Better Business Bureau Issues Warning Against Panini America

By Mike D
on October 13th, 2023
in Stories

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Panini’s tough year continues. It seems like every new week has some new news of contract disputes, legal action, break-ins, and more. Now comes a new warning from the Better Business Bureau.

But what happened this time, and what does it mean?

What is the Better Business Bureau?

According to the National Resource Directory (NRD.gov), the Better Business Bureau (BBB.org) is:

“The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a nonprofit membership organization with chapters throughout North America that are focused on advancing marketplace trust by rating businesses based on their reliability and performance, and facilitating the resolution of consumer complaints.”

Founded in 1912, the Better Business Bureau has long been considered one of the top consumer protection agencies in the United States.

BBB current Panini “F” rating

The Better Business Bureau has previously had some bad things to say about Panini. In fact, it was almost two years ago when the BBB saddled Panini with an F rating.

The reason behind many of the complaints against Panini are their inclusion of redemption cards in their products, and then not making good on those redemptions in a timely manner. These complaints go back as far as at least 2017.

The latest Panini warning from the BBB

The latest warning follows complaints from 46 US states and 3 Canadian Provinces over the years. It appears that Panini has either not responded to, or not responded well enough to, the BBB’s prior complaints and inquiries.

In addition to the lack of fulfillment of redemption cards, the complaint specifically calls out Panini’s sub-par customer service. Reports of emails going unanswered, a lack of ability to submit a form to report issues, no ability to check the status of reports, and phones that ring off the hook all make appearances in the complaint.

The B.B.B Warns Collectors About Panini

The @bbb_us has sent a warning to consumers about @PaniniAmerica after tracking multiple complaints of collectors not getting their merchandise, goods, and services that were promised by the struggling card manufacturer.

The complaints… pic.twitter.com/1bkwXy8x8y
— Mario Alejandro (@BeisbolCardBlog) October 12, 2023

Final thoughts (for now) on Panini’s latest ding from the BBB

While not necessarily new accusations, this latest news continues to pile onto a couple of years of bad news for Panini.

If you’re considering purchasing a Panini product that contains redemptions, you should take these complaints to the BBB and the lack of resolution into consideration before making a purchase.

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Mike D

Mike D. has collected cards for over 35 years, since he bought his first pack of Topps at the corner store in 1987. His fandom, collecting interests, and contributions to Cardlines center around baseball in general and the Baseball Hall of Fame specifically.

Mike's collecting focus is centered on graded cards, mostly rookie cards, of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. Lately, he's been enjoying dabbling in graded minor league cards. A collector/investor with a "buy and hold" approach, Mike takes the long-term view with his collection.