PSA-A Cautionary Tale!

[MBMiller25]

I wanted to share a recent experience with PSA. I am not posting this to start a debate on who was right or who was wrong, etc, etc. I just wanted you all to get an idea of the company that PSA is, and give you a peak behind the curtain so to speak.

In early September I decided to use my 15 free vouchers that I had from renewing my membership with PSA in August at the National on 8 cards I wanted graded and I used the the seven remaining on cards I wanted to be reviewed. I contacted Joe Orlando in advance of sending the review in, as I was sending some very high end cards, that were worth substantial dollars. He indicated that I should send the card in to his attention and that he would oversee PSA doing a "crack and review" of these cards to give the graders the absolute best look at these cards during the review process. I agreed and off the cards went. Within 5 days the 8 cards I sent in to be graded popped. About a week and a half later I finally saw where my 7 cards that were being reviewed popped as well. Each of the 7 cards stayed in the same grade as they were when I sent them in, is what the online submission check indicated. I immediately reached out to Joe via email asking for an explanation on a couple of the cards, as I was really perplexed as to what was holding a couple cards back. The submission popped and my email to Joe was sent on Tuesday October 1st, 2013. Joe immediately emailed me back indicating he would get back to me. Tuesday goes by and I don't hear from anyone. Wednesday goes by and I don't hear from anyone. On Thursday, I for some reason am driven to go back into the PSA site and check my grades again. That's when I see that one of my cards is no longer the same grade as it was initially. A 1960 Topps Hank Aaron PSA 8.5 (Pop 2) is now listed as a PSA 7. Upon seeing this, I send Joe an quick email that read "Joe, Should I be concerned that my 1960 Aaron PSA 8.5 is now showing up as a PSA 7 on the submission page"? He promptly emails me back and says he will call me in 10 minutes.

Thirty minutes later my phone rings and Joe is on the other line. He starts by saying in his 14 years of working at PSA that this has never happened (Total BS and I know so! In fact a collecting friend had a reviewed card damage while in the care of PSA). Despite starting the conversation with a lie, I didn't react, but listened to him explain that PSA dinged the corner of my card cracking the card out and putting it in a CS1, that PSA would reimburse me for what I paid for the card, and that they were really sorry.

Me: Damn Joe, its not so much about the money, its the fact that I can't go out and just replace this card. This is a POP 2 card (Now 1) and a PSA 9 in this card is a $13-$15K card.

Joe: I know Matt, we are very sorry, this has never happened before, but let me know what you paid for the card, and I will get you a check.

Me: Explain to me why my grades popped the Aaron was listed as a PSA 8.5

Joe: Explained that they wanted to call me before I saw my grades, so they could explain that the 60 Aaron was damaged, so they put the card in the system as a 8.5, but then changed it.

( I didnt understand his explanation, so I asked him to explain the above again, to which his voice then completely changed, like I was putting him out over this. So I get a very stern explanation as written above).

Me: I pause for a second and then say, Man I really kind of sick over this.

Joe: Your sick over a baseball card. There just baseball cards, Give me a break! (This is where things went south in a hurry)

Me: (I am pissed over the comment he just made and am now speaking very sternly) Yes Joe, I am sick over a baseball card. This is not a business to me, its a hobby and I collect high end cards that I can't go out and just replace. Send me back my cards immediately, and after I speak with my council, I will give you a number on the Hank Aaron card.

Joe: Don't ever call me threatening me again (Hangs Up on Me).

I was subsequently immediately banned from the CU Message Boards, I had a second submission that was logged with PSA, unlogged and sent back to me RAW. I was informed that I can no longer do business with PSA in any capacity.



I knew exactly what I was saying when I made the comment to Joe about speaking with my council, and I also knew exactly how he would take my comment. Never was I intending to contact my lawyer over a baseball card. I really just wanted to speak with a couple people I know in the hobby that I trust, one of which was my buddy that had the same thing happen to. So with that being said, I take some of the blame for this, but understand that I am not sensationalizing anything you've read above. I am still to this day shocked that the president of PSA would comment to anyone "There just baseball cards, Give me a break"!

I have gotten the card and my other cards back. I just got a check for what I paid for the Aaron, so in their eyes they have made me whole.

Be careful who your doing business with, as this showed me alot about the kind of company PSA is, or better yet who they aren't! I won't spend another cent with that company, and clearly by Joe's comments, he doesnt give a shit about the collector. This is just a business to them, and although I should have known better, I guess because I still view this as the hobby I've done since I was a kid, thought differently about PSA.