I had a horrible time with this guy (Brad).
Buyer beware!!! IF you do business with Musicians Advocate, be prepared for the worst.

My purchase of an Art TCS started out as a regular old eBay purchase and turned into a nightmare. Do not buy from these people. They have the absolute worst customer service I have ever experienced.

The owner’s name and city of residence, seems to be:

Bradley L Hagen
Las Vegas, NV 89102 United States

July 17th, 2007:

I purchased the item from Musicians Advocate on eBay and accidentally sent an eCheck through PayPal instead of a direct draft. Realizing I had made an honest mistake, I looked up the 800 number listed in the eBay auction item. Upon calling their advertised 800 number, the answering machine informed me that Musicians Advocate no longer provided phone support for their clients and the 800 number was no specifically for their vendors only. That is when I got worried.

I simply wanted to but the item again via a credit card and have them refund my original purchase once paypal sent through the eCheck.

After several days of abusive emails from Brad / his company that offered no resolution to re-checking out, my e-Check finally cleared and he refunded my account. When he found out that I filed a BBB complaint on him, Brad opened a unpaid item dispute with eBay AFTER he refunded my $233.50. Again, I went to eBay’s Safeharbor and they assure me action was taken. I recommended for eBay to strip Musicians Advocate of their power seller status and told them they should kick sellers like this. Musicians Advocate uses the eBay system against their customers, have horrible customer support, advertise support 800 numbers that are answered by a machine that tells you that the number is no longer used for client support and lie about unpaid items after they refund you. I have found several other eBayers that Brad has done this to in order to coerce them into changing their eBay rating.

This Brad person is obviously a very immature individual and if you cause him any extra effort, be prepared for the worst scenario.

Brad finally delete the bogus unpaid item report and he and I had some pretty harsh words over email. He also sent a very childish response to me through the BBB (which I couldnt believe he did due to the fact that they see it). It was literally the most moronic scribblings I’ve ever read. I’ll post it soon as a JPG.
This guy is obviously not customer service oriented and Lord help you if anything goes wrong with your order. What is very obvious to me is that if he didn’t blackmail / coerce people into removing their negative eBay comments, he would never be a power seller.

Buyer Beware of Musicians Advocate!

A study by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio reveals a multiple-digits increase in the rate of autism for every 1,000 pounds of mercury released environmentally in Texas counties.

The study does not prove causation of autism by mercury, researchers are quick to point out.

The study compared mercury totals reported for 2001 in the 254 Texas counties to the rate of autism and special education services in nearly 1,200 Texas school districts. The districts, which range from urban to small metro to rural, enroll 4 million Texas children.

“The main finding is that for every 1,000 pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates,” said lead author Raymond F. Palmer, Ph.D., associate professor in the Health Science Center’s department of family and community medicine.

Large-scale mercury exposures such as accidental spills long have been implicated with developmental disabilities, but this study is among the first to examine the relationship between potentially chronic, low-dose mercury exposure and a developmental disorder such as autism, Dr. Palmer said.

Mercury is the third-most frequently found toxic substance nationwide, after arsenic and lead. Coal-burning power plants, which supply energy to cities and generally are in close proximity to population centers, release more mercury than any other source in the United States. Texas is fourth among the states in reported mercury releases, after California, Oregon and West Virginia.

Using statistical modeling, the researchers showed that increases in the rate of special education services were associated with higher mercury release levels. However, “it is the increase in autism that explains this relationship” in Texas, Dr. Palmer said.

The authors cautioned that the study is an ecological investigation based on county level and school district data. This type of study does not lend itself to interpretation at the level of the individual. This is only a first step in identifying areas for further investigation. The study also does not assess changes in mercury levels over time as a predictor of rates of change in developmental disorders. While the current study precludes causal interpretation, the team is working on a second report that will investigate the longitudinal association between mercury and autism rates.

Autism is a developmental disorder that varies in severity in individuals and is characterized by impaired ability to engage in normal social behavior and by behavior patterns such as repetitive motions and sounds. Autism is estimated to occur in as many as 1 in 200 children and is reported to be rising in prevalence, although statistics vary.

The study authors note that the new research “has implications for toxic substance regulation and prevention policies. The effects of differing state policies regarding toxic release of mercury on the incidence of developmental disorders should be investigated.”

The study is published in the peer-reviewed journal Health & Place, an Elsevier Ltd publication. Co-authors are Claudia S. Miller, M.D., from the department of family and community medicine at the Health Science Center; Zachary Stein from San Antonio; Stephen Blanchard, Ph.D., of the department of sociology at Our Lady of the Lake University; and David Mandell, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research