My thoughts on Topps and their customer service video (posted here: http://www.toppsblog.com/?p=663):
While this is nice, it really only speeds things up for those missing hits. If you get shorted a hit then you're already screwed. There's no way that you're going to be sent a Strasburg auto or some 1/1 card as a replacement for that shorted hit. So, while you will get the hit you were promised who knows what it might have been.
The main issue is that Topps' quality control has been declining dramatically over the past couple of years. I love opening jumbo boxes, but after seeing the quality of the cards coming out of the last three that I've opened, I'm now hesitant. It sucks having to pick out the best 25 of the damaged cards to send in. Also, the rarer (and better) the card that is damaged, the greater the chances that Topps isn't going to have the exact same card available as a replacement. So collectors lose out again. I'm still annoyed about a great Dwyane Wade autographed mini that I pulled out of a rip card in terrible condition. I still don't feel like I got enough in return for the card, but no one in customer service could get solid numbers on the print run of the card (which I felt was a 1/1). I later read about other collectors getting replacement product while still getting to keep their damaged card and got even more annoyed.
So, kudos on making things easier, but the only way to solve this problem is to improve quality control. Until then, too many collectors will get screwed out of what the deserve.
3 comments:
If, more likely when, I go through this experience, I'll let you know how it went.
I find it awfully coincidental that Topps FINALLY found a way to streamline this process... in the month they released one of the poorest quality products I can remember (Chrome). 2010 Topps products have been a through and through disaster! We know it, and Topps knows it too.
Well, I think that the main part of the change was caused by the disaster that was this year's Allen & Ginter collation. There were missing hits all over the place for that one. I kind of liked the amount of hoops that had to be jumped through for missing cards though. I wonder how many people will get a bad box and try to sneak one more hit out of Topps by scanning a couple of things and sending an e-mail. I already felt that good hits were never sent to cover missing hits and there's no way that that can be done now.
It doesn't change anything about damaged cards though and that's been steadily getting worse over the past 2 to 3 years. I had to send cards back from every single jumbo box that I purchased in 2009 and 2010. The combination of the box and wrappers for those 50 card packs just don't protect the cards inside properly.
What annoys me is that I'll have to spend money to ship these cards back, had the fun of breaking open a box ruined and if I'm lucky I'll have replacements of these in a couple of months. To me, Topps owes me something more than just the cards. I probably won't get it and if I don't then I'll have to rethink purchasing any further Topps products.
The video was a nice little PR stunt, but until they dramatically improve the quality of the cards and then go above and beyond with service when something does go wrong, it'll be nothing more than lip service.
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