Mint's web site SUCKS!

I was in right at 12:00. Put 2 in my bag. Check out page unavailable. FINALLY got to checkout page at 12:07, but saw this:


I hope it works better for the Kennedy set.

 

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Same here that is (language) I was really needing one of these to keep my collection going but now I don't think I am going to pay a outrages price for one on ebay.

 

Yeah, it was rough this time. I started in Safari (an old version), and it just hung indefinitely. Tried again from Firefox, and it was giving me "can't establish secure connection" errors, but there was also a "Try again" button that eventually got me through. Again, though, I was probably one of the very last ones. Good thing I wasn't trying to bust the household limit with multiple orders.

This is an entertaining game, fun (and potentially lucrative) for those who make it to the end, frustrating for those who don't -- but it sure doesn't feel like it has much to do with, you know, collecting, does it?

 

I got one step further. I entered my cc number, hit confirm, and then it went to a failed server page!!!! Now when I pull up my cart, it says they are no longer available, and it doesn't show on my order history page. Not cool!

 

I copied and pasted my original post to an email to the mint. I don't know if it will do any good, though.

 

Sorry boys, preload CC and Address made it extremely smooth.

 

I just ordered my Mansfield Series #400 Outdoor Faucet Handle & Screw Kit (Part# 630-7965) and it took a whole minute. I'm sure glad the U.S. Mint is just sticking with coins.

 

Eh, mint's own fault. They put restricted mintage items on a first come, first served, basis. Like I have said, let everyone always have 24 hours to put in an order, then allocate coins after the fact. If 15,000 coins ordered, allocate by lottery who gets to receive two. It would take the pressure off the mint, and not allow MCM, Silvertowne, and others who pay people to order for them to monopolize the production run. As long as they make it first come, first served, no website in the world would be able to handle that instant crush.

 

Preloaded everything here. Watched the page for 20 minutes hitting reload every other minute (thinking something would change, cuz I'm exxtra smert).
at minute 58 the page glitched, then worked after a reload, minute 59 was the same. 9AM PST and poof.....there goes the site.
Took six minutes of frantically trying to get through, but I think I did.
Order #USMO3445***

 

WRONG! It didn't help me any!

 

I wonder if the HSN guy had same problems with the website and could't order any...

 

It would be great if all his minions got shut out and he had to purchase in secondary market.

 

I had everything preloaded and had it in checkout and all information checked at 12:04 and pressed confirm, page reloaded, pressed confirm again and repeated until 12:08 and then it was sold out.... Thanks a lot U.S. Mint

 

I forgot all about that. Luckily, I got the email reminder at 12:13pm so that was a big help.

 

Gee, thanks Mint!
At the bottom of the page it should read:
"this email is intended to rub salt in the wound".

 

Worst...website... ever.

 

I got this back from the mint:
Dear Rick,

Thank you for your recent inquiry to the United States Mint.

We regret the inconvenience you experienced while attempting to purchase from our online catalog. We have forwarded this matter to the Voice of the Customer, which is a venue where our valued customers complaints, concerns and compliments can be further addressed.



The United States Mint is dedicated to excellence in serving the needs of our customers. As such, please be advised for optimal access to the new online catalog, be sure to use one of the system’s preferred browsers: Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), Chrome or Firefox. System upgrades for personal computers are free and easy to download. This implementation of upgrades was made to enhance customers’ online shopping experience. Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience.



Although this item is no longer available directly from the United States Mint, you may be able to purchase this item on the secondary market from a vendor such as a coin dealer. We advise you to click the "REMIND ME" button, when or if this product becomes available again, an email update may be triggered.



However, if you continue to experience technical difficulties, please contact our Customer Service Center at the phone number(s) or address listed below for assistance. For general information,you may contact us seven (7) days a week from 8:00 AM to 12:00 midnight Eastern Time. Hearing and speech impaired customers with TTY equipment can reach us Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time or by visiting us online at www.catalog.usmint.gov. To contact us by email, please reply to this correspondence or send an email to usmint-support@catalog.usmint.gov.



United States Mint

Customer Service Center

1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468)

TTY 1-888-321-MINT (6468)

001-1-202-898-6468

Visit us at www.catalog.usmint.gov to check on your order status, update your US Mint profile and to place new orders.


I highlighted and bolded the area in red.

 

Not angry with the website just so much traffic allowed at one time. I am angry with the people who are doing this for profit. Dealers, I am not going to buy this in the aftermarket. Hope you will need to sit on inventory for a long time.

 

I don't think it's the website, I think it's the sales policy.

Remember how bad things were on the website before the recent upgrade, and how much more smoothly the sales went after the upgrade? It was a big improvement.

I think the Mint is just working very hard to find a sale policy (mintage levels, household limits) that will maximize the spike of demand when a sale starts, overwhelming even a well-engineered site.

Assuming that most demand is from bulk buyers (and those who hope to flip to the bulk buyers), a household limit of 2 instead of 5 just means there will be 2.5 times as many individual order attempts, meaning 2.5 times the load. If they'd limited it to one per household, it would've been even worse. If they'd limited it to 10 or 50, the site would've been much more responsive (but the sellout would've happened a bit faster).