Complaints Against AES - American Estate Brokerage Services  - Frank Brosseau

St. Paul MN, 55127

estate123@attbi.comcast.net
eBay ID: aesbrokerage

If you have questions about the complaint,
please contact the person who it was filed by.

October 22, 2003
Complaint filed by: elzid23@tampabay.rr.com

i have just had a 'bad deal' with an eBay seller.  They had a lot of good feedback although they also had a good bit of negative also. I trusted them because of the amount of good feedback they had.

eBay ID "aesbrokerage".
AES Brokerage Services
American Estate Services (this information obtained by cautionlist)
41 Island Rd
Saint Paul, MN 55127
(651)765-4300
or
Frank Brosseau  (this information obtained by cautionlist)
41 Island Rd
Saint Paul, MN 55127-2635
(651)483-3666
or
American Estate Services
POBx 270233
St. Paul MN, 55127
tel# 651-765-4300

the item # 2953996868 was listed as "Condition-Good". When I got the package and opened it the doll looked just like the picture. i inspect the items when they arrive so i can leave feedback. i partially removed the dress and noticed the arm and leg wobbly, then the white started to show and the arm and leg oozed off the doll. the sticky stuff is like melted marshmallows.So what i got was a broken doll with one arm and leg someone tried unsuccessfully to hold in place with white goo and one leg super-glued. please see:

http://www.geocities.com/yesterdays_fashions/barb.jpg

after several attempts to resolve this amicably, using Ebay customer support and Square Trade, the sellers refuse ANY type of refund, stating sold 'final sale' and that the doll was in GOOD condition.( they have refunded money to others though) from all the postings back and forth with the seller and contacting other ebay members. it was made clear the doll was misrepresented. seems that the sellers don't check their items before putting for auction, they go by what the original owner states the condition of the item is. when one tries to pursue the case, the sellers use a condescending tone in their posts with threats. they go as far as to call their bidders," liars, Jerks and jerkbuyers "when they are left neutral or negative feedback. i have saved all the posts to and fro. i contacted Barbie Authorities, including Mattel. i filed with ebay customer support, Safe Harbor, BBB, Mail Fraud, Internet Fraud, WeB Guardian and now you. my last recourse is to sue them . the item is $66.54 and filing fee is $76.50. i may call one of the TV court shows next. IF you know a way to get justice, please tell me.  
This is the email I sent right after I got the doll and their response: From: Janet & Luis Rodriguez

To: estate123@attbi.com
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 1:49 PM
Subject: eBay Item: VINTAGE 1972 QUICK CURL BARBIE DOLL (Item #2953996868)

Hi, wanted to let you know i got this doll today. apparently they doll wasn't really checked before being listed for auction with a 'condition -good' rating!  i checked the doll when i opened the package, there is some type of glue holding one arm and one leg on the doll! please see the jpg. looks like gum or epoxy .i darn near fainted when i saw this. please contact me ASAP on this. i do not want this doll! it's not in 'good' condition as stated.   janet

From: AES Brokerage Services
To: Janet & Luis Rodriguez
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 3:40 PM
Subject: Re: eBay Item: VINTAGE 1972 QUICK CURL BARBIE DOLL (Item #2953996868)

All of our dolls are given a "general description" which describes the overall condition of the doll and outfit. We sell all of our dolls on a basis of "All sales final" per the auction terms and we answer all questions to the best of our ability before the auction ends. A doll described as "good condition" by definition indicates the doll is not without some sort of flaw(s). Only mint dolls would not contain any flaw(s). This doll is in "good condition" and is fairly stated. Please let us know if we can answer any other questions. Thanks    AES

In this email I am pleading with them:

From: Janet & Luis Rodriguez
To: AES Brokerage Services
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 2:58 PM
Subject: Re: eBay Item: VINTAGE 1972 QUICK CURL BARBIE DOLL (Item #2953996868)

Hi again, am very sorry, but, someone attempted to repair this doll before it was put for auction. ! a poor repair attempt at that. it didn't mention repair in the auction. the doll isn't even in ONE piece!  a flaw is something like a stain or a tiny nick or bite mark, not broken!  THIS isn't a flaw, it's a broken doll!!  we collectors know what is meant by 'mint' and i didn't expect the doll to be mint, (as in 'new' but used.) just didn't expect her to be broken, that is why i want my money refunded!  janet

and their response:

From: AES Brokerage Services
To: Janet & Luis Rodriguez
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 5:49 PM
Subject: Re: eBay Item: VINTAGE 1972 QUICK CURL BARBIE DOLL (Item #2953996868)

We are not offering a refund because we disagree with your definition of what good condition is and we will stand by our definition. Thank you.   AES

I then sent them a picture of the doll (link above)

From: Janet & Luis Rodriguez
To: AES Brokerage Services
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 6:10 PM
Subject: Re: eBay Item: VINTAGE 1972 QUICK CURL BARBIE DOLL (Item #2953996868)

here is a better picture of this poor broken doll.   janet

From: AES Brokerage Services
To: Janet & Luis Rodriguez
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 7:22 PM
Subject: Re: eBay Item: VINTAGE 1972 QUICK CURL BARBIE DOLL (Item #2953996868)

Again, our general description of the doll and the outfit is fair and equitable so we disagree with your attempts to return the doll or try to extort some refund by threat of litigation. You do whatever you think is proper and so will we. We are not offering any refund or return privileges on this doll as "All sales are final" per the auction terms. Thank you.   AES

I contacted a very well know vintage Barbie seller. she travels the usa. I sent her the picture of the doll. this is what she said:

From: Marlbe@aol.com
To: elzid23@tampabay.rr.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2003 11:11 AM
Subject: Re: Vintage Barbie ? Help

Hi Janet,

This is a horrible doll and certainly not in good condition.....Bargain Basement at best! Ebay at it's finest LOL     Marl

Here i contacted a well known Barbie authority. he has written books, made tapes and tv appearances on the subject.

From: Joeblitman@aol.com
To: elzid23@tampabay.rr.com
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2003 8:14 PM
Subject: Re: Barbie info ,HELP!

Hi Janet,

Hmm. Semantics. People have such different ideas of what words mean. I have a list of condition definitions on my website that go like so: We grade our dolls and clothing as follows:

Mint (m) - like it just came out of the box
Near Mint (nm) - most of the stiffness is still in the garment; doll/item gently played with
Excellent (ex) - played with, but a lot of life still there; may have small flaws
Very Good (vg) - played with a lot, but not dead yet; may have major flaws
Good (g) - this was some child's favorite toy
Fair (f) - dead, but there's something useful about it
Poor (p) - dead and buried, but there's something useful about it

If you look at other vintage dealers' websites, they probably have a definition list as well. And, they'll all be different. Form what you describe, I would list the doll as "fair".  Good luck on resolution.   Joe

I contacted square trade to see if they could help and this is reply after they contacted AES:

From: SquareTrade Customer Support
To: elzid23@tampabay.rr.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 2:09 PM
Subject: Your SquareTrade case

eBay Item Number: 2953996868
SquareTrade Case ID: 602850063
Merchandise Description: VINTAGE 1972 QUICK CURL BARBIE DOLL

Frank Brosseau has contacted us asking us to close the case, for the following reason:

"I do not want to use SquareTrade's services."

Irrespective of whether you agree with closing the case at this time, we must now close it because our service is voluntary. If you would like to pursue further options, you may want to contact eBay by clicking here.  
Sincerely,  
SquareTrade Customer Support

I bid on and won a Barbie doll from aes brokerage firm....the description of the doll said either very good or excellent....I can't recall exactly which. Because I know how dolls are graded, I didn't bother to ask any questions, plus, there was a picture of the doll. When I got the doll, I was appalled. She had a badly faded face...so faded it looked green in comparison to her body. Her brows were practically rubbed off, she had a lip rub, her hair had been cut, she had a bite on her nose....not any missing, just tiny teeth marks like from a mouse, no lashes,bitten off toes and her hair was missing a ton of plugs....so much so in fact that you could see her scalp very well. It was a half inch section of missing plugs on the sides from the part area....and a few rows underneath.

Because I know someone who restores dolls, I didn't give it too much thought because I knew I could get it fixed, and I didn't want the hassle of complaining because I read AES' feedback and I saw how rude they are to people who complain and I didn't want them to give me a negative feedback since I am new to e-bay. After the horrible doll I got, I gave them a neutral (!) feedback and mentioned the flaws. Below is a cut and paste of what happened after I left my feedback stating that they failed to mention flaws:

aesbrokerage( 1505) Sep-19-03 15:40:32 PDT 2949439480 B
Neutral : Picture and description of doll is clar, ask questions since all sales final
Response by krisd819 - biter,bitter.I didn't even leave negative! I sent payment moments after auction
Follow-up by aesbrokerage - We did not leave negative either but probably should have - grow up

When I look back in retrospect and on the picture of the doll....I don't even think it was the same Barbie in the picture....the picture doll has thick full hair and pretty high color make-up. You couldn't fake the hair on the Barbie I got. All in all, I learned my lesson and will never buy from them again. I also got several e-mails from other e-bay members I have never talked to in my life asking me if my Barbie was as horrible as theirs! The one good thing I can say about this, is that I've made several friends from this horrible mess. I ended up paying twice as much having her restored as I did buying her! If you have any more questions, please feel free to write me. You have my permission to put my story on your complaint list. Thanks......Kris

hey i see you too got ripped off by Aes Brokerage. One of the dolls i got from them they said had slight fading to face. Try Green face!! her dress was badly stained on the back so i tried to take it off cause i figured i could resell in parts but her arm fell off. Now I have been accused of switching items on lousy head. When they gave feedback to another poor man they said that he did not have a full bag of marbles. i felt bad for you cause you look like you are new to ebay. They did not mention any of your problems with the doll in the auction you won. Fill out a fraud report on them. I wish i could but since i sell i do not want trouble from them. . just a noisy helpful ebayer who is mad at the b... anyway i hope you don't mind me budding in..

 he sold me two dolls, total of $918.00 when I received them they were not as described in the auction they had the wrong bodies on them and a bunch of other flaws he failed to mention.  he listed them as near mint and Ex. cond. when i emailed him about it he accused me of switching the bodies and said i could not return them which was totally ridiculous, so I am out $918.00 for two dolls that are trash, when I left him a neg. he left me neg's out of retaliation. I did file a complaint with ebay and square trade but it didn't do any good. I have had about 5 or 6 emails from people who told me he did the same thing to them but they are afraid to leave him bad feedback because they know he will leave them one and accuse them of things they didn't do like he did me, he said I switched bodies which was not true the dolls he sent me where trashed and said he had pictures to prove it but that is not true and he never showed me any pictures, I did send him pictures of the doll he sent me but he lied and said i switched the body, it is terrible that i lost $918.00 on two trashed dolls and then got two neg's on top of it, I guess that is why people are afraid to leave him a neg. I paid him by money order, the two neg's I have are the ones he left me, I reported him to square trade but I received an email back from square trade saying he refused to work with them so they couldn't do anything, well naturally he is going to refuse to work with them because he doesn't want to give a refund. Sorry to go on about this but I am still upset about it that was a big lost for me. Deb

Here is one auction, I bought two dolls from him at the same time. this one had missing hair plugs and wrong body, I sent him a money order for both of them together. Deb

eBay item 2952023734 VINTAGE COLOR MAGIC BARBIE DOLL FROM 1967  In this picture the doll is not missing hair plugs and the body is different than the one I got.

This is the other auction you can see the dates on the auctions and the feedback he left me, this doll has a piece missing in her eye lash and her head was on a cheap plastic body.

eBay item 2952023097 (Ends Sep-23-03 08:15:24 PDT) - VINTAGE AMERICAN GIRL BRUNETTE BARBIE 1966

When I made my first purchase with AES Brokerage there were a total of two large boxes of items and there were items that were as described and so I left the appropriate feedback. Then, when my second box arrived most of the items were terrible but I did not want negative feedback and thought I would give them the benefit of the doubt so I left them neutral feedback and I said how I felt about them charging so much for shipping and then shipping items in old used beat up grocery boxes. Then they returned my neutral feedback with nasty, name calling, swearing feedback responses. I could not believe that ebay would allow them to use the language they do in their postings. So I proceeded to leave them negative feedback on some remaining items that I had not left feedback for yet and I stated how "as is" means that the item was taken out of the box and played with and then shoved back into the box. I also told how they sent me a Ken doll with a head that falls off and they claimed it happened in shipping. Then, they said I still owed them $1.41 and they were holding my final item until they received it. So I sent it directly through bidpay, which cost me more than I owed them and they refused it saying it was the wrong item number. There was no particular item number for $1.41 that I owed. It was just an addition mistake by the girl where I bought the money order so the total purchase, of several dolls, was short by $1.41. Mind you this was after I had spent over Three hundred dollars with these people and you would think they would want to keep a good paying customer happy. I wrote to bidpay and explained the situation and I gave them every item number of every item that I had ever purchased from those people,(if you can call them that), and told them to pick whatever number they wanted to apply the $1.41 to. AES actually snail mailed me a letter on torn legal pad paper with threats on it, and of course it was not signed by anyone, and never sent my last doll. I have the master card receipt for the payment from bidpay of $1.41 that bidpay insists they paid them. They actually shut me out from bidding on their auctions because at the time that they refused to send my last item after I had paid them I did have bids in on a few more of their dolls and they turned me in for being a non paying bidder. I wrote to Ebay and told them the whole story and they did remove the non paying bidder warnings from my account. I explained that if these people do not want my bids because I left neutral feedback for them then they do not want my money either so I was not intending to pay for any other items I won bids on from that point out. I am sure I caused them a lot of paper work but I obviously did not help to get them off of Ebay.

I wrote complete details to ebay about them several times and received NO response. I wrote to other buyers who had left them negative feedback also and they had all hit dead ends with ebay and square trade. This is why I say they have some kind of a hold on ebay. I swear they have to pay people to post all of the positive feedback that they do receive. Their favorite word is "deadbeat" and they like to tell people to "Stick it where the sun don't shine". If you noticed on their listings they are apparently selling their house. They have probably been found by others that they have done wrong and have been run out of town. This is truly what I suspect.

I eventually gave up as I just did not have the time to keep dealing with them and it was costing me my precious time which is money to me and I need the money to support my daughter and myself as I am widowed and trying to put her through College next year. I hope your lawsuit goes in your favor with them and you do have my permission to use my quotes about them and the things they have said and done. If you need paper work I believe I copied and saved several or their nasty emails to me and I know I saved the snail mail. I will need to dig it out but I can find it. I did finally delete all their stuff from my filing cabinet as they were taking up to much space in my file and in my life.I really should sue them for "defamation of character."  Take Care and God Bless!!!   Judy

Please provide your full name and address so we can contact the authorities about you. Your threats and comments are not going to be tolerated. Failure to supply this information within 48 hours will result in a mail fraud, internet fraud and national fraud complaint against you and the buyer of this auction. You can contact us at estate123@comcast.net. Thanks. aesbrokerage

October 23  1:35 AM

The doll was properly described as "good" and she bid on the doll plus the outfit. We will stand by our description of the item. Thank you.    AES

October 23   2:31 PM

One more thing just so you know the problems you will be incurring, whatever complaint this buyer has lodged is without merit - we are falsely accused by this person. She has presented facts to you that are not true. Good luck and hope you have a big legal budget.

October 23  2:33PM

No problem. You and the buyer do not even have the facts correct. You will also be subject to any damages that occur to our business because of these false accusations. You have no legal right to put us on any public information list without incurring the liability that goes with it. We hope you do post our names as it will provide a great lawsuit situation for us to pursue and a nice piece of income. We have no obligation to discuss this case with you or to discuss the facts of the case. We hope you do file charges without the true facts. Please provide the address of the business you work for so we can file a BBB complaint and sue you in court. Thanks

I bought 8 barbie dolls from AES Brokerage (estate123@attbi.com) in August. Three of the dolls were highly flawed and significantly below AES's stated condition. I made a complaint to AES on only one doll. This was such a disaster that I did not bother bringing the other problems to their attention. In the description of all the dolls AES states "We are selling this item on behalf of one of the largest doll collectors in the United States." I believe the owner stated the condition of the dolls, and that AES did not evaluate the condition of them to confirm the grade. I do not think AES looked at the dolls at all.

Here are the 3 dolls:

2944690209 Vintage Ken From 1962: "It is in excellent overall condition." with one picture (AES description).

Actual condition: Legs dyed blue(permanently), the color of the pants it was wearing. (If AES had undressed the doll it would have seen the dyed legs) Doll rattles-piece of plastic that can not be removed are loose inside. (If AES had picked the doll up would have noticed the rattle.) A doll with permanently blue legs or rattles is NOT in EXCELLENT condition.

2946943419 Vintage Reissue Skipper Doll From 1970: "She is in near mint overall condition" with one picture (AES description).

Actual Condition: Cut hair, most make-up rubbed off, very played-with condition. A doll with cut hair is NOT in NEAR-MINT condition.

2948132812 Vintage Sun Set Malibu Doll: "is in excellent condition." with one picture (AES description).

Actual Condition: very played with condition and leg comes off--not excellent condition.

Of the other 5 dolls, 3 of the dolls (2944690101, 29446990194, 2944690225) met the condition grading. The other 2 dolls (2944690112, 2944690131) listed as excellent condition were more like very good due to little make-up rubs and scratches.

I bid to win on these dolls based on AES's very high feedback rating (1500+) I was a new bidder in the barbie world. I began ebay bidding in Mid-July of this year. I relied heavily on their rating. I did not understand that their excessively high shipping costs, limited combining (only on wins in one day), payment by money order only, minimum cost ebay listing with only a condition grading given were indications that they are sellers who are trying to make as much money with as little cost and little risk of refund---altogether factors indicating they are not BUYER FRIENDLY. They do not stand behind their product descriptions. I also did not understand at the time that very few buyers who have a poor transaction actually provide that information to the marketplace via feedback. This is due to the high probability of seller's retaliatory feedback of the buyer. So rather than risk negative feedback, buyers don't let the marketplace know of bad sellers.

On item 2946943419 Reissue Skipper, I first tried to call AES to let them know the poor condition of the doll and to request a refund of ebay win plus all shipping costs. AES told me by email that they do not communicate by phone, only by email, so not to call them again. EBAY requires sellers to list phone number and also recommends dispute resolution through phone conversation. AES does not answer the phone, but has an answering machine. Honestly, based on their high rating I naively believed before contacting them, that they would work to resolve this problem, especially because they obviously made an error in the description. However, this was not to be. AES told me that their description stands that they made no error, and items sold "as is", non-returnable. I asked them repeatedly (because they would not answer the question) is a doll with cut hair "near mint". At first they agreed to let me return the doll and in a mean way threatened that if the doll were not returned complete and in the condition they sent it, no refund. They said they would not refund my money with a money order (as they require) but a check. They said they would not refund the $9.00 shipping charge they charged me nor would they refund the shipping costs to send it back, because they did not make an error. I told them I would return the doll via Fed Ex the next day despite them not willing to refund the shipping. I then gave them a negative rating because they would not refund the shipping when it was clear they made a gross error. Then they withdrew their offer to refund my money and told me that if I did return it they would not send it back or refund my money. They also told me that if I contacted them again I would be charged with harassment. Shortly after this, I received the last broken down doll from them 2948132812 and gave them another negative.

My feedback on AES on 2946943419:

Complaint: Doll not near mint overall condit(with no qualificat's)undisclosed but hair
Response by AES: We had offered full ebay refund, still leaves neg feedback, bad buyer
follow-up by amme999: Sending back. Neg feedback because AES won't refund original $9.00 ship charge.

AES feedback on me on 2946943419
Complaint: Offered to provide refund of entire ebay purchase price, bad ebay buyer.
Response by amme999: Sending back;Not refd ship;not near mint overall cond;undisclosed cut hair
follow-up by aes: Description was accurate-bad ebay buyer-refused fair offer to refund

AES lied, stating I refused fair offer to refund--they withdrew offer after I gave negative feedback

My feedback on AES on 29448132812:
Complaint: Goodluck! I have problem (their error), AES dispute resolution skills are poor.
Response by aesbrokerage: No complaint received this auction-still mad about 2946943419?No ethics & liar
Follow-up by amme999-Is barbie with cut hair described as near mint cond? Yes, I'm wrong. If no, AES wrong.

AES feedback on me on 29448132812:
Complaint: This one does not have a full sack of marbles-leaves neg without complaint
Response by amme999-Goodluck! If have a problem (their error), AES dispute resolution skills are poor
Follow-up by AES-You did not state a problem so stop lying-sounds like you have no marbles left.

AES is a very bad seller on ebay.They knowingly list items with descriptions that they have not confirmed. They do not back up their claims. Together this is fraudulent. They will not admit that they make mistakes. They are dishonest, they have poor customer service skills, and they are very threatening and nasty. They give retaliatory, degrading feedback. If you have any questions, please let me know.   Joya Matheus

I've had a very bad experience with aesbrokerage. Those people are very unprofessional. After my incident with them there was not much I could do without wasting a lot of my time on those losers but I still remember them because of what they did to me. I won 2 seperate ebay auctions with them, each for a mint condition in the box 1980 strawberry shortcake doll. When I received the doll, it turned out to be a 1982 strawberry shortcake. This makes a huge difference especially because I was trying to complete a 1980 strawberry shortcake collection. They gave me 1982 strawberry shortcake dolls in the 1980 strawberry shortcake doll box. When I emailed them, they were extremely slow to reply and very rude when they finally did. They told me that their items were shipped from a seperate warehouse so they don't actually see the items. Which makes absolutely no sense. How can they post items that they don't even have in front of them to describe. Especially when they are selling vintage collectable items. They never offered any refund or means of settling this. They were very unhelpful. I left them negative feedbacks for both auctions and they left me one negative and one neutral out of spite. You see, on ebay, when the buyer pays, the seller is supposed to leave the feedback saying "fast payment, smooth transaction, etc." but these people don't leave any feedback until you leave them one so that based on how you leave them a feedback, they will leave you one likewise. I am sure that many of the people that they have done business with have just not given feedback at all because they see what happens to others that leave negative feedback. they are very condescending and rude.it. They truly deserve to be sued. People like that should be banned from ebay. They not only ripped me off but damaged my ebay profile. There's not much I could do without wasting more time on them so I just took a lost. Anyways, hope this helps. It's nice that you have a website people can refer to check out traders and stuff. Wish I'd known about it sooner. I'd definitely refer to it the next time I buy anything online. You'd better post aesbrokerage soon, before they get some more people. It's surprising they weren't posted sooner. Take care.

Regards,  Helena

I received broken items from them and their condition was not described the way the dolls were. I thought that I was being nice just giving a neutral instead of negative feedback. It's too bad that their response to a neutral and a negative is a negative. They do not care and that is what is too bad. Too bad there is nothing we can do--just not buy from them. I thought my feedback was pretty positive considering the experience--I try to be fair with my feedback to all. Mary Jo

My dealings with them were a mess!  And they are very rude ignorant people. I won some auctions, on Barbie clothing. I emailed them immediately after winning the auctions and asked if they would combine shipping, because the shipping was outrageous, like $9.00 per win or something. It took them over 2 weeks and like 10 emails to them before they replied to my shipping question. They said they would not combine shipping and left negative feedback that same day.!!!! With out any more contact with me,!!! They said I was a dead beat payer and filed a non-paying bidder alert with ebay. I would have paid, but every seller I have ever dealt with will combine shipping so, I was wanting to know if they would also and had to hear from them before paying. And after they did all that there was no way i was going to pay and chance the deal going even worse. Bottom line is they are making mega bucks on shipping. And when someone question it they get mad and take action. I hope something can be done, they wronged me big time and I am sure they have done it to others. Thanks!    Holly

The seller is very vague in his descriptions. Basically, all they say is "as is" I think if an item has any flaws they should be mentioned in the description. How many bidders will ask all kinds of specific questions? The description should tell you all the basic info. My doll was in a battered, dirty box. It was not factory sealed, so it might have been opened or just damaged. I only bought the doll for nostalgic reasons, so the box was not an issue. I left neutral feedback because I think they should have said the box was damaged. I read all the neg. and neutral feedback and they all say basically the same thing. Poor description. Damage not stated. I did not complain or ask for a refund, but I get the feeling this is not a pleasant or cooperative seller. This transaction did teach me to be more leary of what I bid on. Let me know if you need more info. Thanks, Heidi

I won several auctions from them. One of the dolls I received was not the doll that they had described in their auction. They had Malaysian Barbie in their auction, but what I received was another Barbie in a Malaysian Barbie box. I complained, but they put "as is" in their auctions and so that covers their mistake I guess. I gave them negative or neutral feedback I don't really remember, but they retaliated by giving me negative feedback on all the auctions I had with them. Linda

i got a call from the BBB in the seller's state. i had tried to call with with a question about my rebuttal. wanted to know if the seller would get a copy of my response. the caller left message , "YES". and that he, the mediator, really wanted me to send a rebuttal so that the case could be 'closed' showing the customer wasn't satisfied. i am sending the rebuttal , which mentions the "C" rating, expert names and proof of what all i had stated. this way the seller knows that i have proof of all i had said and that proof was entered as evidence of my statements.  as soon as i get confirmation of the BBB having received the rebuttal, i am going to file at small claims.  janet

I bought 2 items from them on September 9, 2003.

#1 VINTAGE TWIST 'N TURN SKIPPER DOLL FROM 1968 (Item #2949439437) This doll was rated by them as "Very Good. She is a little dirty but overall is in very good condition"

#2 VINTAGE TWIST 'N TURN BARBIE DOLL FROM 1966 (Item #2949439924) Their ranking on this doll was "Condition: Excellent  She has slight green ear on both ears but overall is in excellent condition."

I received the dolls and this is email that I sent them on each doll.

#1 9/24/2003 4:55:53   (Item #2949439437)  hey! received doll today. it stated in description she was in 'very good condition.' I'm not sure if you realized it or not, but she has definitely had a hair cut. she is also missing almost the entire bottom row of hair plugs. she has a hole in each leg near her knee where the wire has started to stick out. there is also a wire hole on the back of her right thigh. her left ankle has two splits. there are about 50 indentions in her two feet and ankles combined. her nose tip is white. i am really not a complainer, and i've never done this before, but there are a lot of things wrong with her. i know she only went for $9, but i'm really disappointed with her appearance. Of course, i also had to pay to purchase the money order, stamp and shipping. half ($5.36) of those costs was for this doll & the other half for a tnt barbie i purchased at the same time. i would like a refund. please email back as soon as you can.  thanks!    robin

9/24/2003 5:15:45 Their response:

We did not claim this doll was without some problems. If it was perfect, then it would have been described as mint. We are not offering any refund since the description is fair and all sales are final per the terms of the auction. Furthermore, the outfit alone is worth far more than you paid. Thanks and if you have any other questions, please let us know.   AES

#2 9/24/2003 11:19:10 (Item #2949439924)

i received doll today. she is not as listed in description. it stated "Excellent She has slight green ear on both ears but overall is in excellent condition." the slight green ear is almost the size of a dime on both sides of her head. she has wire holes on the backs of her thighs and the inside of her calves on both legs. she has pin marks near both ankles. the pin that was used to attach the earring to her left ear has created an addional hole. the "Romantic Ruffles Outfit" she is wearing is very worn and dirty; the hem has come loose in front; some of the ribbon around her waist is missing; the thread to fasten the eyelets has been reattached using black thread (on a pink dress!); there are holes in the bodice; the shoes are unmarked. i paid a lot of money for a doll that has many flaws and was supposed to be in "excellent condition." this was not a fair description. the picture showed none of these. she was even angled in a way that her "slight green ear" could hardly be seen. i would like a refund. my cost was close to $130. please response as soon as possible.   thanks

9/25/2003 3:57:59  Their response:

We are not offering any refund as the description was fair and accurate and the auction terms are "All sales are final". Thanks.  AES

#1 9/25/2003 6:47:37 (Item #2949439437)

so, you consider a doll with more than 20 missing hair plugs, a major haircut and all her other previously mentioned 'problems' in 'very good condition'? i knew she wasn''t perfect, but please...do you consider a description 'fair' that does not include any of her obvious imperfections; especially since the picture was taken so that none of them could be observed? it's not like all of these flaws could've been overlooked, and most are so obvious. you could have at least mentioned the haircut. it's just hard for me to imagine--the misrepresentation for this listing that you refer to as 'fair' & you not even considering giving a refund; much less an apology, explanation or excuse. to you i must just be an individual that you have gotten some type of pleasure (a few dollars?) out of suckering. what type of business operates like that?

9/25/2003 10:38:51 Their response:

We always use general descriptions for our items and we do not try to itemized every little imperfection. We also use only one photo of each item and we do NOT attempt to position a doll to hide anything.  If you are looking to acquire dolls without any imperfections, then you should only bid on dolls described as MINT. Do you think you can buy mint vintage dolls for $9? Our dolls were NOT described as mint. Our descriptions are fair general representations and you received more than a fair item especially for what you paid.  Our auctions are clearly marked "All sales are final" so if you did not feel comfortable with a general description, then you should ask detailed questions before you bid. A doll marked as good condition by definition has defects. We do not send these dolls out to buyers on a basis if they do not like them, they can return the item. That is what "All sales are final" means. We do not appreciate your comments and untrue assertions. We do not tolerate people like you who try to pressure us into returns after you decide to bid and then use your rotten tactics. Thank you.   AES

Date: 9/25/2003 12:38:26

after further inspection, i have come to the conclusion that the head on this "tnt skipper" doll is not a skipper head at all. none of the skippers are looking straight ahead. it's as though they're looking to the side. also, the tnt skipper is supposed to have rooted eyelashes. this head does not. do you still believe your description was fair--to call a doll a tnt skipper, when in fact she is not? whatever condition see may or may not be in, she is definitely not the doll listed in the listing title. and you refer to me as using "rotten tactics"? i'm not. i just don't like someone insinuating that i'm stupid or dumb--like i wasn't capable of knowing the difference between what i was bidding on & what i received. it doesn't matter how much $ i paid (some times you get good deals on ebay; sometimes you don't), i did not get what i paid for.

Date: 9/25/2003 12:59:01 Their response

Well, since these dolls were collected and owned by the largest Barbie collector in North America, I think we will believe her descriptions of the dolls and the accuracy of what they were listed as in the auctions. Sorry you feel that way and you got exactly what you bid on and paid for. Thanks    AES

On September 25 I filed a complaint with ebay for fraud. One of their definitions of fraud "You didn't receive item or it wasn't as described (fraud); 64.12.96.40;"

Buyer Status: 1
Item number: 2949439437; US !43353! 010401
Payment Method: Money Order
Date of Payment: 09/14/03

Customer concern: to make a long story short...item was listed as "twist n turn skipper doll--very good condition". the very good condition could be a matter of opinion, but she definitely had a haircut,20 missing plugs of hair,wire holes, pin holes,etc.--not what i would call "very good". BUT she was listed as a tnt skipper, and she is not. her body may be, but her head is not. the tnt skippers all have rooted eyelashes--this dolls is painted on. also, she is looking straight ahead--skippers are kind of looking off to the side. she cannot be a twist n turn (tnt), and she cannot even be a skipper by mattel.  if what i'm saying is true, then the description and title for this listing is wrong, true?  the seller tells me "Sorry you feel that way and you got exactly what you bid on and paid for." & if i want perfect, i should buy only mint. i don't think amount of $ is issue here. please let me know if my complaint is valid. i know you are very busy, but i'll be waiting for your response.  thank you very much!!!   robin

i requested contact info to call them as per ebay's policy with problems--called immediately--left message--hung up--they immediately requested my contact info (which was only to alert ebay--when i requested theirs, they automatically got an email stating i requested theirs & the email gave them my contact info--they were just making a point, i guess--you do that & i will too.) i was hoping to talk to someone else rather than that unfriendly person answering my email.

Date: 9/30/2003 9:07:13 Email response to phone call that I made to them:

We received a phone message to call you. Please contact us via email if you have questions. We do not discuss transactions over the phone since we have no written record of what is said using the phone method. Please be advised we only discuss transactions via email.   AES

next day, i saw a real tnt skipper, so i 'asked seller a ?'
Question for seller -- Item #2953996869
Date: 10/1/2003 10:05:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time

you found the head that went to my tnt skipper? could you please send it to me?   thanks so much!

Date: 10/1/2003 11:52:20   Their response

We have no idea what you are talking about. We are not looking for any head for any doll for you.   AES

#2 10/2/2003 (Item #2949439924) My email to them:

that's it? is this the stored email message for 'complaints'? you actually believe "excellent condition" is a "fair and accurate" description of this doll? what about honesty and integrity?

Date: 10/3/2003 12:45:17 Their response

You should follow your own advice about honesty and integrity.

well, that's it   a buyer i emailed & asked about her doll--she IM'd me & we chatted for a very long time--she had hers restored-hair or something.  these people are so unbelievable. i considered & still might - listing these dolls on ebay & telling situation & who i purchased from. don't know if i could get in trouble or not. MUST SEE THIS SKIPPER BEFORE SHE'S BURIED...

I had an item I wanted to bid on and inquired about the neg & neutrals. Would you like me to provide the history on this? He is very unprofessional and RUDE to even a prospective bidder. Below find all the correspondence between us and you can see how he acts with people.

Question from: debrahky
Title of item: BOB MACKIE EMPRESS BRIDE BARBIE DOLL 1992
Seller: aesbrokerage
Starts: Oct-15-03 08:37:32 PDT
Ends: Oct-22-03 08:37:32 PDT
Price: Currently $227.50

To view the item, go to:     http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2958037399

From: debra.morrow@uk-alumni.org
To: estate123@attbi.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 12:51 PM
Subject: Question for seller -- Item #2958037399

HI

I am interested in your doll, but am concerned about the alarming number of negatives and neutrals you have. What is this all about?   Thank you.   Debra Morrow

Subj: Re: Question for seller -- Item #2958037399
Date: 10/21/03 1:40:26 PM Central Daylight Time
From: estate123@comcast.net
To: debra.morrow@uk-alumni.org
Sent from the Internet

Please feel free to review our feedback. We vigioursly respond to deadbeat non-paying bidders. We also do not give in to extortion of lower shipping fees or people who try to return substituted items. If you are not comfortable bidding, then you should not bid. Thanks for your interest.  AES

From: DebrahKY@aol.com
To: estate123@comcast.net
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 8:34 PM
Subject: Re: Question for seller -- Item #2958037399

Hi

Thank you for responding...but I will have to pass. The number of neutrals and negatives is way outside my comfort zone. Typically, I deal with a much more reasonable rate. A few is understandable, but this sends up quite a few red flags for me. I hope you are able to get this under control soon. It will effect good buyers from bidding. There is way too much sub standard items out there now and I am finding myself dealing only with those I know I can deal with if there is a problem. Thanks again.  Debra Morrow

From: AES Brokerage Services
To: DebrahKY@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 12:10 AM
Subject: Re: Question for seller -- Item #2958037399

Hi

We just checked out your feedback. Unfortunately, your feedback is not up to our standards for bidding so you will not be allowed to bid on any of our auctions. Your number of negatives is way outside of our comfort zone. Typically, we deal with customers with a much better feedback rating. A few negatives is understandable, but yours sends up quite a few red flags for us. We hope you will be able to get this under control soon. It will effect good sellers from allowing you to bid. There is way too much sub standard buyers out there now and we are finding ourselves having to deal only with those we know will honor their bids.  Thanks again.   AES

From: DebrahKY@aol.com
To: estate123@comcast.net
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 6:55 AM
Subject: Re: Question for seller -- Item #2958037399

Thank you for documenting your very unprofessional attitude. I am on 4 Barbie groups and AES has been up for discussion for two weeks. I just gave all this to them. You saved alot of us grief. And, don't worry I never had any intention of bidding after the first email you wrote back. They thought it was a very rude email. These last ones ran off a bunch of other potential bidders.   Debra

From: AES Brokerage Services
To: DebrahKY@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: Question for seller -- Item #2958037399

They must all be like you - very unprofessional Barbie groups. We are glad you took up this topic at your 4 Barbie groups because we would not want any one of them to bid on our auctions. You apparently like to criticize but when someone else makes an observation about your own record, you cannot handle it. You did not have to worry about bidding on our auctions because we banned you as soon as we saw your first email. We thought it was a very rude email but not surprising from someone like you. Thank you for saving us a lot of grief dealing with a very unprofessional person like you.

Cautionlist: Just for the record, Debras' feedback is excellent. Notice how he just parrots back what the buyer says to him. I have seen him do this in several emails people with complaints about him sent to me and also he did the same thing to me when I emailed him about the complaints. Also notice that his feedback has many people who have posted over one hundred feedbacks each. One of the buyers posted about 500 or more for him!!  

HI Trudy, just wanted you to have a jpg of the paper I got from the court today. I also got a form letter from the PO Mail Fraud dept. they wanted me to wait 45 days from date of it and then respond to let them know if the seller sent a refund . janet

Cautionlist: I was unable to copy and paste copy of the judgement but at the hearing Frank admitted that he owed Janet the money she was suing for and the court awarded Janet the $66.44 in question plus court costs of $158.90 plus interest.