Help Me Howard: Framed Art

WSVN -- Glen Roth: "World War II beer steins. I collected beer cans growing up when I was 10, 11, 12 years old."

He's grown up now, but Glen Roth hasn't lost his childhood passion -- he's just changed his targets.

Glen Roth: "I just started collecting rock and roll memorabilia -- and just one thing led to another, and I started getting into these classic concert posters."

Glen recently found four posters that he really liked.

Glen Roth: "It is 20th century American art. It is a true form of artwork."

Four in what he called "mint condition."

So he took them to an art gallery to be framed, and when he went to pick them up, he started fuming.

Glen Roth: "The upper right corner is physically bent over and creased, so the black ink, you can see the white paper showing through."

Glen says three Led Zeppelin posters were damaged, which he says is big deal.

Glen Roth: "It's 20th century art. It is a form of art. Like any other artwork, if there is a tear in the paper or a crease in the paper, it decreases the value of that piece."

Glen estimates the three damaged posters have lost half their value. As for the fourth poster, it was nowhere to be found.

Glen Roth: "They said it has to be somewhere in their gallery, and that they'll find it."

After a few days passed, after a few conversations between the gallery owner and Glen -- needless to say, they won't be best friends anytime soon.

Glen Roth: "He yelled and screamed and cursed at me over the phone. He has $3,200 worth of my property that he has damaged and lost, and he's accusing me of harassing him."

But what can Glen do about the missing poster or the ones he says are damaged?

For that we turn to the poster child for other people's problems. Howard?

Howard Finkelstein: "There are two issues here: The gallery has and is responsible for anything they lose. As for damage, in this case, it's a swearing contest -- was the damage done before it came to the gallery or after it arrived? Unless it's written on the receipt, it's going to be difficult to prove."

The owner of the gallery tells us that Glen was looking for a problem and had a bad attitude -- that they haven't lost a piece of art in 20 years and will replace or pay for it if it isn't found.

As for the other three that Glen says were damaged the owner says there is no proof it happened in his shop and therefore he won't pay for it. Howard says there is a lesson here for shop owners and customers...

Howard Finkelstein: "In order to prevent this from happening to you, make sure that they write on the receipt what condition or any damage that exists. It wouldn't hurt to take a picture of it. And remember do this for many things: when you take a car in for repairs or a TV or a refrigerator. The goal is to protect yourself."

Finally, the storeowner also accused Glen of nitpicking. In this case, the two may finally agree on something.

Glen Roth: "If people are saying I'm nit-picking, maybe I am, but, at the same time, it decreased the overall value of the poster from what I paid for it."

Patrick Fraser: "If the frame shop can't find the missing poster, they can replace it in two ways: one, with money -- the other, another poster that matches. Either way, Glen has to agree, and, hopefully, they can work it out because the other option is to let a judge do it -- and, in that case, one of them will not be happy."

A problem creating permanent creases in your forehead? Need it framed in a creative way? Contact us; we'll try to find the missing artful solution.

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