Park West is back on Celebrity?

[mikjr]

Can I ask a dumb question? What is Park West? About to go on my first cruise so need to know what the be weary of!

 

Park West is an art auction company, used by many of the cruise lines to conduct art auctions during the cruises. Problem is... the art they sell is "production art"... lithographs, giclees, prints on canvas, etc. all of this type of "production art" are produced by the 100s... and sometimes the 1000s. Even though this art is usually signed and numbered by the artist, these pieces of art will probably never appreciate in value.

 

YET... on the ship, they are sold as investment pieces, which just is not true!

 

The reason I know this for a fact is... I am a Certified Appraiser and specialize in the appraisal on antiques and fine art. I also liquidate estates. over the past 20 years, I have appraised and sold many pieces of "production art", and in almost all cases, the art had lost value from the original purchase price!!

 

Thomas Kinkade and his company were sued several years ago for publishing so many of his canvas prints, that the whole Kinkade market suffered a huge hit in value!!

 

If you are going to buy art, buy ORIGINAL oil paintings, watercolors, etc... paintings by artists that are called "LISTED ARTISTS"... artists that have a positive track record in auctions or gallery sales.

 

I always tell my clients... buy a piece of art because you love it... not because you expect it to appreciate in value.

[Mulege]

Who buys their junk? Oh, forgot, there is a sucker born every minute!

[mcrcruiser]

Sorry to hear that the cruise lines are lowering themselves to the art auctions tacky sales & very high prices :o:(:mad:

 

In 57 cruises we have bought NOT one piece of art nor do we sit through their garbage presentations:D:p:D

[biker1972]

When you go to the Park West web site you can find most of the "art" that they have for sale, but you find no prices. :eek: In order to find a price you need to call and who is to say if the price I was quoted is the price you will be quoted. Most galleries post an asking price when they display something. Not Park West! They seem to run their whole operation as some kind of blind auction where there is no way to establish a real value, only their artificial value. When no prices are listed it screams "buyer beware"!

[cruiserziggy]

I am going to chime in with a positive comment because the story is not all bad. I have purchased from Park West on various cruise ships and I have never been sorry or regretted it. Everything we bought was to hang in our home, not to resell. I know that we paid fair prices and we, personally, never had a problem with customer service.

 

An example is Peter Max. You can say what you want about the artist and his work. However, those issues exist on land and at sea. We happen to like his work and have purchased "original variations" (hand embellished and signed by the artist) on cruises. Since then, we have met the artist himself at a land gallery where he had a showing. The same type and size of pieces we bought were being shown there for as much as twice what we paid. Unless we bought counterfeit pieces (which would be a whole different issue) I would say we paid good price for art that we like while onboard a cruise.

 

I would agree with all of the comments regarding buying things because you like them, not for investment. On our last cruise, the auctioneer himself gave that advice. However, to criticize because the company makes money really is not fair. It is a business. The goal is to make money. The markup on art is high whether you purchase it on a ship or in a land gallery. In many cases, the prices on board ships are better than land galleries because of the volume of business that is done, and the absence of sales tax.

 

As with anything, different strokes..... However, let's be even handed here. Perhaps there were some prior issues with the company and I will not defend that. But there is a reason they are in business and successful. Many people enjoy the auctions. I thought it would be fair to share my experience, which is not a bad one.

[teajak]

Celebrity should post signs before a Park West so called "art" auction.

ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK,CELEBRITY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGE TO YOUR WALLET.

Very sad that our great Celebrity has lowered their standards like this.

[deise17311]

Just curious...who cares if they are onboard, if you don't like the art, don't go to the art auction? I'm always so curious about the complaints involving optional, or voluntary things...

[Lsimon]

Can I ask a dumb question? What is Park West? About to go on my first cruise so need to know what the be weary of!

 

 

If you want to get an idea of the problems then google park west along with either the word complaint or ripoff and read some of the results. This alone can be entertaining. There are many people who buy their products and are happy with them but many others who have had major problems. There are also a lot of sad stories of former employees who have been ripped off themselves and who have written articles confessing the misleading practices they routinely follow on cruise ships.

 

As a first time cruiser I'll also warn you about the port shopping scam.

The cruise line offers port information talks run by a "shopping consultant". They also will distribute an information sheet on each port which includes a modest amount of general information on the port along with a list of "recommended stores". My problem with this setup is the whole program is designed to look like the cruise line is looking out for your best interest and giving you good advice when in reality it is just a paid advertising program that looks out for the best interest of the stores. The port shopping consultant isn't a cruise line employee but rather an employee of the advertising firm. And the recommended shops are not recommended because of their history and reputation but rather because of the advertising fees and sales commissions they pay to the cruise line. That doesn't necessarily mean that the stores are bad but they really have no benefit over a non-recommended store and the port talks and shopping consultant's advice is 100% sales pitch with no other substance. If you're looking for a big ticket item (i.e. nice jewelry) the shopping consultant will even volunteer to go into a store to "help you" without disclosing the fact that they are working to earn themselves and/or their company a commission on the sale.

 

There are actually some very nice opportunities for shopping in the islands and, at times, on the ship. But it is definitely a buyer beware situation and you have to keep in mind the difficulty in getting problems resolved, despite any "guarantees", when you can not easily get back to the seller's location and without the benefit of any consumer protection rights you'd have when shopping in your home country.

[teajak]

Celebrity should post signs before a Park West so called "art" auction.

ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK,CELEBRITY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGE TO YOUR WALLET.

Very sad that our great Celebrity has lowered their standards like this.

It ceases to be voluntary when they take over the entire atrium or the entire sky lounge with displays. The noise is deafening and you need to detour to get around. Every day there are ads in the cabin to be discarded, that is called waste. Nothing about the art auctions in your face is voluntary.:eek:

[Taxguy77]

I agree and we are also below the average too. Maybe they would like to replace us with new cruisers.

 

They would!

To the person who suggested a new name; How about "Pak Jail"?

[kitty9]

Yes, you buy art to make yourself happy, but don't be fooled. It was proven that those retouched prints, where they add a few brush strokes of paint, are not done by the artist, but by art students. That fact is one of the many reasons why Park West has a multitude of lawsuits against it.

[gsb]

Besides the champagne, I go to check out the auctioneer and his deputies.

The deputies find out who the potential bidders are and get close to them and try to urge them on during the process. Unbelievable

And most of the auctioneers are real tools also.

[dkjretired]

Should have mentioned in my previous post that all the Park West Auctions on my NCL cruise last week were SRO...

[mahdnc]

small venue?

[richstowe]

I asked the question partly because I couldn't believe it.

 

Park West is involved in lawsuits and some cruise lines have been sued as well...might it cost them more than the revenue if a Jury decides to set an example? Especially when new contracts are signed after fraud has been proven...does that make sense?

On the Summit ,the head auctioneer was the loudest most obnoxious Canadian I've ever met. It was so "off" from the rest of our cruise experience.

I think the way they get away with their flimflammery is the "disclosure" statement this huckster barks at you at double time

 

I go in, get some champagne and laugh.;)

Honestly the very worst swill I've ever tasted. Thinking about it make me want to gargle.:mad:

[deise17311]

Again, if you don't like it, don't go...to the poster who said they take over the atrium, I don't drink, but there are bars everywhere and lines of people getting drinks and with the 123 promo, plenty of drunks...but guess what, I just go with the flow...I doubt people think Park West is selling Candy Spelling's Rembrandt on the Reflection...if you like it, buy it, if you don't...then don't!

[Gr8Mariner]

Just because a Gallery ashore was trying to sell a piece for twice that of Park West price doesn't mean that it's worth it.

 

eBay is full of Park West product for a tiny fraction of ship prices. If you have one and love it, go to eBay and find out what you could buy it for now...buy a few for your friends!

[teajak]

Just because a Gallery ashore was trying to sell a piece for twice that of Park West price doesn't mean that it's worth it.

 

eBay is full of Park West product for a tiny fraction of ship prices. If you have one and love it, go to eBay and find out what you could buy it for now...buy a few for your friends!

I walked past the art auction and was handed a ticket and won a Tarket .It cost $35 for an appraisal of $500.,$35.shipping would have cost $250 for framing at Michaels. Checked on E-bay when we got home 6 of exact same print for $25.00 each. My DH kindly requests I don't walk past any more art auctions.:p

[Lsimon]

I walked past the art auction and was handed a ticket and won a Tarket .It cost $35 for an appraisal of $500.,$35.shipping would have cost $250 for framing at Michaels. Checked on E-bay when we got home 6 of exact same print for $25.00 each. My DH kindly requests I don't walk past any more art auctions.:p

 

 

Hmmm.... I have two prints in mailing tubes in the back of a closet upstairs that our son "won" from Park West on an RCL cruise 8 years ago which we spent about $75 for shipping - we passed on buying the appraisal :cool:.

 

I never thought of unloading them on E-Bay :D. Maybe they've appreciated over time:rolleyes:.

[emileg]

Can I ask a dumb question? What is Park West? About to go on my first cruise so need to know what the be weary of!

What is Park West? It is a diner on Rt. 46 in Little Falls, New Jersey.

 

 

 

 

 

[biker1972]

I'm sure the folks in Little Falls get more value from the money they spend at Park West that the cruisers get from spending at the on board Park West. A good burger will beat an inflated print and day. ;)

[teajak]

Hmmm.... I have two prints in mailing tubes in the back of a closet upstairs that our son "won" from Park West on an RCL cruise 8 years ago which we spent about $75 for shipping - we passed on buying the appraisal :cool:.

 

I never thought of unloading them on E-Bay :D. Maybe they've appreciated over time:rolleyes:.

Mine stayed in the mailing tube until I gave it to my adult godson for his birthday. ;)

[Macadian]

Reading through this thread brings two well worn sayings to mind:

 

"If it seems to good to be true, it usually is"

 

And perhaps more importantly,

 

"Buyer beware"

 

;)

[dkjretired]

What is Park West? It is a diner on Rt. 46 in Little Falls, New Jersey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Emile:

 

Have actually eaten there, good catch on that.

[dkjretired]

small venue?

 

Nope, held in one of the restaurants...