At the start of autumn, the European Football Cup fever has long since subsided. Except for some, who are furious about not having finished their Euro 2024 sticker album. Especially those who ordered their missing stickers from the official supplier and still haven’t received anything. On social networks, discontent is growing. “I paid in July,” complained a Genevan last Thursday. “I’ve followed up three times since then, and no response.” A Valaisan agrees: “I placed an order on July 3, and have received neither stickers nor responses to my emails!”
Over the summer, the publishing company Topps admitted to being overwhelmed by the “large number of orders,” and promised on its website that it would ship by August 28, or provide an explanation if there were any further delays. To date, most customers have received neither. “It’s a real scam,” one of them complains. “Three weeks ago, a robotized email informed me that my order had been sent. Except that the tracking number doesn’t work, and I still haven’t received anything. On the other hand, they did receive my payment. It’s shameful!”
Taking advantage of the opportunity, individuals are now offering stickers for sale for up to 19 francs each on specialist sites. Given the number of messages on dedicated Facebook groups in Switzerland, this business is a success. “Honestly, I don’t blame them,” sighs one fan of the thing. “It was a real ordeal to finish the album this year. At least, thanks to them, I succeeded.” As for those who preferred to call on Topps, they only have two solutions: continue to wait and pray, or ask their bank for a refund for non-completion of the transaction. Contacted last week, the company’s parent company, Fanatics Inc, did not respond to our requests.
The bitterness of collectors is reinforced by a general dissatisfaction with the level of service offered by Topps. The American company took over this year a mandate previously provided by the historic company Panini. “Basically, the 2024 album is riddled with errors,” notes a collector from Vaud. “Key players like Kylian Mbappé are not included for obscure contractual reasons, and are replaced by former stars like Zinédine Zidane. It’s absurd! And some stickers are simply unobtainable. Give us back Panini!”
