Customers, BBB say Willard business auctioned off items, didn't turn over payment

The Better Business Bureau is advising customers to use caution if doing business with Hidden Treasures Auction Barn LLC, an auctioneer in Willard. Consumers reported to the BBB that the company failed to pay for auction sales, failed to contact customers, and provided poor customer service, according to a press release.

Due to the recent unanswered complaints, the BBB has given Hidden Treasures Auction Barn an “F” rating, the lowest on its scale.

“Reports consumers have given us about giving this business property and not being paid for it is disturbing,” said Pamela Hernandez, regional director for the Springfield BBB. “The business has an obligation to pay the consumers for the items it sold at auction.”

Cynthia Scotts from Spring Hill, Kansas, told the BBB she hired the business in May 2023 to remove some things from her late grandmother’s house in Monett. She said the business took six weeks to remove the items, leaving many of them behind. She is out a $3,500 payment from Hidden Treasures Auction Barn for those items.

The deal also included a Jeep that once belonged to Scott’s father. The plan was for Roger Rice, one of the business owners, to make the bulk of his money on the Jeep. Scotts remembered Rice saying he’d replace the battery and sell it. He would make additional profit on the contents of the house.

“My thought was, ‘Let him come get the content. Once I get payment, I will send them the keys and give them the title for the Jeep,’” Scotts said.

That’s not exactly what happened. Scotts’ uncle, who knew the Jeep was a part of the deal, gave Rice the keys during that six-week period of cleaning out the house. But Rice had still not paid Scotts. After he took the Jeep, Rice says it started overheating and leaking oil. But Scotts remained firm on the $3,500 she was owed.

“So then, I keep asking every week. Like, ‘When are you sending me a check? When am I getting my money?” she said. “I felt like they were just giving me excuses to placate me.”

Scotts said first, the business owners claimed a relative was sick in the hospital. Then, the pump on their well broke, and they had to use the money from Scotts’ parents’ auction to fix it. Then another auction was planned, but the business didn’t make as much money as they expected. Then, after agreeing to a $1,000-per-week payment plan, Scotts said Rice ghosted her.

“I got in the habit of calling him every day,” Scotts said. “Then my lawyer wants me to call the police.”

Scotts has contacted police departments in Willard, Springfield, and Monett, as well as the Missouri Attorney General’s office with her case. But Scotts is still waiting for a check. She also says Rice hasn’t returned her texts or phone calls since Oct. 26, 2023, when he asked for Scotts’ mailing address.

Rice said he has not received any contact from Scotts regarding her payment, but he will follow up with her. He also said he’s willing to return the Jeep, for which he does not have a title.

More: Customers say this Springfield auto shop took cars, money and provided only headaches

“I still have the Jeep, and I’d be willing to give it back to her because it leaks oil,” Rice told the News-Leader. “And I would have never agreed upon it if I knew all the problems the Jeep had.”

The BBB reported two other cases involving Hidden Treasures Auction Barn in Thursday’s press release. One man from Ash Grove told the BBB he hired the auctioneer in April 2023 to sell some of his belongings before moving out of state for college. The man said he received a partial payment, but he is still owed more than $3,500.

“I have nothing to say about that,” Rice said about that case. “My lawyer’s taking care of all that.”

In another case involving the auctioneer, a Springfield woman took several large items to Hidden Treasures Auction Barn to be sold in April 2023. She agreed to a 30% commission and left an address for a check, but she never received one. She told the BBB she knew the items had been sold but she still had not been paid.

“She was supposed to come pick up her money,” Rice said. “And I even told her son that, but we’ve still heard or seen nothing from them.”

Hidden Treasures Auction Barn LLC was registered with the Missouri Secretary of State in September 2020. In addition to Rice, Kristen Roach is listed as a business organizer.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: BBB warns against Willard business Hidden Treasures Auction Barn