Breaking Heart. Topps has become Bottoms
vintagefun
Posts: 1,974 ✭✭✭
Venting....
I've always been a Topps guy. 90% of my collection is Topps. With the exception of 52 Topps Mantle, I have every base Topps card of Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Clemente, Banks, Robinson, Koufax, Drysdale, McCovey, Staubach, and Kareem. I have pack runs for BB, FB, and BK from 71-81. Box runs of BB and FB from 80-89. Complete BB sets from
71-89. Heritage box runs from 03-present. Topps has been a huge part of my life.
Today, Topps burned me for what might be the last time. I bought a single 17 Chrome Blaster in hopes of hitting Bellinger. 3 packs in, I hit his prizm Refractor. Stoked until I flipped it to find a huge crease on back. After an hour on hold I was informed I could send it in for equal value replacement. I printed and completed the form and sent the card with all requirements. I knew there was no guarantee that I'd get same card. I asked only that I get the same player in my notes, even if just base. When I got the package today I was giddy with excitement as I'm prepping a sub. When I opened it, what I found was shocking considering their promise of equal value. I got a prizm Tyler Austin. Color me pissed! They said equal value. We're not even close.
When I combine crap like this with the redemption stories, it makes it awfully tough to give Topps another dollar. They charge a premium for boxes containing cards they don't have in hand which gets pushed through to after market buyers and then they don't deliver on the hits they've advertised...sometimes even on things redeemed within the window...a window I think is too small. They should need to hold for at least 5 years. I'm no lawyer, and I'm sure they're covered, but it seems like straddling a line with what's ok and what's not. That should be illegal. They should at least be forced to disclose the redemption cards in advance of initial sale. Otherwise it's
Vaporware.
Their redemptions have become a hobby joke. Their replacements, at least I my sole experience, was insulting. And if I think about customer acquisition costs and the value of a lost customer, them burning me, or anyone else over a $20-50 card seems short sighted and ridiculous. They're lucky they have the MLB contract...but for how long. So disappointed with Topps. Unless they find a way to make me content, they'll be hard pressed to see more than the occasional Heritage box from me.
It hurts more that I actually care too.
Big Bag of Dipchitz.
Comments
complain via the website. they may give you a replacement. upper deck and panini QA have done this for me in the past
good luck, topps is a pain when it comes to this stuff. They sent me a care package of 1 2015 bowman lol ouch
collecting 1977 topps baseball in psa 9 and psa 10
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Sorry to hear about this Jim. I agree that this hobby we all enjoy sometimes seems to have it backwards when it comes to customer service. This is not the first or last time Topps, Panini, UD, etc. has worked over one of their customers when deciding "equal value". As you mentioned, it would seem a company as large as Topps would understand the value of keeping a customer happy and that the cost of burning this customer and having to replace his business with a new customer would make insignificant the cost of equaling out the value of this request. I hope a post on their social media account or website can find the right eyes for you.
Situations like this are what wildly sarcastic posts on their social media were made for.
Only an idiot would have a message board signature.
That stinks. I hope it works out in the long run.
In my case, I have all but stopped buying new product. The only line that grabs my attention is the Heritage line and even then, it is expensive relative to card value (though to me it seems the best bet to at least chance at breaking even). I almost finished a Heritage set two years back but didn't get into it this year. However, once Heritage hits the retro design of 1971, I probably will not be able to waive money fast enough at them. I will probably do the Heritage run based on the 71 to 79 designs.
Again, hope this sorts out for you!
Matt