Vera Kurtz's 3-Year Battle: Auction House Returns Rugs, Not Refund
Vera Kurtz has been entangled in a three-year saga with an auction house over her late parents' valuable oriental rugs. Despite repeated inquiries, she did not receive the rugs back until September 2025, and she is still awaiting a refund for the services she paid for.
Vera Kurtz's troubles began in 2020 when she took her parents' hand-knotted Afghan and Bidjar rugs, each nearly three by four meters, to Auktionshaus Steiger for appraisal. The owner estimated each rug's value at 15,000 francs. The auctioneer then informed Vera that professional cleaning and expertise services, costing 3,200 and 4,000 francs respectively, were necessary to achieve this selling price. Trusting the assessment, Vera paid 7,200 francs in cash for the services.
In 2022, Vera suspected fraud when the auction house failed to return her rugs despite her repeated inquiries. She sought help from a consumer advice center, which found discrepancies in the auction house's information and no entry in the commercial register. The rugs were finally returned in September 2025, but the auction house has not refunded the money Vera paid for the services. There is no information available about any company taking over the sale of her rugs.
Vera Kurtz is planning to write off the money she paid for the services, as she has not received a refund despite the rugs being returned. The auction house, which has been inactive since the rug dealer's death, has not provided any resolution to Vera's ongoing issue.
