Anyone else's fast track Moderns past estimate?? 3 3

[Tcarroll17]

On 4/20/2023 at 5:05 PM, asteroid-comix said:

CGC should update their turn times. No way walkthrough is right. Sent nearly a hundred books in last week, received Wednesday, and they still have not even been logged in yet. Some were express and some were walkthrough. Should be thinking about end to end experience. Guessing they are starting the turn clock when they open the box and log which is garbage.  

I mean per their own policy it's when it's delivered.  They don't guarantee, but agree if they are laughing behind again they need to update them to reflect accurate turnaround.  It's really frustrating paying a premium for the upper tiers and then they miss the deadlines by a lot.  Have had several express and a walkthrough go well behind the advertised TAT lately.  Luckily, getting some help here from Mike, but I had a standard delivered 10 days ago.  Even in working days I'm at day 8, my package isn't even logged in / opened yet, so no way I'm hitting the 10 day TAT. 

"Turnaround times reflect the estimated number of working days to complete a submission delivered to our facility today. Turnaround times are estimates only and are NOT guaranteed."

[asteroid-comix]

On 4/20/2023 at 5:13 PM, Tcarroll17 said:

I mean per their own policy it's when it's delivered.  They don't guarantee, but agree if they are laughing behind again they need to update them to reflect accurate turnaround.  It's really frustrating paying a premium for the upper tiers and then they miss the deadlines by a lot.  Have had several express and a walkthrough go well behind the advertised TAT lately.  Luckily, getting some help here from Mike, but I had a standard delivered 10 days ago.  Even in working days I'm at day 8, my package isn't even logged in / opened yet, so no way I'm hitting the 10 day TAT. 

"Turnaround times reflect the estimated number of working days to complete a submission delivered to our facility today. Turnaround times are estimates only and are NOT guaranteed."

Yeah, they are quoting 2 business days on walkthrough and 3 on express. Based on above, someone escalated to have their package opened and logged after two weeks. So, what is express and walkthrough at, 15 business days?! Follow AFA lead and shut down submissions if you are that far behind. 

[Tcarroll17]

On 4/20/2023 at 5:18 PM, asteroid-comix said:

Yeah, they are quoting 2 business days on walkthrough and 3 on express. Based on above, someone escalated to have their package opened and logged after two weeks. So, what is express and walkthrough at, 15 business days?! Follow AFA lead and shut down submissions if you are that far behind. 

Right, at some point it gets insulting.  Even just a courtesy email blast, "hey we got hammered with subs, expect some delays." They can only work so fast, I get it, and I don't want them rushing anyway.  

Wanted to send in an express and walkthrough before the increase, but if it's this bad now, I can't imagine since everyone else is thinking about doing the same 

[asteroid-comix]

On 4/20/2023 at 1:15 PM, CGC Mike said:

I just checked, and it has not been logged in yet.  I will sent a note down to the receiving manager and inquire about this.

Hey, @CGC Mike curious if this is an ability that only you have? I called into service about two boxes with a number of books, all tiers including walkthrough, that were received last week. Was basically told nothing could be done and wait for them to be opened...possibly next Thursday. 

[CGC Mike]

On 4/21/2023 at 1:32 PM, asteroid-comix said:

On 4/20/2023 at 1:15 PM, CGC Mike said:

I just checked, and it has not been logged in yet.  I will sent a note down to the receiving manager and inquire about this.

Hey, @CGC Mike curious if this is an ability that only you have? I called into service about two boxes with a number of books, all tiers including walkthrough, that were received last week. Was basically told nothing could be done and wait for them to be opened...possibly next Thursday. 

As an employee, I am able to contact people within the company.  Whereas, customers are only able to contact customer service.  I also have the ability to look up the status of a submission.  With this said, I do not have a magic ability to get a package located and opened on demand if it is not long overdue compared to others that have been entered.  We are currently running behind in getting submissions entered into the system.    However, If a package is long overdue in being entered into the system, (compared to others in the same tier that are into the system)  I can ask that people locate the package and have it entered.  One more thing.  TAT's start when the submission has been logged into our system.  

[asteroid-comix]

On 4/21/2023 at 1:55 PM, CGC Mike said:

As an employee, I am able to contact people within the company.  Whereas, customers are only able to contact customer service.  I also have the ability to look up the status of a submission.  With this said, I do not have a magic ability to get a package located and opened on demand if it is not long overdue compared to others that have been entered.  We are currently running behind in getting submissions entered into the system.    However, If a package is long overdue in being entered into the system, (compared to others in the same tier that are into the system)  I can ask that people locate the package and have it entered.  One more thing.  TAT's start when the submission has been logged into our system.  

Thanks @CGC Mike. So really, TATs are an internal metric, not for the consumer, right? Why publish them then? 

[CGC Mike]

On 4/21/2023 at 1:56 PM, asteroid-comix said:

Thanks @CGC Mike. So really, TATs are an internal metric, not for the consumer, right? Why publish them then? 

TAT's are for the customer.  I believe they get updated once per week.  They reflect the approximate amount of time the customer can expect their submission to take.  They are not guarantees.  

[Tcarroll17]

On 4/21/2023 at 1:55 PM, CGC Mike said:

As an employee, I am able to contact people within the company.  Whereas, customers are only able to contact customer service.  I also have the ability to look up the status of a submission.  With this said, I do not have a magic ability to get a package located and opened on demand if it is not long overdue compared to others that have been entered.  We are currently running behind in getting submissions entered into the system.    However, If a package is long overdue in being entered into the system, (compared to others in the same tier that are into the system)  I can ask that people locate the package and have it entered.  One more thing.  TAT's start when the submission has been logged into our system.  

Mike,

Appreciate you clarifying the turnaround times. I don't take any issue with that, but perhaps they should consider updating the way they present the information then?  The way it reads is that turnaround starts when my package is delivered to the facility. Rather, it should say turnaround time is an estimate from the date the submission is logged into the system.

That might alleviate a lot of people like me bugging you on here 😅

My submission was logged in finally and is scheduled for grading now, appreciate you letting me know that things were a little bit behind, Mike.  

[Tcarroll17]

On 4/22/2023 at 6:36 PM, Tcarroll17 said:

Mike,

Appreciate you clarifying the turnaround times. I don't take any issue with that, but perhaps they should consider updating the way they present the information then?  The way it reads is that turnaround starts when my package is delivered to the facility. Rather, it should say turnaround time is an estimate from the date the submission is logged into the system.

That might alleviate a lot of people like me bugging you on here 😅

My submission was logged in finally and is scheduled for grading now, appreciate you letting me know that things were a little bit behind, Mike.  

So like in my case, it was DELIVERED 4/10, but LOGGED 4/21.  

So based on that it makes me think my submission is at day 11 of the estimated 10 day turnaround time, when in fact the clock didn't start ticking until yesterday based on what you're telling me.  I would tend to believe what you are saying is correct, so just a communication thing on the website.  

[Tcarroll17]

On 4/22/2023 at 6:40 PM, Tcarroll17 said:

So like in my case, it was DELIVERED 4/10, but LOGGED 4/21.  

So based on that it makes me think my submission is at day 11 of the estimated 10 day turnaround time, when in fact the clock didn't start ticking until yesterday based on what you're telling me.  I would tend to believe what you are saying is correct, so just a communication thing on the website.  

This submission still isn't complete...  At CGC over a month.  Logged in since 4/21.  Hasn't progressed past GEI, where it's sat for 5 days.  

Have a walkthrough at 4 days, not even in grading yet.  

[W16227]

On 4/21/2023 at 12:55 PM, CGC Mike said:

As an employee, I am able to contact people within the company.  Whereas, customers are only able to contact customer service.  I also have the ability to look up the status of a submission.  With this said, I do not have a magic ability to get a package located and opened on demand if it is not long overdue compared to others that have been entered.  We are currently running behind in getting submissions entered into the system.    However, If a package is long overdue in being entered into the system, (compared to others in the same tier that are into the system)  I can ask that people locate the package and have it entered.  One more thing.  TAT's start when the submission has been logged into our system.  

So - as another pointed out, the red section is a source of major disconnect. The external web page clearly describes DELIVERED.  Not entered into system....  

Nobody externally has good handle on how slammed receiving is or is not on any given day, so having this as an 'out' for posted lead-times being off is problematic when this is used as a tool to encourage paying more for faster service. Most will understand estimating - but even then, the estimates should not be without limits on accuracy and feedback to the customers. 

Likely will fall on deaf ears - but realistically if CGC implemented a couple of simple fixes the system would be a lot more transparent and understandable. 

First -  post your estimated time for receiving. Make sure it is clear that this is part of the estimated lead-times. A weekly update as you stated- this should be a very easy update to make. 

If orders are late ( set a target as like 3-5 days beyond estimates ) - be proactive contact the customer. Once tracking stats - is a very simple calculation to see expected completion date - and where the order sits. Proactively email the customer and keep them in the loop. Way easier to send out 10-20 emails then have to talk to those same people on the phone. Some will still call - but PUSHING the information back to a customer that you are missing targets with a real reason, is significantly better than having frustrated customers PULL or request the information from a customer service rep who likely will not be able to provide a real status.....  

 

 

 

[Tcarroll17]

On 5/9/2023 at 1:20 PM, W16227 said:

So - as another pointed out, the red section is a source of major disconnect. The external web page clearly describes DELIVERED.  Not entered into system....  

Nobody externally has good handle on how slammed receiving is or is not on any given day, so having this as an 'out' for posted lead-times being off is problematic when this is used as a tool to encourage paying more for faster service. Most will understand estimating - but even then, the estimates should not be without limits on accuracy and feedback to the customers. 

Likely will fall on deaf ears - but realistically if CGC implemented a couple of simple fixes the system would be a lot more transparent and understandable. 

First -  post your estimated time for receiving. Make sure it is clear that this is part of the estimated lead-times. A weekly update as you stated- this should be a very easy update to make. 

If orders are late ( set a target as like 3-5 days beyond estimates ) - be proactive contact the customer. Once tracking stats - is a very simple calculation to see expected completion date - and where the order sits. Proactively email the customer and keep them in the loop. Way easier to send out 10-20 emails then have to talk to those same people on the phone. Some will still call - but PUSHING the information back to a customer that you are missing targets with a real reason, is significantly better than having frustrated customers PULL or request the information from a customer service rep who likely will not be able to provide a real status.....  

 

 

 

Agree with most of this.  Things happen, and certainly is understandable if they get jammed.  The frustration lies in the lack of consistency in messaging, and being gaslight by CS.  Customer service has stated to me numerous times on the phone that the turnaround includes when it hits the facility to run the package is actually opened.  If that is different internally, it needs to be stated as such.

The issue recently (although has been on and off in the past, but had been way better prior to last 2 months), is that the turnaround estimates are not just off by a little, they are off by a lot.  It's like any other service you pay for, you expect to receive what you paid for as it was promised, when it was promised.  If I go to a restaurant and they take an hour and a half to make my food, I'm probably walking out and not paying, but in this case I have no choice since my valuable collectibles are already out of my hands.  If the restaurant tells me it will take 2 hours to make my food, I just wouldn't have gone there. Likewise, if I had accurate information about how long my submissions would actually take, I might refrain from sending them until later. It's a real kick in the you know where, when you shell out a significant amount of money for higher tier services, and the timelines are being missed wildly, and the only way to get an update is complain on here. 

On top of my standard that is now many days past the estimated turnaround, I also have a walkthrough that is on day 5 since being opened and logged.  This is a two day turnaround, and it's not even in grading yet.

I agree that the issue is twofold. It's information not being accurately conveyed, nor accurately updated.  On the other hand, it's that the service is not being provided as expected.

On top of the aforementioned issues, even taking this long to get completed, I've still had about 70% of my recent submissions come back with quality control issues.  Plastic chunks inside, scuffing, one slab not sealed all the way.  Seeing that mechanical errors are taking two or three months to get back, I didn't even bother.  

I think it's probably reached the point where I don't know how I can justify sending more books in.  Guess that's what they want.  

[NewWorldOrder]

On 5/9/2023 at 10:57 AM, Tcarroll17 said:

On top of the aforementioned issues, even taking this long to get completed, I've still had about 70% of my recent submissions come back with quality control issues.  Plastic chunks inside, scuffing, one slab not sealed all the way.  Seeing that mechanical errors are taking two or three months to get back, I didn't even bother.  

I think it's probably reached the point where I don't know how I can justify sending more books in.  Guess that's what they want.  

Curious how many books are we talking about here?

Are you saying if you get 10 books back then 7 of them have problems?

I get back between 100-125 CGC books per month, and over the last 2 years, maybe I had ME's with around 10 out of a couple thousand.

[Tcarroll17]

On 5/9/2023 at 2:13 PM, NewWorldOrder said:

Curious how many books are we talking about here?

Are you saying if you get 10 books back then 7 of them have problems?

I get back between 100-125 CGC books per month, and over the last 2 years, maybe I had ME's with around 10 out of a couple thousand.

Yes, many 

Got one back today.  One book, so that's 100% rate.

Got back a 7 book modern sub, 5 have the issue.

2 books express, one has the scuffs

Another wk from last month, covered in scuffs and 3 plastic shards in the case, 2 actually touching my comic (can see with a magnifying glass it's pressing the paper down).

Guess I'm drawing the unlucky straws 🤷🏼