When does the $150 CGC Credit appear in my account? 1 1

[BogDust]

I opened a new Premium account today and identified 9 comics for grading. The membership comes with $150 credit, which can be applied to grading. At checkout, there is no option to apply the credit. Any suggestions? Do I need to wait a day for the credit to show up somewhere in my account?

[Lightning55]

If you just do a search for previous posts about this, which there are many, you will find your answer. Many threads will show up, but you can scan through the titles to find one that is most relevant.  Type "$150 credit" into the Search box at the top of the page. 

Best to search before posting.  You'll likely get your answer sooner.

[greggy]

On 8/1/2021 at 1:21 PM, BogDust said:

I opened a new Premium account today and identified 9 comics for grading. The membership comes with $150 credit, which can be applied to grading. At checkout, there is no option to apply the credit. Any suggestions? Do I need to wait a day for the credit to show up somewhere in my account?

They are supposed to deduct it when you charge your first order.

They have done it correctly the last few years I've signed up but there have been instances where it's been missed initially and had to be fixed. 

[BogDust]

Interesting...lots of people with the same issue after searching on $150 credit. Some posters unhappy with lack of response to emails. I'm calling the 800 number before submitting my order.

[Lightning55]

On 8/2/2021 at 6:18 PM, BogDust said:

Interesting...lots of people with the same issue after searching on $150 credit. Some posters unhappy with lack of response to emails. I'm calling the 800 number before submitting my order.

Almost everyone has a similar reaction to the credit - where is it???  Why can't I see my financial account???  Did I do something wrong that it didn't post???  They could do it better, with more transparency, but they won't.

CGC doesn't proactively make you aware of how your credit will not show up right away, or anywhere, or ever, or guide you on how to proceed timidly through the order process without the security of seeing your credit.  It has been like that since day 1, probably.  If you call customer service, all they are going to do is reassure you that the credit will be applied.  Almost all the time it works out just fine, so it may be a wasted call. 

Out of the tens of thousands of memberships they have sold over the years, you will see some posts about how it went wrong.  If there are a dozen threads about how it got messed up, you're overlooking the half a million that went right along correctly.  You have to trust them to get it right, but not all of us are in the habit of blindly trusting large companies with our money.  It's a leap of faith.

The credit is applied at the time they charge your credit card for the submission, so it could be months from now.  Or if you are paying by check, you can send $150 less.  There are times where the credit doesn't get applied, and then that's when you have to call.  They'll fix it.

When a business has the good fortune to get a new customer, this is the time you want them to have a great experience, right out of the gate.  CGC does not subscribe to that method.  They make it foggy, ambiguous, mysterious.  You have no idea if you did it right, if everything went through as it should.  It's not a warm and fuzzy feeling.  Sure, it's a complicated process, but they could make it more user-friendly.

And you will never see a periodic statement, just invoicing or cc charge acknowledgements, even if  you send in orders weekly.  You have to call accounting to specifically request a statement.  Sometimes that's a quick thing, sometimes it requires multiple calls and follow-up.

Bad as it is, the folks "across the street" are even worse.  Just to get info on pricing and memberships, trying to figure out how to use membership "coupons" effectively (if you can), and they've barely ventured into online order forms, etc.  And forget about getting a response at all by email or phone.  Incommunicado. 

[BogDust]

Okay, I called CGC and their customer service was GREAT!  When you submit your order your credit card is not charged. After CGC receives the comics to be graded, they will then apply the $150 credit and deduct it from your submitted invoice and as a member, you'll pay the net amount. The rep admitted they may need to have some message to let new members know how the process works.

[Lightning55]

On 8/4/2021 at 2:00 PM, BogDust said:

Okay, I called CGC and their customer service was GREAT!  When you submit your order your credit card is not charged. After CGC receives the comics to be graded, they will then apply the $150 credit and deduct it from your submitted invoice and as a member, you'll pay the net amount. The rep admitted they may need to have some message to let new members know how the process works.

Sounds a bit like these comments from above:

"The credit is applied at the time they charge your credit card for the submission, so it could be months from now." 

"They are supposed to deduct it when you charge your first order."

Good thing you called to get that same response. 

Also from above: "If you call customer service, all they are going to do is reassure you that the credit will be applied."

And to answer one of your original questions again: "Do I need to wait a day for the credit to show up somewhere in my account?"  There is no account that you can see, like any form of online payment history or ledger.  You have to keep track yourself using your email notifications.  All you will see is your dashboard, which has your order progress (or lack of progress), no mention anywhere of money transacted, billed, or paid.  It is recommended that you keep copies of everything and justify your credit card bills as they come in against your orders, make sure they align.

[comicdiablo]

On 8/4/2021 at 1:00 PM, BogDust said:

Okay, I called CGC and their customer service was GREAT!  When you submit your order your credit card is not charged. After CGC receives the comics to be graded, they will then apply the $150 credit and deduct it from your submitted invoice and as a member, you'll pay the net amount. The rep admitted they may need to have some message to let new members know how the process works.

I just used my $150 credit from upgrading to Premium membership in April. I was told that this credit would be automatically applied, but I did see some previous posts about including a note with the order. So just to be safe, I included a note with my invoice, stating that I would like to use my $150 credit. Though the wait times are quite extended right now, my $150 credit was used as desired, and I received my most recent order with no complaints. Now, was it necessary to include that note? Probably not, though I suppose it didn't hurt.

By the way, the best forum to ask CGC about questions you may have is the "Ask CGC" forum. They often respond within a day's time, and you can find the answers to many questions previously asked in that forum as well. I have asked some specific questions there and had them answered before, but I also was able to find the answers to some questions I was thinking of asking.

Edited August 6, 2021 by comicdiablo