CGC Sweetens CrossOver Service with Additional Incentives 2 2

[Brittany M.]

17 hours ago, rucnok said:

i just figured it out. i had to buy a membership to access the grading form.

just did it.  sending some comics tomorrow in the mail for the walkthrough service.

 

 

my first cgc submission!

 

If you need anything else, let me know!

[Brittany M.]

1. 3 hours ago, telerites said:

   @Brittany M. Hi Brittany, I looked and didn't see these questions so was curious on these:

   1. If the book is a pedigree, I assume CGC will identify it as such if you can verify it with that ped's markings; however, I do not believe every ped has distinctive markings.  If I had purchased the book and it came without any COA or other provenance documentation other than what the other company notes on the label, what does CGC do in that case as far as preserving the ped?  If no ped label indicator is then noted by CGC, do I have the option not to move forward with that book prior to CGC deslabbing?
   2. When CGC lets me know of their review and I proceed with with CGC deslabbing and grading, is it possible to have the books serviced by CCS first and that cost be charged to me?
   3. Does CGC return the competitors label with the newly CGC graded book?

   Thanks so much,

   Jeff

    

   Great Questions!

1. If the book is a pedigree, I assume CGC will identify it as such if you can verify it with that ped's markings; however, I do not believe every ped has distinctive markings.  If I had purchased the book and it came without any COA or other provenance documentation other than what the other company notes on the label, what does CGC do in that case as far as preserving the ped?  If no ped label indicator is then noted by CGC, do I have the option not to move forward with that book prior to CGC deslabbing?  CGC will do its due diligence to ascertain whether or not a pedigree is valid. If needed, CGC will open the case, as some pedigree markings can not be seen from the outside.  If a case is opened and book does not keep the pedigree, we will only charge the $10.00 fee and we will holder the book without it.  This is usually not the case, books will keep their pedigree when it can be verified by the grading team.
2. When CGC lets me know of their review and I proceed with with CGC deslabbing and grading, is it possible to have the books serviced by CCS first and that cost be charged to me?  No, if it crosses, we will just cross it.  If yours is getting screened and you are notified that it may not cross, we may recommend pressing, but it isn't a service that can just be added, because the book would need to be graded all over again after pressing.  If you want your books pressed, you'd need to send them in for regular pressing and grading service.
3. Does CGC return the competitors label with the newly CGC graded book?  We will return those directly to the company

 

[telerites]

22 minutes ago, Brittany M. said:

1. Great Questions!

1. If the book is a pedigree, I assume CGC will identify it as such if you can verify it with that ped's markings; however, I do not believe every ped has distinctive markings.  If I had purchased the book and it came without any COA or other provenance documentation other than what the other company notes on the label, what does CGC do in that case as far as preserving the ped?  If no ped label indicator is then noted by CGC, do I have the option not to move forward with that book prior to CGC deslabbing?  CGC will do its due diligence to ascertain whether or not a pedigree is valid. If needed, CGC will open the case, as some pedigree markings can not be seen from the outside.  If a case is opened and book does not keep the pedigree, we will only charge the $10.00 fee and we will holder the book without it.  This is usually not the case, books will keep their pedigree when it can be verified by the grading team.
2. When CGC lets me know of their review and I proceed with with CGC deslabbing and grading, is it possible to have the books serviced by CCS first and that cost be charged to me?  No, if it crosses, we will just cross it.  If yours is getting screened and you are notified that it may not cross, we may recommend pressing, but it isn't a service that can just be added, because the book would need to be graded all over again after pressing.  If you want your books pressed, you'd need to send them in for regular pressing and grading service.
3. Does CGC return the competitors label with the newly CGC graded book?  We will return those directly to the company

 

Thanks so much for the detailed and fast responses.  I am sending in a batch this week.  Much appreciated.

[amazingspiderfan]

On 10/24/2018 at 1:53 PM, dena said:

CGC’s new CrossOver service, which was universally embraced by collectors at New York Comic Con, has been expanded to include all CGC grading tiers on CGC's online submission form. The service has also been enhanced with two amazing new incentives. Click Here to Read More

What about CCS? Can a book be submitted for pressing , etc , and then graded at a discount? 

[telerites]

2 hours ago, amazingspiderfan said:

What about CCS? Can a book be submitted for pressing , etc , and then graded at a discount? 

I asked a similar question in the post above that Brittany answered.  It is question #2 of my three questions above.  I think it is what you are asking but Dena or Brittany may post another reply.

[amazingspiderfan]

11 hours ago, telerites said:

I asked a similar question in the post above that Brittany answered.  It is question #2 of my three questions above.  I think it is what you are asking but Dena or Brittany may post another reply.

Thanks !

 

I missed that , Much appreciated!!

[BabaLament]

I just got kicked in the teeth by CBCS. 10 books w/ witnessed signatures by Skottie Young & Ryan Ottley at Comicpalooza in Houston. They sat on my order for 22 weeks, and when I e-mailed to complain, the VP for CBCS/Beckett sent me a nice formal e-mail response...telling me to get bent. So yeah, assuming someone in Dallas can perform a rectal/cranial inversion long enough to ship the return, you'll be getting those raw's, as well as a bunch of other books that I no longer want to see with a shield on them.

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 11/1/2018 at 3:59 PM, BabaLament said:

I just got kicked in the teeth by CBCS. 10 books w/ witnessed signatures by Skottie Young & Ryan Ottley at Comicpalooza in Houston. They sat on my order for 22 weeks, and when I e-mailed to complain, the VP for CBCS/Beckett sent me a nice formal e-mail response...telling me to get bent. So yeah, assuming someone in Dallas can perform a rectal/cranial inversion long enough to ship the return, you'll be getting those raw's, as well as a bunch of other books that I no longer want to see with a shield on them.

Good to see you over here, Baba.  Sad to see your experience mirroring so many others, but that's how it's been going. If that company has a prayer of surviving, they need to get rid of everyone, top to bottom, and start over. Those people had no business trying to run a company.

- The poster formerly known as "Doc Brown."

Edited November 3, 2018 by RockMyAmadeus

[BabaLament]

11 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Good to see you over here, Baba.  Sad to see your experience mirroring so many others, but that's how it's been going. If that company has a prayer of surviving, they need to get rid of everyone, top to bottom, and start over. Those people had no business trying to run a company.

- The poster formerly known as "Doc Brown."

Doc! Good to see you again sir!

Dude, its gotten fierce over there. All the cool people are getting whacked with suspensions or the Ban Hammer. They nailed you, CAK, ConditionFreak, Big John (Red 1); pretty sure I'm on deck after publically posting the e-mail exchange where the VP told me to get bent. Anyone who dares to have an opinion that doesn't involve the company logo tickling the tonsils.

The production staff have been responding in the forums with passive-aggressive snark, the customer service guy (singular) is openly exasperated about being an army of one, and the VP just told me, politely, to perform an anatomically impossible act & that his company has zero intent to honor TAT's on invoices. The forum mods have been dropping the ban hammer with gusto too; anyone who complains too loudly about the Eternal TAT's or other more technical issues is smote. TAT for books: ~30 Weeks. TAT for disappointment: Instantaneous.

[RockMyAmadeus]

1 hour ago, BabaLament said:

Dude, its gotten fierce over there. All the cool people are getting whacked with suspensions or the Ban Hammer. They nailed you, CAK, ConditionFreak, Big John (Red 1); pretty sure I'm on deck after publically posting the e-mail exchange where the VP told me to get bent. Anyone who dares to have an opinion that doesn't involve the company logo tickling the tonsils.

 

As I mentioned elsewhere, Tim Bildhauser, who is some person in charge at CBCS, was standing 5 feet away from me, openly defying convention staff at Louise Simonson's table at Baltimore. Louise was exceptionally gracious, and Bildhauser basically told the convention staff to shove off, he had books to get signed. 

This is the attitude they have.

The company is a mess, and the way they deal with it is to silence criticism. It's about as textbook as it gets. If I were any of them, I would look for other work, soon. 

This isn't doing anything good for Borock's legacy.

As I've said many times before, I wanted them to succeed, and told them so, publicly and privately. Competition is good for everyone, but mostly for the consumer. Unfortunately, they had their own ideas, and they simply were not ready for prime time. There's no one in charge, and it shows. The only thing left to do is to quietly stop taking orders, and either restructure the company top to bottom, getting rid of everyone, or end services completely.

[BabaLament]

58 minutes ago, ERTO said:

You forgot to mention that you threatened them with legal action, and that it's Beckett's policy to end all correspondences after legal threats are made.

Ah, a company man. Yep, after the customer service (or lack thereof) I received over there, I'm going to try this sandbox for a while.

First; I did *not* threaten to pursue legal action at any time. All I did was provide information they may not have been aware of; CBCS has been operating in Florida, things are slightly different in Texas. Their conservative interpretation was, from a corporate perspective, understandable, if unfortunate. However, the VP had other options beyond politely suggesting I pack sand; especially considering the egregiously unacceptable delay.

Second; the tonal differences between the VP's mea-culpa from two months ago and his personalized response are particularly notable. In my opinion, the PR posting was an empty gesture; executive management has zero intent to solve issues or engage with customers in an honest manner. While TAT's are an estimate, going 9+ weeks over invoice and responding to an inquiry with (effectively) "if you don't like it, too bad," isn't a company I have any interest in doing business with.

We aren't talking about a massive order either. This was around $450 for 12 books. If they are willing to tell me to kick rocks over requesting an order update/completion after nine weeks delay past quoted completion on $450, it would be pure insanity to continue to send them any of my other property & funds. That's why, assuming they send my $450 order of property back promptly, it will be headed here to CGC as part of my first submission...with another $4,550 in books going along for the ride.

I'm pretty sure I'll get my books back in less than 22+ weeks here too.

Intellectually, even though I made a stand based on principle, I know the VP & company aren't going to care. $450 is a drop in the bucket; even the $5k I'm sending to CGC isn't a significant amount on the monthly P&L. However, if ten people decide the shenanigans & apathy over there aren't worth putting up with, a $50,000 hit in the wallet might be a blip worth mentioning. If a hundred people choose to look elsewhere, a $500,000 swing might be enough to get the attention of someone who actually gives a hoot.

CBCS loss, CGC's gain.

My opinion; I could be wrong.

Edited November 3, 2018 by BabaLament
Additional content cont.

[BabaLament]

37 minutes ago, ERTO said:

...an honesty guy, something your post was lacking. Also I notice you don't use any actual quotes, you just make up fake quotes that you have to qualify ("effectively") anyway.

@ERTO You are obviously familiar with my posts over at CBCS; you have free reign to read the entire thread, which includes both sides of the correspondence. My comment above, "if you don't like it, too bad," is what I consider to be the paraphrased intent of his message. If you would prefer a direct quote, which should satisfy your questioning of my integrity, I am happy to oblige:

"...Your order is in line and will be finished up as soon as possible. I will not give you any other estimated dates of completion as the ones you were given were not accurate, unfortunately. What I will say is we will continue to do all we can to get all books out in the order they were submitted as we don’t want them here any longer then they have to be. If you do not want to wait any longer, I will be happy to refund all your grading fees and ship the pieces back to you, ungraded. It is not something I want to do but I also don’t want you to feel like we are not providing the service you require or that we have been deceptive in our practices. The dates you were given were estimates, not guaranteed dates or turnaround. Let me know if you want us to do this or keep the books in line, to be completed as soon as we can."

Regarding the remainder of your position, I'm going to politely disagree. I have had nothing but positive interactions with Kaptain Myke, Shrewbeer, and other members of the CBCS forum. We may disagree from time to time, but I've not been involved in any conversation that escalated to the point of name-calling or hard feelings. I also find it somewhat incredulous that someone with slightly more than a week's seniority to me as a member with CGC feels comfortable dragging other people down. To each their own I suppose. I do find it surprising that you did not choose to express your opinion directly in the other forum, as I have no issue with operating under the same nom de guerre across the entire comics community.

[VintageComics]

3 hours ago, BabaLament said:

"...Your order is in line and will be finished up as soon as possible. I will not give you any other estimated dates of completion as the ones you were given were not accurate, unfortunately. What I will say is we will continue to do all we can to get all books out in the order they were submitted as we don’t want them here any longer then they have to be. If you do not want to wait any longer, I will be happy to refund all your grading fees and ship the pieces back to you, ungraded. It is not something I want to do but I also don’t want you to feel like we are not providing the service you require or that we have been deceptive in our practices. The dates you were given were estimates, not guaranteed dates or turnaround. Let me know if you want us to do this or keep the books in line, to be completed as soon as we can."

This sounds like a very well written, professional letter and you are misrepresenting it by saying they told you to "go pound sand" and got "kicked in the teeth". You made it sound like they replied in some unprofessional manner, which they didn't based on what you quoted.

They told you they are doing what they can, they offered you a refund if you woudln't accept their offer to do what they can and then left the ball in your court. It doesn't get more professional than that.

What probably do you have with it? That they didn't bump you ahead of others?

As I said in your thread in the Watercooler, CGC grading was CHRONICALLY behind schedule for the majority of their time in business and there were many threads devoted to it and the one I linked for you showed that CGC had a 100 day (20 week if you do the math) turnaround time. No different than what you experienced over there.

 

[BabaLament]

@VintageComics I appreciate your candor sir. That was not the entirety of my communications with those guys. I spoke with customer service several times, and each time was a new entry in the litany of excuses as to why my order was even further behind. The problem reached peak irritation when members who submitted after me, in the same tier with no fast-service add-on, started receiving & posting photos of their books upon return. I requested an update on my order or a return/refund if a status update could not be provided. A status update was refused; stating that my order was in line made no sense considering when my books were submitted as compared to people who submitted afterwards and were/are getting returns.

I understand CGC has undergone periods where service was significantly delayed. I wasn't around then, so I don't have a personal frame of reference to base my evaluation on. All I can & will do is compare the two vendor experiences as I participate between them.

Edited November 3, 2018 by BabaLament

[BabaLament]

Welcome back Stu.

[Transplant]

5 minutes ago, BabaLament said:

Welcome back Stu.

I love noobs who just explode onto a board and start tons of threads (because their questions are always novel and involving things that have to be discussed right now, before anyone else’s) and just light into the competition overstating facts and omitting other crucial ones. They’re always GREAT long term contributors to the community. 

[comicdonna]

Dena and Brittany will be so pleased with all of the new posts in the thread.  

[BabaLament]

@Transplant Nice to meet you too. I see you've mastered the art of sarcasm; that's great! Always a pleasure to watch a professional at work. @comicdonna You are correct. I apologize for carrying on in here.

Edited November 4, 2018 by BabaLament
Additional content.

[Haupia]

3 hours ago, MitchyTwobags said:

"Good afternoon.

Order # 18-23F85C5 was submitted in person at Comicpalooza in Houston, Texas & received by CBCS on 5/30/2018. This order has been with CBCS for 22 weeks. In that time the dashboard has not been updated to reflect the actual date of receipt, nor has there been any update reflecting the stages of the grading process. This is almost double the invoice quote, “processed within 13 weeks of receipt;” a grossly unacceptable delay.

I have spoken with CBCS customer service representative, Mr. Jake Fleming, twice regarding this order. On both occasions Mr. Fleming apologized for the extensive delay, and suggested my order would be completed & ship, “by the end of October.”

Today, 10/31/2018, is the literal definition of “end of October.”

Please promptly furnish a reply to this e-mail with a hard completion/shipping date if my order is near completion (less than one week remaining), or a tracking number for shipment of this order if it has been completed.

If, as I suspect, my order has not been processed beyond storage in the CBCS Vault, please send an e-mail detailing the return of my property, shipment tracking information, and provide a full refund.

Issues arising from inadequate planning or preparation for the relocation to Dallas by CBCS management is not, by any reasonable measure, the consumer’s fault. However, continuing to knowingly solicit business with a quote/invoice suggesting a thirteen week service period, while self-aware that services actually require upwards of twenty weeks, appears to be in violation of (Redacted).

I look forward to your prompt reply. Thank you for your time & attention."

That "Redacted" part was apparently interpreted as the threat of legal action on the part of whomever is doing the e-mail screening. My intent was informative, rather than threatening, so in the spirit of fairness I have chosen to redact the legalese. regardless, my e-mail was kicked up to Mr. Murray.

His response:

"Mr. (BabaLament),

Thank you for your submission to CBCS. Let me start by apologizing for the delay in getting your books back, and many of the other submissions we have received this year. We never want to keep books longer then we have to but with the increased flow of orders that we have coming in, we have not been able to catch up with the backlog or getting to the ideal turnarounds we desire. We are working on correcting turnarounds by adding quality staff to support current/future submissions but that is a process. The “excuse” of the move is not one that we will use any longer as are through with that and are looking forward to getting back to desired services, including turnarounds. We now just have to catch up, which is what we are working on. 

I had your email forwarded to me so I could address this matter with you, since legal comments were mentioned. We take legal comments/threats seriously which is why I am stepping in. Your order is in line and will be finished up as soon as possible. I will not give you any other estimated dates of completion as the ones you were given were not accurate, unfortunately. What I will say is we will continue to do all we can to get all books out in the order they were submitted as we don’t want them here any longer then they have to be. If you do not want to wait any longer, I will be happy to refund all your grading fees and ship the pieces back to you, ungraded. It is not something I want to do but I also don’t want you to feel like we are not providing the service you require or that we have been deceptive in our practices. The dates you were given were estimates, not guaranteed dates or turnaround. Let me know if you want us to do this or keep the books in line, to be completed as soon as we can

As a policy, if legal actions or threats are mentioned going forward, we will end all correspondence. We would love to get this resolved but if we are not able to help, and the legal route is what you want to do, we will not be able to respond any longer. You can then take all correspondence up with that part of the organization. As mentioned, we take legal comments and threats seriously. I hope you allow us to finish your order but if that is not what you prefer, the options I have given are what we can offer. I look forward to hearing from you and getting your comics back to you graded or ungraded. Have a good day!

Jeromy Murray | Vice President, Beckett Grading/Authentication & CBCS"

There was a bunch of boilerplate at the bottom of the e-mail regarding intended recipient & the potential for viruses to be contained within e-mail & attachments. The important part, as far as I am concerned is, "...and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed." That would be me, and I have no problem with releasing those parts not containing my or Mr. Murray's personal identification or contact information."

Mr. Murray and I obviously disagree on what constitutes acceptable delay. If there had been a willingness to provide a firm estimate on completion, I would have waited; its already been 22 weeks, what's one or two more? However, "Your order is in line and will be finished up as soon as possible. I will *not* (emphasis Baba's) give you any other estimated dates of completion as the ones you were given were not accurate," is a polite way of saying "you'll get your property back when we feel like working on it; and if you don't like it, too bad." That is a bridge too far for me.

And your point is ..... ????

[CKinTO]

@Brittany M. can you confirm that CGC has set up its CrossOver book grading logistics in a way where graders do not get to see what grade the book had previously from the other grading company? Is there any indication at all to the graders that the books are CrossOver books? You can imagine why this could be an important question for some of us as we think about submitting certain higher value books. Thanks