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Horrendous NGC Service - Day 106 posted by DrDarryl

38 posts in this topic

  • Member: Seasoned Veteran

Your public relations nightmare has begun...

 

Enough is enough.

 

I will post a daily journal entry (with the above title and increment the day) until someone from NGC customer service personally calls me to explain and apologize for the comedy of errors that has taken place with my original order that was placed in November 2012.

 

I will also post daily post on twitter with the hashtag #NGCcoin_Horrible_Service

 

Please join the rant is you so desire...

13098.jpg

 

See more journals by DrDarryl

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So what was the problem with NGC? Generally I've found the do a reasonable job when contacted about a specific issue. I've had many coins graded. I even had NGC review coins that I thought we graded incorrectly and have received a payment from them in several cases for those coins. I find they grade stricter than I would sometimes like, but I guess that is the way it should be.

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I have to agree with MC Coin...Over the past 18 months I have had O issues with NCG or NGC. All of my one-on-one emails and phone calls were conducted in a timely and professional manner.

 

Is there a chance the "costumer account #" was mis-printed or typed?... Same goes for your mailing address......

 

Whatever the cause, I truely hope it is solved soon for you.

 

Semper Fi !

 

Jack

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If you have followed this I believe it started with coins returned to him that NGC agreed was a mistake, he returned them NGC and I feel they should have expedited his grading and repaid for shipping, it seems to have gone south from there.

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Can't say I have ever had any issues in all my years of dealing with NGC...they are a top notch service and their customer service is second to none so while you seem to be having issues....I don't think anyone else is lol

 

 

As a Doctor I am sure you can think of better ways to resolve this matter than twitter and a daily diatribe? Like ...I don't know...a phone call?

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Who in their right mind goes public with a complaint with no specifics? If you want pity try providing some facts.

 

This. (thumbs u I don't think this is bad PR for NGC at all. You haven't provided us with any of the facts here, making me question your judgment from the beginning. For all we know, you could have submitted some esoteric coins requiring a lot of research, etc.

 

#NoFacts_QuestionableJudgment_PotentiallyTortious

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  • Administrator

DrDarryl,

 

I sent an email to you. While I'm not familiar with this matter, I'm certainly happy to assist in its resolution. Our office is closed Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully, we'll get everything sorted out to your satisfaction on Monday.

 

DrDarryl, I do sincerely apologize for your frustration.

 

I hope you rest easy and have a nice weekend.

 

Regards,

Scott

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106 days is long, but not insane for esoteric items. I've had submissions take over 10 months!! I've had them take 3 months and then be returned ungraded as they can't find info about the medals.

 

#DrDarrylGomez_Smells_Like_Cheese

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In the Dr.'s defense, he has posted journals with all of the details several times during the months-long process of submissions, re-submissions, errors and delays.

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Well, I would have to say the Doctor doesn't know how to communicate. Firstly he wants everyone to feel his pain without explaining it. He feels that his plight is the most important for the day and the need to cut in line and be at the head of the class. Guess what? We all have the same issues. I am sure NGC would love to have a 1 day turnaround for everything and everyone at a cheap price. That simply isn't possible. Some items take longer to run through the system, which is understandable. For myself, I specialize in California and Alaska fractional gold. Turn around times have been anywhere from 1 month to 3 months. Why? Who knows. It is what it is. And as the ol' saying goes, you are always free to go elsewhere, such as ICG or PCGS. There isn't anyone forcing you to do business with anyone. By the feel of it, I would have to guess the Doctor, if he is one, submitted foreign. But then again, we don't know because the lack of real information regarding his plight. I noticed one of his traits is humanitarian. He seems a little "short" on that side at the moment. Pick up a phone or send them an email. It's your responsibility to take care of your problem. Why should "we" care? I am positive the doctor wouldn't care of my problems.

 

Chris

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I'm going to have to take DrDarryl's side on this. For those posting that he is ranting without giving details, looking at his previous posts would have kept you from making that statement.

 

With regard to the method he is using to gain attention, if I had coins to NGC for grading and it was day 102 of dealing with poor service, I would be ringing their phone off the hook every day. There is just no excuse for this and even if his medals did require additional research on NGC's side, a communication should have been sen't to him with an update to ease his mind. This is the type of proactive service NGC lacks today and there is little arguing that.

 

One must say his method is effective because he received a response from the VP with a promise to help Monday. If they follow through that would be great.

 

There are two main components to great business management. Approachability and Follow Through. I hope NGC takes this as an area of opportunity and does something to better the process, because outside of this I think there is no better grading service available and will only purchase coins graded by them.

 

Good Luck Dr Darryl!

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. This is the type of proactive service NGC lacks today and there is little arguing that.

 

 

That is absolutely BS...I would expect that from someone who has 39 posts so please enlighten us with how many coins you have submitted to NGC and received bad service? I have had NGC call me out of the blue if there was going to be a delay or if they saw a nice reverse toned coin to see if I wanted it reverse holdered even though I didn't note it on my submission formetc....proactivity has never been an issue with this company so please put up or shut up with all of these bad experiences people are having with them??? :censored:

 

I on the other hand have sent thousands of coins to them over the past decade and have had no issues at all other then an occasional disagreement on grades etc. Please do not come on here and add to the fallacy that NGC is lacking in customer service just because they may not have been perfect in this one instance...that's called pilling on and NGC can not defend themselves against baseless comments with no proof as for every one who might come on here to complain there will be 1,000 who sing there praises. As I said nobody can be perfect all the time and I have the utmost confidence that NGC will rectify this situation as they are a class act.

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Kryptonite, loosen up your pants a bit. I never once said I had a problem with the way they grade. Quite the opposite. Early on when I tried to crossover PCGS coins to the same grade and had them returned for marks I developed quite a respect for NGC's grading and feel a bit sorry for the people I sold the coins that didn't crossover to because I got the price for a grade higher than maybe I should have. Of course not all the PCGS coins I sent in came back that way, but enough that I would rather have NGC grade them than PCGS.

 

Customer service is the issue I am addressing. NGC could be much more proactive with their communication. One example is sending a coin back that wouldn't crossover with "marks" written on it and nothing else. Just a simple sentence or two as to why they think the coin has more marks than what PCGS and the official ANA grading guide states for the grade. It would be gr8 to see them do that as I personally (and shared by others) feel that is part of grading and also helps educate the collector to become better.

 

Another example is what Dr. Darrly is currently experiencing.

 

Just because you have had no issues does not mean there are none and your whiny little comments that you send X thousands of coins or whatever you think makes you an authority and the low number of comments on my part makes mine dismissable are laughable and make you and your comments irrelevant as is the notion that NGC has no area of improvement with their processes.

 

Have a great weekend.

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May I make an observation? Ok, I will any way. . . rantrant

 

I read somewhere in these posts that pertain to this specific issue that the VP of someplace at NGC has contacted Dr. D and said that (paraphasing) -- nothing can be done this weekend but, on Monday he would look into this problem --

 

Ok, you can not do much better then having the VP contacting you, on a weekend, on the same day that he was made aware of the problem. So where is the lack of personal customer service?

 

Let us all learn from this one example, as previous mentioned by many of you fine people that, no one or, company, is perfect. Yes, within this post no specifics were mentioned but, many others have added them, to confirm that past messages were made. Ok, thanks for the updated and researchable topics.

 

I have learned that sometimes, as in this case has shown, that researching past NGC Journal posts should be done before, replying to a current post. An old saying -- think before you write.

 

We, IMHO, are on this site to learn. I am here to learn about coins, the process of grading coins and as much pros vs. cons (the good and bad of things) that I can cram into my little bit of brain matter that I have left. I learn something every time I read a post; even if it is -- mine is bigger and better because . . . --

 

I would like to make a humble suggestion: Since the VP stated that he will personally look into this matter on Monday; lets wait until monday to see what occurs. Then we will have a specific, and current opinion, on the personal service NGC has in store for us in 2013. Then, we can commend NGC for finding a way to correct this problem or, show a more defined support for Dr. D. to get onto NGC.

 

Ok, this old U.S. Marine is off of his soap box. Let's get back to the adventure of coin collecting. :acclaim:

 

Semper Fi !

 

Jack

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In the Dr.'s defense, he has posted journals with all of the details several times during the months-long process of submissions, re-submissions, errors and delays.

 

Someone reading this post for the first time would have no idea that there is additional information. If one wishes to complain and to have others actually pay attention and perhaps empathize, then it is best to put all the facts in a single location. Not including lessens the effects of the message, and turns off readers.

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Kryptonite, loosen up your pants a bit. I never once said I had a problem with the way they grade. Quite the opposite. Early on when I tried to crossover PCGS coins to the same grade and had them returned for marks I developed quite a respect for NGC's grading and feel a bit sorry for the people I sold the coins that didn't crossover to because I got the price for a grade higher than maybe I should have. Of course not all the PCGS coins I sent in came back that way, but enough that I would rather have NGC grade them than PCGS.

 

Customer service is the issue I am addressing. NGC could be much more proactive with their communication. One example is sending a coin back that wouldn't crossover with "marks" written on it and nothing else. Just a simple sentence or two as to why they think the coin has more marks than what PCGS and the official ANA grading guide states for the grade. It would be gr8 to see them do that as I personally (and shared by others) feel that is part of grading and also helps educate the collector to become better.

 

Another example is what Dr. Darrly is currently experiencing.

 

Just because you have had no issues does not mean there are none and your whiny little comments that you send X thousands of coins or whatever you think makes you an authority and the low number of comments on my part makes mine dismissable are laughable and make you and your comments irrelevant as is the notion that NGC has no area of improvement with their processes.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

I addressed your comment specifically about the customer service...I never said anything about you having a problem with their grading so please learn how to read before commenting. Your comments about customer service are complete BS for the vast majority of us in the know and yes my use of their service for thousands of coins absolutely makes my comments more credible then yours because....go figure I actually use their service and my results are a lot more reflective of how their customer service actually preforms then say this doctor with his one submission or all of yours right? Oh that's right you never gave any numbers or examples of how customer service hasn't been proactive for you specifically, you were just talking out of your posterior like a lot of "new" posters do. I am defending NGC in this thread not because they are without fault in the situation with the doctor but rather I am trying to protect them from the johnny come lately's like yourself that want to come and pile on and say NGC customer service is lacking without showing any proof. I can't provide numerous completed invoices to show their quality and customer service over many years....can you provide multiple problem communications reflecting all of the issues you've personally having with NGC customer service....we both know you can't.

 

PCGS has never sent me notes or why a coin wouldn't cross either...go figure I guess the lack proactivity as well lol

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I'm not condoning the thread, but I do feel his pain, I have never used this tpg or any other, other than buying coins in their slabs, I haven't made that leap yet.

 

However, customer service is everybody's job in a company, not just the department called CS. I have no knowledge of the procedure a coin goes through to get graded, but I'll bet the submission form accompanies the coins. So if that is the case, alot of people would have seen the submission date and you would think somebody would have wondered "what went wrong here?" Just one could have made a difference and been an unsung hero to DrDaryll. Only one. Sometimes that's all it takes.

 

As I have said, I have not used NGC for any paid service yet, but they seem like a great company and I'm sure this is just the one that slipped through the cracks.

 

Good luck DrD

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KC, I don't have a horse in this race and I believe your experience with NGC is more the norm than DrD's is. But if you look at it from a business POV you would understand how easy it is to lose business from new customers. If you had a problem after all your good experiences you would probably say, no prob, 1 time out of a 100 is ok. But how many times have you gone someplace new and got the worst service ever and said, "screw them I'll never go back" That may have been a 1 in 100 experience also, it just happened to be on your first time. New business is hard to get, but once you get it with good customer service it's easy to keep as repeat customers. that is why you are successful I suspect. But you need to get that new customer first, that's the tricky part.

 

FWIW, I haven't bought anything from you yet, but the day is coming, good luck

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In the Dr.'s defense, he has posted journals with all of the details several times during the months-long process of submissions, re-submissions, errors and delays.

 

Someone reading this post for the first time would have no idea that there is additional information. If one wishes to complain and to have others actually pay attention and perhaps empathize, then it is best to put all the facts in a single location. Not including lessens the effects of the message, and turns off readers.

 

(thumbs u It's not our job to seek out the entire history of the issue.

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The original poster ("OP" herein) definitely omitted a lot of key information here; if you read the original post, it sounds as if NGC has had the coins in their vault for 106 days; this isn't exactly true. Additionally the said period includes some time at NCS. Per the OP's own admissions, here is a summary of the record:

 

FACTS PER THE OP:

 

(1) On or about November 8, 2012, you submitted four Hawaiin medals, esoteric numismatic items, to NCS for conservation and then for forwarding to NGC for grading. The said medals were conserved successfully and there is no indication that you were unsatisfied. The medals were sent to NGC which declared them ineligible for certification/encapsulation on December 5, 2012 - less than a month later.

 

(2) Upon receipt you complained, and NGC allegedly claimed that the declaration of the medals as an ineligible type was in error. You shipped the items back to them on December 26, 2012, the day after Christmas and when a number of staff members are clearly on vacation. The medals are esoteric items (this part is mine).

 

(3) The said medals, upon resubmission, were in NGC's custody for FIFTY NINE (59) days before your post of February 22, 2013.

 

COMMENTARY:

 

(1) You submitted esoteric items to NCS and NGC. NGC simply made a mistake in identifying whether they were eligible or not (according to you - I would love to hear NGC's side of the story). It is a relatively easy mistake to be made given the esoteric nature of the items. The coins, upon return, have been in NGC's custody for less than 2 months and you sent them after the holidays when (a) there would be employees on vacation and days that NGC was closed and (b) there was a resulting back-log. Also the fact that you submitted them to NCS too should have been mentioned - the coins have been in NGC's possession for a much shorter period than suggested.

 

(2) The medals are esoteric and may require special research and expertise to grade and certify their authenticity. Fifty nine days, while a lot, is not inherently unreasonable given the nature of the items.

 

(3) I would partially fault you insofar as you haven't (or at least there is no evidence even accepting everything you say at face value) that you have had significant amounts of contact with NGC. Why you chose to rant on a public message board in a quasi-incoherent post without calling them first is unclear to me.

 

(4) If everything you have provided is accurate, I can understand some frustration; however, your post is over the top and is unprofessional. Acting in this manner doesn't get you any service. This is the exact sort of behavior that causes the grading services to refuse to certify some numismatic items - the complaints received are not adequately compensated by the low number of submissions. Events like this may make them hesitant to accept any similar items in the future from any submitters.

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Well with only 227 followers on twitter I dont think "Dr. Gomez has much of a chance reaching even 1 other coin collecter. so his tweets are useless I bet he's the only one who knows what NGC means.....

 

I feel his pain but with the type coins he's summitted even if it was really 106 days at NGC he would have at least another 39 days to wait.....NGC brings in experts from time to time to grade rare coins I know this and I've only been here a year and 7 days....

 

Give them a chance doc I bet tomorrow you'll know when your coins will be mailed and if it were my company a refund on your membership...just my humble thoughts

 

Happy collecting and God Bless

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I have read all of your previous (often complaining) posts, and I have three observations:

 

1) You need to work on your math a little. NGC hasn't had your esoteric Hawaiian medals for 100+ days. As coinman_23885 pointed out, they were returned to you once, and you shipped them back to NGC a 2nd time. To start your "clock" of moaning in November when they made their first trip is simply misleading and false.

 

2) In one of your previous journal entries (one ironically titled "Patience is a good thing ... Part 2") you stated that you "...contacted NGC and demanded corrective action...". Might I suggest a more civil and level-headed approach? How about phoning NGC, clearly and calmly explaining your problems, and asking them how they might be able to ameliorate your problem? Learn a little patience...I'm pretty sure the world will go on until NGC can relabel your items.

 

3) Finally, just an observation about your Twitter feed. For someone of your education level, you should know how to handle yourself as an adult (I presume that PhD after your name means you have one). I am only 33 years old, but the mentality of some of the people my age and younger really annoys me. I refer to this generation as the "entitlement" generation, whose ability to communicate in a civil manner is apparently lost in the world of facebook, twitter, text messaging, and the likes. Use a phone and be polite. NGC is in the business of customer service, but that doesn't give you the right to be a sophomoric egoist. Grow up.

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