scratched holders--again

nearmint

Is anyone else still getting scratched holders right out of the box? I've gotten cards back in scratched holders in my last 3 submissions. (I also got one with a big ol' hair in it.) Customer service has assured me that they are working on the problem, but from my perspective, it's not improving. Of course there's no problem sending the cards back for reholdering, but it's a pain in the neck.

In my latest submission, I got a new type of damage to a few holders: small white spots of wear over the middle of the card, from the holder rubbing on the adjacent holder during shipping. Has anyone else seen such damage? The spots are small, but they definitely detract from the card, especially when they are over a player's dark jersey.

I feel as if I'm being a fussy customer, but in a hobby where we fret about microscopic bits of fuzz, it seems natural that we would care about the condition of the holder. What does everyone else think? Do you care what the holder looks like? Is it unreasonable to expect fresh holders to be in a condition comparable to the cards inside?

Mike

helionaut

I've never submitted to PSA myself but several of the slabbed cards I've obtained do suffer from some sort of problem like what you describe, including an inadvertently encapsulated PSA/DNA hair sample. Last show I went to a dealer was railing against all slabbing companies, but he especially despised PSA for their shoddy handling of his cards. He said he sent in a bunch of chrome-style cards and they all came back with fingerprints on them, which detract from saleability. The phone rep he had spoken to had no sympathy for him, only telling him that PSA doesn't take responsibility for cleaning cards. I don't know that dealer, nor do I know who he allegedly spoke to, but it didn't inspire my confidence.

When I've received cards that are in a lower grade than promised my reaction ranges from disappointment to anger, especially when foreign objects are involved. Scratched cases, depending on exactly how bad the condition is and what the card is, certainly could impact my buying decision. I'd imagine being PSA's direct customer would make the experience even more frustrating. On the one hand, the design of their cases doesn't aid in their preservation very much, so some sort of scratching is inevitable. On the other hand, if they are aware of an ongoing problem, they should make efforts to correct it as quickly as possible. The 'P' in PSA stands for 'Professional' and I'd expect that the level of service would be commensurate with their name.

downgoesfrazier

Nearmint,
Don't be ridiculous. In NO WAY are you being fussy! You should expect and demand that the holder be pristine when your cards arrive. In the past year I've had 40+ cards with problems including two higher ticket 10's (one with a big 'ol plastic chunk on the card face). This problem is absurd and should be a top priority at PSA right now. Customer service "assured" me as well -- and the problem persists. . The landscape of graded cards is constantly changing. Consumers have more choices than ever that are viable. This needs to be rectified and the time is now. Would you pay full price for a picture frame with a scratch or something unsightly detracting from the image it holds? Of course not.
dgf

jackstraw

you would think that by know psa would have come up with some sort of sleeve(must snug) to put your holders in.if not for storage but for shipping.
mcfly would you get on that please, your only 5 million cards too late.

HECK55

I have had a lot of holders come direct from PSA with scratches and even one with a crack. I have to agree with Frazier - you are paying for quality - not just so so who cares as long as we get it out on time. I can get that at McDonalds any day of the week. I sent some free submissions in to Beckett a short while back and each card came back with "new" looking holders - unscratched and each in a plastic sleeve. Maybe Beckett handles less cards and has more time to handle things with care - I don't know. Rick

wolfbear

About every 3rd submission, I end up with a card that needs some major attention.
Have one with a smudge on the inside of the holder, one with the wrong card # on the flip,
one with a small chunk of plastic inside the holder, and a couple of cracked slabs.

Anyway, I've just been noting which cards they are, with the intention of having them fixed at some point.
Does anyone know if reholdering, to remedy such defects, is one of the services that the PSA booth will provide at the National ?

dude

wolfbear,

PSA will do re-holdering on-site. I've had it done at numerous regional shows. However I've been told if they are very busy, such as was the case with a friend of mine at the 2000 National, they will not do it at the show.

gcalex

ALL the time. The quality of the holders is such that they scratch if you breathe on them, and there obviously is poor (or at least irregular) attention paid to this in the verification process. That said, folks should be aware that at least for most EXTERNAL scratches (yes, the insides of the darn things come scratched too) Novus plastic polish works really well.

nearmint

I forgot about the mislabeled flips! I have some of those lying around, too. Into the return box they go.

It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who is particular. I'm amazed, though, that the quality problem isn't getting fixed. If a lot of people are returning cards, it must cost the company quite a bit to process them. Evidently the cost of processing them outweighs the cost of additional quality assurance.

I like helionaut's "PSA/DNA" spin on inadvertently encapsulated hair. People collect bits of game-worn jersey, so why not put a bit of hair in with the card? Of course, most of us would prefer the player's, not the grader's.

Where does one purchase Novus plastic polish, gcalex? Maybe that could be May special: a free bottle with each submission!

Mike

nearmint

Oop. I said "Evidently the cost of processing them outweighs the cost of additional quality assurance." I meant the other way 'round, of course. Seems I need a little QA myself!

Mike

gcalex

I forget where I purchased the polish now, but if you just run it through Google (Novus Plastic Polish #2) I am sure several sources will turn up.

nearmint

Thanks, gcalex. I found a place where I could get a free sample. Here's the link.

Mike