My auction ended at 7:00:00pm on a Sunday Night!

Gee R2 - I didnt know you had it in ya, good idea :P

Hi and Welcome Evissam I am sure Sara will pop in shortly and have a look at your snipes

Lexie

quote:

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Originally posted by evissam:
When I got home, they belonged to someone else for $10 less than I would have paid.

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Not necessarily. Unless the high bidder was less then the next ebay bid increment, you can't know the high bid.

(poor man's welcome) WELCOME

quote:

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Originally posted by region2:
Put a link to a set of FAQs on the email that is sent out to people when they lose.

---

Seeing as there is all too much negativity in this thread, here comes the balance...

After losing a few and hearing about your software, then winning on my first snipe I was amazed.
And I continue to be amazed, I don't know how much money AS has saved me but it has far outweighed the subscriptions.

Having been sniping for a little while, I've only just discovered the forums.
I can usually see where my snipes have failed ($0.49 or late bids), this time I discovered the difference of real and perceived time lag.
I should have read the fine print before getting carried away in a snipe session, but it costs nothing if I lose, just a little emotion, which should not be in an auction anyway.

Ultimately, when I consider what AS can do, I'm pretty happy.

Cheers n beers.

plongl, WELCOME to the forum.

Many find the forum because they have had a problem, and are directed here from the help area. They, understandably, are upset from the start. Thanks for the 'balance'.

Hope to see you post again.

quote:

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Originally posted by Shirley:

Finding answers to those questions can be frustrating, if you DON'T come to the forums. But how many new users really come to the forums and read all the posts BEFORE they have a gripe? And why should they be expected to?

[snip]

And since (as I said the other day in another topic) most people don’t bother to read all the carefully written instructions, FAQ’s, and disclaimers anyway, I guess there’s only so much they can do…

Welcome to AS Forums!

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I agree, Shirley. My difficulty here comes not with the fact that people do not always read forums or FAQ's first (that is quite natural), but with the fact that, as newbies with a gripe (even a legitimite gripe against AS), some come in here loaded and ready to fire. I am not just talking about angry face icons, mind you, but with "damn it," "I'm pissed off," and cries of "What is wrong with this freaking service?", etc.

If I were new somewhere, and even if I thought I was wronged, I would not come in with such cries, if for no other reason but the chance that I might have been the one who messed up. Whether it were my fault or someone else's would remain to be seen, but at least allowing for it would bid me to be a bit more polite the first time around. I mean--how can anyone come in screaming the first tme anywhere?

I do appreciate the mending of the fences by a new member here. Thanks.

Chatter, I agree with you. I get a little frustrated with people that jump in without checking the water first! I fail to understand their reasoning. If they just would expend that much energy into a little research.

quote:

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how can anyone come in screaming the first tme anywhere?

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Unfortunately, it's the 'distance' that make people more aggressive. If everyone would 'act' and speak as if they were face to face, most conversations would stay more on topic. Problems could be addressed by a civil exchange of needs and information.

If I have a problem with my car and a mechanic, I would want to discuss my problem, and not get sidetracked by a hissing contest because of my attitude.

quote:

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Originally posted by Mrs.M:
Chatter, I agree with you. I get a little frustrated with people that jump in without checking the water first! I fail to understand their reasoning. If they just would expend that much energy into a little research.

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I'd even settle for their expending that energy on courtesy! I would not even mind that they had not researched first, but came in a little more politely. For example:

Last night I had a snipe set for $45.45 and the item sold for $25. My snipe was apparently never sent. Can someone please explain to me what occurred? Did I set something wrong, or perhaps AS did not function as it was supposed to? Please check and let me know, thanks.

Then the answer may be given. Why must people parachute in here, all angry and pissed about something they know little about? Some of these people are also new at eBay, which means they do not even understand how that works.

Please--how about a little courtesy from those with questions? Thanks.

Yes, it sure would go a long way. Some of them are so angry..and first timers..I don't bother to welcome them. I figure they won't take time to read it anyway.

Notice how drivers are usually more courteous to each other when they actually get in a car accident then they are when they have a near miss, or even a far miss?

Can't comment on that. I have never been in an accident...yet! However, where I live, they love their horns..guess that is kin to "blowing off"!

quote:

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Notice how drivers are usually more courteous to each other when they actually get in a car accident then they are when they have a near miss, or even a far miss?

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Over here its the "guilty" party that seem to be courteous coz the person they hit is usually screaming "you dumb where did you get your license from...a weetie box? "

But maybe thats just us.

Lexie

Lexie posted:

quote:

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But maybe thats just us.

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Maybe thats just YOU! LOL!

Jabbergah                                                    

Nice Jabber

I KNOW its not just me, although I am guilty of it LOL, but I have seen my sister (worse driver in the entire universe I reckon) be the receiver of such comments. Deservable so though - I am sure her license was a prize at the bottom of the cereal box

Lexie

It's kind of sad and kind of funny, sometimes, to hear someone come in to the forums screaming curses because they didn't win their widget and it's "OBVIOUSLY" AS's fault... only to have four or five of the pros point out to them that it was actually their own mistake. And even if it's not, "you catch more flies with honey..."

But I have to say, I've seen more than one rather tetchy response from support, when a simple "I'm sorry this didn't work out the way you expected, this is why that happened, please let us know if we can help make the process clearer" might have soothed frayed nerves. Customer Service 101 says that sometimes you've got to accept unjustified criticism with a smile on your face and an apology on your lips.

I guess the question is whether this is a gathering of friends, or a customer support function. Or maybe a customer support function that has turned into a gathering of friends? The Customer Service side can't be ignored, even when there's only one customer in a room full of friends.

Nevertheless, I still say that AS is doing a great job, and I appreciate the difficult position that Support sometimes is placed in.

quote:

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Customer Service 101 says that sometimes you've got to accept unjustified criticism with a smile on your face and an apology on your lips.

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Couldnt agree more Shirley You have such a wonderful way with words.

Lexie

Would Customer Service apply in the case of an employee? Since the employer is purchasing the employee's time, would the employer be the customer?

Yep. If you pay for something, that makes you the customer. Whether you're paying for an object, service, or time.