CGC Paradigm Shift and Losing My Religion 3 3

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

Hopjacks  Belgium Fresh Cut Potatoes fried in Duck Fat and served with a side of the Special "Crack Sauce "   These are the Ultimate Fries.

[divad]

For all of the foregoing reasons (except the FRIES), I haven't sent a book in to be graded for over three years (maybe longer).  I've still got a couple of Newton Ring slabs that just won't sell. 

[divad]

Exactly three years ago . . . and that was only to use up the outstanding credit on my account before it expired due to the new membership "benefit" structure.

 

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

4 minutes ago, divad said:

For all of the foregoing reasons (except the FRIES), I haven't sent a book in to be graded for over three years (maybe longer).  I've still got a couple of Newton Ring slabs that just won't sell. 

Back to the matter at hand! This has become an issue with a TON of us. I planned on at least 3 submissions this year, but after receiving my first back (17) and 12 having serious Newton Rings and one also having a long hair inside the slab and sheet against the book ( in my other topic"whats in the slab"). I too have not sent anything else to them. 

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

Plus I keep seeing so many issues.  Just a couple days ago @Brandon Shepherd mentioned and showed pictures of one  of his Action Comics that was shipped back in a cracked case with cover wedged between case and well.. and like some of his other comments,  I too had 5 of my last 17 come back with scuffing on the case..

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

Here is one a guy on Ebay has been trying to sell a Man of Steel #18  5th print as that's what CGC Labeled it, when really it is a 1st print. 

Or the Superman #1 CGC  9.0 SS that the label says Summer 1939 ( the seller was honest and listed as reprint) 

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

Dont get me wrong.  That superman is awesome! Who wouldn't want a 9.0 SS labeled Summer 1939? Still that's a pretty big difference on so many levels that it makes you wonder how did they miss that?

[wombat]

I'm still on the fence about submitting at Baltimore. The thought of it taking that long just bothers me. I don't even have an option for fast track as they don't offer that for magazines. 

[evilskip]

I just unsubscribed from comiclink as I no longer have interest in buying slabbed books. If Newton Rings can't be solved, why bother with this part of the hobby?

[EastEnd1]

On my last submission, it took them three weeks after receipt before my books even got into their system to start the turnaround clock!  And the TAT lengthened the longer they had my books... it was 25 days at submission and 35 when they finally got the books back out to me. 

Entire homes get built in less than six months.  No way it should be acceptable to take that long to grade a comic book... management/ownership should be all over that and hire the necessary resources to bring it down to a more reasonable level. 

[Jaylam]

Therein is the problem a business faces in ramping up production. Quality and turn around times suffer because existing staff are spread too thin. It takes time to properly train new people, which slows down the process and degrades quality even more. Because of the unrelenting pressure, throwing new hires into service too soon will probably cause quality to suffer even more and the added demands will cause some of them to just quit, thus making it hard for the business to gain any meaningful ground. It may even cause some of the more seasoned employees to quit which will complicate things even more. I would guess they are probably doing what they can to keep a lid on things, but it certainly looks like we are seeing the tell-tale signs of this taking place by some of the comments posted here. 

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

6 minutes ago, Jaylam said:

 

I would have to agree with this as it makes sense that they are having problems scaling up. Which I am sure most of us want them to succeed and deliver on the quality,  superior optics, durability and customer service. It's just their lack of communication in this transition , if that is what it is. I understand they want to grow like any business.  New labels, grading options ,  revamping the site,  etc, but like they did with previous mistakes with the cases or Con season TAT where they issued a statement.  Outline a plan of action to restore confidence in their brand and product . This time they keep using the last excuses of its con season ( which by now could have been addressed) or that the flaws Newton Rings are acceptable  . No real plan of action to address the current issues and a tentative date/goal to achieve.  Which causes customers to lose faith.  

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

Do not get me wrong as far as competitors... there really are none. At the same time I and many other will just wait,  and hope they get some of the issues fixed. In the mean time just enjoy the raw originals!

[Brandon Shepherd]

On 9/30/2019 at 2:47 PM, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

Plus I keep seeing so many issues.  Just a couple days ago @Brandon Shepherd mentioned and showed pictures of one  of his Action Comics that was shipped back in a cracked case with cover wedged between case and well.. and like some of his other comments,  I too had 5 of my last 17 come back with scuffing on the case..

Well, I finally got through to CGC on that, and I'm finally sending the books back in. I feel like if another catastrophe happens a third time, then it's on me. Like the Einstein quote about the very definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over again and expecting different results. Every smug SOB I've tied to help over the years uses that quote like they are the first ones to use it also. Anyway, it feels like a Catch 22, go through the process, AGAIN, or jut sit here and write about it on the boards. 

Edited October 20, 2019 by Brandon Shepherd

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

2 hours ago, Brandon Shepherd said:

Well, I finally got through to CGC on that, and I'm finally sending the books back in. I feel like if another catastrophe happens a third time, then it's on me. Like the Einstein quote about the very definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over again and expecting different results. Every smug SOS I've tied to help over the years uses that quote like they are the first ones to use it also. Anyway, it feels like a Catch 22, go through the process, AGAIN, or jut sit here and write about it on the boards. 

I really hope they get this one right for you. I know , as you stated,  this is the third time around.  It does start to feel like your just banging your head against a wall.

[Iconic1s]

On 9/30/2019 at 3:58 PM, onlyweaknesskryptonite said:

Here is one a guy on Ebay has been trying to sell a Man of Steel #18  5th print as that's what CGC Labeled it, when really it is a 1st print. 

Or the Superman #1 CGC  9.0 SS that the label says Summer 1939 ( the seller was honest and listed as reprint) 

To me, this is what is known as 'a turd in a punch bowl.'  If there is a turd floating around in the punch bowl, odds are pretty good that the rest of the punch will still be bad even if you scoop that thing out.  We could say that everyone makes mistakes, but in a company like CGC's case they are not allowed to make mistakes.  If something like these books can be so badly mislabeled then what is the point in trusting the same company to get the difference between 9.8 and 9.6, or any grade for that matter, correct.  Particularly troubling is the fact that these small changes in grades equate to big differences in value and CGC has set themselves in a way as to not be second guessed, regardless of the obvious turds.  Add this to this the fact that the same company does not even have a consistent process of providing grader notes, and you might as well pick the turd up and take a bite out of it.  It's actually pretty funny because I can say this and also know I'll be back for another glass of punch, ignoring all these turds floating around in it, as I look forward to submitting another batch of books soon, while also excitedly waiting for other grades to post.  This really is a racket but it's too late to stop now I guess.

[Brandon Shepherd]

10 minutes ago, Iconic1s said:

To me, this is what is known as 'a turd in a punch bowl.'  If there is a turd floating around in the punch bowl, odds are pretty good that the rest of the punch will still be bad even if you scoop that thing out.  We could say that everyone makes mistakes, but in a company like CGC's case they are not allowed to make mistakes.  If something like these books can be so badly mislabeled then what is the point in trusting the same company to get the difference between 9.8 and 9.6, or any grade for that matter, correct.  Particularly troubling is the fact that these small changes in grades equate to big differences in value and CGC has set themselves in a way as to not be second guessed, regardless of the obvious turds.  Add this to this the fact that the same company does not even have a consistent process of providing grader notes, and you might as well pick the turd up and take a bite out of it.  It's actually pretty funny because I can say this and also know I'll be back for another glass of punch, ignoring all these turds floating around in it, as I look forward to submitting another batch of books soon, while also excitedly waiting for other grades to post.  This really is a racket but it's too late to stop now I guess.

Not exactly a punch bowel but a lot of us are swimming in the same pool.

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

I was thinking the same thing.