W&H Peacock Reviews 

Peacocks is a tradition in bedford despite moving to bigger premises over the years. I first went there over 60 years ago when it was part of the old cattle market by the river. Then there was a lot more emphasis on small livestock. and they sold live chickens and rabbits. The porters would convert them to dead chickens and rabbits on request when you collected them.(different world then) When the cattle market was redeveloped they moved to different premises but still in the centre of town. The premises were old and chaotic but had atmosphere despite almost no parking so the streets nearby filled up on saturdays. The pub across the road had the auctioneers on speakers so you could have a pint or two while waiting for your lots to come up. A few years ago now they had their current custom built building constructed and moved out of the town centre. It has not quite regained all of its abience yet but with much more parking (still not quite enough) and a lot more room especially in the large snack bar that has an aerial view of the saleroons from its perch in the roof it is still a popular way to spend a saturday morning for the locals. On line bidding is of course now the norm but its still an experience to attend in person and you may pick up an unanticipated bargain. Long may it remain a Bedford institution.

I purchased an expensive item online as i cannot get to the auction personally so I rely on the honesty of the auction house, I read the description which did not state or specify it was broken so I assumed albeit incorrectly that the auction house would not do anything as devious as place broken items on sale without telling the customers in the hope of tricking them into a purchase, their terms and conditions are there solely to trap you into your purchase, it is a deep shame that companies like this take advantage of customers who are not always traders and are just looking for a bargain, think carefully before purchasing from this company as there is no recourse.

Beware!
Despite assurances, I was not notified of auction date for my late mother's Ercol dining table or of the fact that it didn't sell. Given no opportunity to collect table or donate it to charity before it was thrown in a skip. This is such a sad waste of a beautiful and well looked after piece of furniture. More than 2 weeks later, still no response to my official complaint.

This is an exceptional local auction house in new pupose built facilities. The restaurant is great, the staff kind, pleasant and helpful.

Weekly auctions are great to get rid of vast amounts of goods that you cant be bothered selling personally. Often they need a little TLC but bargains are everywhere. Specialist sales see items of considerable interest and value cropping up - even wines and spirits! So there is something here for everyone.

Familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of buying/selling at an auction. Any poor reviews show a lack of knowledge which is no fault of Peacocks.

Check before you buy, they will let you plug things in, start lawnmowers up etc. The onus is on you to check. If you buy there is an advertised premium, if you want something posted, they will charge a fee to cover the costs of packing materials, staff time, postage etc.

Just be smart and read before you sell and buy and you won't be disappointed.

Purchased 10's of thousands of pounds of items over the last 4 years, but my recent experience was poor at best. Purchased 3 bags with the description on 2 exactly the same and another very similar. I got 3 completely different lots and another lot where their "approximate" amount of items were 50% and 25% short of their guess work. Tried to have a conversation but just landed on deaf ears. You should be aware that when you purchase clothes not all are new, in fact some are so old that you maybe better off attending your local jumble sale. I understand that you are responsible for checking, however you are not allowed to open sealed bags and must accept what they state when often it is wrong. All that said, its no different to all the other auctions houses I attend, just that the customer service is generally better elsewhere,talking down to you and suggesting I may not be factual by one of the managers was probably the staw that broke the camels back. There is a risk with ayctions howe that seems to go south more often than not with inaccurate descriptions. Be careful when bidding, you will not be allowed to complain, the manager is always right. I guess after this review, they will terminate my account, but there are plenty of other options, this time I could not just stand by and let it happen without making people aware.

The resolve was "we are not entertaining your return" and we have blocked your account. As indicated above they terminated my account. I just complained as the lots were not as described. They also block you from IBidder so you cant use any other auction houses. This is what happens if you complain so I suggest you may just have to accept their autocratic rules or they will ruin you and any form of business you have. Guess it's benefit Street for me.

Welcome to the wonderful world of W H peacocks.

Want to sell anything ? I would not bother, no one will bid, are you one of their favoured "traders" (you can spot them they all add VAT on top) if you bid, all of a sudden 4 or 5 other bidders suddenly appear.
And, 4 times out of 5 the same (not similar W H peacocks) the same article will appear next week.
Want to sell some new books ? they will get put in the junk auction and you will be lucky to get £2 for a box of them, are you a trader ? they will get a shelf of tatty paper backs in the electronics auction and will sell for £50. Funny that..

It must be the best Auction House in the UK staff are all very knowledgeable and helpful, There is always something for everyone here such a vast amount from kiddies toys to Boys toys Ladies toys too and the Cafe is superb .

Extremely fed up with the one sided lazy reviews. How many times do you have to be told to view before you buy. All day Friday and in to the evening, and Sat morning pre sale you can go, examine, and with electrical plug in and play! You can ring and they will check and answer any queries or request a condition report on line. No excuses, if you didn't bother to. You usually attend to collect. So go to the sale, inspect, pay and come away happy in one trip. Don't understand how you can complain at p&c charges. Why would you buy without knowing how and how much to get it home first? Professional auction house packing with materials and skills good enough to send irreplaceable items across the world might seem a bit dear by comparison for a cheeky little £10 bargain.
Have used them for decades and rarely had an issue - very reasonable, courteous staff. Spent thousands as a private buyer. Happy to continue to. In fact will be there tomorrow. Just to balance out...Still think the coffee is dear. Could we not have a vending machine for those of us who's palate only extends to white with no sugar please?

Loads of stuff to rummage through. Nice cafe with views across the common. Well worth a visit.

I have been buying from this Auction house for more than a year and in that time I am extremely happy with my purchases ( I HAVE bought the odd broken item that wasn’t inspected ) You have to be totally aware of how an auction house works. I would not advise under any circumstances to bid online without seeing the items first. I spend a lot of time inspecting my lots before bidding. This auction house sets out it’s terms and conditions clearly, you can’t blame them for you not reading them.

St Neots is not too far from me, a nice drive through the countryside to get to W&H Peacock to pick up my winning auction items.

This is an auction house not amazon, remember that, you have to go there and see the item to be 100% sure you're happy with it, electronics may not be able to be tested! Best way to collect is in person, not by post!

Great fun definitely recommend for the most part! Bought some great lots over the years.

Online purchase at auction for a fraction of the market price, unused equipment, return from customer, stickers on the packaging with the information (CUSTOMER CHANGED HIS MIND), in very good condition, protective stickers still on the equipment, quick response to e-mails, quick quote for DPD shipping, no problem with the shipment organized by the auction house at a very good price of £20 for a fairly large coffee machine (DeLonghi magnifica Evo), package with information with the inscription FRAGILE, shipments from Friday auctions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, delivery within 24 hours, do not expect new equipment if it is not described as such on the auction website, read the auction description carefully so as not to hold any grudges against the seller, I recommend it to everyone, I will 100 percent continue shopping with W&H Peackok

Brilliant place lots of good items usually at good prices, not to mention the nice cafe at the top. Very nice Saturday morning

Great auction house very modern, clean, great cafe. Large car park.

WARNING BIDDERS. This is not a fake review as the Auction House want you to believe and they know this. I simply used the name that I was known by when I opened my Trustpilot account. I bid and won 3 boxed items from this Auctioneers weekly sale that many people believe are brand new items. When I got them home and opened the boxes, I found 2 of the items missing several parts, including their power supplies, making them totally useless. All 3 items had been clearly used with one, a mirror, being totally covered in glitter and cosmetics. Furthermore the light on the mirror could not be turned off by its switch, meaning you had to unplug it after using (not easy when the plug is behind a cupboard). I contacted the Auctioneers and they merely quoted their Terms and Conditions which basically said all sales are final and its tough if you find any faults. I would steer clear of buying any of their electrical items, especially the sales of items that look brand new, because they will most likely have parts missing and even likelier will have been extensively used. The auctioneer will also simply ignore all your emails if you feel you have a legitimate grievance.

Do NOT use this auction site for any of their wines and spirits auctions.

Under their terms and conditions (linked to each lot) they say they will take care if P&P in house.

Only after you win and pay do they tell you they can't be bothered and you need to arrange it yourself!

Never again!

In reply to the below reply!
And yet the instruction you attach to each lot says you will arrange shipping! I would kindly advise you remove that statement and warn people of your no shipping policy..... then you might get better reviews!

Have used W&H Peacock for years and this new Auction house building is super, really bought it up to date. Great, comfy sales rooms & a cafe too. Great to have a look around & get a bargain. Honestly, furniture can be so cheap, definitely worth a look when furnishing the home.

Shocking company to deal with, fancy building but terrible attitude to customers. You will notice my lack of business, that is for sure.

Sold as seen - apart from when they allow bidders to access the lots after appraisals/viewings and photos have been done. I have had components go missing which are on the photo listings.
Phones sold as working but are worthless and cloud locked.

Customer service - if you make a complaint they block you from bidding instantly, despite how long you have been a customer for. As a long standing weekly customer they are not insterested in the slightest in addressing the complaint, the Marketing Manager will block you from bidding and ignore all emails.

Postage charges - I was charged £100 for 4 cardboard boxes... not shipping, you think its is postage and packing includes the postage. Their costs are not transparent before bidding. This is the most expensive auction house by far for fees. Other auction houses are a 10th of the price with shipping included, some include the postage within the buyers premium.

Wake-up W&H Peacock directors, your vendors can read these reviews, also when they see bidding numbers and values falling but non-paying bidders increasing the penny might drop that you need to treat your long standing customers better.

Won at recent auction for first time past weekend,paid invoice and requested postage price to just outside Edinburgh,Received quote which I thought was excessive and contacted the shipping section of Peacocks.Dealt with Kelsey who throughout process was very professional and took note of my comments.She gave me a revised quotation which I accepted and item arrived this afternoon from DPD -who in my opinion from up North are the best of the Couriers.Anyway many thanks to Kelsey and Peacocks and will have no hesitation in purchasing in the future from them