We wrote about AuctionCode (AuctionCode.com) some time ago in regard to pushing their customers to their online auctions instead of the live auctions listed on their site.
That article can be read in full here: Online auction company wants you to stay home.
Today, we’re writing about a recent outage of service for AuctionCode.com. From about 7:00 p.m. EST (somewhat earlier in fact) until about 3:30 a.m. EST the next morning.
Many AuctionCode.com users were caught off guard by this outage, which in no way was announced to either their auctioneer users nor the public.
Facebook.com was used in an attempt to communicate with AuctionCode.com, as well as telephone calls, emails and voice mails — but to no avail as AuctionCode.com had “Closed for the day, and would reopen 8:00 a.m. the next morning.”
With 1,000’s of websites and millions of users who rely on AuctionCode.com, the outage was widespread and significant. However, by 3:30 a.m. the site was back up, and all was well …
What was interesting was users who emailed AuctionCode.com received an email back the next morning from their holding company explaining (emphasis added:)
Thank you for contacting us. Our tech team was doing some routine maintenance on the AuctionCode site yesterday evening. The site is now fully functioning. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced during this time.
We might suggest that if this was indeed “routine” maintenance, that the next routine maintenance be better planned and announced so users and clients could more-so accommodate the outage. Yet, routine maintenance it is.
Or is it? For those who visited the AuctionCode.com site the next day, they saw that AuctionCode.com in contrast displayed this message (emphasis added:)
We experienced a temporary outage of the AuctionCode website commencing yesterday at 7 p.m. until 3:30 a.m., Bedford, PA time, due to a service disruption of one of our service providers. We immediately began working with the service provider to restore service levels. Users may have experienced difficulty accessing our site during this period. Please know that the entire AuctionCode team is dedicated to providing the best possible experience for auctioneers and buyers. We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you for your support.
Okay, so the outage was due to:
Routine maintenance?
Service distruption outside AuctionCode.com?
Could it be that just communication “wires got crossed” within AuctionCode.com? Or, was there routine maintenance which resulted in a service disruption? Or, did a service disruption result in the need for some routine maintenance?
We may never know for sure, but it does appear to me that this is conflicting information. Nevertheless, the site is back up and millions of users are happy about that.
Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, CAI, AARE has been an auctioneer and certified appraiser for over 30 years. His company’s auctions are located at: Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, Keller Williams Auctions and Goodwill Columbus Car Auction. His Facebook page is: www.facebook.com/mbauctioneer. He serves as Adjunct Faculty at Columbus State Community College and is Executive Director of The Ohio Auction School.
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