Topps Rip Master, Anyone dealt with him? National Story

fur72 · August 11, 2007 12:41PM

I am not sure if this is the proper forum to post this but I was very upset after dealing with Topps "Rip Master" Alan Narz. To make a long story short Greg Oden was showing up at the National and 100 people got free tickets to get a picture taken with him. My son (Who is 13 and is crazy about the NBA) and I missed out and didnt get a ticket, no big deal we figured we would just hang around the end of the line and watch.

A nice lady didnt want to wait anymore and gave her ticket to my son. Great deal!!! He stood a the end of the line and waited patiently. A few minutes later the "Rip Master" Alan Narz comes out and notices my son and I at the end of the line. I explained to him a lady had got out of line and gave my son his ticket. Mr. Narz went berzerk yelling and screaming "WE TOLD EVERYONE NOT TO GET OUT OF LINE!!" "I DONT THINK WE CAN PULL THIS OFF!!!" My son very embarrassed at this point steped out of line with everyone stairing at us. I dont know what the big deal was but Mr. Narz could have handled the situation much better than he did. I really wanted to go off on this dude but I kept myself together and just waited paitently for Oden to show up. This has left a horrible taste in my mouth about Alan Narz and Topps in general. Maybe Upper Deck will straighten this guy out.

To steal a famous sports card collector's phrase Friday August 3rd 2007, Alan Narz, you were the worst person in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jerrywest45 · August 11, 2007 12:53PM

What a great impression that must have been for your son...not!!!

They should've lined up with all the kids at the front of the line. The rip master forgot the most important thing about his company...It should be about the kids first...

I have been a large stockholder in Topps and I have no problem in contacting them...

This is what is wrong with the business..I'm so sorry about your son...That fires me up.

fur72 · August 11, 2007 1:08PM

I have sent Topps a message but if you want to contact them go for it. Irony was Friday at the show was "Kids Day" I was fired up as well. At another booth where a guy was selling $1. $2 and $3 stuff a dealer said "Man there are alot of kids in here" in a negative way. I just looked at him and then he said "As there should be." Who else is going to buy his $3 stuff. Thanks for your support

metalmike · August 11, 2007 1:09PM

Topps used to be cool. Now they suck bad. Sticker auto cards are one thing, duh- use the see thru ones if you have to. The shiny ones look stupid. What they did to the Mother Theresa card proves the people who run Topps are a bunch of college grads who look at spreadsheets and have no sense of history at all. I hope UD buys Topps and kills it like Vince McMahon did to WCW. ( I am biased, I miss Donruss) Diamond Kings 2008! Mike

mtcards · August 11, 2007 2:08PM

Agree. Sticker AUTO cards suck donkey. I keep thinking that 10 years from now I will get an auto that was signed last week.

rube26105 · August 11, 2007 2:43PM

who is alan narz,some rich coporate executive putz for topps?if he did that to me and my kid when he was little he would need a good dentist,i dont care who he is,sounds like he needs a good attitude adjustment!
Randy

jerrywest45 · August 11, 2007 3:00PM

Look at this, you got to read this article...look at his quote!!

"There's an urgency in our industry to get the kids back," says Alan Narz, owner of Big League Cards in Orlando and columnist for Card Trade magazine.

Here's the article. HYPOCRITE!!!

Narz article quote

Be heard, contact him!!!!!!

Alan Narz e-mail

Narz Contact info

grote15 · August 11, 2007 3:38PM

What a jerkoff this clown is. All the more reason to collect vintage only, I suppose.

Cokin75 · August 11, 2007 3:43PM

If he would have treated my kid like that, something like this may have happened...

Card Show Confrontation (not safe for work)

stitzen · August 11, 2007 3:46PM

And they wonder why kids continue to look outside sportscards for entertainment - the adults (like this Narz guy you mentioned) have ruined it for the kids, worrying more about profits than putting out a product that will appeal to kids.

fur72 · August 11, 2007 3:51PM

Wow guys thanks for the support and and Mr. Narz contact info. I felt like going Iron Sheik on Mr, Narz but I did not want to stoop to his level. I sent the following

Mr. Narz

I was at the National at Cleveland on Friday 8/3 Kids day. My son and I were standing around the Topps booth awaiting the arrival of Greg Oden. All the tickets were given out for the photo op already but my son and I though it would be neat to see him. We were standing by the back of the line next to a Mexican man and his son by the "Line ends here" sign. You passed us several times saying Oden was on his way and there would be pack wars played. A woman who didn't want to stand in line anymore or felt bad for my son because he didn't have a ticket gave him her ticket. My son was over joy-ed! A photo op with the number one pick. My son stood at the end of the line next to the Mexican man and his son.

Here is when you come in. You were so accustomed to seeing the Mexican man and his son at the end of the line it must have threw you for a loop with my son now being the last person in line. Everything you said after that moment I find deplorable and uncalled for. You made a big stink and embarrassed my son and started yelling about how people "Were not to get out of line!" and "You don't think you can pull this off." I guess I don't understand the big deal, my son had a ticket. We were not around when the tickets were passed out and didn't know there was a number system. The main point being is you embarrassed my son in front of a large number of people. He wanted to leave right away but I talked him into staying until at least Oden showed up.

Mr. Narz, some fellow collectors have been searching the net and there are many quotes by you stating "There's an urgency in our industry to get the kids back,". My friend you just lost one collector in a 13 year old boy. Please think about how you interact with children when you are at these events for Topps and understand you are in the public eye and not on ToppsTV where you can edit your comments. I accuse you of embarrassing my son in a public place on a day when we were to encourage children's involvement in the hobby. I accuse you of not acting in an ethical manner. I accuse you of being a poor rep for a company that deserves the the same respect as the game of baseball itself. You sir need to think before you speak.

Regards,

Cory Furlong

grote15 · August 11, 2007 4:01PM

Well stated, Cory. Let's see if the POS responds...

yankeeno7 · August 11, 2007 6:17PM

I hope you CC'd this letter to other Topps execs.

Allen · August 11, 2007 7:54PM

He should stop being such a "Narzi" haha. I wish Greg Oden would have seen it, I am sure he would have said something and made sure to sign for your boy. Oden seems like a really cool down to earth guy, sucks that he has to deal with people like this.

Leiascards · August 12, 2007 12:51AM

I accuse you of not acting in an unethical manner

I think you need to edit that part.

nam812 · August 12, 2007 1:20AM

It should read either:

I accuse you of acting in an unethical manner.

or

I accuse you of not acting in an ethical manner.

fur72 · August 12, 2007 1:29AM

Ahh it was late when I composed this. I did not cc in any Topps people. I did send a letter via snail mail. I was unable to find any email addresses on the Topps website.

RipublicaninMass · August 12, 2007 3:51AM

<< <i>Ahh it was late when I composed this. I did not cc in any Topps people. I did send a letter via snail mail. I was unable to find any email addresses on the Topps website. >>

I am sure a few people here will find it for you. Sorry to hear abou that! Unreal!!

RonBurgundy · August 12, 2007 3:59AM

You should send it to the guy who is bidding to buy the Cubs and who made a bid for Topps along with Michael Eisner (not sure if that deal concluded or not) - as an example of how pathetic Topps has become and how little they care about kids as the future of the hobby.

Ron

tedh111 · August 12, 2007 4:54AM

I have no idea about this incident, but Alan Narz has done more in this hobby for the kids then any other person in the hobby...

Guru · August 12, 2007 6:07AM

Here's a chance for all of us to make a difference with this industry and to have our voices heard. I'm willing to write, email, or do whatever in response to this. Anyone else interested?

CDsNuts · August 12, 2007 6:31AM

The first words out of my mouth would've been "I don't know who the f--- you think you are, but if you speak to my son, or any other children for that manner, the way you just did, the last thing you'll be worried about is pulling off this photo op. I want my son to hear a heartfelt apology within the next 5 seconds or everybody at Topps, the National, the NBA, and even Greg Oden will hear about how you berated a 13 year old child for no reason other than he got in line a little late."

.... or something to that effect.

nam812 · August 12, 2007 6:53AM

Lee - What's the boozed up version of that?

CDsNuts · August 12, 2007 6:53AM

"I'll kill you, you son of a b*tch!!"

fur72 · August 12, 2007 9:16AM

I will give The Rip Master credit he did reply back and try to make things right. But I still dont think he understands what happened and the impact on my son. He also asks how can i let my son give up on collecting? Its his decision to make not mine. Below is his reply and then my reply back to him.

Cory,

Thanks for taking the time to provide candid feedback. I can tell your
comments are heartfelt - as our mine. Forgive the typos as I did not
proof read.

I sincerely apologize for my interaction upsetting you and your son. It
certainly was not by intention and I regret that it happened.

I will respond to what you had to say. It is truly unfortunate any time
someone (especially a child) has a bad experience that could have been
avoided. Clearly in this situation it sounds like the situation could
have been handled much better. I apologize that I do not remember the
specific incident. The Greg Oden appearance attracted a huge crowd of
people to the Topps booth and related activities. I was literally
approached by hundreds of people non-stop about how th event would be
managed - in fact we did not even know when Greg Oden would show up and
what he would be willing to do in the booth. There was a lot going on
and no matter what we knew we were going to also have to manage
frustrated attendees who do not approve of our system and feel they are
treated unfairly which almost always leads to them also feeling they
were treated rudely. Please at least try to see this a bit from our
perspective.

I was literally juggling many events at that very moment . However. I
know that I always try to act in a professional manner.

Unfortunately we had to be very strict about how to manage the Oden Meet
and Greet. We decided the ticket approach was the fairest way to do this
because we only had a limited quantity of meet and greets allowed.
People started receiving tickets early and wanted to leave the booth and
come back when Oden was almost there. This would create huge logistical
problems - based upon my experience if you let people come and go in the
line, the situation is much more difficult to manage and therefore will
be less efficient and not as many people and kids enjoy the experience.
The way we did run the event we allowed almost the entire show to
interact with Oden we were very efficient and had a very high percent of
very happy kids enjoy the event.

We wish we could never have incidents happen like you explained - but it
seems almost impossible to avoid them. When people do not get to
participate in an event they think they should participate some feel
cheated and or disrespected - similar to what you wrote.

I can promise you I will take what you say as constructive criticism and
try to improve my customer relations. Kids should always be treated
with respect by everyone - I am so sorry it was so embarrassing to you
and your son.

We decided to adopt a policy of you must stay in line (no exceptions)
and tickets were not transferable - there would have been hundreds of
request to come in and out of the line if we did not have this policy.
I have experience at these type events and I see what happens. During
the window of chaos we often have to be a little more stern because of
the constant flow of people who are frustrated they do not get to
participate for reasons that are unfair. Unfortunately they may be
right - with so many variables changing by the minute we just try to do
the best we can. in my opinion The Oden events were handle great - very
efficient - lots of happy kids - one of our best events ever.
We do accept the fact that the nature of this type event causing some
people to feel treated unfairly and disrespected - I think that a
shame. I am a big believer in people always treating people with
respect and I am sorry I failed the test with you on that day.

Your accusations are very harsh and clearly from your perspective at a
certain instant when you did not get what you felt you deserved - that
is your opinion and I respect it. While I obviously failed in my
communication at that time - you were treated exactly as the rules were
designed for that event.

I have learned with experience the people who do not get to participate
in an event that they think they are entitled to are usually the ones
that get upset with the communications. I hope you will understand that
I do communicate and run events for thousands of people in a few hours
and it can be a challenge. Overall I am proud of my track record and
know I can improve. Unfortunately there will certainly be times when
how I communicate rubs people the wrong way and I apologize for making
you feel that way.

For the record, I frequently donate my personal time and resources to
support schools, little leagues and scouts, etc. I am a big believer
in supporting the youth. While I regret that you say your son was so
devastated by my actions (which I am deeply sorry for) - I am proud to
know that I have made it a priority in my life to have a positive impact
on kids and I have been very committed to this - your comments are very
saddening to me and I will use your comments to try an improve myself.

I will reply specifically to what you said:

I guess I don't understand the big deal, my son had a ticket. We were
not around when the tickets were passed out and didn't know there was a
number system.

(It was not a big deal. The rules were announced over 25 times over the
PA system - most people clearly understood how it worked and thought it
was a very good idea. I am sure I tried to nicely explain the situation
to everyone I talked to. However, I likely did not explain in a manner
you considered it acceptable. Because I had so much going on and many
announcements to make I am sure I was much shorter with you than I would
be in normal times (very sorry for this); The good news is because we
were efficient with the meet and greet we had time for other Oden kid
events and almost every kid at the show was able to interact with Oden.

The announcements you were referring to was for the whole group not just
you. We chose to make a lot of these announcements and I am glad we did
because this was one of the best run events we have ever had according
to the show staff and many participants.

Did you hang around to play Pack Wars - we were able to get almost
everyone and opportunity to interact with Oden doing this - kids LOVED
it.

The main point being is you embarrassed my son in front of a large
number of people.

Was it solely me that embarrassed your son or did it also have to do
with a debate taking place because you did not feel justified. I am a
believer i taking responsibility for actions - do you really think you
had nothing to do with his embarrassment??? From what you are telling
me you were not satisfied with the ticket system we were using and you
choose to challenge the situation with a person who is working very
intensely and wearing an active microphone. Maybe the timing of this
discussion played some very small part of creating this very
embarrassing situation. I will certainly try to be better in the future
but you did catch me in a very high stress situation.

Very sorry I embarrassed your son. I will try to improve in this are.
What embarrassed him??? Lots of people were told the same thing that I
told you and your son in a very similar fashion - do you think everyone
that I delivered this message to was so deeply embarrassed.

He wanted to leave right away but I talked him into staying until at
least Oden showed up.

I am glad you at least did get to see Oden and apologize that our
relation turned so sour. But the way we managed the event allowed your
son and almost every kid there to interact with Oden. While I clearly
failed in my communication with you (which I apologize for) I am very
proud of the Oden events we ran. Do not know how much experience you
have with events like this but how much we accomplished with Oden in a
short period was remarkable and the percent of incidents were very
small. clearly one incident is too many and we are very sorry you
experience was so devastating.

As for trying to be a good influence on the youth of America...
I may have failed in this example but I will gladly put my resume
against you or anyone you know. My track record does speak for itself.
Not sure why you needed to be so judgmental - but if you are comfortable
about making such harsh statements that is your business...

You harsh statements seem better suited in the context of our one brief
meeting where you think you were treated unfairly - as opposed to being
so general. To speak of me so negatively in such general terms because
of an incident where your son did not get what you thought he deserved ...

Because of this incident you had with a person. you will let your child
leave collecting. If you thought collecting was a good enough hobby
that you brought him to the show , then how can you let him quit based
upon this one incident? I hope he reconsiders and does not let this
traumatic event stop him from participating in one of the best hobbies a
child can enjoy. My impact seemed very great with your child and I
apologize for not handling this situation much better.

If it helps make you and your son feel a bit better about the experience
I may have a special promo card from the show of Greg Oden that I
would be happy to send your son if it would make him feel a bit better.
Please let me know if you would like me to mail it to you.

Let me know. and thank you for taking time to provide feedback that I
consider important.

Alan Narz

==============================================================================================

fur72 · August 12, 2007 9:17AM

My reply to Alan my son declined the Oden card. Yikes He is still a little pissed with this guy.

Alan,

Thanks for your response. The purpose of this message was not to make
judgments of you career, personality or traits in general. I understand you
were very busy during the prep for the Oden appearance. The simple fact was
my son and I were hanging out by the booth after tickets were handed out and
we didn't have one. We never heard any broadcasts over the PA system about
staying in line. According to your reply you said it was announced 25 times.
You told my son it had been announced 50 time. You also stated I should have
brought my points up at the time of the debate. There was no debate, it was
you going off on my son and I and I was holding myself back from saying what I
really felt at that moment. There was no conservation it was you doing all
the talking. My son has declined your offer for the Oden card. If you would
like to appolgize to him you can reach him at stewiegriffin324@yahoo.com. I
respect the fact you took time to respond and try to make this situation
right. Good luck with everything and see you in Chicago next year. Maybe we
can get a chance to chat.

Sincerely,

Cory Furlong

grote15 · August 12, 2007 9:41AM

I give some cedit for responding to your e-mail, but it seems like he's trying to both apologize and justify his behavior at the same time.

jimtb · August 12, 2007 10:02AM

I personally know Alan Narz. He runs a card shop in Orlando, and is truly one of the good guys in this hobby. I don't doubt that the incident happened, but I can tell you with certainty that he would never intentionally do anything to upset a fan or collector, regardless of their age. I'm sorry that you and your son had a bad experience.

onlyanumber · August 12, 2007 10:12AM

<< <i>I personally know Alan Narz. He runs a card shop in Orlando, and is truly one of the good guys in this hobby. I don't doubt that the incident happened, but I can tell you with certainty that he would never intentionally do anything to upset a fan or collector, regardless of their age. I'm sorry that you and your son had a bad experience. >>

From my experience with Alan Narz and his Orlando card store, he caters to who he wants to. I'll leave it at that...

rube26105 · August 12, 2007 10:17AM

agreed lee-teeth for days!i dont know him, and dont want to
randy

narz-"Very sorry I embarrassed your son. I will try to improve in this are.
What embarrassed him??? Lots of people were told the same thing that I
told you and your son in a very similar fashion - do you think everyone
that I delivered this message to was so deeply embarrassed".-someone should have crushed him right on the spot then
,it woudnt have even been stooping to his level, they would have to kneeling on their kness to pick him up-nothing wrong with knocking out a pr ick

Cokin75 · August 12, 2007 10:55AM

I gotta say the guy should get some props if for no other reason than it must have taken him half the weekend to write that lengthy response. Most people probably would have ignored the message.

Allen · August 12, 2007 10:57AM

<< <i>I am a believer i taking responsibility for actions - do you really think you had nothing to do with his embarrassment??? >>

What a dick.

fur72 · August 12, 2007 11:11AM

Allen,

If he could have left that out I would feel much better about everything. There was no exchange of words other my me stating my son had recieved a ticket from a woman who got out of line. He did all the talking. I didnt want to have my son embarrassed any more than he already was and if I blew up it would just have made things worse.

Cory

bjork73 · August 12, 2007 7:00PM

Both Topps and UD have a lot of room to improve as far as customer relations, especially with the younger collectors, are concerned. With Narz in particular, he comes off as a double-talking a-hole who "cares" when it's convenient for him. Sad...

Topps Rip Master, Anyone dealt with him? National Story

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