Thank You, Upper Deck Assist!

One Saturday night back in December, I was doing two of my favorite things: watching TV and opening packs of hockey cards. However, one box came up a pack short. Fortunately, Upper Deck’s Customer Service came through for me — and then some!

At the end of last year, I bought a lot of 2020-21 Upper Deck Series One Hockey cards: five fat packs, seven blaster boxes and four “mega boxes” — which contain nine Upper Deck Series One packs and a “Team Triples” pack. However, one mega box that I purchased had only eight Series One packs. 

This “mega box” was one pack short of what was promised.

I’m the type of person who tries to do something when it is on my mind. Otherwise, I forget. Even though it was late Saturday night, I reached out to Upper Deck’s Customer Service on Twitter @UpperDeckAssist via direct message. Of course, I did not expect a reply on a Saturday night, but I at least wanted to get my message to them. 

First thing Monday morning, Upper Deck’s Customer Service replied to my direct message, saying that they would send me a pack to replace the pack my mega box was missing. They asked me to provide a photo of my receipt. Remember folks, always keep your receipt when you buy trading cards! If your box is short a pack or short a “hit,” you will need proof of purchase. I provided a photo of my receipt and my address.

And then…the wait. 

Over seven weeks later, I still did not have my replacement pack. I thought that maybe Upper Deck Customer Service misplaced my request. Or perhaps they were just overwhelmed with customer requests because Series One had a lot of production problems this year. I’m a patient guy, but seven weeks seemed like a long time, so I reached out. 

Upper Deck Customer Service assured me that they still had my request, but turnaround time is normally 12 to 16 weeks. I guess if I was getting a damaged Alexis Lafreniere rookie card replaced, I would be anxious. But it was just a pack, so I told them no rush. 

About two weeks later, on February 17, I received my replacement pack — along with a second pack, and a note. The packs were put into jersey card toploaders to keep the cards safe. 

Even better, these were hobby packs, so each had an insert. The first pack had an NHL Worldwide insert of Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

The second pack had an UD Game Jersey card of Washington Capitals star Nicklas Backstrom. 

Back in December, three out of the four mega boxes that I opened had a jersey card. The only mega box that didn’t have a jersey card was the mega box that was shorted one pack. So, in the end, it all worked out. 

Upper Deck may take a long time when handling customer service requests, but they always deliver and seldom disappoint. In fact, to this day I am still happy about the replacement that they sent me in 2013 for a Patrice Bergeron patch/auto redemption that never happened. 

So, thank you to Upper Deck’s Customer Service Team, a.k.a. Upper Deck Assist, for replacing my missing pack of cards. Not to name names, but I know a few other trading card companies that could learn a lesson or two from your good work! 

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Author: Sal Barry

Sal Barry is the editor and webmaster of Puck Junk. He is a freelance hockey writer, college professor and terrible hockey player. Follow him on Twitter @puckjunk

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