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

[DrWatson]

[VintageComics]

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.

 

That's a great post. There are so many human factors involved.

 

(thumbs u

[lookwhoitis]

Aiight.

 

This witch is crispy.

 

Wheel out the next one...

[sufunk]

Well, id say no matter what human factors are involved, after 4 phone calls you should get a return call before 8 days have elapsed from either Jamie or one of his 30+ employees. Even if its just a "jamies, sick, on vacation, busy etc but he knows about this and will get back to you when he can". Even that would usually smooth the situation and the person would be willing to wait longer. Being completely ignored and having no one call you back even for 8 days isnt acceptable in my book.

 

I probably wouldnt even wait 8 days but after 30 days?!? No question whatsoever ive have taken my business elsewhere and would not even consider doing business with someone who waited 30 days to get back to me.

[Doc Joe]

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.

 

That's a great post. There are so many human factors involved.

 

(thumbs u

 

Its a good point Joey, a lot of stuff gets resolved with time and there can be misunderstandings or emergencies that occur that we have no idea about.

 

still; I must say I don't buy from him either..numerous reasons...but in a way I'm glad he turns up at the local show to give it some vague credibility.

 

Joe

[Doc Joe]

And while I am at it...just want to give a shout out to Doug Schmell for some nice customer service recently...thanks Doug.

[DrWatson]

And while I am at it...just want to give a shout out to Doug Schmell for some nice customer service recently...thanks Doug.

That should set us up for another 20 pages.

[joeypost]

Well, id say no matter what human factors are involved, after 4 phone calls you should get a return call before 8 days have elapsed from either Jamie or one of his 30+ employees. Even if its just a "jamies, sick, on vacation, busy etc but he knows about this and will get back to you when he can". Even that would usually smooth the situation and the person would be willing to wait longer. Being completely ignored and having no one call you back even for 8 days isnt acceptable in my book.

 

I probably wouldnt even wait 8 days but after 30 days?!? No question whatsoever ive have taken my business elsewhere and would not even consider doing business with someone who waited 30 days to get back to me.

 

And that is well within your rights. But on these boards we have a dedicated forum for complaints and guidelines. For me, I make up my mind much earlier then 30 days wether or not I will deal with a person after a deal that sours. I still wait the agreed upon 30 days to out them since a lot can happen in the meantime. Even if the issue is resolved to my satisfaction i still have the right not to do future business with that individual in the future.

[comicdonna]

 

And Yes, I know. Staring at insanely hot women in yoga pants 75 hours A week is extremely tough work!

 

Actually, it kind of is when you're married

Didn't you post a pic of your wife once? If so, and if it's the picture i'm thinking of, I just wanted to say congratulations.

 

[DawgPhan]

Customer service only matters if you are after commodity type books. When high demand/low supply books are the thing you are after, you can forget customer service.

 

Dealers have something that you want, comics. Everyone has money. They are the only ones with "that" book. Customer service only matters when you can go somewhere else and get the same thing. When you can't, you deal with the person who has what you want.

 

This isnt to say that high end dealers dont provide customer service, but for the most part they do so because they want to, not because they have to keep your business.

 

[boomtown]

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.

 

I'm not sure I would hold a guy selling comics in his free time to the same standards as one of the largest retailers in the comic industry. Most of the sellers here on the boards have day jobs that could delay a transaction. I understand Jamie has a day job also, I'm assuming selling comics wouldn't get in the way of his day to day operations.

 

Even without this current situation, there are more than enough stories out there for people to form their own opinions. Really, most board members would be crucified if they had sold a high dollar trimmed book & proceeded to ignore the buyer for 3 months. Thankfully Donut is around these days to clean up his messes.

[Boozad]

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.

 

Go and read Larry Doherty's posts in Modern. Then you'll realise it wasn't an analogy, and that Watson's wish came true ten months ago.

[comix4fun]

Well, id say no matter what human factors are involved, after 4 phone calls you should get a return call before 8 days have elapsed from either Jamie or one of his 30+ employees. Even if its just a "jamies, sick, on vacation, busy etc but he knows about this and will get back to you when he can". Even that would usually smooth the situation and the person would be willing to wait longer. Being completely ignored and having no one call you back even for 8 days isnt acceptable in my book.

 

I probably wouldnt even wait 8 days but after 30 days?!? No question whatsoever ive have taken my business elsewhere and would not even consider doing business with someone who waited 30 days to get back to me.

 

 

 

8 days is an exaggeration.

 

If we are talking about Super Con which ran from July 1-4 in Miami, then it's not 8 days.

 

The show ended July 4th, the calls started coming July 5th. Jamie was most likely somewhere between Georgia and Kentucky on the 5th, . It's almost 1500 miles back to Chicago so it's not like he teleported back.

 

So if he's back in town on the 6th, he probably made it back in time to get his order of new books to have them distributed to his 9 stores for Thursday the 7th.

 

It's more like 5 days from when he got back into town to the time this got posted here, which isn't ideal, but given the vitriol of this thread it doesn't need any exaggeration and hyperbole helping it along.

 

 

[tortoise]

Ok, I don't understand what's going on here. The issue between Mark1 and GC is minor, I agree with that. However, I don't think Mark 1 would have been so eager to "out" GC had this been an isolated incident. GC has been involved in numerous bad transactions with board members, Including two very recent ones(this issue included). I myself, have been treated very rudely by his staff at a show. It seems obvious to me that GC has terrible customer service skills, and either doesn't know how to handle a problem, or simply doesn't care.

 

I don't understand...

1) why Mark1 is having to defend himself more then GC

2) why GC isn't on a buyer beware list of some sort along with the Robojo's of the hobby (not the P-list considering it's not a board transaction)

3) why people buy from GC at all.

 

Now, I have no buying experience at all with GC, but as a buyer, after reading what I've read, hearing what I've heard, and being of sound mind. I'd feel pretty foolish even considering making a purchase from GC.

 

[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.

 

Go and read Larry Doherty's posts in Modern. Then you'll realise it wasn't an analogy, and that Watson's wish came true ten months ago.

I like Larry. <3

[Timmay]

Who's the second dealer?

[DrWatson]

Who's the second dealer?

It hasn't been mentioned yet.

[sufunk]

Well, id say no matter what human factors are involved, after 4 phone calls you should get a return call before 8 days have elapsed from either Jamie or one of his 30+ employees. Even if its just a "jamies, sick, on vacation, busy etc but he knows about this and will get back to you when he can". Even that would usually smooth the situation and the person would be willing to wait longer. Being completely ignored and having no one call you back even for 8 days isnt acceptable in my book.

 

I probably wouldnt even wait 8 days but after 30 days?!? No question whatsoever ive have taken my business elsewhere and would not even consider doing business with someone who waited 30 days to get back to me.

 

 

 

8 days is an exaggeration.

 

If we are talking about Super Con which ran from July 1-4 in Miami, then it's not 8 days.

 

The show ended July 4th, the calls started coming July 5th. Jamie was most likely somewhere between Georgia and Kentucky on the 5th, . It's almost 1500 miles back to Chicago so it's not like he teleported back.

 

So if he's back in town on the 6th, he probably made it back in time to get his order of new books to have them distributed to his 9 stores for Thursday the 7th.

 

It's more like 5 days from when he got back into town to the time this got posted here, which isn't ideal, but given the vitriol of this thread it doesn't need any exaggeration and hyperbole helping it along.

 

 

About the only thing you forgot was to add 3 more days for your buddy to scratch his and wander the internet after the show

 

He was back in town by the 6th at the latest most likely. If it took longer than that, he needs driving lessons in addition to customer service lessons.

 

I dont know about you, but the very 1st thing i(and pretty much EVERY other business owner i know) do when they get back into town is CHECK THEIR MESSAGES. Really, i dont understand how this is even an argument. Lets take mark at his word and assume he is telling the truth that he was talking about buying a freaking JIM 83 with jamie, is there ANY dealer/seller here that wouldnt almost immediately get back to someone whos talking about buying a JIM 83?!?

 

If this was a Batman 680 for $3, id still think its bad customer service to not have SOMEONE call back within 8 days, 5 days, any more than 2-3 days at the absolute most. When you're talking a JIM 83, you need to have your head examined if you are making that customer sit around and wait AT LEAST 5 days without hearing so much as a peep.

 

Again, i guess i have high standards cus never would i make a client wait even1 entire day much less 5.

[VintageComics]

Well, id say no matter what human factors are involved, after 4 phone calls you should get a return call before 8 days have elapsed from either Jamie or one of his 30+ employees. Even if its just a "jamies, sick, on vacation, busy etc but he knows about this and will get back to you when he can". Even that would usually smooth the situation and the person would be willing to wait longer. Being completely ignored and having no one call you back even for 8 days isnt acceptable in my book.

 

I probably wouldnt even wait 8 days but after 30 days?!? No question whatsoever ive have taken my business elsewhere and would not even consider doing business with someone who waited 30 days to get back to me.

 

 

 

8 days is an exaggeration.

 

If we are talking about Super Con which ran from July 1-4 in Miami, then it's not 8 days.

 

The show ended July 4th, the calls started coming July 5th. Jamie was most likely somewhere between Georgia and Kentucky on the 5th, . It's almost 1500 miles back to Chicago so it's not like he teleported back.

 

So if he's back in town on the 6th, he probably made it back in time to get his order of new books to have them distributed to his 9 stores for Thursday the 7th.

 

It's more like 5 days from when he got back into town to the time this got posted here, which isn't ideal, but given the vitriol of this thread it doesn't need any exaggeration and hyperbole helping it along.

 

 

I realize that many businesses are internet based, have 1-800 numbers and are international in scope but I also think it's fair to allow down time on weekends.

 

From what we know, Mark has a solid gripe but if it was me I'd have been a bit more patient or maybe a bit more persistent while on the phone, rather than air it out here so quickly.

 

It just helps things move along more peacefully.

 

And the next time you see Jamie acting all gruff and grumpy, take a quick glance back. He often has a little smile cracking out if you let it happen.

 

[sufunk]

 

And Yes, I know. Staring at insanely hot women in yoga pants 75 hours A week is extremely tough work!

 

Actually, it kind of is when you're married

Didn't you post a pic of your wife once? If so, and if it's the picture i'm thinking of, I just wanted to say congratulations.

 

yes, and Thank you (thumbs u