Received this from the US Mint today (V75 AES Proof) such BS....
Joe_360
Posts: 1,781 ✭✭✭✭✭
Dear Mint Customer:
The United States Mint released the End of WWII 75th Anniversary American Eagle 2020 One Ounce Gold Proof Coin (20XE) and End of World War II 75th Anniversary American Eagle Silver Proof Coin (20XF) at noon ET on November 5. Because of extremely high demand and the low sales limit of 1,945 units, 20XE became unavailable at 12:05 p.m. Likewise, due to extremely high demand and a sales limit of 75,000 units, 20XF became unavailable at 1:41 p.m. This coin’s release resulted in the highest website traffic we have seen to date, with the first hour more than 390,000 users already on the site at the time sales opened and double the predicted number of telephone calls coming into our call center.
The End of WWII 75th Anniversary 24-Karat Gold Coin (20XG) and End of World War II 75th Anniversary Silver Medal (20XH) was released for sale at noon ET on November 9. Because of extremely high demand and the low sales limit of 7,500 units, 20XG became unavailable at 12:43 p.m. Likewise, due to extremely high demand and a sales limit of 20,000 units, 20XH became unavailable at 12:33 p.m. This coin’s release resulted in unusually high website traffic, with more than 130,000 users on the site within the first hour and double the predicted number of telephone calls coming into our call center.
Once you add an item to your online shopping bag, inventory is not allocated to your order until you complete the checkout process. If the product sells out or becomes unavailable while the product is in your bag and your order is still pending, a coin will not be available when you subsequently attempt to complete the checkout process, as occurred in your case.
Should additional inventory become available through order cancellations, the coin will again become available for purchase. To receive a notification if and when it does go back on sale, visit our website, locate the product page, and click the “REMIND ME” button to provide your email address. If you receive an email notification but are unable to place an order, you will need to sign up again with the REMIND ME button to receive another email notification later (depending on inventory availability).
The U.S. Mint continues to recommend that customers use our website as a “registered customer” to place orders for high-demand products. This is the fastest and most efficient way to place an order.
We thank you for supporting our numismatic programs and hope this information is helpful.
United States Mint
Customer Service Center
1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468)
Comments
calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) to complain it calling the wrong people.
you have to send a letter or fax to mint hq.
I’m confused. What is this? Did they cancel an order of yours or were you just upset you didn’t get one and wrote them?
I called them because I got all the way to "Your order is being processed" which means I confirmed and they accepted my order. Than I got kicked-off and upon return they were unavailable and the coin remained in my bag... I wasted 100 minutes of my life for nothing.
I complained and they sent me that e-mail, crock of s**t...
It doesn’t mean they accepted your order. I’m pretty sure we all saw that message that day. I saw it every time I tried to checkout. Only people who got the order number page got their order accepted.
complaining to the 1-800 number is complaining to the contractors operating the phones in texas.
you have to send a letter or fax to mint hq.
David J. Ryder, Director
United States Mint
801 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20220
Pre sale hype from the mint said that phone orders would not be available due to COVID-2020 or some such shit.
bob
Well maybe since you have Dollar in your tag-name you know m> @MsMorrisine said:
Thanks!
This is what your congresscritter is there for. Won't get you the coin, but it might cause an investigation of the Mint processes.
Processing an order isn’t the same thing as completing a transaction. The same thing happened to me, and while I didn’t like it, I don’t think the message you received was “B.S”.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
You're entitled to you opinion...
Yep.
Link: https://catalog.usmint.gov/faqs/most-popular-questions/
Path: Most Popular Questions > COVID-19 Updates from the United States Mint
I got the same email from the mint! I didn't write or call them. Looks like a CYA letter!
My Original Song Written to my late wife-"Plus other original music by me"
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here is the general complaint thread on this forum
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1046463/cw-the-u-s-mint-recorded-the-highest-website-traffic-we-have-ever-experienced-7-minute-sellout
He stating fact. You never received confirmation that your order had been processed. You never got past "order processing." Happened to a lot of us and most of us understand that any online order from any merchant is not complete until confirmation of the order is received. You can load your bag (cart) up with one of everything at the mint and can even go as far as submit payment. But if that payment does not get processed then you have not purchased anything. Most mint orders that day got kicked out at some point before being finalized. Heavy traffic on their server(s) caused this. Not the first time and surely not the last.
Think of it as checking out at Walmart. You've unloaded your cart onto the conveyor belt, the cashier has rung it up and just as you hand her your credit card the power goes out. Do you really think you deserve to walk out of the store with the merchandise?
"Some days peanuts, some days shells." When it comes to these high demand mint offerings, most of us end up with shells. We know it's a random, very short game of luck.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
Order processing is not uncommon but the order is not complete until you get a confirmation number. My order for the gold medal was processing yesterday also but sold out before the order process completed. It's frustrating, yes, but not BS.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Ugh,,,,
No sir, I am not stupid, nor do I want something without paying, BUT what I was referring to as the way the Mint handled the sale of these coins as "BS" MFeld replied, I didn’t like it, I don’t think the message you received was “B.S”.
There is were our opinions differ... Thanks
Well, it's like those 6 AM pre-Christmas sales at Walmart where you can get a $1500 TV for $399. You either get one or get a bloody nose trying to get one.
Mint was overwhelmed and we as well as they knew they would be. Not the first time, not the last. I had a silver and gold in my "bag" and got kicked off waiting for the payment to process. Lady Luck determined who got one.
Wasn't accusing you of trying to get something without paying for it, simply showing you a similar example. The message from the mint was simply an attempt by them to help you understand what everyone else in this thread has tried to tell you.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
Over many years, I have learned that his is very, very often a wise one worth considering.
Your thread title is “Received this from the US Mint today (V75 AES Proof) such BS.“
So I’m curious, what in the email message from the Mint did you think was “BS”? It appeared to be truthful, to me.
Or, despite your thread title and your first post, did you actually mean that you thought the way the Mint handled the orders was “”BS”?
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Same as a lot of others. Had them in my cart, payment processing and everything stopped. Joe_360, at least you got an email. Not the 1st time, don't think it'll be the last. As for it being B.S. ? Not IMO.
The mint likely cannot justify the IT infrastructure required to comfortably handle the unusually high demand that these coins created. Like everyone else they try to make do with what they have. There is probably a better procedure or process that they will eventually develop. Some suggest a type of lottery.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
Yes, the latter, the way the mint handled the whole process. Clearly they knew the popularity and the traffic they were going to have - The example i give is ticket agencies get the same kind of traffic for popular music acts and their servers can handle it, why can't the US Government do the same...
Thank you for your comments and reading nd responding to this post, Joe
I sent a letter directly to the Mint Director 2 days ago.
Sir, I was on the website for over an hour and a half. My situation was not that the coin (silver) was sold out before I could finish the process, the "BS" situation for me would the site was crash, would require refreshes every 30 seconds, boot me out completely, temporary restrict me from accessing - Each time that I logged back on, the system required me to remove the gold coin from my bag each time, slowing the processes even more...
This form the US Government. Again, Ticket Master has better servers....
Well, it's 100 minutes of my life I'll never get back, so call it what you like...
Yup. Agreed. I was on site at noon ( local time ), had them in my cart 2 minutes later, then began the fiasco. Same as you, 90 minutes later " item no longer available "
Thank you, Joe.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Complaints about the server have been common for years. I agree that it would be nice if the Mint had a server better equipped to handle high volume and user traffic but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I think you’ve done a pretty stellar job Joe of handling the forum and its members given that you are very frustrated.
We often see the opposite.
You came here to vent your frustration and it is valid and we are a very battle-tested, experienced crew.
Same thing, here, left the shop becuase the internet speed is not fast enough there, went to my sons who is close by, Waited till about 5 min till too log on, it kept crashing then, but did manage to get logged on in time. One time before, I was logged on a bit too early and got knocked off and lost it that way, so i waited till 5 min prior. it kept crashing. at each phase of the process. Finally, got it into the cart, but for some reason, every time I went to type in the cvc number, it went down. After several attempts, I finally got the notification it was sold out. Which i knew, so i then decided to try and get the silver, but it would not allow me to remove the gold from the bag so i could just process the silver. Tried and tried, so I said the h with it,stopped by grabbed a bite to eat, and went back to the shop, logged on to the shop computer and saw that silver was still available some 45 min later, so I was finally able to remove the gold from cart and process the silver, just beofre sell out.
at least I got something
time to register for a lotto with the mint. Deadline is xx day at 12 midnight EST and drawing is next day at 12 noon.
Simple and fair.
bob
And yet hundreds w ZERO interest in coins on ebay got thru for gold.
Write your congressman. Maybe you'll get an 1889 CC GSA as a consolation prize.
I lost out, I am over it.... I will still seek an ASE.... Just another challenge.... I love challenges, keeps me young.
Cheers, RickO