Anyone passed the "40 business days" on their submissions?

[currincomics]

Dittto, ditto and ditto

[Dr_Neff]

Didn't they use to charge your credit card after the books were graded and were ready to ship?...my last few batches were charged on arrival at CGC......

 

No they didn't use to do that, nor do I supect they would begin.

 

Keep in mind that looking at your book is a Service provided by CgC..

 

 

and who would pay for their books if they called in and got low grades?

 

 

 

 

 

 

And though certainly not in favor with everyone, the turnaround times are ESTIMATED. I know for a FACT CgC tries really hard to please every one of their customers.........

 

 

Make Mine Overstreet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shadroch]

So,they get paid three months in advance and they've collected 400,000 mylars on top of that.Nice!

[joe_collector]

And though certainly not in favor with everyone, the turnaround times are ESTIMATED. I know for a FACT CgC tries really hard to please every one of their customers.........

 

I agree, but at some point, don't you think the ESTIMATES should be upgraded to reflect reality. Take the average since inception, and use that number, rather than toss a number online to attract business.

 

Although deception like this can make you money initially, it will cost them in the long run.

 

1) As in a guy buys a NM comic, checks out Economy and thinks "cool, only 40 business days".

 

2) 100 business days later he gets his comic in the mail, thinks WTF?, and stops submitting.

 

Now as long as CGC has more 1)'s than 2)'s, they'll continue to do well, but if business drops, it may be hard to bring the second group back, even if the estimates are realistic.

[Mister_Comics]

One time I waited 6 months.

 

So far each time I sent in, they charged my credit card around a week or two before I recieved the books back.

 

Right now I have books sent in. Going on 3 months and they haven't charged my card yet.

[JohnBull]

In any other industry you think they'd just take on more staff. There must be someone in the world who knows how to grade, is happy to sit in a room and do nothing else all day long and is prepared to give up their own collection for the privilege. The current waiting times are crazy.

[shadroch]

One time I waited 6 months.

 

So far each time I sent in, they charged my credit card around a week or two before I recieved the books back.

 

Right now I have books sent in. Going on 3 months and they haven't charged my card yet.

 

 

Now that seems much more acceptable.

So,do they charge right away or not? We are getting two entirely different scenerios here.

[Rocketeer]

One time I waited 6 months.

 

So far each time I sent in, they charged my credit card around a week or two before I recieved the books back.

 

Right now I have books sent in. Going on 3 months and they haven't charged my card yet.

 

 

Now that seems much more acceptable.

So,do they charge right away or not? We are getting two entirely different scenerios here.

 

My last 4 orders (Dec-Jan) were charged within 5 days of mailing them off.....

[Zanarkand]

 

Both times I submitted I was charged straight away. Within days of receipt. I can only assume that this does not mean they charge only when they grade. They seem to charge immediately, then get around to it.

 

I mentioned this in another thread, but - "Pay-for-service" plans never work. Most of your customer base will always use the lowest tier due to cost. Most of the business's income will also come from the lowest tier. Yet this lowest tier always gets shafted because the few, the proud, the willing to pay a few more shekels not to wait in line will always bump them.

 

This leads to customer resentment because most of them will have to wait an indeterminate amount of time for delivery of service, depending on how many higher tier customers happen to show.

 

But most of the income comes from low tier customers! This is where the collapse begins. Can't have the cash flow choked up because you were dumb enough to let people paying a higher per-submission rate (but not a higher aggregate rate) go first. So the business has to charge the low tiers waiters anyway, even though they have no idea when they will be able to provide. Begin the excuses: "Busy time of year", "Temporarily understaffed", "Higher than expected volume". I believe we're already beginning to see this. It's all baloney.

 

CGC has created the same mess everyone else who tries a pay-for-service plan creates. Because pay-for-service plans create an "elite" high tier class who expect to get better service by paying more. As the business grows (which is supposed to be good) the number of higher tier submissions naturally tends to increase, and since the business has obligated itself to always service all those customers first by virtue of taking their higher fees, the majority of their customer base has paid for a service that says, essentially, "We'll get to you when we can."

 

Now what? I submitted 10 moderns for $150 6 weeks ago. I have paid for a service that I have not received. I have also paid a higher amount than any Express submission, but the pay-for-service tiered system demands that a $89 submission is more important than a $150 submission. There are a hundred more guys like me for every Express sub.

 

The only way out is to abandon the pay-for-service model entirely. If you want to charge varying fees, charge for service rendered, not for how fast the service is rendered.

 

For example, many collectors don't particularly care for CGC's grade, they just want to not get torpedoed by undisclosed restoration. So offer a resto-check-only service. No grade assigned, just restoration identified. That would be worth something, no? Also, many collectors crack the slab and actually read their books, so why not offer a tier where there's no slab? A nice snug Mylar would be fine. Keep the full resto-checked-graded-slabbed service for people intent on resale. That would be a tiered service worth the trouble.

 

Consider: If the business actually improves the service to the point of getting every sub out on time, then what's the point of the faster (higher) tier? 40 business days is not too much of a hassle. Slow returns for the low tier are supposed to make us say "Gosh, another $20 is sure worth it to get the book back 3 months sooner!"

 

[Dr_Neff]

yes they charge right away. The guy who hasn't gotten charged probably gave them insufficient account to charge it too or has something else (prescreen, etc) going on.

 

Now all of you go find some REALLY high grade books and submit them.