Heritage Packing Fail = Damaged Poster

[enki]

So, long story short, I just received my SW Concert poster from the HA Signature Auction a few weeks ago. When I got home and picked up the tube, I was immediate concerned because I felt something sliding around inside. The outer tube was undamaged, so I opened it up. There was a bubble wrap "buffer" on one side of the inside of the tube, but not the other, so there was a 2-3" gap between the edge of the poster and the end of the tube - so it's been bouncing around in there for the past few days in shipping. Additionally, the poster was simply wrapped in bubble wrap, with the excess on both sides stuffed inside the middle holes. I carefully removed it from one side (the one that was on the bufferless end) and saw that one corner of the poster was dented/warped. I double checked the online pictures from the auction itself to see if I missed that or it was already present, but nope, it was pristine. Also, there seems to be some tiny black dots right where the damage was, also not on the oversized image on HA's website which is pure white.

So I think that either the poster got damaged during the packing job, or earlier, or it suffered damage during transit due to the poor packaging.

Maybe I'm just spoiled by EMP and the remarkable packing job that Bruce and his team do (though CM's Dave, who I've also bought from on eBay, does a great job as well), but I can't see how HA wouldn't realize what a horrible idea it is to not protect the poster properly. In EMP's case, the edges never have a chance to touch anything since it's encased in oversize acid-free paper. But HA surrounded it with bubble tape, so any bumps would put pressure directly on the edges.

I tried calling HA, but it was too late (7PM ET). The receptionist at the CA office was nice and pleasant, and said for me to email Chris who would reach out to me tomorrow (she spoke to him on his cell phone and he was made aware of the issue). Outside of opening the tube and examining the one side, I have not opened the wrapping anymore. I took pictures of everything and attached it to the email.

This is my first purchase from HA, and I am far from happy. Not only did they loose track of my bid after I won, claiming that I did lost - which was upsetting to say the least - only to admit it was a computer glitch and I did win (after spending an hour on hold), but now my poster arrives damaged. I haven't examined the rest of it, so I can only hope that this was the only issue. It's on the bottom left edge, so it's not too noticeable, but I certainly feel like I shouldn't have to just "live with it" since HA clearly screwed up in some way.

Has anyone had a similar issue with HA in the past? It's not like they could just replace this poster, so I'm not sure what they could do to fix the issue.

[Filmlobbycards]

Yes enki..anyone who has repeated dealings with Heritage is aware of packaging dramas..it's because they outsource this service..

My story..."I recently found a nice set of Chaplin lobby cards from  the film Pay Day and won them on my birthday!! After winning the lot and waiting roughly one month...the lobbies arrived...they were inside the usual protective sleeve...however the person who shoved them in..as a set...did not notice that several of the lobby cards had caught a corner and folded back the top left corner with several clean folds which left the cards corner pressed...like an accordion..to the back of the card...after checking the description and photos carefully..I was convinced that this happened post auction...during shipping..

Remarkably..I already had ONE of the damaged cards in perfect condition so I switched them out and sold the other..

If i hadn't gotten such a great deal I would have been tougher...

Shipping with heritage is a risk and something to consider

[Charlie]

LOL so sorry for your loss Enki...  Just another Heritage fuck up - you starting to take notice yet Grey?

YOUR SERVICES SUCK!

It always seems like hindsight is 20/20 later down the road but you can only be chalked up as a poor manager if you can't figure this no-brainer out... customer service is key and your group is failing big time.  And now it is not just with a cheapo like me - you screwed up with a guy that actually has significant disposible income..

[holiday]

Considering the huge shipping fees they charge, you think they'd be perfect at packing.  I've had them mangle a few packages over the years. But, they are usually pretty good about refunds for shipping damage. It's a shame to see good posters get ruined though.

Stick with Bruce and Rich (and Sean now!).  They know what they're doing.

[Charlie]

Has anyone had a similar issue with HA in the past? It's not like they could just replace this poster, so I'm not sure what they could do to fix the issue.

They taped the surface of my Terminator quad to the backer board and since I wasn't expecting such idiocracy I removed the tape and stripped a piece of the poster off...  FAIL!   Last poster I will buy unless I hear they have fixed things..

[Silhouette]

FAIL!   Last poster I will buy unless I hear they have fixed things..

I thought you weren't going to buy from them because they had GavelSnipe?

[Simes]

Oh dear!.

Just bought a poster from them... awaiting their postal invoice.

Doesn't bode well.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Charlie]

I thought you weren't going to buy from them because they had GavelSnipe?

That is an entirely different issue... I primarily feel that by using gavelsnipe I may be showing my cards; however I can admit it sounds more 'Conspiracy Theory' than pure truth.  However,  that is easily nipped by non use.  My main gripe has always been 30+ day shipping and the recent wave of piss poor pacakging only adds to the idiocracy of Heritage.  I mean come on it was a $3000 poster and you can't do something as fundamental as shipping?

[enki]

Thanks for the feedback. It's a shame that damage due to piss-poor shipping seems to be the norm with HA. What do you think they will do in my case? I don't want to return the poster, since it's quite rare. But I also feel like they need to compensate me for the devaluation caused by the damage. And if they come back with "we'll refund you the $25 for shipping and handling" I will tell them to go fuck themselves and I'll see them in court. I would expect a MINIMUM of a 10% credit, which is only half of their buyers premium. Not only did HA screw up half of their responsibilities (ie: getting the buyer their poster) but they also screwed up on figuring out who the buyer was. So what do you think they will do?

[Charlie]

All you can do is e-mail Grey...  I did not contact them because I hate excuses - you only get a couple of chances to get it right with me and I was done.  I am sure they will compensate you in some way... But come on that is not a poster that is easily replaced!

[50s]

As long as you are honest, let the world know what happened - show the photos of the bad packaging. If you get resolution, then mention that as well. Companies should be outed for their failings and not swept under the carpet with a pay off or by having neg comments recinded. Bruce obviously has excellent quality control in place, same goes for Rich, other businesses save money by not ensuring similar standards. Screw them! Its a calculated gamble they take, they get what they deserve! This is not a school kid selling posters on the side, or an isolated incident, this is a major organisation that should know better than any one else in the poster industry how to handle sales and pack posters well.

Heritage screwed me 6 years ago grading a $4000 poster as near mint but I discovered it had restoration/replacement the size of a hand. I also kept it as it is rare and it just doesn't come up and I also wasn't going to pay to ship a linen backed 6 sheet at my expense to the other side of the planet just so they can assess it. I am happy to mention this forever - they screw up, they're stuck with it, like having a crimal record. Ensure quality service and that company won't suffer the wrath of it's customers. I don't think I have bought from them since.

[Hallucination Generation]

(though CM's Dave, who I've also bought from on eBay, does a great job as well)

Yeah, he is good.

[enki]

Just so everyone understands what I am describing.... Here are some pictures (which I sent to Chris and Grey.

Here are some of the damage:


You can also see those black "dots" I was talking about, which are NOT present in the online auction pictures:





Here is the packing job they did:


Now, the left side (in the picture) is the side that suffered the damage. The right side looks fine, and it had that extra 3-4"  "buffer" of bubble wrap (as shown in the picture below).


The damaged left side on the other hand did not have this. Regarding that side, the poster arrived with the excess bubble wrapped stuffed inside the center of the rolled poster (identical to the above picture). I pulled out the excess bubble wrap, to examine the poster. I kept it pulled out to prevent risking more damage by trying to stick it back in, so that is why it's exposed in the picture. But when it was shipped, there was only a single layer of bubble wrap "protecting" the edge, which basically meant the edge had practically no protection at all.

So, with that in mind, here are closeups of the left side (as it would have been in the tube:


As you can see, there is about a 2-3" gap between where the poster ended and the tube ended. Meaning for the past few days, as Fedex Ground was throwing it around and it was bouncing across the country, the poster was sliding back and forth inside the tube. Hence the damage.

Hopefully this gives everyone a better idea about what I'm referring to.

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

Yep they messed up but it appears they simply forgot to add the other bubble cap.

I can say I've received many packages (maybe 40 or so) from Heritage and they've always been very well packaged and arrived undamaged. The shipping costs have been pretty reasonable.

I definitely share your frustration that they didn't take extra care with such a rare poster. The same thing happened to me when momandpopcupture sent me a rare Hellcats poster in a relatively thin tube.

I still think you should keep it since the frame will cover up the denting. Maybe you can negotiate a discount.

[enki]

Yep they messed up but it appears they simply forgot to add the other bubble cap.

I can say I've received many packages (maybe 40 or so) from Heritage and they've always been very well packaged and arrived undamaged. The shipping costs are no higher than anybody else.

I definitely share your frustration that they didn't take extra care with such a rare poster. The same thing happened to me when momandpopcupture sent me a rare Hellcats poster in a relatively thin tube.

I still think you should keep it since the frame will cover up the denting.

Yes, the lack of bubble wrap padding was definitely a problem. But I think the fact that they used bubble wrap at all was a bad choice. EMP uses oversized acid-free paper which is larger then the poster, so the edges are completely protected (eg: they never actually touch anything). Versus with bubble wrap, the edges are encased in wrapping, and any bumps could put pressure on the edges.

I certainly plan on keeping the poster, as I doubt I will find another one anytime soon (especially signed by Lucas). And it's not like they could just replace it, nor would I let them "restore" it. But I still think that since they caused damage and lowered the overall condition that they should compensate me for the loss in value. Factoring in the SP and BP, they probably made over $1000 here.

[enki]

By the way, I emailed Chris/Grey last night, and have yet to hear back from either of them. Once I do, I will share what they say.

[Louie D.]

I had a rare title card from the 30's come in one time from Heritage in there were bends in it which were not written about in the description and did not show in their photos.  I sent Heritage an email with photos explaining the situation.  Their response was just to send it back for a full refund, no explanation or apology.  Since it was a rare card I decided to keep it, but I'm still not happy about it.   

[enki]

I had a rare title card from the 30's come in one time from Heritage in there were bends in it which were not written about in the description and did not show in their photos.  I sent Heritage an email with photos explaining the situation.  Their response was just to send it back for a full refund, no explanation or apology.  Since it was a rare card I decided to keep it, but I'm still not happy about it.   

If the only two choices are return it for refund or keep it with damage, that doesn't seem like very good customer service.

[Louie D.]

If the only two choices are return it for refund or keep it with damage, that doesn't seem like very good customer service.

Agreed.

[enki]

UPDATE:
So, after not hearing back from Heritage (after being told I would by first thing this morning), I sent another email to Chris and Grey saying that I am unhappy that no one reached out to me yet. About 5 minutes later Grey called me on my cell phone. He apologized the no one called me yet, saying Chris wasn't aware that the receptionist made that promise.

Anyway, he said that he did already speak to the manager of the group who packages these up, who spoke to the person who is responsible for the Signature Items who said that he must have forgotten to put in the left "buffer" of bubble wrap. I explained that while this most likely caused the damage, I would highly suggest that they rethink their packaging materials for shipping posters. As I mentioned above, even with a buffer it could still get damaged and the oversized paper method (employed by EMP) provides exponentially more protection.

He asked me what I wanted to do, and offered a full refund if I wanted to return it, or they would pay to have the poster "pressed" to remove the damage. I politely declined both offers, saying that the poster is not easily replaceable and that I do not want it restored, as that alone can detract from the value. He asked me what I thought was fair, and I said that I thought Heritage should cover the difference in value due to the condition. He asked me what I thought was an appropriate amount, and I said 10% of the price (which I think is a fair amount based on the poster, original condition and damage sustained). He agreed to that and said he would work on getting the refund processed by Monday. 

So all in all, while I am not happy that my poster is damaged, I do feel that Heritage did the right thing here and is making good on trying to correct their mistake. Hopefully they do actually process my refund properly, and I hope even more that they change their packaging policies. They often have some very rare and interesting pieces (that are unlikely to be found anywhere else) and I hope to be able to purchase from them in the future without having to worry about a similar problem.

[Zorba]

I know its still not enough but it is good to read that the issue was handled as well as it could be.

Receiving damaged posters is the worst nightmare. In this racket anyway.



  

[110x75]

I know its still not enough but it is good to read that the issue was handled as well as it could be.

Receiving damaged posters is the worst nightmare. In this racket anyway.



  

The worst nightmare is not receiving them at all. Got 2 packages missing lately...

[CSM]

I know its still not enough but it is good to read that the issue was handled as well as it could be.

  

Agreed. Good on Grey to fix the situation.  And no doubt the public posting of the situation helped you out quite a bit Enki!

[kovacs01]

The worst nightmare is not receiving them at all. Got 2 packages missing lately...

I received an empty tube once.  The cardboard cap was loose on the end, and no poster.  It was something rare and not cheap either.  The seller did not ensure it for some reason.  He said he only does it when requested, which I found strange.

Thankfully, he was reputable and refunded the entire purchase.

[crowzilla]

UPDATE:
... they would pay to have the poster "pressed" to remove the damage. I politely declined both offers, saying that the poster is not easily replaceable and that I do not want it restored, as that alone can detract from the value.

The pressing Grey was referring to I am sure is a dry heat press, which adds nothing to the poster and takes away nothing from it. It "relaxes" the paper memory and then flattens it again.
My guess is that on a small amount of damage like that it would press very cleanly, especially since it is a non-color breaking fold and you would never know it had been there.