What clients say about Dinkins Auctions in East Sumter (SC)
I love Dinkins they have great people working there and have a laid back atmosphere. You're not rushed into buying something you'll regret!! They have great vehicles to choose from and help you with getting a loan, if needed! You'll enjoy your experience from beginning to end!
No pressure to buy, but Ellen made the process so easy to deal with. I was hesitant at first but after talking to her directly it was a done deal. I love my new ride!!!
Great auction site! Easy to navigate, clear listings, and a smooth bidding process. I’ve had a positive experience from start to finish and would definitely use it again. Thank you.
-Joseph
HIBID BIDDERS BEWARE! SCAMMERS! I won 2 lots.Was sent invoice for 2 lots that were paid in full. I rec'd 1 lot (a 5pc set of Blendo glasses) very poorly packed with 2/5 broken glasses.I reached out about broken items and provided pics to be told that someone would contact me to rectify. Nobody did. I reached out again asking if I would be receiving the other lot and sent the original invoice they sent to me with both lots listed, for them to simply respond that I only won 1 lot and then they sent me a completely different invoice than the 1st with only 1 lot listed and still nothing to rectify the broken glasses. I reached out AGAIN about the broken items received and still have gotten no response. Terrible customer service and one of the worst experiences I've ever had on HIBID and I've spent thousands on this auction website. If you plan on bidding with Dinkins Auctions.... do so with CAUTION!!
Great experience with Dinkins Auctions. They have a wide selection of vehicles, and the auction format gives you a chance to find solid deals. I really appreciated their flexible payment options and in-house financing, especially for buyers with credit challenges. The staff was helpful and explained the process clearly. Definitely worth checking out if you want affordable options and payment flexibility.
Bought 3 coins at auction for $145 before fees. Got my invoice and called because it was unpaid and included taxes. Called and was told they would remove the tax, send me an updated invoice with a tracking number. Didn't receive anything. Called 13 days after the auction to find out they charged my card the taxes plus all their other Fees (shipping, handling and credit card fee of 5%) on top of the buyer's premium. All in, the fee's ended up being approximately an additional 1/3 of the price I bought the coins for. Lesson learned. I would never buy from them again.
Ellen is one of the most informed and helpful people I ever had pleasure to do business with. She has great customer service and she was very patient with me. I had a lot of questions because I wasn’t sure bc of my credit situation but ellen was able to help me and got me a better car then I was expecting! Thank you so much
The car me and my fiancé putting1,200 down received a vehicle it was good at first but after about a week a tire blew the wire was showing and I was on side of the road didn’t hit any potholes or anything it was a really old tire ,but shortly after that the car was sold with a engine light was told it was the O2 sensor was planning on getting it fixed but before we could the whole car went down and we don’t even know the issue now . Also it was no oil or antifreeze in the car but we was not informed on that just double check the vehicle you purchased from them . Also was told they won’t fix anything just taking whatever we spend to fix the vehicle would be taking off of the car total mind you it hasn’t even been three weeks yet .
I love auctions & have participated with several in the area, from Columbia on down to Sumter. Dinkins BY FAR runs the best auctions all around! They are weekly consignment and estate auctions, so every week is a whole new experience. The staff is kind and always helpful. You can bid online, which is hugely convenient, if you're unable to personally attend. However, if you can attend the weekly Wednesday morning auctions, go! The auctioneer has a big job, but he is great at explaining if something is unusual. If it's historical, or an antique nobody knows these days, he will explain it. He's been in the antique business for years. He's also makes the auctions FUN. They typically have over 1000 lots weekly. They sell everything. Literally, everything, because the items are from consignors. I understand that things are sold 'as is' - typical of all consigment auctions. If I can't attend personally, there is a preview time on late Tuesdays. They take great pictures so you can see what things are and their condition so I feel good about what I'm bidding on if I cannot attend. They are very good about displaying broken areas, etc. When I purchased something that appeared to be new, but wasn't and didn't work correctly, I talked with the owner. He was very polite and wanted to be sure I was satisfied. I understood about things sold as is and he was under no obligation to refund me any money. But he kindly refunded my money, along with an apology, though no apology was necessary. Prices can go all over the place, but he won't bid you up if you left an online bid. He's very honest about that. I was bidding absentee online and sweated about the max bid I left. It was a high max bid that I later regretted. However, since they bid in your absence, they begin all bids at $5. My high online max bid was no sweat. I got my item for $6! A dishonest auctioneer could have started higher, or even as high as I was willing to go ($30). Everyone who works there is so nice. I have had such great experiences with them for almost 2 years. It's fun. I get neat stuff. Everyone is so friendly. . I've made many acquaintances. Simply put, they are a very nice local business who cares about their sellers and their buyers. I'm older so I've told my family that this is the place to handle my estate when I've left this world. I know they will do a good job and help my family get good money for my possessions. Thanks, Rob and Staff, for always delivering a great weekly auction. Now GO!
If you appreciate being talked to and dealt with in a rude and abusive manner, Rob Dinkins is your guy!
I bought an item from their auction house and got a shipping quote for $33 for ONE knife weighing less than a pound! When I called to ask why shipping was so high, he IMMEDIATELY flies off the handle and became rude, claiming he doesn't make any money off shipping and has employees to pay.
After getting through his initial tirade of "people always bitching about shipping" (hmm, Rob, seems this topic is a familiar issue for you?) - he finally says we only ship priority mail flat rate and he has people to pay to pack things. When I tried to tell him, ok, I get that you want to do flat rate shipping, and its your right to do so, but it would be appreciated if you let your customers know this ahead of time so they are aware of it before bidding and can calculate the cost into their bids. Most auction houses give multiple options and price ranges for shipping options. If you're going to force people into the highest rates, it would be nice to tell your customers this ahead of time. Common courtesy, Rob, common courtesy. And let me stress - I tried multiple times to get him to understand that the real issue was more about informing people of his shipping policy ahead of time. Just because he knows what rates and added fees he wants to charge, doesn't mean anyone else does!
This set him off on another tirade about how he has to pay employees $20 an hour and shipping rates are high and on and on. But then, if he told people how much he charges ahead of time, he couldn't hold them captive once they're financially committed, so there is that. He then says "Fine, if you don't want this, I have someone else who wanted it any way". Great attitude and very professional considering that's breach of contract.
Several more calls over the next week result in the same thing - always a rude interaction and an absolute refusal to acknowledge that he has the ability to spell out his shipping terms on the auction site and it would be fairer to make the customer aware of this before bidding, not after they've won. If you read the numerous other recent one star reviews for this company, you can see a repeated pattern of rudeness, a self centered lack of concern for the customer and an overriding sense of greed behind his actions. Perhaps it means he is going bankrupt and is desperate for money in any way he can get it? One can only hope so because this is definitely not the type of business you want to deal with.
UPDATE: The very next day I get a call from Rob asking me to take down the review and he'll refund my shipping! It was "deja vu all over again" as we lamely rehashed the same exact issues and they once again fell on deaf ears. I asked why he's charging for packing when the knife was literally thrown in an empty box with only an invoice taped to the blade. No packing or padding around it and the knife had plenty of movement inside the empty box. There was nothing to protect the blade or tip from damage, which also shows your lack of concern for the safety of postal employees or your customer if the knife pokes through the box during shipping which Ive had happen in the past.
No acknowledgement, just another tirade about costs. So your employee folds four flaps on a free priority mail box, threw the knife in an empty box, folded four more flaps, and that's worth $20 an hour??? There are many auction houses that don't charge a packing fee or force you into higher shipping methods. Either method is fine. The point is - inform your customer ahead of time so he doesn't get an unexpected shipping charge of $33 on something that could have been mailed for $6.37.
And as for "having to pay my employee to pack your item" - that is total crap. Do you charge your local customers a pick up fee? Why not? You have employees working there; its the same billable man hours, so what's the difference? So, yeah. Maybe look at things from any other perspective than just your own and you might see why you keep getting one star reviews.
Dinkins Auctions is hands down one of the best platforms for finding unique items at great prices. I had a small mix-up with one of my lots and called Rob, he immediately gave me a credit and worked everything out. I honestly didn’t expect their customer service to be this good. Thanks again, Dinkins!
BE AWARE!!! I had great experience in the beginning with this auction house now they re Auctioning off counterfeit items And laughing about it when confronted With this issue by Rob in shipping. There's a reason why they don't take good pictures and pictures of everything. It's because they're counterfeit. There has been a case open now with the BBB. Way to go Rob you lost a Valid long time customer over $30
Beware of this auction house they are now selling counterfeit items when confronted Rob laughs it off there is now a case being filed with the BBB and I would advise to look at the complaints before you purchase from this auction house. Rob, you have lost a Long time valued customer over $30 good job.
I don't make it a habit of posting negative reviews - but Dinkins Auction has been unprofessional, untimely, and sold me fake merchandise. The auction item clearly stated "Coach" for the purse - it was not, it was cheap vinyl, no shoulder strap, and the inside "story patch" was laughable with typos. A cursory look should have told them it was fake. It took multiple emails, phone calls, voicemails, and then text to actually get the item shipped - won on 7-9, shipped 8-14. One gal told me that they get too many spams so they don't check their email. Really?
When the item arrived today, I immediately called and spoke with I think the owner - I was amazed I got through, having left many voicemails previously when no one picked up. When I informed him that the item was fake, he snapped at me, spoke rudely, stated that "we don't check every little thing before we post something", that he sells other people's items, etc. Well, that's immaterial - I didn't by from his customer, I bought from him. I stated that other auctioneers will say "marked Coach" or "not authenticated" so the buyer knows the situation - he stated he didn't appreciate me trying to tell him his business. Sigh. So much for trying to work something out.
He stated he was busy and he'd see what he can do when I asked to be sent a prepaid shipping label. So much time wasted just trying to purchase one little item. We'll see if they actually email a prepaid label for me to return the item - why should I pay again for shipping on an item that's not as advertised?
The conversation began on a tense note - he appeared to be looking for an argument, and what should have been cordial was anything but. So, buyer beware.
Worst auto sale ever!!!!!
They repoed my daughter's car and we went up their to get the stuff out at 10days after they repoed it and they told her to either bring 900 to get it back before or on July 31st we'll she went there today to get her stuff out bc she's been in and out of the hospital bc of her being pregnant well then all of my grandbabies stuff and hers and her bf stuff was gone out of the car... My daughter also had to have it in and out of shops bc of the front end is about to break on it.. also the glove department will not close u have to tape it closed.. the catalytic converters was all the way stopped up... The transmission went out on me and the motor is mixing oil and water together and also the trunk is rusted and it also all bent up like somebody hit the back of it...
They left the car unlocked and also left the key in it!!!
So if I was y'all keep your money do not go here at all
Team and Dinkins Auto is straightforward and always willingly to help. I asked for a specific car Ellen didn’t have it on the lot at the time but called just 3 days later and had it for me. The price was unbeatable and her customer service is top tier.
Bought a car from Dinkins Auctions and had a great experience. They were awesome to work with, professional, honest, and made the whole process smooth and hassle free. The price was even better than I expected. Highly recommend them if you’re looking for a solid deal and great service.
Dinkins Auto Sales is very convenient and works with all credit scores — even if your credit is low, you still have a chance! They have a large inventory to choose from and are committed to helping you get on the road. Hands down, one of the best used car dealerships in the Carolinas. Highly recommended!
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