Park West and Cruise Ship Auctions -- Part I

[DavidCP]

Interesting subject. I am currently working on an article on this and have several cases of people who have been ripped off in cruise ship auctions.
One story indicated that when the person went to do some internet research on the ship's computer when they were about to buy some art, they searched Park West and nothing but positive articles and so on came up. When back home they searched on Google and got a very different picture. Does anyone else have any experience of this? I'm wondering if they were in cahoots with the cruise ship and that they had rigged it somehow. The internet service on board was also extremely expensive. It's as though they were discouraged from finding out the truth about the Park West Cruise Line Auction. I'd appreciate any comments.
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DavidCP

[LGB]

“Partners in crime” best describes Park West Gallery and their new credit card provider, GE Money. Not only are buyers at PW at Sea auctions hyped with inflated alleged art vales and prices, but then they are encouraged to place purchases on a GE Money card. When the bill finally arrives at the buyer's "mailing address," lo and behold, he or she finally learns what the small print reads: charges can only be disputed if purchases were made within 100 of the consumer's mailing address. Of course, purchasers are well out at sea, and this information is left strictly undisclosed at the time of purchase as are the true values of the art sold.

When we purchased art onboard the Mariner of the Seas in June 2007, we became the victims of the intentional deceptions of the auctioneer, Arthur Scheepers and his wife, Sara. Additionally, we attempted to investigate Park West prior to the purchases via the Internet. Not only was the connection beyond poor, but it held no negative hits against PW. Coincidence? No way! Upon arriving home, multiple negative hits quickly appeared. To our minds, Royal Caribbean is either filtering negative hits or disguising an intranet as the Internet. Buyers beware! You cannot perform due diligence on board even if you want to; all the sales deceptions and tricks have been carefully pre-planned. Your best defense is to stay in your deck chair and enjoy the music and fresh air. Below is a den of thieves!

L

[DavidCP]

I would encourage anyone who has had similar experiences to post their story here and also to get in touch with me directly so that this can all be written up into a major investigative report and published broadly.
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DavidCP

[LGB]

I totally concur with David. Please let's join together to stop the Park West deception of unsuspecting buyers. Please post your stories here.

LGB

[dma]

just got back from cruise.ended up with 2 peter max,totling 13000.got home,saw rip off,stopped card,stopped delivery,.im curious 2 know how much levrge credit card co has,and how far will these people go to try and collect.
i have not as yet heard back from them.im told not to accept shipmnt under any circmstances.i told them any communications will be taped,and the FAR ,dpt of fraud of N Y and the BBB WILL BE cced.
any imput will be apprited

[LadyG]

By the comments on this Park West Cruise deal, I certainly would beware of the shipboard art auctions. HOW DO THEY GET AWAY WITH IT?

[farandaway]

Park West certainly has a sweet set up with the cruise lines, don't they? Together they are raking it in and laughing all the way to the bank. If Interpol and the FBI art crime unit don't have their respective radar up on this one they certainly should. This one has organized crime written all over it.

Park West and the cruise ships rely on the fact that people aboard these ships are in an unfamiliar environment. Little does the cruising public know that once aboard, the Pirates (Park West & Company) will shake your hand, lavish you with attention, buy you bottles of wine, pat you on the back, tell you how important you are and how much money you will make on your Park West investment, and all the while they are slitting your throat.

Yes, the cruise line companies are as complicit in these schemes as Park West is. I hope to see the day when the execs of these companies are hung out to dry.

But really Park West Gallery is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to those who are responsible for separating retirees, individuals, and families from their hard earned money. I suppose it might be different if Park West Gallery were selling quality merchandise. And in doing so, they [Park West & Company] continue to muck up the already fraud-plagued art industry, by pouring more of this worthless 'poster' art into circulation. There's much more to the Park West scam than meets the eye and this forum is the place to start showcasing some discoveries I've found and propounding some questions of my own that I hope will garner some interest from all sides.

Besides the many individuals that have been ripped off over the years by Park West, there is a significant amount of related collateral damage Park West and the cruise lines have done to the art industry as a whole as a result of their business practices.

More soon...
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FarandAway

[dma]

as mentioned earlier,made arrgmnts to stop all shipmnts from park west.followed it up with fax,which was confrmed.reg letter followed.opened front door today and found tubes of those 25 dollar lithos that cost 250 to frame and park west says theyre worth 500.wife told ups driver,shes refusing delivery and to make sure,no more would follow.he said to leave taped note on door,and it should stop any more deliveries.
looked online,at my closed park west credit card,and it had been reopened and chrged 14000 dollars.account has wrong name on it,but thats to be expected.wife spent hour on phone and only got recordings.mailing box is p o box,dont think i can send reg mail to po box.


more 2 follow

[farandaway]

What I've wondered for some time now is why Scaglione doesn't come forward and take care of his buyers? Where is his loyalty to his faithful customers that have made him and his buddy cruise execs filthy rich?

Park West Gallery, Park West at Sea, and a number of cruise lines have been sued on numerous occasions. An interesting case is one that was filed in 2005 in Florida District Court by a UK artist. Pretty interesting stuff. If I have the time, I'll post some facts about the case, just to show the level Park West and the cruise lines will go to in order to make a buck or lots of bucks as the case may be.

Most suits against Park West are settled out of court. A non-disclosure agreement is always executed whereby the parties agree not to reveal the terms of the settlement to outside parties and in most all cases "disparagement" language is included in the agreement that says something to the effect: "You can't say anything bad about me and I can't say anything bad about you and if you do, I'll come back and sue your fineart off." The Judge signs the order approving the settlement and dismissing the case. And so the matter is kept hush-hush. No one says a word and the parties go home--the matter is settled.

I think if the cruise going public were made aware of the TERMS AND CONDITIONS of a Park West at Sea auction and understood what those terms, conditions, guarantees and exclusions mean [including the terms and conditions of their private credit card label with GE Money], I would wager that there wouldn't be a single person in their right mind that would willingly and knowingly agree to be bound by them.

Keep up the good fight.
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FarandAway

[Park West Gallery]

Park West Gallery takes the satisfaction of its clients very seriously, and we are deeply committed to providing our customers with quality fine art and friendly, professional service. If our customers have any questions or feel dissatisfied for any reason, we urge them to contact us toll-free at 1-800-521-9654 ext. 3 – we are happy to address your concerns. Our customer service department is the largest, most highly trained and professional in the art auction cruise industry, and our representatives are available 7 days a week. It is our goal that all of our customers enjoy a pleasant experience with us – from the selection of a work of art for their home or office to the custom framing and timely shipping of the artwork – and we do everything in our power to ensure just that.

Park West Gallery has established itself as a leader in the art and cruise ship art auction industries since our founding in 1969. We have assisted over 1 million satisfied clients over the years, many of whom return to Park West Gallery again and again to continue to build their art collection.

DavidCP – If this is David Phillips, I am sorry that we missed your call earlier this week. Please give us a call back; we would be happy to answer any of your questions and share with you the story of Park West Gallery, and our unparalleled 40-year history.

LGB – We encourage you to contact us toll-free at 1-800-521-9654 ext. 3 to discuss any questions or concerns you may have regarding your purchase from Park West Gallery – your satisfaction is important to us!

We offer our clients the opportunity to apply for a Park West Gallery Collector's Card in order to provide them with a convenient, affordable payment option for their new artwork. All of the terms and conditions are defined in the document each applicant signs before the application can be processed. Customers should contact GE Money, the bank that issues the card, directly with any questions about the card, as they are responsible for all the billing and account transactions.

Park West Gallery goes to great lengths to ensure that the pricing of its art is fair and competitive, and all of the art we provide is certified authentic. Park West Gallery's certificates and appraisals meet accepted industry standards, and come with a money-back guarantee. If a customer disputes the value of their artwork, Park West makes every reasonable effort to verify the value of the work.

dma – We would be happy to address any questions or concerns you may have – please contact us at 1-800-521-9654 ext. 3. Park West Gallery is committed to the resolution of any and all legitimate customer complaints.

LadyG – Park West Gallery cruise ship art auctions are an exciting and entertaining experience. It is because of our commitment to excellence over our nearly 40-year history that the most trusted and renowned cruise lines in the world choose us to conduct fine art auctions aboard their ships. We pride ourselves on our responsible business practices and strong reputation.

FarandAway – Park West Gallery has been a respected and trusted member of the fine art industry since our founding in 1969. Park West Gallery only sells authentic artwork of the highest quality. Sometimes the term “original print” can be confusing. An original print is defined as a graphic work created under the direct supervision of the artist, and approved by his or her signature on the work. These are typically created in limited editions.

We invite you to contact us at 1-800-521-9654 ext. 3 if you have any questions or concerns about an experience you have had with Park West Gallery. All of our customers are important to us, and we pledge to do everything within reason to ensure our customers' satisfaction.

Sincerely,

Park West Gallery

[DavidCP]

I'm not sure who I'm addressing but I will call tomorrow (6 Sept) first thing as I do have a lot of questions about a lot of things. I hope I can speak to someone who can really answer my questions. I am interested in interviewing Mr. Albert Scaglione as well as talking to Arthur Scheepers. The phone numbers he gave Lynn Beddow to call him at don't work and he doesn't answer his e-mails. But I will call tomorrow with my questions and we'll see where we go from there.
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DavidCP

[farandaway]

Spin it any way you like PW. Like the late, great Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice."

Hey, DavidCP, I'd like to hear how you fair with tomorrow's telephone conversation with Park West representatives. They're great at stonewalling.
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FarandAway

[DavidCP]

I called Park West this morning and spoke to Kristin Berry, PR Coordinator, and told her the questions that I would like answered. These include: How come Albert Scaglione, an engineer by training, is considered qualified to do both the authentication and the appraisals for Park West? Also, how come the director of Park West who has a complete vested interest in the appraisals and authentication is doing these things himself? And how come auctioneers have told customers/passengers that the appraisals were done by a disinterested third party?
How come the appraisals seem to be grossly overinflated when compared to appraisals from reliable third party appraisers and from people's experiences in trying to sell the pieces bought from Park West at Sea?
The relationship between Park West and GE Money and the reported trickery that has gone on with regard to the financing.

I said I would like to speak to Albert Scaglione. I said I would like to speak to Arthur Scheepers and wondered if the auctioneers are Park West staff or outside contractors hired for the job. That will do for a start.

The outcome of all this will be an article or a series of articles on the FAR website. Also I will query some key art and collecting publications such as art&antiques to see if they would like articles on the subject.

I am interested in getting below the surface and finding out where all this reported customer dissatisfaction is coming from.

Possibly if Park West were to use a Fine Art Registry approved authenticator and a Fine Art Registry approved appraiser and also tag and register all their pieces, much of this trouble would die down, since Fine Art Registry has no financial interest in any of this. If there is nothing to hide then I imagine Park West at Sea would embrace this as an excellent solution for all the complaints and trouble.
But we'll see how it goes. Stay tuned.
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DavidCP

[farandaway]

Way to go. Call them out of their ivory towers. C'mon Scaglione, grow some spine.

And what about Scaglione's partner Philip Levine? The two (Scaglione and Levine & his cohorts) entered into an agreement together way back in 1996. Levine had or still has a company called Cruise Management International, Inc. and if I recall correctly another company too called On Board Media, Inc. For ten years these two have been bilking and siphoning cruise goers. But there are many more fat cats at the top that share in the responsibility, too. And no one has talked about THEM -- not yet anyway.

Stay tuned...
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FarandAway

[dma]

quick question
of the 144 PW items ebay has ,guess how many have attracted bids?