ComplaintsforEstates & Treasures

• Initial Complaint

  05/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had a very terrible experience with **** **** of Estates and Treasures. I hired her to do a rather extensive estate sale, after I sold my home. Unfortunately, after the sale **** refused on numerous occasions to provide me with any documentation of what she had sold and for what price. I made it very clear to her on many occasions that anything that didn’t sell needed to go to a charity I had chosen. I had several people witness these instructions. She appraised, priced, marked things down, and ultimately ended up with many of my things. I never gave her permission to purchase anything she was selling for me. Nor would I have. There was a very clear conflict of interest when someone prices goods, discounts goods, and then buys the goods. That’s not the worst. She refused to allow the charity to have many of the things that they were interested in. She said they were sold. I understand now they were allegedly “sold” to her. I asked several times for documentation of the sale. She sent me a gross total and the net proceeds in a cashier’s check. That’s it!!! She refused to provide any more documentation. At first, she said she didn’t have it. Then she said it was 92 pages. Finally she said she would provide the documentation if I paid her $50 an hour for her time. She never explained what she sold or what she “bought” and for what. After the sale it cost me over $500 to clean my home. The upstairs carpet was destroyed. Talking to other professional estate sale companies since this disaster, I understand it is common practice to put plastic runners down. Provide documentation, and only buy goods if the owner agrees to it. Finally, many of the things that “were sold” showed up at her yard sale a week later.

  Business response

  06/08/2022

  In response to BBB’s letter of June 1, 2022, which we received via postal mail today, June 7, 2022, and which includes statement of complaint from ***** ********, we (**** and **** ****, Estates & Treasures), respond as follows:

   

  1)      Customer ******** states “after the sale **** refused on numerous occasions to provide me with any documentation of what she had sold and for what price.” 

   

  Our response:  The following texts were exchanged on May 24, 2022 (9 days after the sale ended) between NB (***** ********) and BL (**** ****), in which **** **** offered to meet with customer ******** to provide sales data.

   

  NB text to BL: “Am I going to get a list of what things sold for Bebe?  I’m wondering what the Ethan Allen table and chairs went for as well as the white table and cane chairs?  Also, how much did we get for the Gien dishes?  Do you have a list of what sold, and for how much?”

  BL Response text to NB: “We do not provide an itemized list due to the sheer volume of items for sale.  Our records are over 50 pages ****.  The dishes sold for $125 on the 2^nd day (way too many chips).  The Ethan Allen table sold for $495 on the 2^nd day.  I had to buy the white table at the end of the sale on Sunday because no one else was interested.”

  NB text to BL:  “That’s crazy, Bebe.  What did you pay for the white table and chairs.”

  BL Response text to NB:  “What we reduced it to the afternoon of the 2^nd day-- $295.”

  NB text to BL: “So did you pay me $295?  I’m confused, since I have no prices or an inventory list.  I expected a list of what sold and for what.”

  BL Response text to NB: “The total sales figure (of $23,317.52) included the $295, a**** with all other items sold.  At no time did we ever indicate that we would provide an itemized list of items sold.  Our goal is to sell as much as possible—so the client receives the most money possible.  When the white table and chairs did not sell after trying for 2 days, and having to reduce the price all day **** on Sunday, I bought it at the end of the sale at the marked price.  At least that way you, the client, got the benefit of the sale, rather than donating it for $0.”

  Customer response

  06/08/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  There is too much information left out. As I said in my complaint, I repeatedly asked for information on the sale. Ms. **** refused to give the information to me.  I asked often, was repeatedly told they would not offer that information.  She offered to meet with me in person, in Fresno, knowing full well that I was no ****er in the area, having moved to Southern California. After I repeatedly asked for the information, she offered to send me the information I requested multiple times, but would only do it if I paid her $50 an hour to gather and send the information. She never disclosed that she would “buy” any of the things that were for sale. I specifically instructed her on numerous occasions that I wanted anything that didn’t sell to go the The Assistance League. She did not honor that request. Instead, she held out the goods that she wanted to “buy”, at highly discounted prices, and had them for sale at her own sale a week later! 

  This is clearly a breach of our contract and my expressed wishes. If she had asked me if she could purchase any of the goods for sale, I would have said NO. But she never asked, never provided information on the items that were sold, or how much they went for. Clearly, much of the goods I had for sale disappeared at the end of the sale. They were taken without my permission, and the fact that she refused to provide the sale information, and had many of my items for sale in her own sale a week later, I have nothing to assume other than that they were taken by Estates and Treasures, and not available for the charity I expressly told her to give everything they wanted. One example is a cane table and chair set. The charity wanted it. She would not let them take it saying she had bought it for her daughter. I can only assume she paid around $80 for the set. I can only guess, since she refused to give me the information. One week later the set was in her sale for $295.00. This is not right!  It was underhanded and a huge breach of our agreement and my trust. 

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