I was flabbergasted to see a consumer complaints about the very man who conducted an estate sale at my mother's house in August and to find that I had the exact same experience with him.
Unfortunately, this information came too late to save my family from the same heartache that Deirdre of Arizona described in her report.
I also found Joe Perkins through the Internet. My mother had passed away and because there was so much in the house, my siblings and I decided we would have an estate sale. He came to my mother's house to meet with me and my husband in July to decide if we were "estate-worthy" and to discuss the aspects of an estate sale; i.E. How did he price (said he had "experts" to do that), did he barter or set prices (set prices), did he inventory the items (said he had done it numerous times for estate attorneys), etc. His commission was to be 30% of the total and this fee would include advertising, inventory of all items sold, setting up tables, display cases, and providing clerks to set out and collect the money for the items.
We decided on the weekend of August 26th & 27th for the sale. I didn't attend the sale on Saturday as this was a very difficult time for me and I just couldn't face seeing strangers buying my mother's things. My husband went over to the sale and at the end of the day spoke with Joe Perkins. He was told how much money had been collected for the day.
At the end of the sale on Sunday, I did to go over to the house and was told the proceeds from that day. Joe Perkins asked me whether he should send the check to the estate attorney or directly to me. He also asked if he could take some unsold items with him to sell on Ebay and at other estate/auction sales (sound familiar?). He wrote up and the both of us signed a "Consignment Control" form with the list of items he took with him. He told me I would be receiving a check in about a week as he had to wait for the checks to pass through the bank.
I waited alright. I began calling him on September 8th. After calling him a couple of times, he returned my call on September 16th. He explained that the check was late because he hadn't told his "partner" the exact amount of the check, but that he would and I should be receiving it in a few days or early the next week. I called him every 3 days during that period. He never called me back again.
I have since elicited help from my attorney (Joe Perkins never returned his calls), the Office of the Attorney General, and the Stoneham police. Although I also had the problem of not being able to sue him due to not having a street address, I am receiving help from an Inspector of the Stoneham Police Dept. As he is angry that Joe Perkins preys on bereaved families. He's hoping that Deirdre will file a report on Joe Perkins also.
It is not just the money Joe Perkins absconded with that upsets my entire family. It has been an emotional blow on top of the tremendous loss of our beloved mother and the difficult decision we made to sell things that my parents had spent a lifetime accumulating.
Like Deirdre, I hope this saves a family from putting their trust in a con artist like we did.
Shame on you, joe perkins. I hope you get what you deserve.
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