PCGS customer service ... (feedback?)

WingedLiberty1957

I was wondering if there were any officials on this board that worked for PCGS?

I cannot get any response to emails. Is email a bad way to contact PCGS?

Also I have a PCGS Secure Plus submission (which is supposed to take 15 business days, I believe) in queue ffor 45 calendar days (31 business days) with no word.
I had another PCGS Secure plus submission take 2 months to complete earlier this year.
I wonder if PCGS has had a number of graders leave recently and has become short staffed?

Finally I have an issue with a TrueView photo in the OLD TrueView database ... that got ported incorrectly to the New Trueview Database and to the Cert Verification that I have been trying to solve for weeks ... unfortunately I have had no response to several emails. Is there someone I can email directly to solve this issue? What is the best email address to use to contact the person that runs the Old and New TrueView Databases and the Cert Verification database and photos so I can get this issue solved.

Thank you in advance.

Barndog

I call them. They usually respond to email within a few days.

blu62vette

The phone is the best and part of the cost service staff is in Denver, that can only slow down email responses more.

TwoKopeiki

The have been very helpful and patient with me on the phone. I recommend calling them.

RevDrBlimber

I haven't had any problems with PCGS customer service, but NGC seems to be more on the ball, sharp, responsive and professional, whatever my question or issue; the NGC customer service staff are older, seasoned women exclusively, they seem to really know coins. It could be a cultural difference--Sarasota, FL vs. Southern California.

WingedLiberty1957

Thanks for this feedback!

I will call.


(Funny I thought for a complicated issue that email would be best ... since I could include images that explained the problem better ... but I will switch to voice)

WingedLiberty1957

"Finally I have an issue with a TrueView photo in the OLD TrueView database ... that got ported incorrectly to the New Trueview Database and to the Cert Verification that I have been trying to solve for weeks ... unfortunately I have had no response to several emails. Is there someone I can email directly to solve this issue? What is the best email address to use to contact the person that runs the Old and New TrueView Databases and the Cert Verification database and photos so I can get this issue solved."

Just wanted to say that Phil Arnold is fixing this TrueView and Cert Verif problem for me right now. Praise God that Phil works for PCGS -- he is superb. ALL HAIL!!

TwoKopeiki

Phil and his work are top notch!

DIMEMAN

Depends on the problem or question:

Registry - I email BJ. Always get a quick response.

Variety - I email Mike Faraone. Always get a response, usually quick response no longer than a day.

Everything else I call CS and have had pretty good dealings there.

PCGSCustomerService

There are about 6 PCGS Customer Service representatives that are in the office to handle mail, calls, emails and travel to coin shows. With the amount of over all correspondence that PCGS recieves, we try to answer emails within a 24 - 48 hour period. If you have had issues with an email response I apologize as it is not a common thing for us not to get back. If you haven't recieved an answer via email I would suggest giving us a call. I know from personal experience that some emails will end up in our spam folder or just not come through at all.

johnny9434

the few times ive called them ive never had a problem with them. i usally got a call back within a few days. best wishes john

lasvegasteddy

Also I have a PCGS Secure Plus submission (which is supposed to take 15 business days, I believe) in queue ffor 45 calendar days (31 business days) with no word.
I had another PCGS Secure plus submission take 2 months to complete earlier this year.
I wonder if PCGS has had a number of graders leave recently and has become short staffed?

"it could be the new market influx/flood of world coins being graded in which perhaps it could be time to increase grading staff"

WingedLiberty1957

Dear PCGSCustomerService,

Thank you so much for responding! I will abandon email and will use the telephone in the future.

Thanks again for your feedback

PCGSCustomerService

<< <i>Also I have a PCGS Secure Plus submission (which is supposed to take 15 business days, I believe) in queue ffor 45 calendar days (31 business days) with no word.
I had another PCGS Secure plus submission take 2 months to complete earlier this year.
I wonder if PCGS has had a number of graders leave recently and has become short staffed?

"it could be the new market influx/flood of world coins being graded in which perhaps it could be time to increase grading staff" >>




We have not had any graders leave that I know of, however PCGS has been making a lot of moves and changes for the better of the company which can result in some adjustments and getting used to. If you've submitted any non-US coins within the last few months we did have a lot of orders on hold due to the fact that majority of our wolrd grading staff was in Hong Kong. All of our turnaround times are estimated upon our travel schedule and the amount of in-house workload. It is believed that about 1% on average fall short of the advertised turnaround times we post weekly on our website. Unfortunately, people never really talk about a positive experience or how quick their stuff comes back, but the second it's late or have a somewhat negative experience they wanna tell the world.

Lakesammman

I would like to tell the world that I think PCGS service and the customer service team in particular are outstanding.

lasvegasteddy

i do my part to show appreciation
as you'll see those "thank you pcgs staff" threads started by me
i do know what you mean thou....i catch brown nose replies and such
my sigline says it all
you guys truly elevated the world of coins...in my eyes

PCGSCustomerService

I was not fishing for compliments I promise!

Please don't get me wrong ANY feedback negative or positive is always appreciated, we learn a lot from the users on these forums.

NewParadigm

<< <i>

<< <i>Also I have a PCGS Secure Plus submission (which is supposed to take 15 business days, I believe) in queue ffor 45 calendar days (31 business days) with no word.
I had another PCGS Secure plus submission take 2 months to complete earlier this year.
I wonder if PCGS has had a number of graders leave recently and has become short staffed?

"it could be the new market influx/flood of world coins being graded in which perhaps it could be time to increase grading staff" >>




We have not had any graders leave that I know of, however PCGS has been making a lot of moves and changes for the better of the company which can result in some adjustments and getting used to. If you've submitted any non-US coins within the last few months we did have a lot of orders on hold due to the fact that majority of our wolrd grading staff was in Hong Kong. All of our turnaround times are estimated upon our travel schedule and the amount of in-house workload. It is believed that about 1% on average fall short of the advertised turnaround times we post weekly on our website. Unfortunately, people never really talk about a positive experience or how quick their stuff comes back, but the second it's late or have a somewhat negative experience they wanna tell the world. >>




This has to be a mild joke. Estimated.. Is the price an estimate, too? I would venture to say not. Also, 1%, on average, are late? I have 24 submissions and zero (0) have been on time. I will try to do a screen shot and post it.

ianrussell

I find PCGS to be responsive. Sometimes something may take a little longer than published times, but it's usually something unusual about the submission. I've also had many submissions return way-before the estimated times.

I think telephone is the best though, since you will get an immediate answer.

- Ian

PCGSCustomerService

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>Also I have a PCGS Secure Plus submission (which is supposed to take 15 business days, I believe) in queue ffor 45 calendar days (31 business days) with no word.
I had another PCGS Secure plus submission take 2 months to complete earlier this year.
I wonder if PCGS has had a number of graders leave recently and has become short staffed?

"it could be the new market influx/flood of world coins being graded in which perhaps it could be time to increase grading staff" >>




We have not had any graders leave that I know of, however PCGS has been making a lot of moves and changes for the better of the company which can result in some adjustments and getting used to. If you've submitted any non-US coins within the last few months we did have a lot of orders on hold due to the fact that majority of our wolrd grading staff was in Hong Kong. All of our turnaround times are estimated upon our travel schedule and the amount of in-house workload. It is believed that about 1% on average fall short of the advertised turnaround times we post weekly on our website. Unfortunately, people never really talk about a positive experience or how quick their stuff comes back, but the second it's late or have a somewhat negative experience they wanna tell the world. >>




This has to be a mild joke. Estimated.. Is the price an estimate, too? I would venture to say not. Also, 1%, on average, are late? I have 24 submissions and zero (0) have been on time. I will try to do a screen shot and post it. >>




I can assure you it is not a "mild" joke and your venture is correct the price is not estimated. However, it clearly lists on the submission form that you sign before you pay that ALL turnaround times are estimated. No need for a screenshot, I will personally look into all 24 of your orders that fell behind our listed turnaround times. I will also verify that they were submitted properly without any submission errors that would hold them up.

Any further issues you can take up with me personally via PM.

PCGSCustomerService

<< <i>I find PCGS to be responsive. Sometimes something may take a little longer than published times, but it's usually something unusual about the submission. I've also had many submissions return way-before the estimated times.

I think telephone is the best though, since you will get an immediate answer.

- Ian >>




Thanks Ian, I walked passed your table earlier you looked quite busy. I hope the show is going well.

WingedLiberty1957

By the way, my coins were US Coins submitted to PCGS Secure Plus for grading (not attributions) ...

The order form had an estimated turnaround time for Secure Plus listed as 15 business days ...

Like I said I am on Calendar Day 45 and Business Day 31 ... with no sign of any progress yet.
So a month and a half and double the number the business days is hardly a "second or two late"

I had another Secure Plus order of US Coins that completed in a bit under 2 calendar months earlier this year.
So it's looking to me like these long delays are becoming more the norm rather than a transient.

I do completely understand people getting swamped and going on travel ... that's cool.

But it would be kind of nice to get an email after a month when it's clear things are going to be very late
saying "sorry for the delay, we hope to get your submission graded sometime during the next month".

At this point I dont know if my order was lost or stolen ... or when it might start to shake free from whatever web it's caught in.

The other thing is I would actually perfer the order form wording just be honest and say PCGS Secure Plus Regular Service will take 2 calendar months.
That way I am not on pins and needles for weeks checking the submission website everyday for progress when I hit the 15 business day mark.

If I was told to expect a 2 month turnaround up front, and it finished in 7 weeks, I would be happy and say how PCGS finished it early.
Being mentally prepared for that sort of delay makes waiting easier ..

PCGSCustomerService

<< <i>By the way, my coins were US Coins submitted to PCGS Secure Plus for grading (not attributions) ...

The order form had an estimated turnaround time for Secure Plus listed as 15 business days ...

Like I said I am on Calendar Day 45 and Business Day 31 ... with no sign of any progress yet.
So a month and a half and double the number the business days is hardly a "second or two late"

I had another Secure Plus order of US Coins that completed in a bit under 2 calendar months earlier this year.
So it's looking to me like these long delays are becoming more the norm rather than a transient.

I do completely understand people getting swamped and going on travel ... that's cool.
But it would be kind of nice to get an email after a month when it's clear things are going to be very late
saying "sorry we hope to get your stuff graded in the next few weeks" or something.

At this point I dont know if my order was lost or stolen ... or when it might start to shake free from whatever web it's caught in.

The other thing is I would actually perfer the order form wording just be honest and say PCGS Secure Plus Regular Service will take 2 calendar months.
That way I am not on pins and needles for weeks checking the submission website everyday for progress when I hit the 15 business day mark.. >>




I completely understand where that can be frustrating and I apologize. Send me an email at cthomas@collectors.com and I will have someone look into to it for an update on the status. Like I said not all orders take two months so listing it on the submission form would not be applicable.

Bochiman

Something that I am sure PCGSCustomerService can correct me on if I am wrong, but others may not know or have paid attention to....

If you have an order and you state you want it trueviewed, I believe that can cause the "late with the estimate" issue that is mentioned, as doing so negates that estimate to a degree.
I sent in 3 orders that arrived on 4/5 (Modern w/ voucher (1 coin), Regular (using CCMembership voucher and 8 coins), and Economy with 8 coins). I had asked for all 3 sets to be trueviewed (aside from a minor 'issue' on the regular submission where 3 coins did not get trueviewed and it was too late to do anything because by the time one gets notified they are done, they are already shipped as well).

The thing is, even waiting for the economy to finish (and it's been 1 month and a week now), I knew it wouldn't hit estimated time due to the shows that have been happening and me asking for the trueviews.

So, if anyone did request trueview, I would suggest some patience in working with the estimated time.

Now, again, if I am wrong on that, I am open to being corrected by PCGS.

illini420

I got an economy order in as well that they received on 4/2, but wasn't logged into their system until 4/4. Still no results here either. I called earlier this week and they said maybe another week or two!!! Sort of frustrating that they provide no status updates along the way, but oh well!!!!!

PCGSCustomerService

<< <i>Something that I am sure PCGSCustomerService can correct me on if I am wrong, but others may not know or have paid attention to....

If you have an order and you state you want it trueviewed, I believe that can cause the "late with the estimate" issue that is mentioned, as doing so negates that estimate to a degree.
I sent in 3 orders that arrived on 4/5 (Modern w/ voucher (1 coin), Regular (using CCMembership voucher and 8 coins), and Economy with 8 coins). I had asked for all 3 sets to be trueviewed (aside from a minor 'issue' on the regular submission where 3 coins did not get trueviewed and it was too late to do anything because by the time one gets notified they are done, they are already shipped as well).

The thing is, even waiting for the economy to finish (and it's been 1 month and a week now), I knew it wouldn't hit estimated time due to the shows that have been happening and me asking for the trueviews.

So, if anyone did request trueview, I would suggest some patience in working with the estimated time.

Now, again, if I am wrong on that, I am open to being corrected by PCGS. >>



Yes, adding Trueview or any other "additional" service can hold up an order a few additional days. Specifically with photos I'm assuming it would just depend on how much Phil has on his plate. I'm attending the Denver ANA right now so I can't do much from where I'm sitting, but please feel free to send me an email and I will look into it first thing Monday morning. Thank you for your patience.

PCGSCustomerService

<< <i>I got an economy order in as well that they received on 4/2, but wasn't logged into their system until 4/4. Still no results here either. I called earlier this week and they said maybe another week or two!!! Sort of frustrating that they provide no status updates along the way, but oh well!!!!! >>



Your order is on its 28th business day. The reason customer service cannot give out exact days of completion is because all coins go through several verification stages and always have the possibility of getting kicked back for any reason. This is also the reason our website doesn't tell you exactly where its at in the process because it can easily go back into grading if a verifier catches a problem. Trust me its not that we just don't want to tell you... We can only give you an idea based on what stage its in and the current turnaround time.

WingedLiberty1957

Thanks for all your nice and timely responses "PCGS Customer Service" person

We all really appreciate being able to communicate with you guys/gals from time to time.

Let me give this a few more days (its already late on friday)

If I dont see any progress by next week sometime, I will email you

Thanks Again and have a wonderful weekend!

michiganboy

Sorry to chime in but Wingliberty1957 you said that secure plus says 15 days turnaround? Do you mean your service level was regular with secure plus? The reason I ask is that secure plus is a service that can be added at most submission levels. Could it be you did economy secure plus w/true views then the order is probably right on time. Also the clock really don't start till its logged in the system and if you did not right the service level on the box you shipped in it can also hold it up. I made that mistake on my first submission cause I had someone else help me pack my first one and I guess he forgot that part, but even so my order came back right on time and the grade where online before the estimated time which was really cool.

WingedLiberty1957

Hello Michiganboy,

It was Regular Service Level PCGS Secure Plus

The full priced $45 grading fee per coin !!!

15 business day estimate turnaround time


I do find the PCGS submission form a mess to fill out, but I have a lot of practice having done probably 25 or 30 submissions in the past year.
I can EASILY see how a newbie filling out the form for the first time would forget to check all the check boxes or write in all the info -- but I dont fall in that category

I even do that extra step that I bet a lot of you might not do ... writing ON THE OUTSIDE of the shipping box the service level.

Thanks for checking with me on that point though!

michiganboy

Hey thanks for clarifying, just thought I'd ask. Being that it does seem like a really long time, I wish you luck.

Alltheabove76

There are not a lot of things to complain about with PCGS but I think the one issue that most people do have is turnaround time not matching expectations.