AutoMatch www.automatch.info Review

Overall Rating

Free amendments

No buyer interest at all, just a poor expensive advertising medium out to rip you off.

AutoMatch www.automatch.info:
To sell your car, you can do it yourself or you can pay someone to do it for you (either by trade-in at a garage or through a selling agency)

I didn't know that selling agencies existed before I started to sell my car, I'd just done the standard thing and put an advert in the Auto Trader.

Two days later, from the advert on the Auto Trader website, I received a telephone call from www.automatch.info to sell me his company's service; to 'match buyers with sellers' through their website. They had a list of people just waiting to buy a car like mine; if I was to sign up there and then, I 'would have people calling that afternoon'.

Apparently, Automatch advertise on Sky News' interactive service, in What Car, Parkers, and on the back of Esso receipts, so coverage was good.

I checked with him that the price was right and confirmed that people would be willing to pay the asking price. Yes they would, without bartering.

The cost for this amazing service was just £69.20, (much less than the margin I'd set for the bartering process) of which £60 would be refunded if the buyer took out finance (of which '90%' did) through Dial for a Loan, though I presume the purchaser would obtain cheaper finance from alternative sources.

I sat back and waited for the phone to ring, the car was as good as sold.... except I never got a single call from anyone through Automatch, I reduced the asking price (you can do this as many times as you like free of charge) but it didn't help. Two days into the arrangement, I got a phone call from Automatch trying to sell me the service again, she seemed surprised to hear that not one person had called me and asked if I'd been sent the list of buyers; the first I'd heard of one. Duly, a list was promised and never sent.

Six days after the initial call, I rang them to ask for my money back, as I'd been mis-sold.

The truth was confirmed then, their service is merely a [poor] form of advertising. Buyers are expected to find their own cars, even after apparent addition to the infamous list, or sellers are to call them (though of course being sent the list would assist greatly). The word 'match' should therefore be interpreted in the same way that a paper shop window's advertising board matches buyers and sellers. What's more, in a nutshell, if I had believed all from their initial phone call; it was my fault for being naive; a refund would not made.

An email confirmed their stance, and whilst they were 'unable' (read 'unwilling') to refund my money, as a 'gesture of goodwill' they would enable me or a friend to use their service once again free of charge; but considering the lack of response to the first attempt, I will not be taking them up on this.

A call to Trading Standards was unproductive; Automatch is registered in Guernsey and hence out of their jurisdiction.

I did sell the car and I got what I'd set as my desired price, disproving Automatch's argument that the price was too high, (despite their initial declaration it wasn't). I just wish I'd gone with the usual concept that 'if it sounds too good to be true, then this is another shame company trying to rip you off'.

Members' Comments ongrayme's Review

• horsemate on 9th Nov 2004

  I agree wholeheartedly with the review by Grayme. I could not have put it into words better myself as I had exactly the same thing happen to me. The only thing I would add is that after my initial complaints they said as a goodwill gesture they would not take the second payment of £37.10 (offered in 2 stages instead of the £69.20 upfront)from me. I then cancelled the advert as I had sold the car myself, then a couple of months later they suddenly take £37.10 from my credit card. You can be sure I will be calling them to get this back !
  
  I would never use this sort of "service" again and would go out of my way to advise anyone not to use it. It is a complete and utter scam.

• paulrobinson7 on 24th Nov 2004

  I was horrified to read this review as it was IDENTICAL to mine. The LIES that the company told were identical to mine and the response! I also found out that Automatch is registered in Guernsey and hence out of England's jurisdiction. They should be closed down! I have notified EVERY company I can think of including Watchdog on BBC!

• horsemate on 23rd Dec 2004

  To add to my previous comments, I did indeed call them to get my £37.10 back and was told it would be credited to my account. Surprisingly, it never was. When I called them again I was told that it was the accounts dept who sorted this sort of thing out and they would pass on the query and get someone to call me and update me. Surprise, surprise, no phone call. I rang again to speak to them and was told that the person I needed to speak to would not take incoming phone calls. I doubt they even exist if everything else I have been told by them is anything to go by. After several calls, still no person to talk too, managers don't seem to exist and all the promised calls to me never happen. Emails they say they have sent have never appeared, I even checked to see if they have been blocked or quarantined but they haven't. In my opinion this company is a complete sham and they should not be allowed to get away with it, I just wish there was some way that us poor unsuspecting people in the UK could do something about it. If you are reading these comments with the intention of using Automatch, PLEASE DON'T do it if you ever want to sell your car! I will continue trying to get my money back although I won't hold my breath.

• janiew on 13th Jan 2005

  I totally agree with the comments above. I'm trying to sell my V-reg Peugeot 306 cabriolet and, I too, received a call from Automatch after my car appeared in Autotrader. It sounded too good to be true with 12 people on their books looking for a car like mine! Amazingly not one of them has rung. I have amended the details, which is easy to do, but still no calls. I have also had calls from other similar companies wanting me to advertise with them so my advice is don't, save your money and try and sell your car another way.

• horsemate on 14th Jan 2005

  To add to my previous comments, an amazing thing happened the other day - I got an email from Automatch ! Of course it didn't contain good news, just an email saying how surprised they were by my comments and couldn't understand why I hadn't received the emails they sent. They also explained why they couldn't refund my money, it's not their policy. I just had to respond to this with many points and questions, letting them know in no uncertain terms what I thought of their service. I got another reply today (proving they do actually have at least one person there) which again disputed my comments but this time saying that as a goodwill gesture for any misunderstandings that may have ocurred they would refund my £37.10. By all accounts this was from a person who is authorised to do this (the others who promised this obviously weren't and just said this to shut me up) so I now wait with baited breath to see if anything appears. You can be sure I will let you know if I ever get my money back. It is not a large amount of money but it is now a matter of principle. I will let you know what happens.

• horsemate on 29th Jan 2005

  Well I said I would let you know what happened, and guess what - I GOT MY MONEY BACK !!!!! It just goes to show that a lot of persistence and hassling paid off. The whole experience still cost me £37.10, for absolutely nothing as they didn't get me a single reply to my advert. For anyone else reading this who has an advert with them at the moment and had the same trouble I did, my advice is to constantly nag at them and persist in trying to get your money back.

• Mudskimmer on 11th Apr 2005

  Thank you - you have just prevented me from spending yet more money on useless advertising.
  Again after 2 days in Autotrader I received a phonecall from Automatch. I'm glad I checked out the website first though, and these reviews, it's saved me time and money.
  PS. does anyone want to buy an MG?

• Gordon Giles on 20th Apr 2005

  Yes indeed, I nearly had the same experience - I recieved a phone call, but did not pay there and then (as I was encouraged to do), but said I had to go out and would call back. Then I found these reviews.. So thanks, folks, the drinks are on me!
  
  Gordon, Enfield

• GTO 3000GT Man on 3rd May 2005

  Thank you "REVIEWCENTRE"!
  I was just about two signup and pay my £69
  thanks to your right ups I think I will give it a miss.

• carrie006 on 8th Jun 2005

  I have received a call this morning from automatch offering exactly the same service as the other reviewers. The call was out of the blue and the caller spoke very fast just waiting for me to give the £69 for the service. Thanx to the all the reviewers comments I will not be ringing them back..Thanks

• scambuster on 23rd Feb 2006

  Beware of these people, it is ALWAYS a scam. I looked at one of these companies websites and found some cars I was "interested in buying". Guess what ... you can't call the advertiser direct, you have to call the company. Why? Are they scared the advertiser will tell you what a ripoff it is if you try to check them out? So I called the company to enquire about a couple of ads. The girl who answered seemed shocked that someone had actually called to enquire about a car they were advertising. She had to call me back with the details of the advertiser later that day. She did call me back with contact numbers and when I called the advertisers they had sold the vehicles elsewhere and told me what a scam this "service" was. Also, ask yourself this ... where do these people get this list of people interested in your exact model of vehicle from? Can you call them and register your interest in a specific type of vehicle? NO! So they have all these interested people, who want to buy all these specific models which number in the thousands if you calculate all the makes and models ..... who are all local to you .. multiply by another 10,000 to allow for all the towns in the UK ... and they must have over 1million people all looking for vehicles who are incapabale of buying the local paper or regional classifieds magazine? If you have been caught out there is one simple thing you can do. Call your credit card company and INSIST they do a "CHARGEBACK" it is within your rights to do this. Banks do not always like to do it but if you insist and explain that you have not been given the service that was sold to you thay have to. The bank will charge it back (you get a full refund) and the company that charged you will have to pay it back along with a fee (normally £10) If enough people do this then we can drive this lot out of business!

• caroline kenny on 23rd Jun 2006

  I got a call from a company in the UK saying that they could guarantee a sale within two weeks for my jeep for 109.00 euro. It sounded all OK so I agreed, gave credit card details (Stupidly enough) and they took 147.00 euro (an extra 30 euro) - I then wondered why I had no calls re sale of jeep so I called their office. They said that it would be fine that it would be sold... Then to my horror I see a huge advert in the buy & sell newspaper . I was sick to the stomach. Something should be done about this...

• Lyndamack on 3rd Jul 2006

  So glad I read about all the above experiences with Automatch. I received a call this afternoon from them telling me that they had buyers within a 40 mile radius lined up to buy our camper-van and for a guaranteed refundable £49.95, they offered 3 months warranty and a year's breakdown cover! I thought it suspect, so delayed to call my husband to confer. Couldn't get my husband so tried a search on the web and couldn't believe what I was reading on this and other similar sites. It makes me so angry that some people think they can get away with scamming us genuine and trusting people! Just glad that sites like this exist - thanks again.

• Bagacillo on 21st Jul 2006

  I advertised a vehicle in Autotrader, placing the ad by internet two days ago.
  
  So far I have had five enquiries. Of these four are attempts to operate the 'Nigerian or 419 scam' involving shipping abroad and payment by a third party in the UK and the fifth was from a company offering to arrange a viewing 'tomorrow' by one of their buyers eager to purchase a vehicle similar to my own. The fee £49.95, to prove that I am a genuine seller ... this amount to be refunded to me when the buyer completes a financing arrangement with them. They did not get my card details.
  
  Incidentally Autotrader provided precisely the service that they sold to me and I have no complaints.
  
  Anyone want an MG Midget from an honest seller??
  
  
  Dennis