Very Poor Experience - All About the Hobby

[rebbrooks]

Looks like this thread is motivating him to do some refunds.

[jellyboy]

Hope the member can response here.

[KhalDrogo]

He must have been kicked off the site. I'm pretty sure his username was allaboutthehobby. Can't find him anymore.

[Boo]

aboutthehobby

[jellyboy]

https://www.blowoutforums.com/member.php?u=67547

[Wade Mulroy]

Originally Posted by Spacemanspif

Just to share my experience, I'm pretty much the same story.

10/29: Messaged them on Facebook inquiring if they would receive more Prizm, they said they would let me know. Confirmed that they charge the full amount up front for preorders. Ordered case of Optic Cellos
11/15: Ordered case of Optic Retail
2/7: Asked for status of Optic, they advised they had not yet received shipping notification from Panini
2/13: Saw same FB post about shipment en route
2/20: Sent follow up message, they advised they did not receive full amount, are sending out in batches
2/24: Sent follow up message, no response
3/9: Sent follow up message, no response.

LOL RIGHT NOW got a refund notification, no explanation. He's reading.

Just sent you a PM; thanks for reaching out and sharing the details!

Originally Posted by tier1dc

Just speculation but I'd put good odds that he busted product that was already sold, sent hits off for grading, and stonewalled buyers in hopes of staving off refunds through attrition.

Or resold the product for higher sales.

Maybe a combination of both.

Nice that you both got refunds finally. Feel sorry for anyone else who's left in the lurch though.

Should follow through with AG claim.

This is a potentially big issue and also why I agree it's still pertinent for anyone experiencing similar issues to continue processing their complaint with the Missouri Attorney General. Anyone needing to file a complaint can PM me and I will provide the preliminary information needed.

The big concern potential consumers and governing agencies need to know, is the current "fail-proof" business model that is being employed. To explain:

Scenario 1: Business offers pre-order for a product (requiring upfront payment in-full). If the market value of the product drops by release date, the business fulfills the order as expected and receives their normal profit.

Scenario 2: Similar to the previous, if the market value stays roughly the same by release date, the business fulfills the order as expected and receives normal profit.

Scenario 3: After receiving payment in-full, the market value increases by release date. The business uses any number of excuses and provides a refund to the buyer to "make them whole." Essentially, the business has the ability to force the buyer to sell them back the product at the original sale price without any recourse. Now that the business has reneged on the original deal, it now has the freedom to sell the product at the higher market value.

No matter what happens, the business is essentially guaranteed to maximize profits while the consumer has little to no recourse. As we've seen with 2019-20 basketball products, this provides sellers with ample opportunity to fill their pockets at the expense of the end-user.

Again, I'm not accusing All About the Hobby of having these intentions, but the constant avoidance of any type of questions, concerns, or accountability is glaring. After seemingly dodging any and all attempts to follow-through for the customers, it's hard to assume otherwise. Issuing refunds to everyone may cause some people to shrug their shoulders and walk away, but I have every intention on ensuring the governing agencies are made aware of the harm being caused with these practices. Holding product hostage and forcing customers to essentially sell it back to the business at the original price is beyond immoral and unethical. I'd recommend anyone else in a similar situation to do the same and provide the Attorney General with ample evidence to hold the business accountable, instead of ignoring customers, issuing a refund once getting called-out, then going along his merry way with all the profits from screwing people over.

The sad part is; the business had every opportunity to turn a bad situation into a positive. I'm the type of person to pursue reconciliation for a bad experience; however, I'll extol the virtues of a business ten-fold that demonstrates positive conflict-resolution abilities and goes out of their way to provide for their paying customers. Unfortunately, All About the Hobby has demonstrated numerous times (not only with me, but others that have shared their experiences as well) that he will make every effort to dodge, duck, and hide from any questions until forced to confront them.

[Wade Mulroy]

Originally Posted by tier1dc

also here's a video of dude showing off BGS grade returns.

https://youtu.be/X8B9GYf8Cz8?t=787

interestingly enough he's showing more than a few RETAIL parallels that are found in cello boxes. RWB, Greens,

I checked with the pop report and most were graded on Feb 11.

Missed this the first time you posted; thanks for sharing.

I didn't order any Prizm from him, but this is glaring for the people who did and have still not received any product or response from him.

In both scenarios (Prizm and Optic), he's failed to provide product to buyers, while also posting plenty of evidence he's obtained product.

The YouTube video shows he's had the ability to obtain retail Prizm for himself and/or his repack product, while failing to fulfill customer orders.

His Facebook post shows he received cases of Optic cellos, but never informed us of any options of how to handle the "damaged" cases.

Again, this is my point in continuing the process with the governing agencies, even if it's too late for me to personally receive any type of resolution.

[BostonNut]

Originally Posted by Wade Mulroy

I'm posting here because as people do google searches for 2019-20 basketball wax, he commonly pops up with low prices.

Folks, you HAVE to stop shopping around with Google trying to find the cheapest price. It is NEVER going to go well for you. All you are doing is feeding the scammers and letting them continue to play their games.

Stick to the trustworthy dealers. Always.

[Wade Mulroy]

Originally Posted by BostonNut

Folks, you HAVE to stop shopping around with Google trying to find the cheapest price. It is NEVER going to go well for you. All you are doing is feeding the scammers and letting them continue to play their games.

Stick to the trustworthy dealers. Always.

Agreed 100%.

As mentioned earlier, I was absolutely willing to pay above MSRP from one of the major retailers for Optic, but no pre-sales ever popped after daily checking. I attempted to do my due diligence on the seller, but that obviously wasn't enough. I have no desire to drive around to Target and Wal-Mart fighting the masses, so I was hoping to just get locked in before the street release.

This was obviously a poor choice and I am receiving the consequences by having no product and also missing opportunities that I could've used that money for along the way. It sucks, but you're absolutely right... I should've known better.

At the same time, given the situation I will absolutely pursue every avenue I have available to ensure the business is held accountable. I feel the least I can do for the community and the hobby in general is make my situation known to the public. I realize that my situation has already reached its forgone conclusion, but hopefully it will at least prevent others from experiencing a similar situation and/or motivate the business to clean-up their practices. Maybe this is simply wishful thinking, but I will at least try my hardest.

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by jellyboy

https://www.blowoutforums.com/member.php?u=67547

Thanks. I reported this post so the mods can hopefully ban him.

[tonedef2oo8]

Stop buying from trash sellers and coming here to complain. Just come here to buy and post your results here.

These guys are feeding off you guys over and over and over.

[TSonn]

I will add that my Optic cello box had a Morant pink auto #25/25 so if you get the product you ordered, I don't believe it will have been searched.

But it sounds like the biggest hurdle is actually getting your product.

[Wade Mulroy]

Originally Posted by tonedef2oo8

Stop buying from trash sellers and coming here to complain. Just come here to buy and post your results here.

These guys are feeding off you guys over and over and over.

Fair point - I'm willing to take the criticism/embarrassment for being duped. However, I'm happy to take the heat if it means my experience will prevent others in the future

[BostonNut]

Originally Posted by Wade Mulroy

Agreed 100%.

As mentioned earlier, I was absolutely willing to pay above MSRP from one of the major retailers for Optic, but no pre-sales ever popped after daily checking. I attempted to do my due diligence on the seller, but that obviously wasn't enough. I have no desire to drive around to Target and Wal-Mart fighting the masses, so I was hoping to just get locked in before the street release.

This was obviously a poor choice and I am receiving the consequences by having no product and also missing opportunities that I could've used that money for along the way. It sucks, but you're absolutely right... I should've known better.

At the same time, given the situation I will absolutely pursue every avenue I have available to ensure the business is held accountable. I feel the least I can do for the community and the hobby in general is make my situation known to the public. I realize that my situation has already reached its forgone conclusion, but hopefully it will at least prevent others from experiencing a similar situation and/or motivate the business to clean-up their practices. Maybe this is simply wishful thinking, but I will at least try my hardest.

It's not a business....that's the thing.

Any old Joe can open a Shopify store and run a scam. A month or so ago some member bought from a website that looked like it was thrown together in five minutes...Tidal Wave something or other. Same result as yours. Shopping around for the bottom dollar price. The member simply couldn't believe he had been taken...

[Wade Mulroy]

Originally Posted by BostonNut

It's not a business....that's the thing.

Any old Joe can open a Shopify store and run a scam. A month or so ago some member bought from a website that looked like it was thrown together in five minutes...Tidal Wave something or other. Same result as yours.

Understood, good point.

[theleica]

Just canceled my "preorders"

[Wade Mulroy]

Originally Posted by theleica

Just canceled my "preorders"

What were the products? Any additional explanation, or just a straight refund? Seems like TSonn is the only one that has any semblance of a positive experience, lol.

[Yaga]

Aren't you covered by credit card if he never ships them? Or is 4 months too long?

[Wade Mulroy]

Originally Posted by Yaga

Aren't you covered by credit card if he never ships them? Or is 4 months too long?

Correct - My credit card provides me protections and allows me to dispute the charge since he never followed-through. I was never overly concerned about completely losing my money due to these protections, but here's the frustration some of us experienced:

1. The guy basically only communicates via Facebook and even uploaded pictures of receiving Optic cello cases (which I ordered). It's not an issue of him not receiving product, but rather having zero communication or providing any options as to my preferred method of handling the alleged damage. Since the price has basically tripled since my original order date, I would've been more than happy to either receive a damaged case and deal with Panini directly, or have an option to receive the undamaged boxes and receive a refund for the others.

2. I didn't personally order Prizm, but others had a similar experience. Claims distributors are cutting orders, Panini QC errors, etc. However, he has Youtube videos of person PSA submissions that include retail-exclusive Prizm parallels. Seems contradictory and tone-deaf when people have their money tied up and receiving no response.

As a result it's not an issue of whether or not he's receiving the product from our orders, but rather he's essentially forcing us to sell it back at the original price after prices have skyrocketed. He seems to expect to just issue refunds to everyone while he gets to pocket the additional profits from the increased market value.

Additionally, he never refunded my money (plus at least one or two other users in this thread) until a call-out thread was created and complaints were issued through various agencies. No matter how hard anyone tries, it's nearly impossible to make contact.

Again, not making excuses that we shouldn't have known better... Just trying to be transparent and provide details.

[Saban1]

Just canceled my remaining preorder.

[Yaga]

Originally Posted by Wade Mulroy

Correct - My credit card provides me protections and allows me to dispute the charge since he never followed-through. I was never overly concerned about completely losing my money due to these protections, but here's the frustration some of us experienced:

1. The guy basically only communicates via Facebook and even uploaded pictures of receiving Optic cello cases (which I ordered). It's not an issue of him not receiving product, but rather having zero communication or providing any options as to my preferred method of handling the alleged damage. Since the price has basically tripled since my original order date, I would've been more than happy to either receive a damaged case and deal with Panini directly, or have an option to receive the undamaged boxes and receive a refund for the others.

2. I didn't personally order Prizm, but others had a similar experience. Claims distributors are cutting orders, Panini QC errors, etc. However, he has Youtube videos of person PSA submissions that include retail-exclusive Prizm parallels. Seems contradictory and tone-deaf when people have their money tied up and receiving no response.

As a result it's not an issue of whether or not he's receiving the product from our orders, but rather he's essentially forcing us to sell it back at the original price after prices have skyrocketed. He seems to expect to just issue refunds to everyone while he gets to pocket the additional profits from the increased market value.

Additionally, he never refunded my money (plus at least one or two other users in this thread) until a call-out thread was created and complaints were issued through various agencies. No matter how hard anyone tries, it's nearly impossible to make contact.

Again, not making excuses that we shouldn't have known better... Just trying to be transparent and provide details.

Ok great to know thanks!

[Wade Mulroy]

Originally Posted by Saban1

Just canceled my remaining preorder.

Sorry man, wish there was a better resolution to all of this. Hopefully your money wasn't tied long and you can get product elsewhere.

[aboutthehobby]

Just a couple things.

1. We source lots which is where we get our singles 99% off the time and we evaluate them for grading.
2. Those who preorder from us those funds sit in the bank until those products are delivered to the customer.
3. We respond as quick as we can and try to correct issues as quick as possible but yes sometimes we drop the ball.
4. We are not reselling any product because of prices increases and you can check every single selling platform and see that.
5. We have delivered on over 5,000 orders to date.

Yes we can improve and we are working on doing just that.

Thank You and sorry for any inconvenience we have caused.

[Wade Mulroy]

Originally Posted by aboutthehobby

Just a couple things.

1. We source lots which is where we get our singles 99% off the time and we evaluate them for grading.
2. Those who preorder from us those funds sit in the bank until those products are delivered to the customer.
3. We respond as quick as we can and try to correct issues as quick as possible but yes sometimes we drop the ball.
4. We are not reselling any product because of prices increases and you can check every single selling platform and see that.
5. We have delivered on over 5,000 orders to date.

Yes we can improve and we are working on doing just that.

Thank You and sorry for any inconvenience we have caused.

Thanks for the response; just want to follow-up on a couple things that are still outstanding:

The foundation of my complaint(s) stem from receiving no contact when the Optic cases arrived. Since the case was paid in-full months previously, why was I (and seemingly others) not made aware of the situation and provided options to resolve the issue? It's tough for me to understand the lack of communication and the reasoning for assuming what action we preferred to have taken, given the value of the cards. I've dealt with Panini directly with damaged cards and those experiences have been a walk in the park compared to this. Worst case scenario should have at least been an option to send the undamaged boxes (even if it's only one) and offering a refund on the rest. Again, since we paid in full, this should have been the customer's decision since it was rightfully the customer's product. I've asked this countless times and can never seem to get an answer.

Also, we really have no way of knowing what is being done with the orders that aren't provided. I never received any type of communication on how things were being handled, ETA's, case #'s for resolution tracking, etc. Also, there are a myriad of ways for people to move sealed product (especially hot product) without anyone ever knowing. All the major online retailers have buy lists that are way above MSRP for most basketball products. Anyone can easily sell to them with no questions asked and your customers would be no more the wiser. I'm not accusing you of this, but just pointing out that there's literally no way any of us knowing there isn't anything nefarious occurring. The lack of communication and transparency naturally causes us to assume the worst.

[wegoingsizzler]

Why are some of you bashing the OP? Is it wrong of him to find a better price by shopping around? Should we not take a chance on new businesses? What kind of thinking is this? Once he realized this is not a good dealer to do business with, he comes here to the community to provide information and share his experiences. What is wrong with that?!! Now I know not to deal with this dealer so I thank you OP.