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Better Business Bureau of North Central Texas is warning card collectors and traders about Panini America Inc. in Irving, Texas. The company is swinging for the fences and striking out, leaving BBB complaints and inquiries unanswered. This company has an “F” rating with the BBB for these failures.
BBB has received complaints alleging that Panini America received payment for purchases of sports trading cards containing redemptions that the company fails to honor. Consumers also report sending in damaged cards or other memorabilia for replacement and have not received anything, and sometimes orders go unfulfilled for several months, even years.
Originally in 2017, BBB notified Panini America of a pattern of complaints alleging the company fails to honor promised fulfillment and delivery of products after receiving redemption cards from its customers. Customers purchased multi-card packs containing redemption for “high-value” player cards which the company fails to deliver. Disputed amounts range from $100 to $20,000, with the average loss reported to BBB at $1,700. To date, this pattern of complaints has remained constant and unresolved. BBB has again seen a recent spike in complaints of this nature; BBB has processed 615 complaints in the last three years, three times more than when we originally warned about this company in 2021.
The complainants are from 46 states in the US and three Canadian provinces. One Arizona consumer told BBB, “A year and a half ago I submitted a redemption ticket and a factory damaged card for a short print high value card. I understood that these items can take time to redeem/be acknowledged. However, when you go on to the Contact Us section of the website and try and inquire on a status, the website does not allow you to submit your inquiry, then when you go to submit a ticket to their tech team on the issue it won’t let you submit a ticket. There is no email to reach out to and the phone number is impossible to get through to someone. For all intents and purposes, they leave you completely in the dark, which is unacceptable for a business of their size.”
Another consumer in Ohio complained to BBB, “I purchased a redemption card and submitted it on their site. It was supposed to take 8-12 weeks to receive my card. It's been over 5 months and have not received a reply to the 6 emails I've sent. Their phone numbers do not work. Their answering machine just hangs up on you. It's the worst customer service I've ever encountered.”
“When the BBB evaluates the trustworthiness of a company, being responsive and honoring promises is critical. Addressing disputes quickly, professionally, and in good faith is necessary in order for consumers to trust a business. In this case the company has failed to be responsive to BBB and it’s customers,” said Monica Horton, BBB of North Central Texas.
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