Are you receiving a team letter along with your purchases directly from MLB teams?

[camarokids]

The title says it all !

The Devil Rays are telling me I cannot have a team letter for my purchase of the Akinori Iwamura Nike bat I bought .

What are your thoughts?????

I am ready to tell them I will dispute the charge with my Credit Card if I do not receive the team letter !

[Birdbats]

With the Cardinals, you get a team letter for purchases made at the stadium's Authentics Store. You also get a letter for auction items won at the stadium auctions and the Winter Warm Up. However, the Cardinals Care charity does not issue letters for items sold through its temporary "store" at the Warm Up. Those jerseys, caps, bats, jackets, etc., are sold "as is" with no documentation. I suspect it has something to do with the hassle of writing hundreds of letters, not to mention the logistical logjam it would create at the checkout counter.

As a result, I have purchased numerous items directly from the team that did not come with letters. If I went back after the fact and asked for a letter on a particular item, I could understand their reluctance to issue one. It would put them in the position of trying to guess whether the item in question actually came from them. If they offered to do this, I can't imagine the stuff people would try to get LOAs on (retail caps w/ numbers written on the underbrim, retail jerseys, etc). It's easier and smarter for the team to stay out of the authentication business once items have left the building.

So, while your situation is frustrating, I can appreciate the team's position. If the item came with a letter that was lost and you were seeking a replacement, that might be a special circumstance. But, if there was no letter in the first place, I can understand why they're not cooperating.

Besides, you know where it came from.

[bigtruck260]

Didn't that bat come with a MLB hologram? Why wouldn't that serve as documentation...?

If it did not, forget my post.

Dave

[bigtruck260]

Just checked - it does have a MLB hologram - what does it cover?

Thanks,

Dave

[ifirocked]

it covers the bat. you can look up the MLB # on MLB.com

[camarokids]

This is How my bat shows up in the database:

Session Product Description: Signed Bat Session Name: Tampa Bay Devil Rays Signing
Session Date: August 03, 2007
Autographer: Akinora Iwamura
Authenticator: Authenticators, Inc.

Nowhere does it say game used !

That is why I want a team letter , I asked about a team letter immediately after winning the item .

I just want to be treated like everyone else , not a 2nd class citizen !

[David]

I'm not sure where you bought it, but I will assume (rightly or wrongly) from the MLB auction site. For practical purposes, if you print out the sale/description page when winning, that would serve as good record-- I believe it includes picture(s). Between the auction page print out, hologram and any shipping packaging from MLB or team, no one's going to dispute the identity and provenance.

[David]

I should add that if someone says the hologram # description is vague or missing info, you can show him the print out that literally states how it was described at sale (game used, whatever). To most, that would clear up any vagueness or inconsistencies or missing info with the serial number description, in particular when the bat itself matches up with the sales description.

[dwolfe12345]

The Texas Rangers are weird like that as well. I have purchased 4 jerseys from them and none have come with the Texas letters. Then I look on Ebay and some people have the team letters and some do not. I don't understand why they don't hand out the letters with every purchase just for peace of mind.

[reed1216]

I think it has to do with the authentication company MLB uses. I bought a Chipper Jones game worn jersey last year that didn't have an LOA, but did have the holgram. The thing is, like your bat, it just said it was a signed jersey. I ended up printing the auction page, which had my bidding handle and that served as the LOA, until I sold it.

I was also upset about the lack of a letter and I probably won't buy from mlb.com again until they include one. I know people say you're buying a jersey, not the letter. However, it's a whole lot easier to resell something you've purchased if there is a thorough LOA along with it.