Public Humiliation Courtesy of Park West Auctions at Sea

[mommabean]

OK - I admit it - I actually bought something at the art auction a few years ago. I went for fun and held up my number when a Thomas Kincade lithograph (??) came up, thinking I would be out bid, but I was not. So I cheerfully sucked it up, paid to have it shipped to my home, paid another $150 to have it framed, and now it hangs beautifully over my fireplace. I'm sure I could have gotten something cheaper elsewhere, but I probably never would have spent the money someplace else -- maybe it was that free champagne that sent me over the edge. Anyway, I don't feel ripped off -- and I especially like my free-art work that came with it - it's really pretty ...

 

I can't say that I blame you for liking your TK piece. A friend of mine bought one on his first Carnival cruise, too. Only he never had it framed - AND - he never bought another artwork on board.

 

We have a Thomas Kincade gallery in town and have grown to like his stuff. If we ever buy one, we'll support our local gallery and buy it there. He does NASCAR and baseball stuff, too.

 

So far, we've only bought TK jigsaw puzzles at Target and have really enjoyed doing them. No....we haven't glued one to backing board and framed it but it's tempting. At $7.50 - $10.00 a puzzle it doesn't justify the cost of the frame.

 

You are enjoying your TK art and have a fun cruise story to tell with it - that's what counts. :) You should write the brief story of how you aquired the piece and tuck it in the back of the frame so the history will be known when you are gone a long, long time from now.

 

Gina

[judyzoo]

We have always seemed to accidently stumble upon the "art" auctions on our last few cruises. I won't comment on the quality of the reproductions but I will note that with each successive cruise, the auctions seem to be progressively more poorly attended. Maybe the word is getting out about Park West. Maybe it's the economy. Maybe it's the cheap champagne.

 

Most of the time you can't help "stumbling" upon the auctions, because they have that junk piled all over the place, where people should be walking freely instead of walking around so-called art work. I find it obnoxious.

[Darkwolfe]

BDL- Good going on finding some material that was of good value. Research and savvy shopping have paid off well for you.

 

That type of thing isn't the target for those of us taking swipes at Park West though. It's when a company advertises a cheap fake as a genuine article that the gloves come off and the company in question is now fair game for pretty much any derogatory comment you care to make.

 

Park West has been caught red-handed selling Salvador Dali (and other artists) fakes for thousands of dollars in the last few months. You can even find printer alignment marks on the pieces once they are removed from the frames. (That's the little +s in the corners for anyone who doesn't already know :) )

 

Some of the links in this thread and the one from yesterday show the fakes very clearly. The old saw about "a fool and his money" does come into play here true, but greater the fool that started the scam in the first place. He will get caught in the end.

 

With all that said, got any good ideas on how to drive a PW scammer up the wall?? :D

[hcat]

The art auctions take up valuable public space on board & make noise in the centrum o Radiance Class ships. during the afternoons.....

 

Whenever we pass through we always joke that there is yet another original Peter Max-- & they all look pretty much the same

[mgmigs]

Did you see this first hand?

 

yes, i saw first hand what Arthur said to the lady and how he treated her in front of everyone and even behind her back once she went out into the hallway.

 

i did not see the lady being told to shut her mouth (the lady told me after the show) for if it is true (and i believe it is) it was done discretely at the desk by the doorway. the lady had a park west credit card which she said she used to purchase the artwork so the purchase was very easily verifiable by the park west staff.

[Rancher Dave]

They try to butter me up by giving extra free goodies to DD when they see her...well at least that was the case on Granduer...nice lady auction and she took a liking to DD. (not in the wrong way...) Port Shopping Guide treated DD well also...

 

Yes, I am not real fond of PW Auctions...

[satxdiver]

From all that I have read both on CC and other websites, the art auction on ships is a scam. They give you free wine, ever wonder why? Hint: they give you free drinks in the casinos for the same reason - to cloud your judgement. I stay away. The DI on shore that the cruise lines push so heavily fall in the same scam status. Ever wonder why the cruise ships push you into going to a DI on shore? Money is involved.

[BDL]

From all that I have read both on CC and other websites, the art auction on ships is a scam. They give you free wine, ever wonder why? Hint: they give you free drinks in the casinos for the same reason - to cloud your judgement. I stay away. The DI on shore that the cruise lines push so heavily fall in the same scam status. Ever wonder why the cruise ships push you into going to a DI on shore? Money is involved.

 

They give free drinks in the Casino??!! How have I missed this.

[BDL]

From all that I have read both on CC and other websites, the art auction on ships is a scam. They give you free wine, ever wonder why? Hint: they give you free drinks in the casinos for the same reason - to cloud your judgement. I stay away. The DI on shore that the cruise lines push so heavily fall in the same scam status. Ever wonder why the cruise ships push you into going to a DI on shore? Money is involved.

 

They give free drinks in the Casino??!! How have I missed this. I've only seen that in Vegas.

[hazmatt]

Now, I'm about to be evil. These ideas are for fun only, if you use one and some Park West guy gets in your face, it isn't my fault! :D

 

1) Post it notes with the word "FAKE" written very clearly. Take those and sneakily plant them throughout the art show.

 

2) Take a loupe and scrutinize a painting very closely muttering about ink jet printers and cheesy reproductions worth about $10.

 

3) Ask the Park West salesman how the new "Poster Business" is doing.

 

4) Ask about their recent reviews on Fine Art Registry.

 

Ok that should be enough to leave any Park West scam artist frothing at the mouth and spluttering like a startled chicken. But, hey let's have a good laugh so please add more.

 

Darkwolfe, you have a very devious mind. I LIKE IT!!:D :D :D

[DaNana]

If it had of been me & he told me that he would fork over his salary & I did prove that I paid 500.00 for a Peter Max I would of had my hand out!

Since Peter Maxx has not sold for $500 on any cruise where I went to the auction, this would have been a great selling point for him to show the value she got, not tear her down. I personally love Peter Maxx and did long before he was selling on a cruise with Park West.

[Coralc]

I don't know why people get so upset about the Park West auctions. Having someone be embarrased by an auctioner is very, very wrong. But there is nothing we can do about it. :o

 

We purchased a (jim Davis Rockwell/Garfield) lithograph about 10 years ago because we liked it for $60. The framing at home was expensive. The litho has a value of $250-$300 now...but we bought it because we liked it. It was not purchased as an investment, but for our enjoyment. :)

 

The art auction is something we did once, like some of the other onboard activities.... that we tried once, and no longer participate in. I don't quite understand why people who make naive or impulsive purchases should have recourse. I know that is probably what they are counting on at the onboard auctions. We are not art buyers. But if you don't know what you are shopping for....it seems like "buyer beware".

[Sugar*Magnolia]

DarkWolfe.......I have my multicolored post-it notes READY TO GO! lololol

Looooooove it!!!

 

Regarding free cocktails in the casinos....yup- mostly at the tables but if you sit long enough at a machine a cocktail waitress might spot ya too!

 

I wonder if PW would do better and have more of a turn out if they were more truthful in what they auctioned?

Just Cant Wait to be Sailing....

[judyzoo]

The DI on shore that the cruise lines push so heavily fall in the same scam status. Ever wonder why the cruise ships push you into going to a DI on shore? Money is involved.

 

What's a DI? What have I missed? Or is it just Diamonds International?

[QTBabyNurse]

Interesting article on MSNBC this week about this very topic:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25787182/

[satxdiver]

What's a DI? What have I missed? Or is it just Diamonds International?

 

Yes, DI is Diamonds International.

[satxdiver]

They give free drinks in the Casino??!! How have I missed this. I've only seen that in Vegas.

 

I was referring to lost wages and not the ship casino. I know that they do not give away alcohol very often on board. Exceptions that I know of are the Captain's party and the art auctions. Sorry for the confusion. I should have been more explicit. Point was though that anytime they ply you with free booze, it is time to guard your wallet.

[BDL]

'anytime they ply you with free booze, it is time to guard your wallet.'

 

How true ;)

 

'Regarding free cocktails in the casinos....yup- mostly at the tables but if you sit long enough at a machine a cocktail waitress might spot ya too!'

 

I haven't stayed in the casino long enough...yet.:eek:

Last year on Radiance, the first sea day I spent about 20 minutes and about $10 to win $500... then I promptly went back to the cabin and put it in the safe :) . It actually more than paid for the prints I researched and purchased. I posted earlier about buying some that I had seen earlier on an other ship. They are for my own enjoyment and were priced well compared to other places I'd looked. I love them! (But I agree that a lot of it is reproductions at high prices)

 

Last year on Radiance I also won a free SPA package at one of the auctions - it consisted of 90 minutes and included a facial, scalp massage, regular massage and a foot massage. I normally don't visit the spa on the ship too often, but in this case it was well worth the price (I tipped well)

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

Interesting article on MSNBC this week about this very topic:

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25787182/

 

 

Thanks for the link.

The most interesting line in that story:

"In one example, a passenger paid $19,468 for three Dali prints, only to come home and have them appraised from $850 to $1,000."

Wow, anybody who'd plunk down $19,468 for onboard Park West purchases would probably drop $14.95 for a steak in the MDR. :D

 

 

 

End the RCL pay-per-entree scam!

Say "No" to Fain

[stompy]

I've got nothing against Park West except that their stuff is CRAP.

 

I've seen better artwork at Target or on the street corner on black velvet...

 

I keep browsing, hoping one say they'd have an actual piece of real art rather than lithos or glicees, or whatever confusing printing term they are using that month

 

It's all the SAME stuff over and over again