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What is a "Mechanical Error"?

carkimcarkim Posts: 1,166 ✭✭
in PSA Set Registry Forum
I email Charlie Kahler (Customer Service Manager) at PSA and told him about some 1974 Topps Traded Cards that didn't had "TRADED" on the label. I also informed him that 2 of my Washington National League cards didn't say "WASHINGTON" on the label as well. He told me to return the cards a put "Mechanical Error" on the invoice. What was the "Mechanical error? It seems like human error to me. I clearly stated on the invoice "WASHINGTON" and "TRADED". Nevertheless Charlie said PSA will take care of the mixup "free of charge".

Carlos

Comments

  • VarghaVargha Posts: 2,392 ✭✭
    PSA is now using cyborgs for many of their post-1973 gradings.
  • dalewdalew Posts: 491
    My wife calls a "mechanical error" any one in which her vibrator fails, but thats just my life.

    Dale
    1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Basic - Retired
    1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Master - Retired
    1st Finest Set - 1955 Baseball Golden Stamps - Cleveland Indians - Retired
    1st Finest Set - Mel Harder Baseball Master - Active
    Mel Harder Showcase Set - Active
    #15 on Current Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired
    #23 on All Time Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired
  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,204 ✭✭✭
    Dale> You lead a horrifying life.

    Mike
    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • yawie99yawie99 Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭
    i think "mechanical error" is just the blanket term psa uses for any reholdering or relabeling for which they eat the costs. but you're right. with the possible exception of holder scratches on freshly slabbed cards - god i hate that! - most of them are human errors: fingerprints on cards, foreign particles in holders, incorrect labels, etc.

    and i too wish the people responsible for labeling would actually look at the invoices or even the cards themselves. i think they rely on the year, name and variety information in the population report, which has quite a few inaccuracies and inconsistencies.
    imageimageimageimageimageimage
  • theBobstheBobs Posts: 1,136 ✭✭
    I am in IT. Typically mechanical error is when the machine does what the user told it to do, and NOT what the user WANTED it to do...
    Where have you gone Dave Vargha
    CU turns its lonely eyes to you
    What's the you say, Mrs Robinson
    Vargha bucks have left and gone away?

    hey hey hey
    hey hey hey
  • HECK55HECK55 Posts: 176
    Carlos - They returned one of my 53 Topps cards with a label for a 1962 Fleer Sandy Koufax - the serial number pulled up the correct 1953 Topps card. They corrected it and called it a "mechanical error" - anyway they corrected it at their cost. Rick
    "I CAN'T COMPLAIN BUT SOMETIMES I STILL DO" - SMOKY JOE WALSH - - -
    Always looking for 53 Topps Baseball and "stuff"
  • 69topps869topps8 Posts: 261
    Yes, a mechanical error relates to mislabels. I just returned two '65 OPC cards today for mechanical error corrections. They listed "Topps" in the label. Too bad they didn't fix it when I called them when the grades posted. They held the shipment back to fix it but I still received the wrong labels. image
    Please visit my eBay auctions at gemint
  • gameusedhoopgameusedhoop Posts: 3,585 ✭✭✭✭
    You guys just don't understand. A "mechanical error" is when a dealer takes your car in for service and the guy doing the service forgets to SCREW you...saying he did work but didn't...saying you need stuff that you don't...telling you it is out of warrenty etc...
  • carkimcarkim Posts: 1,166 ✭✭
    One more quetion about "Mechanical Errors". I had to send back ANOTHER batch on 7 cards due to M.E. I shipped the cards back at my cost, twice. Would PSA refund me in some way? Has anyone else received a refund, or free submission voucher?

    Carlos
  • gripgrip Posts: 9,962 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It's an error on there part,and why it's called as such is it sounds better than i screwed up.image.Al
  • carkimcarkim Posts: 1,166 ✭✭
    Al,

    You hit the nail on the head. I spoke with Charlie last night about an invoice that I sent in to PSA to be reviewed because of a Mechanical Error. As I looked over the cards I noticed that 2 of them were not fixed correctly. When I called Charlie he was more than helpful when answering some of my questions.

    According to Charlie, when cards are logged in (well before being graded and slabbed) they are given a code number. If the number is incorrect at the beginning of the process then it will end up that way when labeled. Thus a Mechanical Error caused by human error.

    Six months ago I would have been so frustrated with the whole thing that I would have just kept the cards as is. However, Charlie and PSA have insisted that I review my cards and allow PSA to "make good" on any Mechanical Errors that may have occurred in the past.

    Now that "to me" is customer service. Heck by the end of our conversation, I found myself asking Charlie to send me 50 more submission form, een after I told myself the I was going to "SLOW DOWN" on sending in cards for grading.

    Carlos
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