Park West Gallery and the Art of the Con

A Silver Wedding Anniversary Celebration Turns Into the Cruise from Hell

Abe Hershkowitz is a victim of Park West Gallery and he is one of those rare individuals that refuses to sit down and shut up — no matter how much Park West Gallery and its miserable lawyers threatened him. Abe is a colorful character, larger than life, with a great sense of humor and a gracious willingness to help anyone that asks. He was ripped off by Park West Gallery and he wasn’t going to take it. We published Abe’s case study on Fine Art Registry in September and October 2007. Abe stood up for what he believed in and vigorously fought the Park West Gallery beast until Park West cried “Uncle”. Park West Gallery capitulated and agreed to rescind Abe’s contract. He was one of the lucky ones. We could use a lot more like Abe in this world — willing to stand and fight for what is right. What’s more, Abe was not bound by the Park West Gallery gag agreement in the settlement of his claims. He flat out refused to sign the unilateral (completely one-sided) Park West gag agreement that says in essence, if you (our customer) say anything negative about us after we refund you, we will sue you. Abe speaks out to this day, and says exactly what he feels without fear of retaliation by Park West Gallery. He is a mighty advocate and strong support for other victims who find themselves in the same boat (pun intended). And so Abe showed up in Port Huron, Michigan, more than a year ago, in April 2010, to testify on behalf of Fine Art Registry. His testimony is compelling and it was effective… read the entire article at Fine Art Registry entitled, Park West Gallery and the Art of the Con

Despicable Actions Aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship

The Right to Freedom of Speech Suspended Aboard Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas When Passenger Cautions Fellow Vacationers About Vendor Park West Auction Practices

For just a few moments, indulge me by imagining yourself confronted by a situation that begins with a trip of a lifetime – a cruise with your entire family – ultimately ending up with you being ripped away from them, forcibly removed from the ship, castaway in a foreign country, and left to your own devices to find your way back. No, I am not referring to a TV reality game show like “The Great Race” where you are involved in a competition for money. This is a true narrative from the man that lived this story.

While enjoying the festive atmosphere of the cruise, Mark Jacobs co-founder of Longview School in New York State, began to be aware of the much touted auctions that were being offered as entertainment and as an opportunity to purchase signed “original” artwork from the master artists such as Picasso, Rembrandt and Dali. After some degree of skepticism, he began to research Park West Gallery, the vendor that was hosting the affair. He had been somewhat cognizant of these auctions while on other cruises in the past, but had never paid much attention to them. After overhearing some of the auctioneers claims, his suspicions grew. Why would these so called priceless pieces be offered aboard a ship in the first place? Wouldn’t such valuable pieces be auctioned at Sotheby’s or some other well respected auction house? When he overheard the opening bid, which indeed seemed exceptionally high, he set to work on his wireless laptop. What he discovered was eye popping and the end result was outrageous at best.

In an attempt to warn his fellow cruisers in an unobtrusive manner, he made a walk the plank decision.

The Right to Freedom of Speech Suspended Aboard Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas When Passenger Cautions Fellow Vacationers About Vendor Park West Auction Practices, is a firsthand astonishing account of what happened to Mark Jacobs and is a must read at www.fineartregistry.com.