Tcarroll17

On 7/26/2023 at 2:55 AM, ExNihilo said:

LOL!  What a f'in joke.  @CGC Mike, just admit it, CGC's QC department is non-existent.  Books go from grader to encapsulation and directly to shipping.  Pretending QC exists is just embarrassing.

 

 

It's the new "virgin" label 

Lucky duck, normally that's $10 extra! 

1 Book ME (Mislabeled - missing artist notes and key comments)

Scheduled for Grading: 06/01

G/E/I: 7/25 

Over/under another 2 months?

On 7/22/2023 at 12:33 AM, Cor88b said:

I will continue sending books in but the fact that errors they commit aren't fixed first drives me nuts. Maybe stop announcing new signings and get stuff caught up?

Well, that's exactly why they won't do that.  People just keep shoveling cash their way no matter how little they care about delivering what we paid for.  After 8 months of repeated bad experiences and effectively being told they don't care one bit, I can't in good conscience give them another penny.  Hopefully some day that changes, but I'm not holding my breath.  As the economy declines and inflation ramps up, businesses that can't do what I'm paying them to do will lose my dollars very quickly.  

On 7/19/2023 at 9:44 AM, Cor88b said:

Book has still yet to move.

Same for me.  Called today.  They said "we can't give any kind of timeline on a mechanical error." Then tried to tell me my submission "is more complicated than normal mechanical errors."

They literally have to print a new label, and holder it.  That's it.  When I explained how ridiculous of an answer that was....radio silence.

I inquired why it would take longer than a reholder, which advertises 25 days.  She said "a lot more people have to check on it to make sure it's correct." Well geez, if one single person actually looked at it the first time it wouldn't have been sent back.  

She also offered that "she thinks they are kind of backed up, but isn't really sure." 

Done done and done.  Not sending another book, what a joke.  

On 7/10/2023 at 10:58 AM, Cor88b said:

Just seems a little crazy for errors to not be pushed to the front of the line. This is an avengers 57 signed by roy thomas that they labeled signed by steranko. Pretty quickly can switch that label out.

Crazy indeed.  I can't think of any other service/product I've used where the correction takes 3x+ the original amount of time to fix a small error.  In any normal situation, it would be fixed promptly.  

Similar for me, it's just missing the artist info and key comments.  Literally just needs a slip of paper printed and reslabbed.  Should take all of 10 minutes.  

On 7/9/2023 at 10:35 AM, workingdog said:

I can empathize.  I've had 1 book ME SFG since 5/12 with no movement.  Just a simple label correction.  I sent a note to submissions@cgccomics.com last week and as of this writing, no response. 

Very frustrating!  Same with mine.  It's a modern, they just messed up the label.  It took 9 days to go from arrival to shipped originally (awesome, very happy), but then sits for 5+ weeks to fix their error.  

It's really hard to believe it's not intentional.  With the ME changes and how long they take, they really try to dissuade you from daring to make a return.  

On 6/26/2023 at 6:44 PM, Sebastsk8 said:

No clue honestly, the insert I'm almost 100% sure is original, because who would swap out a damaged insert?(it's not damaged at the staples, it's ripped)

As far as the tattooz, it's possible it was swapped but there's no real way to tell as it's the same as the one that would have came with it.

I'm pretty sure they would give a blue label since there's no definitive way to prove it was swapped out, but unsure how much of a grade hit it would take. The entire insert is intact, just part of it was ripped. It's a shame since the book itself is in great shape, probably around the 8.0-8.5 range.

Oh and as a second follow up, I think this does impact the grade.  I'm certainly not a professional grader, but active in the hobby and I feel pretty confident I get close between 0.5-1.0 on almost every submission.  My book was easily a 7.5-8.0 and got a 5.5 

On 6/26/2023 at 6:44 PM, Sebastsk8 said:

No clue honestly, the insert I'm almost 100% sure is original, because who would swap out a damaged insert?(it's not damaged at the staples, it's ripped)

As far as the tattooz, it's possible it was swapped but there's no real way to tell as it's the same as the one that would have came with it.

I'm pretty sure they would give a blue label since there's no definitive way to prove it was swapped out, but unsure how much of a grade hit it would take. The entire insert is intact, just part of it was ripped. It's a shame since the book itself is in great shape, probably around the 8.0-8.5 range.

Hey, I can weigh in here.  I had a very similar situation.  Bought an ASM 238 at a local show.  I inspected it, the insert was intact, however, very slightly tilted down (I'm talking almost unnoticeable).  I.figured there has to be some degree of not being perfect each copy, right?  

Well, maybe it was spliced in, maybe it was not.  To me, it seems like it was genuinely original to the book, there was no evidence of staple terror or separation, the cover was really tight.

However, here is what I got when I submitted.  Still came back as a universal, but there was a comment that the tattoos insert was married.

Based on what you're saying I guess it's possible yours would have the same result.  

On 6/28/2023 at 11:03 AM, Cor88b said:

Is it just me or should mechanical errors be fixed faster?  I currently have a book up at cgc that they mislabeled, sent it back immediately and has now been up there 2 months. Its been open and in the system for a month with no movement. Seems a little funny that they reduced the amount of days to re-sub for a mech error but they drag feet to fix them.

Yep, very frustrating.  I have one that has been scheduled for grading since 6/1.  No movement.  I called and they told me "they are running about 20-25 days." 

I'm at 27 working days so guess that's not the case 🤷🏼

With as many mechanical errors as they seem to be having, I'm not sure why they don't just have a separate mechanical error team to get them fixed quickly.  Or maybe they do, and it's just still taking forever.  

On 7/7/2023 at 9:48 AM, Still Only 20¢ said:

2023-07-07    G/QC.  Looks like they'll ship Monday.

On 7/7/2023 at 9:48 AM, Still Only 20¢ said:

2023-07-07    G/QC.  Looks like they'll ship Monday.

 

Geez... I've had 1 book ME SFG since 6/1.  Absolutely no movement.  

Seen numerous MEs that arrived weeks later being done already, ugh.  

On 6/28/2023 at 1:10 PM, Stefan_W said:

2 book ME marked at arrived at CGC on June 14 and SFG

G/E/I - June 27

Q/C - June 28

Super fast for an ME, which is great. These are the books I posted about in another thread that have now gone in for the fourth time with the same issue, and where I was charged for shipping but given a credit for it. Fingers crossed that the spotting on the back is fixed, which required swapping out the inner plastic sheath. 

Nice!  I have a 1 book ME SFG 6/1.  Still no movement as of today 😕

I'm curious to hear about how those come back.  Fingers crossed for you.  

The true intention of the policy coming into full bloom.  $$$

On 5/28/2023 at 9:19 AM, Stefan_W said:

When I was really frustrated by this issue I called CGC and when I questioned whether the inside sealed bag was being changed out during a reholder I was assured that it was. Evidence suggests otherwise, and I believe that what you are saying is actually the case. If they have defective inner sealed bags the way to fix it is to swap those out, but doing so is probably time consuming and it presents a risk of damaging the comic. The easier approach is to just swap the case and leave the comic in the sealed bag, but if that is where the damage is this approach does absolutely nothing, or worse than nothing if the inner bag is scuffed even more in the process. 

This makes so much sense.   I don't know why I didn't think of that, but I think you are spot on.  I know of a few other posters that had sent them back multiple times and had the same scuffing, I don't know if it was exactly the same or not.  But that would make total sense, if they are doing a new slab, but not a new sealed bag.  The scratching stuffing is on the sealed bag, there is no question, so changing the slab would do absolutely nothing

On 5/28/2023 at 7:25 PM, Tcarroll17 said:

Yes, they look exactly the same.  I'll send some pictures when I get a chance 

Even were that the case, they should be corrected once encapsulated and they see them

Sorry, after reading this again I think I might have misunderstood.

You still notice it when it is out of the slab, but yes I would say it is less noticeable once the comic is physically out of the bag.  Can still see it, but definitely the comic makes it more prominent than when the comic is not in the bag, harder to see for sure 

On 5/27/2023 at 9:22 PM, Gaard said:

Do/did you notice them without the comic inserted? I'm wondering if those guys can notice them before they are used in the encapsulation process.

Yes, they look exactly the same.  I'll send some pictures when I get a chance 

Even were that the case, they should be corrected once encapsulated and they see them

On 5/27/2023 at 5:59 PM, Stefan_W said:

Nopers. The books I have that are like this are scuffed on the inside of the cases. Products on the outside do nothing - and yes, I did try before realizing where the scuffing is.

Obviously, some scratches are on the outside.  I've had a handful that were.  But you are also 100% right.  I've cracked open two.  The scuffing is on the inside, on the sealed bag.  They do not wipe off, so it's not really smudges, but actual scratches/blemishes from something.  Has to either be an issue when the bags are manufactured, or when they are handling / sealing.  Something is damaging them, though.  

On 5/25/2023 at 1:35 PM, NewWorldOrder said:

Oh I definitely have MEs over the course of year. 5-8 per 300 books-ish, but then sometimes I have nothing for 3-4 months.  I also understand I run this like a business, so I am prepared to get the paperwork done right away, and for others it's sometimes they really dont want to be bothered with, and just want it done right the first time.  I also have to keep in mind while I am a collector, mainly for me this is now a business.

Sometimes a box gets dropped from FedEx and right away I have 5 cracked cases from one invoice. 

Sometimes I just sell them as is at auction, and the potential bidder/buyers know the issues before hand.

Case in point last month I got a Gen 13 #1 CGC 9.8, and it has the exact problem you just showed with your Wolverine. 

So I truly get the frustration, especially from collectors that submit just a couple times a year.

I just wish some here would calm down a little, and stop being so dramatic.

Either way I am sympathetic to someone like yourself, I really do get it can be very frustrating. 

So I hope CGC fixes your book fast for you my friend once they get it back!

I appreciate that, thank you.  

As I've said in other post, I think we probably agree on more than we disagree.  I don't really take issue with the policy at large, having stated policy is not a bad thing in business, especially a service based business.  I run a business myself, so I do understand that side of it.  Customers will eat you alive if you allow it. As far as comics, I am a collector, it's something I enjoy and a hobby.  I might flip a book here or there, really just to upgrade a copy or fund something else I want to add to the collection.  So yeah, I do think the perspective of who is submitting and why you're submitting does come into play.  On CGCs side as a business, that's probably irrelevant to them.  That's where their business is a little bit different.  It's a service, but also kind of a product, and there is a lot of emotion to it (for a lot submitters, not all).  

If our roles were reversed though, and I was a seller first, the rate of issues I've been having would KILL ME.  I'd have half my inventory tied up in ME boxes in the warehouse.  

In the end, as long as they make right and fix the legitimate issues I guess it's a wash. 

On 5/25/2023 at 1:34 PM, Poekaymon said:

Alright I’ll chime in. I recently submitted approximately 80 books. Only one has what I would call significant newton rings and scuffing, but, admittedly, it’s pretty bad. Did not see any plastic pieces or mislabels. Although if someone is actually looking for scuffing, I don’t know how that one made it through, but I am personally fine with 79 out of 80 being good. I do think it it’s something like a H181 (as shown earlier in this thread) they ought to look a bit harder than if it’s a $5 modern  

Also, I’m probably in the minority, but I’m at least glad there is a stated policy now. A few years ago I tried to get some newton rings fixed and was told that they weren’t covered because they are natural and present in nearly all CGC books. That answer bothered me because clearly we know that isn’t true. I mean at the time I called I had hundreds of slabs in front of me and only 2-3 had significant rings. I told the person that and they said I was wrong and that every single slab has them it’s just some are worse than others. So I said well these are clearly really bad ones so why can’t we exchanged the super bad ones. And they said because newton rings are in all slabs. Bit circular but I gave up.  After looking at these forums for a while, I tried again a couple months later, exact same books and exact same request, but got a different person who approved it immediately with no argument.  Then like a year later I tried again and got another person who was unmovable but that time I just gave up. Then I saw people on here talking again about getting them fixed through ME. That sort of inconsistency is pretty frustrating. So I’m glad they have a stated policy, and I do think people can be too picky,  but I really think bad examples of newton rings should qualify. 
 

 

Thanks for sharing your experience.  On the whole I've probably had more good experiences than bad over a couple years.  It's just recently it's been so bad for me, which some people agree with, some people seem to actually have the opposite happening to them where it was bad and now it's been good.  For sure that's the issue, the inconsistency with figuring out what is what.

I mean I completely agree with you and NewWorldOrder, sometimes people are certainly too nitpicky.  If it's super minor, a tiny little surface scratch, a hardly noticeable ring, etc, it's something that possibly would happen anyway just from owning it and handling it.  Frankly, I don't stress about the Newton rings personally, because they are super easy to fix.  If you look up YouTube videos, it's actually really simple to fix it... BUT, that is what makes the policy kind of asinine.  It is not hard to fix, and QC should make sure they look good before sending back to the customer.  I do understand from the perspective of the company as well, however, they are likely inundated with a lot of borderline ME requests, or even ones that shouldn't qualify at all, which is what has it so backed up for the obvious ones (like my mislabel above).

I appreciate the sentiment, that was my Hulk 181.  An absolute bummer when it showed up like that.  Although I would say I agree with you because it affects me personally, I also will disagree.  Whether it is a Hulk 181, or a $5 modern, it shouldn't really matter.  At the end of the day, someone paid for a service and they should get what they paid for.  I'm blessed to be able to own that comic, and yes I paid a lot of money for  services.  But maybe somebody has a $50 comic and they are super psyched about it.  They deserve the same experience as me.  

On 5/25/2023 at 1:18 PM, NewWorldOrder said:

All jokes aside, that does suck.

Been there many times, so I get it.

Yeah I mean you can joke, it is what it is.  I'm not so sensitive, just because people have a difference of opinion on here doesn't mean we can't also have fun 😊

Right, it does suck. That's been my frustration lately.  If you seriously are getting a hundred bucks back each month, and not having any issues, you truly must have a guardian angel or something.  Since December I've submitted 14 separate orders, ranging from one book walkthroughs, to 12 book moderns.  I have only had one order come back without some kind of moderate issue, whether it be the scuffing, severe Newton rings, a mislabel, plastic inside my cases, etc.  That was a two book standard, both books came back absolutely perfect.

So just in my own biased experience, statistically what you say doesn't seem possible to me 😵‍💫

On 5/25/2023 at 12:28 PM, NewWorldOrder said:

My latest batch of 102 books just came back from CGC!

No Newton Rings

No ME's

No scratches

No upside down books!

Are you guys happy for me?

I mean, if that's really true I am genuinely happy for you.  My most recent submission back this week of a measly eight books had one mislabel 

On 5/25/2023 at 12:28 PM, NewWorldOrder said:

My latest batch of 102 books just came back from CGC!

No Newton Rings

No ME's

No scratches

No upside down books!

Are you guys happy for me?

Pictures of every single one or it didn't happen 😋

On 5/24/2023 at 10:57 AM, manetteska said:

From seeing submissions where the label is not even close to the comic inside, I believe QC (if there is such a step in the process at all) looks at the comics in the shipping box (i.e. top edge only), makes sure the count is right and (generally) the titles match the submission sheet, and that's it.

This sounds very plausible based on the evidence

On 5/24/2023 at 5:22 AM, wardevil0 said:

Actually I'd bet the 4-digit year is the problem.  With it entered this way, the system probably recognizes this as a different comic from Wolverine #2 (12/88) and broke the auto-fill that should've come up.

Ah!  That makes sense, good point 

On 5/23/2023 at 11:25 PM, Nsschenks said:

Just got this in the mail today after waiting eagerly for a couple of months, and…I can only really say I’m wildly disappointed. I’ve had great experiences with subbing to CGC so far, but this was the first time I sent in a book for a signing.

Not only is there a piece of loose plastic in the front and a huge (inch long) piece in the back, but they did not use the window bag I specifically made for this signing. I know this because the signatures were not in the area I specified (it was smaller than the area CGC uses for their own bags but was definitely not tiny by any means)—and because I politely requested silver marker for mine on the window bag painters tape. If it was the color alone I wouldn’t be as upset because I know the artists don’t have to abide by that, but the placement means they didn’t use my bag. And I made absolute sure my window bag was done correctly, including outlining the window in tape, providing an additional bag/board for post-signing, and putting the signing card in the window bag (I checked multiple forums to make sure I was doing it right).

The color and placement isn’t that big of an issue by itself, but that combined with the multiple pieces of plastic in the slab made this a pretty terrible experience. I will contact them tomorrow, but I wanted to put this out here and express my disappointment in a service I paid $200 for expecting a certain degree of quality and professionalism. (*Oh, also newton rings directly over the signatures 🤦🏻‍♂️)

That is appalling.  

On 5/23/2023 at 10:03 PM, IcedDog said:

...and a 4-digit year! 

You'd think think all the static text on the label was already in the system and should print out fine every time (barring ink running out)...the only thing that varies is the cert # and grade.

Hahaha...didn't even notice that.  Well, great, my note didn't point that out so guess it'll come back with bonus numbers again.  

Right?  I thought the same thing...I had another one just like this last order, but was missing half the notes instead of all.  Like why would it not be fixed text, then just inserting the grade and cert?  I've had a handful of mislabels last few months...they must literally hand enter each one or something.  

And then on the flipside...how hard would it be in QC.  Give them a tablet, load the pic of what the book should look like with the correct label, compare, accept or reject.  

I have a feeling it's less the day to day workers along the line and more so a process/protocol issue.