Clarke Auction Gallery Inc — Attraction in Town of Mamaroneck

Bummed to have to write this review, because I was looking forward to being a client of Clarke's, and always love the assortment of items they offer. Unfortunately, my experience with them has turned into a nightmare, and in the face of a customer conflict, they have not shown integrity as an auction house. I spent a large sum of money on just my first auction with them, including $1,000 on a lamp.

The lamp's description read: "Good condition; minor denting on base". I've been searching for this particular piece for a long time, so although 1k for a lamp is out of my budget, I went for it. I learned a whole lot more after bringing it home, however. The denting is not minor, it's major. There was also major scuffing throughout the entire lamp. The dimmer cap is missing, a piece which would need to be special-ordered. It is also wired for the UK, and requires a special-order bulb.

It took me a while to buff out the scuffs, acquire a UK adapter, and find the special lightbulb. Finally, upon finally having all my ducks in a row, I learned that the lamp doesn't turn on. I took it to a repairman who specializes in the specific designer, and he informed me that to restore it to working order would cost $500.

So, the lamp which was described by Clarke as "in good condition" except for "minor denting", is actually a broken item, useless for its intended function. It would require an additional 50% of the purchase price just to bring it back to life. I read over the terms and conditions as soon as I realized this, and the auction house did not mention that lamps are untested, or anything on this subject. As expected, I as the consumer expected "good condition" to mean exactly that: good condition.

Now, my issue with Clarke Auction Gallery lies with their response to the issue once I tried to resolve it. I spoke back and forth with a very nice rep at the gallery, who had to act as a sort of messenger to and from the owner. She was not given the authority to make decisions on her own, but the owner would not speak with me directly. I was told that going forward, they will add a disclaimer to electronic lots, which is an admission that they did not sufficiently protect themselves from liability in this particular case, and therefore the policy would need an update. However, she informed me that the owner will not take the item back and refund me. Instead, he graciously offered to auction the item again FOR ME, including "untested" in the description.

I had two issues with this: first, it would be dishonest, and second, it would not get me the same return as I paid. Had I seen "untested" in the description originally, I would never have bid the amount that I did for the item (and neither would someone else). I explained these objections to the helpful rep, and asked that the owner himself please contact me, so that I can hear his logic on the choice to force me to auction it with a description of their choosing, as opposed to simply taking the item back and auctioning it themselves.

After I refused their offer to auction my broken lamp, and asking for the owner to contact me, there has been radio silence. I don't plan to hear from Clarke Auction Gallery again. The whole situation has been filled with red flags, and I think it's simply distasteful that a business would refuse to rectify a situation fairly, all so that they can keep the...

I had some collectible pens that I wanted to sell and had no idea how to do so. I was introduced to Kenneth Imjle at Clarke Auction Gallery. I have never used an auction house before and admit I was intimidated by the process. Kenneth was kind and knowledgeable and made me feel comfortable with the process. He did extensive research on my items in preparation for sale, and produced descriptive and beautiful pictures and text about the pens. He advised me on how best to separate my items into appropriate lots and the results were beyond my expectations. I made significantly more money than I anticipated and was so happy about that. All of my items sold and I received the payments within 30 days. Beyond results, the team at Clarke supported me during the process. They answered every phone call I made with questions, and the warmth and care made me feel supported and confident. I have nothing but good things to say and Kenneth and Clarke Auction Gallery. I am so glad to have found them and recommend...

Mr. Clarke came into my upstate house, grabbed all the oil paintings on the walls of a capacious house, grabbed a large 18th century French schoolhouse table bought from Pierre deux many years ago, a freshly reupholstered matching carved mahogany set of rocker, armchair and settee and a few other things -- did not give me an inventory of what he chose in his hasty run thru the house (with helpers) and scheduled the auction on -- Superbowl day, in February. He did not invite me to the auction or hold it on a closed circuit. I have no idea if he had any attendance or if he just bought everything in at ridiculously low prices to sell at his retail facility. He apparently did not sell a carved Italian marble copy of a 19th century Stuttgart monument of Ariadne and the Panther, and I asked that it be returned. It was promptly. I received a sketchy report, a very small check. I do not recommend Mr. Clarke or...