To Whom Do I Report A Dishonest Coin Dealer?

I was recently switched a less valuable coin for a very expensive coin. Does anyone know where I can register a complaint against the dealer? ANA? BBB? Thanks! I plan on filing a police report next week but the ANA shoild know about this particular coin dealer.

 

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How did it happen? Have you got evidence to back up your claim?

 

You could try the better business bureau.

 

If the dealer is a member dealer of the ANA you should contact them. If he is not an ANA member dealer there is not much ANA can do.

 

You can also report them to the Coin Publications like Numismatic News, Coinage etc. They screen bad dealers and such.

 

If he is an ANA member or a PNG member, then yes. It depends on whether you have proof or not. if he is a respected dealer, then it would be difficult without hard proof. (i.e. images of the original coin, etc.) The BBB is a joke, I wouldn't waste my time, they don't matter anymore.

 

you might get some satisfaction here:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/

 

here's the section where bad dealer are reported

http://www.ripoffreport.com/Search/coins.aspx

 

I'm sorry to hear that this has happened to you. First, if you are certain that this is what actually happened, I would follow the suggestion of filing a police report immediately. I can't say that it would help you recover your item, but that seems to be the next indicated step. I can only imagine how you feel.

 

hey what you do is write a complete transaction report , post your story...

 

Terribly sorry about your experience, and I take it from your post that you don't need to hear all dealers are bad. But I know it just takes one. We're interested in the story too ...

 

Is this the same incident that was reported on the NGC forums (i.e. $50 gold buffaloes, etc.)?

 

I was wondering the same thing.

 

Honestly, I think your best bet is to walk into the dealer's shop and tell him that he gave you the wrong coin by mistake and you need to get the right one or be refunded your purchase price. I mean, are you absolutely positive that it was an intentional switch ? Even if it were and the police became involved, he could always say he made an error.

Going to the police isn't going to do anything much I think. Because as I said, it would be very hard to prove he tried to defraud you. I doubt the DA would prosecute or even allow the cops to do much investigating, simply because the cost outweighs the results. Associations cannot do much more than expel a member. But again, they don't do that for someone making a mistake. In this case, I believe it's all on you. Then there is the problem that you have had possession of the coin. How do you prove that YOU didn't make a switch ?

Best case is the dealer makes good on the trade. Worst case is you lost some money on the deal by getting a lower valued item. It might be an expensive lesson. My question to you is, did you have the coin in hand when you bought it ? How was the switch made ?

I do not recommend going to extremes to get the dealer to make this right. Jail is not someplace good to try and recover the loss from. Not to overlook the fact that many people who carry coins, jewelry, cash, etc are armed and have a license to carry. There could be a high risk to factor here.

I wish you all the luck in the world on this.

gary

 

When I had a beef with a dealer I simply posted the name on here, as well as filling out reviews online. And rating them accordingly to how I feel they treat their customers.

 

If it is, then that is a confusing story. I tried to follow it, but got confused. Did he think to took in a W or not? Did he say the dealer took the receipt away from him at some point?

 

I have no idea - there were so many extrinsic variables and I didn't follow it either. It actually appears that he or she might not remember everything, exacerbating the problem.

 

If you decide to file a police report as initially suggested by the original poster, then you should make sure that you have concrete proof. The police won't get involved without proof, and you may get yourself in trouble if you go smearing someone's reputation without proof as someone suggested. This is borderline defamation / libel or slander (depending on form of transmission). Given that you would be attacking his career, depending on jurisdiction, you may be sued for defamation per se. Yes, truth is a good defense, but you must prove it if you get sued (i.e. once the plaintiff had satisfied his burden of proof)! This is especially true if this is the same post that was made on the NGC forums where there was some implication that the victim may not recall what happened. Your own statements or implications could come back to haunt you. P.S. I apologize if the original poster is not the same as on the NGC boards. Nevertheless, the same ideas apply in response to the suggestions of my fellow posters.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this email is to be construed as legal advice, and no warranties, express or implied, are made as to the contents.

 

Absolutely! Post the rotter's name here so that all will know of his evil unscrupulous deeds.....

 

Yep. Might be best just to suck it up and consider it the cost of education ?