Criticisms
Bid uses a premium phone rate charge of £1.53 per call for bidding on an item by phone. Additionally, shipping and handling costs at least £7.99 for all items, which is not included in the price displayed on screen, (although it is mentioned in smaller text). Thus, each items costs at least £9.52 more than the most prominently displayed price. Customers are however able to place bids for items on the website (providing they are registered) so as to avoid the initial £1.53 charge, but not postage and packaging.
The ASA have upheld complaints against Bid on two separate occasions. In the most serious case they ruled that Bid TV had overestimated the guide price of £1700 for "Black Agate Globes"; "Bid-Up could only provide proof of one supplier that may have sold the globe for £1700." In fact, one supplier whom Bid TV claimed sold the item for £1700 actually offered to sell the item for £265 with most companies offering the globe for considerably less than £1700: "between £250 and £500." Bid was therefore found in breach of ASA broadcasting codes for providing inaccurate pricing.
In 2009, Bid TV attracted attention in the press and on internet forums following an incident where the same host, Paul Evers, appeared on both Bid TV and Price-Drop TV at the same time, fronting two different auctions, both apparently 'live'. Sit-Up's chief executive Ian Percival explained the situation by saying "We are experimenting by using recorded video of a sale but playing it out with a live auction. The price and the quantity are live - as shown on the graphics - but the video is pre-recorded. We've only done it a couple of times before." A subsequent press report stated that these recorded auctions would be scrapped following complaints and a possible ASA investigation. Sit-Up's head of presentation Andy Hodgson said "We have done it a couple of times and have no firm plans to do it again." However, Sit-Up's channels have in fact routinely featured these so-called "graphic led" pre-recorded auctions since launch. A mix-up in one of these auctions in 2002 led to a complaint being upheld by the ITC.
Read more about this topic: Bid (TV Channel)
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