My experience with LOTG

[orly57]

Obviously, Al is well-respected by the members of this forum. It is also clear that anyone can make a mistake. But I don't think we need to belittle the OP's feelings here. I don't know how common or rare the card he purchased may be, but I think he has every reason to be angry that he's not getting the card he purchased. And getting his money back isn't going to change that. So while I think that the support for Al is wonderful, and extremely telling of the kind of guy he is, I don't think it's right to write-off the OP completely and make him seem irrational. I know I would be extremely angry if I bought a card and it was lost, and I know that some of Al's defenders here would be too. Maybe we need to stop treating issues as black and white, right and wrong, true and false. Al is a great guy. LOTG is an amazing AH. And the OP has every right to be pissed off.

[botport]

Thank you.

FH

[glchen]

Originally Posted by orly57

Obviously, Al is well-respected by the members of this forum. It is also clear that anyone can make a mistake. But I don't think we need to belittle the OP's feelings here. I don't know how common or rare the card he purchased may be, but I think he has every reason to be angry that he's not getting the card he purchased. And getting his money back isn't going to change that. So while I think that the support for Al is wonderful, and extremely telling of the kind of guy he is, I don't think it's right to write-off the OP completely and make him seem irrational. I know I would be extremely angry if I bought a card and it was lost, and I know that some of Al's defenders here would be too. Maybe we need to stop treating issues as black and white, right and wrong, true and false. Al is a great guy. LOTG is an amazing AH. And the OP has every right to be pissed off.

+1

[ramram]

Hope there isn’t a mailman with sticky fingers between the two locations.

Rob M

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by orly57

Obviously, Al is well-respected by the members of this forum. It is also clear that anyone can make a mistake. But I don't think we need to belittle the OP's feelings here. I don't know how common or rare the card he purchased may be, but I think he has every reason to be angry that he's not getting the card he purchased. And getting his money back isn't going to change that. So while I think that the support for Al is wonderful, and extremely telling of the kind of guy he is, I don't think it's right to write-off the OP completely and make him seem irrational. I know I would be extremely angry if I bought a card and it was lost, and I know that some of Al's defenders here would be too. Maybe we need to stop treating issues as black and white, right and wrong, true and false. Al is a great guy. LOTG is an amazing AH. And the OP has every right to be pissed off.

+1

Hard to imagine that all the posters would feel the same if they were in the OPs shoes. Just sayin’.........

[Rich Falvo]

Last year, I won a card on ebay from a dealer that also has a brick-and-mortar store. Apparently, the card was sold in the store before it could be removed from online. The seller kept me up to date on looking for the card and after a few days, I got a full refund. Was I frustrated? Of course. But, I wouldn't have then come on here and blasted the guy by name after he tried to do the right thing.

[botport]

.... and others....


appreciate your input...

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by Rich Falvo

Last year, I won a card on ebay from a dealer that also has a brick-and-mortar store. Apparently, the card was sold in the store before it could be removed from online. The seller kept me up to date on looking for the card and after a few days, I got a full refund. Was I frustrated? Of course. But, I wouldn't have then come on here and blasted the guy by name after he tried to do the right thing.

I have been on the awkward seller side of that equation twice. I have offered a full refund and 10% off their next purchase as an apology. While I understand being frustrated I gotta agree with Al. No company is perfect. I am much more interested in how a company (or person) rectifies their mistakes than I am in them being perfect.

Does it suck? Absolutely. But unless you suspect foul play (and there would be no reason not to ship you that lot for what you paid) are you really so perfect that you can't comprehend an innocent, honest mistake? If so I hope you never find yourself in the wrong!

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by orly57

Obviously, Al is well-respected by the members of this forum. It is also clear that anyone can make a mistake. But I don't think we need to belittle the OP's feelings here. I don't know how common or rare the card he purchased may be, but I think he has every reason to be angry that he's not getting the card he purchased. And getting his money back isn't going to change that. So while I think that the support for Al is wonderful, and extremely telling of the kind of guy he is, I don't think it's right to write-off the OP completely and make him seem irrational. I know I would be extremely angry if I bought a card and it was lost, and I know that some of Al's defenders here would be too. Maybe we need to stop treating issues as black and white, right and wrong, true and false. Al is a great guy. LOTG is an amazing AH. And the OP has every right to be pissed off.

I agree with this. Also, the check cleared on the 10th, and the OP had to reach out 10 days later to inform the AH that his order hadn't been sent out. I would expect someone at LOTG to have been looking for these cards to send out before that. And after being informed it took another 8 days to get a response back? If this happened to me I would not be pleased.

I get that AL is well respected and one of the good guys in our hobby. But from what I've read in this thread this particular situation could have been handled better in my opinion.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

I agree with this. Also, the check cleared on the 10th, and the OP had to reach out 10 days later to inform the AH that his order hadn't been sent out. I would expect someone at LOTG to have been looking for these cards to send out before that. And after being informed it took another 8 days to get a response back? If this happened to me I would not be pleased.

I get that AL is well respected and one of the good guys in our hobby. But from what I've read in this thread this particular situation could have been handled better in my opinion.

right it only appears AFTER he started the thread is he getting 'action' Looks like he tried beforehand as well. Makes sense that he would post whats going on and he does say he 100% backs what he says and gives his name....what more can you ask for a buyer

maybe people will bid more on these auctions hoping to get extra goodies by mistake...

[packs]

I've never had the luck to win an LOTG lot but I've been a frequent bidder. I would be upset if this happened to me but I don't know what else could be done other than what the AH is doing.

It could always be worse. I won a card with a different AH and when the card was sent to the wrong address the AH made me wait for them to settle with USPS to get a refund on their insurance before they would refund me on the auction price, despite the fact that I had nothing to do with an insurance claim against USPS. I'll NEVER bid with that house again and am happy to share the name if anyone is interested.

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by orly57

Obviously, Al is well-respected by the members of this forum. It is also clear that anyone can make a mistake. But I don't think we need to belittle the OP's feelings here. I don't know how common or rare the card he purchased may be, but I think he has every reason to be angry that he's not getting the card he purchased. And getting his money back isn't going to change that. So while I think that the support for Al is wonderful, and extremely telling of the kind of guy he is, I don't think it's right to write-off the OP completely and make him seem irrational. I know I would be extremely angry if I bought a card and it was lost, and I know that some of Al's defenders here would be too. Maybe we need to stop treating issues as black and white, right and wrong, true and false. Al is a great guy. LOTG is an amazing AH. And the OP has every right to be pissed off.

+1

Although Al and LOTG are top notch, this situation seems to have been handled rather poorly. I have no doubt that Al will make this right, but he lost a customer in the process and it could've easily been avoided. I hope everything is resolved sooner rather than later

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by freakhappy

+1

Although Al and LOTG are top notch, this situation seems to have been handled rather poorly. I have no doubt that Al will make this right, but he lost a customer in the process and it could've easily been avoided. I hope everything is resolved sooner rather than later

According to Al, 8 days after the customer inquired about status of the order, he was sent an email that the item could not be located, and that a refund would be issued. Perhaps this was longer than ideal, but it sounds like once the customer received this email, he decided to instantly state that he would not do business with LOTG again (which is certainly the right of any customer).

To me it seems like the customer is not of a forgiving nature, and perhaps is a little quick to pass judgement without willing to consider mitigating factors (AH is a 1 or 2 person business, mistakes happen, life getting in the way of responding promptly, weather affecting delivery of mail...I recently had a package I sent take almost 2 weeks to get to its destination, etc).

We all have our faults, and I am willing to acknowledge mine is putting a colon in my full name.

Brian Park:er

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

According to Al, 8 days after the customer inquired about status of the order, he was sent an email that the item could not be located, and that a refund would be issued. Perhaps this was longer than ideal, but it sounds like once the customer received this email, he decided to instantly state that he would not do business with LOTG again (which is certainly the right of any customer).

To me it seems like the customer is not of a forgiving nature, and perhaps is a little quick to pass judgement without willing to consider mitigating factors (AH is a 1 or 2 person business, mistakes happen, life getting in the way of responding promptly, weather affecting delivery of mail...I recently had a package I sent take almost 2 weeks to get to its destination, etc).

We all have our faults, and I am willing to acknowledge mine is putting a colon in my full name.

Brian Park:er

I'm a pretty forgiving person, so I most likely wouldn't have went the exact route as the OP did, but I'm not saying he's in the wrong here nor do I think Al and co run a bad auction house...I just think it could have been handled a little better and with a tad more urgency...it is what it is at this point.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by freakhappy

I'm a pretty forgiving person, so I most likely wouldn't have went the exact route as the OP did, but I'm not saying he's in the wrong here nor do I think Al and co run a bad auction house...I just think it could have been handled a little better and with a tad more urgency...it is what it is at this point.

I agree.

Brian

[philliesphan]

Sad to see this thread when I woke up today.

Also, as someone who works for an Internet company (and has for the past decade), it always surprises me that folks think the "best approach" to dealing with customer service issues is to jump to social media to vent their frustrations and share their experiences vs. simply picking up the phone and calling. Alas.

I think all companies make mistakes, and I am usually willing to give any company a one-time free pass. You've made a different decision, Frank, which is your prerogative.

From my perspective, I have consigned to (nearly every?) one of Al's auctions since the inaugural one many years ago. I consider Al to be both honest and hard-working. I have also spent many thousands of dollars across LotG auctions over the past few years, and always revel in amazement at some of the cool items that Al unearths and researchs to benefit the hobby and his consignors.

I consider him to be one of the good guys of the hobby, echoing what many others have said here. I don't think any AH will ever have a 100% satisfaction rate, and I'm sorry that you're unhappy with your experience. But I think it is important to note that your experience is a snowflake, compared to the blizzard of kudos that Al, Jeff and LotG continue to receive.

Marc

[toledo_mudhen]

and 1 more vote for Al is a stand up guy and does everything in his power to make things right.... from personal experience and stuff does happen.

[barrysloate]

If someone received a lot he neither won nor paid for, he must return it. Al should have gotten a call from him the same day the cards were received.

Al is a stand up guy and the best in the business. The person who received the wrong lot apparently isn't. It wasn't a free gift.

[T205 GB]

Considering that the only AH I have ever received a package from in less than a week has been Sterling I personally think that the OP came here to slander Al, Jeff, and LOTG and should be liable for that. In the amount of time that this issue was handled in I am sure any of us would have been happy especially since its one of the larger Auction Houses. Does eBay not take just as long to settle a issue like this? The OP is probably pissed he didn't get the lot so he could resubmit for grade bumps and make money.

I consigned some cards to Sterling before Lee came to ownership. A tougher card was lost during the grading and it took almost 30 days to settle up. I allowed the AH to take every step possible to track the card down before I was contacted and just paid outright for the card based on market value. Now I could have came here and said all kinds of bad stuff but I can guarantee this is the first in 7 years this has ever been mentioned here. What I am saying is the OP and I will never have a transaction, and I truly hope LOTG auctions takes a stand since they did make it right in a timely professional manner.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by T205 GB

Considering that the only AH I have ever received a package from in less than a week has been Sterling I personally think that the OP came here to slander Al, Jeff, and LOTG and should be liable for that.

Slander is something that is said orally, not written. Libel is when something defamatory is written. In either case, however, the statement(s) has to be false for slander or libel to apply.. Al came into this thread and said what the OP wrote was true regarding his winnings being lost. As far as the OP not receiving a check yet, how do you know it is not true?

That being said, I had a fabulous experience purchasing from LotG in the past and would not hesitate to do so in the future. Mistakes happen, although I understand why the original poster is upset.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/slander

[T205 GB]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

If someone received a lot he neither won nor paid for, he must return it. Al should have gotten a call from him the same day the cards were received.

Al is a stand up guy and the best in the business. The person who received the wrong lot apparently isn't. It wasn't a free gift.

Barry I do hope that the person that received the cards returns them. Sadly we both know that this is not how a lot of people are anymore

[T206Collector]

I sell groups of T206 cards on eBay every few years — I run up the mountain and then I sell, sell, sell. It’s apparently how I collect, I guess.

Anyway, when I sold a bunch of T206s on eBay this past summer, I have to say that the tone of the buyers was much different than it used to be. In addition, for the first time ever, I had two cases opened against me - one by a guy who was intent on a refund while also getting to keep my card (I won that case); and another by a guy who said a Beckett case cracked in shipping (I asked him to return the card for a full refund, he didn’t, he opened a case against me to ask for a partial refund and to get to keep the card - I settled that one, but have to say the evidence that the case cracked in shipping was not a compelling one).

Buyers seem to be jumping for help from third parties and social networks before trying to reasonably address easily resolved disputes. I have a whole new appreciation for what even the best auction houses must go through. Definitely not an easy gig. It would take outright fraud for me to air such grievances here.

Having said that, we live in the Yelp! world, with Amazon reviewers, and TripAdvisor experiences. That’s why these threads are so important today — you can leave a bad review, but if you have a great reputation this community will come immediately to defend you. If other collectors came out of the webisphere to share similar stories of lost shipments and delayed refunds, a different pattern would emerge than we’ve seen here.

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

if someone received a lot he neither won nor paid for, he must return it. Al should have gotten a call from him the same day the cards were received.

Al is a stand up guy and the best in the business. The person who received the wrong lot apparently isn't. It wasn't a free gift.

+1000

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

We all have our faults, and I am willing to acknowledge mine is putting a colon in my full name.

Brian Park:er

Just don't try it the other way around.

[timn1]

LOL, Glenn, you kill me...

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Just don't try it the other way around.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Just don't try it the other way around.

Unfortunately I have, and what I found out is that my full name is partly made up of corn.

Brian (now you know me on a first name basis)