Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Thank You Topps!

I'm going to warn you that this post contains extremely positive commentary on the only company currently licensed to produce MLB trading cards in 2010.

I'm sure we all remember the unfortunate announcement made a few weeks ago that Topps was not going to be producing the 2009 Allen & Ginter's Cat Osterman relic or autographed cards. Well, a lot of people were upset by the fact that Topps, instead of telling people in advance, and working on individual solutions that would keep collectors happy, instead sent out random cards they claimed to be of equal book value. I held an autogrpah redemption, and out of the blue received a Greg Louganis autograph, which while quite nice looking, was not a card I wanted, and certainly was not one that I had asked for, nor was it worth what the Osterman redemptions had been selling for on eBay, prior to the news that it would not be produced.

Well, I fired off an angry email to Topps about it, and heard back the next day. In my first email I may have been a bit to upset, and actually went as far as to call Topps liars, for promising me a Cat Osterman card, and sending something else entirely, without warning. I emailed back and forth a few times with their VP of customer service, and with a much cooler head was able to explain my frustration in a way that Topps must have been able to relate to. They had asked me if they could send me something that perhaps might make me feel better about the whole thing. I replied that they could send me whatever they'd like, as long as it came with an acknowledgment that they understand how they handle certain redemptions is unfair to their loyal customers.

I was absolutely blown away with what arrived at my door yesterday, and must admit that Topps went above and beyond here to satisfy a customer and a collector. I want to say thank you to Topps for not only sending me some incredible cards, way more than I would have ever asked for, but also for hearing me out, and taking the time to explain their side of the story. At the end of the day, it's nice to know they care enough to do something about it.


Here
's what they sent:

A nice start.



Getting warmer. This one has a nice patch, and is the only '09 Triple Threads card currently in my collection.



I'm not a basketball collector, but thought these cards always looked cool. Now I have one, and they are cool, but would be much cooler with a hard signed autograph. Any Maggette fans out there who need this card?



Oh my! A real 1959 Topps card with a real autograph signed directly on the card. Now we're talking! Oh, did I mention it's also of a Hall of Famer? Did I mention this is also my favorite set of all time? Did I mention he was also an Oriole? This is one of those cards that would look like a fake on eBay. If it didn't come directly from Topps, I'd think this one was fake too.



Ummm... HOLY MARY MOTHER OF MATT WIETERS!! Another Hall of Famer autograph on a real vintage card, only this time numbered out of 10! Topps, you are too kind!



Yeah, the Brock totally made my jaw drop to the floor when I flipped it over. Once again, thanks to the Topps Company for hearing me out, and doing what they felt was right to satisfy a consumer. I never asked for anything, so to receive a package as awesome as this in the mail was quite a surprise.

15 comments:

  1. wow. that's sweet beardy, congrats. good to see a little guy like us get the reward once in awhile.

    unfortunately, it also shows that at first Topps tries to placate with crap, and only the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

    or maybe it'll be a whole new beginning for topps in customer service levels. Here's hoping.

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  2. Nice work! Canucks right though. I still have not received about six redemption cards that were apparently mailed months ago, and the Ginter prize is nothing but lore at this point. While Topps did a wonderful thing for you, me think their customer service team is going to regret it when they get flooded with similar emails and calls!

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  3. Gawdamn! I think Topps is trying to seduce you. I'm wondering if I could put together a package of lesser awesomeness to get that Brock card out of your hands. Maybe a pile of O's cards and a promise of a Cat auto attempt if she is still pitching for Rockford next year.

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  4. Anyway we would be able to work out a trade for that Robin Roberts??

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  5. Beardy, that is a staggering haul. Do you think they found out you have a blog that is popular?

    I'm trying to figure out if this is Topps making the extra effort because a customer was outraged, or more that they realized you have an audience and they wanted to spin this the right way.

    They made the right move either way.

    I love that Brock.

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  6. Canuck & JD's Daddy- I agree with you about the squeaky wheel. It almost makes me feel guilty. I didn't ask for anything, and honestly didn't expect them to send me anything close to this caliber. In some small sense it has to be viewed as an admission that their process isn't necessarily the fairest or most honest.

    Gritz & Ken- The Brock is not for trade. That card is the sweetness! Perhaps one day it will be, but for the time being I just want to stare at it.

    Wicked- Not sure. It's my favorite set of all time. I would trade it before the Brock, but would have to see what you were sending in return.


    I sincerely hope that Topps did not do this in an attempt to silence a blogger, and it does not change the fact that they have a half-assed redemption program. It is however a very kind gesture, and one I am thankful for.

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  7. I've already posted about my thoughts on Topps' Customer Service. (They've been great to me.) The only real solution is to do away with redemption cards completely. It just leads to too much disappointment. If you go out of your way to purchase a redemption of a player that you collect, you're going to be disappointed no matter the replacement.

    For the most part, when I've seen people go out of their way to contact Topps when they are unhappy about something, Topps does a great job coming through. It's impossible to make everyone happy every time, but I think Topps makes a much larger effort than some of the other card companies out there.

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  8. I've really got to find something to be unhappy about...but seriously, I'm sure they take these on a case by case basis and your on-going communication with them helped your situation. Really nice cards Beardy.

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  9. safe to say you got the better end of that deal with a combination of 2 of those cards... that Lou Brock is insane... WOW!!!

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  10. That is an impressive (and oddly random) bunch of cards they sent, no matter the reason. Have to agree with Play at the Plate, having a blog or not, cooler heads prevailing had to help the situation greatly.

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  11. Ha HA

    To think that was my card!

    Nice haul Beardy!

    Mojo

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  12. WAS is the word to focus on there, Mojo.

    Haha!

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  13. Very nice!!! Congrats on a great haul! And I don't blame you, I'd be staring at the Brock if I had it too.

    -John

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  14. Oh you got really lucky on this one Beardy. I have been screwed over by Topps so many times I wanna vomit whenever I see a redemption card from them. There customer service stinks and still stinks and they never made right on the cards they shorted me even after sending everything in to them. And I quote, "Yes they deserve to die and I hope they burn in hell!"

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