among dozens of tourists who did not receive souvenirs purchased from a pottery business that went bust.

Four years ago, the Einmals said they paid $120 for two designer bowls from Island Pottery in Dockyard and asked for them to be shipped to their home in Cologne once they were made.

However, they claim, they never received their bowls nor any of their money back in spite of repeated attempts to contact the company.

The Einmals returned to Bermuda this month for another holiday and chief on their list of things to do was track down the operators of Island Pottery.

They did. They spotted the operator Jerry Smith and his wife Gloria running a pottery stand at Harbour Nights.

They were so shocked, they walked away, deciding to make some inquiries before returning the following week.

A former Policeman friend told the Einmals to contact the local Consumer Affairs Bureau.

They said they were told that many other complaints had been lodged against Island Pottery and that they should contact the receivers PriceWaterhouse Coopers.

Tourists never received pottery "A woman there told us (Island Pottery) is finished -- and there are more claims,'' an angry Mr. Einmal told The Royal Gazette yesterday. The Einmals said they were told they could be among hundreds of tourists who paid for local wares from the failed Island Pottery but never received them.

Upset, the Einmals returned to Harbour Nights last Wednesday and confronted the Smiths.

"She fed us a story. A heartbreaking story...it was not her fault and she did everything they could -- a whole shipload got lost and was never found again -- it might be our pottery in it.'' Mrs. Einmal added, "She swore by the life of her children that she never meant anyone any harm and never wanted to cheat anyone and never wanted to take anyone's money.'' Mrs. Einmal said Mrs. Smith then offered to return their money.

But, "Then she went to her husband and he said `No'.'' Mr. Einmal said, "He said `no, no, no, that business is broke, bankrupt, finished'. I simply pointed to The Royal Gazette that was on the table and then he turned nasty and started shouting at me and things like that and then we simply went away...

"She told us that the Government packed them up -- that the Government knows everything about them, about their accounts, otherwise they wouldn't be there standing on Front Street.

"He, especially him, shouldn't be on Front Street!'' Repeated attempts to contact Mr. Smith at his home and places of business have been unsuccessful. It is understood he is a regular vendor at Harbour Nights and Sonesta Beach Hotel and operates a pottery business under the name Candlelight Ceramics.

The Supreme Court ordered Island Pottery to go into receivership in July, 1997 after the company failed to pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.

John Faulkner a former Island Pottery employee and owner of Clay Works in Dockyard, bought all the assets from the failed company.

Mr. Faulkner told the Gazette he made a list of about 50 customers who had not received their purchases and stored the pottery in its original location at the old premises.

He noted that sometimes people saw his shop and asked about Island Pottery, and he would happily give them their orders if he had them on his list.

However, he said, orders that were made within about a few weeks of the business declaring bankruptcy probably would never have been processed.

"Those people are just out of luck,'' he said.

Soon after they failed to receive the bowls, the Einmals said they sent off faxes to Island Pottery asking for their goods and at one stage threatened legal action, but they received no responses. They also contacted their friends on the Island Daphne DeSilva and Heidi Augustinovic, who made phone calls and wrote letters on their behalf.

Mr. Einmal said Ms. DeSilva was able to learn that the employee who took their order and money was no longer with Island Pottery and that the manager Irving Minors was "unsure'' about their order and "they cannot find the bowls''.

She added that Mr. Minors sent his apologies and said he would be happy to refund their money on their credit card.

However, the Einmals said they received no refund, and continued sending faxes until their friend informed them Island Pottery had gone into receivership.