Entrusted Auctions

No response to this rejection is going to satisfy this clientI'm sorry but I cannot hit a moving targetEach time this matter is discussed, the estimation of her loss changesMy company never has and never will attempt to defraud or steal from any clientWe treasure our reputation too muchHowever, when I am cornered with unsubstantiated claims against my company, I will defend it I don't mean to sound condescending, but the client simply does not understand the terms of the settlementI have had discussions with her attorney, because I was serving as my own representation, therefore I am entitled to speak with him personallyI am not in need of an attorney to represent me, because I am telling the truth Plain and simple She is correct in saying that we had several email and personal discussions regarding her settlement Although I was not bound to negotiate with her, I attempted to listen to her concerns and adjust her settlement to appease her and FURTHER place my company in a deficit for this effort, but her demands were simply outlandish I will be more than happy to bring the settlement and a copy of my contract with the client to a mediation hearing regarding this matter However, I will not be issuing any further funds to this clientThe Revdex.com has no jurisdiction in this matter, and this is simply a further attempt to smear my name and my company's name This client's claims regarding my conduct and the conduct of my staff are totally unsubstantiated and libelous Although my company worked diligently to organize and promote her auction and invested our own money to ensure its success, she is basically unhappy with the results of the process and is searching for a method to secure additional fundsI will also gladly bring the data with me showing the outreach of the auction and our many marketing efforts on her behalf This auction, was a success and we saved this client THOUSANDS in relocation costs as a result of being able to use our online auction model to sell majority of the items from her home, which was located in a resort community where a live auction could not be conducted Our model avoided relocation and saved her a substantial amount of money My next discussion regarding this matter will be in a mediation setting with actual data to be reviewed I will not respond to libelous comments in a public forum any longerAnd again, I will reiterate that no further funds will be paid to this client, and that while I appreciate the efforts of the Revdex.com, they have no jurisdiction in this matter Thank you

Dear Sir or Madam,It is my distinct privilege to respond to the claims against my company provided by the complainant My family have been members of the auction industry for five generations According to my late father, *** *** he assisted the WV State Legislature in drafting
the original laws governing licensure in the state My company has a very large anthology of testimonials from our many satisfied clients, many of which hail from the greater *** area We conduct many auctions on an annual basis and I am a *** *** *** (CAI) designee-the equivalent of a master's level degree in the auction professionI am currently the *** ***r for the *** program and serve on various state association committees I also periodically lecture and teach continuing education to other fellow auctioneers My company, and my family before, have created a legacy of transparency and fair dealings and I refuse to allow this issue to tarnish our reputation We have simply worked too hard to have it destroyed by one very difficult client, who still cannot understand her settlement statement and continues to pursue libelous action against my company even after her attorney has advised her against itMy response to excerpts from the complainants statement are shown below.COMPLAINANTS STATEMENT: Having lost my husband to a horrific tragedy in April of 2016, and left without life insurance or other means of financial help, I sought financial assistance by hiring the auction company, Entrusted AuctionsThese proceeds were to help me move and start over, as I could not remain in the home we were in the process of purchasingI met with *** *** and signed a contract he presented in May 2016.RESPONSE: I put several other efforts on hold in order to consult with the complainant as a result of her personal situation The auction was presented to my company as a referral from a fellow professional in the local communityI wanted to ensure that we responded promptly in order to meet the needs of this very delicate situation.COMPLAINANTS STATEMENT: We discussed the auction agreement over the phone and made addendum notes, in writing and verbally, about the process and items to be included or retained by meUnfortunately the process did not occur as he stated*** ***s required me to give him $1,upfront to start the process, with another $1,fee to be collected later (fees for moving, storing & tagging)Other fees added included 20% on personal property, 10% on vehicles, a 15% buyers premium charge.RESPONSE: This contract, as is customary with most of our contracts, required the seller to fund a portion of the labor and marketing budget and to advance a portion of those fundsThe "other fees" mentioned by the complainant were our commission (20%) and our standard buyer's premium (15%)Our contract is crystal clear regarding these terms and the complainant signed the contract after I personally reviewed it with her line item by line item.COMPLAINANT STATEMENT: Then MORE charges were throby *** without my agreement*** said he "expected to negotiate the final proceeds" with me due to all the mishapsHe did not, and shorted me an additional $right off the sales final statementHe would complain about the cost of doing business, while his staff were damaging items, and helping themselves to my mother's fine china, and my son's collectible action figures, and more*** manipulated the whereabouts of my belongings and moved them to a warehouse where I could not gain access except on limited occasionsI have suffered the loss of items I did not wish to sell and from theft (I witnessed), missing, breakage, and secret dealings to give his special clients "a deal"Several of *** employees were buyers of my items at a great loss to me.RESPONSE: It is extremely difficult for me to respond to completely unsubstantiated allegations and lies regarding myself, my company and my staff members The ONLY reason I even entertained "negotiating" the final proceeds with this seller was a result of the difficulty she presented us as we attempted to conduct a professional auction for her The seller tried on several occasions to have me increase the amount she was due from the final proceeds and I simply declined to do so She was in no way "shorted" any money from her settlementShe simply cannot understand that there were several items in the sale that were listed and bought back for her by my company at her request These items appear on the settlement statement as "sales' when in fact, they were simply buy-backs for the seller for which she was not charged a commission and for which my company received no compensation I reviewed the settlement statement with her attorney and he attempted to explain this to her on several occasions and she refuses to accept the fact that no funds were withheld My company spent $1,of our own money for storage of her items that we removed from her storage unitsWe did this so that we could properly identify and present her items for sale Again, the seller does not appreciate this fact and realize that this was an unplanned expenditure for which we requested no reimbursement We stole absolutely nothingBelieve me when I tell you, that we regularly handle merchandise MUCH more valuable than the items that were involved in this auction, and have NEVER been accused of theft I also take offense that we were working special "deals" with our clients, and our employees are permitted to bid during all of our auctions, including live auctions.COMPLAINANTS STATEMENT: As things got worse I was forced to buy back items that I had excluded, but he put in the saleHe charged me for these items as wellHe said he was just "boosting" the sale interest by putting these items in and that I would not be chargedHe not only charged me for my own items, but he sold items I wanted to keep! This guy is bad news!RESPONSE: If this client continues to make statements like this in a public forum, she will find herself on the receiving end of a libel lawsuit There is not an ounce of truth to these statements Unfortunately, this is a very sad caseMy company did everything in our power to make this a successful eventDue to her personal situation, we went above and beyond for this client and provided her with concierge services that many of our clients do not receiveHer items were located in an HOA where live auctions cannot be conductedHowever, as a result of the wide range of our services, we were able to promote her items to THOUSANDS of buyers from multiple statesShe simply does not understand, nor does she desire to understand the terms of the settlement of the auctionI will not suffer to respond to these claims.This client has cashed her settlement check and this matter is closedWe are busy serving clients that respect our services and maintaining the standard of quality that we are known for.Had I been given more than MINUTES to respond to these outlandish allegations this response would have had a touch more eleganceMy apologies for the terse and short nature of the responsePerhaps the Revdex.com can give respondents an unlimited amount of time to respond and offer them the same courtesy as complainants.Respectfully, *** ***OwnerEntrusted Auctions

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint I[redacted]3, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.There was no offer to resolve the issues I have with [redacted] or his company, Entrusted Auctions. I will be emailing additional information in a second attempt to clarify my complaint and position on this matter. A contract stating the amount of money I was shorted by [redacted], as well as a list of items that were to be excluded, and notes pertaining to our agreement will be attached in an additional email.To Whom It May Concern:  It has taken a few days before I could respond to [redacted] defenses as well as allegations due to the complex nature and amount of information that needed to be relayed. Unfortunately for [redacted], he has continued to be difficult and flat-out arrogant, while trying to manipulate me, as well as my estate attorney, who was trying to clear things for the purposes of bringing to a close a very sad and difficult time for me. [redacted] stating that my attorney “attempted to explain” things to me “on several occasions” is an outlandish statement! [redacted] really puts his foot in it when stating that my “attorney has advised” me against taking legal action against [redacted] and Entrusted Auctions. This is a stunning lie as my attorney is not free to discuss with Hines, or anyone else, what he may or may not “advise” me to do! No attorney can tell his client’s intentions to anyone other than his client! [redacted] has no idea what my attorney and I have discussed, or if there were “multiple attempts” to explain anything to me. My attorney, as a courtesy to me, and to find out about the discrepancies in the amount on the final auction statement(s), 8/2016 & 11/2016, contacted [redacted] on two occasions. [redacted] told the attorney that he believed the “new amount of $17,060.02” was more accurate FOUR MONTHS LATER, even though he had the amount of $18,435.90 on his original proceeds due to me. This is an unconscionable action by [redacted] as I never received a check until November AND it was not for the stated amount I was given in August! I was told I would receive a check within 3 weeks of the auction’s close which was on 7/5/16! I contacted [redacted] on 7/30/16 by email and asked why I had not heard from him after numerous attempts to reach him. He finally responded on 8/1/16 saying it “was a busy time”. Rather than relay everything that was written back and forth between [redacted] and me in my attempts to settle things, I will be happy to bring these emails and text messages to any mediation of this matter. As previously mentioned it wasn’t until until November that a check was even written to me from for the auction proceeds! This check dated 11/9/16 was only recently deposited, as my attorney said I should not have to wait any longer for any money from the auction regardless of [redacted] disposition; also the attorney said he would make note that this was not a final settlement of proceeds. [redacted] may want to control things but legally he has no right to say what is so. This check that finally arrived by no means makes any final settlement of any kind. [redacted] has had the gall to withhold money from me for an auction held in June/July of 2016, which I unfortunately felt that I had to do in order to move on with my life; yet I had to chase down [redacted] and his associate, [redacted], in order to get any response from him as to why he was holding-up my funds! The answer he finally gave was again, “it’s been a busy time”! He has said he would negotiate the final proceeds, but I was never able to discuss this with him. This discrepancy amount of nearly $1,400.00 is just a PORTION of the time, money, and pain [redacted] has cost me. He agreed to negotiate with me, and I have it in writing. I told him that I would settle for $21,000.00 to end the matter, even though I felt I had suffered greater losses and additional expenses due to problems incurred with his company. I never received a written final hard copy settlement sheet of the items sold, though I asked for one, and I have since seen some new list of items sent to my attorney that [redacted] decided to trump up and ad 4 months later! These items are among the things that [redacted] and I agreed to have to “boost” the auction, but would be retained by me at no charge if I did not wish to sell them at a price I deemed too low to let go. Again, I had an agreement with him verbally, in writing, and written notes at two meetings, and after much talking on the phone. His convincing and adamant demeanor, stating that he was honorable and had great integrity, and that certain items would be sold at my discretion, and only charged a commission to me if I let them be sold, has turned-out to be utterly false.During the auction process I had to hire additional help and spent many exhausting hours working on my own and alongside these other people. I put much needed mourning on hold to deal with [redacted] and to help with the auction, though I had thought hiring him and his “company” would alleviate some of the pain and pressure on me due to my husband’s passing. [redacted] not only did not appreciate the fact that I, as the client, recently widowed, was pitching in to get things done, physically and financially. Spending more money hiring additional men to help was not part of the plan or even necessary according to [redacted] they would take care of everything! He did not! He did not even remove all the items from storage and I had to have that done at my expense as well! I can get statements from the men who helped me, attesting to their efforts. [redacted] was absent on most occasions and had his associates, [redacted] doing work while he was attending to other matters. I had issues from the beginning with how [redacted] was handling things and brought it to his attention. The warehouse facility he claims he rented for me was inaccessible to me except on a few brief occasions. It was located on the top floor above a business called [redacted]o, run by someone named [redacted] and one other woman. These people who operated the space were difficult and rude, and would not allow me access; even going so far as to ask me what I was doing there and what I wanted! [redacted] had said he would move belongings from my home and storage units to this “warehouse” facility so that I could go there and go through my items and remove what I wished to keep. However, [redacted] employees were tagging and taking photos of things faster than I could gain access; as I said I was physically limited and not allowed to go freely to this location/store.  I was told by [redacted] to call and let them know when I planned on coming, which I then did, and was told I had 30 minutes on one visit, and denied access on another! My items were placed on a third floor which only by means of climbing many flights of stairs or having someone there to operate the ancient elevator was I able to get up there. I was actually scared of these people and voiced my concerns to [redacted] said he would talk to them but this made little difference. All in all this situation was a mess from the get-go. In one instance when I had my helpers, [redacted] there, we were trying to remove a totem pole that I did not wish to sell and [redacted] was loudly voicing his irritation at [redacted] for removing this item!It is most unfortunate for me that I also suffered the loss of items gone missing, damaged, broken, or stolen. [redacted] thinks he can deny this is true for some reason, but I witnessed one theft at my house and the person saw me. I did not confront him, but I hope he removed the items I saw him loading in his car. On the few times I had access to the “warehouse” location I found a wall of broken items and many things in a pile of boxes and papers that were thrown in a heap. This included pictures in frames of my children and family members! Remember all these items were removed from my home and storage units to this location so that I could sort through them and remove what I wished to keep. Obviously, personal items such as photos are of no value to an auction company and they were treated as such. I have many emails addressing these issues with [redacted] who refuses to be considerate of me or my circumstances while he boasts of his integrity and professionalism, as well as generosity. On another occasion in May/June, while I was trying to prepare for the upcoming sale, [redacted] was telling me how he was volunteering his services as an auctioneer to help a women’s shelter through this T[redacted] store. I find it incredulous that this man seeks to gain praise and kudos for his amazing kindness and philanthropy all the while ripping-off a newly widowed woman who herself was in need of some charitable action. This only proves to me now that [redacted]s a self-serving, self-aggrandizing individual who has blatantly taken advantage of me with no remorse or feeling whatsoever. I believe he thought I was an easy mark, an unimportant person, who would not be to his advantage in any way except monetarily lining his pockets with my painful loss. I made many written attempts to get hold of [redacted] about all these matters, including the missing Barbie dolls that I’ve had since a little girl; they were in pristine condition and among some of the oldest and most valuable items that went missing. [redacted], who is a vocal toy collector and enthusiast was quite keen on many small figures and other things that I possessed. It is a strange and peculiar statement that [redacted] makes saying that, “we regularly handle merchandise MUCH more valuable than the items that were involved in this auction”, as if that makes it OK for him to treat me in the dismissive and unprofessional manner that he has and continues to do so. I had quite a collection of antiques, artwork, jewelry, etc., that he desired to get hold of for this auction, including firearms that he badgered me over and over to sell but that I did not put in the sale, as I was beginning to realize that it was not a good idea. This became especially apparent when problems with the [redacted] proprietors began to arise. I was not going to allow this flit-in and flit-out guy to sell any more highly valuable items than I had already allowed. [redacted] blames me for items that went missing, which is laughable since I am a hands-on, organized person, yet I had hired him and his crew to handle things so I would not be needed! I called him and [redacted] on more than one occasion to let them know that I had found items that he said were missing. In one instance there were “missing” heaters and fans under a pile of blankets and other items tossed aside in my garage! I also called [redacted] to get him to clean-up the mess and help organize my home and property before people could come for viewing, prior to the sale. He did not come; he sent his father and 3 workers! The fact that I had to call him and tell him everything that was happening told me, and everyone else that was helping me, and privy to my situation, that he did not know what was going-on. He was too busy being a big-shot and gathering other clients than to pay attention to what was going-on at my home or the warehouse. He appeared to have bigger fish to fry!I could continue with more facts regarding [redacted] narcissistic behavior and baffling disregard for my situation. He has absolutely no idea how painful it was for me to try to move forward with my husband having only recently passed. I am still dealing with the loss; this situation with this inconsiderate and greedy man has truly exacerbated my grief. I was in a position where I had to do something, and I trusted an unconscionable liar who has the nerve to call me a liar in his retort. His hot-headed imbecilic attitude will not do any good. The proof is in black and white. He, in his own hand wrote, that he would negotiate the settlement with me, and then I did not even hear from him. When I finally did he was full of excuses. Having waited until November to even be given any funds at all is unbelievable! He has made inaccurate and false statements about me and my attorney, who was doing me a favor by communicating with him informally[redacted] threatening me with libel is so incredibly low and bizarre since he has been lying and taking advantage of me from the beginning. I was an easy target. He knows it and now I know it. It is much easier to demean a sad widow and bilk her of her valuables and belongings than it is for him to defraud a bank or some other company. That’s the point here; he didn’t think I would ever do anything about this or his actions and he was wrong. Writing a check for $1,400.00 less than is even on the original settlement statement is proof alone that he is draining me of funds and even taunting me. One letter from my attorney states that [redacted] made no effort to explain this bizarre difference in payment, he could not explain and did not care to. My attorney told me that he asked why [redacted]ould think it ok to further reduce the amount he agreed he owed me, whilst waiting to negotiate a higher amount, and got no cooperation or information from [redacted]. He was matter-of-fact and highly patronizing. When [redacted] sent a list of items claiming he was due further remuneration for his services that was the last straw for me. [redacted] chose to be cruel to me after waiting months for much-needed funds. [redacted] chose to deliberately SHORT me additional money! Now he seeks to disparage me with his blustering sense of self-importance, espousing his company’s virtues, of which he has only been at the helm a short time; and which is proving to be a losing endeavor if he continues in this manner of doing business.Attached to this email are the two conflicting documents that [redacted] has presented. I received these via my attorney, as [redacted] NEVER presented this second “new” document to me which reflects a lower amount 4 months after the auction’s end! Unfortunately I have had to attach both documents in their entirety due to the fact that they are unable to be separated in the format they were sent to me. Reviewing the last pages of each document shows the discrepancies; the one he sent to me in August showed a total owed to me in the amount of the $18,435.90. The second document shows where [redacted] decided 4 MONTHS LATER, to further reduce the amount owed to $17,060.02! Both documents details are incorrect and have been manipulated to suit [redacted] needs. I paid him money upfront that he is charging me for, again! He has charged me for items that I have previously mentioned in this communication, that were NOT to be included in the sale, that were broken or missing; as well as having baseless charges that we previously discussed would not be charged to me! He has charged an exorbitant amount for his services as well as padding the profits on items that were excluded from the sale. He tries to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes by submitting another document 4 months later to my attorney as if that suffices to do anything. The attorney was working on my husband’s estate for me, not for or with [redacted]! [redacted] is fortunate that I am willing to come to this forum to settle this matter, rather than take him to court!I have lost an estimated $20,000 - $30,000 in doing business with this man. I am asking for $5,000.00 to reimburse me for the money he shorted me, the hired labor and legal costs I have incurred in doing business with him, as well as time spent personally laboring, interest lost on his withholding the funds, and for items broken, lost and stolen. This is a mere pittance considering what this man has cost me in time, money, damaged items, and suffering. A final note; that although my attorney was not retained for the purpose of suing or pursuing [redacted] with legal action, it did cost the attorney time and effort in trying to help me. [redacted] is disrespectful and disdainful. He has slandered me and made claims that he cannot defend due to his presence being lacking, and now he has lowered himself to claim he only had “30” minutes to respond to the Revdex.com regarding my complaint. That is absurd as well! Perhaps he is too busy manipulating and coercing widows and other unsuspecting people into doing business with him while he claims their belongings, which put money in his sticky pockets, are worthless. [redacted] arrogantly backed me into a corner where I had nowhere to go but fight him for what is rightfully mine. Someone needs to hold him accountable so he cannot willfully take advantage of any other person in my situation ever again. As for the company, Entrusted Auctions, it would be well-served being managed by a less self-serving and more conscionable individual.Thank you for your time and efforts in helping to resolve this most lengthy and painful situation dealing with [redacted] and Entrusted Auctions,Sincerely,[redacted]

No response to this rejection is going to satisfy this client. I'm sorry but I cannot hit a moving target. Each time this matter is discussed, the estimation of her loss changes. My company never has and never will attempt to defraud or steal from any client. We treasure our reputation too much. However, when I am cornered with unsubstantiated claims against my company, I will defend it.  I don't mean to sound condescending, but the client simply does not understand the terms of the settlement. I have had discussions with her attorney, because I was serving as my own representation, therefore I am entitled to speak with him personally. I am not in need of an attorney to represent me, because I am telling the truth.  Plain and simple.  She is correct in saying that we had several email and personal discussions regarding her settlement.  Although I was not bound to negotiate with her,  I attempted to listen to her concerns and adjust her settlement to appease her and FURTHER place my company in a deficit for this effort, but her demands were simply outlandish.  I will be more than happy to bring the settlement and a copy of my contract with the client to a mediation hearing regarding this matter.  However, I will not be issuing any further funds to this client. The Revdex.com has no jurisdiction in this matter, and this is simply a further attempt to smear my name and my company's name.  This client's claims regarding my conduct and the conduct of my staff are totally unsubstantiated and libelous.  Although my company worked diligently to organize and promote her auction and invested our own money to ensure its success, she is basically unhappy with the results of the process and is searching for a method to secure additional funds. I will also gladly bring the data with me showing the outreach of the auction and our many marketing efforts on her behalf.  This auction, was a success and we saved this client THOUSANDS in relocation costs as a result of being able to use our online auction model to sell majority of the items from her home, which was located in a resort community where a live auction could not be conducted.  Our model avoided relocation and saved her a substantial amount of money.  My next discussion regarding this matter will be in a mediation setting with actual data to be reviewed.  I will not respond to libelous comments in a public forum any longer. And again, I will reiterate that no further funds will be paid to this client, and that while I appreciate the efforts of the Revdex.com, they have no jurisdiction in this matter.  Thank you.