I wanted to share a bad experience I had with the Mint or better phrased, get it off my chest. I had ordered the Lincoln Bronze medal and gift box back in late Dec which I received in Jan. When I opened the package and saw a blue cardboard box which is the "gift box" I realized what i really had wanted was the "presentation box" LOL the cardboard gift box actually costs more($5.95 vs $5.50) than the medal but that's besides the point. The presentation box is a lot nicer and only is $3 So I called the mint and they told me to return it, check the "us mint shipped the incorrect item" and also check the "Exchange item for new item(s)" box and indicate the item I wanted, which was "026" So I go to the post office and pay he shipping and return the item. I wait never received it, forgot about and and remembered today because i found a copy of the return packing slip I filled out. I call the mint and they see the notes from my call back in January and proceed to tell me that I had been misinformed and that I actually needed to reorder the item and even though they had on record that it was they that misinformed me there was nothing they could do about it because it was past 30 days. I even had her check with a supervisor. So I pay 5.95 for a cardboard box that i paid a couple of bucks to give back to them based on the procedure they told me to use and all I get from them is sorry, there is nothing they can do???
Actually, the crass commercialization of the Mint reached its apex during Bush the Younger's administration. But don't let facts get in the way of a good - if irrelevant - political rant.
Total HS since PBGS was approved in Late 2008 and was shipping products before Obama ever took office. BTW, this company, Pitney-Bowes Government Services, is an outside contractor which bid on the capabilities to ship US Mint products at a reasonable cost. Their startup was VERY rough and included a little glitch in that shipments of greater than $300 were being sent via UPS without signature confirmation.
Yeah and I don't want to sound whiny over such a small amount but it's the principle for me at work here. I followed their remedy exactly and they even admit the remedy they gave me was incorrect. I wind up paying for an item that they had me send back to them at my expense.....and they keep it and refuse to send me the cheaper item I wanted in the first place. I may write to them. Stuff like this irks me. I once had some NFL tickets get canceled by ticket master once by their error and they ignored and brushed me off for months until I finally got the attention of one of the higher ups who called me personally and got me more tickets.
Sorry that this happened to you. I realize that it is only a couple of bucks and probably not worth the effort, but if I had them on the phone I would have INSISTED that they compensate me in some way for the inconvenience. TC
A credit or gift certificate of an equal or greater amount would have been an appropriate gesture on their part.
