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When I first bought this program two years ago, I was thrilled. It finally made managing my auctions convenient. Now I'm paying over $100 a year for a program that works when it feels like it. Support seems to be available through other users who are also paying over $100 a year for the program.

At this point, I have been looking at other auction software. Does anyone have any recommendations?
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Not long ago I was a staunch supporter of Auctiva but all the problems HAVE gotten very old and tiresome. I guess if people in this forum had found something better, they wouldn't be showing up here anymore. My account expires in about 50 days and I'm seriously thinking about just getting out of the online auction business. Frown
I have downlaoded one other program and am looking at others.. However, I have 360 days left on my renewal..Think they might get things straightened out by then? When I joined, it was supposed to be a one time fee of $39.95.. Then it was "Oops, we can't support the thing for that price so it will be $39.95 per year." I think I paid $119.00 to renew for this year.. And with each increase in cost, service has declined.
Tom: The promise was the $39.95 fee would include updates to keep eBud functional. Windows 95 will still work and eBud 1.x won't.. If you want to promise that we don't have to pay additional fees to update 1.x so that it will continue work, then I am sure that 1.x would suit the needs of many of the users.

As for using both programs, I haven't in the past. I had used AW to schedule auctions but I decided last week that since I was having to pay for poster, I would give it a try. And guess what? It wasn't working right either.

I may pay more for my cable TV (actually I have satellite) but I darn sure get better service from the provider than I get from Auctiva. They do have support available 24/7, including "Christmas .. Christmas eve."
"we only haveing a small percentage of those" .. Did you ever think if Auctiva little different attitude towards support might gain a larger percentage? I wasn't the one who brought up the comparision between Auctiva and Cable .. You talk about all the "new" services avaialble.. The fact is Auctiva was selling Poster and the majority of us running eBud had not elected to buy the program (I had looked at it).. Auctiva bought eBud and bundled it with Poster in order to sell us a program we didn't want but had to buy if we wanted to keep using eBud. If you want to take shots at me simply because I am a frustrated, irritated customer who wants the service for which I paid , fine. However, don't try snowing me as you do it.
eBay did the programing on 3.x? Bugs and all? It is an eBay problem that the scheduler hasn't been working. It is eBay that has failed to answer or at least acknowledge many of the problems we are having with 3.x? Such as the fact that report totals are still miscalcualted even after the latest fix? It is eBay that hasn't answered a support request that was sent 3 - 4 days ago? I'm sorry. I didn't understand. I will email eBay support with my complaints about the situation right away.
I am so sick of nothing but lame excuses from you Tom! You have some nerve coming on here and acting as though we customers should be kissing your tight a-- for allowing us the pleasure of using the service. If my cable internet connection had gone out and that caused me to be unable to use Auctiva then I would not be blaming Auctiva. It is IMPOSSIBLE for a change that eBay made to have caused the Auctiva web site to show that my ID and password were invalid. What kind of pure BULLSHI is that????????? I was mad now I'm f'ing LIVID!!!!! Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad
Tom
You Say:
"The majority of things breaking are due to eBay changes and not us. This would be the equivalent of the power going out and that being why your cable doesnt work. In those situations you would not receive a credit from the cable company."

Tell me how come Auctiva is the only program that uses Ebay as an excuse. I use a number of other programs and they are able to keep up with Ebays changes (ususally within hours).

You know what really gripes me is that we don't hear about anything being done about the problems on a regular basis. We have to set here and wait for answers, try to figure them out ourselves or get the answer from one of us (beta testers). Activa could update us somehow, either a forum or announcement page, on what is taking place to fix problems.

There is a few programs out there at 1/5 the cost of Auctiva with the same cpabilities and they certainly can keep up with the problems. Maybe Auctiva should take a close look at their customer service policies.

What makes a business sucessfull is a GOOD PRODUCT, at a REASONABLE PRICE, with good customer SERVICE! My opinion is that Auctiva lacks in all three.
Tom: I did a search of the forums.. I could find only two posts from you that were repsonses to specific problems since you came back from your Christmas break. Yet, you have time to put out the drivel you have posted on this thread and to make snide remarks to the paying customers. You know there is not one thing eBay has done to cause any of the current problems.. I was going to list auctions tonight using the Poster but I noticed that someone posted on the Poster forum that the scheduler was not functioning tonight. (Surprise! - Surprise!) 3.x is still the source of one problem after another. People are screaming for help on the forums and if it weren't for Miles, there would be no help offered of any kind. You say "there is no money in Auction Management"? Then why do it? .. The way things have gone during the last week, there is going to be even less in it for Auctiva tomorrow than there was yesterday..
How long must I wait for help?? How many request must I put in?? Let me know and I will be happy to do it!!! WAKEUP AUCTIVA AND ANSWER MY REQUEST!! The local scheduler will not work and I need help. "Failed to generate preview page for listing" is once again the error code I am getting. WHAT AM I PAYING FOR HERE GUYS!!! I have requested help by filing a support case, discussion boards and now in a last desperate attempt I am trying to get your attention here.
I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO SCHEDULE AUCTIONS FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS AND YET YOU NEVER FIX THE PROBLEM!!!!!!
I Ask again WHAT AM I PAYING FOR HERE GUYS????

I really believe you OWE me 2 years of free service since it has never worked. Fat chance of that HUH?? Mad Mad Mad Mad
Last night when I saw Tom's post about all the Auctiva problems being eBay's fault, my eyes nearly exploded. But I didn't respond, not wanting to be long winded or sound as if I'm griping. I'm glad to know, though, that if the Auctiva site being completely down IS eBay's fault; I'll get in touch with them right away for problems on the days during December when I wasn't able to post.

The Cable Company/Electric Company analogy, however, had me gripping the arms of my chair, but I managed to control myself and NOT post. I just turned off the computer and went away. (Which is something I'm having to do more and more lately, and which is costing me a LOT of money!)

The equivalent of blaming the cable company because the electricity went out? Even if eBay WERE down, TOTALLY, it wouldn't/shouldn't disallow us from getting to the Auctiva site or looking at our showcase, because we're supposed to be able to do that from our Account page. So that was a ridiculous analogy to make.

Auctiva is, I THINK, independent of eBay. The two don't depend on each other to keep going. If eBay's down, we can't post, but, as I said, we should still be able to get to the Auctiva boards. So the idea that the problems are connected is ridiculous. Next he'll be blaming it on the current full moon!

All I can figure is that Auctiva really doesn't care whether they have customers or not. You can't write anyone there, whether it's support or sales and get anything back that is the least bit helpful or friendly. ONCE in a GREAT while, somebody will answer a support question with a smile, but mostly everybody is totally defensive and really just plain NASTY!

When I wrote the "Sales Dept." last summer asking why the money I had paid through the end of the year was eaten up by Manager coming out when I didn't want it or need it, and asking why my posting pass had expired 7 months earlier than it was supposed to, I got the MOST incredibly rude response from Heather. It blew me away that the SALES DEPARTMENT of this company would treat its customers that way. Being a small company is no excuse; in fact, it makes it doubly bad because a small company has to try harder.

I've been a cheerleader for this company since I first started using it and have brought four people that I know of on board. And I have to be really careful what I say about it to them NOW because they don't use it as much as I do and if I tell them all the stuff that's going on, they won't use it anymore. (And think I'm MAD because I continue to TRY to) But since I do believe that when it works, Poster is far and away the best program around for MY needs, *I* keep hanging around hoping it'll work.

I don't mind the money I paid, because when the program works (the half of it I use, which is only Poster) my auctions look fantastic and I love the way they look and SOUND and I love hearing from people who see them who write and tell me that.

But I very much mind cranky, sarcastic, and even MEAN and NASTY answers from people when I try to USE what I paid for and it isn't working. I minded it a LOT during the Service Box fiasco when I WAS cheering for Auctiva and suddenly my auctions became fodder for some disgruntled Auctiva user who kept turning me in to eBay. I mind it a lot when the whole system is down, and the only thing we see is an "Ah...yes.. that must have been a problem for our users" (paraphrasing an answer I saw in a post from last night or earlier today.) I can't think of three times in the past YEAR when Auctiva has been down, but three times in one MONTH? eBay's fault????

I wouldn't want their jobs either......which is why I don't HAVE the job they have. They are supposed to be the experts, which is why they HAVE the jobs and we pay for their expertise. Whether people are using WIN 95 or Netscape or XP or whatever......if these are problems, then they need to SAY SO in a caveat BEFORE they tell everybody to "Download it Free." If they don't want to deal with all the operating systems, then they need to address that fact and limit themselves to one version of Windows.

It's hard enough to deal with eBay and the crap they shovel our way. But they're big and while it isn't a defense, it explains why they don't care that I've visted umpty nine different auction sites with links to other people's sites (warning for me on THAT one since I linked to my daughter's auctions,) mentioned pottery makers like Hull or Anchor Hocking within the body of the auction (warning for me on THAT one - SPAMMING) or sellers who had PayPal logos appended to their auction every time they revised it, so that if they relisted it three times, they had FOUR PayPal logos on the auction. (Warning for me on THAT one, which is the WORST because I have no control over it!) Or even worse, links to their BUSINESS site which is a CLEAR offense on eBay and SHOULD BE! But *I* don't turn these people in to eBay, even tho those same offenses caused me to almost get my auctions pulled.

When I disabled my Service Box, step-by-step, as I was told to by Tom, it wasn't there...for about 12 hours. Then it was back after Tom promised that it would never show up again. THEN I got the third warning in a WEEK from eBay about having two clickable links to Auctiva and PayPal. I'm scared to death to put UP any auctions for fear something will end up there that will get my auctions pulled!!!

But eBay is BIG BUSINESS. Auctiva, by its own admission, is not. So I guess they have to figure out which way they want it. They either stay small and address the needs and problems of a devoted group of followers, many of whom have been with them since the file that holds the pictures in the ftp space says "AP98", or they blow off the devoted following and go for more and more and more people who will become more and more and more disgruntled and unhappy. I'd hate to think that they feel that's a GOOD idea, given the fact that nobody can get their money refunded once they pay for the program.

Very nearly every person I've ever seen gripe about something on these boards has come back at some time and said "Good job, Auctiva!" "I LOVE the way _____ is working. Keep up the good work!"

Auctiva, on the other hand, answers a select few, determines who they don't like (based in large part on what they post on the boards) and decides to ignore them, and its personnel come to work everyday either hoping like hell that enough of the program is working that they won't get 60 red-faced posts on the boards that night or that if they do, they'll just ignore them.

Nothing makes me happier than to see ANSWERS to ANYTHING from Auctiva support on the boards, which, while they are NOT Support Request boards, cover answers to many people's questions. In fact, nothing makes me happier than to see that somebody's HOME at Auctiva at some point during the day. The thing that probably drives us ALL the MOST crazy is to be so frustrated, get MORE frustrated, then finally just get totally TICKED OFF because NOBODY'S THERE! Or they are, and they're looking at all these frustrated people and not being too impressed by it.

Nothing made me happier than to find these boards and find other people who could give me ideas about things, even though there were/are some people here who are vindictive and horrid because they CAN to be, and who don't even have the guts to post under their SELLER ID. If I wanted to post under another name, *I* could claim to be a totally pleased, happy-as-a-clam Power Seller, too!

I've found a lot of help here and I've given some people some help here. I've griped here and so do other people. I have a feeling that Auctiva would a WHOLE lot rather we'd do our griping HERE than keep writing support requests.

Sorry to be so long winded and do so much "griping" but we are NOT all equal on these boards. We are a diverse group of people spread wide across the world, selling all sorts of different things. The idea that we have found people to commiserate with is a comforting one. The idea that we will be attacked for stating what is wrong and that we are upset by it by the very people ON the boards is sad and smacks of eBay where NOBODY gives a damn.

I thought WE were better than that.
My that WAS long winded Big Grin but well said. You are managing to remain rational whereas all I can do is sputter and swear. I think Auctiva has caused me to have a split personality. Maybe I should get myself a second name for it. Violet Cottage doesn't seem to fit this personality. NO SUGGESTIONS which start with B and end with H, please! Cool

Ms. Hyde
delfiteblu

Were you in my head when you posted that? I can't agree with your more perfect post!!

A side possibility too cynical note. I too was turned in over and over for stupid things to eBay, exactly like what you were talking about. 3 years thousands of auctions, had the same Powerseller logo on my page (didn't link) didn't know it was supposed to because when I got it, it was brand spanking new and there were no rules. How come I think it may not be a customer of Auctiva that's doing it? Of course I can't accuse, but it is mighty fishy, don't ya think?
I also got "turned in" at eBay for really stupid things in my listings. But, I use my posting ID on the eBay boards, and I was very critical of Checkout and New search. What it earned me was FOUR seperate warnings on ONE listing. Don't tell me eBay isn't vindictive! I can see why most do not.

By the way, great post.
I'm pretty sure I know who it was that turned me in; somebody who didn't like it when I stood up for Auctiva during the onset and chaos of Service Box and who was pretty vocal about me at the time; couldn't seem to quit saying my NAME!

You just about HAVE to be narc'd on; eBay doesn't have a "pull the auction violation" squad running around their 40,000,000 auctions...I don't think.

At least that person can have the satisfaction of knowing that it has made me so nervous about posting that I'm afraid to, for fear that the Service Box will show up again and get my auctions pulled, not just get me warned. It's doubly hard since I post my daughter's auctions, too.

I'm trying to work through it, which is why I'm sitting at home on New Year's eve being a nervous wreck instead of enjoying it someplace else with somebody else. I don't think a lot of people know how much selling on eBay impacts our lives, and I REALLY don't think they know how much having things go screwy impacts us.

But........if they did, they might not care. Whoever has turned me in (and others as well, for the same offenses) obviously didn't.

Okay - I'm finished. Was that too long winded? Razz

ANONYMOUS POSTER----who cannot be identified by ANY of the information on the left of this page stating user ID, home town, and number of posts. That's not me Wink
My point is this.......... PEople have to be turned into Ebay like you said. They don't police the sight, other rats turn people in. Don't you find it interesting that most the people on these boards have been turned in? I especially find it intersting because someone from support had emailed me a very snotty message when I was upset about the service box, and said they looked at my auctions and I was already in violation. Then I get busted!! Get what I am saying?
In the case of my warnings from eBay, it was eBay that came after me. Nobody turned me in. I was vocal about Checkout because it sucked. I'm sure many of you agree. I didn't like it and I wanted it optional as many others did. Since I used my real ID on their boards, it wasn't hard for an eBay rep to look at my auctions and get picky with me. It's also a well established fact, as reported in TAG notes that eBay does this to "those who make a stink."

Yea, that service box fiasco was a farce. That never should have been automatically turned on for everyone. But, that's the past and I had mine off within 24 hours. I wouldn;t loose any sleep over it though! Go out and have some f
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