Bought a 48,000 mile 2020 Tesla X Performance at the Tampa auction from RMKTG BY ELEMENT for $29,000 plus $800 auction fees. It was sold as is and I have no gripe with the condition. The problem is the condition report clearly states, EV charging cable present. When the car arrived it was missing. So I file an arbitration claim. They deny it because there was no picture of it in the CR. WTH? Anyone else experienced this? I bet if I listed a car as having something, charger, books, two keys, and it wasn't with the car, I would be required to provide them or make a price adjustment.
Am I being screwed by Manheim arbitration?
- Thread starter atikovi
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It doesn't matter if you are getting screwed or not. It is what it is.
III. Seller Responsibilities:
1. Sellers should avoid using ambiguous, confusing, or deceptive announcements or disclosures as these may be grounds for arbitration.
2. Seller will be held responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all representations or descriptions. This includes handouts, catalogues, vehicle markings, condition information or vehicle listings and verbal or written statements made by Seller, Auction, Auctioneer or Selling Representative at the time of sale. This includes the condition report written by or on behalf of the seller as per the “NAAA Generic Condition Report Position Statement”. The Seller understands that the sale light/video display is a binding arbitration representation of vehicle condition, and is therefore responsible for ensuring that their vehicles sell under the correct light in the lane.
According to the Manheim Arbitration Policy, the seller owes you the Charging Cable or they need to take the car back.
You will not get it no matter how many times you ask or how many claims you open. They pretty much do whatever they want.
III. Seller Responsibilities:
1. Sellers should avoid using ambiguous, confusing, or deceptive announcements or disclosures as these may be grounds for arbitration.
2. Seller will be held responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all representations or descriptions. This includes handouts, catalogues, vehicle markings, condition information or vehicle listings and verbal or written statements made by Seller, Auction, Auctioneer or Selling Representative at the time of sale. This includes the condition report written by or on behalf of the seller as per the “NAAA Generic Condition Report Position Statement”. The Seller understands that the sale light/video display is a binding arbitration representation of vehicle condition, and is therefore responsible for ensuring that their vehicles sell under the correct light in the lane.
According to the Manheim Arbitration Policy, the seller owes you the Charging Cable or they need to take the car back.
You will not get it no matter how many times you ask or how many claims you open. They pretty much do whatever they want.
- Jul 30, 2025
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- Richard
The problem auction houses have with this sort of thing is it could be a mistake made by them or the vendor, or someone nicked it while on site/ in transit or even the buyer lying. So they are genuinely caught between a rock and a hard place on these things. Best option is to try them for a reduced fee on your next purchase to balance it out, as that seem less painful for them.
We once had a whole car go missing from an auction house......yep an old Lexus we sent to auction worth about 3 grand vanished, last seen on camera leaving the place being driven by an unidentified person wearing a baseball cap, lol. They wanted to keep it off their insurance as they'd already been hit for thousands for a few accidents not long before, so we agreed free fees for a bit to make us whole again (with a bump on top for the wait).
We once had a whole car go missing from an auction house......yep an old Lexus we sent to auction worth about 3 grand vanished, last seen on camera leaving the place being driven by an unidentified person wearing a baseball cap, lol. They wanted to keep it off their insurance as they'd already been hit for thousands for a few accidents not long before, so we agreed free fees for a bit to make us whole again (with a bump on top for the wait).
- Jul 30, 2025
- 4
- 1
- Awards
- 2
- First Name
- Richard
Well done!
See, they aren't all out to get us. Next time just factor in that the cable might not be there and adjust your bid accordingly to save the hassle.
I was talking with another dealer recently who bought something from an auction online where he says the paint work was worse than described and they argued that it was as described. He now refuses to buy from there again, which is a bit stupid - the only one to suffer is himself. They sell 500 cars a week at that place. That's a lot of stock he's now locking himself out of. He'd have been better to adjust his way of working and just buying from there by checking cars in person before bidding or attending the auction live (which you can do with this auction house). I nodded and agreed with him (better not to argue with stupid), but really I was thinking he's the one losing out here, as every car he doesn't buy will be sold to someone else anyway for more or less the same money and the auction house still gets its fees. The number one problem in our market currently is access to good stock with good margin and he just made his job a lot harder, lol.
See, they aren't all out to get us. Next time just factor in that the cable might not be there and adjust your bid accordingly to save the hassle.
I was talking with another dealer recently who bought something from an auction online where he says the paint work was worse than described and they argued that it was as described. He now refuses to buy from there again, which is a bit stupid - the only one to suffer is himself. They sell 500 cars a week at that place. That's a lot of stock he's now locking himself out of. He'd have been better to adjust his way of working and just buying from there by checking cars in person before bidding or attending the auction live (which you can do with this auction house). I nodded and agreed with him (better not to argue with stupid), but really I was thinking he's the one losing out here, as every car he doesn't buy will be sold to someone else anyway for more or less the same money and the auction house still gets its fees. The number one problem in our market currently is access to good stock with good margin and he just made his job a lot harder, lol.
