You be the judge

KEEWEE

I just received a package from a "certain" coin company in the mail today. As advertised in "Coin World" magazine, it was, and I quote, a "good European mixture." What I ended up with was five pounds of coins, OVER HALF of which was NOT European. Of that half, probably a quarter was from Turkey, and mostly all the same coin. Another quarter of that amount was from the Philippines, mostly the same coin, and then another quarter was Argentine, mostly the same coin. There were lots of "wonderful" Barbados and South African coins also. The European coins consisted mostly of Spanish and Portuguese coins, many duplicates, and a grand total of 3 German coins and 5 French coins. Good European mix, eh?

When I called them, this company said I could mail it back, minus shipping and handling. Mind you, this company took its sweet time sending my order, taking 10 days from when I placed the order to when they actually mailed it. I thought that it would be best if they ate the shipping and handling charges in this instance since their product was not even close to being what was advertised. The person I spoke to AND his supervisor got very snotty with me. "We have never had complaints about our world coins," he said. My effort to rectify the situation ended in his hanging up on me.

Nonetheless, I am posting a picture, albeit small due to size restraints, to let you judge for yourself. The coins on the left are non-European, and they are in stacks of about 10-15 coins high. The coins on the right are European and are just piled there. I can also send anyone a larger photo of the coins if they so desire.

If any of you would like to know which coin company this was, please email me or IM me. I don't want to name them on this forum, because of legal complications. But I will say they are based in Canada (no offense to our friends there) and they advertise in "Coin World" frequently.

I wasn't asking for the world, but I did hope to be treated more fairly and professionally. Also, if anyone is interested in coins from Argentina, the Philippines, Barbados, or South Africa, please let me know.

Thanks for letting me vent,
KEEWEE

WhiteTornado

Sorry to hear of your experience, especially they way the dealt with your phone call.

I sent a PM because I'm curious as to the company name.

satootoko

So far as I know, Coin World is a reputable periodical, and as such would like to know if they are carrying false advertising. What you got is not "a European mixture", good or bad, so I would make your complaints - about what you got and about how you were treated - known to Coin World. I would also try to find an address for the person in charge at that dealer and give him/her an earful about what's being done in the company name.

tbirde56

Technically, since a small part of Turkey is in Europe, they could technically include the Turkish coins in the European selection.
I still think you got ripped, though, and announcing the comapny's name here would be a service to the rest of us, in my opinion.

KEEWEE

Actually, I think I might have spoken to the person in charge there. They didn't seem in the mood to talk to me, and they were aghast that I had the audacity to question the quality of what they sent me. If they had agreed to refund my money in full, including the shipping charges, there would have been no problem. But they were adamant that if I sent it back, I was not going to be repaid the entire amount.

As for announcing who they are here on this forum, I am willing to tell anyone via email or instant message, but I would like to avoid posting who they are here, because God only knows how lawsuit-happy things are anymore, and frankly I can't afford a lawyer. I just got laid off from my job last Friday, so part of this rampage I have been on stems from that frustration.

I have no problem with Coin World. I am sure they get a lot of disgruntled people contacting them often, so my grievance would probably be negligible. And yes, technically, Turkey can be considered a part of Europe, but when I get 15 of the same exact coin from Turkey, that's a very liberal definition of "good mix" in my book.

Thanks for the props, guys!
KEEWEE

1jester

Sorry to hear about the scam, KeeWee, and also about the unfortunate job situation. I hope things get better soon!

KEEWEE

Thanks 1Jester.

KEEWEE