Beckett Grading ruined my card!!!!!!!

[hairyangryfella]

Here is the next correspondence:

Hi Jeromy, I am the buyer of this card and I completely trust Matt who has helped me many times before. Here is the deal:

This item was bought off ebay and the seller stated it was mint and should grade at least a 9. I am in New Zealand and knew I wanted to get this graded and therefore had it shipped directly to Matt. Had there been any issue when it arrived we would have had it sent back to the seller. It looked gem mint (according to Matt in an email just after he had posted the card), and despite not feeling comfortable about the way your site says to package the card, he did it exactly as advised. The card was gem mint when it was sent out, and I said that I would give Matt more 'thank you' money the higher the grade it returned. If it was damaged we wouldn't have bothered sending it off!

It comes down to you not admitting fault and blaming him for his packaging or damage in transit - though the crease is exactly where the card was taped which strongly implies one of your guys damaging it when unpacking it. It also comes down to the fact that because we don't have a scan of the card before sending to you (other than the ebay picture) we have no comeback? Your stance on this situation is absolutely shameful - not only has one of your people damaged a rare and historic card, but you've also destroyed the value of it and are simply saying 'tough, you have no proof'.
As for you saying that have damaged cards in the past and 'stepped up' - I can offer you an example where this is not true - does a 1992 Courtside Flashbacks Autograph of Larry Bird ring any bells? It's from a while ago but what do you have to say about this - http://www.ozcardtrader.com.au/forum/general-forum/11576-bgs-suck-balls-rotten-dirty-liars-d.html

I knew this would come down to 'your word vs mine' and as quite a few people have said to me, you have to scan everything and not package it up how they tell you, but this was my first ever grading attempt and it will absolutely be the last...

I eagerly await your reply.


Thank you for the email. The link you provided is another situation in which there was no proof that we damaged a card. We are not going to pay for damaged cards if we have no proof that we damaged them. Your story adds another level to where the card could have been damaged. I am not saying this but what is to say that Matt didn’t damage the card (knowingly or unknowingly) when he received it from the seller, taped it up, and sent it to us. Again, I AM NOT SAYING MATT DAMAGED THE CARD but I am saying that you don’t know what happened to the card once it left the sellers hands nor do you know if the seller actually sent you a card in mint condition as claimed. Maybe Matt missed the damage when he received the card and it was there the whole time. There are so many things that could have happened to this card. We handle thousands of cards each day and for damage to happen is very rare but it does happen. If we damage a card, we will compensate the customer. In this situation, you sent the card, which someone else received from an Ebay seller, packaged it, and sent it to us. Could we have damaged the card and not known it…sure but I have no proof that is the case and can not pay you for something that can’t be proven. An $1800 card is not worth our reputation so if we damaged the card, we would pay you. We have damaged cards that were much more valuable then this and never had an issue paying for our mistakes



I recommend you contact the seller on Ebay and tell him the card didn’t grade a 9 mint like he claimed. Maybe the seller will refund your fees but Beckett will not be able to compensate you for a card that we have no proof was damaged by us. I know I continue to say this but it is the case. There is no proof that we damaged the card, nor is there any proof that Matt damaged the card, or proof that the card was not damaged in the mail (between the Ebay Seller or to Beckett), or that the card was damaged when Matt received it from the seller. It is one story against another story against another story and Beckett will not pay for a card that we can not prove was damaged here. I am sorry and hope you understand what I am saying. We simply can’t pay out claims based on accusations. I am not blaming any one person but I am saying BGS can’t be blamed for this, solely. There is really nothing else I can say about this but if you have any other questions or comments, please let me know.


While I can see their point, I still think it's crap. I have two emails from Matt - one when he sent it saying "it looked gem mint, nothing at all wrong with it" and one when he got it back talking about the obvious crease that he would have noticed.
So it's come down to Beckett's word vs Matt's word - and I know that I trust Matt completely.
I also don't like his suggestion to return it to the seller, I wouldn't do that because that's just not cool, so hopefully the postal insurance can get something out of it, but again, we cannot 'prove' condition when it was sent so I don't know how that's likely to go.

 

[ozballer23]

Oh crap! So there's a chance that insurance may not pay up?

 

[GarnettFan4Life]

Beckett scumbags. Yeah he'll surely pay $1800 for a creased card then get it graded......
Their rep is already damaged in my opinion, badly

 

[hairyangryfella]

Basically, what they're saying (despite saying that they're not saying that) is that Matt either didn't see the "obvious" damage or damaged it himself while packing it.
That is a complete crock.

I went back to him saying:

Well Jeromy, while I do see your points, I also find it pretty darn difficult to prove as we can't be there to watch you guys opening the packages or grading the cards so I guess we can never win the argument...
As for your suggestion to return it to the seller, that is a shocking thing to suggest. He did nothing wrong - the card arrived to Matt in perfect condition - I have an email after he had sent it off which says "it looked gem mint to me, nothing wrong with it at all" and then another one upon receipt back from Beckett talking about an obvious crease that he would have noticed. So again, it comes down to your word vs Matts (who I trust 100%).

Matt - it looks like we will have to try filing a claim on the insurance, though I can see it will be a similar 'your word against ours' situation.

While I'm disappointed about the monetary loss I will have based on this experience, I think I'm more upset that an amazing card (that would have been the jewel of my collection) is now ruined. And it's nobody's fault? Yeah right..

The worst part is that I thought about having the card sent to me to send to be graded, but from an international perspective it would be an extremely expensive task, and I wouldn't even know how to do it as the website doesn't exactly seem to be aimed at people overseas. I can't pay by a money order, how much would shipping be back to me, and so on.
All in all, Beckett comes out of this looking extremely bad.

 

[ooneil]

"If the package would have arrived damaged, we would have let you know"

So the card arrives with a big a*s crease and they dont contact you. Also love this comment.

"Our staff is encouraged to bring stuff to management if they damage an item."

But obviously didnt - probably some guy trying to save his job.

What a rip.:fist: Becketts!

 

[Heafy83]

Graeme this is a terrible story and I really feel for you buddy. What irks me is even if they didn't damage the card and it came into them damaged............ they still graded the bloody thing. I mean wouldn't common sense prevail and someone send you an email saying, sorry we received your card but we are not sure if you are aware but it has some significant damage to it do you still want it graded. But no they took your money for the grading and gave you the score you got. I know they would probably get damaged cards in to them to be graded all the time, but surely one with such bad and obvious damage, not just some dinged edges or chipping, they would realise you may not be aware of and shoot you off that courtesy email.

 

[aussiemjfreak]

This is a fking disgrace! Another MAJOR reason why Beckett are no where near what they once were in any way shape or form.... They would know what the card is worth and the fact that they still graded it with all their worldly knowledge of trading cards proves that they just don't give a rats ass about collectors or cards anymore and it's all about their money!!!! After hearing a few stories recently (the last 18 months or so) I would not even consider using these guys EVER again.... They are so outdated it isn't funny! PSA FTW from now on me thinks!!

I feel for you G, thats just heart breaking, not just the cash side of things but the fact that such an iconic card is now realistically fked!

 

[hairyangryfella]

Yeah that's the upsetting thing. If it had arrived damaged we would have sent it back. Had Matt damaged it when packaging he would have said so rather than telling me it looked gem mint. Had the box been damaged upon arrival at Beckett they said they'd say something. So this leads to them damaging it themselves, whether they noticed this or not, and then grading it and sending it back to break my heart.
But, because there is no video evidence of either Matt packaging the mint card and sending it off, or them unpacking it, I'm screwed.

 

[Quicksilver]

What an absolute dog act. Absolutely reeks of someone covering their own arse.

 

[Mully]

I will never send in any cards to BGS as a result of this.

 

[ace e]

One easy question for Beckett should answer all the allegations, get the manager to answer this:

"Please ask the lieing MOFO at beckett to explain what he did when he opened the package and alledgedly saw the hugggggggggggggggggge crease on such a valuable card & why he didnt report/contact anyone about it including his manager and then continued to grade it"

Then also get beckett to tell the employee that you have evidence it was mint when sent and that he will be sacked if he is lieing and then watch the lieing MOFO wet himself and confess all.

 

[Chris_Paul3]

Sorry to hear about that G, what a waste of cash in the end , But honestly did you Expect a US company to admit to wrong doing do u think they are that honest trustworthy honorable ? Where talking about US company right?

 

[hector]

can you clarify why you didnt send it in directly to beckett? im a bit confused

---------- Post added 22-07-2011 at 12:20 PM ----------

yes, yes, now having read the whole thread......

you need to ask the manager if he thinks you are an idiot.....why would you send in a valuable card with a big crease on the corner in to be graded. If he cant asnwer you then tell him he must be the idiot then......

 

[aussiemjfreak]

Sorry to hear about that G, what a waste of cash in the end , But honestly did you Expect a US company to admit to wrong doing do u think they are that honest trustworthy honorable ? Where talking about US company right?

Why single it out as a US thing? There is plenty of dodgy companies all around the world, oh gosh, even in Australia. Some of the Anti American crap that runs through this country is a bit of a joke! Yes, certain US Companies/people have bought it on themselves but to say they won't apologize or do anything about it BECAUSE they are a US company is just a bit silly!

 

[ooneil]

I just find it funny they have backed their employee rather than the customer here.

They are really just a media company now. No wonder PSA is killing them in this area.

 

[hairyangryfella]

One easy question for Beckett should answer all the allegations, get the manager to answer this:

"Please ask the lieing MOFO at beckett to explain what he did when he opened the package and alledgedly saw the hugggggggggggggggggge crease on such a valuable card & why he didnt report/contact anyone about it including his manager and then continued to grade it"

Then also get beckett to tell the employee that you have evidence it was mint when sent and that he will be sacked if he is lieing and then watch the lieing MOFO wet himself and confess all.

Argument to that point is that some people geniunely do send in card that aren't in the best shape, so should they go back to everyone before grading their card? I've been talking to the guy and probing, but it's just a case of them saying they did nothing wrong and I can't prove that they damaged it, so they can't compensate.

I just find it funny they have backed their employee rather than the customer here.

They are really just a media company now. No wonder PSA is killing them in this area.

It's not really funny, more obvious I'd say. Why back the customer when you'd be liable for compensation? When the customer cannot prove that they sent you a gem mint card and it didn't get damaged in transit (though they say the box had no damage) because you aren't there watching them, of course you can't prove jack.

 

[onvison]

Personally I believe that it is way more likely that the Post, who could care less about thier jobs and also the cargo they transit, are the ones responsible for this. And not very likely that a company who is in the business of grading and preserving cards. I think that you said that it was insured. The post is the company that I would be jumping over. It really wouldnt even occur to me that Beckett would be responsible, given the two options.

 

[Cebru]

This whole situation just sucks ass, for all involved. Nobody feels good at all, least of all yourself and even Matt.

"If the package would have arrived damaged, we would have let you know"

So the card arrives with a big a*s crease and they dont contact you. Also love this comment.

One easy question for Beckett should answer all the allegations, get the manager to answer this:

"Please ask the lieing MOFO at beckett to explain what he did when he opened the package and alledgedly saw the hugggggggggggggggggge crease on such a valuable card & why he didnt report/contact anyone about it including his manager and then continued to grade it"

These two suggestions are key in this issue, it does kinda show that someone at Beckett is full of $%#* and/or lying. Maybe even the company as a whole, and not just the employee who opened the package.

Personally I believe that it is way more likely that the Post, who could care less about thier jobs and also the cargo they transit, are the ones responsible for this.

Sorry onv, nothing personal mate, but this is ridiculously unlikely. The card was sent as per Beckett's shipping requirements. If it was damaged in the post, it would be happening quite often to cards being sent in, and Beckett would have changed their shipping requirements a long time ago.

Clearly, in my opinion, this all comes down to BGS, without a doubt in my mind. The problem is, all the evidence points to Beckett, but there isn't any definitive proof that would make BGS have to admit liability. If they gave a damn about their customers and the business their customers bring in, they would be working with Graeme to come to a mutually acceptable conclusion. It just plain stinks.

I feel terrible about this for you Graeme, you are such an awesome bloke and asset to this community. To have this happen to you, makes us all feel affected and disheartened.

I sincerely hope a satisfactory solution is found for you mate, really. I'm gutted, and it ain't even my card.

 

[onvison]

Sorry onv, nothing personal mate, but this is ridiculously unlikely. The card was sent as per Beckett's shipping requirements. If it was damaged in the post, it would be happening quite often to cards being sent in, and Beckett would have changed their shipping requirements a long time ago.

Just because it doesnt happen to every card doesnt Automatically rule out the Post. It is possible that the Post dropped a heavy box on it and never noticed/cared. I would go as far as saying that it is absolutely likely. At the very least it is Likely. It is far from ridiculously unlikely. nothing personal mate.

 

[Chris_Paul3]

Nothing to do with Anti -Americanism mate I assure you I don't know what other member's are saying in regards to that to have that Anti-American attitude on OZcard ? , I have my reasons as i have extensive history and Funds been invested but I don't really want to air my Business or my companies dealings on a card forum especially .

If i personally was Anti-US the last thing i would do is collect US cards from a US sport of a US player