Should We Trust Theriault's?

A look back at a memorable post from my old blog host, updated for today.

This post was originally written Aug. 8, 2019 when I owned my own unique domain. Occasionally, I plan on re-posting memorable articles from volume 1 of my blog here, for posterity’s sake. This is an opinion piece and is not meant to defame or accuse. It’s just meant to remind you to research all avenues when looking to sell a collection and to not go on name recognition alone.

For years, I’ve shared auction catalogs from well-known auction house Theriault’s. I’ve done my fair share of ooohhhing and awwwing over the dolls on the auction block. However, as of late, I have only heard negative things about this company. Because this was surprising to me, I decided to write this piece to share what I’ve found on the internet with you, just in case you’re thinking of using Theriault’s to sell your collection.

As a quick disclaimer, this post covers articles from reputable sources that have documented collector’s experiences with this auction house. I will share opinions in this article, but those are my own and not meant to defame or accuse. So, now that that’s out of the way…

Candyland

Did you know Candy Spelling, wife of deceased TV mogul Aaron Spelling and mother of Tori Spelling, was a doll collector? I didn’t, until, that is, an article about her suing Theriault’s came to my attention. Candy is quoted as saying, “I first collected dolls for Tori when she was a little girl… But she told me that she was afraid of them – she felt like they were watching her in her room.” The People Magazine article continues by saying, “Spelling had a separate space built for the collection, which contains more than a 1,000 dolls on display and more in storage.”

Candy Spelling’s Doll Room

According to Dolls Magazine, after downsizing her home, Candy decided to part with over 400 pieces of her vast collection of dolls, many of which were pristine examples of sought after and rare Madame Alexanders from the Golden Era to the 1970’s. They were cataloged and auctioned off under the name, “To the Manor Born” in November of 2011 by Theriault’s. The published sales of the auctioned dolls was noted to be around $420,000. Originally the first of two auctions, the second auction was cancelled by Candy.

Fast forward to March 2012, when Candy, unhappy with the lack of professionalism on Theriault’s part, terminated her contract, demanding $500,000 in damages.

From the court documents, “After receiving possession of the Spelling collection, Theriault’s repeatedly failed to provide plaintiff with timely and complete accountings of what items had been sold at auction, what items remained unsold, and the correct amount owed to plaintiff based on the sale of her property,” the lawsuit states. “As a result of Theriault’s acts and omissions in violation of the parties’ agreement, in March 2012, plaintiff terminated her relationship with Theriault’s, requested the return of all unsold Spelling Collection items, and requested payment for all Spelling Collection items that had been sold by Theriault’s on her behalf. Notwithstanding that request, Theriault’s has failed and refused to provide plaintiff with a full and complete accounting of all items sold, has failed to immediately return all unsold items, and has failed to pay plaintiff the amounts due and owing for the sale of her property.”

In response, the auction house said, “We are saddened at this dispute with an important customer, and are puzzled at this turn of events, especially since, until her lawyers got involved, Mrs. Spelling had voiced nothing but unqualified compliments regarding the services we were providing.”

The lawsuit was settled June of 2012 with Candy saying that she “intends to sell the rest of her doll collection through a different auction house and “would not under any circumstances” use Theriault’s services.”

Phyllis Roberts and Her Dolls

This story honestly makes me mad. Doll Collector Phyllis Roberts also had trouble with this well-known auction house. After her husband passed, the 94 year old doll collector decided to part with 64 of her most valuable dolls, estimated at over $100,000 in value, from her beloved collection to cover the cost of her nursing home.

A true collector, Phyllis is quoted as saying, “My dolls meant something. I didn’t buy stuff because it was available, I bought because I loved them.” According to Phyllis, after she turned over her dolls to Theriault’s in 2015, she never heard another peep or received any payouts. In 2017, Phyllis filed a lawsuit against Theriault’s claiming elder abuse, deceit, unfair practices and breach of contract, among other offenses. Of course, Theriault’s has called these claims false.

When Fox11 in Simi Valley called to question Theriault’s about this, they claimed they were working on her accounting and would be cutting her a check. However, I can’t find any record of whether this actually happened or not, so this is a mystery left unsolved.

I do hope Phyllis received her dolls back and all that was earned from those that were sold. They really do come off as taking advantage of an elderly lady’s trust in this case. I mean, she gave up parts of herself to be able to afford life without her husband and her nursing home and they treat her like that? Watch the video in the linked article from Fox– my heart goes out to this lady!

Show Me the Money

Then there’s the 2005 case from Chicagoland resident Monica Larson. Monica knew her art dolls wouldn’t fetch large prices, but would be happy with what she got. She chose to use Theriault’s to auction off her 50ish dolls, because of its good reputation in the doll auction world. On the day of her May 2005 auction, she kept track of the final prices items sold for, deducted the auction house cut and figured she’d earned about $6,700.00.

From there, she waited for her check. And waited. And waited. Her phone calls, letters and emails went unanswered for months until March of 2016 when she’d had enough and wrote an investigative news column, What’s Your Problem.

The Chicago Tribune’s Problem Solver reached out to Theriault’s. Laughably, even the news source couldn’t get the auction house to return a phone call. Instead, the auction house chose to send both Monica and The Problem Solver a note saying, “that Larson’s dolls, all contemporary pieces, were popular in the 1980s, but demand has since diminished.” It continued saying the “auction house accepted Larson’s dolls with the understanding that “reporting and payment” would take place after the entire collection was sold, not just part of it. Frankly, we discouraged collectors both from a value perspective and a speed-of-sale perspective. Some, such as Ms. Larson, decided they wanted to proceed, despite these caveats.” Monica eventually received a check for less than she had estimated.

At the time of the news article, Theriault’s still had 34 of Monica’s dolls in their possession. I hope Monica received another check and/or her dolls back, because honestly, this is another story that makes me unsure about selling my dolls through this company.

Calling in the BBB

The Better Business Bureau does nothing to encourage a positive opinion of this auction house, either, with four complaints that are all similar to the cases above. Plus, you get to read somewhat condescending responses to the complaints. Florence and George, sister company to the auction house, doesn’t have the best track record, either, but I can’t find any articles written about the problems I’ve heard about, which have all come from doll collecting Facebook groups. I don’t feel right publishing details on them. Needless to say, it seems like both Theriault’s and Florence and George have problems describing their items properly, shipping things in a timely manner and shipping them safely.

These BBB complaints stuck out at me. The 89 year old collector, likely living on a limited income, wrote, “On February 4, 2021 - Theriault's picked up 66 dolls from my home with a contract that they would sell them if possible and after the sale.... They would return the unsold dolls and pay me the amount earned less 25%. I was told I would hear from them after 1 and 1/2 years. The doll's value exceeds $2,000. I've called them for an accounting at least six times. Their answer is always the same. "Florence ************ is the only one who knows the answer. She will call you,” She has never called me back! I'm 89 years old and can't wait forever for an accounting.”

Another complaint comes from a buyer, who spent thousands on dolls that were falsely represented in the online listing. “On March 12th and 13th, 2022 I participated in an online auction hosted by Theriault's auction company. I spent a total of $36K which included hammer price, buyers premium, handling fee and shipping. Upon receipt I discovered several defects that were not disclosed in the hard copy catalog nor the online description of the item. I reached out to Theriault's for resolution and after a full month that told me to return the items I was seeking resolution on. It was 2 items totaling $1,416.60 which was hammer price, buyers premium, their initial handling fee plus my cost to return ship these items that were significantly not as described. The items were received back by Theriault's on 5/23 and refund notice was sent to me on 6/1/22, however the initial handling fee of $20 plus the return shipping fee of $16.60 was not refunded. I should not be out any cost for items significantly not as described. They concurred with the defects by processing the refund - there is no reason for them to keep the $36.60.”

Its interesting reading the responses to these reviews, as well as those found on Yelp, which we’ll talk about below. Much like the statement they gave in regards to the Candy Spelling lawsuit, which was pretty flippant for a response to a legal case, many of the comments from Theriault’s come off as passive aggressive. Blame is put on the customer and many include back handed apologies. Rarely do they accept that they may have screwed up or that they are to blame for their poor communication, a common complaint seen on the BBB page.

For example, in response to the collector who spend $36,000 referenced above, after quoting their terms of sale, Theriault’s said, in part, “Nevertheless, in the spirit of good will and to make a resolution to her issue, I called Ms. ***** to discuss the situation on the very day that she made us aware of her dissatisfaction. She did not answer and I left her a phone message asking that she call me, as I am certain her phone records will show. She did not return my call, and, instead filed her complaint with BBB on that same day. I would be happy to discuss the background of the policy with her if she wished to take my call or to call me.” Because now, since she didn’t pick up the phone, SHE is to blame. After all, they extended the olive branch… (Sarcasm, if it doesn’t read that way.)

Yelp To the Rescue

The auction house isn’t well loved on Yelp, with an average of 2.5 out of 5 stars with 18 reviews. Reviewers have left comments like, “Horrible experience from beginning to end. They talk a good game but do not deliver. Was totally frustrated by their repeated lack of response, the endless months that went by without any update or payment from them, and the awful return I got for my precious doll collection when the check eventually did come.”

Also, “I never was told exactly when the dolls had been sold. It’s the same comment many people have made. Countless telephone calls, never being able to speak to anyone who could tell me the situation. The check arrived many weeks after the contract date, and only after two letters from an attorney. It is either deliberate or a very strange way to run the business.”

I love that their response to that reviewer’s original comment was, “I am not certain where we failed to deliver in our services and, in fact, did extend ourselves beyond the normal course in that we returned a doll to you without any fees.” Way to come off as condescending, guys. (A curious aside, it is pretty apparent when the responses are written by Stuart vs his mom, Florence. Florence’s tend to be a little more lyrical using words like, “we had a cordial conversation with so-and-so…”. They’re no less condescending, but are a little more pleasant than Stuart’s, which are more like the one quoted in this paragraph.

Here’s another review from Yelp. “Unfortunately I have to confirm the other negative reports about Theriault’s on this site. We consigned an expensive antique doll to them to be sold in early 2012. We watched the auction and saw that it sold for more than $19,000. Our contract said we would be paid our net proceeds (75% of sale price) within 35 business days. So far nothing. They didn’t even contact us to confirm the doll was sold, much less the sale price. The only way we know what happened is by watching the auction ourselves. We have called Theriault’s 10 times since the deadline date and had to leave messages every time. So far no one has called us back–or sent our money to us.” They did eventually get their paycheck, but much later than anticipated, like in most of the cases pointed out in this article. They also changed their review from 1 to 3, which is questionable to me and makes me wonder if that was something that was asked of them.

This review also frustrates me. These poor collectors getting strung around! “Well Stuart it seems you will reply to these reviews but your company will not respond to numerous phone calls so I thought I would try here. You have had our dolls for 16 months now. We respected your request that we give you one year. That was very long time for people waiting to cover the bills of the estate of our passed on mother! We respected you and did not call you during that first year as you had asked. We have since called numerous times and feel very disrespected by getting no information. The only return call I got was when I threatened that the next call would be from an attorney. Then I was told the sales would take a little longer. We have waited 3 more months and can't get any responses to our calls. We now have trust issues for more than that reason. I researched three other doll auction services before I chose and had THOUGHT I had made the best choice!!” I hope this person, who was kind enough to give them a 2 star review somehow, got their dolls back or a check. Or at the very least a phone call so she and the auction house.

And that’s just their public reviews. The hidden reviews are just as awful. They’re definitely worth a read. Reviews like this break my heart, “Do not consign anything to this company. I have been trying for the past seven months to collect my deceased mother’s dolls. Before her unexpected passing, she was trying to collect the unsold dolls after they had them for a year. They cannot tell me if they have them or if they were sold in the January auction. Nelly has never returned a phone call regarding the situation and at this point Jamie is not returning my numerous calls. The person who answers the phone cannot give me any information. This is the most unprofessional company I have ever dealt with.” Can you imagine, dealing with grief AND trying to get your mom’s collection back, something she had been doing until she died?

In response to this article when originally posted, many folks chimed in with their thoughts. I felt it was worth sharing those, as well. I have left out the names for animosity’s sake, but these are all stories shared on the original post.

• “I haven’t personally sold any dolls through Theriault’s, but several members in my doll club have. None of them have anything good to say about this auction house. One member noticed that her expensive, antique doll was stripped of her original clothing and given something cheaper to wear instead. The clothing was put in a separate auction. This was done without her consent. Other members have commented that they’ve had to wait months (if not years) for any kind of payment, with no contact from Theriault’s. This is a horrible way to do business! Thank you for shedding some light on this issue, and for making people aware that they need to do their investigation before handing over their valuable collections.”

• “I dealt with Theriault’s after my grandmother asked me to sell some of her dolls. I called with several concerns and my calls were not returned. They sold her dolls for very low prices. The worst was an original signed Johnny Gruelle Raggedy Ann doll- they sold it for $15. I called to ask about this and some peg woodens which went for a tenth of their value. I was treated with terrible rudeness and disdain, and the Raggedy Ann was called a “dirty old rag doll”. Without me even saying anything, the man on the phone told me, “Don’t try to sue, we have expensive lawyers on retainer”.”

• “Years ago I sent Theriault’s a very rare uncut cloth doll. They listed it in their catalogue and sold it for a small fortune. I recall being paid fairly and quickly. I think the key is to send them one doll at a time, so you don’t have to wait for the whole collection to be sold before you get paid. That’s my only selling experience with them.”

• “My mom passed away about 6 months ago and I am finally working up the emotional strength to sell many of her precious dolls, many of which I know are very valuable and rare. She dedicated decades to researching and collecting them, in hopes of dealing them in retirement. She knew I knew nothing about them and she had always told me to go to Theriault’s in case she passed….so I never even looked up reviews. But after months of not hearing back from them after trying to get them to look at some of my pictures, I googled them and found this.. ….All I can say is.. THANK you for saving me from a lot of potential pain.”

• “No, no you should not trust them at all. I was employed with Theriault’s, driving a box truck cross country, delivering items for auction and picking up consignments but resigned when I was told to ignore a federal law that restricts how many hours can be driven in a week. To say that Theriault’s is unethical would be an understatement. They talk a good game, but only care about their image and your money. They will split your collection between multiple auctions, taking their cut immediately but will only pay you once your collection has been sold. Expect to wait 2-5 years for a check.”

In Conclusion

I know it seems unbalanced, but honestly I think some of these stories need to be told, especially with doll collectors hitting ages where they may be thinking about downsizing. There’s too many horror stories to not at least warn people about what could happen if they choose to go with this auction house to sell their items. That being said, I’m not saying to forgo them completely. If it feels right to you to give them your dolls, go for it. Some people seemed like they were really happy with their interactions. Others, unfortunately, had terrible experiences.

The purpose of this article is basically to remind you to do your research before entrusting your collection to an auction house of any kind. Google it. Ask your doll collecting friends if they’ve heard anything about the auction house. Put a quick message up on Facebook to hear other people’s stories. Do your research.

Have you dealt with Theriault’s before or another auction house? Was your experience good or bad? Let us know in the comment area!