A little disappointment rant

[glchen]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Did you wire the funds on the 10th? Because if you did not send a wire transfer or other instant payment [I d/k if LOTG takes PP], expecting lightning fast shipment is completely unreasonable.

...

LOTG takes paypal, so I assume when the OP stated that he paid on the 10th, that was via Paypal.

Also, my take is that the OP is just looking for an email stating that the package has been shipped, not necessarily delivered by the 16th. So for the poster stating that OP should only use AH's west of MS, I don't think that's fair.

I do agree that Al sent an email stating shipping would be delayed, so he does deserve a little more understanding here, and certainly not a thread stating OP will no longer bid in future auctions. Hopefully, things will work out here.

[jefferyepayne]

There are bigger fish to fry in this industry:

* auction house executives going to prison for fraud
* shillers and card doctors
* auction house owners who used to cheat old ladies out of their retirement on TV

I'd give an honest, hard working, ethical, diligent, auction owner like Al a pass and focus a boycott on the above if you want to make a statement.

jeff

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by jefferyepayne

There are bigger fish to fry in this industry:

* auction house executives going to prison for fraud
* shillers and card doctors
* auction house owners who used to cheat old ladies out of their retirement on TV

I'd give an honest, hard working, ethical, diligent, auction owner like Al a pass and focus a boycott on the above if you want to make a statement.

jeff

Exactly...I wonder if Lug-Nut was still bidding in Legendary up to the final death knell?

[ejharrington]

Their website states "We will begin shipping materials as quickly as possible after payment."

They do not promise same day delivery.

Enjoy the anticipation of receiving the card and lighten up!

[HRBAKER]

Mercy, a minor inconvenience.
Let the man run his business.
JMHO

[kmac32]

I miss the Jerry Springer Show

[ValKehl]

Al, great response to the OP. If you ever get tired of doing auctions, you could teach classes in damage control. Not that there was any need for an apology or damage control in this instance, IMHO. If Al isn't the best in the business, then I don't know who is!
Val

[forazzurri2axz]

I would like everyone here to boycott every single AH for obvious reasons...finally I could get a lot of cards at great prices!

[stone193]

It's not like you're waiting for a kidney?

[Peter_Spaeth]

We all want instant gratification, but given how many things Al does right, I think he's entitled to a break here.

[D. Bergin]

Wow, I remember the days I'd be happy to get a shipment from one of the major auction houses within the month, sometimes having to wait 6 weeks or more. Now if it's not received before the week is out, boycotts are being started. Rough business.

[lug-nut]

It's funny how much smack some of you guys talk when several of you have posted far worse derogatory things about fellow board members. I'm not going to humor most of your posts since they were a little extreme.

I will clarify that I did pay via PP and I did not expect my items delivered within a week, I expected a "shipment sent" email like I was told in the email that came 3 days after the end of the auction. And the email I sent to LOTG, has not been answered as of 20 minutes ago.

I expressed my disappointment about an AH that no matter what AH it was, would get the same response. I know for a fact that I'm not the first to express their disappointment about an AH on forum. I wasn't slanderous, I didn't call anyone a douche-bag, I wasn't sarcastic like some of you were in this thread. which now tells me what sellers and buyers to stay away from. I don't post negative feedback on ebay and I'm not petty. And quite frankly, I don't give a frogs fat a*s if your domino's pizza was late, get a real job so you can afford papa john's.

[VintageBall]

Ok that was a great response. Well done!

I'm a New Yorker, we don't do Domino's or papa john's, but that response was funny. But Mario Batali does have a great pizza place here, if you're looking for something more upscale than the usual NYC slice...

Of course, when Papa John opened up an East Village location, they actually handed out flyers touting their new "East Side Village" location, so clearly all that extra dough they are charging you isn't going to learning new markets!

[Al C.risafulli]

Hi everyone:

First, thanks to everyone who chimed in with such positive comments. While they're all much appreciated, I think Mark's concern is valid because he clearly expected that his shipment would be sent to him within four days of my receipt of payment, and I did not meet that expectation.

When I set up LOTG, I wanted to model my shipping after Sterling and REA, who are the fastest in the biz. Sterling sometimes ships the day they receive payment! Since most other auctions ship, in my experience, within a week or two of receipt - so I set a goal of shipping within a week, via priority mail, and most of the time, I meet that goal.

In this case, since shipments will go out slightly more than a week after some payments were received, I felt it was important to let winning bidders know. I sent out an email on Wednesday to that effect. Perhaps it would have been smarter to just ship when I could, but I felt like customers who are accustomed to receiving their material from me in four or five days have a right to know that they'll be receiving it in eight or nine.

Mark, since you addressed my company here in a public forum rather than privately, I hope you don't mind that I respond to you publicly as well. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience of your having to wait. I know that LOTG is not the first auction house with which you've done business, so I know you're aware of how frustrating it can be to have to wait three and four weeks to receive your winning items. I understand that you were expecting better service from LOTG, and I apologize for not being able to deliver this time around.

I'm extremely disappointed to have let you down with the first and only item you've ever bid on with my company. I received your payment at 11:30 PM on Monday night, and while I understand many customers want their material shipped immediately, some times it's just not logistically possible due to volumes and time constraints. When I sent out the email on Wednesday evening, I did it so that I could properly set expectations. In that email, which admittedly was sent almost 48 hours after you paid, I explained that we were behind schedule and would be slow in fulfilling orders due to our attendance at the White Plains show. I understand that you take issue with our priorities and our planning, and yet I hope you also understand how important shows can be to an auction house.

You've noted several times that you expected a "shipment sent" email, as you were told you would receive. The part that I may not have been clear about is that you will only receive a "shipment sent" email after your shipment has been sent. The reason you have not received that email is because your shipment has not been sent. It is slated to be shipped on Monday, and you can trust that when it is, that email will be sent to you.

You also mentioned in your recent post that the email you sent to me has not been answered. Unfortunately I searched through my inbox and my spam folder, and have received no email from you. The only emails I have ever received from you are the Paypal receipts from the day you paid. Perhaps you used the wrong email address? Of course that doesn't matter; you have every right to be frustrated for not receiving a response and I hope you accept my apologies. Trust that your winnings will be shipped to you on schedule tomorrow, via Priority Mail, which means you will receive it 8 calendar days after your payment was made. I realize that's not as quickly as you would like, and for that I apologize.

It's unfortunate that I've lost your future bids, as it's my goal to delight every customer. The longer LOTG is in business, the more I realize that's not really possible, but it doesn't stop me from trying!

Regardless, I hope you do enjoy the item you won, and I thank you for your bid.

Warm Regards,
-Al

[Beastmode]

Originally Posted by VintageBall

Ok that was a great response. Well done!

I'm a New Yorker, we don't do Domino's or papa john's, but that response was funny. But Mario Batali does have a great pizza place here, if you're looking for something more upscale than the usual NYC slice...

Of course, when Papa John opened up an East Village location, they actually handed out flyers touting their new "East Side Village" location, so clearly all that extra dough they are charging you isn't going to learning new markets!

I like that you can give and take, a true New Yorker!

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by lug-nut

It's funny how much smack some of you guys talk when several of you have posted far worse derogatory things about fellow board members. I'm not going to humor most of your posts since they were a little extreme.

I will clarify that I did pay via PP and I did not expect my items delivered within a week, I expected a "shipment sent" email like I was told in the email that came 3 days after the end of the auction. And the email I sent to LOTG, has not been answered as of 20 minutes ago.

I expressed my disappointment about an AH that no matter what AH it was, would get the same response. I know for a fact that I'm not the first to express their disappointment about an AH on forum. I wasn't slanderous, I didn't call anyone a douche-bag, I wasn't sarcastic like some of you were in this thread. which now tells me what sellers and buyers to stay away from. I don't post negative feedback on ebay and I'm not petty. And quite frankly, I don't give a frogs fat a*s if your domino's pizza was late, get a real job so you can afford papa john's.

You mis-spelled, "sorry, I may have jumped the gun a little and apologize for attacking an auction house that does a (generally) great job."

It's OK. Everyone makes mistakes.

[Steve D]

I know it can be frustrating to have to wait for something to arrive in the mail. I also don't know what the OP won, or how long he's been looking for it.

That being said, I won two cards in Al's auction. Both are cards I've been looking for for several years. One of them has taken me multiple auctions and being outbid every time before I finally came out on top this time. I am not going to get uptight if they haven't arrived within a week. It took me years to find the cards and win them in the first place; what's another couple of days, or a week or two?

Al is a great guy who runs an outstanding auction, and in my experience, he always treats his customers well. We definitely need more people like him in this hobby.

Steve

[ZenPop]

Originally Posted by eric72

you mis-spelled, "sorry, i may have jumped the gun a little and apologize for attacking an auction house that does a (generally) great job."

it's ok. Everyone makes mistakes.

lol! :d

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by lug-nut

And quite frankly, I don't give a frogs fat a*s if your domino's pizza was late, get a real job so you can afford papa john's.

Is there really a difference in price between Domino's and Papa John's?

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by slidekellyslide

Is there really a difference in price between Domino's and Papa John's?

To me, this and Jay's request for make-up sex are the most interesting parts of this thread. Everyone here knows Al and so there's really nothing to talk about with regard to his customer service. I'm still blown away with how fast he's become a major player in this industry, and he's one of my favorite guys in the hobby in all respects. The first time I met him I gave him a pretty big pile of my stuff to auction off, just because I like the guy, and I had only known him for a day. How many people can you say that about?

[griffon512]

Originally Posted by lug-nut

It's funny how much smack some of you guys talk when several of you have posted far worse derogatory things about fellow board members. I'm not going to humor most of your posts since they were a little extreme.

I will clarify that I did pay via PP and I did not expect my items delivered within a week, I expected a "shipment sent" email like I was told in the email that came 3 days after the end of the auction. And the email I sent to LOTG, has not been answered as of 20 minutes ago.

I expressed my disappointment about an AH that no matter what AH it was, would get the same response. I know for a fact that I'm not the first to express their disappointment about an AH on forum. I wasn't slanderous, I didn't call anyone a douche-bag, I wasn't sarcastic like some of you were in this thread. which now tells me what sellers and buyers to stay away from. I don't post negative feedback on ebay and I'm not petty. And quite frankly, I don't give a frogs fat a*s if your domino's pizza was late, get a real job so you can afford papa john's.

you stated in your post that "I'm not petty," but you will tell someone they must have a crappy job if they ordered from an "inferior" fast food pizza house. really? that's classic.

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by lug-nut

It's funny how much smack some of you guys talk when several of you have posted far worse derogatory things about fellow board members. I'm not going to humor most of your posts since they were a little extreme.

I will clarify that I did pay via PP and I did not expect my items delivered within a week, I expected a "shipment sent" email like I was told in the email that came 3 days after the end of the auction. And the email I sent to LOTG, has not been answered as of 20 minutes ago.

I expressed my disappointment about an AH that no matter what AH it was, would get the same response. I know for a fact that I'm not the first to express their disappointment about an AH on forum. I wasn't slanderous, I didn't call anyone a douche-bag, I wasn't sarcastic like some of you were in this thread. which now tells me what sellers and buyers to stay away from. I don't post negative feedback on ebay and I'm not petty. And quite frankly, I don't give a frogs fat a*s if your domino's pizza was late, get a real job so you can afford papa john's.

^This post made some good points and the end also made me laugh

I think Mark probably should have tried again to contact Al to try to resolve this, but to his credit, he did say he did email and didn't get a response...even though Al said he didn't receive anything...so who really knows where the email is

No one should be bashing Mark for venting about his experience, even if you agree or not. He made some good points and although I don't know if I would have taken the exact path he did, I'm sure I wouldn't expect to get ripped for sharing my experience with everyone here. It's no secret that Al is amazing and one of the best in the business, but that doesn't mean he won't make mistakes from time to time...and I'm not saying he made a huge one here.

I think some of the people that responded to this thread missed the point of the OP. He wasn't looking for everyone to take down Al and his company, but to hear some voices with some constructive feedback would have been nice...which some did.

Mark has been a valued member of this board for a long time...let's treat him with some respect. That being said...Mark, I think you should reconsider LOTG and continue to bid

[Peter_Spaeth]

Talk about staking out a position squarely in the middle. Have you considered politics?

[travrosty]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Wow, I remember the days I'd be happy to get a shipment from one of the major auction houses within the month, sometimes having to wait 6 weeks or more. Now if it's not received before the week is out, boycotts are being started. Rough business.

i agree, its pretty rough if they are calling people out and not even been a week yet.