From the CCIE Program Features :
CCIE Plaque and Certificate
As an official CCIE, you will receive an engraved plaque and certificate, shipped to the address listed in your profile within 10-12 weeks. Please make sure your contact information is up-to-date.
Yesterday, one month after my lab exam, i received my CCIE plaque (if that can be considered a plaque). According to some people it's a crystal inscribed plaque. According to my own perception/feeling/impression (call it whatever you like) it seems like a plastic frame with an inkjet-like "printed paper" inside it and glass on top of it. I'm also still searching for the "engraved" part of it.
As it seems, Cisco is trying to cut expenses (although the CCIE lab recently increased its price). It's a shame that the plaque for one of the best certifications out there seems so cheap. Someone else would probably have created a better plaque by simply putting the CCIE certificate inside a nice wooden/silver frame. Btw, the DHL receipt shows MJR as the sender and $10 as customs value.
After contacting a friend of mine (a CCIE too), i was told that the advertising company, that had created the first CCIE plaques (the ones with a bronzed circular medallion in a wooden frame), is probably still selling these for all CCIEs who may want the old-style plaque (my friend bought his 2 years ago). The company is Brandvia and this is the page from their website regarding the CCIE plaque and jacket.
I have sent them an email requesting more info about the price, the payment/delivery method and of course asking them if they still sell the old CCIE plaques.
I hope i'll get a positive answer soon...
Cisco, one more 
for you!
Btw, one week ago, i had received my CCIE certification. Nothing extreme here:
Just an update here.
On 25/Feb/2008 i got an answer from BrandVia and they say that they are no longer authorized to make the old style CCIE plaques (like Scott said) and that i should talk with the Certification Program Manager, Abby Douglas. I sent an email to Abby too, but i never got an answer...
Saturday, February 23, 2008
CCIE plaque - too cheap for a CCIE?
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no doubt that it is money issue really i'm surprised why cisco doing that !!!!I remember the old days when you recieve nice Certification from cisco not just aprinted paper like now .
ReplyDeletealso you notice that cisco exams fee are so expensive and constant at the whole world not like MS if you are in USA or any advanced country your exam fee 150$ but if you are in 3rd world country your exam fee 50 $ only .
cisco made it harder and you pay in English pound :(( . so you pay more than 150 $ .
even they knowvery well about braindumbs but they pretend they are doing some actions about that . but the truth they are happy because many many people are taking the exams now so the certification income are getting so high not like the old days when there are people fail an exam and maybe not will try it again .
so ciscoisseeking for more and more money with any means .
The picture is only of the certificate, not the plaque. The plaque and certificate are rarely received at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI have already received my CCIE certification (a week before the plaque) and it's like the CCNA/CCNP ones. I have edited the post and added a picture of it.
ReplyDeleteThe medallions are no longer available from BrandVia. They were sent a cease/desist letter from Cisco after the logo change. (Which the "Cisco" logo was never anywhere on there, so go figure)
ReplyDeleteOn the flip side of things, for passing a $1,250 Juniper JNCIE exam you REALLY do get a lead-crystal desk thing engraved with the logo and your name/number/date. :)
Whaddya do?
Now i feel completely disappointed. Maybe Brandvia should produce a plaque with the new logo (although i don't care about the logo, it can be whatever).
ReplyDeleteI JUST WANT A PLAQUE!!! NOT A PLASTIC FRAME THAT I CAN CREATE BY MYSELF!!!
Scott, i hope you're not the one with the 4 medallions!!! It would pain me a lot :(
Any idea of where it mailed from? My certification history shows that my "plaque" mailed on Feb 11. So either it mailed from China or it was sent via pony express (and numerous ponies expired en route). LOL, the funniest part is that this all happened a week after passing the lab. I wondered how they could turn it around so quickly. Now I think I know...
ReplyDeleteI just checked the DHL papers....
ReplyDeleteShipment Date : Feb 12, 2008
Exporter : MJR
2450 Scott Blvd., Suite 308
Santa Clara, CA 95050
Michael Ramon: (408) 844-8084
Description : Plaque-No Resale Value
Customs Value : 10.00 USD
Now i'm 100% sure : a crufty/naff/shoddy plaque!!!
Some info i found about MJR...
http://www.printaccess.com/perl/pia?action=display&aff=pinc&pid=25550
http://www.mjrprint.com/
Yup, I'm the one who has four of the medallions. It'll be a bummer once I get around to the Voice IE if I can't have a fifth.
ReplyDeleteAh well... C'est la vie.
Well Tassos, I received mine from DHL today. It's not as bad as I had imagined based on numerous comments, including your own. Clearly they could have done better. Some etching or something would show a little more respect. But it's not as bad as I thought. I happened to have a little bit of open space on a bookshelf and I have placed it there for now. So it's not so bad that I felt I had to hide it away.
ReplyDeleteI guess the number it displays is the most important part anyway...
I agree that the number is the most important. Together with the fact that the road to the CCIE thought me a lot of things.
ReplyDeleteBut the plaque was to me like the cherry on top of a cake. I missed the last and most delicious part.
Just an update here.
ReplyDeleteI got an answer from BrandVia and they say that they are no longer authorized to make the old style CCIE plaques (like Scott said) and that i should talk with the Certification Program Manager, Abby Douglas. I sent an email to Abby too, but i never got an answer...
The plaque sucks. Cisco is making a mistake here.
ReplyDeleteVery cool idea! Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteAwesome job !!! keep it up.
hunn after seeing you ccies fighting I think should I do my ccie lab or not ???????
ReplyDeleteWell, up until reading this blog, I didn't even knew about a plaque! So I experienced the whole "wow" and "hmm bummer" in all of a few paragraphs. Was going to book the v4 R&S lab for q2 next year. Now it's looking like a JNCIE instead. Ahh well. At least I get a crystal paperweight out of it ;)
ReplyDeleteOn a separate note, if any of you have 5 mins spare, read www.datacenterwars.com Perfect coffee break light hearted reading
@LSP42