ComplaintsforThe Rusty Trunk, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  08/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I hired the rusty trunk to do an estate sale. When they were finished, I realized they had broken a door by trying to force a piece of furniture that was too large through it. I asked them to come back and repair the door, which she told me they would do if there were any problems, when she was convincing me to hire her business. Its been a month and She has failed to respond to my email. Also, her team took the doors off a cupboard and put them in a closet during the sale. They cracked one of the doors, did not put the doors back on, and I dont know where the screws are. They have ignored my email request that they come repair the doors and put them back on. We have a small garden shed, which I pointed out to her when we initially talked about the sale. She was aware of it, and on the first day they were setting up for the sale I texted her to remind her about the garden shed. She texted back that they had everything taken care of, but nobody on her team even opened the door shed. Now I have to deal with the contents, after already hiring someone with a truck to distribute everything that didnt sell at the estate sale to metro recycling, ********, landfill, and the community warehouse. Plus I am out the value of the contents, gardening tools and supplies, which were super popular at the estate sale. *** asked her to please come back to the house and make things right, but she has simply blocked my text and ignored my email.

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I would not recommend anyone have any business with this company when visiting their sale yesterday I was shorted money and the owner of this company was rude and dismissive and tried to act like I wasnt standing in front of her trying to get my money back by calling up the next person to the register without even having the respect of having a conversation with me about the money that was missing, when the reason I had to go back was because they made a mistake and overcharged me 27 dollars for the items I purchased.As well as stealing from me they made it very controlled to even view the more high priced items located in the garage and several times while being there 2 staff members (1of which I believe is the owner) in particular kept making comments like oh this is the money maker the one to pay the bills just felt like they were very much gloating that they were going to making big buck off this sale. In fact when I returned back to get my money the older man employee joked and said oh man I was just trying to make more money after being overcharged I highly recommend people stay away from this company and partner with someone else I have been to several sales over the years and I am positive there are more experienced and more professional companies in the market.And what is upsetting is that the owner didnt even offer to take my information down to contact me to give me my money once she sees her till is over. Although I am sure there financial reports are not correct with the distractions and all the errors that occurred with just my transaction I would not feel comfortable trusting my property or my business with this company again.UPDATE to this review and response to this owner.I did reach out via email to continue the conversation 4 days have passed and no response. Complete lack of professionalism and respect for clients.The fact that a disappointed customer reaches out and gets no response is mind boggling to me. As someone who works with the public whenever there are upset clients those matters are handled with urgency.I urge anyone who is looking for business with an estate sale company LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE! For anyone shopping estate sales avoid shopping with this company because you run the risk of them stealing money from you and then not getting a response Attached is proof of the no response.

• Initial Complaint

  10/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Estate sale took place September 23 and 23th, There were many breaches of our contract by The Rusty Trunk LLC. First breach was two items that were NOT supposed to be in the sale, and the rusty trunk was notified of that and according to our contract they were supposed to put those items aside and they did not! The next breach was when items were sold the first day at less than asking price, according to our contract it specifically states that the first day of sale will be full price! The second day of sale was to be half price only , again the contract was breached when the rusty trunk gave away items from 12:30 till 3:00 PM, another total breach of contract! Many collectors items were just given away and I have proof and witnesses to everything I have said!Also the carpet was trashed almost beyond cleaning, I have pictures of them also! I was told that plastic would be put down to protect the carpet, and it was not!

  Business response

  11/07/2022

  November 7, 2022
  
  *** and *************************
  
  I am so sorry to hear that your experience with our company has not met your expectations. 
  
  Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and I am truly sorry that wasn't demonstrated to you. 
  
  The contract terms that were written and verbally agreed too have been followed in accordance with all regulations set forth and we will not be providing you with a refund.
  
  First I would like to clarify a few items that are in the contract and very specifically explained during the first interview.
  
        The sale was originally set for August 19,20,21 and was moved by you, quickly (verbally and text), so as to accommodate a quick sale for your new homeowner. It was originally set for 3 days and moved to 2 days, so that we could clean everything out quickly for the new owners to move in on Sunday. The Rusty Trunk LLC did exactly what you asked us to do.
        Personal nature and memory related-we specifically mentioned the items referenced in this statement: photos, money and anything medical related. (Not items that were accidently forgotten and advertised to our customers).
        Full price does not reflect the price on the stickers for the sake of contract terms. The Rusty Trunk will price items, so that on Friday, we will collect a higher payment. We reserve the right to make all pricing decisions. (This is in our contract).
        The contract does say that items are at half price on a (3) day sale for the second day, but because your sale was not a three-day sale, we verbally changed those terms and agreed that we would do everything we could to get the items liquidated and out of the home quickly. You agreed to this and you approved the posting on estatesales.org and our website via text message.
        Per our contract, there will be a $500 clean out fee for The Rusty Trunk to do the clean out. You were charged this because there are staff, that are required to work several hours after closing the sale and do some minor cleaning. Please keep in mind that we are an estate sale company-not a clean out/cleaning company. Our contract also specifically states that your household items that are not sellable will be donated or discarded.
        Although we will make very effort to respect the property our contract terms indicate we are not responsible for soiled carpets, floors, baseboards, walls, etc. We did not serve our homemade cookies and warm coffee to our customers-because you requested that we dont. We also brought in carpets to help keep dirt from getting on the carpet as well as made customers enter in through the garage and exit through the garage. We verbally told you/and continue to tell all our customers that we do not put plastic down because it is considered a trip hazard and can be a liability for both of us.
  When I interviewed you originally, I specifically told you that your ***** ***** Hutch would probably not sell as well as the flowery couch. Veterans of America will not pick either of those items up and the goodwill will not take them either.
  
  I sent you multiple photos of customers who purchased items from your estate.
  
  Additionally, the items that were given away, were items that I brought in. Trunks, tables, misc., items so as to make your home look more presentable and attractive.
  
  
  While we'd love the opportunity to regain your trust, we understand how frustrated you must be. My deepest apologies for any inconvenience we have caused you.
  
  
  We wish you all the best in the future. 
  
  
  Please let us know if you have any additional questions, concerns, or comments, or if we may be of assistance at any point in the future. 
  
  
  Best, 
  ****** A
  The Rusty Trunk LLC

  Customer response

  11/13/2022

   
  Complaint: 18331262
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Their response is entirely self serving and contains several false statements.  Please see the attached response titled "RustyTrunkResponse" pdf
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Customer response

  11/20/2022

  Please see attached photos of carpet after the sale. Prior to sale they were in great condition!

   

• Initial Complaint

  03/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On apprx February 26 I paid 150 dollars for a mattress with a headboard only after the owner of the Rusty Trunk assurd me that the mattress was clean and in useable condition, I found out this was not the case and she had lied to me, the matress was covered with dust and smelled to high heaven and the frame that it came with was missing the center support and without that crucial piece the bed and frame are unuseable. The headboard was in good condition despite being a little warped but I had previously paid for the whole thing and asked for a refund of the mattress for which she refused. She then became hostile towards me and she hurried to load theses items up very quickly into my vehicle with help from her recipients so that I would be responsible for hauling away her garbage, so that she would not need to haul it to the dump later.

  Business response

  03/16/2022

  The very nature of estate sales is that you are purchasing items on the second-hand market. While we do our best to make sure everything we sell is in working order, we passionately encourage you to inspect all items before you purchase them because, we DO NOT provide returns. We advise before purchasing anything from us you do the following:
  Open boxes and look for missing pieces
  Plug in electronics and try them out
  Research the item for all necessary parts
  Ask questions if you’re unsure
  We’re here to help, and we don’t like turning away anybody who asks for a refund, however:
  Because most items will usually show some sort of wear-and-tear, and because we have a contractual obligation every week to pay our clients, we DO NOT offer refunds.

  The nature of shopping the secondhand market is that some items may have stains, show wear and tear, have damage, and exhibit other signs that diminish its original retail value. For this reason, you assume the risk of purchasing a damaged product at the time of purchase.
  There are no exceptions to this return policy. Please be sure to fully inspect the items you purchase before you purchase them.
  

  This was explained to you as the customer, on the phone, via tex and facebook messenger. The bed was also purchased brand new within two months of the sale from an extremely high end local furniture store.

  Our policies are posted on our website, all our social media platforms, advertising sites as well as on site during the sale.

  Customer response

  03/17/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I was told the merchandise was in great condition by the owner of the business, and that she could load it for me because I am disabeled, based on that information I rented a van and drove a considerable distance only to find out that the bed and the frame for it were totally unusable.  Besides stinking the bed has difuse yellow discolorations to the white material and the frame was totally missing a large portion of it that would be necessary in order to use the frame as intended. This was only visable once her staff removed the bed from the position it was in blocking the full sight of the frame. The headboard that was part of the deal was slightly warped but it was in better shape, and I would have still considered it, however the lady was unwillng to make any kind of consessions and before I realized it she had her help loading the merchandise into my vehicle and at this point the lady also began to behave hostile towards me and finally refused to talk to me at all. I was alone there and could not do anything to protect myself and I am also unable to physically intervene in this situation and had no choice but to move my vehicle. I cado not hae.

  sincerely,
  
  **** *******

  Business response

  03/21/2022

  Hi there- Submitting multiple responses to the BBB, will not allow there to be any refunds, exchanges or additional complaints logged. We have already addressed this individual through multiple sources including complaint # ********. We have blocked her on social media sites, phone, facebook and even logged a harassment complaint with the local authorities for harassment and personal threats. Please remove this complaint as we have already responded to her. Thank you. 

   

  The very nature of estate sales is that you are purchasing items on the second-hand market. While we do our best to make sure everything we sell is in working order, we passionately encourage you to inspect all items before you purchase them because, we DO NOT provide returns. We advise before purchasing anything from us you do the following:
  Open boxes and look for missing pieces
  Plug in electronics and try them out
  Research the item for all necessary parts
  Ask questions if you’re unsure
  We’re here to help, and we don’t like turning away anybody who asks for a refund, however:
  Because most items will usually show some sort of wear-and-tear, and because we have a contractual obligation every week to pay our clients, we DO NOT offer refunds.
  The nature of shopping the secondhand market is that some items may have stains, show wear and tear, have damage, and exhibit other signs that diminish its original retail value. For this reason, you assume the risk of purchasing a damaged product at the time of purchase.
  There are no exceptions to this return policy. Please be sure to fully inspect the items you purchase before you purchase them.
  
  This was explained to you as the customer, on the phone, via tex and facebook messenger. The bed was also purchased brand new within two months of the sale from an extremely high end local furniture store.
  Our policies are posted on our website, all our social media platforms, advertising sites as well as on site during the sale.

  
  

  Customer response

  03/21/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:The lady from this business has consistantly lied to you regarding the facts in this case, just as she lied to me about the condition of the merchandise, for example she claims the bed is only 2 months old and that is a lie, I have proof  through the manufacturing ticket on the bed itself states that it was made in 2002 which makes this merchandise 20 years old not 2 months old. This lady simply stole my money,  the merchandise was soiled and stunk and the frame was missing the main support bracket which renders it totally unusable.  I would like some resolution from  you, there is a law in Oregon about selling foul beds and I want you to follow the law, further more I want this foul bed to be picked up by this lady and disposed of properly, she is not going to use me as her mattress disposal like she intended. I would like some resolution here, 

  sincerely,
  
  **** *******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩