The 2011 Ginter Glossy set was purchased from their website last October and was delivered within a week of ordering.
This Sandberg die cut came from Topps last November. It too arrived less than a week after the order was placed.
These two experiences were simple and positive.
But the third; no so much.
In late December I bought my first e-Topps card, the 2011 card of second baseman Darwin Barney.
I needed it for the Barney player collection. After the card was added to my e-Topps portfolio, I went to the website to request delivery. But this is what I saw
Not available. I know very little about e-Topps, but it seemed strange that a card from 2011 wasn't available in December, 2011. So on December 28 I emailed Topps customer support to find out the story. I got an auto-reply telling me I would get a response within 2 business days.
Topps is either not good at math or not good at customer service because I finally got a response on January 9, which is 12 days later. I guess 12 is close to 2. Anyway, the response from "Mike" said that I can take delivery as of now. Yea! So I went to the etopps site and guess what I got:
Not Available!
Was Mike wrong? Did Topps customer service make a mistake? I emailed them a second time, and I included a screen shot of the "Not Available." The good news: this time I got a response within 24 hours. The bad news: This email, from "Joe," said, "We experienced a printing issue with many of the eTopps cards. We are reprinting them and they will be available for delivery in early February"
Rats! How come Joe knew what was going on but Mike didn't? It sure is great customer service to have uninformed reps. So I figured I'd wait a month and try again to take delivery.
On February 17 I logged into the site; that seems reasonable for "early February." Guess what it showed?
Yep, still not available. This time I decided to call and speak to a real person. Mistake. After waiting on hold for 10 minutes I got a message that said they couldn't take my call, but if I left a message, they would get back to me. I left a message....and I'm still waiting for a call-back.
The same day I sent another email, figuring I wouldn't get my message returned. I again get the auto-reply saying my answer will come in 1-2 business days. I'm still waiting for that email.
So...
...long wait for a reply
...incorrect information when I finally get a reply
...item not available nine months after release
...can't get to a live person; won't answer message
...and that is Topps customer service?
I have a number of eTopps cards I haven't requested deliver on yet because I am waiting for the 2011 cards to be released so I can just put them all on one order. Topps's ridiculous hold time on this issue is just frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI really do wish MLB would grant a second company a license so that Topps could have competition again. I doubt it would improve their customer service, but at least it might force them to start treating baseball collectors a little bit better.
Sounds like the kind of customer service I get nearly everywhere. I think the the phrase "customer service" is a misnomer. Hope you get your D.B. card eventually.
ReplyDeletethat's pretty brutal. I wonder if they farm out their customer service function to a service provider.
ReplyDelete(Lifetimetopps)
I have two eTopps cards I can't take delivery on either. We paid for them and we can't have them. Sounds very wrong to me, almost like....stealing.
ReplyDeleteWell, to make matters more sketchy, 2011 was the last year of eTopps, in case you were unaware.
ReplyDelete