No commemorative patch card.

[Utter Chaos]

I recently bought a box of 2009 Series 2 Topps cards at Wal-Mart. On the box it says 10 PACKS PLUS ONE COMMEMORATIVE PATCH CARD.

Of course there was no patch card included. I suspect somebody went through and removed them all as the first 3 boxes I grabbed looked like they had been opened. The last box, which I bought, did not but apparently it was.

What is my course of action now, contact Topps? Will they send me a random patch? Why don't they seal these boxes so nobody can tamper with them, or did they and the thief removed the cellophane covering as well?

[Dalkowski110]

"or did they and the thief removed the cellophane covering as well?"

Bingo. I'd contact Topps about it.

[xholdourownx]

I would hate to ask, but why did you buy a box that didn't have the plastic wrap around it?

Anyways, Topps will send you a random patch card. Not worth the work if you ask me.

[Utter Chaos]

I would hate to ask, but why did you buy a box that didn't have the plastic wrap around it?

Anyways, Topps will send you a random patch card. Not worth the work if you ask me.

I haven't bought a box in a while and none of the boxes that were there had the plastic wrap. I didn't realize that they were suppose to be sealed.

[Extra Innings]

"or did they and the thief removed the cellophane covering as well?"

Bingo. I'd contact Topps about it.

In the blaster boxes, the G/U card is not apart of the packs. Its included seperate from the packs. Did you open all the packs? If not, you may try taking them back to Wal-Mart and explain what happened.. Maybe you could exchange them or something.

[Gary Dunaier]

I haven't bought a box in a while and none of the boxes that were there had the plastic wrap. I didn't realize that they were suppose to be sealed.

We're not talking plain ordinary shrinkwrap. Factory shrinkwrapped boxes of Topps cards should have the Topps logo on it as a security measure.

I'm skeptical of Extra Innings' suggestion that "you may try taking them back to Wal-Mart and explain what happened.. Maybe you could exchange them or something" because it's probable that the customer service person will not be familiar with the card product and won't understand the concept.

Also, I believe stores like Wal Mart and Target that sell this kind of merchandise do so on a "final sale" basis... once the boxes are opened there's no refund, no exchange. As far as the retail end of it goes I think you're stuck, so contacting Topps might be your best bet. You might have to provide proof of purchase (receipt and bar code?) before they'll send you anything.

[Brad Harris]

We're not talking plain ordinary shrinkwrap. Factory shrinkwrapped boxes of Topps cards should have the Topps logo on it as a security measure.

I'm skeptical of Extra Innings' suggestion that "you may try taking them back to Wal-Mart and explain what happened.. Maybe you could exchange them or something" because it's probable that the customer service person will not be familiar with the card product and won't understand the concept.

Also, I believe stores like Wal Mart and Target that sell this kind of merchandise do so on a "final sale" basis... once the boxes are opened there's no refund, no exchange. As far as the retail end of it goes I think you're stuck, so contacting Topps might be your best bet. You might have to provide proof of purchase (receipt and bar code?) before they'll send you anything.
As someone with intimate knowledge of one of the aforementioned companies' customer service policies, I can state with absolute certainty that company policy is going to be just as Gary said. And if you think about it from the store's perspective, it makes some sense: there's no way the customer returning the product can prove that he didn't remove the wrap and keep the product for himself before bringing the box back. You're welcome to try, but I'd just write Topps. You might write Target or Wal-Mart (or whomever) a letter explaining the unsatisfactory nature of the situation to them and suggesting they change their handling policy for baseball card boxes to something more "customer friendly." But at the store level, company policy isn't likely to be broken (unless the store manager is a relative or something.) ;)

[Extra Innings]

As someone with intimate knowledge of one of the aforementioned companies' customer service policies, I can state with absolute certainty that company policy is going to be just as Gary said. And if you think about it from the store's perspective, it makes some sense: there's no way the customer returning the product can prove that he didn't remove the wrap and keep the product for himself before bringing the box back. You're welcome to try, but I'd just write Topps. You might write Target or Wal-Mart (or whomever) a letter explaining the unsatisfactory nature of the situation to them and suggesting they change their handling policy for baseball card boxes to something more "customer friendly." But at the store level, company policy isn't likely to be broken (unless the store manager is a relative or something.) ;)

Yea, I know the chances are slim. One thing I would do is go back to Wal-mart and see if any other blasters are not sealed. That way you could bring it to their attention.

[Utter Chaos]

Yea, I know the chances are slim. One thing I would do is go back to Wal-mart and see if any other blasters are not sealed. That way you could bring it to their attention.
That's the problem. There were 4 boxes and none of the four were sealed. Since I didn't see the patch card seperate I thought it may have been in one of the packs and opened them all. Of course there was nothing there. I'll probably contact Topps to see if they can do anything. I hope I don't need the receipt because I have no clue where it is now. If I need it I guess I could buy another box (that is shrinked wrapped!) and use that receipt.

I can't believe somebody is desperate enough to open boxes and take out those cards. I wish I was there to see him doing it so I could :choke: him.

Thanks for all of the advice everybody.