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Book damaged by CGC, Not a great first experience
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16 posts in this topic

So I've been a member here for almost 8 years, but I just recently sent my first submission of books to be graded.

One of the two books I submitted (through the EXPRESS Tier, mind you) was damaged while in CGC's possession, either by a grader or when it was encapsulated (more likely).  When I got the book back in my possession I was happy with the grade, but immediately noticed the damage. It's not severe, but it is obviously there.

I immediately emailed CGC, told them what happened, and was asked to send them photos that could be reviewed. Upon receiving the photos they responded saying:

"The graders reviewed the item, and advised to send it back in to us, and we will re-holder the book for you, and then they can examine the book and move forward from there."

I asked how long the process would take and was told that all reholdering is 6-7 weeks. I would have to wait around 2 months to get the book back. Not going to happen. So instead I referenced a thread here on the forums from last year. This one Here . All I expressed interest in was getting a credit for the grading fee just as others had. After several more messages I kept receiving the reply:

"We will have to have the book in hand to determine the damage, the extent of the damage, what can be done.    Then we will move forward from there."

At this point I gave up on email and called CGC's customer support directly. After speaking with them and detailing the situation they put me on hold. Upon returning I was told that they spoke with the person at I had the email correspondence with and that the book would have to be sent back to CGC for them to assess and take responsibility for the damage.

I was then told two statements that contradicted this and REALLY confuse me. First I was told, almost verbatim, that "the grader said that the piece on the spine could probably be set back where it was and it would look a lot nicer" and that "if for whatever reason the grade of the book dropped, CGC would reimburse me the fmv for the difference in grade". The later part is a nice gesture, but what got me is that by saying ""the grader said that the piece on the spine could probably be set back where it was and it would look a lot nicer" they just admitted responsibility for the damage which means they do NOT need to have the book in hand to determine the damage. I immediately said this to the person I was speaking to, and they instantly got defensive and stated "well no, you'd have to send the book in because he can't really tell the extent of the "damage" from the photos you sent ". Realizing that I was beating a dead horse I thanked them for their time and hung up.

The worst part about this is that I WILL be submitting a lot more books in the future... this just puts a bad taste in my mouth.

 

 

MM43_before_b.jpeg

MM_43_after_b.jpeg

Edited by Phill the Governor
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Just now, marmat said:

That is unfortunate, but things happens.

Personally, I'd send it back for fixing the spine and reholder. I know it's a pain to wait 2 months for that, but the final result will be worth the wait.

The only problem is that it isn't a definite. One of my professions is a paper conserver/restorer, and in my opinion that piece is just as likely to fall off as it is to stay on if repositioned. So the only option they gave me is to wait 2 months (+ -) to MAYBE have it be fixed, with a 50/50 possibility of the piece falling off and a grade drop. I just don't understand how reimbursing a grading cost is that big of a deal when they've already offered to regrade the book and time is money. Do they value their time differently than how much they charge for it?

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Ugh, I think all submitters have this in the back of their mind when sending books.  I can't tell for sure but does it look like an existing flap was just folded back on itself.  Maybe there isn't any additional damage but visually appears to have additional damage due to the flap being folded back.  

Edited by comicquant
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2 minutes ago, comicquant said:

Ugh, I think all submitters have this in the back of their mind when sending books.  I can't tell for sure but does it look like an existing flap was just folded back on itself.  Maybe there isn't any additional damage but visually appears to have additional damage due to the flap being folded back.  

This isn't an unreasonable view. 

The only problem I have is that here's a photo of the book in it's previous slab:

1679800728_ScreenShot2019-01-03at12_40_29PM.thumb.png.9c5d3fa51fc3d518b5468c0483e7aa43.png 

 

And here's a close up of the scan I took of the book right before resubmitting it:

270795366_ScreenShot2019-01-03at12_39_40PM.thumb.png.2c8823adb40ee0d560d97721adb1f68d.png

I do not see an existing crease there. And even if it was there (which it isn't) they certainly made it worse.

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41 minutes ago, Phill the Governor said:

This isn't an unreasonable view. 

The only problem I have is that here's a photo of the book in it's previous slab:

1679800728_ScreenShot2019-01-03at12_40_29PM.thumb.png.9c5d3fa51fc3d518b5468c0483e7aa43.png 

 

And here's a close up of the scan I took of the book right before resubmitting it:

270795366_ScreenShot2019-01-03at12_39_40PM.thumb.png.2c8823adb40ee0d560d97721adb1f68d.png

I do not see an existing crease there. And even if it was there (which it isn't) they certainly made it worse.

Seeing it that close shows that it was definitely torn instead of folded back.  

Edited by comicquant
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You bought the book in another graders case and submitted to CGC for the first time? What were the grades between the two?

On 1/3/2019 at 11:58 AM, Phill the Governor said:

"the grader said that the piece on the spine could probably be set back where it was and it would look a lot nicer"

That's interesting. Did that damage get included in the grade or not. Isn't that really the question? 

 

 

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6 hours ago, dfx1 said:

You bought the book in another graders case and submitted to CGC for the first time? What were the grades between the two?

That's interesting. Did that damage get included in the grade or not. Isn't that really the question? 

 

 

This is the part that's a bit meh. Full disclosure, the book WAS a 4.0 Purple label, and came back a 4.0 Blue Universal label. So in that regard of course I'm happy.

 

But it was bittersweet seeing the book in the new holder with the new damage caused on their end.

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8 hours ago, Joosh said:

I can understand CGC wanting the book back to assess. Standard 6-7 weeks to fix their mistake is insulting. This is legitimate customer returned rework that should be put to the front of the line and shipping covered both ways. 

 

Indeed. If they have express tiers where you can literally pay more money for the same service at a faster rate, I absolutely refuse to believe it would take 6-7 weeks for them to remedy the problem.

But it appears that instead of spending under $100 to credit me for the grading costs and make a happy customer they know they can get away with it. Which is a shame.

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Are you certain the new damage was something that happened while the comic was at CGC, rather than when you shipped it to them?

 

Edited by namisgr
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On 1/5/2019 at 8:18 AM, Phill the Governor said:

Indeed. If they have express tiers where you can literally pay more money for the same service at a faster rate, I absolutely refuse to believe it would take 6-7 weeks for them to remedy the problem.

But it appears that instead of spending under $100 to credit me for the grading costs and make a happy customer they know they can get away with it. Which is a shame.

To be honest, they can probably see this was your first submission = you are not a regular customer (yet). If you were a regular customer, they may be more inclined to give you that credit but, for all they know, you are a one and done. BTW, how did the Purple turn into a Blue ? I'm still confused by a lot here as the details were not disclosed, like did you send it in the slab, did you get it pressed first, etc. These things make a difference as it is not always the fault of CGC. 

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7 hours ago, namisgr said:

Are you certain the new damage was something that happened while the comic was at CGC, rather than when you shipped it to them?

 

100%.

Full disclosure, one of my careers is restoring and conserving paper, and mainly involves comic books. (note I do not solicit and have not solicited work here as I know CGC does this work in house). But I feel this is important in knowing that handling comic books is literally my profession, not just a hobby.

24 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

To be honest, they can probably see this was your first submission = you are not a regular customer (yet). If you were a regular customer, they may be more inclined to give you that credit but, for all they know, you are a one and done. BTW, how did the Purple turn into a Blue ? I'm still confused by a lot here as the details were not disclosed, like did you send it in the slab, did you get it pressed first, etc. These things make a difference as it is not always the fault of CGC. 

That's the funny part. I've had several books graded before through other people. Not only that, but I'm getting ready to submit a few more books at the end of this week, and many more that will perpetually going out in the near future. I'm still giving CGC my business because at the end of the day people pay a premium and are more comfortable buying a book in a CGC slab over any other third party grading company.

The irony is that I got the book as a purple label in order to remove the small amount of glue that was sealing a tear on the front cover. I psyched myself out over removing the glue, convinced I would still receive a purple label if there was any trace of glue left. After carefully assessing the book I was able to not only re-tear where the glue was holding together, but I also had some color discovery as whoever originally sealed the lap tear incorrectly mended it. I had also psyched myself out because I had never pressed a Timely that early before, and from everything I learned (through my mentor who taught directly under Bill Sarill, mind you) was that early Timely books and heat are a no go. After talking with another colleague I convinced myself I was overthinking it, pressed it to removed a few light creases, and I've gotta say it came out pretty good. 

That's why I was so pissed about this. I took so much time, thought, consideration and care with the book when it was in my possession. I'm still happy with the unrestored grade, but seeing that damage that was 100% not there when it left my possession didn't just make me angry, it was really disappointing.

To clarify, hasn't kept me up at night. But it was even more disappointing that CGC kept talking in a circle saying things that claimed responsibility one minute and ignorance the next.

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On 1/4/2019 at 11:41 PM, Joosh said:

I can understand CGC wanting the book back to assess. Standard 6-7 weeks to fix their mistake is insulting. This is legitimate customer returned rework that should be put to the front of the line and shipping covered both ways. 

 

I absolutely agree with this statement.  It is the responsibility of the company to deliver what they are paid to do and remedy any mistakes ASAP, not making the client wait longer for a service they already paid for.

Quality control is very sloppy.  

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On 1/6/2019 at 2:38 PM, Bomber-Bob said:

To be honest, they can probably see this was your first submission = you are not a regular customer (yet). If you were a regular customer, they may be more inclined to give you that credit but, for all they know, you are a one and done. 

First submission or not, it shouldn't matter. What are the chances of getting repeat business with their convoluted, time consuming solution? 

They admitted it was their mistake yet  you have to bend over backwards to get it resolved? Yeah, sorry. That's the opposite of customer service 101. 

 

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12 hours ago, emme_jay said:

First submission or not, it shouldn't matter. What are the chances of getting repeat business with their convoluted, time consuming solution? 

They admitted it was their mistake yet  you have to bend over backwards to get it resolved? Yeah, sorry. That's the opposite of customer service 101. 

 

IMO, they don't need the business. They are barely keeping up with their current submissions. Having said that, CGC is very good at getting things resolved. They step up to the plate and accept responsibilty. I don't believe he would actually wait as long as stated. That was just a quote from their current timelines from someone answering the phone. I believe he would see it a lot quicker. 

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