denCSA

I've had several orders canceled so far. By adding a different alpha character to the end of my apartment number each order I was able to get around the system for a while, but looks like they have caught on to that...

mrpickles

The mint's website used to allow 20 boxes at a time, then they changed it without notice and allowed 99 boxes. It was their choice to change it. No rules were ever published as to how the coins were to be spent, we were free to use the coins any way we wanted. And we all did that.

How un-American to tell you how to spend your own (or the credit card companies) money?

I got a letter from the mint back then and it said if there were any questions to send an email. I did not have any questions, and it NEVER asked for a specific reply, maybe it was a differant letter that went out?

Never saw a copy of any letter asking for a reply published here on FT or the evil FW.

I was in my business bank talking to one of the private bankers and showing off my new 2MM AA Platinum card and she asked if they answer the phone with my name when I call reservations (Like in Up-in-the-Air), so I put the cell phone on speaker and sure enough the call answered with "Hello mrpickles, and welcome...please say flight...."
After that little display she asked me why don't I open a personal checking account and I said that I would only if they would accept my coins.

I ended up with a free priority banking account, free checks and a stack of 50 bags so I can prebag any coins that I want to bring in at no charge.
I guess all my friends are going to start receiving coin deliveries for me.

Aitchly

Their term not mine, my apologies. Certainly not a term of self-hate on my part .

mrpickles, I agree that they had no rules regarding purchases. The Mint had a quota to fill and needed to offload NAs, thus the increase in the published limits. In true bureaucratic form, it took them months to implement changes.

Indeed they sent out two different letters.

The only ones who can tell us how to spend on our own Credit Cards are the Credit Card companies.

WRCSolberg

Please tell me this a joke.....

Comicwoman

I have not reached the 1mm level yet, but Advantage answers my calls nearly the same way...of course the MrPickles is replaced with Comicwoman. No perk with status, just caller ID and a registration. But if helps me pick up women, I might try it at a bar.

mrpickles

They don't need to know our secrets. I knew it would do that before I called.

Carl Johnson

I'm certain the Mint has known exactly what's going on since the first day of the year 1 C.E. As mrpickles pointed out, they took off the limit on the NAs. During at least the first 6 months of the year 1 C.E. they enforced the limits with no trouble, then later they let the NAs flow freely, then they did or didn't allow multiple orders of presidents, with the presidents flowing freely during the couple months the NAs weren't available. I figure the issue is demand - they have such and such number of coins to get out and they're doing it, there's no reason to allow people to grab all the coins and leave others who want coins unsatisfied. If demand dries up I figure they'll loosen up the controls.

benmaller

+1, IMHO the mint is balancing the inventory / demand levels for the coins and playing the PR game to show they are dealing with the "abusers"

mikeef

Didn't work for me, either. I know we have predicted the end more times than I can count, but this time I really do think it's over.

Oh well, on to the next thing.

Mike

littlemookie

I can't see how the Mint can actually meet it's goals with limiting orders to 5k. The presidents were a different story since they had some, albeit limited, collector demand. I know that people are starting to call this deal dead, but give it until April when production of the 2010 NA's start piling up in the warehouse. I suspect that the Mint will be changing the rules to 20 boxes every 90 days or so to try to keep away from bad PR while getting rid of their backlog. Right now everyone has orders for the 2010 NA's on backorder (when does the Mint actually ramp up production of these coins?). I still see about 20k worth of coin orders in my future for 2010.

Btw - Why hasn't the Mint figured out that people will order these coins without the expedited UPS shipping. It costs them a fortune no matter how big the discount they get (or their billing their shipping costs to yet another governement agency).

WBurcham

Not sure if you've ever worked on negotiations with UPS but you would be surprised at the level of discounting they offer... to someone like Pitney Bowes (the one shipping) I would tend to believe that, for next day, it's something like 60-80% off sticker. The discounts are FAR less generous for ground or 2nd day.

Happy

They need GUARANTEED Bulk shipments to fill up their cargo planes, especially they got into this segment long after FedEx.

daringtofly

For those just joining the discussion, please recall that the US Mint very publicly announced a pilot program to begin distributing $1 coins as change at Disney World last year. The US Mint has also been promoting awareness and signing agreements with major retailers including massive pushing of "green" initiatives touting the environmental friendliness of the $1 coins. They are serious about this!

Assuming these programs were successful, the US Mint will have much less need in the near term to satisfy individual orders, or to subsidize the shipping and CCARD fees necessary for the Direct Ship program. I believe there is a Congressional mandate on producing and distributing the $1 coins but *not* specifically the Direct Ship program. While it will likely continue, please be aware that inventory may be low as the Mint prepares to execute retailer agreements, etc.

PLEASE, some other members look through these and post highlights for the class I am out of time at the moment but know some of you are very interested in the goings-on at the Mint. If they can look at our communications, we can look at theirs (maybe we should mirror these in case the links go down?):

US Mint internal reports on $1 Coin Program - "Gold is Green. And the New Presidential $1 Coin is real change" (see doc #1 "manifesto")

- DOC | $1 Coin Robust Circulation Program Pilot Plan JUN 19, 2009
- DOC | $1 Coin Program Final Report FEB 13, 2009
- PPT | Office of $1 Coin Programs - Proposed FY09 National Rollout Approach JAN 15, 2009
- DOC | Pilot Post-Test Awareness and Usage Survey (Gallup) DEC 2008
- PPT | $1 Coin Pilot Program + Collaborative Retail Relationships JUNE 17, 2008
- DOC | Presidential $1 Coin Users Group Forum Executive Summary NOV 13, 2007
- PDF | Presidential Coin Act of 2005

All of this can be ammunition in your communications with US Mint personnel as we need to convince them that we are trying to help them achieve the goals of the $1 Coin Program team!

mrx900

"...Orders placed before the published on-sale time will not be accepted."

Does this mean orders placed before when Product will be available for shipping xx/xx/2010 get canceled?

JudyJFLA

Even though my shipping dates for backorders were showing Feb, UPS called this morning and another $2500 box of shiny 2010 NA's arrived. They are in the new skinny boxes, so good thing I saved the extra bigger boxes that hold $500 in rolls for my $1000 deposits. I think last years design was nicer than the new arrow back design.

JudyJFLA