- Report: #988290
Complaint Review: 1st Art Gallery - Los Angeles California
Reported By:
Ken -
Orlando, Florida, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Confirmed
Why?
1st Art Gallery
8721 Santa Monica Blvd. #1420 Los Angeles, 90069 California, United States of America
Phone:
888-417-8278
Web:
www.1st-art-gallery.com
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
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1st Art Gallery The promise was quality, the reality was schlock Los Angeles, California
1st Art Gallery promises "museum quality handmade oil painting reproductions" and that its paintings "start and end with quality." It offers "100% satisfaction guaranteed."
However, what I received was schlock -- just awful, really. When I asked for a refund, I was told that my request was "immoral." Odd, because I thought it was immoral to take a guy's money and then present him with crap. The painting was so amateurish as to be an embarrassment to the gallery.
Except that the gallery wasn't embarrassed.
The story: About 3 weeks before Christmas I ordered from 1st Gallery a reproduction of the painting "Joan of Arc" by French artist Jules Bastien-Lepage. My fiancee loves the original, which hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, and both of us have been privileged to study "Joan" in person. It is breathtaking. I asked for the painting to be rushed because Christmas was drawing near, and I wanted to present it as a gift for my fiancee. I knew she would be excited.
My heart sank after the painting arrived and I removed it from its mailing tube. If it had been a horse, I would have shot it. The subtleties of the original are gone. The colors are wrong. Joan's face, so captivating and wondrous in Bastien-Lepage's work, looks to have been drawn by an 8-year-old. The spirits that should mystically hover behind Joan instead appear menacing and heavy, as if they are about to mug her instead of inspire her.
Quality? Non-existent.
Satisfaction? Non-existent.
Instead I was told via email that a refund was "not possible" and that I was being "immoral" to even "dare to ask" for a refund because I had asked for a rush order.
Any number of steps could have been taken to avoid this mess. 1st Gallery could have rejected my rush order. 1st Gallery could have assigned the painting to a better artist. 1st Gallery could have recognized that the finished product was inferior, notified me by email and offered the choice of another attempt by a better artist or my money back.
None of those things occurred.
I might just frame the hideous thing and display it in a prominent place in my house accompanied by a placard: God-awful artwork courtesy 1st Art Gallery on the internet.
However, what I received was schlock -- just awful, really. When I asked for a refund, I was told that my request was "immoral." Odd, because I thought it was immoral to take a guy's money and then present him with crap. The painting was so amateurish as to be an embarrassment to the gallery.
Except that the gallery wasn't embarrassed.
The story: About 3 weeks before Christmas I ordered from 1st Gallery a reproduction of the painting "Joan of Arc" by French artist Jules Bastien-Lepage. My fiancee loves the original, which hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York, and both of us have been privileged to study "Joan" in person. It is breathtaking. I asked for the painting to be rushed because Christmas was drawing near, and I wanted to present it as a gift for my fiancee. I knew she would be excited.
My heart sank after the painting arrived and I removed it from its mailing tube. If it had been a horse, I would have shot it. The subtleties of the original are gone. The colors are wrong. Joan's face, so captivating and wondrous in Bastien-Lepage's work, looks to have been drawn by an 8-year-old. The spirits that should mystically hover behind Joan instead appear menacing and heavy, as if they are about to mug her instead of inspire her.
Quality? Non-existent.
Satisfaction? Non-existent.
Instead I was told via email that a refund was "not possible" and that I was being "immoral" to even "dare to ask" for a refund because I had asked for a rush order.
Any number of steps could have been taken to avoid this mess. 1st Gallery could have rejected my rush order. 1st Gallery could have assigned the painting to a better artist. 1st Gallery could have recognized that the finished product was inferior, notified me by email and offered the choice of another attempt by a better artist or my money back.
None of those things occurred.
I might just frame the hideous thing and display it in a prominent place in my house accompanied by a placard: God-awful artwork courtesy 1st Art Gallery on the internet.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Mike Mitchelle
United States of America
Mike Mitchell
100,000 happy customers can't be wrong
#3REBUTTAL Owner of company
Tue, September 17, 2013
We believe this review was left by our competition but we will reply anyway so people reading this can make a better informed decision when searching for the right company to order reproductions from.
We are by far the largest and most respected art gallery in the world. We have more than 100,000 happy customers in more than 100 different countries. We operate online since 2003, the time before Facebook, Twitter or YouTube were founded.
No reproduction company in the world has the amount of experience we have and when it comes to the quality of the paintings or customer service, we are by far your best choice.
Our testimonials page is packed with VIDEO and PHOTO testimonials which cannot be faked:
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/testimonials.html
Notice that we receive dozens of testimonials each month.
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/photo-testimonials.html
You can "test" our customer service by sending us an email to service AT 1st-art-gallery.com . You'll receive a reply within six hours, usually much faster.
You may call us at 888-417-8278. If we're busy answering other calls, leave a message and we will return your call within one business day.
Our return policy and money-back guarantee policy can be read here:
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/100guarantee.html
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/100guarantee.html
Videos of paintings being made can be viewed here:
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/inside-our-studio.html
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/inside-our-studio.html
Our frequently asked questions page:
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/faq.html
http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/faq.html
If you have any question or concern please contact us at service [at] 1st-art-gallery.com
Mike Mitchell,
Operations manager at 1st Art Gallery
1
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