Beckett Grading Ordeal continues, what to do?

I'll start by saying this is probably going to end up being a long read.


In (I think May) I got my first card graded by Beckett in person at a show. One of the two guys at the Beckett table sat down to help me fill the form out. When it was completely done, he asked; "Do you want a minimum grade on this card?" I told him that I did and that if it was not at least a "9", I wanted it in an "Authentic" holder, simply for protection. I watched him write this out on the form.

A few weeks go by and I get the card in the mail....in an "8.5" holder.So, I call them up, explain what happened, they put me on hold for a few minutes and came back saying that this was a mistake on their end, that the form did indeed say "Min 9 or Slab as authentic". They said for my troubles, I could have 2 additional cards graded and could also have the card changed out to the Authentic case. I let them know that I wanted to wait until they were doing in person grading and I would turn the card in at that time.

Last week, Beckett came back to my area and I called them a few days before to confirm that I was still able to get the same deal, to which they said yes of course. When I get to the show, I make the guys (same 2 from the May show) aware of the situation, explain everything and they say that they cannot give me 2 free grades but will take the card back, slab it as authentic and ship it back to me for free.

Yesterday someone from Beckett called my house when I was out and left me a message that said, "We need to speak to you about your order with us." I called up last night and left a message with the person in charge of their grading department. He calls me back about an hour later and I explain everything that had happened to him. He then tells me he's the same guy I left the card with at the show. He said he did not know why someone would be calling me but not to worry as the card had already been shipped and I should get it today.

Today, the card arrives and I notice its in a very small box. I open it up and my card is sitting inside, in a cheap flimsy plastic holder and half of the card is sticking out, wide open. The top right corner is chipped and edge is white and the bottom left corner of the card is pretty badly dinged along with somewhat bad damage to the back left of the card where the edges are raised and pushed back. I called them immediately and asked for the name of the person who is in charge there and get the same name of the guy who has now been in charge of messing my order up twice. I continued to call back until finally someone gave me the name of a person they "were not supposed to". His name is Mark Anderson and supposedly he is the boss of the 2 guys who go out to the shows. I tried to get in touch with that man but the person on the phone said they couldnt give me his number, just forward him my information.

What should I do here?? If anyone has an opinion, I'm all ears. Needless to say, I am irate. Sorry for the long read again, but I know many people here grade tons and tons of cards and I figure many people might know how something like this gets handled and/or who I talk to/go to for help with it all.

Mark Anderson = Top Dog at BGS

I forwarded him this link... he should respond.

cgilmo said:

Mark Anderson = Top Dog at BGS

I forwarded him this link... he should respond.

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Thank you, Chris! I really appreciate it.

Wow Sucks man. They would seem they forgot you were to get the card reslabbed and since there was maybe missing payment and paper work other then having an addy they sent it back to you and it got molested big time on the way back. I hope they can es-plane to you why this was.

Pine Tar said:

Wow Sucks man. They would seem they forgot you were to get the card reslabbed and since there was maybe missing payment and paper work other then having an addy they sent it back to you and it got molested big time on the way back. I hope they can es-plane to you why this was.

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I did have to resubmit more paperwork though and the guy who supposedly is in charge of the grading department (Jeremy Muller or something?) is the one I gave the card to and he told me he would make sure the card was taken care of. Apparently he goes out to all the shows and is always there to oversee what happens. He also wrote what was supposed to be done.

Card in question? Kinda like hearing a friend talk about some chick from last night without knowing what she looks like.

This was my Ted Williams cut auto. I have pictures from right after I opened the box, with the card half out of the holder but i figured i should wait to hear from them before posting.

I just got an email from the same person Jeromy stating that I cannot speak to Mark Anderson and i have to ship the card back again so they can "investigate". No way am I sending the card back and I don't think i should have to for something to happen as the card was supposed to be sent back in an authentic holder twice and that didn't happen.

All this over a .5 grade difference, on a cut auto card that grade probably didn't mean much to begin with? Think I would have left it in the original 8.5 holder you received.

Not to excuse Beckett's poor performance on this card. They didn't get your order right and they messed up twice. Sorry for your bad experience.

Well, that guy was absolutely no help. He basically told me that I lied about receiving the card the way that I did. Claimed the card would not even fit in the box I "claim" they sent it in. I tried to call the company to ask who their insurer is as I paid $14 for insurance and shipping and they will not tell me. The person who I was communicating with also notified me that he will not be sending me any more emails and that my only option is to send the card back to him so he can "investigate the issue". Theres just no way I am mailing my card back to them, especially not when its now damaged.

Call the better business bureau.

Thanks Beckett!

What do you have to lose by sending it back?

You can't speak to Mark Anderson and they won't tell you who they insure with? What a boatload of crap and a highly poor example of customer service.

jbhofmann said:

What do you have to lose by sending it back?

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He said that if he felt they caused the damage, he would file a claim for the card. I still want my card and feel like they would keep it. Im sick of them telling me their doing me a favor by not charging me also. I have a receipt that says "RECASE" and he is telling me that I just asked them to break the card out and send it back to me.

Send it back.....send it back.....send it back

Here is another part of one of his emails. Maybe it would be more productive for me to post every back and forth we have had today to see how they really are. The bottom line in this whole thing is that the damage was caused because they sent the card back to me in a cheap, open penny sleeve when the card was supposed to be encased. I have it right on the receipt where it says "RECASE", and yet he is making it seem like Im complaining about a shipping issue.

"[FONT=&quot]there is nothing I can do for you if you will not allow me to see the card and investigate what happened. I can’t just offer you something without any proof that we mishandled the card or that something happened in shipping, once it left us. If you change your mind, I will need to get the card back in the next week so if the damage happened in shipping, I can file a claim. The option is up to you and I will help any way that I can but it will require you to send the card back. If you don’t want to do that, then there is nothing I can offer. "


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This seems very odd. I have dealt with Jeromy for many years now. He has always been very professional and helped me out as much as he could. I had a card that was BGS 9.5 (2003 Carlos Rodgers Gold Auto /10). I sold it on ebay for close to $400 back in 03. When the buyer got the card he claimed it was damaged and sent it back for a refund. The inner sleeve broke and damaged the card while in the case. I contacted Jeromy about it and he hooked me up with 20 free grades. But he did have to reholder the card with a new grade of 8. Sorry you are having issues, but like was mentioned before, why not just take it in the 8.5 holder? Personally I would rather have a BGS 8.5 than a BGS AUTH label 100% of the time. AUTH labels just scream trimmed to me.

RiceLynnEvans75 said:

You can't speak to Mark Anderson and they won't tell you who they insure with? What a boatload of crap and a highly poor example of customer service.

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Nope, he said that flat out about not talking to Anderson:

"
Chris Gilmore at FCB contacted us about a post you placed on their message boards. As you mentioned, I am the person that worked with you at the Boston show and spoke to you on Monday. It looks like you wanted to speak to Mark Anderson about this matter but Mark does not handle logistics and operations issues like this and asked that I continue to work with you. The card was returned to you, removed from the BGS case, per your request. I would like to see how it was received though and how damage took place either in the shipping process or during the case removal.

We ship hundreds of orders out day and for something to be damaged is extremely rare. It does happen though but before I can determine what took place, I need to see the card and talk to each person that handled the card. If you would like me to investigate the situation, you will need to send the card back to me in the case it was received in. I will receive the card and begin my investigation and see what needs to be done. I really can’t comment anymore until I see the card and investigate the matter.

If you would like this to take place, send the card to the address listed below. I have emailed Chris and explained this to him as well. I look forward to working with you."

jbrown said:

This seems very odd. I have dealt with Jeromy for many years now. He has always been very professional and helped me out as much as he could. I had a card that was BGS 9.5 (2003 Carlos Rodgers Gold Auto /10). I sold it on ebay for close to $400 back in 03. When the buyer got the card he claimed it was damaged and sent it back for a refund. The inner sleeve broke and damaged the card while in the case. I contacted Jeromy about it and he hooked me up with 20 free grades. But he did have to reholder the card with a new grade of 8. Sorry you are having issues, but like was mentioned before, why not just take it in the 8.5 holder? Personally I would rather have a BGS 8.5 than a BGS AUTH label 100% of the time. AUTH labels just scream trimmed to me.

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They originally offered me 2 free grades along with re encasing the card and he did not even honor that and I had to pay for another card to be graded there at a "10 day discount" or something. Honestly, I originally just wanted the holder for protection. Everyone I talked to about the card said if it graded below a 9 it would lower the value and if it didnt get a 9, I should just get it in the Authentic holder. I didnt even go there looking to do that as I forgot but once he asked me if I wanted to do it, I remembered and went ahead with that.

Write out a detailed synopsis, like you did here, in one document, with attached exhibits. Not to sound like an attorney -- but, hey, it's what works. Show them how they screwed up, where they screwed up. You can quote "he said she said" all the time, but if you have hard evidence, it works much better.

WHat's the value of the card, and how much did the damage that the mailing actually cost you? How much was the card devalued? It may be one of those things that it may be best to simply "let it go" - drop the card on eBay and be done with it.

This seems to be a minimal amount of loss - - while certainly you should try to be compensated for your loss, it may not be worth it.