From this point on, I’m selling each and every Topps redemption card that I get my hands on. The ridiculousness that I’ve endured regarding 2009 Finest redemptions is beyond asinine.
I purchased my box of 2009 Finest 2 addresses ago which is very relevant to this story. That was the address that I entered when I redeemed these cards. I waited and waited and waited and nothing arrived.
Eventually, two of the six total redemptions that I was waiting for from Topps arrived. One was a Finest redemption and one was a 2009 Red Hot Rookie. Why would just one Finest card show up when all but the Hanson auto were sent out at the same time? I’ve got no clue so I went back to waiting and waiting.
Getting sick of waiting, I contacted Topps Customer Support who I normally have good luck with. They researched and found out that the other cards were shipped to a different address. Why would some of the cards be sent to one address and others to a different address? Again, I’ve got no clue.
So, one card trickled in with one of those “Please notify sender of your new address” stickers on it and another was re-sent from Topps. I was still one card short and am still trying to have Topps send that card to me again. That card is not the reason why I am writing this post though.
I’ve been obsessively following the progress of my Tommy Hanson autographed redemption ever since Topps tweeted about Hanson coming in to sign stuff. It was marked shipped with a tracking number and so I checked it on an almost daily basis and waited and waited and waited. Three weeks later, some tracking information finally arrived and… the card was sent to the wrong address. Are you kidding me? At this point my new address has been on file with Topps/Tristar Fulfillment for 6 months. There’s no excuse for this.
Since the cards are now out in the wild, I decide to take a quick look on eBay so I’ll at least have an idea of what might someday magically appear in my mailbox. So, I stumbled across this eBay auction. A sticker auto! A STICKER AUTO! Are you fucking kidding me? I’ve been waiting close to a year for this card and it’s a sticker auto. What a joke that is. There’s on-card autos in 2009 Topps Chrome, but this redemption card that was produced after that card is a sticker.
Not only is it a sticker, but it is a sticker stuck on an ugly card. The area on the card is too small for the sticker and it ends up looking horrible. Take a look at the completed auctions for this card and you’ll see some piss poor sticker placement. There are crooked stickers. Stickers that are partially covering the Finest logo on the card. Stickers with off-center stickers. I think I would have gotten better results if I had my four year old daughter put the stickers on these things. So disappointed.
The only saving grace of this whole thing is that the card is selling for a decent price on eBay. So, once the card comes in it is going to go right up on eBay and get the heck out of my collection. I’ve got no tolerance for abominations such as this. I’m also open to trade offers. Anyone out there have a 1992 Fleer Update set or a really nice card of someone that I collect that you’d like to transform into this card? Drop me a line and let me know. I’d love to salvage something out of this fiasco.
Topps, if by any chance you end up reading this. Please, for the love of god, cut way down on the number of redemption cards that you use. The rookie redemptions rarely add any value to a set because by the time the cards are redeemed these rookies have a bunch of other cards that people are looking for instead. I can see issuing a redemption card if it is for something like a dual signed card that you got signed by one player, but couldn’t hook up with the second player in time for the release, but issuing redemption cards for cards you don’t know if you’ll be able to get signed or for cards that you don’t plan on producing for another 6 months isn’t any good. Just focus on giving those players great cards in an upcoming card instead. Most importantly, redemption cards lead to frustration and wasted space in packs when you go and open older boxes. It’s not the fault of the purchaser that you couldn’t get your cards done in time, but they have to suffer by getting useless, expired redemption cards in their boxes. Hopefully you can keep redemptions out of Chicle and Ginter or else I think I’m done with Topps products for the year.
On a related note, these same Finest cards led to a terrible eBay experience as well. Since these cards sell for next to nothing these days, I decided that I’d try and put together the set. So, I found one sell on eBay that had three of the cards listed. I asked if he combined shipping and he replied that he did. I won three of the cards for .99¢ and one other card for $1.29. The seller didn’t seem happy about that since no matter how many times I contacted him, he wouldn’t send me an invoice with the combined shipping. I waited two weeks before leaving him negative feedback as directed by eBay. I find it strange that they have non-paying bidder strikes, but not non-selling strikes. That’s eBay for you. I’ll end this tangent before it takes on a life of its own.
Sorry for the bitch session. I plan to follow this up tonight with some much better content. Who knows, maybe someone will benefit from this by adding a Tommy Hanson card to their collection.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Topps redemptions are a fucking joke
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Topps Customer Service Comes Through Again
Topps fairly takes a lot of abuse for their redemption card process. They take far too long and give way too little information about the cards both as you wait and when they are shipped. Topps’ customer service department on the other hand is spectacular. I’ve dealt with them a handful of times and each time they’ve gone above and beyond what I expected. Here’s the latest example of them doing just that.
A few weeks ago, I finally got around to sending in some 2009 Ginter cards that came out of packs damaged. I was also shorted a hit on my box and wanted to get that third hit. So, I sent off my cards and waited. A couple of weeks ago, I got an envelope in the mail from Topps. I opened it up and found… someone else’s cards. I contacted Topps to see what was up. They asked me to ship the cards back and they would ship out the cards that I needed to be replaced. I later got a letter in the mail from Topps asking me to send the cards back stating that they’d send some packs in return for my inconvenience. I figured, it cost me a couple of bucks to send the first package and a couple of bucks to send the second package so some packs of Topps or even Opening Day would be nice.
This is what I found in the package: 2 packs of 2009 Finest, 2 packs of 2009 Allen & Ginter, a pack of 2009 Ticket to Stardom and a pack of 2009 Unique. Wow, that’s around $30 - $40 retail price on this packs if I’m adding correctly. That’s a lot more than I expected in return for doing something that I would have done anyway. I was especially happy to see the pack of Unique since it will most likely be the only pack of Unique that I ever open since it’s not something that I can afford.
I ripped open the packs and here’s the best of what I found:
I still can’t stand the microscopic autographs on the Finest letter patches so if there are any Brewers fans out there or anyone else interested in that card, please drop me a line. The two blue refractors were in the pack that didn’t contain the autographed card. The two Finest packs were great. Ginter gave me an extra Ortiz card as well as The Turk hoax card. Ticket to Stardom was all base cards, but I’ll hang on to the Ellsbury and Pujols. The Unique cards are really nice looking and I’m going to have to pick up some base card singles. The Lopez is numbered to 99 and the Reimold is numbered to 1199. While they are great looking cards, they’re a little expensive for what you get in a pack if you don’t get a hit. It’s definitely something where you are better off buying it by the box.
Here are some of the cards that I got back from Topps. There were a lot of National Pride, but I completed most of that set and no longer need the cards that were damaged. At least I still need the Nique for my set so I’m one SP closer to completion.
Topps is now shipping cards in these cool little boxes to keep them from getting damaged in shipment. I was very impressed with how the cards were packaged. Overall, I was extremely impressed with this package from Topps.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Customer service times three
I recently placed an order with Dave and Adam’s Card World that present four different opportunities for customer service from three different companies. What went wrong and how did things get resolved? Keep reading and find out. I know this isn’t a post specifically about cards, but in this day and age when a lot of people have limited budgets for collecting, it’s good to know that if something goes wrong, someone is going to have your back and make things right.
The first problem that I came across was being shipped the wrong type of card holder from D&A. Things started off a little wobbly and I’m pretty sure that the problem was compounded by the fact that I have the most inept UPS driver in the world delivering to my house. The main problem to me in this situation to start things off was I wasn’t given a lot of information and that led me to feel that effort wasn’t being put into correcting the situation.
At one point, I got pretty fed up and sent an e-mail stating so and that’s when David from the premier account department contacted me and things got straightened out right away. David went above and beyond and changed my mindset from being wary of placing another order there to eagerly awaiting the moment that I’m able to afford placing another order and giving them another chance.
Customer Service Grade: A
The next two customer service opportunities presented themselves when I opened two of the Upper Deck boxes from my order. My 2008-09 Basketball box didn’t come with an autograph (on average). My 2009 Series 1 Baseball had four packs that only contained 10 cards and was missing an autograph and a dual patch memorabilia card (on average).
I had opened the baseball box first and sent an e-mail right after opening it. I sent another e-mail after opening the basketball box. I was given a case number, which I thought was for the baseball box, and was told what I had to send in to Upper Deck. I included the required items from both boxes along with a letter explaining the situation.
Yesterday I got a package in the mail from Upper Deck which included a Udonis Haslim autograph from 2005-06 SP Authentic and a pack of 2007-08 First Edition. It’s a nice, on-card autograph that Haslim signed with his jersey number. This was a perfect way to handle my getting shorted in the basketball box. The only problem is that there was no sign of replacement baseball cards. To me, that was the bigger issue since I was missing 40 cards including 2 out of the 3 hits that you’re supposed to get in a box. I sent an e-mail to Upper Deck’s customer service asking if the baseball cards were coming in a later shipment or not, but I haven’t heard anything from them.
Customer Service Grade: Inc (B+ for basketball portion)
The final customer service opportunity involved the Dwayne Wade autographed mini that I’ve written about here previously. I would have loved to add the card to my collection, but you couldn’t even really call it a Dwayne Wade autograph due to the shape that the autograph was in.
I started my correspondence with Topps via e-mail and wanted to see what the exchange process would entail since I was wary about sending this card away. As far as I know, most of my communication was with Danny and he was great.
First, I found out that Topps did not have an exact replacement for this card. I had a feeling that would be the case and so I wanted to find out what would happen if I sent the card in. My worst fear was that I would be sent a Dwayne Wade autograph from this year’s Topps Signature and that wouldn’t be acceptable at all.
Through continued communication, I found out that Topps has a department where they determine what a card is valued at and send appropriate substitutions. I wondered if I could talk to this department and was told to call Topps. I got Danny on the phone and he went over what he thought some of the options might be if I were sent unopened wax as a replacement. I had to stress that I didn’t want to be sent Triple Threads which seemed to surprise Danny because “most people ask for that.”
The package arrived on Wednesday via UPS, but I wasn’t around to receive it and so I didn’t get it until yesterday. As a replacement for my Dwayne Wade autographed mini, I was sent a 2005-06 Topps Style ‘52 Dwayne Wade autographed Comic Card that was numbered to 49. I was also sent a box of 2007-08 Bowman Sterling.
There’s no telling exactly how much the Wade card that was damaged would have been worth. Topps goes by book value, but the card was too scarce to be listed in Beckett. Since it was a tough pull out of a one-per-case rip card, Topps seemed to agree with me that the card was potentially very valuable.
I can easily say that Topps went above and beyond on this replacement. The autographed card recently sold for $20 on eBay, but I just wanted to come out of this with a Wade auto and Topps granted that request. The Bowman Sterling box blew me away. This box sells for around $175 - $200 and if the rookie class that year had been better, it would be a $300 box.
Customer Service Grade: A+
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Is older wax worth the risk?
My card shop had a couple of mini boxes sitting around and I had sold some stuff on eBay and decided to take a chance on one of the mini boxes. 2007 had a good rookie crop that has held up pretty well over the years and more and more prospects are being sought after.
I started opening the first of five packs and right in the middle (where all of the hits are located) is a Joba Chamberlain autographed rookie. Yay! Wait, the card looks like it was bitten by a snake. Boo! Since this card was in the middle of a pack of pretty thick cards, the only way that damage such at this could have happened is either during production or packaging of the product.
I know that Topps will only offer replacements for cards produced in the current year, but I figured that I would e-mail them to see if they would do anything since this card was clearly damaged by them. I’ve got my receipt, wrappers, DNA sample, etc. that Topps requires for people to get cards replaced. I’ve also got a witness to the card coming out of the pack in this condition since I opened the box right at the card shop where I purchased it.
Topps wrote back stating that they only replace cards in the first year after being manufactured and that after that first year the product is considered memorabilia. So, if you purchase a product on the day it comes out, you’ve got just under 365 days of a “warranty” on your cards. If you purchase a product a year after it comes out, you’ve got no “warranty.” Imagine if everything worked like that? Buying a previous year’s car and having it come with no warranty when you buy it. Buying a year old TV, trying to turn it on unsuccessfully and being told that you can’t return in. Those comparisons might be extreme, but I don’t see why sports card manufacturers should be held to different standards. Of course, they can’t be expected to replace cards if someone decides to open a box of 52 Topps or even something more than 10 years old, but something less than 2 years old?
I understand them not having the exact card on hand to do a one-to-one exchange, but even when you pull a damaged card from a current year’s product, there’s no guarantee that they’ll have an exact replacement on hand. (As I found out the hard way.) I just wanted Topps to make some sort of effort to make this right. I might be spoiled because I work for a company that is considered to be one of the tops in customer service in any industry, but I don’t think that I’m expecting too much. They have to send me replacement product for my damaged Dwayne Wade auto; why can’t they send me replacement product for this Joba? (Out of curiosity, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau to see if that could get me anywhere.)
The risk factor gets even worse when you consider expired redemption cards. Look at what redemption cards have done to prior years of Finest Basketball which become a rookie-less product with expired redemptions. For a little while, I toyed with the idea of picking up a box of 2006 52 Rookie Edition, but there are way too many redemption autos in that product that are now expired. It’s bad enough to pull an autograph of a player that you can’t sell for a dollar, but with my luck I’d pull a redemption card for a big hit that I now can’t get.
So, if you’re going to buy “vintage” (and by vintage I mean more than a year old) wax you’ve got to face far too many risks. First off, you have to hope that you don’t get any damaged products. Anyone reading this knows that damaged cards happen way too frequently these days. Even when you can get replacements, having to pay to send the cards back and then wait for their return (which usually takes around 2 months) is ridiculous. Next you have to dodge expired redemption cards. Upper Deck has made things a little easier to bear by extending the time frame for a lot of their redemptions, but that’s usually the amount of time it takes to get your redemption fulfilled anyway.
(Now is probably not a good time to look for a card company to sponsor this blog.)
I’m getting sick of redemption cards in general and I think that card companies should start some sort of expired redemption card amnesty program. You should get something for these cards. It isn’t the fault of the collector that these cards weren’t ready when the product was produced. It should be something along the lines of what is left over from unredeemed redemptions. It might not be from the same sport as your redemption card. It might not be from the same year, but you should get something. I’d rather have an autographed scout card than a redemption card full of legal copy telling me why I just got screwed.
To me, it seems like card companies should be doing whatever they can, within reason, to keep collectors happy before even more people give up on the hobby. I’ve got a whole series of posts about the level of customer service I’ve experienced from different card companies and after I move at the end of the month, I hope that get that series started.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Talking with Topps
So, I was toying with the idea of sending the card back to Topps for replacement if there continued to be no interest on eBay. Before sending it back, I wanted to make sure that I’d get the same card back and so I e-mailed Topps. What follows reads like one of chemgod’s Craigslist Idiot posts.
Hello,
I pulled a Dwayne Wade autographed mini card out of a rip card and it is in pretty rough shape. The autograph is smudged and there is a lot of chipping on the back. Can I send this card in to be replaced? I have all of the required items (box, receipt, etc), but am wondering if there are extras on hand of a card this rare.
Thanks
Thank you for contacting the Consumer Relations department for Topps.
We are sorry to hear that your recent purchase of a Topps product contained damaged cards. Please note that the policy of the Topps Company regarding the request for replacement product items requires that the consumer include the following items with their submission:
1) A letter of explanation
2) A copy of sales receipt
3) All pack wrappers & or mini boxes from the product
4) The UPC code (bar code) from the Main box
5) All Damaged items
This should be sent to:
The Topps Company, Inc.
ATTN: Consumer Relations
401 York Ave.
Duryea, PA 18642
ATTN: Consumer Relations
We will then review your issue and begin taking steps toward rectifying it, please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. We hope this information is helpful to you. As always, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service team (By phone: 800-489-9149, or by Email:support@etopps.com) if you ever have any other questions, comments or suggestions. A customer service representative will be available to assist you between the hours of 9:00am - 4:30pm (EST), Monday through Friday.
Thank you once again for taking the time to write. We appreciate your interest in Topps and hope you continue to enjoy our products.
Sincerely,
Consumer Relations
The Topps Company, Inc.
This is the standard copy and paste that Topps sends out if you contact them about damaged cards. You’d better have everything that they request or else they’ll just send your card back. No Joke. Since this reply didn’t really answer my question, I decided to write again.
Hello,
Thank you for the reply. Does this mean that you have replacements of this card on hand? I just want to be assured that I will get back the card that I sent (I can even send the ripped card it came in for further verification) because I have had issues with a redemption card due to Topps losing its basketball license. Can I please get a non-copy and paste answer assuring that I will be able to get the same card in return.
Thanks!
Hello,
Please be advised there is no guarantee as to what you will receive, The only guarantee is that you will receive something of equal book value. Thank you for your interest in Topps.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service team (By Phone: 800-489-9149, or by Email:support@etopps.com) if you ever have any other questions, comments or suggestions. A customer service representative will be available to answer your questions between the hours of 8:30am-4:30pm (EST), Monday through Friday.
Sincerely,
Consumer Relations
The Topps Company, Inc.
This answer got me wondering because when I checked Beckett this card was not listed due to scarcity. So, how do they determine book value for such a card. Here goes another e-mail.
Hello,
The thing is that a card such as this one isn't listed in any book due to rarity and I can't find any previous sales on eBay. How do you determine the book value then?
Hello,
The book value is determined by our team of experts, it is your choice as to if you would like to take a chance regarding your exchange or to hold on to the Wade card.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service team (By Phone: 800-489-9149, or by Email:support@etopps.com) if you ever have any other questions, comments or suggestions. A customer service representative will be available to answer your questions between the hours of 8:30am-4:30pm (EST), Monday through Friday.
Sincerely,
Topps Customer Service team
Team of experts? That kind of intrigues me. I think that I’ve got to follow up on this further. I’m really not comfortable with the answer “take a chance regarding your exchange or to hold on to the Wade card.” I feel kind of like I’m dealing with Monty Hall and I’m going to get Zonked if I trade in what I have for curtain #3.
What would you do in my shoes? Click on the picture of the Wade card and look at the full size scan. The card is in rough shape, but is that bad enough to discourage someone from buying it? If it was a card of your favorite player, would you want a card looking like this in your collection? Would you send it back to Topps and hope that they send some loaded Echelon (is there such a thing) in its place?