William Novotny Appraisal Services

Very disappointed with this service, I was totally ripped off. I needed 5 pieces of art appraised as it was required by my homeowners insurance in order to obtain coverage. I contacted a Bill about doing this, I thought since he is local and assured me he does this all the time it would make sense vs emailing photos to some of the other appraisers that I had contacted but are not in this area. Big mistake. First of all it took two months for me to get my report and that was only after me calling to check in several times as I never heard from him for about 6 weeks. Then he charged me $1700 to appraise 6 pieces, 5 that I had asked him to do and a 6th one that he apparently decided to include even though I hadn’t asked him to do that piece, maybe to increase the charges, who knows. When I get this report that took two months to produce, I see that he basically just called the places of purchase, whose names and phone numbers were on the original receipts that I gave him, and asked the current market values of the items I own. I assumed there was much more to providing an appraisal, but I guess not. Ridiculous, because I could have done that myself. I guess I’m a total idiot because if I’d known that I could just make a couple of phone calls, I could have gotten this taken care of in about an hour....and for free, especially since out of the 5 pieces two were from the same vendor. Basically 4 calls, a report printed with photos from a standardized program, taking 2 months and costing me $1700. I feel like a complete fool who was totally swindled. I’ve never written a review before, but at least I hope that my stupidity may prevent some else from making this same big mistake. Whatever you do, I’d suggest using someone else if you need appraisal work done. Bill should be ashamed of how he does business, I can’t believe he can sleep at night knowing what was involved in this transaction and how he can possibly justify that fee. Oh and I forgot, he gave me a 10% discount because it took so long, “real” price should have been $1880. Yikes. Seriously find another option if you need appraisal services.

Customer Reviews

3.0

3 Reviews

kim15 days ago

From

Joe Uribe15 days ago

William's knowledge and expertise in the world of art and antiques are truly unparalleled. In just half an hour, he managed to impart a wealth of information about my art piece and antique items that I brought in for appraisal. It was like a fascinating crash course in history and craftsmanship! What sets William apart is not only his vast knowledge but also his ability to communicate complex concepts in an accessible and engaging manner. He patiently answered all of my questions and took the time to ensure I understood the intricacies of each item's history and value. Definitely recommend getting your antiques appraised by Williams!