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

Preface:

The CDC is about to update their stats from 1 in 96 boys to 1 in 80 boys diagnosed as on the ASD spectrum. Today, 1 in 6 children are being diagnosed with issues such as ADD, ADHD, Autism, language delays, and many other neurological disorders. I firmly believe that a large majority of these staggering numbers are due to our children being affected by pollution in the environment, to one degree or another.

This study, performed in San Antonio Text in 2005 by Claudia Miller, M.D.. found that “for every thousand pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates”.

Oceana Report:

Source: Oceana

Full Report

Mercury Fact Sheet

Oceana has published the most extensive report to date focusing on the conversion of mercury-cell chlorine factories to more environmentally and economically sound mercury-free technology. The report shows that shifting has major economic benefits to the companies.

Key Findings

Both the ERCO plant in Wisconsin and the Olin plant in Tennessee are the number one mercury air polluters in their states, while Olin in Georgia and Ashta in Ohio are the third largest source of mercury air pollution in their respective states. PPG in West Virginia emits nearly twice as much mercury as the average power plant.

If the five plants eliminated mercury use in chlorine production, nearly 4,400 pounds of reported mercury emissions could be eliminated each year. This does not include mercury that is “lost” and not monitored at the plant, an amount estimated to rival releases from power plants in certain years.

Although the cost of converting to mercury-free technology runs in the millions of dollars (as detailed in the report), analysis shows the majority of costs would be recovered within five years from energy savings, increased capacity and eliminating millions of dollars in mercury-related fines, upgrades and treatment costs.

Plants that have shifted see increases in energy efficiency between 25 and 37 percent. Since electricity can make up half of total production costs, this can vastly improve profitability.
Many plants also have increased production capacity by approximately 25 percent in the process of converting to mercury-free technology.

Some of the Filthy Five have argued that mercury use is necessary to create high quality caustic soda which is required for some manufacturing processes like producing rayon, a human-made fiber. However, mercury-free technology is now being used to create high quality caustic soda and is being used to produce rayon in India. Additionally, rayon is no longer manufactured in the United States.

Chlorine Factories: Still Major Sources of Mercury Pollution

Mercury has been used in chlorine and caustic soda production for more than one-hundred years. Technology that eliminates the need to use mercury in chlor-alkali production has been readily available for just as long. Yet, in the United States, five chlor-alkali plants have still not committed to stop using the outdated mercury-cell technology to produce their products. In 2005, these five plants reported emissions of more than 4,400 pounds of mercury into the air. On average, these plants release more than four times the average amount of mercury released from a typical power plant; earning them the title “The Filthy Five.”

Mercury-free technology has been readily available and in use around the world for decades. Already, 90 percent of the chlorine produced in the United States is made using mercury-free technology. Many plants were constructed using either diaphragm or membrane-cell technology. However, many others were built to use mercury. Of those, more than one-hundred mercury-cell chlor-alkali plants already have switched or plan to switch to mercury-free technology around the globe. This analysis has identified 115 such facilities, making it the most comprehensive compilation of this information to date. However, some plants undoubtedly have been converted that were not identified in this analysis.

Take Action!

Even though switching to mercury-free technology is good for the bottom line, the Filthy Five are still refusing to leave 19th century technology behind. Oceana’s local organizers and e-activists will help show these companies that it is time to become responsible corporate citizens.
Get involved!

Methylmercury is a neurotoxin. If you compare the symptoms of autism, they’re strikingly similar to that of mercury poisoning. Mercury has a blood half life of anywhere between 40-160 days (opinions vary). Mercury in the environment never degrades, ever.

Autism and mercury poisoning damage the: brain/nerve cells; eyes; immune system; gastrointestinal system; muscle control; and the speech center.

This study, performed in San Antonio Text in 2005 by Claudia Miller, M.D.. found that “for every thousand pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates”.

Full article about dirty plants attached here:

America’s Dirtiest Power Plants

My comments are below the snippet from the article link.—-

“According to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), power plants released 45.6 tons of mercury
emissions in 2001, the latest year for which data is available.7 The top 50 mercury polluters
account for 43 percent of mercury emissions from the entire power sector. [See Figure 3]
Interestingly, the TRI data indicates that the (currently unregulated) mining industry and other
industrial sectors are also significant sources of mercury. 8

Mercury is a highly toxic metal that, once released into the atmosphere, settles in lakes and
rivers, where it moves up the food chain to humans. In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control
found that roughly 10 percent of American women carry mercury concentrations at levels
considered to put a fetus at risk to neurological damage.9

Many of the Top 50 Dirtiest Power Plants Have Been In Court or Under
Investigation, Only to be Let off the Hook by the Bush Administration
Enforcing existing clean air laws would go a long way toward cleaning up the dirtiest power
plants. A total of 89 power plants made it onto one or more of the three “Top 50” rankings.
Forty seven of these 89 plants, more than half, have either been sued or placed under
investigation by EPA for violating the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review requirement.10 Of
the top 50 SO2 emitters, 18 plants have been brought to court and another 11 were placed under
investigation by the government. Appendix I shows which of these companies have either been
sued or placed under investigation by EPA. The chart also shows the plant owners and location
of each facility.

In August 2003, the electric utility industry received its much sought after windfall when the
Bush administration decided to relax the rules for New Source Review, exempting many
facilities from the law’s permit and pollution control requirements. Four months later, the
Washington D.C. Circuit Court stayed the rules, questioning their legality and placing the NSR
program in limbo.

Nonetheless, the result of the Administration’s policy is that many power plants—those already
in court as well as those under investigation — have have either had the cases against them
undermined or simply dropped by the Bush Administration. While the Administration and the
Courts decide the fate of the NSR program, power plants delay meaningful pollution control.
For example, the W. H. Sammis plant in Ohio, currently in court, increased its SO2 emissions
from approximately 145,000 tons in 2002 to 164,000 tons in 2003.”
—-
My comments:

Texas has eight of the worst 50 plants, contributing 7218 lbs. of mercury into the environment per year. With that said, Governor Perry (R) is trying to fast track 17 more dirty plants through state licensing. Luckily, those plants are being met by environmental groups that are pushing for clean burning coal technologies.