Another 1 Stamp Boo Boo

So 1 I had 1 stamp missing from a Harmers lot I won, nothing priceless but a nice cancel. This one stamp was one of many but was clearly missing as I checked the stock book more than once and the other lots. In the video presentation of the lot on the auction site, the stamp is in the book. I sent 3 or 4 emails in the course of a week with the attached screenshots of the blank spot and the video clip showing the stamp. No ne answered any of the emails and when I tried to call all I got was a recording to leave a message - which I did, Never got a call back. I finally got Joan on the the line and she was nice and said they couldn't check emails as they were busy with auction stuff but would look into it. Not a word back until I got another email a few days later saying they are on the look out for it but nothing yet and would I mind selling one of my other lots I won to another customer of theirs as they didnt have a chance to bid or couldn't or something similar. That threw me off a little and with the auction experience re: bad internet speed, lightning storm they were saying interfered with bidding and the badmouthing they were doing re: SAN when the auction was going on, I just decided to let it alone. Like I said no big deal. I just expected a quicker response and a call back once I brought up the missing stamp and I got the feeling like because its only 1 stamp, they just ignored it. Understandable but not acceptable to me.

The other stamp is the below picture and listing. A "BI" that should be an "RI". Description for this lot from Cherrystone below. Once again, a common stamp, but now the "complete reconstruction" is not complete. When I called Cherrystone to inquire, I was basically told that the person who put the plate together made a mistake and gave me kind of a hard time for asking. I said that maybe its not a mistake - not implying that Cherrystone cheated me, but that the maker maybe didnt have the correct one and made a substitutuion. BUT, if its suppose to be a complete plate, its not and thats my point. Its a very detailed presentation that lends itself to a person who knew the subject and should not have made such an elementary mistake. I am just a beginner and I spotted it so I figured the auction house should have too when reviewing the lot. Apparently they didnt or they just winged it.

All I was trying to figure out was what is the policy here and what to do now that its not a complete plate. Once again, not a big deal as the stamps are not all from the same plate but are AA to TL - except for this misplaced one. In both cases I think the auction houses could have been a little more understanding when I emailed / called to inquire as to what they do in cases like these. I was not trying to return the lots or ask for a discount, but as being new to the auction process I was trying to get an understanding of processes according to their terms stated / policies and to let them know.

For reference I have added one out of four of the plate pages as an example of the work. You can also view the BI stamp.....

EDITED to add info and clarity (I hope).

Opinion,
you appear to have a valid concern.
I see no problem with your enquiries, but you fail to advise
in what way they were unhelpful.
Was the request commented upon? responded to etc?

PS Curious as to your Avatar meaning?

"Some minor faults possible" suggests with larger lots, they cannot be responsible for finer unnoticed problems , such as yours.

Yikes!
One stamp incomplete is still incomplete. I am sure there are mealy mouth reasons not too hear your complaint. You do have a legitimate complaint !
Press on. Folk get tired of hearing from me. Tire them out!
Cheers, best thoughts
Mark
As usual, I agree with Mr Rgdcam
Edit for understanding
Wrong attribute
Agree with Rod22

I think you are saying you won a Harmers lot in a Cherrystone auction? I don't understand; please explain.

Don't one of auction rules specifically state that lots of something like 10 or more stamps are not returnable? It would be easy to miss, but why didn't you catch this when viewing in person or ask for a scan beforehand?

I'm of the mind to contact the seller and see how they want to proceed. The description clearly says, "Complete Reconstruction of 240 used singles". In my mind, complete means complete. If someone tries to argue that a minor fault is when a BI stamp is substituted for an RI stamp, then I say No. Good luck with however you proceed.

I added some info - I hope that helps? Sorry for the confusion





I have seen something similar re: no of items. Though not sure which auction house - Kelleher??. But, I have also seen something similar to if a lot is not as described, that could be an issue. Once again, not sure which house. Thats one of the reasons I called - to get clarification. And they were just rude thats all. Like, it is what it is. Oh, well.... attitude. I do agree that I should have viewed the scans more closely - thats my mistake. I put too much faith in the system of the auction house in assuring a correct description with a correct lot. Lesson learned. I am a novice and a beginner and told them so. All I was looking for was some direction. They would have had a much happier customer by just being courteous and helpful. Instead, they have someone who will always remember, its no big deal, and whatever..... And will shop somewhere else.

Indeed. It is a misdescribed lot, period. As such, it should be returnable. I would return it without any hesitation. The attitude shown would hasten my decision...

John

I do not really understand why this stuff is here. I have had the wrong thing ship to me and I contact the auction house first. After all, we did not sell this to "stamps 4 life" ? Contact the seller - it may very well be an honest mistake


Peter

Because this is a forum to discuss stamp auction issues - I'm just guessing...



John

"The wrong thing" hasn't been sent - the lot was wrongly described as "complete" in the first place. One could see why Cherrystone - and probably the original owner - didn't notice. The relevance to other readers lies in the nature of Cherrystone's response.

I agree with GeoffHa
Nicely put.

mark

Yes, I threw this out just to share my experience and possibly to help others who are new to auctions & to be sure to check items carefully, understand the terms and contact the House ASAP within specified timeframe. I possibly expected a reply too soon - but I think not. And clearly the lot is not "complete". But, I bought these to practice plating and for training and familiarity of check letters, etc. Its not a big deal and im going to keep them - in fact, I've already cleaned them up a bit and taken them off the smelly old paper . It was pretty, but...

Things can and do disappear during viewing.

Check the fine print for the auction firm regarding how they handle issues with lots containing more than a certain number of stamps. Some indicate such lots are not returnable for any reason. Theft during viewing should be an exception especially with photographic proof the it was present in the lot as offered. That said the powers that be in the APS, ASDA and other dealer monitoring groups may be of help with the issue. However, first you plan to keep the item which makes the issue only academic. And the other but greater conundrum is how do you prove you were not the one who "disappeared" the stamp. That is what makes circumstances such as this a bit sticky for all involved.

Yes - all good points. I was told by Joan at Harmers that the stamp is quite common. From the online video, it is hard to tell exactly what it is. I do like the cancel though. It certainly isn't the Hope Diamond though. Right?!? Anyhow, I decided to keep that lot too and once again not a big deal - just another missing item and how to handle it.







So I know anyone can take a stamp and post a picture of a blank spot, but I have really nothing to gain by doing so. I dont know Harmers and I have nothing against them - it is what it is.

Seems like a good place to share 2 recent experiences I had where the auction house handled problems very well.

First was a Rasdale lot where on receipt of the lot I found some significant condition issues, not described properly in the lot write-up. Within 2 hours of sending an email to Rasdale, they had called me to explain how the mistake happened, offered me a couple options to resolve, and we agreed on a reasonable partial refund. Can't ask for quicker resolution of an issue!

Second was a Sparks lot where a stamp was incorrectly identified as the high-value CV variety, but when I had it in-hand it was clearly the low-value one, reducing the overall CV of the lot significantly. (This was a case of them taking the owner's optimistic ID at face value). Again, an email to the house and a couple days later after some discussion a very reasonable credit was applied to my account (in fact, I was asked to name the amount that I found reasonable).

So I've gone from unhappy with those 2 lots to happy, and they've ensured I'm a repeat customer.

~Greg