Bonhams Reviews 190

I put a picture in their auction and was charged an additional £58 loss insurance. Why would a customer have to pay trusted auction house to not lose the picture. This is madness. Their response: "its in the small print clause 2.1...."

I asked for a shipping quote for a parcel send from USA to the Netherlands. Value of the item 3000 Euro/2600 GBP. Weight 60kg,Measurement 120cm x 85cm x30cm. Price for shipping: 6800 USD!!!!. I told them for that money i can fly business class to the USA,pick it up and take a taxi from the airport to my home. Of course i did not make a bid on the item.

cheryl Uggles the assistant “ head of Client Accounts at Bonhams “ has refused to listen to the issues . Not look at the terrible reviews on here over a long period - reaching 1.6 out of 5. From a so called high end brand .

Instead backs up the rude and incompetent staff / colleagues . Rather than dealing with facts . It is obvious these entitled individuals have no clue how to deal with customers . That’s why sales are falling off a cliff and selling vastly under any auction house . Think the investment firms need to look into how useless these staff are !

Very bad experience over the phone. Late fifties not something you expect. If first impressions count what chance hereonin.
Very poor customer service.

Appraisal person failed to connect for appraisal that I was told would occur where I am last month. Sent an apology after the fact with no serious explanation and advised of an October 2024 date that was to occur Oct 8 or 9th of which she said she would notify me me in advance. Not one word as of today October 7.
My advice would be to run in the opposite direction before vaguely considering doing business of any kind on any level with Bonhams. It appears the longer they exist the poorer their reputation.

Submitted an item on their web portal, no acknowledgement and never got a response. Contacted via mail and was passed to a lady Estelle, who dithered for weeks, then silence - once I told them politely service was poor, she said the item was not good enough for Bonhams - fine, but you could have said that 2 months ago !

Only use if you want to sell your items at an under sale and then be charged high fees

Just tried to view an online sale in Knightsbridge. When I asked for some sort of catalogue or printout I was told there was one downstairs in the other sale room but that it was being used! Alternatively I was told I could use my phone, assuming I had one and could read the small print.The young porter said he would tell me anything I needed to know, which suggests he should have been upstairs cataloguing with the experts rather than being a porter.
This unhelpful penny pinching lack of professionalism is what I would expect from this auction house, having encountered their lack of professionalism before as a vendor.
In this case, they have lost a bidder and possibly a buyer, neither of which helps their vendors to achieve a good result.
With the high commissions they charge one would expect at least some catalogues or printouts in their salerooms and a more positive professional attitude to their customers.
As it is there are plenty of other salerooms to deal with who are more professional and helpful.
Take your pick.....

Cheaters, not recommandable. When you send money they ask for ID. When you send this info they ask for copy of a bill and so on. Now it is 2 month ago i sent the money and still do not have the wine!!!!
One star is at least 2 stars to much!!!!

Would definitely not recommend seem to have little knowledge of modern art .definitely shop around before trusting there poor opinion.

Lousy appraisal, do not have any knowledge of quality and authenticity of items.

Absolutely appalling customer service. I would give Bonhams zero for effort. I completed the Bonhams online valuation request form for an oil on canvas and heard nothing. After three weeks I chased for some kind of response. Since then I have sent chase emails, phone calls, messages and still no reply. Two months later Ive given up hope of ever getting my valuation. Disgraceful!

They miss lead you and aren’t not honest. Buyer Beware

Disappointed in their lack of knowledge in art. Very slow to respond as well.

So I had 2 completely incorrect valuations for an Asian antique. One assessment was that it was a fake. I uploaded details to several larger auctioneers. Bonhams gave the highest valuation and the hammer price exceeded that. Buyers fees seem high but there was no other route for me and I was very happy with their service. Bonhams collected the item from my house at an agreed time too.

Embarrassing company. In my opinion embarrassing low knockdowns on porcelain and silverware. I can not recommend this auction house.

I am writing this review to express my utter dismay and disappointment regarding the abysmal level of service and professionalism from Bonhams. In all my years of engaging with auction houses, I have never encountered a more reprehensible, incompetent, and discourteous group of individuals such as Bonhams.
After successfully winning an auction item, I experienced an egregious mishandling of the shipping process by Bonhams, resulting in a significant month-long delay. Despite this setback, Bonhams demonstrated a shocking lack of accountability and indifference towards resolving the issue promptly.
Exasperated by their negligence, I resorted to seeking legal assistance to rectify the situation, incurring additional expenses that should never have been necessary had Bonhams fulfilled their obligations responsibly. To my dismay, even after legal intervention, Bonhams remained uncooperative and failed to provide any meaningful assistance, leaving me to bear the brunt of the financial burden alone.
Adding insult to injury, Bonhams made a feeble attempt to appease the situation by promising a mere 5% refund, which they callously reneged on. Subsequently, I was compelled to escalate the matter with my credit card company to secure the refund that was rightfully owed to me.
In light of their dishonest practices, appalling customer service, and blatant disregard for their obligations, I am left with no choice but to vehemently denounce Bonhams. Their egregious conduct has irreversibly tarnished my perception of their integrity, and I vow never to engage with their services again.
Bonhams is without a doubt, the epitome of incompetence and deserve every negative review and loss of clientele that comes their way.

Back in January I purchased a painting which when received did not not match the description of the item from a condition standpoint. They ultimately promised to send me a refund via check of $750, as part of the cost to make repairs to the canvas.

It has now been 2+ months and nothing has been received despite several emails requesting status, with one response over a month ago that the paperwork had been submitted!

Extremely unprofessional and obviously don't give a crap! I had done business in the past with them but doubtful would do so again.

I bid on , and won one of their items in a December 2023 auction. They sent me an invoice which I promptly paid which included the cost of the item, their fees, shipping, and insurance. They packed and shipped the item to my home and it arrived broken in 20 or more pieces- not exactly what I bid on. I contacted them to straighten the problem out and they denied all responsibility. Apparently their position is they keep my money and I keep the broken pieces. Not really in my opinion a way to treat customers. Just my experience- you may get lucky and your item arrives intact but just be aware that based on my experience if it doesn't you won't get any help from Bonhams.

Absolute look down their nose at you vile snobbery. Dont buy anything unviewed, unseen, undriven, you will get their and like gypsies they will be packing up & leaving you with an unusable mis sold bag of cr@p.