|
Scottish Links
BUYER BEWARE
|
While the vast majority of merchants, businesses and associations with whom the Clan Cunningham Society of America has interacted over the last three decades have resulted in grand experiences, there are unfortunately unscrupulous organizations that we would like to warn you about based upon our experience, and those of our associates in the Scottish Community. |
We do NOT recommend doing business with the following:
|
McLean Scotland
Located in Perth, Scotland
Use McLean Scotland at your own PERIL- Scottish Tour and Holiday Company – (falsely advertising in our case) Individually Designed Scottish Tours and Vacations on the internet.
Don't be fooled by their false claims of service. Our society trusted their word as an honourable Scottish company. We replied to their unsolicited email, advertising their services, and subsequently hired them to help make arrangements for our Historical Sites Tour in Scotland in 2004. They require a prepaid cash deposit and cash prepayment in full from their customers. We paid it in good faith trusting their word "we will put 110% effort into this as we do with everything, we have never had complaint or cause from any of our past guests. (a lie as you can read for yourself by clicking on the "McLean Scotland Tour Debacle" link below) Anything and everything will be done to make this tour the best you have been on, we pride ourselves on giving everything and it shows." These claims were all false as we were soon to learn. With 3 1/2 months to work with our itinerary, they failed to perform. We were forced at the last minute to cancel their tour and hire a reputable company in order to save our tour from certain dissapointment. They refuse to return our $5,000.00 deposit for services never rendered, based on so-called terms which they failed to disclosed until after their services were cancelled. For the full details of our unfortunate association with McLean Scotland, click the following three links page 1 page 2 page 3. To read all about the smashing success of our 13 day Historical Sites Tour of France and Scotland and Gathering in 2004 (in spite of McLean Scotland's preliminary involvement {and thanks to the exhaustive efforts of our society}) featured in our January 15 and April 15, 2005 newsletters click here.
You don't have to take our word alone for it. Here's what a reputable American travel agency (which has been pressured into asking that their name be withdrawn to protect their travel industry reputation and preserve their anonymity from association with McLean Scotland) has to say about their experience with a McLean Scotland tour gone bad for Clan Maclean which is described within as "The tour was the disaster of my career." Click on the following link McLean Scotland Tour Debacle to read the details.
These warnings about using the services of Paul McLean and Liz Gillespie of McLean Scotland are also published on the TRAVEL page of the Scottish American Society's web site. Click here to see those warnings. |
Jerry Gehringer
dba Celtic Crossroads Gallery of Lyons, CO
Watch out for this vendor at Scottish Festivals
This vendor sells jewelry/merchandise at Scottish festivals and had a retail store in Lyons, Colorado.
He entered into a verbal contract with CCSA on May 7, 2003 to sculpt a stone monument with a critical deadline, and received an $800.00 deposit to begin work. After 9 weeks, he failed to produce any work but a sketch, so CCSA canceled the contract and demanded the return of our deposit; which he refused.
CCSA was awarded a judgement in the Boulder County Court on October 20, 2003, for the full amount of the deposit. Mr. Gehringer failed to pay the judgement. A Writ of Garnishment was ordered by the Court on November 6, 2003, in response to which funds were withdrawn from his account to pay most of his debt. He still owes CCSA $134.03 against which a lien on his real estate is on file.
Beware, do not prepay this vendor for any goods or services, unless you are prepared to never receive those goods, services, nor your money back.
Postscript: CCSA subsequently hired the master sculptor, Roger Seal, who finished the granite monument on deadline for its dedication ceremony in Edinburgh, Scotland on November 25, 2003. You can also see Roger Seal and the monument in progress. |
Clansman Knitwear
Watch out for this vendor at Scottish Festivals
Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Dear Dave,
I wanted to let you know about a vendor in California who is establishing a poor reputation at games so our clan members can watch out for them. The name of the vendor is Clansman Knitwear based out of Vallejo, CA. In April of last year at the Lyons College Scottish Games, I placed an order for clothes for about $800 from this company. By December of that year I received only Luke's kilt after many unreturned phone calls and no written responses to my inquiries about the order. I filed a complaint with the Arkansas Attorney General which is now on file with our state. When I attended the Salado, Texas, games the vendor was set up there and when I went to talk with him about my order another gentleman was confronting him with the same problem. The other patron was from Houston and though he had his receipts with him nothing was done. I told the gentleman to file with the Texas State Attorney General and see if they could remediate the problem. Since then I have heard that several people have filed suit in California as well. Vendors like this don't need to be selling. They create a bad name for all our truly honest vendors who work hard to make a living and bring a festival type atmosphere to our games. I hope we can exclude them from as many games as we can so our Scottish festivals will stay known as quality events.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Smith
Arkansas State Commissioner Clan Mackay |
Recommended Links To Web Sites About Scotland
|
We are not affiliated with, nor do we endorse any of the organizations below. They are supplied here for the convenience of our members, the Scottish Community, and the general public. For more information on Scottish organizations, Scottish merchandise, history, music and culture, the following links are provided for your convenience: |
History and Preservation
The Lordship & Barony of Kilmarnock
|
CRANN TARA
Preserving the Culture, History, Heritage and Future of Scotland.
|
The big internet portal for everything typically Scottish.
Read some CCSA newsletters published on Mysterious Scotland.
|
A Guide to the Clans and Tartans of Scotland
|
Historic Scotland
An organization responsible for the upkeep, protection and promotion of
over 300 heritage sites throughout Scotland - which are open to the public.
|
Scottish Roots Ancestral Research Service
|
Scottish Family Names And Clan Search Pages
|
Scottish Music
Celtic Radio
|
Scottish Merchandise
a truly Scottish experience
A highland Perthshire company specialising in unique
and reasonably priced kilt sporrans and kilt accessories.
|
Scottish Jewelry
ClanTime features Scottish jewellery
specialising in ladies & gents saltire dress rings.
|
Scots Connection has a fine selection of Scottish merchandise
combined with excellent customer service references from Cunninghams.
|
Scottish and Irish Jewelry of Distinction.
|
Glencairn Crystal Studio, makers of fine Scottish crystal.
|
Scottish outfitter and piping supply store.
|
Jewelry in the Celtic Tradition
|
Experts in kilts, tartans and highland dress.
|
"Mar-C Originals" of Denver, Colorado. Fourth generation
seamstress for fine hand made kilts and Scottish clothing.
Email
|
Rampant Lion Designs LLC
|
Scotland's Finest Foods shipped to your door.
|
Miscellaneous
Scottish Clans and Castles Ltd
Perfectly tailored holidays featuring Scotland's castles, culture and clan lands.
|
The world’s largest international Scottish newspaper.
For over three decades uniting Scots around the world.
|
Tingle Creek Hotel
A hidden gem in the heart of the West Highlands
|
"Waterfall Glen" by Davie Henderson
This new novel just released in the US and Canada tells of an
American woman getting in touch with her Scottish roots while conveying
the beauty of the land and the evocative nature of its history, from the charge
of the clans at Culloden to the dramatic events which led so many
Highlanders to seek a new life on the other side of the Atlantic.
|
An independent publisher specializing in historical novels and poetry with Celtic themes.
|
Have a favorite Scottish website that is not listed?
Click on the thistle to email us the link!
Want to create a link to the Clan Cunningham Society from your web site?
|
Directions:
Please feel free to use the Clan Cunningham Society banner image, below, on your web site with a link back to ours. You can do this one of two ways. You may copy the banner graphic to your computer by placing your cursor over the graphic, right click your mouse button, and choose the "Save Picture As... selection which will bring up the "SAVE PICTURE" dialog box allowing you to save our banner on your computer. Or, if you are using a laptop without mouse capabilities, you can click on the URL hyperlink directly below the image, click on the FILE menu button, choose the SAVE AS... selection to save it on your computer. Saving the image to your computer will allow you to uppload it to your web server and then use the graphic on your web page. |
http://public.clancunningham.net/images/Cunban.jpg
Want To See More Cunningham Links?
|
|
