WATA damaging games?

[minty | 9]

So I sent WATA a really nice copy of my Zelda Ocarina of Time Gold Collector's Edition CIB to get graded.  This was about 3 months ago.  It finally got graded but has not shipped so I do not know the score. But they did provide the pre-graded photos that they take and I quickly noticed there is damage to my box that was not there when I sent it.  Chances of this happening during shipping is zero because the way I packaged it. I used a very good amount of bubble wrap, did not make it too loose or too tight and I even put the game itself wrapped in bubble in a hard plastic case that would prevent any damage even if you jumped on it. It was a wrapped carefully and a nice, snug fit and the plastic case was then put in the shipping box with even more bubble and cushion. (I've been packing/shipping games for years on ebay so I am well aware of the process to prevent damage). Because they grade every little flaw so strictly,  the score of the game probably dropped significantly which of course will now destroy the value.  They had my game for 3 months, I can only imagine what my game went through with their storage process. I mean wtf is the point of getting something like this graded if they are going to damage your collectable? 

So my question is, did anyone else here notice damage to their game that wasn't there before WATA received it? How common is this? Also what would be the remedy for something like this?    Any thoughts? Thanks...

 

1st pic I took a few minutes before I packed it for shipment, notice how nice that corner is.

2nd pic is WATA's pre-grade photo, notice the significant wear that has suddenly appeared on the same corner:

 

btw this isnt the only new damage I noticed but it seems like it is the most significant.

[YOURTURN | 1,258]

Sorry for the anger but I do hate seeing a nice collectible get damaged. Plus I would be completely surprised if they owe up to it!

But to answer your question: I have heard stories about some games being damaged after they were cased up. Now I am wondering if those games had the same results as yours. Which does not change my views of the company. But does add some anxiety for the ones I submitted to another grading company (not VGA).

[RH | 5,422]

Well I hate to go full conspiratorial but it makes me wonder if that's even your box/game.

[GPX | 1,444]

I think this brings on an important issue a lot of new graded collectors aren’t thinking too much about. By the time a game gets graded, there might be subtle changes once leaving the home during the submission. Factors vary depending on how well you pack, the handling by postal workers, and then the handling by the grading staff.

TLDR - there’s always an element of risk when games are sent off for grading.

[GPX | 1,444]

2 hours ago, RH said:

Well I hate to go full conspiratorial but it makes me wonder if that's even your box/game.

This raises another issue, @minty, do the 2 games share common flaws to suggest they’re the same copy?

[zoiks66 | 72]

Funny you mention this because I received a CIB NES game back from WATA last week after they sent me a strange email saying they couldn’t authenticate the manual and offered to grade only the box and cart.  I told them to mail it back to me ungraded.

When I received it, it now has a seemingly fresh indentation line across the front of the box that has a pattern to it - almost like you’d expect to see if a cookie dough roller cutter was run across the box.  I mailed the game within a plastic box protector and packed it very well (bubble wrap, double boxed).  WATA mailed it back to me without the box protector, with the game within one of their typical plastic zip lock bags, and then wrapped in 2 thin layers of bubble wrap.  They also used the seemingly thinnest shipping box they could find.  This was my first and for sure last time using WATA.

On top of the game box damage, they’ve now twice dodged my emailed question of whether or not they plan to refund me their grading fee, replying to my emails with no actual answer regarding a refund.

Edited July 7, 2021 by zoiks66

[broncofantd793 | 142]

I posted in a different WATA thread already.  I got my games back dirty and damaged.

[RH | 5,422]

Again, going full conspiratorial here, but without oversight, who's to say Wata (and to be fair, VGS workers) aren't swapping out some of the more choice, popular titles with a grade or two level lower.  They could easily get away with this.

For a shady set of business founders, why wouldn't they.  You'd need a grader on the inside to actually come clean, or who knows, maybe the top brass actually rummage through the inventory.

I'm not saying they are doing this, but if they swap out "extras" when they find specimens in exceptional shape, they could do this and easily get away with it.  You can't do that for the truly, super-rare games, but games like OoT are rather common and they probably get a couple submissions a month on that one.  It'd be dead easy to inspect the inventory that comes in and then swap it out and say "oops, damaged".

Again, I'm not accusing them of doing this, but when you do an exceptional job packaging your game and it gets damaged, it's worth paying attention to the fine details and asking around.  Sure the post office/UPS/FedEx make mistakes but not this bad. I've ordered thousands of games over the years and I can count the number of games I've had damaged in shipping on one hand and, in fact, 2-3 of them were in one package thin plastic bag shipped from JJ or Lukie Games.  It doesn't make sense that they are receiving this much damaged inventory so somethings not adding up.  At best, they unpack these games, aren't taking care of them and just tossing them around or stacking them multi-games high, which is bad, but it's not as bad as them swapping out lesser quality games for better ones.

[Startyde | 180]

Noone is swapping games. Business are business, and there are much easier ways to make legitimate money than committing crimes.

The answer is always the simplest, aka, Occam's Razor.

1. The damage happened in transit, on accident. 

2. The damage happened at Wata, on accident.

Wata's QA has been all over the map since being inundated, it would be highly advised to use the Warp Zone tier if you absolutely MUST grade now, otherwise just wait for them to stabilize a bit and avoid these questions. 

[Hammerfestus | 4,209]

Your games have WATA damage?  

[WalterWhiteJr. | 1,277]

I know several people who have had their games damaged at Wata by Wata. 

[Gulag Joe | 591]

I heard about a guy who sent a left bros and it came back right bros

[inasuma | 1,228]

10 minutes ago, Gulag Joe said:

I heard about a guy who sent a left bros and it came back right bros

Well that just isn’t right.

[inasuma | 1,228]

2 hours ago, Startyde said:

Noone is swapping games. Business are business, and there are much easier ways to make legitimate money than committing crimes.

The answer is always the simplest, aka, Occam's Razor.

1. The damage happened in transit, on accident. 

2. The damage happened at Wata, on accident.

Wata's QA has been all over the map since being inundated, it would be highly advised to use the Warp Zone tier if you absolutely MUST grade now, otherwise just wait for them to stabilize a bit and avoid these questions. 

This is probably the more likely scenario. I feel like otherwise we're trying to prove a negative and make up stories to suit the narrative Wata is inherently evil or something.

Wata makes plenty of money without needing to swap out games that account for less than a fraction of a percent of their monthly revenue.

[CodysGameRoom | 2,014]

2 hours ago, Startyde said:

Noone is swapping games. Business are business, and there are much easier ways to make legitimate money than committing crimes.

I mean probably, but really there's no way to know for sure. Shadier things have happened in the retro gaming community. 

[tidaldreams | 654]

5 hours ago, Gulag Joe said:

I heard about a guy who sent a left bros and it came back right bros

lmao

[Lincoln | 230]

6 hours ago, Gulag Joe said:

I heard about a guy who sent a left bros and it came back right bros

Is this a serious comment? Whats the story?

[O.G. CIB | 423]

When companies take on too much business and don’t have the resources to handle the increased volume they then to rush to make up for the shortage. When they rush they tend to be careless and damage can and will happen. More than likely it’s careless mishandling with the damage. The problem I have with this company is they have a track record of poor communication which leads to poor customer service. Until their customers take a stand this will continue

Edited July 7, 2021 by Mr. CIB

[Gulag Joe | 591]

10 minutes ago, Lincoln said:

Is this a serious comment?

 

[Brickman | 4,312]

6 hours ago, Gulag Joe said:

I heard about a guy who sent a left bros and it came back right bros

This actually made me laugh out loud for real. Well done sir.

[TDIRunner | 2,999]

7 hours ago, Startyde said:

Noone is swapping games. Business are business, and there are much easier ways to make legitimate money than committing crimes.

 

But that's not fun.  It's way more fun to assume that the grading companies are evil and trying to destroy the gaming market. So let's just keep doing that.  

[MrWunderful | 2,933]

Do you have clear accurate pics of before?

 

Edit- of all the other areas too. 

Edited July 7, 2021 by MrWunderful

[zoiks66 | 72]

To clarify, the NES game box I got back ungraded from WATA is for sure the same game box I sent them, it just now has extra damage to the box.  I figure either WATA accidentally damaged it due to them rushing through orders to try to catch up, or it was damaged during return shipping due to WATA’s shoddy packaging used for return shipping.  Either way, I’ll never do business with them again.

[Jim Jimmer | 234]

21 hours ago, WalterWhiteJr. said:

I know several people who have had their games damaged at Wata by Wata. 

Yep me too. And this is much, much more of a concern for me than waiting a month or two extra to get an order back. With a grading company clients expect to receive their game in the same condition it was sent in, but in a slab. Nothing less. 
 

This kind of incident is the kind that shys customers away and they dont come back (justifiably so). 

[RH | 5,422]

13 hours ago, zoiks66 said:

To clarify, the NES game box I got back ungraded from WATA is for sure the same game box I sent them, it just now has extra damage to the box.  I figure either WATA accidentally damaged it due to them rushing through orders to try to catch up, or it was damaged during return shipping due to WATA’s shoddy packaging used for return shipping.  Either way, I’ll never do business with them again.

Did you ask to be reimbursed for the damage?  Seriously, they tack on a 10% to their grading to "replace" items that are damaged.  This type of thing is, IMHO, specifically what they should cover.  If they damage your item, especially if it was pristine from the start, they should compensate you.  They are a company that is well aware that dollars chase condition.  They've now not only cost you shipping but if you were willing to sell, with a game like this it could have been a difference of a couple hundred bucks.