New CGC Shipping Restrictions??? 2 2

[pjray55]

12 hours ago, GACollectibles said:

I would say your mileage using this method may vary depending on where you are and how helpful FedEx is, for me I've had no hassle "hold for pickups" except for the time I got sent to the wrong hub. So hopefully you would only have to use this method as a backup plan, and waiting an hour is better than your books getting sent back to CGC. 

But now you know what can be done to avoid this situation(changing ship to address), it should be smoother from here on out.

I don't disagree with you but the point is if there had been communication from CGC on the change I could have proactively addressed it and would have not found myself in this position. 

On it being smoother from here on out I think I have one more hurdle to get through and that's a sub that should pop next week.  So based on info in this post I can call and have the address changed and utilize the method you have recommended (which I will moving forward) but there is an uneasiness about giving an address change over the phone and having to hope that everything was taken down properly and the package ends up where it should.

Fingers crossed.

[F For Fake]

With most of the FedEx packages I receive, they make one delivery attempt, and before they can make the second attempt, I go to their site and have them hold it at a FedEx location. I used to always have them held at a FedEx/Kinkos, but recently they've started holding them at my local Walgreens. Back in the photo shop. That was...surprising. But whatever.

The only company I sometimes have issue with is Sideshow, but they are generally using UPS. When I attempt to have the package held at my UPS store, I have to actually call Sideshow and ask them to contact UPS on my behalf and have them remove the restriction so the store can hold the package. It's a pain, but at least it's an option.

And that's what burns me about this new setup, because it doesn't appear to leave the OPTION of having the restriction removed. If we, CGC's customer, call them and say we are willing to take the liability of having FedEx hold our package at a secure location, then they should abide by that. Offering no other choice is not_in_tune_with_social_norms crazy.

I dunno, I've got a stack of books I've been meaning to send out for about a year now, but with this change, and with what I keep reading about the inconsistent/super-tight grading, I'm thinking it just may not be worth the hassle anymore.

[MadGenius]

2 minutes ago, pjray55 said:

I don't disagree with you but the point is if there had been communication from CGC on the change I could have proactively addressed it and would have not found myself in this position. 

On it being smoother from here on out I think I have one more hurdle to get through and that's a sub that should pop next week.  So based on info in this post I can call and have the address changed and utilize the method you have recommended (which I will moving forward) but there is an uneasiness about giving an address change over the phone and having to hope that everything was taken down properly and the package ends up where it should.

Fingers crossed.

This exactly. We're now introducing a human element with the address change that could generate more issues. How do we know that the address will be updated and updated correctly in this scenario? We don't. We just have to hope everything works out okay.

[MadGenius]

2 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

With most of the FedEx packages I receive, they make one delivery attempt, and before they can make the second attempt, I go to their site and have them hold it at a FedEx location. I used to always have them held at a FedEx/Kinkos, but recently they've started holding them at my local Walgreens. Back in the photo shop. That was...surprising. But whatever.

The only company I sometimes have issue with is Sideshow, but they are generally using UPS. When I attempt to have the package held at my UPS store, I have to actually call Sideshow and ask them to contact UPS on my behalf and have them remove the restriction so the store can hold the package. It's a pain, but at least it's an option.

And that's what burns me about this new setup, because it doesn't appear to leave the OPTION of having the restriction removed. If we, CGC's customer, call them and say we are willing to take the liability of having FedEx hold our package at a secure location, then they should abide by that. Offering no other choice is not_in_tune_with_social_norms crazy.

I dunno, I've got a stack of books I've been meaning to send out for about a year now, but with this change, and with what I keep reading about the inconsistent/super-tight grading, I'm thinking it just may not be worth the hassle anymore.

 I agree. CGC keeps using "security" as the reason for this change. I would like a CGC official to explain why they know how to better take care of our books than we do. 

[GACollectibles]

15 minutes ago, pjray55 said:

I don't disagree with you but the point is if there had been communication from CGC on the change I could have proactively addressed it and would have not found myself in this position. 

On it being smoother from here on out I think I have one more hurdle to get through and that's a sub that should pop next week.  So based on info in this post I can call and have the address changed and utilize the method you have recommended (which I will moving forward) but there is an uneasiness about giving an address change over the phone and having to hope that everything was taken down properly and the package ends up where it should.

Fingers crossed.

Again, easily managed.  Don't do it via phone, get the customer service person's email and have a paper trail.  They may not even allow address change over the phone.

Edited July 26, 2018 by GACollectibles
changed controlled to managed

[pjray55]

1 hour ago, GACollectibles said:

Again, easily managed.  Don't do it via phone, get the customer service person's email and have a paper trail.  They may not even allow address change over the phone.

I will disagree with you on this.

A paper trail might and I emphasize might help if my books are lost or shipped somewhere they shouldn't be but personally I am not going into this thinking I am content because I could always fight to get reimbursed for the value of the books that are lost - I don't want nor do I need that aggravation especially when there was nothing previously broken in this process from my perspective. 

This is a new process for us and that means it is also a new process for their staff.  So to say eazy peazy just email them I feel is short sighted.  There are some great and I mean great customer service people within CGC but despite that I have still had some challenges on occasion (Barbara is amazing in accounting but try getting anything from Jose).  So I am supposed to think that even though CGC didn't not proactively address this change at all with their customers that they internally had meetings and worked through each step of what needs to happen to ensure nothing falls through the cracks?  Sorry but I don't share your confidence that this happened when there was zero outbound communication to begin with. 

[GACollectibles]

2 minutes ago, pjray55 said:

I will disagree with you on this.

A paper trail might and I emphasize might help if my books are lost or shipped somewhere they shouldn't be but personally I am not going into this thinking I am content because I could always fight to get reimbursed for the value of the books that are lost - I don't want nor do I need that aggravation especially when there was nothing previously broken in this process from my perspective. 

This is a new process for us and that means it is also a new process for their staff.  So to say eazy peazy just email them I feel is short sighted.  There are some great and I mean great customer service people within CGC but despite that I have still had some challenges on occasion (Barbara is amazing in accounting but try getting anything from Jose).  So I am supposed to think that even though CGC didn't not proactively address this change at all with their customers that they internally had meetings and worked through each step of what needs to happen to ensure nothing falls through the cracks?  Sorry but I don't share your confidence that this happened when there was zero outbound communication to begin with. 

My suggestion is far from short sighted or dismissive of your angst about the issue. I am making this recommendation after years, yes years, of having dealt with address changes through emails and NEVER had had a mis-shipment on CGC end. 

As with shipments through all carriers there is always the slight possibility of something going awry, and if that's what you have to focus on, great.  I have offered some time tested solutions for making this issue a non-issue.  Take from it what you want.

[pjray55]

1 minute ago, GACollectibles said:

My suggestion is far from short sighted or dismissive of your angst about the issue. I am making this recommendation after years, yes years, of having dealt with address changes through emails and NEVER had had a mis-shipment on CGC end. 

As with shipments through all carriers there is always the slight possibility of something going awry, and if that's what you have to focus on, great.  I have offered some time tested solutions for making this issue a non-issue.  Take from it what you want.

great, I am glad you are batting 1.000 with your customer service interactions and I hope nothing more than that continues for you and thanks for all of your time tested fool proof solutions; they are much appreciated. 

I saw first hand what could and did go awry with this new process at FedEx on Tuesday night so forgive me for not sharing your eternal optimism..

[GACollectibles]

2 minutes ago, pjray55 said:

great, I am glad you are batting 1.000 with your customer service interactions and I hope nothing more than that continues for you and thanks for all of your time tested fool proof solutions; they are much appreciated. 

 

You are welcome!

[Transplant]

Bumping this again for a stupid move on CGC's part. 

[Transplant]

Once again, CGC's silence is only leading to problems.  Here's what I learned today.

If you call CGC, the very nice ladies in customer service will tell you what they have been told to say.  That is, this restriction on rerouting packages is driven by UPS and Fedex.  They will tell you that it is a result of thefts across industries where people are somehow able to reroute packages and then steal them using a fake ID at the Fedex location.  They will also tell you CGC can't do anything about it. 

So I called Fedex to ask why my Fedex account would prohibit me, the owner of said account, from rerouting the package.  That is when Fedex told me that it was not Fedex, it's CGC.  See, when CGC creates the label using YOUR Fedex account number, CGC selects an option to prohibit the package from being rerouted.  Not Fedex.  Not you.  CGC does this.  Without your permission, I am guessing.  And wholly in conflict with the way that shipments have been done for years and years. 

If you call back to CGC, the very nice ladies in customer service will again tell you what they have been told to say.  That is, this restriction isn't CGC's doing.  Or maybe it was them and the delivery companies.  Or maybe, and I kid you not, it was for "proprietary reasons."  A secret, basically. 

When asked why, if I ship under my own account and with my own insurance, it should concern them one iota what happens to my package once it is deposited with the shipping company, the response may well be, I don't know.  They will also acknowledge that one may also choose to have the address changed directly to a Fedex location, where the package could just as easily be stolen via this huge problem of fake IDs run amok.  Never mind that though. 

I want to know, since there has been no public or private announcement about a change in shipping policy (about a month ago, apparently), if, when my package can't be rerouted and I continue to miss the driver and they ship it back to CGC, will I be refunded the charge to my Fedex account?  Will CGC ship it a new way for free? 

On a serious note, this is just dumb.  My Fedex account.  My insurance.  If Fedex allows me to route other packages to a hold location, why is CGC preventing me from doing so?  Why are they selecting the option that tells Fedex not to allow this? 

[MadGenius]

39 minutes ago, Transplant said:

Once again, CGC's silence is only leading to problems.  Here's what I learned today.

If you call CGC, the very nice ladies in customer service will tell you what they have been told to say.  That is, this restriction on rerouting packages is driven by UPS and Fedex.  They will tell you that it is a result of thefts across industries where people are somehow able to reroute packages and then steal them using a fake ID at the Fedex location.  They will also tell you CGC can't do anything about it. 

So I called Fedex to ask why my Fedex account would prohibit me, the owner of said account, from rerouting the package.  That is when Fedex told me that it was not Fedex, it's CGC.  See, when CGC creates the label using YOUR Fedex account number, CGC selects an option to prohibit the package from being rerouted.  Not Fedex.  Not you.  CGC does this.  Without your permission, I am guessing.  And wholly in conflict with the way that shipments have been done for years and years. 

If you call back to CGC, the very nice ladies in customer service will again tell you what they have been told to say.  That is, this restriction isn't CGC's doing.  Or maybe it was them and the delivery companies.  Or maybe, and I kid you not, it was for "proprietary reasons."  A secret, basically. 

When asked why, if I ship under my own account and with my own insurance, it should concern them one iota what happens to my package once it is deposited with the shipping company, the response may well be, I don't know.  They will also acknowledge that one may also choose to have the address changed directly to a Fedex location, where the package could just as easily be stolen via this huge problem of fake IDs run amok.  Never mind that though. 

I want to know, since there has been no public or private announcement about a change in shipping policy (about a month ago, apparently), if, when my package can't be rerouted and I continue to miss the driver and they ship it back to CGC, will I be refunded the charge to my Fedex account?  Will CGC ship it a new way for free? 

On a serious note, this is just dumb.  My Fedex account.  My insurance.  If Fedex allows me to route other packages to a hold location, why is CGC preventing me from doing so?  Why are they selecting the option that tells Fedex not to allow this? 

Yep. Folks, don't give up on this. This is a dumb restriction and makes no logical sense.

[grail_raider]

 this BS.  I have to drive 60 miles to the distribution warehouse to pick up my package.  FedEx absolutely refuse to hold it at their location down the street from my house due to CGC’s restriction.   

CBCS is looking better and better with each passing day. 

Edited July 30, 2018 by sLiver

[Moetown]

I just discovered this lovely change earlier as I had a large shipment of books delivered around 1:00-pm this afternoon (that I tried to unsuccessfully re-route multiple times prior to).  Bottom line: Fed-Ex left the box of books on my uncovered porch with no signature and they just sat there for hours while I worked and eventually came home and retrieved them around 6:00-pm.  I'm glad it didn't rain today as it was a quite expensive batch of books (B&B 28; Batman 121; Strange Tales 110; ASM 300; Harbinger 1; Showcase 8; Adventure Comics 247; Action Comics 242; Superboy 68; etc...). 

CGC can get the 'no re-routing' part right but I would rather they get the delivery signature confirmation correct as I avoided a big headache earlier today...  AND...  If I was able to re-route to a local Fed-Ex facility like I wanted, my package would have been safe and sound even if it rained, just like I wanted it! 

I'm guessing it will take something terrible to happen for CGC to re-evaluate this nonsensical policy.

 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

4 hours ago, sLiver said:

CBCS is looking better and better with each passing day. 

As problematic as CGC can be, they are light years beyond the PGX+ service that CBCS is. 

[RockMyAmadeus]

The answer, as mentioned before, is to continue to make noise about this until they fix things. It's arbitrary, and an unnecessary hassle. Continue to write to CGC about it. 

Spoiler

 

It's much like the "we can't give out grades if the books aren't submitted under your account" policy. It's ludicrous. If you have:

1. The invoice number

2. The name of the account holder

3. The account number of the account holder

4. All the other information of the account

5. The information about the books themselves

...then it's likely that you are, in fact, in possession of the green invoice copy, and are an authorized person to get grades...unless there's a ring of green invoice thieves operating out there to get grade information that anyone can access with a dealer account after they've shipped anyways (yes, you can see ALL the grades on ANY invoice, if you simply input the invoice number and item number from a single known serial number, i.e. I know "9998274001" (made up number), and I can get the rest of the books on that invoice by simply putting "002" or "013"...up to "030"...in the correct field.)

I've been told, twice in recent weeks, that they could only "e-mail" the grades to the account holder...which, in this case, is the facilitator...but facilitators are usually busy with more important things than getting me my grades.

These aren't state secrets, after all.

When it happens, I usually just hang up and call again...get somebody else in customer service who doesn't act like I'm trying to steal someone's identity just because I want grades. Usually, someone else doesn't grill me and then tell me I can't have them.

Consistency is key.

 

 

[Bomber-Bob]

11 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

As problematic as CGC can be, they are light years beyond the PGX+ service that CBCS is. 

As much as I agree with your statement, it sounds like CGC is getting back to their old, arrogant, pre-competition ways. The fact that CGC did not give a heads up on this change is inexcusable.  I think CGC needs to see comments like 'CBCS is looking better' to keep them thinking. Jumping on CGC's bandwagon in this thread isn't accomplishing anything. Sorry.

[RockMyAmadeus]

1 minute ago, Bomber-Bob said:

As much as I agree with your statement, it sounds like CGC is getting back to their old, arrogant, pre-competition ways. The fact that CGC did not give a heads up on this change is inexcusable.  I think CGC needs to see comments like 'CBCS is looking better' to keep them thinking. Jumping on CGC's bandwagon in this thread isn't accomplishing anything. Sorry.

I think CGC needs legitimate competition, which they do not have. They are in their "post-competition" ways. CGC is well aware that CBCS' chance to be that competition was totally squandered. Seeing "CBCS is looking better" doesn't phase them now in the slightest...nor should it.

The only other option is to make your complaints known, and continue to make them known until and if something changes. That is hardly engendering warm, fuzzy feelings from CGC. Who is "jumping on CGC's bandwagon"...?

 

[Bomber-Bob]

2 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

I think CGC needs legitimate competition, which they do not have. They are in their "post-competition" ways. CGC is well aware that CBCS' chance to be that competition was totally squandered. Seeing "CBCS is looking better" doesn't phase them now in the slightest...nor should it.

The only other option is to make your complaints known, and continue to make them known until and if something changes. That is hardly engendering warm, fuzzy feelings from CGC. Who is "jumping on CGC's bandwagon"...?

 

I believe most of the posters in this thread have called and complained to CGC, to no avail. RMA, I am not disagreeing with you at all. You are correct. However, I just don't think the people in this thread appreciate such comments. They are legitimately mad at CGC. Out of respect/comraderie let them throw out the CBCS name without comment. I also don't think any back and forth from the two of us is helping anybody. You statement was correct, I just thought it better not say it. Okay ? Peace. Love. Comics. Let's not argue. Thank you in advance.

[RockMyAmadeus]

12 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I believe most of the posters in this thread have called and complained to CGC, to no avail. RMA, I am not disagreeing with you at all. You are correct. However, I just don't think the people in this thread appreciate such comments. They are legitimately mad at CGC. Out of respect/comraderie let them throw out the CBCS name without comment. I also don't think any back and forth from the two of us is helping anybody. You statement was correct, I just thought it better not say it. Okay ? Peace. Love. Comics. Let's not argue. Thank you in advance.

You don't stop complaining just because you don't get the results you're looking for. Your comments here are bizarre. How you get "people don't appreciate such comments" from "As problematic as CGC can be, they are light years beyond the PGX+ service that CBCS is", is beyond me. My comment wasn't a "what are you talking about, CGC is perfect!", as you make it seem.

Maybe dial it back a bit. If you were concerned about "back and forth", you're perfectly capable of sending a PM, rather than issuing a direct challenge publicly.