Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  05/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I submitted 4 coins, 1 to be charged to my credit card and 3 to be charged to my debit card. Also on the one to be charged to my credit card I was using the restoration service. The 1 to be charged to my credit card is the only one processed at this point. They charged it to my debit card instead of the credit card which was not authorized. They also state on their website that they evaluate whether a coin can benefit from their restoration service or not before they perform it. If the coin cannot , and they give examples of coins that cannot benefit (one of which is a cleaned coin) then they only charge a minimal fee and proceed to grading. In my case they charged the full fee (3% of the declared $50,000 value) and then graded the coin as a cleaned coin. I called customer ********************** and asked for them to refund my debit card and charge my credit card as instructed and they refused. I also complained about the restoration being done on a coin graded as cleaned and they sent my complaint to a supervisor. I waited for 3 days and when I talked to the supervisor they were unwilling to do anything about the restoration and for inconveniencing me on using an unauthorized card they would give me a credit to future service. It has been almost two weeks and when I contacted pcgs to ask about the credit they stated they had no record of it at all!!

• Initial Complaint

  04/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Starting in mainly 10/2021 and 11/2021, I started having coins graded by PCGS with the First ****** Label and gold shield. I started to receive coins back way past PCGS stated turn-around-time but everything is blamed on covid or just an excuse to not even try. The coins came back with out the First ****** label, so I called PCGS and talked with ***************************, ************. She agreed to replace the existing label with the First ****** label but it would not have the Gold Shield logo on the label and PCGS would not print it on the label. No where on their web site or submission form does it state that a First Strike label will not be provided if selected and that Gold Shield would not be on the label or printed on the label. This is deceptive and not right as I am paying for it. I also submitted a coin set to be paired with the Certificate of authenticity(***). The PCGS web site states if the *** is signed, PCGS will pair it with the coins if sent to them in the unopened box received from the mint. I did this and PCGS did not pair the *** with the coins but charged me $25 dollars to put it in a plastic case. I called *************************** and she said they would pair the *** with the Coins after discussing the situation: The *** had to have a signature on it to be paired. It does but it is a facsimile. The PCGS web site says nothing about the signature type requirement for pairing on the PCGS site. I sent 20 coins and the *** back to PCGS as *************************** told me she would pay for all shipping/insurance to and from PCGS for the *** pairing and the replacement of the Label with the First Strike label and it would only tale around 2 weeks once they receive them. *************************** is now telling me she will not pair the *** with the two coins it goes with as the signature is a facsimile but the PCGS description of the pairing service states nothing of the type of signature. I asked to speak with her supervisor, *** Wedding ************ and she has not returned any of my calls

• Initial Complaint

  04/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have submitted 32 coins for grading under the World Economy Servicr level and PCGS has received my package on the 17th of February 2022. On the day PCGS has received my parcel, the estimated turnaround time was 30 business days.Upon checking today, on the 37th business day, my submission is still at the first stage received through my customer portal. It is not even graded yet, and there are QA stage after grading.I have submitted multiple orders without any issues. There are orders that submitted after this submission that have shipped back to me already. I have selected a more expensive service level for this order since it is important for me and I would like to get it back as soon as possible. It didn't turnout as intended though.I would like to get this order looked at and graded as soon as possible. I don't think the grading time should be just a indicator for more expensive service level but should be a responsibility to meet for corresponding service level.

  Business response

  07/01/2022

  Initial Complaint

  04/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I sent in a unique **** p cent that was definately not 100 percent copper to get graded about a month ago. I received the coin a week ago from pcgs and it was definately not the same coin. I have so many pictures and videos of the coin. The fonts of the coin,color and date are all different. Even the ******* is not the same. I sent this particular coin to your grading company with trust and integrity and this is what i get. This is no small matter because it is such a rare error that anyone and i mean anyone would steal this variety. The coin that i sent in was graded even by collectors universe and was held for over 3 weeks for grading. The coin was returned after i was notified i owed another $36 which made the total cost of the special grading $111. The submission returned in a pcgs sleeve reading environmental damaged. The coin that was returned to me is environmentally damaged but it is not my coin. I have all the footage in the world to prove what my coin looks like. your coin is still in its un opened sleeve. Please find and give me my original coin because i know its worth a pretty ***** every pun intended. I will take this matter into civil processions if my merchandise is not returned properly. I gave you all the rights to grade the coin but never the rights to steal or misplace it. Please and i do mean please locate my coin and contact me . Thank you ,not really because i feel like your company is trying to insult my knowledge of numismatics. I will take this to the highest levels of law if my original coin is not returned. *************************

  Business response

  07/01/2022

  Over the past thirty-plus years PCGS has graded and authenticated over 75 million coins. PCGS maintains strict processes and controls to ensure that the coins a customer sends in are the same coins that the customer receives back. These controls are tested on a regular basis by an independent third-party. Additionally, PCGS does not maintain an inventory of coins from which a coin could be accidentally switched. From the time each package is opened until the time items are returned to the customer, the complete process is done under the camera to protect both customers and employees.
  
  We confirmed via the images and video that the coin that the customer sent it, is indeed the coin he received back. ******************************* advised the customer of what we found after our investigation. We will keep the ticket open in case the customer has any other feedback or inquiries on this matter.

• Initial Complaint

  03/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  PCGS received 4, US Mint gold proof coins on October 18, 2021. The value of the 4 coins is over $5,000. I paid for a Gold membership which included grading vouchers. At time of submission the estimated turnaround time was 30 business days. I called PCGS in December and was told about delays but my order would be placed on an "expedite" list. PCGS must have a different meaning for expedite. I sent separate emails in January, February, and March. All empty promises about expediting. PCGS has since updated their website to state estimated turnaround times of 50 days. Flat out false advertising. As of today, March 31, PCGS has now had the coins for 119 business days. It will soon be 6 months of calendar time. The coins have been in the same status since the beginning of January. "Holder check and label verification and being imaged." PCGS ruined a Christmas gift for me and a sale. I've lost credibility and monies. Integrity is clearly an issue with PCGS. And during this whole time not once did PCGS reach out with apologies and/or explanations. It's up to the customer to do the follow **** I would upload copies of emails and call records but they would exceed 5MB limit.

  Business response

  07/01/2022

  Collectors Holdings Response: Our representative ************************* was able to get in touch with this customer in April. The situation was resolved and we waived shipping and handling. Additionally, we issued a $30 voucher which he applied to the same order he initially had a concern about. We consider this matter closed.

• Initial Complaint

  03/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Member # ******* Here are my current Charges: on March 24th, 2022 - $32 x 3 = $96 March 21 , 2022- $42 March 17th , 2022- $80 PCGS charged me $42 for a Coin they labeled as " No Service". I contacted their office and asked for my Remainder 3 Coins to be sent back to me and NOT looked at by a PCGS grader...PCGS charged me $96 to NOT look at these 3 remaining coins and denied my request to combine shipping. I also requested tracking numbers on all 4 of my coins PCGS via ********************* ( contact), he did NOT reply with tracking details. I'm requesting PCGS refund my entire Membership cost AFTER they provide me with tracking numbers for ALL 4 coins. What my charges should be is:$10 for the ONE coin that was Not Slabbed $0 for the THREE coins that were pulled ( Without any PCGS service) I'm willing to pay the Fair charges of $10 for the Coin NOT slabbed, and Return Shipping of $22 for the rest of the coins .

  Business response

  03/30/2022

  I've reviewed this customer's account.  There are currently four open orders on this customer account of 1 coin each.  There are no grading fees listed for any of these items and they are being held pending shipment until 4/1/22 based on the customer's request.

  At this point I'm not sure what the customer is asking for with regard to a refund as I don't see any charges on the account.  Furthermore, the only reason the coins have not shipped is because the customer had contacted us and requested that we not ship as the customer was traveling.

  Note that in general we do not allow customers to combine shipping across multiple orders as each order may take a different amount of time to complete.

  If there's anything that I can do to help this customer, I'm more than happy to do so.

  Thank you,

  ***************************** / VP, Operations

  Customer response

  03/31/2022

  Thank you for your reply.

   

  Ive requested through customer ********************** that all 4 coins should be released and shipped ASAP to :

  8097 ************************************************************ .  Can you please confirm with tracking numbers that the shipments have been sent? 
  

   

  Once you send me the tracking number can you please take my Gold membership back to SILVER and reimburse me the difference?

   

  Thanks

   

  Alex Dwoskin 

   

• Initial Complaint

  03/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I submitted coins for grading that came directly from the US Mint, untouched, to PCGS for grading. Not only did it take 3 months to be graded they graded these highly collectable uncirculated coins AU - cleaned!!! These coins were uncirculated. I complained numerous times about the delay in processing and was given a standard covid excuse, the take over obviously has caused quality and operational issues, with no satisfaction!! These coins need to be properly graded at no additional cost!!!

  Business response

  03/30/2022

  The order that I see for this customer did not come straight from the US mint.  The coins on the order ranged from an ****-CC $1 through a **** 50C.  Of the 8 coins submitted, our experts did agree that seven of those coins had been improperly cleaned in the past.  While I understand that the customer disagrees with this assessment, the customer paid for **********************' opinion and that opinion was rendered.

  With regard to the processing time that it took, the customer is absolutely correct - the order was at the PCGS facility for over three months and that is most definitely longer than our historical turnaround times.  Unfortunately, in January, our office was heavily affected by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and that caused some significant delays.

  According to the notes on the order in question, it appears that this customer was offered a credit/voucher for use on future submissions.  If that didn't happen and/or the customer would like to speak with me directly, I'm happy to do so.

  Thank you,

   

  ***************************** / VP, Operations

  Customer response

  03/31/2022

  Submitted pics of PCGS coins to NGC for reconstruction and have been assured an MS-62 minimum on the **** coins!! Never received any voucher or consideration. Since the take over PCGS has suffered badly.

• Initial Complaint

  03/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is a business which authenticates and grades coins for collectors and auction houses. On November 10th 2021, I submitted a group of 12 coins, most of which are high value, $1,000 each or more. They promised a return window of 2 months and it has been 4 months as of the 10th of March 2022. Starting the 3rd of February, I have called more than 30 times, actually spoken to someone on more than 5-7 occasions, and asked for a supervisor to tell me where my coin submission is. To date, no one, let alone a supervisor has contacted me. I have also continued to call and leave a callback number (***** times) and have had no response. I have also emailed more than *********************************** where my submission is with no response. On my latest emails, I have even included the Director of Customer ********************** (A. Wedding) and have had no response.

  Business response

  03/05/2022

  The customer here is absolutely correct that our turnaround times (specifically on world coins) have been unusually long.  I will attempt to expedite this order.  As a courtesy, I have removed the shipping and handling fees off the order.

  Thank you,

  ***************************** / VP, Operations

  Customer response

  03/05/2022

  I just want my coins returned ungraded. I'll take my business elsewhere. It's truly sad PCGS customer ********************** is non-existent. I also expect return shipping to be covered by PCGS.

• Initial Complaint

  03/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  my complaint involves being charged for a reoccurring subscription that was never shown to occur. After i was charged they changed their website to show that it would be reoccurring. I did expect that they may recharge me after the year because of other complaints i had read so i went to my account and removed my credit card and clicked the cancel button to remove any possible subscription but there was never an actual option to cancel. I called up pcgs before my original subscription was over and was told that i would not be charged for a reoccurring subscription. I was then charged again after my first year, I read in the terms that i only had ~4 days to cancel it before it was too late. I called them up after a day or two and they reassured me that i would be given a refund in 2-6 weeks and it was their mistake that i was charged. ~8 week s later i did not receive a refund so i called them up and they told me it may take 2-6 weeks again. I called them again and they told me that yes everything was set and my refund was put into the system but it had not finished processing yet. now ~5 months have passed and i still dont have a refund of 149$ for my gold membership.I filed a complaint over a year ago on how advertising was misleading and how i was charged for something that was not as advertised. This problem has yet to be fixed by the company on their website, they lead me along for a long time on bbb until the very end of their allowed time, which made it very difficult for me to respond in a timely manner.

  Business response

  03/05/2022

  While I apologize for any confusion, the terms and conditions of the auto-renewal of the PCGS membership have been documented on the website for well over a decade.  That said, if a customer wishes to stop auto-renewal, they can do so either via the website or by contacting customer **********************.

  In this particular instance I have asked our Customer ********************** team to verify that all recurring orders for this customer have been cancelled and that all monies due are refunded.

  Thank you

  Customer response

  03/07/2022

  customer ********************** that i talked to told me that i was not on a reoccurring auto renewal after i had been charged again and that my subscription should not have been auto renewed and the error was on their side and they apologized to me.  I am pretty sure i have audio proof that i was not suppose to be on auto renewal.

  it can be seen in the screen shot that the reoccurring auto renewal is not in the notes for my original purchase but was added for the 2021 purchase.

  the money is not in my account nor pending ~2 days after receiving this message.
  

  I would like to see the proof that there is a stop future billing button that is claimed to be there on the website and my refund of 149$ plus 20$ for hassling me with an incorrect charge and keeping my money for ~6 months and proof that it has been sent.

  why should they be allowed to keep my money after an incorrect charge without any repercussion...
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I submitted 3 orders for coin grading to PCGS: #****** on 12/21/2021; #****** on 12/21/2021; and #****** on 12/30/2021. At this time, the published turnaround time was 30 business days for Regular service. At some point well into January, PCGS changed the turnaround times to 50 business days for Regular service. Given the prior responses blaming COVID for the lack in personnel at PCGS, I suspect that this is their continued excuse. However, despite this rote excuse, PCGS continues to advertise for more coins, participate in shows where it has a dedicated person on staff to grade coins sometimes on the spot. It is simple: if you cannot perform the work you have stop sending graders to shows, stop participating in shows, and use those resources to complete the orders you already have. I received order #****** back on 2/14/2022 (39 Days). The grading was not consistent with the ******* scale nor with PCGS's published quality grading system on their site. Now, I will have to crack the coin out risking damage or pay to regrade it through PCGS. No doubt the poor grading was due to the lack of qualified staff and as per a customer ********************** call, this is just part of the process and no grade is guaranteed like no time is promised - what a racquet. A business can make money from a consumer based upon the lure of website data, deliver when they want, and then deliver a product inconsistent with their published data. And, my response is that while no grade is guaranteed, grades are expected to be per the published scale on their website - this is what was paid for. The two other groups of coin submissions (7 coins in total) will never make even 50 business days. And, the grades are certainly going to be in question. BBB should reduce the rating of this company as the number of complaints for poor business dealings is inconsistent with a quality company.

  Business response

  02/22/2022

  First off, I apologize for the delay in the processing of this customer's orders.  We did experience some significant staffing shortages in the first few weeks of January due to the Omicron variant of COVID.  Although I'm not saying this as an excuse, the combination of significant staffing shortages, a growing coin market, and the release of the 2022 coins, PCGS is extremely busy.

  With regard to the customer's assertion that the coins on his order were not graded according to the ******* scale - the customer submitted the coins for the opinion of the PCGS experts, and the opinion was rendered.  In the past 35 years, PCGS has graded over 49 million coins.  All coins are reviewed by multiple experts/verifiers for accuracy with the PCGS grading standards.  

  For the orders that are currently in house for this customer, I will try to expedite those to get them completed as soon as possible.

  Thank you,

  ***************************** / VP, Operations

  Customer response

  02/22/2022

  No worries on the first coin.  Another company has regraded the coin - and, no surprise, it graded higher.  To my point, PCGS is lacking quality due to the shortages they acknowledge.  Second, if they are short due to COVID, why send thier graders to coin expos offering same day grading ahead of all the other work PCGS has and cannot complete?  Check the PCGS website.. meet this grader here, meet another grader here, on site same day grading at this expo, for example.  It would seem that a reputable company would complete its current orders before soliciting more or reducing staffing at the PCGS offices to send those people to shows.  BBB should reduce PCGSs grade for the poor business response and operations.

  Business response

  02/23/2022

  While I apologize again for the delay in processing this customers orders, and reiterate that his remaining orders have been expedited, I'm not sure what else we can do in this situation.

  Throughout the staffing challenges and business growth that we have seen over the past few months, we remain committed to providing the highest quality service possible.  It is for this reason that some orders have been delayed as we still insist that all coins go through the full and complete process with no shortcuts taken.  

  Thank you.

  Customer response

  03/08/2022

  Thank you for your response.  I appreciate the expedited processing.  And, despite your assertions of not cutting corners, one of the coins had to be returned as it was not set in the holder correctly and the coin is scratched.  It has been sent back to PCGS.  So, clearly QA/QC have been circumvented. Additionally, if you are short of help on grading your coin orders, dont send your graders to advertised trade shows to generate more work and reduce an already depleted staff - it doesnt take a genius to figure that out.  Finally, the grading of the coins sent continues to be laughable.  To prove my point, I have intentionally cracked two randoms out and sent them to NGC grading company to demonstrate the poor quality not in line with your published standard.  I will publish the results on social media once received back.  If you want to do anything fix and regrade the coin I just sent back. It was from a mint box, and isnt the same variety of other coins in this series its being compared to.  (Others are the antiqued version, this is a regular version that was 100% flawless from the mint package to the sleeve.  No visible marks under 60x and is UHR.  Have a look at the returned coin yourself

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩