Why I won't buy from Jamie Graham...and why I love these boards!

[DrWatson]

You know what I would like to see? One day, I would love for a dealer, any dealer, to come on the boards and post a list of all the customers he's never going to deal with again. You know, and list all the reasons why:

 

They put a comic on hold on Thursday and then came back on Sunday to tell me they bought the same from XYZ because it was cheaper.

 

They offered me $150 on a $400 comic.

 

They put a comic on hold and then never came back.

 

They spent twenty minutes telling me why they couldn't afford Poverty #1 in a CGC 9.8.

 

They asked for a discount on dollar books.

 

They just wanted to see it. They have one at home exactly like it and wanted to know what it was worth.

 

They smelled like azz.

 

They always ask me for a dealer badge, but then they always buy from someone else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah I'd love to do the same for my PITA clients but you know what? They feed my family and pay my bills so your analogy doesn't make any sense. The customer gets the right because we have what business owners want...money. That is the end game and until guys like Graham see that...he will ge moaning that conventions aren't worth it or he's losing customers because of this forum, etc...why because his customer service is dead.

 

It wasn't an analogy. It was a thought put down on paper.

 

I'm in the customer service industry as well and you know what, the customer is not always right. Nine times out of ten, when I hear, "You people have no customer service," it is after we have bent over backwards to make the customer happy and they still aren't satisfied, i.e. they didn't get their way or their definition of fair fulfilled. Then the next step is they start rolling out the threats. I'll never come back. I'll leave you a bad review on the Internet. I'll tell all my friends and family to never come here.

 

Just last weekend, I had a lady leave a perfectly fine rental because she had no cell phone reception. The rental she wanted wasn't ready. I went and cleaned it just for her at 8PM. I personally drove her and her husband to the rental... they followed me in their car. I had explained to her the hot tub wouldn't be ready until the maintenance man came and cleaned it. That took about 45 minutes. I finally got them all settled in and told them if they needed anything else to let us know.

 

The front desk lady got a phone call at 9AM the next morning from the same lady wanting to know what type of discount she was going to receive for her inconvenience. She was told none since she decided to move and the rental she moved to was a more expensive unit. By the end of the conversation, our customer service was deplorable and she was never coming back. I said good riddance.

 

Customer service shouldn't be a hostage negotiation. When a transaction goes bad, it takes grace, patience and commitment on both sides to work a deal out smoothly. Some people can do it. Some people can't, and I'm just a guilty as the next guy.

[blazingbob]

To Jim's post see responses

 

They put a comic on hold on Thursday and then came back on Sunday to tell me they bought the same from XYZ because it was cheaper - Many times.

 

They offered me $150 on a $400 comic - many times

 

They put a comic on hold and then never came back - many times.

 

They spent twenty minutes telling me why they couldn't afford Poverty #1 in a CGC 9.8 - Kansas City.

 

They asked for a discount on dollar books - Did that when I had a dollar booth at the Reed NY show.

 

They just wanted to see it. They have one at home exactly like it and wanted to know what it was worth - Many times.

 

They smelled like azz - Got offended when my son started spraying axe. Only kidding but my son was pulling it out of his pocket.

 

They always ask me for a dealer badge, but then they always buy from someone else - CGCworld Jim - only kidding.

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

You know what I would like to see? One day, I would love for a dealer, any dealer, to come on the boards and post a list of all the customers he's never going to deal with again. You know, and list all the reasons why:

 

They put a comic on hold on Thursday and then came back on Sunday to tell me they bought the same from XYZ because it was cheaper.

 

They offered me $150 on a $400 comic.

 

They put a comic on hold and then never came back.

 

They spent twenty minutes telling me why they couldn't afford Poverty #1 in a CGC 9.8.

 

They asked for a discount on dollar books.

 

They just wanted to see it. They have one at home exactly like it and wanted to know what it was worth.

 

They smelled like azz.

 

They always ask me for a dealer badge, but then they always buy from someone else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah I'd love to do the same for my PITA clients but you know what? They feed my family and pay my bills so your analogy doesn't make any sense. The customer gets the right because we have what business owners want...money. That is the end game and until guys like Graham see that...he will ge moaning that conventions aren't worth it or he's losing customers because of this forum, etc...why because his customer service is dead.

 

I wonder what will happen when digital comics finally do take off?I wonder how these old school dealers will respond when people will be downloading comic book trade paperbacks and graphic novels onto their Ipads? I wonder if their customer service will get better or will it be too late by then and nobody will care?

[blazingbob]

All true!

 

They ask for covers by Neal Adams, so you go and pull fifteen of them from your boxes, and then they don't buy any.

 

They pull fifteen books out from the box, inspect them all, and then leave - without putting the books back.

 

They stand in front of your booth talking, and never buy anything.

 

They say at show A "get me this book and I'll be sure to buy it" and then at show B when you have the book, they back off.

[sufunk]

You know what I would like to see? One day, I would love for a dealer, any dealer, to come on the boards and post a list of all the customers he's never going to deal with again. You know, and list all the reasons why:

 

They put a comic on hold on Thursday and then came back on Sunday to tell me they bought the same from XYZ because it was cheaper.

 

They offered me $150 on a $400 comic.

 

They put a comic on hold and then never came back.

 

They spent twenty minutes telling me why they couldn't afford Poverty #1 in a CGC 9.8.

 

They asked for a discount on dollar books.

 

They just wanted to see it. They have one at home exactly like it and wanted to know what it was worth.

 

They smelled like azz.

 

They always ask me for a dealer badge, but then they always buy from someone else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah I'd love to do the same for my PITA clients but you know what? They feed my family and pay my bills so your analogy doesn't make any sense. The customer gets the right because we have what business owners want...money. That is the end game and until guys like Graham see that...he will ge moaning that conventions aren't worth it or he's losing customers because of this forum, etc...why because his customer service is dead.

 

It wasn't an analogy. It was a thought put down on paper.

 

I'm in the customer service industry as well and you know what, the customer is not always right. Nine times out of ten, when I hear, "You people have no customer service," it is after we have bent over backwards to make the customer happy and they still aren't satisfied, i.e. they didn't get their way or their definition of fair fulfilled. Then the next step is they start rolling out the threats. I'll never come back. I'll leave you a bad review on the Internet. I'll tell all my friends and family to never come here.

 

Just last weekend, I had a lady leave a perfectly fine rental because she had no cell phone reception. The rental she wanted wasn't ready. I went and cleaned it just for her at 8PM. I personally drove her and her husband to the rental... they followed me in their car. I had explained to her the hot tub wouldn't be ready until the maintenance man came and cleaned it. That took about 45 minutes. I finally got them all settled in and told them if they needed anything else to let us know.

 

The front desk lady got a phone call at 9AM the next morning from the same lady wanting to know what type of discount she was going to receive for her inconvenience. She was told none since she decided to move and the rental she moved to was a more expensive unit. By the end of the conversation, our customer service was deplorable and she was never coming back. I said good riddance.

 

Customer service shouldn't be a hostage negotiation. When a transaction goes bad, it takes grace, patience and commitment on both sides to work a deal out smoothly. Some people can do it. Some people can't, and I'm just a guilty as the next guy.

 

I hear that and yeah, the customer is always right isnt always right. BUT the customer does always have the money and thats what we want. Im not going to let clients walk all over me and screw me over but i will do everything humanly possible to make them happy.

 

In my business, word of mouth is 10 times more important than advertising. Probably 75% of our business is referrals. Im scared to death NOT to kiss the of every client that walks in because you never know. That woman walking in may be the most popular woman on the block and if i make her happy, she'll have 20 of her friends come and join up also. I make sure to make EVERY single person that comes in my business happy if its humanly possible. some people you cant but you still have to try.

 

Comics is VERY similar. You never know if that person is going to just shuffle thru your boxes for 2 hours and spend $2 or if he is a whale who is going to eventually buy a AF15 from you. Thats why imo, you should NEVER be waiting 8 days to return a phone call to a customer

[Mr.Diggler]

A pox on you and your JIM want-list!

[dzminn]

You know what I would like to see? One day, I would love for a dealer, any dealer, to come on the boards and post a list of all the customers he's never going to deal with again. You know, and list all the reasons why:

 

They put a comic on hold on Thursday and then came back on Sunday to tell me they bought the same from XYZ because it was cheaper.

 

They offered me $150 on a $400 comic.

 

They put a comic on hold and then never came back.

 

They spent twenty minutes telling me why they couldn't afford Poverty #1 in a CGC 9.8.

 

They asked for a discount on dollar books.

 

They just wanted to see it. They have one at home exactly like it and wanted to know what it was worth.

 

They smelled like azz.

 

They always ask me for a dealer badge, but then they always buy from someone else.

 

 

They ask for covers by Neal Adams, so you go and pull fifteen of them from your boxes, and then they don't buy any.

 

They pull fifteen books out from the box, inspect them all, and then leave - without putting the books back.

 

They stand in front of your booth talking, and never buy anything.

 

They say at show A "get me this book and I'll be sure to buy it" and then at show B when you have the book, they back off.

 

 

What a great list - and so very true.

 

Jamie has set up for years at Minnesota conventions. I have never bought from him, but he has bought from me. He seemed pleasant and professional to talk to, and I am a very tiny tadpole in the comic pond.

 

To the OP - please give FD a chance to help facilitate this (I do not know FD other than his board postings). I think the situation will be resolved and you can save yourself any additional time and/or grief over this matter.

 

 

[comicwiz]

I don't disagree that sense of entitlement and public mud-slinging can sometimes swing a lopsided advantage to the consumer, and there are certainly people who know how to game such a situation.

 

The OP posted a seriously fumbled customer service matter out in the open. Yes, there have been past issues with this dealer, and I agree that the handling of a matter is where a person earns their trust and reputation.

 

But... and this is a big but... this isn't a story of inflated sense of entitlement or high maintenance buyer.

 

This is a dealer who needs to own up to whatever gaps they have in their business to meet the customer at least at the halfway mark of the playing field.

 

This means owning up to the word you or your staff put out there.

 

Posting on your Facebook wall to every person, including the ants crawling by the hard-drive where your online profile is farmed doesn't jive with not being able to post an apology, a statement of correction, answering a call, or putting out the reputational fires YOURSELF.

 

Sorry, but I don't see how the OP makes the nuisance complainers list, and a misdirected public venting doesn't fit into the same discussion of giving a dealer, with OS advisor status no less, a free pass because they can't get their mess together and do a proper job of maintaining a boring, drama-free online resume.

[Comicopolis]

A pox on you and your JIM want-list!

 

Some sif would sort that pox out.

[ComicConnoisseur]

All true!

 

They ask for covers by Neal Adams, so you go and pull fifteen of them from your boxes, and then they don't buy any.

 

They pull fifteen books out from the box, inspect them all, and then leave - without putting the books back.

 

They stand in front of your booth talking, and never buy anything.

 

They say at show A "get me this book and I'll be sure to buy it" and then at show B when you have the book, they back off.

The reason is maybe because of the high prices. I went to this old school comic shop the other day in Ma and the dealer was asking 5 dollars per book for dollar fodder, then when we get to his 1960`s Detective Comics, and he was asking near mint prices for good and very good stuff. That probably is what happens, as they asked to see the Neal Adams stuff then look at the price, and then lose interest. What are you going to buy a very good Neal Adams book for $20 or fill your tank up with gas with that $20? Most sane people will go with the gas and leave the Neal Adams book with the dealer. This whole industry is killing the golden goose with its high prices from old school dealers to Diamond the middleman to Marvel and DC.

[hockey&comicsguy]

 

 

I didn't want you to miss the point of what I was saying. I wasn't saying you have to know him for decades to get service. I am saying the people that have extensive dealing with him over a long period of time seem to be imparting a certain pattern that, given the frequency and breadth of the experiences, would be more valuable than a one off experience here and there as a measure of the business.

 

 

I see what you're saying. But the very thing you're describing kind of makes it look like if you do a lot of business with Jamie, if you're local to him and in all likelihood he knows you, then you're probably going to get great service. On the other hand, if you're a nobody to him, well....good luck. So in a way you kind of are implying that you have to "know" him to get service.

 

 

Whereas I probably wouldn't be as upset as Mark about this situation there are some things that would annoy me:

 

1. If I agree to meet and exchange a book for you and then I can't make the meet. I would call the person to let them know I wasn't coming and save them any undue hassle if I could. Now maybe Jamie didn't have his number.

 

2. Staff not calling me back. I'm sorry there's no excuse after multiple calls. Does Jamie hire ing retards to run his shops for him? What kind of an employee fields multiple calls and either can't take any initiative to push the situation forward or even follow up with his employer to see if he's gotten back to the customer or if he himself should call the customer back and say "hey, Jamie's really busy or he's not in town but i've passed along the message and will follow up for you".

 

 

Essentially, all I have learned in this thread is that Jamie is a bit rough around the edges personality-wise and his employees suck camel dong at customer service.

 

Did I miss anything else?

 

 

just wanted to add that this wouldn't preclude me from doing business with Jamie. I like to have my own experiences to go off of.

 

That said, I haven't seen any evidence in this situation to make me think very highly of his staff.

[HeyMoe]

From all these posts I get the impression that dealers and buyers are human and make mistakes?

 

Tell me it ain't so???

 

 

 

 

[Mr.Diggler]

A pox on you and your JIM want-list!

 

Some sif would sort that pox out.

 

Secret Internet Fatty.

 

 

The SIF is quite adept at hiding his or her fat on the Internet. Usually a LiveJournal or MySpace user, they use Photoshop, high-constrast photos, and strategic camera angles to appear thinner.

[Jeffro.]

From all these posts I get the impression that dealers and buyers are human and make mistakes?

 

Tell me it ain't so???

 

You must be mortally offended when they make mistakes. You MUST!

[Hamlet]

Bingo. A business that can't call its customers back in a timely manner is not one I want to buy from.

 

I want to know that if I have an issue with an purchase, that it's going to get dealt with without my having to call them a dozen times, engage third parties, etc.

 

There are plenty of really good dealers out there. My comic budget is fairly limited, so I think sticking to the better dealers and avoiding the marginal ones is the way to go.

 

I've had very good experiences with all of the people that I've bought from here on the boards. Any issues I've had have been dealt with very well.

 

It's not really that complicated. Call your customers back when they leave you messages.

 

 

Seriously?? Your standards are THAT low?!?

 

What business are you in? When someone calls your business and says they want to spend money, you completely ignore them for at least 8 days? Thats the craziest thing ive ever heard.

 

Who the hell completely ignores customers for EIGHT days?!? A phone call takes literally 5 minutes. This guy has 30+ employees and no one can make a 5 minute phone call?? Your guys standards are amazingly low that you think 8 days is more than an acceptable amount of time to ignore ANY customer. I'd be out of business in 6 months if i blew off clients like that.

 

[Mark 1]

All true!

 

They ask for covers by Neal Adams, so you go and pull fifteen of them from your boxes, and then they don't buy any.

 

They pull fifteen books out from the box, inspect them all, and then leave - without putting the books back.

 

They stand in front of your booth talking, and never buy anything.

 

They say at show A "get me this book and I'll be sure to buy it" and then at show B when you have the book, they back off.

 

Yes, we all have to deal with people who waste our time.

 

I have spent hours up to weeks preparing proposals for prospective clients and they don't even call back to say no or thank you. It's the cost of doing business. Hopefully, with good customer service, interesting business offerings and a way to differentiate yourself from the competition you can obtain business from a percentage of those who come to you.

 

It's like any business. Some people will waste your time and not buy a thing. The difference is knowing that through the clutter of time wasters there will be that one client or customer who will be a great buyer of your services or offerings.

 

We can all complain about our jobs and who we have to deal with on it. That's not the point of my post. It's how the business operator deals with customers that matters and is the barometer for how successful your business will be in the future.

 

 

[HighRadArt]

Eight days to return a call is sad and there's really no excuse for not being curteous enough to return a call. It's also too bad that collectors have no one to blame but themselves for rude dealers and artist that no longer want to do sketches at cons. It's taken a lot of the "enjoyment" out of the hobby.

[DrWatson]

From all these posts I get the impression that dealers and buyers are human and make mistakes?

Mistakes aren't free these days. They're essentially money in the bank.

[lookwhoitis]

ravens being sent

 

Game of Thrones allusion...

 

2 points to you sir! I was going to say pigeon, but GoT came to mind and thought it would add a little "pizaz" to it

 

BTW "IndoorFoliageCapitoloftheWorld", from BC are you?

 

Actually, that is the nickname they call Apopka, Florida where i live. A small town in the suburbs of Orlando. They grow a lot of Indoor and outdoor plants here,

 

I have heard about the BC's bountiful flora though,

 

 

[joeypost]

If I may interject a thought here.

 

On these very boards we have a thread for bad transactions. The grace period that all selected was 30 days before outing a bad transaction. We all realise stuff happens in life and especially when money changes hands.

 

30 days, and if the transaction cannot be completed then the entire forum is warned by outing the the offending party.

 

There have been countless cases that were handled well within the 30 days. Those that remained chronic were made public, and rightly so.

 

I understand the frustration regarding a transaction that did not go the way you planned or expected but did you really try to go the extra mile to see it through? Was it a book that had color touch? Was there an issue with the book that was not disclosed? From what I read, it was a book purchased by you that you later found out you already owned. The fact Jamie was willing to work with you was a very generous offer.

 

People ask me to pick up stuff from their booth all the time. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I am only reminded when they call me a week or two later or the book arrives in the mail. While you book was important to you, in the grand scheme of things this may have been 1 of 500 things on Jamies mind. Does not make it right that he was not there, but it was not nefarious in nature.

 

Most of the larger dealers drive with their stock. Many take time off to enjoy the Florida sunshine after a show. There are many reasons that a call has not been returned by Jamie. The workers at the stores are a different story.

 

If I am to compare apples to apples. Board transaction to customer/dealer transaction I would say you still had 3 weeks left to hammer this out before outing Jamie.