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

[Yanell45-migration]

I was there at the Miami convention. I saw him on Friday and let me put it this way, I got better customer service from Rich Muchin with Tomorrow's Treasures than Jamie. I asked him to see a couple of books and he seemed like he didnt want to be bothered. He was just sitting there talking to Greg White and grading some books.

[comix4fun]

Jamie is local with multiple stores in the Chicagoland area. I have known him for 20 years. Jamie has always been a little gruff, barks at his employees, sometimes barks at customers including me on occasion. However, his bark is worse than his bite and he is an honest dealer. It doesn't surprise me that the employees at the store knew nothing of his plans. I am 100% sure he will make it right with you if you give him the opportunity.

BTW, I think you have every right to be upset and be annoyed. I know I would be. However, if you want the situation to be rectified, just contact Jamie. He'll make it right.

 

Tell me how to do that? For a business owner, he doesn't seem to get messages from him employees? He doesn't check vmail? He doesn't care about customer messages? Seems I've run out of options besides flying to Chicago to pay him a visit.

 

 

The employee you refer to as 'angry John' is probably John Robinson. John is a partner in the business and is very pleasant to deal with. John should be able to advise or take care of you without getting Jamie's approval.

So..... instead of asking to have Jamie call you I would just work through John.

 

 

Angry John and John Robinson are not the same person.

[sufunk]

In Mark 1's defense, I'm getting exactly what he's angry about and think he's justified. Bottom line is...

 

1) He admits he goofed and he bought a dupicate.

 

2) He calls the shop and asks if he can exchange it.

 

3) The shop calls JG and then calls Mark 1 back saying "NO PROBLEM."

 

4) Mark 1 travels to do the approved exchange.

 

5) Nobody shows up to meet him.

 

That's all I'm gonna comment on because I've had no transactions with GCC.

 

 

+1

 

Look, imdont know this guy from a hole in the wall but everything mark has said, long time people are laughing and saying basically "yep, that's jamies MO".

 

If he gave a turd about customer service or his customers, he would have said to mark "look, I may not be here tomorrow. If I'm not call my store and I'll get back to you. It may take me a while cus I suck at getting back to people but don't worry we'll take care of this". I'd have no problem with that and I doubt mark would.

 

What is NOT ok with me is to tell me you'll be there tomorrow when you apparently have a decent idea you won't and then not returning multiple calls. That's not cool (thumbs u

 

Jesus! Just have some lackey call mark and say Jamie is busy for awhile but he or someone else is going to take care of you just be patient. Is that so hard?!?

 

It truly amazes me how low some peoples standards are but again I guess I must have really high standards

[oakman29]

I will just stay out of this,but have had a problem with Jaime Graham.I have'nt bought from him since.

[mschmidt]

In Mark 1's defense, I'm getting exactly what he's angry about and think he's justified. Bottom line is...

 

1) He admits he goofed and he bought a dupicate.

 

2) He calls the shop and asks if he can exchange it.

 

3) The shop calls JG and then calls Mark 1 back saying "NO PROBLEM."

 

4) Mark 1 travels to do the approved exchange.

 

5) Nobody shows up to meet him.

 

That's all I'm gonna comment on because I've had no transactions with GCC.

 

 

Nobody's saying that this was an example of good customer service.

 

Calling this "shady" behavior, though, is ludicrous as it implies that Jamie was intentionally trying to defraud Mike or that Jamie left the show early with the sole purpose of avoiding Mike's return - neither of which have any bearing in reality.

 

I'm not a big buyer by any stretch of the imagination, but I've dealt with Jamie on & off for the past 5 years and he's as honest as they come - he's not known for his warm & fuzzy personality, but he's always been straight with me, and claiming that he treats everyone with disrespect or that he knowingly sells restored books as unrestored is beyond stupid.

[mschmidt]

What is NOT ok with me is to tell me you'll be there tomorrow when you apparently have a decent idea you won't and then not returning multiple calls. That's not cool (thumbs u

 

Which is absolute & utter speculation on your part with zero basis in reality. But, hey, give Jamie a call - I'm sure he'll let you manage his calendar from now on :thumbsup:

[FlyingDonut]

i think its the inks but it seems like 99.9 percent of the people who own comic shops or even work in comic shops are dix. most shops i have been in.

This is something I can deal with. What I can't deal with is undisclosed restoration. I feel that this is a form of dishonesty. From what I have heard, Jamie is an honest dealer.

 

Did you see the thread where he sold a TOS 39 that was trimmed to a fellow boardie? It took the boardie a month to reach Jamie even after leaving tons of messages...still not a word from Jamie....only after the boardie posted on this forum did the issue get resolved. I also think I recall another boardie also saying they bought a trimmed comic from Graham.

 

 

I fixed the Tales of Suspense 39 problem for the board member with two phone calls, and there were no issues either way. Jamie is - I'm quite sure - on the road. If you'd like me to fix your problem as well, stop being a person_who_is_obnoxiously_self-impressed about it, send me the information, and it'll get done.

[Monkeyman]

In Mark 1's defense, I'm getting exactly what he's angry about and think he's justified. Bottom line is...

 

1) He admits he goofed and he bought a dupicate.

 

2) He calls the shop and asks if he can exchange it.

 

3) The shop calls JG and then calls Mark 1 back saying "NO PROBLEM."

 

4) Mark 1 travels to do the approved exchange.

 

5) Nobody shows up to meet him.

 

That's all I'm gonna comment on because I've had no transactions with GCC.

 

 

Nobody's saying that this was an example of good customer service.

 

Calling this "shady" behavior, though, is ludicrous as it implies that Jamie was intentionally trying to defraud Mike or that Jamie left the show early with the sole purpose of avoiding Mike's return - neither of which have any bearing in reality.

 

I'm not a big buyer by any stretch of the imagination, but I've dealt with Jamie on & off for the past 5 years and he's as honest as they come - he's not known for his warm & fuzzy personality, but he's always been straight with me, and claiming that he treats everyone with disrespect or that he knowingly sells restored books as unrestored is beyond stupid.

 

I agree that shady was not a good word as it implies an intent to defraud or do something illegal. This sounds like a simple case of bad service.

[Mark 1]

 

How many dealers at a convention would agree to take a return for no other reason than buyer mistake?

 

Although the OP was inconvenienced, the willingness to take a return on a convention purchase that was a restoration/hidden defect issue is pretty remarkable.

 

To impute some dishonesty to the mix is uncalled for, frankly. Most dealers at a convention would have said "No thanks" to someone asking for a refund or exchange the same day a book is purchased. This is a pain in the transaction, not a shady one.

 

 

If they had said No, sorry we can't take it back at least I would have known where they stood and I didn't have to drive 70 miles round trip to find out it wasn't happening anyway.

 

You guys can toot his horn all you want. I've run this story by many people with rational thoughts and they all agree this was poor business practices and was uncalled for. If he had an ounce of integrity he would have called me just to say, hey man, sorry I missed you in Florida...but we can work something out.

 

Did you also see where I said I offered to buy more comics when I got there? Also when I left messages with the store I gave the guy my want list for JIMs. Still no call back.

 

If that doesn't seem unreasonable...well I guess we don't see eye to eye.

 

 

 

 

[sufunk]

What is NOT ok with me is to tell me you'll be there tomorrow when you apparently have a decent idea you won't and then not returning multiple calls. That's not cool (thumbs u

 

Which is absolute & utter speculation on your part with zero basis in reality. But, hey, give Jamie a call - I'm sure he'll let you manage his calendar from now on :thumbsup:

 

Transplant said he immediately knew who this was from the description and that he "has an affinity for not showing up the last day of a show".

 

Is that not true?

 

Side note- it is interesting that most people who haven't filled out their location with "Illinois" agree with mark while those with Illinois as their location think he's being a person_who_is_obnoxiously_self-impressed and jamies a good guy

[Monkeyman]

I guess that people who don't mind being treated with disrespect should continue dealing with Jamie. For me, I'm glad this topic was posted and that the other links where included so now I know to avoid him. It's all about have the info to make your own decisions.

 

Mike

Just out of curiosity, and you of course can decline to answer as it really isn't any of my business, but how often did you do business with Graham Crackers Comics before reading any of these threads?

 

I have never done business with GC, although they were on my list to try out either on-line or at a show. Now, since there are so many other dealers I also haven't tried yet, I'll just drop him from the list. I wouldn't do that if the OP was the only one complaining, but in this case there are many complaints. Where there is smoke there is usually fire. Does that make me quick to judge and overly swayed by other people's unsubstantiated complaints, maybe, but I have to pick and choose who to deal with somehow.

[TheLiamSturgess]

I must admit I only read the title and the first few pages of the thread, but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in about Graham Crackers...

 

I spoke to a boardie at the Graham Crackers booth and a guy who I can only assume was Jamie was there, and when the topic of me being on the boards came up, he took one look at me and shook his head. I tried to make light of the situation, but he really didn't seem to want to be friendly.

 

No real bad situation here, he just seemed a little cold to me :shrug:

[sufunk]

In Mark 1's defense, I'm getting exactly what he's angry about and think he's justified. Bottom line is...

 

1) He admits he goofed and he bought a dupicate.

 

2) He calls the shop and asks if he can exchange it.

 

3) The shop calls JG and then calls Mark 1 back saying "NO PROBLEM."

 

4) Mark 1 travels to do the approved exchange.

 

5) Nobody shows up to meet him.

 

That's all I'm gonna comment on because I've had no transactions with GCC.

 

 

Nobody's saying that this was an example of good customer service.

 

Calling this "shady" behavior, though, is ludicrous as it implies that Jamie was intentionally trying to defraud Mike or that Jamie left the show early with the sole purpose of avoiding Mike's return - neither of which have any bearing in reality.

 

I'm not a big buyer by any stretch of the imagination, but I've dealt with Jamie on & off for the past 5 years and he's as honest as they come - he's not known for his warm & fuzzy personality, but he's always been straight with me, and claiming that he treats everyone with disrespect or that he knowingly sells restored books as unrestored is beyond stupid.

 

I agree that shady was not a good word as it implies an intent to defraud or do something illegal. This sounds like a simple case of bad service.

 

 

I could be wrong(I'm not Re reading this whole thing!) but I don't think mark used the word shady until he did a search and read multiple accusations of selling trimmed books (thumbs u

[VintageComics]

What is NOT ok with me is to tell me you'll be there tomorrow when you apparently have a decent idea you won't and then not returning multiple calls. That's not cool (thumbs u

 

Which is absolute & utter speculation on your part with zero basis in reality. But, hey, give Jamie a call - I'm sure he'll let you manage his calendar from now on :thumbsup:

 

Transplant said he immediately knew who this was from the description and that he "has an affinity for not showing up the last day of a show".

 

Is that not true?

 

Jamie has been there to the end of every show I have been at for the last 3 years. I've had plenty of dealings with him and never a negative one, but then I am pretty forgiving and really don't get offended by his demeanour. It's part of his charm. His personal voice mail makes me laugh every time I hear it. Everybody is different.

 

From what I understand the Florida con was a bust for vintage dealers and it's not uncommon for any show that doesn't do well to have dealers give up on the show early.

 

I'm not saying that's OK, but we're all human and there can be a myriad of reasons why Jamie (or anyone) is not at a show.

 

If you feel strongly about it I'd call the store tomorrow, voice your complaint and get it resolved.

 

 

 

(thumbs u

[sufunk]

Agreed Roy. I'm buddies with the owner of the biggest store in fort lauderdale and he told me that everyone said the show was a bust and no one was selling any big ticket books. Between that and transplants comment, which no one refuted btw, it seems pretty likely that he had at least some idea that he was cutting his losses and not coming back the last day

[Thanos71]

I see it as: 1) Bad Customer Service, 2) Poor Communication. That right there are my first two requirments before I spend money on comics from any dealer (or actually the opposite of that). And, it's absolutely a deal breaker - nobody has anything I need that bad, that I'm willing to put up with it.

 

Whether there was intent to blow you off the last day of the Con, really is unclear. There may have been a miscommunication, he could have just forgot, had a change in plans, whatever. In any case, your time was wasted by driving back up there the next day.

 

On the topic of Trimmed books, imo, it's unethical to sell them if you know they have been trimmed, but sell them as unrestored or without disclosing that info. If you say it's been trimmed, then that's obviously ok, and if it's an honest mistake, something you missed, then that's in a completelty different category. But, deniability will only go so far. Saying, "I did'nt know it was trimmed," will only work a few times, before the dealer gets a rep for doing that on lots of books.

 

I would avoid based on the customer service alone, and would not call their service "shady," just that they don't seem to care about keeping your business, or that return phone calls are something customers deserve.

[thirdgreenham]

Treated you poorly and unprofessionally, yes.

 

Shady? Not seeing it.

[TheLiamSturgess]

+1 Nothing shady here. Either blatantly rude, or blatantly accidental.

[Mark 1]

I've yet to meet anyone in this hobby who treats their customers worse.

How long have you been collecting exactly?

 

First of all you bought the book so he doesn't owe you a refund based on your mistake. Yeah it sucks he doesn't return calls but what's his incentive?

 

Now, I admit if I'd had a similar experience I would also be bummed. I just think I'd be a lot less shocked than you seem.

 

You don't read...for you i will repeat again...I gave them my want list of expensive early JIMs and said I would buy more if they would apply the credit of the comic.

 

Some of you amaze me.

 

He is guilty of horrible customer service, a lack of caring about customers...and questionable business practices for not calling me back or his store not calling me back...after telling me I could exchange it.

 

What he failed to care about is I buy a lot of stuff. He might have known this when he was sitting with Doug Schmell...Doug asked me about my TOS run and if I completed it. You'd think a guy with a business in this economy would perk up and think "this guy might have some money to spend...perhaps I should call him".

 

And if by chance Jamie didn't know I called his store multiple times how is it any excuse that his staff ignore customers?

 

 

[FlyingDonut]

I've yet to meet anyone in this hobby who treats their customers worse.

How long have you been collecting exactly?

 

First of all you bought the book so he doesn't owe you a refund based on your mistake. Yeah it sucks he doesn't return calls but what's his incentive?

 

Now, I admit if I'd had a similar experience I would also be bummed. I just think I'd be a lot less shocked than you seem.

 

You don't read...for you i will repeat again...I gave them my want list of expensive early JIMs and said I would buy more if they would apply the credit of the comic.

 

Some of you amaze me.

 

He is guilty of horrible customer service, a lack of caring about customers...and questionable business practices for not calling me back or his store not calling me back...after telling me I could exchange it.

 

What he failed to care about is I buy a lot of stuff. He might have known this when he was sitting with Doug Schmell...Doug asked me about my TOS run and if I completed it. You'd think a guy with a business in this economy would perk up and think "this guy might have some money to spend...perhaps I should call him".

 

And if by chance Jamie didn't know I called his store multiple times how is it any excuse that his staff ignore customers?

 

 

He doesn't care about you or what you're buying.

 

 

Again, I can - without much work - get your refund back. It won't be a big deal.