Obfuscating Truth - The Weasel Word Dictionary

There are specific catchwords, catchphrases, and doublespeak that Park West Gallery uses in order to induce consumers to buy what are essentially mass produced, commercial grade products like art prints, sports memorabilia, jewelry, and cartoon cells—just to name a few categories from the retail line of Park West Gallery merchandise. For all intents and purposes Park West Gallery is a retail merchandiser, publisher and distributor—a trader in goods produced for mass commercial distribution on land and on cruise ships.

The documents Park West tenders to its customers (after the sale) in support of the authenticity of the artwork and collectibles they sell are confusing, conflicted, and spurious. There is no dispute that Park West Gallery certificates of authenticity and appraisals are prepared and executed (by Scaglione or Shapiro) the owners or agents of the art objects. Therefore, a clear conflict of interest exists. And since Park West Gallery owns or contracts for all the art and collectible objects it sells, it should be abundantly clear that Park West Gallery is at a distinct advantage over the consumer as no independent third party sales records are available for price comparisons on most all of the "exclusive" art and collectible objects Park West Gallery peddles. The art objects sold are therefore worth only what arbitrary figure Park West Gallery assigns to them. None of which can be truthfully verified by the consumer prior to purchase.

Further adding to the confusion of the Park West Gallery sales transaction are the weasel words and phrases littered throughout Park West Gallery invoices, certificates of authenticity and appraisals, in its terms and conditions, on its web site, and in most all of its marketing materials—not to mention the verbal representations made by its auctioneers. All consumers should be aware of this practice. It is deceptive and it is unfair. It is a trap for the unwary.

For example, Park West Gallery has revised the fine print on its sales invoice since our investigation began well over a year ago. In fact, Park West Gallery has changed and/or revised a number of things (and not in favor of the consumer) since Fine Art Registry commenced its investigation. The "All Sales Are Final" clause was deleted. At first blush, this sounds like a decent improvement. But not so fast...Park West merely replaced the clause with a much more brutal and abusive one, the Mandatory Arbitration Clause and Waiver of Jury Trial - unconscionable terms and conditions in our opinion.

What follows are additional examples of some of the vague and ambiguous terms and representations used or referenced by Park West Gallery in the usual course of conducting its business. Variations of the words and phrases below have been reported to us by more than 140 Park West Gallery claimants. If you see, hear, or read any of the following terms or phrases (or similar terms or phrases) at a Park West Gallery sale or event that in any way sounds ambiguous, unclear or confusing, walk away or be prepared to start asking questions—lots of questions before you commit to a purchase.

1. "Signed in acrylic, a unique variation."

(Signed by whom? Why doesn't Park West Gallery state on its certificates of authenticity that the work is signed by the "HAND of the ARTIST" if indeed it is really by the artist's hand as they represent? The statement is seriously misleading. And what does “unique variation” really mean?)

2. "Park West Gallery's retail price is..."

(The mere mention of the word "retail" at an art auction should be a red flag. Park West Gallery places heavy emphasis on its 'retail pricing' at all of its sales events. Retail pricing is not usually a good deal for collectors, especially at auction. Traditional auctions are where competitive bidding occurs. Park West Gallery disguises its sales events as auctions when in reality they are far from a traditional auction setting.)

3. "Signed in pencil lower right"

(By whom? Like No. 1 above, the general reference "signed in pencil" does not indicate that the signatures which appear on Park West Gallery prints are in fact 'by the hand of THE artist.')

4. "The Best in Original Art at Extraordinary Auction Prices"

(Yes indeed. The pr$ce$ are extraordinary alright - we'll give them that - extraordinarily inflated. Ask Park West Gallery for evidence. Ask them to prove the claims they make with verifiable documentary evidence from independent 3rd parties.)

5. "Current gallery retail replacement price"

(Which gallery? What this really means is the Park West Gallery "retail replacement price")

6. Buy at "60 to 80 percent less than..."

(Less than what? What this really means is 60 to 80 percent less than the inflated retail price you can buy it for at the Park West Gallery in Southfield, Michigan.)

7. Sign up for the "Park West Gallery Collector's Card"

(Just say NO!! These cards have abusive and unconscionable terms and conditions that no one should agree to.)

8. Watch and listen for "Weasel Words or Phrases" made in writing or verbally by Park West Gallery auctioneers or sales staff.

What are weasel words and phrases? We refer to Wikipedia for a general definition in part (emphasis added):

In business, the use of weasel words works like this. Again, we refer to the online reference encyclopedia, Wikipedia:

For more on Weasel words and phrases read an interview with Dr. Paul Wasserman titled "Why Weasel Words Are Gobbledygook". Dr. Wasserman is professor emeritus and founding dean of the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. He wrote the book, "Weasel Words: The Dictionary of American Doublespeak."

Education is key to navigating the unregulated art market. The more our readers know about the dangers and pitfalls of the art industry and the tactics used by those who care for nothing more than the bottom line, the healthier the art market will become.

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