General Auction Rules

1. All sales are final. No exchanges or refunds are possible. All Items are sold “as is.” The Joaquin Miller PTA assumes no responsibility for the authenticity or description of any item.

2. Values quoted are for donor estimates only. The tax deduction portion of amounts paid by Auction patrons is limited to the excess over the fair market value of goods and services purchased as allowable by law. Tax ID # 94-6184024.

3. The buyer is responsible for contacting the donor for all items and services and must do so by January 1, 2010. Failure to do so may result in the loss of that item.

4. The specific time limitations and restrictions mentioned in the item descriptions must be adhered to unless later altered by the donor.

5. Many items, including certificates and passes, have specific use or expiration dates. In any case, all items must be used within one year of the auction.

6. Unless you are registered to use MaestroSoft qCheck, payment for Auction items must be made by cash, check, or credit card (Visa or Mastercard preferred; American Express, Diner’s Club or Discover accepted), at the cashier table in the Silent Auction Room on the night of the event. Credit card purchases will be processed using MaestroSoft qCheck. qCheck is powered by IATS, a Ticketmaster company.

ALL CHECKS ARE TO BE MADE PAYABLE TO JOAQUIN MILLER PTA OR JMPTA

7. Group purchases, (dinner parties, etc.) can be paid for by one of three ways, but the winning bid number must present the chosen form of payment to the Cashier or Auction Committee:

* Completed Split Bid Form, signed by the winning bidder and ALL participating bidders. The winning bidder must be registered to use MaestroSoft qCheck. Incomplete or illegible Split Bid Forms will NOT be considered.
* Payment in full, with one check or on one credit card, from one person
* Payment by several checks, totaling the correct winning bid amount, and presented to the cashier by the winning bid number

For Split Bid Forms, the Auction Committee reserves the right to charge the full amount to the winning bidder in case of incomplete or illegible Split Bid Forms. The Auction Committee also reserves the right to charge the amount to the winning bidder if any of the participating bidders refuses to pay their share at the Check Out or to the cashier.

PLEASE, NOT PARTIAL PAYMENTS BY CREDIT CARD

8. Payments with multiple credit cards will only be allowed if the bidder is registered to use MaestroSoft qCheck prior to the night of the auction subject to conditions of using qCheck.

For example, Bidder #31 gets together with three other couples to buy a dinner for eight. Bidder #31 makes the highest bid of $800. The Auctioneer announces #31 as the winner for $800.

a. Bidder #31 can request a Split Bid Form, and have any of the other couples complete a separate line on the form indicating the couples’ bid number, name, amount and signature. If no amount is filled in, the total amount of $800 will be split among the number of bidders who signed the form.
b.1 If no Split Bid form is completed, Bidder #31 can present one check for $800 or charge the entire amount to his/her credit card.
b.2 Alternatively, Bidder #31 can collect three checks from the other couples, each for $200, all payable to JMPTA, and presents them to the cashier, along with his/her $200 check for a total of four checks, totaling $800. Everyone will then have a canceled check as their receipt of their donation.

9. You will find out only at check-out time whether or not you were the winning bidder on Silent Auction items. Return to the Silent Auction Room, ask the cashier for a copy of your invoice, and review the invoice. You can then pay for your Silent Auction and Live Auction purchases together.

REMEMBER: PAYMENT IS BY CHECK OR CREDIT CARD (VISA OR MASTERCARD PREFERRED; AMERICAN EXPRESS, DISCOVER AND DINER’S CLUB ACCEPTED)

LIVE AUCTION RULES

1. The Live Auction will begin promptly after the dinner buffet and will continue uninterrupted until all items are sold.

2. Bidders must hold up their bid numbers (given at the check-in table) to signify their bid. The highest bidder acknowledged by the Auctioneer will be the purchaser. The Auctioneer will have the sole and final authority to determine the winning bidder. Bidders are financially responsible for the use of their bid numbers.

3. For payment information, please refer to Items #6, #7 & #8 of the General Auction Rules.