I have no axe to grind here either way but I do know that there are folks on this forum who take their restorations very seriously. They desire it to be as near original as possible. The problem is that one cannot transfer this information using the Vulcan mind meld. One must be exact in their requirements when contracting the business. Part of my real job is to review contracts for a large company to assure what was ordered is what is delivered. If a contract does not specifically outline what is required then it is not considered an important detail. Also using a term such as "restore to original" cannot substitute for a detailed list of specifications. As you can see by just reading this list, everyone has their own interpretation of what "Original" is. In fact I have been approached by several people in the past who told me that one or another of my items was restored incorrectly. Some have examples to prove their point while others merely use their tribal knowledge as their guide. I have also been treated to stories of which restorer pays attention to this type of detail and those who are careless and do not. Like any other business transaction where you have an exact idea of what you want, it must be communicated as such or you will most likely be disappointed. This way the person doing the restoration has the opportunity to ask clarifying questions, offer alternatives or just plain refuse the the job. It is difficult to take sides here because this was not malicious act near as I can tell. I do tend to side with a person who has paid for an item only to have it resold without permission. As ebay states, bidding on an item is a binding contract on both parties not just the buyer. There are legal remedies for non payment, non communications and other issues that may arise but they all use time as a boundary. Not sure enough time had passed here to have resold the item. Still as I say, no one tried to hurt anyone here so this can be a lesson to us all. Detail what you want in writing and be clear how important that is to you. Then if the work is accepted under that context it is a legal contract and there should be no ambiguity to discuss after that.
Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ