Ticket grading is sub-par at best

JESSEJAMES · April 12, 2004 4:14AM

Okay, Now I know that this post may get yanked, but everything in it is a fact...

The invoice numbers in question are 4140734 and 4146748. They were a new ticket and a vintage ticket submission.

My beef starts with the fact that it took over 40 business days to get back.

This was also the problem with the order:

- The majority tickets were sent back ungraded. In the package sent back, it labeled the tickets with a note saying there was no holder available. This is untrue, all of the tickets would fit in a case.

-I called and emailed PSA reps and I got different answers, some said they could not verify the authenticity and another Rep told me that the ticket wouldnt fit... Which is it??!!

-There is no info as far as what tickets PSA will grade on their site.

-I am also angry because one of the full Packers tickets said "stub" on the label and I know for a fact it is not a stub because I once was a Ticket Taker at LAmbeau Field.

-They would not grade any of my 60s champ stubs because they couldnt verify the authenticity or they wouldnt fit in a holder (depends on what rep you ask)

-Certain tickets I only wanted authentcated, the ones they did slab, all were graded (I didnt want 1s and 2s)... just slabbed.

-I also had a full 1982 NCAA Basketball final four ticket (Jordan UNC) WORTH A TON, the note they sent back said they didnt have a holder, the PSA rep said they didnt know if it was real or not... It came from Adelson and I know it is authentic.

-They didn't grade my 1996 Packers Mud Bowl ticket and nor did they grade th Pete Rose 4192 stub... Why not? There email said they would.

Anyway, I am just fed up with this crap and get this... THEY DON'T GIVE CASH REFUNDS! So, their inaccuracy about ticket grading or lack of info results in my having a few hundred dollars in credit for PSA Grading! I can't even come up with anything they'll grade.

I emailed Joe and he pushed the email off to someone else who I am sure is not a collector and certainly has no clue about tickets.

If PSA was gonna get into ticket grading, why didnt they do it right?

God Bless!

CON40 · April 12, 2004 4:22AM

jesse;

If PSA was gonna get into ticket grading, why didnt they do it right?

If they had actually taken the time (and made the investment) to become experts at all the inumerable angles of ticket grading, they would have had to wait 3 more years to bring this "product" to the market. They want to make money on these "products" NOW, hence the rush to grade things they are no more expert at than seasoned ticket collectors.

Remember, PSA is not in business to grade tickets, but to make money. Grading tickets is just a means to an end.

Let's just hope they learn as they go.

JESSEJAMES · April 12, 2004 4:29AM

You hit it right on the head man! There is no way anyone can be an "expert", as they call it, in tickets unless they have been collecting or dealing with all sports, ages, etc...
I even kinda understand that...
What I don't understand is their horrid customer service! Why am I not entitled to a cash refund?? There was no way I could have avoided them not grading certain tickets of mine...
I wanted to put together a collection of all Packers Champ stubs (I am half-way there), I don't want some slabbed and some not slabbed.

The thing that bothered me the most is that they didnt grade my 1982 NCAA FULL. It is like an 8 or a 9, that nice. And I KNOW it is real. They came in different colors. They probably used an example of a yellow on and once they saw that mine was light blue, they got scared.
Oh well... Life is way to important to dwell on things.
Please share your thoughts on this topic... I am done venting for today.
God Bless!

rickster · April 12, 2004 4:33AM

Hey Outlaw,
I had a similar problem. PSA held my tickets for a couple of months waiting for a holder to become available, then decided they couldn't "guarantee authenticity" of Dodger tickets from "this era" because of the Dodgers' marketing departments "penchant to issue commemorative tickets". My tickets were from 1962 and 1963. When I asked Peter Ma if the ticket grader actually had samples of these so-called reissues, he replied he wasn't sure. So I took back my tickets and received some free grading vouchers.

So at the last Ft. Washington show I took these tickets back to PSA, and talked to Matt about them. He agreed that the grader should have some evidence that reprints exist or should holder the tickets. He sent them back to the grader, who still refuses to encapsulate them. He "has "seen" reprints, and while he agrees my tickets are identical to tickets issued for the game, he can't be 100% certain mine aren't reprints. He doesn't know when any of these tickets were reissued and he has no samples of the reprints to compare mine to. At least Matt followed through on this quickly, but I agree that they need some more expert help on grading tickets. To me, this is like saying PSA can't grade 1952 Mantles because they know there are reprints and fakes out there. If you can't tell the difference between a fake and a real one, don't be in the grading business.

I share your frustration.

Rick

aconte · April 12, 2004 4:40AM

<< Anyway, I am just fed up with this crap and get this... THEY DON'T GIVE CASH REFUNDS! >>

If they didn't deliver a service why do they keep the money?

aconte

Vincecarder · April 12, 2004 4:46AM

<< If they didn't deliver a service why do they keep the money? >>

Why would you? There are so many suckers....err....submitters that they don't give a cr@p about a few unhappy customers.

JESSEJAMES · April 12, 2004 4:49AM

Vince,

Exactly... I am embarrassed and feel Bullied (if that's even a word)

CON40 · April 12, 2004 4:54AM

Thier policy of no cash refunds has always bothered me a bit... not me personally because I always have different cards to send in... but for the guy with one special item he sent in for $50 grading only to have it rejected for a mechanical reason. That guy is entitled to a full refund if PSA cannot fulfill that service request. That'd be like taking your Studebaker to a mechanic for an oli change and paying the $25 to find out they don't have a filter that fits the Studebaker. If they issued you a credit because they weren;t able to do the job, what the heck would you use it for? It's the same thing with PSA.

I am not a ticket collector, but when PSA offered the service I quickly thought "How the heck they gonna do that?" because tickets for one event can be issued by a multitude of ticket services, box offices, online, etc., all with a different ducat design and format. Can PSA possibly master all those possible variations? Especially for modern events? That is a huge undertaking of knowledge gathering.

This post only reinforces my skepticism.

koby · April 12, 2004 5:05AM

PSA should take the time to learn how to grade at least tickets from big time events like the final fours, Super Bowls, Stanley Cups, World Series, and NBA Finals. To be unable to grade a 1982 Final Four ticket is inexcusable. You should check with PSA periodically to see if they have figured it out. That is definitely one piece that I would like to have encapsulated and authenticated.

dstudeba · April 12, 2004 5:16AM

CON40 -

Good point! Finally someone making some sense around here talking about something interesting. If a mechanic can't find a filter for a Studebaker, then their life is about as worthless as they come. Poor, poor soul.

Dan Studebaker

CON40 · April 12, 2004 5:22AM

Dan;

LOL! Too funny! Glad I could use you as an example! I had to go with Studebaker for that one as it was the first company stock my father held. Neddless to say, he is not a rich man!

joker73 · April 12, 2004 5:24AM

Gee, now I really can't wait until they rush out to enter the pack-grading market ...

JESSEJAMES · April 12, 2004 5:33AM

Joker,
I think packs would be easier from the aspect of identification (tickets are tough), but to verify that they aren't tampered with is much more difficult.

DirtyHarry · April 12, 2004 8:42AM

No first hand experience on the ticket grading forefront, but I would bet that if you called called customer service and made a big enough stink about it -- you would get your refund. In this day and age of emails that end up getting redirected to somebody else, the old fashion method still works. LOL.

plager · May 27, 2004 2:36AM

PSA likes to claim they know what's going on with ticket grading. I also had a bad experience. The tickets I sent in were just authenticated. One of the tickets I trimmed with scissors and got a PSA 8. Their inexperience in this area is unfortunate for the customer and we pay for it. I respect PSA's grading standards but in this case they tried to get new business with little knowledge of what they were getting into.

mudflap02 · May 27, 2004 2:44AM

<< One of the tickets I trimmed with scissors and got a PSA 8. >>

Way to slip one past the goalie.

<< Their inexperience in this area is unfortunate for the customer >>

But fortunate for the submitter who can doctor stuff and get away with it.

As far as ticket grading is concerned, I feel like it is PSA trying to create a market where before one was not. How many ticket collectors were there 5 or 10 years ago? Now that people have started collecting slabs, it is not so much what is inside the plastic that counts as much as the plastic itself.

DaBigHurt · May 27, 2004 3:02AM

Wow..just wow.

Griffins · May 27, 2004 3:37AM

Assuming you paid by credit card can't you just do a charge back for the ones they didn't grade? It would seem pointless to have credit just because they couldn't do the job. Dispute the charge and lock the whole thing up for a few months.

Clementefan · May 27, 2004 4:02AM

I agree customer service is real bad. They don't seem to be well informed on alot of the procedures on the way cards are graded. I myself had a problem with them and also received about 4 different answers. I don't think it is a just a small minority of customers anymore that are dissatisified. I know if I didn't get what I paid for and wasn't refunded my money, I would take legal action against that person or business (Would never just accept a voucher).

Griffins · May 27, 2004 4:33AM

<. I don't think it is a just a small minority of customers anymore that are dissatisified>>

Remember, we here on the board are only an insignificant 1% of PSA's business.

roastedcat · May 27, 2004 6:16AM

Hey Jesse-

I know your pain, I get the same problem with PSA/DNA service.
I get the complete customer service run around all the time, nobody knows what their doing there!
I used to submit cards to PSA every Month, but this year has been really bad!
Their customer service stinks! & and turn around times are not guarnteed!
My last submission to PSA was March 31st and I've decide not to submit cards to PSA /DNA anymore. I feel good, I'm actually saving money maybe I'll just buy a car instead. Slowly but surely I've stop buying cards on ebay, and I can say I feel good that I don't need to submit to PSA this month. PSA can keep their slabs!

Jery

schr1st · May 27, 2004 7:13AM

The problems you've outlined as well as Kabir's problems with PSA (I won't tell that story, but it's a doozy) make me afraid to send stuff in through PSA/DNA at this point. I don't think I'm willing to risk that 51 Campanella with people like that.

<< Hey Jesse-

I know your pain, I get the same problem with PSA/DNA service.
I get the complete customer service run around all the time, nobody knows what their doing there!
I used to submit cards to PSA every Month, but this year has been really bad!
Their customer service stinks! & and turn around times are not guarnteed!
My last submission to PSA was March 31st and I've decide not to submit cards to PSA /DNA anymore. I feel good, I'm actually saving money maybe I'll just buy a car instead. Slowly but surely I've stop buying cards on ebay, and I can say I feel good that I don't need to submit to PSA this month. PSA can keep their slabs!

Jery >>

Ticket grading is sub-par at best

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