by Theresa Franks, for Fine Art Registry®
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7 Top Reasons to Never Go on a Cruise |
The tragic shipwreck of the Costa Concordia which recently occurred in Italy has finally shed some much needed light on how cruise lines and the concessionaires they are in a financial partnership with operate. The cruise industry is a multi-billion dollar business conducted in maritime waters where the cruise passenger (whether he or she knows it or not) is at great risk and peril in many more ways than one. On January 11, 2011, the The Huffington Post published a warning that Park West Gallery was the most "overt example" of "deception" as it relates to the sale of art prints on cruise ships. Then today, The Daily Beast warned would-be cruise goers about the many pitfalls and dangers of cruising, including the "bogus [art] auctions", "fake bidders" and "worthless art," with a number of the links in the article focusing squarely on the offending art peddler, Park West Gallery.
Quoting from The Daily Beast, in relevant part:
Quoting from The Daily Beast, in relevant part:
Don’t get too mesmerized by cruise lines’ extensive lists of all the things you get with your admission price. One of the most important things—drinks—are not free, and 75 percent of Cruise Critic readers think they’re too expensive. (New York City residents, though, might think these prices are a steal.) If you want to try the nicer restaurants on board, treat yourself to the spa, or just have a soda, there’s always an extra charge. There are no consumer protection laws at sea, and cruise companies make the most of it with things like bogus auctions featuring fake bidders and worthless art.The Costa Concordia is owned by Carnival Corporation. And it just so happens that Carnival is one of the cruise lines that still (incredibly) permits Park West Gallery to operate its "bogus" art auctions on its cruise ships. Norwegian and Regent also still allow Park West Gallery to have its way with their cruise passengers. All of these cruise lines pocket a substantial revenue share from Park West Gallery sales. Royal Caribbean, Holland America, and Disney cruise lines finally ridded their ships of Park West Gallery in 2010. This was not done, however, until after Fine Art Registry won a unanimous jury verdict against Park West Gallery--much, much too late. We are hearing from more and more and more cruise passengers every day that have dealt with Park West Gallery--the complaints are increasingly from cruisers that have attended Park West Gallery VIP auctions and have dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars in the purchase of art that is claimed by Park West Gallery to be "rare", "valuable" and a "great investment". It sure ain't pretty when these cruise passengers learn that they have been screwed, and royally.
Most people board a cruise ship with nary a thought for their own safety or a single care as to what happens if something were to go wrong--very wrong. Will the cruise lines take care of you or your family if you get sick, injured, killed or ripped off? Uh, the answer is no, they certainly will not! Read your cruise ticket and know your rights or should we say your lack of rights and remedies when wronged or ripped off by a cruise line or one of its vendors or concessionaires. Sharon Day and Julian Howard have experienced the burn that comes with cruising. They have been wrangling with Royal Caribbean for more than three years now in their claim for more than a half million dollars in the purchase of forged artwork sold by Park West Gallery. While the sale of fraudulent art does not rise to the level of murder, or missing persons, or loss of life--it does, nonetheless, take its toll financially and harms the art industry and the art market as a whole. Many have been ruined by Park West Gallery and the cruise lines, who have allowed the fraud to continue.
Thank you Newsweek and The Daily Beast for bringing this very important public policy issue to light.
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