Inside I found a letter, and two small manilla envelopes. This had to be the response to my recent 2009 Topps Series 1 debacle. I must admit, I was very suprised to hear from them this quickly. They told me it'd be between 2-4 business weeks, which translates roughly to "around the all-star break". Thankfully, it was sooner than that.
Here's the letter...
Immediately I was filled with confusion. Why have you gone through the trouble of sending me a package with delivery confirmation, and what I'm assuming are my relic card and my WBC redemption card (in the small manilla envelopes) if the letter opens up with "...we are unable to comply with your request due to insufficient proof of purchase". Really? I guess at some point, the decision was made to not comply with my request. However, the little attached piece of paper that reads "Replaced as a one time courtesy" which was obviously not part of the original letter, suggests someone at that horrible company had a change of heart, and decided that hosing over someone who contributes quite nicely to their annual profit margin would indeed not be the prudent or just course of action. Instead, they sent me my two cards, and once again all is right in the world of Cheese & Beer.
Before I reveal the relic card they sent me, I'll share a thought that crossed my mind between sending off my letter and now. If they are merely responding to someone that just didn't happen to the cards they should have (after all, it's 1 per box "on average") wouldn't they just send me the crappiest one, or if nothing else, the first one they picked on the stack and threw into an envelope? And if this is the case, how can I possibly get an unbiased and random selection in the process? I came to the conclusion that I was going to get screwed over, regardless the card they sent me in return.
And so I give to you the "1 per box (on average) relic or autograph card" that should have been sent to me in the first place...
2009 Topps #CBR-RB Ryan Braun Career Best game-worn jersey
Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Immediately, I had my wife verify what my eyes were certainly telling me was a blatant lie. Turns out, what I saw in front of me was indeed a Ryan Braun jersey card, the exact card that I had hoped to pull from my hobby box in the first place! How could this be? I then checked the letter that I wrote to the folks at Topps and nothing on the envelope or in the letter would tell them that I was a Brewers fan, let alone a huge Ryan Braun fan and collector. This indeed, was the Divine Hand in action. I have no other explanation, and I refuse to label this as "just a random coincidence".
I'm the guy who never wins a contest, be it a radio call-in contest, or a drawing for the new car at the mall. I always get picked last for random lottery selections (i.e. when we went to see Metallica back in 2000, they handed out tickets and then called a random number, and that would be the starting place for the line. My number was the one before the one they called). Regardless, I am now the proud owner of a Ryan Braun game-worn jersey card.
In addition, I also recieved my World Baseball Classic redemption card...
Around roughly the time my third child will be born (we still haven't met child #1, by the way) my WBC redemption card should arrive. I am the proud future-owner of Redemption Card #4...so whenever they announce who that one is, I can start using that as a bartering chip in trading.
Indeed, justice has been served. Thank you Topps, for "redeeming" yourselves.
6 comments:
This is downright inspiring. Not inspiring enough to write to UD about my recent debacle--for about that I feel hopeless--but inspiring nonetheless.
That's scary. I think Topps has your home bugged.
Wow, that's awesome. That's a sweet looking card too.
By the way, I still haven't figured out who Braun looks like. I feel like it's right at the tip of my brain.
Sweet Braun dude! Love the strip in it! Hope Topps does that for me with Fielder!
Thanks Mother - you know, I thought about it last summer and commented in one of my blog ramblings...I figure he comes closest to Christopher "Kid" Reid from "Kid n Play"...
Canuckle- best of luck w/ yours. Yep, we all love getting the stripe on a jersey, wish my only Hardy card had the same.
Yes Night Owl, my house must be bugged. Even w/ the WA mailing address, I figure they'd have sent me a freekin Ichiro or something. Or to spit in my face, even worse, a Richie Sexson. Oooh....
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