Roadshow operators dismiss concerns ahead of Arlington event

Operators of the Springfield-based Treasure Hunters Roadshow said complaints lodged against them to the Illinois Attorney General's office are just part of doing business.

“That's just life,” said spokesman Matthew Enright. “You're not going to please everybody. That's just the fact of the matter.”

A spokeswoman at Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office said the business that inspects collectibles and sometimes offers to purchase the items at traveling events has had three complaints filed against them over the past two years two in 2009 and one this year. She said two of the complaints were resolved in mediation, “the first step to resolve complaints,” while the third was “informative in nature.” The spokeswoman said Madigan's office is “monitoring the roadshow.”

Some online critics of the operation also complain Treasure Hunters is interested only in gold and scrap precious metals.

However, Enright said Madigan's office has not contacted the company to discuss the complaints or demand the company change any of its operations. Enright points to the company's “A-minus” rating from the Better Business Bureau, where Treasure Hunters has received just 13 complaints since its inception in 1996.

“That's 13 out of thousands of people we have worked with,” Enright said. “We work with 15,000 to 25,000 people each week.”

Treasure Hunters Roadshow is in Arlington Heights this week offering examinations of collectibles to determine fair market value for the property.

But there's another bone of contention the group is embroiled in. The company is also being sued by the producers of the PBS series Antiques Roadshow over the use of the word “roadshow” and a treasure chest logo. Enright contends Treasure Hunters is not trying to confuse the public and notes the company successfully fended off a similar lawsuit filed almost a decade ago.

The two sides are scheduled to meet again in court on the matter on Thursday in Springfield, according to court documents.

“We're completely two different things,” he said. “We're not the same thing. They appraise items, and we purchase items.”

Madigan's office is reminding anyone who attends a Treasure Hunters event that they “should not feel pressured to sell their items on the spot, especially if they believe they are valuable.”

Enright said the company offers fair market value, which is different than appraised value. He compared it to the current housing market and property tax assessments.

“Besides the name issue, we don't have people suing us,” Enright said. “We have competitors who just don't like us and for whatever reason, they want to talk about us.”

For more information about the event in Arlington Heights, visit treasurehuntersroadshow. For information about investing and selling gold and collectible coins, visit ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt188.shtm.