BidCactus.com

I am a seasoned penny auction bidder. Don't waste a cent at bidcactus.com! Their auction clock has major glitches because their CPU is buggy, which causes some bids to add as much as 30 seconds on to the auction clock while other bids add nothing to the clock, a clear breach of their contract (they advertise each bid will add 3-30 seconds to the auction).

When you use a bid runner, their software adds exactly the same amount of time (5 seconds) for each bid regardless of how many people are bidding against you; but then when you deactivate the bidder, your bids suddenly each add 30 seconds, clearly forecasting to all the fact that you've stopped using a bid runner. Such arbitrary and erratic clock timing creates an unfair bidding environment for all. Still not convinced? Bidcactus's shipping is slower than ** and their shipping fees for gift cards are 2-3 times that of other sites.

Get the picture? Bidcactus is a prickly bunch. For a fair, legit penny auction experience, I recommend Happybidday or Bidbally instead, where penny auction bidders are treated fairly. I am requesting a refund from bidcactus.com through my VISA account based on breach of contract. Bidcactus did not provide the advertised auction bidding experience they promised. I am considering reporting them to federal legal authorities because I suspect that their glitchy clock is not so random or arbitrary, but is designed to favor certain bidders ("house" bidders).

In the "How Bidcactus works" section of the site, it says as follows:"Auction timer (hh:mm:ss)

Shows how much longer the auction will be open. When the clock nears zero, each bid will add 20-30 seconds back to the clock to allow you or other bidders to respond. "Based on this information, I made use of a strategy whereby I would manage the timing of my bidding based on what I believed to be the minimum refresh time after a competitor's bid. Much to my chagrin, however, in no less than 8 of the auctions in which I participated, the refreshed time after my competitor's bids were far less than twenty seconds. As a result, I mistimed my bids on several different items.

I complained to BidCactus by email and they provided the following response:"Hello, under our sites FAQ there is a question "When does an auction end? This is the posted answer: An auction ends when the auction clock reaches zero ("going, going, GONE") and when people stop bidding on an item. Our auctions are completely interest driven; some may go on for hours while others will end after only a few bids. It often depends on the website traffic and the popularity of the item up for auction.A note about the auction clocks: As you may have noticed by watching the site, some of the auction clocks get close to zero and then increase again.

When an auction is "in the zone" - that is, when there are less than two minutes remaining on the auction clock - any bid placed will increase the clock by 3-30 seconds. This gives other users a chance to respond and bid again if they wish (similar to the way an auctioneer in a live auction says "going, going, gone"). If nobody else bids by the time the clock says "gone", the auction will end. The "How BidCactus works" section does have a short introduction that is not meant to substitute for reading the sites rules in the FAQs. Also the activity is readily apparent from observation of the site. There is no compensation discussion as you have lost nothing, if anything, less time added increases the chance for your bid to become the winning bid.

I signed up for this through another site thinking it was a legit auction site. After signing up, I saw that it was an "auction entertainment" site and not what I want to participate in. I looked on every page of the site, but there is nothing indicating how to close the account. I have no open bids, never used it and do not intend to use it. However, I want the account closed so my information is no longer there. Nothing is stated in their FAQ section (only tells you how to bid) nor is there a site search to find out how to permanently close the account. I couldn't even find a physical address to give you in this complaint. If you do an online search about this site, you will find many, many complaints listed. Please help!

My name is James. I recently in the past several weeks have "purchased" bids and merchandise from Bidcactus.com. I used my credit card and my name and was approved in writing by their online system for the accounts I set up as well as the purchases I made. I won several items and was contacted by Bidcactus.com on November 9, 2009. I was informed by them that I had won an above average amount and that because I had multiple accounts that they would be terminating the accounts and not provide me any access to my account records.

Furthermore, they informed me that they would not be shipping the items I had purchased, and that they would instead refund me the full value of the remaining bids as well as the full value of the items won and purchased. They also claimed they would send me a letter detailing the amount of the refund, the timing, and my account records. In a series of correspondence with "Tom" at Bidcactus.com, I have asked for them to send the email/letter they claimed would send. It has been over a month and each time they keep delaying the letter and the refund. I began researching the company online and discovered that they are claimed to be a fraudulent company. I am disputing the charge to protect myself since they are no longer responding since three weeks ago . When I called and asked for their names there, they refused to give out any names except for "Tom" and "Marjorie". Apparently they do not have any last names.