Do not deal with Triumph Sports, Inc. The Football Spectacular and/or Michael Bertolini!
My favorite athlete, Troy Aikman, was scheduled to appear at Triumph Sports Football Spectacular in New Jersey during the first weekend of May. Unable to attend the show I took advantage of Triumph Sports mail in order. I sent the light blue UCLA Troy Aikman jersey with delivery confirmation and it was received by Michael Bertolini, the owner of Triumph Sports, Inc. on April 17th. A quick email to Mike on the 17th of April to confirm that they had in fact received my package was answered with a very short “yes…”. Fast forward to May 10, 7 days since their football spectacular show. I send another email to Mike asking when the checks would be cashed and when the items would be returned. Their website claims that all items will be returned within 7 days of the show. With no response to my email, I call the next 3 days and leave messages and of course they aren’t returned. The 4th day I called I finally get the opportunity to talk with mike, he answers my question with one word “shortly” and hangs up the phone. How do they continue to do business with such rude customer service? On May 23rd I send another email, politely asking when the checks would be cashed and the items returned. Fat Mike replies, the checks were deposited last week… the week of May 14th-18th. On June 1st, more than 2 week AFTER the checks were supposedly deposited, it still hasn’t cleared my account so I send yet another email asking Mike, have the checks been deposited yet? You told me they were cashed sometime the week of May 14th-18th. My check still hasn’t cleared. What’s with the delay? He plays dumb asking me who am I? What did I send in? When did I send it in? How did I pay? I’ve talked with this man at least 10 times since he received my package! My item has somehow been lost. Michael Bertolini wants to suggest he never received my jersey. This is the same guy that I have an email from saying he did receive my jersey! I have a delivery confirmation number showing he did in fact receive my jersey.
Last night, June 3rd, extremely frustrated with Mike and his company, Triumph Sports I decided to google his name “Michael Bertolini” and the results were quite interesting. Mike was the former owner of a sports marketing company known as Pete Rose Hit King Marketing. Mike is a great friend of Pete Rose and a major player in the Pete Rose betting on and banning from baseball. Pete would give “Fat Mike” as hes known in the media for his 5’8” 350lb image, money and Mike would go place the bets for Pete Rose. Michael Bertolini’s company Pete Rose Hit King Marketing eventually failed as a result of tax evasion, fraud and Mr. Bertolini’s failures to pay hotels and other venues the required payment for using their facility. Mike was eventually convicted of tax evasion and fraud and was sentenced to 14 months in jail. After this fraudulent, liar, cheater and just plain scandalous man was released from jail he went on to open another large scale marketing company, Triumph Sports, Inc. How the hell is this possible?
If that wasn’t enough I did a search of Triumph Sports on the Better Business Bureau website BBB.org. Heres what I found: In the last 36 months the BBB has received 7 complaints from people who have mailed in items to be signed at the football spectacular shows that Triumph Sports conducts several times a year. Each complaint had the same thing in common: Rude service from Mike and their items have been returned extremely late or not at all. And this next part should come as no surprise but Michael Bertolini has failed to respond to ZERO of those complaints.
These guys will take your money and leave you hanging!
I am out a $150 jersey purchased on ebay. They will have an 8th complaint filed with them through the Better Business Bureau. And you guys should stay far, far away from these scammers. Tell your friends, family, sports shops and other autograph collectors. GET THE WORD OUT!
My favorite athlete, Troy Aikman, was scheduled to appear at Triumph Sports Football Spectacular in New Jersey during the first weekend of May. Unable to attend the show I took advantage of Triumph Sports mail in order. I sent the light blue UCLA Troy Aikman jersey with delivery confirmation and it was received by Michael Bertolini, the owner of Triumph Sports, Inc. on April 17th. A quick email to Mike on the 17th of April to confirm that they had in fact received my package was answered with a very short “yes…”. Fast forward to May 10, 7 days since their football spectacular show. I send another email to Mike asking when the checks would be cashed and when the items would be returned. Their website claims that all items will be returned within 7 days of the show. With no response to my email, I call the next 3 days and leave messages and of course they aren’t returned. The 4th day I called I finally get the opportunity to talk with mike, he answers my question with one word “shortly” and hangs up the phone. How do they continue to do business with such rude customer service? On May 23rd I send another email, politely asking when the checks would be cashed and the items returned. Fat Mike replies, the checks were deposited last week… the week of May 14th-18th. On June 1st, more than 2 week AFTER the checks were supposedly deposited, it still hasn’t cleared my account so I send yet another email asking Mike, have the checks been deposited yet? You told me they were cashed sometime the week of May 14th-18th. My check still hasn’t cleared. What’s with the delay? He plays dumb asking me who am I? What did I send in? When did I send it in? How did I pay? I’ve talked with this man at least 10 times since he received my package! My item has somehow been lost. Michael Bertolini wants to suggest he never received my jersey. This is the same guy that I have an email from saying he did receive my jersey! I have a delivery confirmation number showing he did in fact receive my jersey.
Last night, June 3rd, extremely frustrated with Mike and his company, Triumph Sports I decided to google his name “Michael Bertolini” and the results were quite interesting. Mike was the former owner of a sports marketing company known as Pete Rose Hit King Marketing. Mike is a great friend of Pete Rose and a major player in the Pete Rose betting on and banning from baseball. Pete would give “Fat Mike” as hes known in the media for his 5’8” 350lb image, money and Mike would go place the bets for Pete Rose. Michael Bertolini’s company Pete Rose Hit King Marketing eventually failed as a result of tax evasion, fraud and Mr. Bertolini’s failures to pay hotels and other venues the required payment for using their facility. Mike was eventually convicted of tax evasion and fraud and was sentenced to 14 months in jail. After this fraudulent, liar, cheater and just plain scandalous man was released from jail he went on to open another large scale marketing company, Triumph Sports, Inc. How the hell is this possible?
If that wasn’t enough I did a search of Triumph Sports on the Better Business Bureau website BBB.org. Heres what I found: In the last 36 months the BBB has received 7 complaints from people who have mailed in items to be signed at the football spectacular shows that Triumph Sports conducts several times a year. Each complaint had the same thing in common: Rude service from Mike and their items have been returned extremely late or not at all. And this next part should come as no surprise but Michael Bertolini has failed to respond to ZERO of those complaints.
These guys will take your money and leave you hanging!
I am out a $150 jersey purchased on ebay. They will have an 8th complaint filed with them through the Better Business Bureau. And you guys should stay far, far away from these scammers. Tell your friends, family, sports shops and other autograph collectors. GET THE WORD OUT!
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11 comments:
dude - how is it you could have so much time on your hands to put the effort into posting something as meaningless as the thing you wrote about the memorailia company and guy you wrote about....
you- are obviously the one with a problem.....as the guy has been around for 26 years after i checked into them / him......
they obviously aint going out of business.....and 7 complaints in 36 months.....in any business is an awesome satisfaction rate.....
i dont know - but it just bothered me that someone would take the time to defame someone over such a meaningless transaction
just my thoughts.....
Taz
You shoulda went there urself with the jersey ans have them sign it in front of your face, man! if u cant, then dont get it unless u meet Aikman and u have ur jersey in hand for him to sign it. I always go and watch them sign it in front of my face. If i was Mike, I woulda signed it myself and returned it to you. Thats what you get for trusting and doing business with these jerks who make money over someone's f-ing signature. All autographs purchased aren't signed by the player unless u see it. Biggest scam in history dude. Deal with it, crybaby!
We too had the same problem. We purchased in advance an autogrpah ticket for Raphael Palmiero for the Dec 1st signing in Dallas.
When we arrived, they indicated he would not be there and they would credit our PayPal account which has never happened.
IMPORTANT: PAYPAL told us you need to file complaints against him so they can have multiple and reason to suspend his account.
He is a thief and a fraud. I also filed a BBB complaint.
Good words.
I agree with your post. Triump Sports is a ripoff and should be avoided at all costs. There are many reliable memorabilia dealers out there, and Mike from Triumph Sports is bad for the industry.
A few years ago, I paid $125 for a Ray Lewis autograph ticket via Paypal from their website. The show was in NJ and it was a 3 hr. drive from my home in MD.
A few days before the signing, a local memorabilia store (with close contacts with Ray) told me Ray cancelled his appearance. This was no where on Triumph Sport's website. I called to confirm and they did not answer the phone. Their site clearly stated that refunds would be given if an athlete cancels.
I did not attend the signing because of this tip I received. Ray did in fact cancel an and trying to get Mike to respond to my requests (via email and phone) for a refund was like pulling teeth. The rare times I did receive a response, he was rude and he asked how I paid. Numerous times I emailed my Paypal received with the transaction #.
That arrogant SOB never refunded my payment. Triumph Sports is a complete ripoff!
Who cares
Obviously you care - you took time to a.) find this post and b.) read the entire thing.
Hum--I know Berto and he went to prison protecting many of everyone's favorite athletes. The guy is straight as an arrow.
One word, he's a "mobster". Yes he is straight and I am sure he would never rat anyone out so in that aspect he is a good guy but nonetheless he is a mobster. Mobster and honesty don't necessarily go together.
Oh and BTW I am a debt collector and once I had an account he owed via (Triumph Sports) to U.P.S. for over $10k. He ran me through hoops sending fed/x hundreds of pages of receipts and proof he owed and low and behold he never paid a dime !
Hope to see same more information in futere.
Mobster...lol
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