UNITE to Let Artbox know what we think.

[Guest]

[Roz]

Dear Artbox,

We would like to bring to your attention the concerns we have with your  upcoming release of the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone Trading Card Set.

First let us mention that as collectors we have been really impressed with the quality of your two Harry Potter card sets and have spent many hours admiring and actively seeking them.

However, it is in this context that we were also very disappointed with your last release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Update cards - both dealers and collectors who bought boxes and cases of the product have felt let down in many respects.

One major criticism we have had with both sets is that a good deal of Hobby boxes were "duds" i.e. there were no props, costumes, autographs or film cards in them. No other card manufacturer has so many problems with dud boxes - finding a "dud box" is very rare in Topps cards and manufacturers such as Inkworks and Rittenhouse guarantee that you will receive something in each box. At $60 per box in the US and £45 per box in the UK it is unacceptable to get one to two base sets and a few foil cards.

The collation problems extended to the cases.  There were far too many cases that contained no autographs or no props.  While we can understand that this will happen occasionally, and not every box or case will have inserts exactly meeting the specified odds, it was far too prevalent for collectors to ignore.

We also find it unnerving that there is a lack of information about the details of the sets prior to release. We appreciate that you may wish to "surprise" us, but when dealers and collectors are putting out a great deal of money upfront, it seems better to have some reliable information on insert cards and ratios from an accountable source. Perhaps such information could be published on your website? Many other successful card manufacturers work this way --  for example take a look at Inkworks (www.inkworks.com) and Rittenhouse's (www.scifihobby.com) websites. You will see that they publish pictures and insert ratios for all their cards, well in advance of a release (a month or more), along with some indication of how many cases will be produced and the rarity of the autographs.

We encourage you, as other card companies do - to let the customers know what to expect.

Would this be too much to ask given how much money we've already spent on your products and intend to spend in the future?

Yours,

The Undersigned

Like so?

P.S. Nice addition Cindy  

[Anna]

It looks great Roz!

I think everyone's gripes/concerns are covered in the letter now.

[kbmum]

Looks good to me!  When do you think you'll have it ready?

[mcgonagall]

wtg roz it is perfect

[Roz]

As soon as Mark gets a 2 minute break he'll put it up and ready to go - I think he's doing it now  

[Luluhime]

I'm ready to sign!

[Roz]

OK guys - want to be our guinea pigs and be the first people to sign up?

Well then - here goes - if you get any errors etc then please understand we've done this in a hurry and post them here

http://www.theyakshack.co.uk/tradingcards/?page=petition

[mcgonagall]

all signed

thank you roz and Mark for giving us a
way to complain on mass with artbox

[Anna]

I added my signature plus my own personal comment.

Thanks Mark and Roz for putting together this petition for us.  I know it takes a lot of time and effort to do so.

[Roz]

No no - thank YOU for supporting us.

Now - I don't like to abuse everyone's email address who has signed up on the shack - but do you think this warrants an email to all signed up members?

Just in case they think this is a quiet time between sets and they don't log on this week?

[kbmum]

That's a good idea.  Not everyone logs on every day or every week.

[Luluhime]

No no - thank YOU for supporting us.

Now - I don't like to abuse everyone's email address who has signed up on the shack - but do you think this warrants an email to all signed up members?

Just in case they think this is a quiet time between sets and they don't log on this week?

I personaly don't think this kind of thing can be classed as 'abusing' someones email...

I think it's a very good idea.  

[Morningangel-Iola]

Am going to sign but feel bad that I bought no boxes or cases was going to put

"I did not buy any boxes in this set but would be highly likely to buy a box/s in the future."

Is that alright?

[Luluhime]

Am going to sign but feel bad that I bought no boxes or cases was going to put

"I did not buy any boxes in this set but would be highly likely to buy a box/s in the future."

Is that alright?

Sounds fine, but are you sure about 'highly likely' or was it meant to be 'highly unlikely'?

[Morningangel-Iola]

Have changed it a bit.

I did not buy any boxes in this set, and chose instead to purchase cards individually. However, I would be highly likely to buy a box/s in the future as long as I felt well informed on inserts and that I could trust the insert ratios

And its sent now  

[Roz]

Just a quick note to say you have to check your email and then verify your signature before it appears on the petition - so once you have submitted it - see if you have an email - it should be almost instant

[Morningangel-Iola]

Off to look my hotmail doesn't tell me about my eamils when it should.

[Trey]

I think this is FANTASTIC!!! I have signed it and I really hope that Artbox reply and act on our letter/comments, otherwise there will be many of us that will not purchase again  

[ferdinand_the_yak]

Put in my contribution!

Just wondering, can anyone view the petition itself (with everyone's submissions etc) after submitting their post?

[Roz]

Not yet

It's coming.

It's currently set up so forum members can see the email addresss of those who signed, but in most cases forum members can look up emails anyway - does anyone object to this - shall we make it so emails are hidden for forum views?