Request for input: Larry Fritsch

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Posted By: jim/jverri01

OK - I need to vent. What better place? Anybody have experience(s) with Larry Fritsch cards? I am as frustrated as can be after "trying" to deal with these guys. Three weeks ago, I call them. I request scans of 7 cards. I am told I will have them within 24 hours. Two days later, still no scans. I call back, ask what is up. "Oh, yeah..." they say - "we'll get right on this". A week later, still no scans. I send an email, no response. Two days later, I call again. "Well...see, all the VINTAGE stuff is at a DIFFERENT location.....we'd have to WALK OVER THERE". OK, I say. WALK OVER THERE, THEN. Apparently, they didn't, because a week later - no scans. Totally perterbed, I email them. I tell them what I think of their customer relations. I hear nothing back. Today, I call again. I figure, hey, maybe it's just dumb luck, right? They tell me "it is no longer our policy to send scans". Oh, OK. WHY DIDN'T WE GO THROUGH THIS 3 WEEKS AGO? "Well, see, your email gave us the impression you didn't want to do business with us..". Oh, so this is MY FAULT, then? Clearly, my request was UNREASONABLE. I mean, who wants to actually SEE what they are about to spend $3,000. for, to obtain from a person they have NEVER dealt with? "Sir..maybe put this in writing, and we can consider the request". I HAVE SOMETHING YOU CAN PUT IN WRITING. Anyway, I was actually pretty cool under the circumstances. Ultimately, they refuse to send scans, because they are a "small shop" (not too small to list a card on Ebay for $30k++, and not have reserve met, tho - or, too small to scan cards 3 weeks ago...). However, they DO have a 10-day return policy. "Why not BUY the cards, for the list price PLUS 5% (because the cc information is being given "over the phone"), and if unhappy return them to us??" (less the 5%). BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW ACCURATE I THINK YOUR GRADING ASSESSMENTS ARE. To me, NO CARD can be considered "VG" if it is CREASED, HAS WRITING ON IT, and has 40% paper loss (like Steve Verkmann thinks). I AM just FED up with these people. Why does it have to be so frustrating? And whatever happened to CUSTOMER service? Geez. Is it all dealers, or JUST MY IMAGINATION? Anyway - anybody else have any Fritsch experiences to share - good or bad...? Jim

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Posted By: Marc S.

to have the card graded by the grading company set up for Fritsch's purposes: SCD Authentic, grading. That way, you can be sure you know what you're getting. (a piece of crap!)

He's got a great collection of cards -- but he does overgrade, and can be annoying to deal with. Just another fat bastard in the grand scheme of the card-collecting world.

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Posted By: john

From cards i bought from him,almost all were overgraded,if it says vg,it probably has a crease,and probably overpriced for the grade he describes too....They did seem nice to deal with though everytime i dealt with them,but that could be just me....unless its an impossible to find card,i would strongly recommend looking elsewhere

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Posted By: runscott

Okay, Marc, you one-upp'd me - I'd like to hear Lee try to beat you with a Festberg description.

"just another fat..." certainly beats "elitest card hawker".

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Posted By: Elliot

Actually Scott, I prefer your description, I think Marc's is bordering on unacceptable in a public forum.

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Posted By: leon

I have dealt with them twice. The first time I got the "oh shi*" expression when I saw what I got. I had ordered about 10 "types" I needed and only had to send about 4 of them back. They were ALL overgraded by at least 2 grades. How can a card with semi-serious pen marks be vg+? The ones I kept were pretty cheap and I needed them so I kept them. Hey maybe they were only a grade and a half overgraded. Bonus. On my second occasion (yes I gave them another shot because they were nice and gave a no questions asked refund)I knew what to expect. THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I then sent back about 3 of 6 cards and got my money back. I did not go for the "hey let me add 5% for a phone order" deal which pretty well confused me. Let me get it straight here....because I am going to spend money with you and want the convenience of a phone transaction you are going to charge me an extra 5%. COOLLLLLL...sign me up for that program quickly....and the 5% was not for the credit card fee (I asked) it was for a phone "convienance" fee.......I learned my lesson.....best regards all

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Posted By: petecld

My experience has been the same. But. . .

Last time I ordered and asked for a refund for a card I did get the card price + the 5% of the card price. May have been a clerical error but I was glad they did refund the phone penalty.

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Posted By: Ephuspitch

Dealt with them three times over the phone, trying to get an e-mailed list (not even scans!) of a few vintage cards in stock.

Each time I called, "It'll be there in 24 -48 hours" and a week later, nothing. How hard is an e-mail?


When I finally did order three near mint cards, one came back with a minor stain, another "centered" 10-90. The third didn't come at all. But HEY!, at least they didn't charge me for that third one.

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Posted By: Jim/jverri01

PHENOMENAL feedback everyone! Thank you! This is the kind of input that it takes YEARS to acquire on your own. What a great group! Regards...Jim

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Posted By: Jaime Leiderman

Maybe they are to busy selling reprint sets.

Remember... (LF Slogan, not mine!)

"Who Buys Reprint Sets?...
The True Collector Does!"

It's nice to see that the "true collector" is selling LF reprints all over eBay as old and rare....

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

I used to buy Colgans from him--only in near mint. Also, he has his own ideas about what Colgans commons are worth--when Fritsch says $100 for a common, I pay it.But once, there were SO many ex-mint cards I wanted,
I explained to the person on the phone that I was DYING to buy the cards, but simply had to have a discription. SOMEBODY--I don't know who--called me back, and suggested I send a list of their proffered e-mint cards i was inetrested in, and he would call me with the price of--about 6 of the very best of them. He did. It worked great. But it never happened again.

Julie

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Posted By: jay behrens

Calling him a fat bastard does a disservice to the chracter in Austin Powers. It's nice to know that he has changed in over 20 years. My favorite Fritsch story is the time totally shamed him in front of a bunch of people to the point where he ended up giving this little kid (maybe 8 or 9) a beatten up 1956 Clemente card that, calling it poor would be generous, and the kid was about pay $10 for the thing. It was hillarious when other people started joining me calling him money grubby bastard, etc. It finally got to the point where there were so people around his table to see what was going on, that finally gave the card to the kid for free.

From that day on, I vowed never to buy anything from him, and never have.

Jay

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Posted By: warshawlaw

was actually ok. I ordered several goudeys Wide Pens from him. all were overgraded, of course, which I expected. One was terribly overgraded, so I sent it back. I got a prompt refund and a note from customer service apologizing for the error and asking me to do business again with them. Now, this was probably 5 years ago and I have not bought anything from him since then because his catalogue is the "7-11" of cards (prices applicable ten years from now payable today), but my experience was completely professional. I contrast that with my recent experiences with the "Lord Voldemorts" of the business (sorry, my kid is into Potter) where I have been told variously (1) to go to hell and (2) refused refunds by They-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for questioning a grade, and I'll take the Fritsch approach any day. At least they live up to their return promises, no small thing in "Enronmerica" these days.