Professional Sports Authenticator

Hello,After reviewing this customer's account, it appears that he has never reached out to PSA to discuss the matter in question directly.At this time, PSA's Customer Service Manager has reached out to explain our process and help resolve the matter directly. She is currently awaiting a response...

from the customer so they may discuss further via phone.Regards,[redacted]Executive Assistant to the President of PSAPSA & PSA/DNA, divisions of Collectors Universe, Inc.[redacted]

PSA is a third party authentication service for various types of collectibles. People submit items to our firm seeking our opinion of the items as it relates to authenticity and, sometimes, quality. We have been in business for over 20 years and have certified over 23 million collectibles.   In...

this complaint, the customer contends that PSA damaged one of his tickets. To this unfounded allegation, PSA can only assure him that we have highly-trained employees opening packages and processing collectibles on camera at all times and only the graders and sealers are permitted to handle items raw (i.e., outside of the plastic, protective sleeve they are arrive in). We have handled nearly 24 million collectibles over our 24 years in business and our track record speaks for itself.   This said, the complainant has already reached out and received a final response from our Customer Service Manager. Although it is highly unlikely that this item was damaged while in our possession, the Customer Service Manager cooperated with the customer and agreed to review the item. Upon reviewing the item, it was determined that the damage was not caused at our facility nor could it have been caused at any point during our handling.   At this point, the complainant is simply making allegations without any substantial proof or evidence. Therefore, PSA is not beholden to compensate for damage that was not caused by our staff.

PSA/DNA is a third party authentication service for various
types of collectibles. People submit items to our firm seeking our opinion of
the items as it relates to authenticity and, sometimes, quality. The company
was founded by PSA in 1998, and together we have been in business for over...

20
years and have certified over 20 million collectibles.
 Contrary to the complainant’s beliefs, PSA/DNA does not have
to be present at the time of signing and the signature does not have to be on a
“perfectly flat piece of paper” in order for our experts to provide an opinion.
We encounter many types of autographs at our company, both vintage and modern
and on various types of objects. Some pass authentication and some do not based on certain criteria,
but the object itself and the fact that we were not present to witness it is not necessarily always the determining factor. You can
actually visit this website to give you a glimpse at the diversity of items we’ve
seen and authenticated over the years: http://www.psacard.com/AutographFacts
 
Our final determination is based on an in-hand examination
of the signed item.  We use various
methods to examine signatures, many of which are detailed right on our website:
http://www.psacard.com/Services/AutographAuthenticationProcess/. However, we are not in the business of
certifying or validating the submitter’s story or beliefs as we are here to
provide an unbiased, third-party opinion. We look only at the item in-hand and
provide our honest opinion regarding its authenticity. For the items that do
not pass, we provide a general letter of opinion (LOO) which gives various
reasons why the item may not have passed. Again, all this is detailed on the
page for which I provided a link above.
 
Furthermore, regardless of whether an item passes or not, we
make it known to our customers that we do not provide refunds for the service once
the process has begun. Our company is providing an opinion regarding authenticity, so the outcome may
be either positive or negative. Item # 3 under the submission form “Terms and
Conditions” states this clearly and the submitter must read and sign this form in
agreement prior to submitting his/her item(s) to our company for authentication.
 
Ultimately, the item submitted to PSA/DNA was processed
exactly how we advertise on our forms and website. Service was rendered in a
satisfactory manner.

Our company provides third-party authentication services for various types of collectibles. People submit items to our firm seeking our opinion of the items as it relates to authenticity and, sometimes, quality. We have been in business for over 25 years and have certified over 28 million...

collectibles. In this complaint, the customer is stating that he cracked out several previously-graded PSA cards to submit them to another company for grading. After doing so, he then re-submitted to PSA to have them crossed back into PSA holders, and he stated that he also submitted the original certification numbers along with his cards. The problem in this scenario is that once a customer takes it upon himself to crack open our secure, tamper-evident holders, PSA can no longer guarantee the grade that was originally assigned. In doing so, the original grade and certification number becomes invalid at that point. PSA has no way to verify that the same exact card(s) were resubmitted, and even if they were the same cards, they have been handled by other hands post the initial grading which makes them susceptible to potential damage/wear that may impact the new grading. Any card that is submitted in raw fashion (i.e., out of a PSA holder) must be treated as a brand new card. We make no exceptions on this as we need to examine the card in its most current condition to determine where it falls on our grading scale at the present time. In this instance, the customer is upset because he cracked open his cards to have them graded by another company, and when he resubmitted them, our grading staff opined that the cards did not meet the alleged original grades. Unfortunately, this is the risk he took by compromising our secure holders and removing them himself. In regards to the card that he received “crooked” in the holder, our Customer Service Manager was more than willing to help him rectify this matter in a reasonable fashion by re-encapsulating the card for free and offering him financial compensation based on the card value declared by the customer himself on the original submission form, which is all PSA is technically liable for in this instance. The customer at this point is simply disgruntled because he made the mistake of cracking open his cards (thereby invalidating the original certification) and he is now unwilling to accept our reasonable offer for the honest mishap on one of his cards. Therefore, given his unprofessional response and unwillingness to cooperate with our staff, we consider the matter closed until further notice.

As was clearly explained in the previous response, PSA explicitly states that our turnaround times are “estimated” and based on “business” days both on our website ([redacted]) and on the submission form that the customer himself signed in acknowledgement when submitting the cards to our company. Based on the terms outlined and the recorded dates of receipt/completion, it is clear that PSA satisfactorily met the estimated turnaround time and processed the customer’s order in a timely manner. At this point, the customer is irrationally expecting PSA to adhere to terms that were never part of the original agreement nor were ever advertised as such. The matter is closed and no refund is warranted.

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.PSA has not offered any type of resolution.  They have continued to take the stance that their a "third party authentication service" that provides an opinion.
Knowing that 1 of the autographs is definately authentic (having personally witnessed) and strongly believing the remaining 4 are also authentic, I'm not convinced the credentials of their authenticators is as strong as advertised. 
This opinion is also supported in reviewing the letter returned with their findings.  In reviewing, you'll notice that the deficiciences listed are general and not listed as to each autograph.  Thus, it makes the reader believe that each autograph had the same 10 deficiencies.  This is not a reputable service and I plan to contest this company until I'm refunded my money.]Regards,[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The company is lying and skewing facts in an attempt to NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for their bad business practices.I opened a case with my bank to dispute the charges in response to the company IGNORING MY EMAILS for the better part of 3 months,  The company only responded when I disputed the charges and they were forced to respond.  (Processing "countless" items is not a valid excuse for ignoring a customer when something goes wrong... no matter how many times you try to paint that picture.)The representative refused to offer any solutions until I dropped the claim with my bank.  Not only is this borderline EXTORTION, but it would put me back to square one:  Emailing and emailing and hoping/begging for anyone to respond, with zero recourse if they choose to start ignoring me again.  The representative threatened to void all of the authentications for the entire order.  I am fine with them voiding all of the authentications, if they provide a refund for the entire order.  You can't void the entire order, but still keep all of my money.They claim that I am only out of $50 because they forgot to photograph/inventory the items and send the authentication letter.  This is the equivalent of selling me a stolen car and not including the pink slip.  Then saying "Because we didn't include the pink slip, we will refund $50 because that's all it costs to get a new pink slip."  You are missing the point.  Without the pink slip/car title, a car is worthless.  Without the Authentication Letter, these items are worthless.Bottom line, I do not want to do business with your shady company.  Void all of the authentications, as you threatened, and provide a refund for the entire order.  I'd like to put this behind us.
Regards,
[redacted]

PSA and its subdivision PSA/DNA are third-party authentication services for various types of collectibles. People submit items to our firm seeking our independent opinion of the items as it relates to authenticity and, sometimes, quality. We have been in business for 25 years and have certified over...

25 million collectibles. We are the preferred choice of collectors, dealers, and auction houses worldwide.In this case, the complainant is simply venting her dissatisfaction with the opinion rendered by our authenticators, claiming that she witnessed some of the signings herself and that the autographs should have been deemed authentic as a result. Although she may be disappointed with the outcome, PSA/DNA has indeed performed the service that was requested and paid for by the complainant in full. As stated before, PSA/DNA is a third-party authentication service. We are specifically hired to provide an independent opinion of the autograph(s) in hand. As a third-party entity, PSA/DNA must remain unbiased and can only provide an opinion based on the characteristics that each autograph itself possesses. Our authenticators cannot be swayed by tenuous background details/stories offered by the submitter.Therefore, even though the complainant alleges to have obtained most of the autographs herself and feels that this alone should warrant certification, we are not in the business of simply validating customers’ claims. Our authenticators must rely solely on the features that the signature carries and this is what drives their ultimate opinion. Unfortunately for the customer, upon examination, it was determined that the signatures were not authentic in our professional opinion. Ultimately, PSA/DNA performed the service that was requested and paid for in full: we provided an “independent” opinion of the autographs submitted. In reference to the missing “Letters of Opinion” for her items, the customer reached out to our Customer Service staff yesterday and the letters are already in the process of being re-issued as requested.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I was advised I would be given a refund as a customer courtesy. What the company is stating is not accurate. Several other collectors I associate with are not pleased with their service as well. I have no reason to be untruthful. This company has very poor customer service. All I simply asked them to have another examiner review my autographs and they refused. The cards they could not authenticate were deemed genuine by one of their competitors. Thank you.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
They offered nothing as a resolution!  My $500+ order is worthless without the letters, so offering a $50 voucher (to use on more of their terrible service) IS A JOKE!I'll propose 2 options.1.  Cancel the whole order and void everything, and refund the full amount.2.  Complete the order with letters and reimburse me for the EXTRA time and money I spent traveling down to Santa Ana the SECOND time because of your error.  (2 hours each way + 4 hours waiting time + 106 miles).  I make $20/hour.  ($160).  106 miles is roughly 5 gallons of gas.  Gas was roughly $3.50/gallon during this time.  ($17.50).  I feel I am entitled to a $177.50 total reimbursement.  Lets call it $175, which coincidentally, the credit card company has already refunded since they found in my favor on this.With all of the emails, phone calls, car rides, time, effort, and money I've had to put into YOUR MISTAKE, at some point your company has to realize it would be much better just to DO THE RIGHT THING AND COMPLETE THE ORDER!

PSA is a third-party authentication service for various types of collectibles. People submit items to our firm seeking our opinion of the items as it relates to their authenticity and, sometimes, quality. In our 25 years in the hobby, PSA has processed over 25 million cards and collectibles with a...

cumulative declared value of over a billion dollars. We are the preferred choice of collectors, dealers and auction houses worldwide. The complainant here is expressing his dissatisfaction with the length of time it took to receive and complete his order. However, as was explained to the customer at length by one of our Customer Service representatives, the turnaround times listed on the PSA submission form are estimates and only include business days (not calendar days due to the fact that we are closed on major holidays and weekends). While our staff works extremely hard to process submissions within the time frame listed, the turnaround times are not guaranteed nor have we ever made this claim. This is clearly stated under the “Submission Instructions” detailed on the PSA card submission form (see item 11), which the customer did sign in acknowledgement. This aside, however, it must be pointed out that while this customer’s order was physically received on 5/31 and was entered a couple of days later on 6/6, the estimated turnaround time was actually met on the order. Upon having been entered into our system for processing, the order took exactly 7 business days to be completed: it was entered on 6/6 and finished on 6/15. Due to the fact that his credit card declined on 6/15, the order was forced to sit extra days at our facility until he provided payment. In the end, the order took a total of 11 business days from day of physical receipt, a time frame which PSA believes to be fair given our turnaround times are estimated and there were payment issues. At PSA we take customer satisfaction seriously and make every attempt to leave the customer with a satisfying experience. In this case, our Customer Service attempted to explain the situation and was met with only arguments and threats. When our Customer Service Manager called the customer directly on 6/16 to help ameliorate the situation, she received no response. Given that the estimated turnaround time as is detailed on the PSA Submission Instructions was satisfactorily met, PSA considers this matter closed.

As of the date of this complaint, the customer had already spoken to our Customer Service manager regarding his orders and cancelled his membership.
It is unfortunate that the customer feels he had such a horrible experience, but we would like to note that all of our services indicate a turnaround...

time simply as a rough guide. Written both on our submission forms and online services page, the line “ESTIMATED Turnaround” is noted in bold font under each service. Furthermore, we also clearly state that our turnaround times are “estimates” and “not guaranteed” on the back of our forms under both the Submission Instructions and Terms and Conditions, both of which the customer accepted via signature on the front at the time of submittal.
Nevertheless, we value our customers and do not want them to leave PSA with a bad customer service experience. When he called on 9/12/14, our Customer Service Manager attempted to ameliorate the situation, but the customer refused our attempts and instead chose to cancel his membership. At this time, we have completed/shipped his orders and we’ve already submitted/processed a refund on his prorated membership. This matter has been resolved on our end according to the customer’s request.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[Clearly if you have to explain further on a message here then obviously its not clear on your web site. Which is exactly why I want a refund, what you explained is NOT what your website says.
So lets break down what you say I should receive on your website. Compared to what I actually received. 1st you say if "Items submitted at the fee of $50 or higher that do not meet our requirements and, in our opinion, are of questionable authenticity will receive a "NO PASS" designation."
Here is the first issue, I never received a "NO PASS" Designation.
The next sentence on your website reads this "Thereafter, a Letter of Opinion (LOO) is returned with a detailed explanation of our experts' findings."
This is the second issue that I have explained in past messages. You say that I will receive a Detailed explanation of our experts findings. When am I going to get this detailed explanation of your experts finding. You agree that I didn't get this, cause you said that your website also states that I would get a summary. So your website states that I will get a detailed explanation and a summary... I got the summary but I didn't get he detailed explanation. You have admitted that I haven't got the details that I only got a summary, when your website clearly says I should get details So your message and your website isn't the same thing. You offer a better service (details) on your website than you actually give the customer (Summary).
I just want what is promised on your website, and that is a detailed explanation by your expert. You have admitted that you only gave me a summary. You also admitted that you needed to further explain what you offer, so obviously what you offer isn't what I read on your website.
I think its clear to anyone that looks at what you offer on your website vs what I received.. they are clearly not the same. Honestly if I would have known I wasn't going to get a "detailed explanation" as promised I wouldn't have spent the $200 for your opinion. Most of my $200 was because I thought you would give me a detailed explanation if it failed. Not just take my $200 and give me a generic document without details. Details is all I wanted, and that's the service you say I should have received but didn't. How hard is it for you to uphold your word? How hard is it for you expert to give a couple sentences of details? it would be very easy and its what your website says I should have gotten. Its very sad that you treat your customers this way.
]
Regards,
[redacted]