Unsatisfied Customers Have a proposed solution!!

We got this email last week from somebodywho found us through the blog.

Original text below.

Hi All
My wife returned safely from England without getting caught up with Mr Swinecrack.
She made some enquiries as to getting some heavies to go and settle with Swinecrack but it seems he is in hiding on the Isle of Man, though she now knows where to get the muscle. So I guess all of your work has paid off, he is on the run, who would have thought that “the finger” was ”mightier than the sword!”
Cheers
Bill Fraser
Drakesbrook Antiques


Thanks for the post Bill tell your friends to email as well.

Past Victim of Antiques Supermarket Makes a Comment

Could you please post this to your blog !

Hi
I’m Bill Fraser from Australia and we were also ripped off by that lying creep Les Swainbank /Charles Shackleton or whatever he calls himself now, from the Antiques Supermarket ( www.antiquessupermarket.com ) He threatened my wife and her friend with violence, then stole goods from their car when the girls tried to escape his clutches, {after they were warned who this guy was by a local }. Luckily they got away only losing their goods, It could have cost them a lot more, this guy is dangerous! SO BE WARNED!

We have an ongoing police action against him, which has been reinforced recently by our friends in South Africa, who were also stung by him, so any further information any of you have will help bring him down, as the police need facts and figures.

To speed things up though, I would like to propose a hired posse to take Les/Charles out to “dinner” one night; to help him fit his soon to be required false teeth and testicles.

If anyone is interested in the dinner but can’t make it to England personally, we could all put money in a charitable fund called the “re-educate Les/Charles fund” as he obviously is a “lifelong low life” that needs our help to change his ways.

This would give everyone involved a great sense of satisfaction to know that we all helped a man with a real need of education; even though we know we have very little chance of getting our money back.

Check out our little tribute to Mr Les/Charles @ www.myspace.com/antiquesupermarket and please, please give serious thought to our plan to “educate” poor old Les/Charles, I am sure he will remember us all forever afterwards, especially at meals and at the call of nature.
Cheers
Bill Fraser ;-)

Another comment posted to the Blog that needs to be in the main body.

This is a comment that was posted yesterday to the blog. Since many of you don't read the comments it easy to miss.

**To the person that posted please write us and tell what happened to you maybe send some pics so I can post them to the site.**

The more content there is the better we come up in searches relating to these guys. I've put some effort into this site and making sure people find out and continue to spread the word about this guy, his aliases and the scam he runs.


Below is the comment as we received it.

"I really wish I would have found this site before I bought a container. I was so stupid that we bought 2 boxes since it took 4-6 weeks to get the first one we figured we would have it gone when the second one hit. We had already paid a deposit (50%) on the 2nd box when the 1st box got to us. It was filled with such shit that we would have been better off letting him keep the 15 thousand because i'm sure we'll lose more than that anyways. It's amazing how you can make stuff sound so good and it be so bad. "

That is the just the most recent person to contact us since we started this information site. Please spread the word and send us your comments and photos if you have them.

The only reason people like this continue to get away with what they do is because people take it lying down and don't defent themselves. The whole list of fake people always threaten legal action and cry police the second somebody stands up for themselves. This guy won't use the law since he would have to supply financial records and customer information to create a defence. And he would have to have money to be able to hire the lawyers.

The fact is the name change, the shady business dealings and the history he has in the industry shows there is a lot to hide and having the courts involved would mean exposing himself and opening the door to both more legal issues with individuals and legal issues with the government.

Currently we are working on putting together a case with the serious fraud division of the U.K. government so it is very important when somebody contacts us they leave all their info. The serious fraud division will actual handle the legal side similar to a class action suit but the government represents the complainants.

Keep coming back for more updates and remember spread the word and get people you know to contact us about their bad experiences.

Antique Market Customer responds to blog comment.

Hello Harry,

I was reading through your blog from the antique wholesale dealer warning you emailed me and wanted to send you something to post in response to the comment from the obviously fake dealer from Prince George.

It was really surprising to read what was posted for a few reasons. First of all I am one of the largest dealers in the area and I don’t even deal in multiple container loads.

Second, Prince George is a town with only 20 000 people with 4 used furniture (antique) junk shops so it’s obvious the Anonymous dealer is a fake, nobody brings that much gear to this area.

This is for your blog. I’ve been dealing with the Antique Market for over 10 years and am always happy with the service. The Antique Market are the largest dealers / wholesalers in Western Canada and offer a great service with great products. The antiques we buy are always in good order and anything that needs work is repaired or fully restored. We always receive our product polished and properly packed. Best of all they always take amazing care of me and stand behind what they sell.

Please feel free to post my name and address so people can get in contact with me if they have questions.


Sincerely
Elaine

Elaine's Uniques Gifts
Smithers B. C.

Warning when trying to get a container from Antiques Supermarket through customs.

Seizure and inspection likely when purchasing a container from Antiques Supermarket.

Due to our recent issues with misrepresentation of items from Antiques Supermarket and Charles Shackleton / Les Swainbank we reported his practices to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency also to Canada Customs. Both agencies take import fraud seriously.

FYI.: The likelihood of any container coming from The Antiques Supermarket being seized for examination is quite high. Due to multiple reports to the English, U.S. and Canadian governments of fraud and misrepresentation. “FREE” unlisted merchandise is illegal for a variety of reasons and could lead to a great deal of problems when dealing with customs. Such as refusal of entry and serious fines. The technical term is smuggling. Any time you try to get something across the border by any sort of deception or omission the government likes to call it smuggling.

Listing an item on the customs declaration as being made in 1910 but made in 1980 is a crime. Even if the creative paperwork comes from the other side the receiver is liable. This could also jeopardize future containers from any source. Once you make it on the customs list it take a while for them to trust you again.

So buyer beware when purchasing a container from any organization that offers “FREE” or misrepresents merchandise. It sounds like a great incentive to buy a load from this guy but you may get a lot more than you bargained for like a huge legal bill, fines and a nice big storage bill from the freight yard while customs sorts out your issue. Or better yet complete seizure of the container, storage fees and being forced to pay for return shipment!

Recent developements with the Antiques Supermarket

Recent developments in the ongoing saga of the Antiques Supermarket and the man who is so honest he had to change his name because he was swamped with happy customers!

Yesterday Les/Charles emailed us the link to his "in my defence" blog. Take a look it's entertaining. http://antiquessupermarket.blogspot.com/#main

For somebody who claims to be so honest why do the local police have to be involved when his “HAPPY” customers want to get the merchandise they paid for but never received? Maybe they brought the police to help contain their enthusiasm?

Why would the local police be more than happy to help a foreigner claim their goods from such an honest dealer?

Why would an honest dealer lie on an invoice, send Ikea items and label them as 1930’s or send over particle board cabinets with a huge date stamp saying 1986 on the back but listed as 1920s articles?

When customs inspects a container and an item made in 1986 is listed on the COMMERCIAL INVOICE and the CUSTOMS DECLARATION as made in 1920 they will seize your container. We were never able to identify or find the “Free items” and the free packing, just check the pictures below it speaks for itself. Also a proper accounting of all items with values has to be included otherwise it is referred to as smuggling, again customs will seize the container…

These things are called fraud. When a customer picks out exact pieces takes photographs of them and receives a container where not one of those pieces is in the container that is called fraud. When a customer pays for one item and receives another that is called theft. Yes the term honest can be a little flexible but when police need to be involved to get items you paid for…how honest is that?

Here is an Ikea mirror labelled as 1920's. Interesting how we now have Ikea antiques!!

Here we have a great Pine unit from the mid 1980's labelled as 1900's. No charge for the broken door!!

Here is a great particle board china cabinet stamped 1986 on the back. We were so surprised to find this rare 1920's example of particle board construction we had to throw it in the garbage. Maybe these were the free items good ol' Charles mentioned. Funny on our invoice we paid for it...

Another nice example of straight to the garbage can!! Here we have a fine example of 1980's construction listed as a 1930's vintage coffee table? Exceptional quality and value! You bet! It is very rare to come across such a fine coffee table (without glass of course) outside of your local garbage dump. Maybe Charles or Les or Simon or William or some other entity will be sending the glass over on the next can?

Spread the word.The internet is great for many reasons.

Ever since we received our container of back alley garbage from Antiques Supermarket we have been making a point of spreading the word regarding the wholesale antique scam this operation is running.

Charles, Les or Lez is using the internet to find people to sell to. We are using the internet to let people know what his operation is all about. The response has been great we have found several people already who have been robbed and are more than a little hopping mad about it.

The saddest thing is we have found a large number of people in the U.K. who are aware of the Antiques Supermarkets tactics and never did anything to warn people. Whenever we speak to somebody in the Antique Wholesale business in the U.K. they know exactly who we are talking about.

It seems that it would be much easier to simply provide the services they claim on the website and in person than to deal with police and legal action on a regular basis. Having to move your business and change your name due to the fact you have ripped off so many people seems like it is more effort than it's worth.

Our new friends in Australia have been actively spreading the word for some time and the people in South Africa are also working hard to spread the word there. From what we have been told the reputation of the Antiques Supermarket is so well known in Australia no one will buy from him there.

So please keep passing this info on to any dealers you know and help spread the word.

Myspace Link for Charles Shackleton and Les Swainbank

One of our fellow victims has set up a little myspace page in tribute to the Antiques Supermarket and Charles Shackleton (Les Swainbank)

Check it out!!!

http://www.myspace.com/antiquesupermarket

Please forward this blog to any colleagues you might have in the antique business.

Les Swainbank - Antiques Supermarket Update

Well over the last 6 weeks we have found several other people who have been ripped off by Charles Shackleton or Les Swainbank. Most recently some colleagues we were in contact with from South Africa returned to Shropshire England to claim their missing goods (items that ordered and paid for but never shipped). My Shackleton wasn't pleased or all that happy to give them their items back. The last contact I had with them involved the local police who were more than happy to assist

I assume with the way Antiques Supermarket does business that police have been involved more than once. The biggest benefit of committing crimes internationally is that there is a great deal of cost involved and prosecuting somebody in those circumstances can be very tricky. So most people just lay dawn and accept they have been shafted. The problem for guys like Charles is not everybody takes this sort of thing laying down. Hopefully our South African friends will be able to post some good information here when they get home.

Updates will be posted as they come in. One more thing there seems to be another fake person involved now. A gentleman by the name of Simon Lofthouse has been signing off on some emails now. He is listed as financial director.... So we have William Darling, Simon Lofthouse, Charles Shackleton and Lez Swainbank.....whenever an email is sent from any of these people there are the same spelling mistakes also when you call the phone numbers on the website and ask for Simon or William no one who answers knows who you are referring to????

UPDATE!! Charles Shackletons real name.

Well after I was screwed over by Mr. Charles Shackleton of the Antiques Supermarket from Shropshire England I got in touch with some old friends from the U.K.

Well they recognized our esteemed Mr. Shackleton Immediately...

His real name is Les Swainbank. Why he introduces himself as Charles Shackleton I am unsure but I suspect it has something to do with the amount of people he has robbed.

The names William Darling and Andrew Stapleton also seem to be fake. Any other aliases people are aware of please submit them to the blog.

How containers are normally packed.

In my previous post I showed pictures of what the Antiques Supermarket container looked like when we received it.

Here are some photos of the containers we are used to receiving.

Individually wrapped pieces, well packed for maximum use of space. All larger items contained smaller pieces wrapped in foam.

Packing time on these containers was also included and on average ran 4-5 hours. 10 hours to pack a can is incredible.

What we found when the container arrived!!!

On the Antiques Supermarket website it states.

Quoted directly from http://www.antiquessupermarket.com/faq2.htm#faq8

DO YOU CHARGE FOR EXPERT PACKING OF SHIPMENTS?
No. All packing of antiques is done free of charge by our experienced packers. Each item is individually wrapped in corrugated cardboard and packed tightly together inside all containers. Small items, clocks, brick-a-brack etc., is usually wrapped and put inside armoires, cupboards or drawers to ensure safe delivery.

Not one piece was properly packaged or wrapped. We were billed 10 hours for packing and the container wasn't properly packed. It looked like they packed it in about 40 minutes the can was loaded with broken, damaged, scratched and so poorly loaded that the pieces that would have been sellable were damaged in transit. There were loose mirrors and glass panels from cabinets laying on the floor or packed between pieces with no wrapping. The best thing is there are items that are made of chip board bearing a stamp stating made in 1987, yet our BL lists them as 1930's pieces. About 20 pieces that were sent to me won't be antiques for at least 90 years....

Is this individually wrapped in corrugated cardboard?

This is one of the better wrapped pieces. Seriously....

Most had no wrapping whatsoever.

This is the "professional packing". Many items had to have been thrown in to be placed the way they were. Whoever packed this can looks like he would screw up putting his hand in his pocket.

The tape really helped keep the load secure.

We have many more pics.

C.S. Brunt, Charles Shackleton Wholesale Antique Container Issues.

Regarding Charles Shackleton, William Darling and the Antiques Supermarket shipping a container. On the Antiques Supermarket website it is stated that a full door to door shipping quote will be provided before the container is packed. Based on these statements I was surprised to hear that not only was my container packed but it was on the water. No shipping quotes were provided.

The instructions I gave were to contact my regular shipper (whose rate was over $1000 U.S. less than the C.S. Brunt rate). My shippers were not contacted. The instructions were my container was to be shipped all water to Vancouver, I received an invoice from C.S. Brunt stating the container was being sent to Montreal and then being trucked across Canada! This directly contradicted my specific instructions. Needless to say there were a few heated conversations over the phone.

C.S. Brunt was demanding payment, our invoice from Antiques Supermarket also listed the same fee for shipping. They both asked for payment for the shipping, they both said I had to pay them or they wouldn't give me my documentation! They were trying to double bill me for the same service. After a few exchanges I was assured that the container was rerouted all water, on top of that Charles sent me an updated invoice saying not only did he reroute the container he even saved me money on shipping!! Needless to say even though I was assured by Geoff at C.S. Brunt, William Darling and Andrew Stapleton of Antiques Supermarket that my container was coming all water now.... it was a complete lie. About 2 days later my customs people called me and told me my can was in Montreal and I needed the paperwork for it to be released. Strangely I was unable to get in touch with Charles for almost a week to discuss these problems with him,even though he carries 3 cell phones. Whomever I spoke to at Antiques Supermarket (when I could actually get through) either claimed they didn't know where he was or he was in France. Messages were left repeatedly by me and my assistant. Charles was paid in full and I had paid the shippers the updated shipping amount that Charles had given me, they basically extorted the money out of me. Even though I had an invoice with a new rate they would not give my my Bill of Lading or any of the relevant paperwork, packing lists and such unless I paid the full original invoice.

What it came down to was C.S. Brunt stated they did not have to communicate with me nor did they want to since Charles was the one giving the instructions they were only going to go through him. It wasn't a threat but our position was you invoiced us and are demanding payment from us. We are the customer not Charles Shackleton, deal with us directly or we will have to involve the authorities. One strange item is that Sue and Geoff at C.S. Brunt both claimed they had been shipping with Charles for years yet they claimed they had never heard of William Darling? The whole process was so deceptive and frustrating, the whole time I was being fed a line of B.S.

Charles Shackleton and his Antiques Supermarket Total Fraud

A little bit about us. We are an antique wholesale retail outfit based in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. With over 25 000 sq ft. of combined retail space, in an average year we bring in from 15- 18 containers of merchandise from all over the world. With over 25 years of experience we are no rookies to the antique and global shipping world. That is why this blog is coming online. To show exactly how badly a business can be scammed out of thousands of dollars by complete liars, even long standing experienced business like ours.

Regarding Antiques Supermarket and it's owner Charles Shackleton. Or his aliases, William Darling Antiques, Andrew Stapleton Antiques. I've called the office several times and for some reason have never been able to speak to either of those men. When I spoke to the shippers that Charles has dealt with for years they say they have never heard of either of those men. Very curious.

Several months ago we were contacted via email from Antiques Supermarket based in the Isle of Man and Shropshire UK . Since we are always on the lookout for new sources of product I corresponded with Mr. Shackleton for a while. A buying trip was already planned for the UK so it was decided I would check out the Antiques Supermarkets operation.

They seemed a bit disorganized and unprofessional but those things are common in the antique world so I let it slide. Charles showed me his fleet of cars and talked a good game about his business and how most of his money is made through property, the antiques being almost a sideline. He took me to what he told me were a variety of his sources for product. I went over all of the items with him pointing out the ones I was interested in and the types of items I found acceptable and unacceptable. Giving very specific instructions to the type, quality, style and condition of the antiques I looked for. A point was also made by me to let Charles know I was aware of the scams common in the antique industry and that if he tried anything I would not take it lying down. Charles reassured me on every front, stating unequivocally that the entire operation was professional and entirely above board on all fronts. That I would be more than pleased with the quality and selection of antiques he could supply.

Although there were some reservations I placed an order for a 40ft high cube can. Giving very simple instructions on what I wanted on it and how I wanted it shipped.

That s where all the problems started.