| Author |
 Replies: 39 / Views: 4,657 |
|
|
|
Moderator
 United States
16679 Posts |
Ail, I've edited you capitalization to lower case. This is very annoying to some, almost like yelling. Just lettin ya know :)
swcoin.ecrater.com
|
|
Valued Member
 Canada
66 Posts |
|
|
Valued Member
Canada
322 Posts |
Ail....sorry to hear of your troubles with the mint..
Thankfully My dealings with the mint have all been positive...I have a great mint rep..I've never missed getting a coin I wanted...and never had to send a defective product back....yes shipping has been really slow this year
I'm still waiting for my stormy weather coin and box since Apr 2....but I only collect.and when it comes it comes....I guess what they say is true...there are 2 sides to every coin...
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Arab Emirates
557 Posts |
Hello Ail, very sorry to hear of your problems with the Mint, but terrible customer service is a reflection of bad leadership. If customer service is that bad, I imagine they have problems throughout. Good luck in getting this resolved to your 100% complete satisfaction.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
3690 Posts |
Quote:
If customer service is that bad, I imagine they have problems throughout Unfortunately, the Mint think they are doing a great job. Some quotes from their annual report: Quote "Customers continue to remark on our leadership- - "both technologically and entrepreneurially.
The call centre optimization program conducted in 2010 to improve the quality of the customer experience resulted in a 13.3% increase in sales through incoming calls to the Mint's Customer Solutions Centre.
Outbound sales calls increased by 85.2% with the implementation of an exclusive service offering individual customers access to a dedicated coin expert to provide advice on building the customer's coin collection, assist with orders and answer questions.
The Mint was once again the most nominated mint at the Krause Publications annual Coin of the Year Awards, garnering seven nominations. It won in the Most Historically Significant coin category.
A new corporate performance bonus structure based on profitability, customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction was implemented. All permanent employees at the Mint are eligible for the bonus.
Record demand for the Mint's numismatic coins has led to significant growth in the number of new coins offered to accommodate the increased number of customers both domestically and abroad.
Direct sales revenues through the Mint's boutiques, website, Customer Solutions Centre and outbound sales for top numismatics customers increased by 57.4% to $53.2 million from $33.8 million in 2010.
The focus in 2012 will be on improving the conversion of new customers into active customers and the retention of formerly active customers.
The Mint was recognized as one of the Top Employers in the National Capital Region by Maclean's magazine for the fifth consecutive year."End Quote However, it's clear in reading the report that the Mint doesn't consider collectors as their 'best' customers. Their most inportant customers are Governments (including Canada and others), foreign banks, and metal recovery companies. It is also clear that they are measuring customer satisfaction by sales volume when IMO customer satisfaction needs to be measured after the customer actually receives the product. But how funny is it that they have a Customer Solutions Centre? Ail, GL with your refund. Edited by CC-Ottawa
11/24/2012 11:13 am
|
|
Valued Member
Canada
475 Posts |
I think the mint is doing a wonderful job. Exactly what they are supposed to do as a Crown Corporation...............make money for the federal government and not be a burden on the taxpayer. Nothing more and nothing less. As to customer service that is another issue and I am sure we all have had a horror story or two about anyone we have bought goods or services from. On another comment made by one of the posters above, "crying " over not being able to make a profit over his delayed shipment and in the same breath " wailing".......... about how expensive the RCM is in selling coins............WOW!! |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
3690 Posts |
Some good points 54. Yes the Mint has recently paid some dividends to the GoC though one could argue that those dividends should have been much larger. But we are not talking about profits. You'll notice that all but one of the quotes that I provided contains the word 'customer'.
I agree that complaining that the mint delayed shipment so much that a buyer wasn't able to cash in on hype is very self-serving.
However, I do a lot of on-line shopping and the Mint's CS is by far the worst that I have ever encountered. Their website tracking system is poorly designed and because of the constant delays, it is an important tool for their collector customers. I've never ordered from another organization on-line and had them delay delivery by 2-6 months yet it's happened several time this year with the Mint.
They clearly need to do a better job providing customer service to collectors and I'm not willing to let them off the hook because they are not a burden on the taxpayer.
Edited by CC-Ottawa
11/24/2012 12:26 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1354 Posts |
Maybe these comments should be posted to the ratings for each of the coins purchased on the mints website.. I usually just see the positive comments. Maybe they are editing out the bad ones.
|
|
Rest in Peace
Canada
1360 Posts |
I've seen some comments on the RCM web-site - people griping about the cost of some coins vs bullion value etc... If they do 'edit' the remarks, they don't do it often. |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
789 Posts |
they delete the negative comments
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1700 Posts |
I am very sorry to hear about this.
In my opinion, the mint representatives are just representaties. They have no right to promise anything. Their only skill is just "draging time". The must fire representatives reguarly to refresh the system.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2408 Posts |
Ali, I concur with you on a number of issues. However my main goal isn't to flip coins so I am less concerned about delayed shipments. I am concerned about what MC has become though; a vehicle for coin flippers. I believe the rules need to be revised and maybe limit to 1 per collector. But back to what you experienced, I think the problem is symptomatic of a business with an overheated production, high failure rate due to tight schedules, ever increasing diversity and overworked operators and machinist. Unfortunately (and unfairly) customer service are the ones having to face the music. I am also questioning the usefulness of the RCM rep these days but from a different perspective. Understandably, they are focused on the major accounts for maximum potential commissions. Personally, my phone went dead the moment I stopped buying gold and 1 Kilo silver coins. And because I only buy 1 per, others who buy 10-20 but just want to resell to make a quick buck have precedence over collectors like myself. IMO, this goes back to the MC that needs to be revamped. |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1700 Posts |
Canadian_Coins,
I agreee with the tight schdule part that you posted.
Just look at the US Mint. Hours: mostly 7am to 10pm all time zones (I could be wrong). The prices are cheaper and the shipping is faster, too (with no taxes).
In my opinion, reselling coins immediately only attracts new collectors in the Post Office or Flea Market. There are exceptions, however, for the glow-in-dark, for example.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
3690 Posts |
Quote:
Unfortunately (and unfairly) customer service are the ones having to face the music. Customer service doesn't start and end with a sales rep. It is a mindset and a primary goal that has to penetrate every function within an organization. You are 100% correct that it's not fair to blame the sales reps for failures in logistics, production, marketing or senior management. In this case, the whole organization is not meeting it's stated CS objectives, at least when it comes to collector coin customers. That said, I don't believe that the Mint concentrates much on those customers. It's major customers are really governments and banks. We are a side business. The emergence of flippers is a direct result of the Mint changing it's strategy to low mintages and diverse product offerings. Dealers like to call this 'supporting the secondary market' because it drives up prices on sold out coins resulting in additional returns for the dealers (and flippers). It's also been successful for the Mint in the short term, but IMO it is a foolish long term strategy that threatens to kill the collector market. |
|
Rest in Peace
Canada
1360 Posts |
I do agree with Canadian_Coins on all points except... I've never been one to buy the 'heavy metal', but a few years back, I tore a strip off my rep - figuratively speaking of course - for not including me in call ups, or email updates. He was under the impression I was a small fish. After looking into my 'account' he realized just how big it was. The MC status requirement was exceeded a number of times in 12 months.
Since then, he has been on my case regularly to get updated with the latest offerings. I still have yet to buy a Kilo of anything - all at once anyway!
|
| |
Replies: 39 / Views: 4,657 |
First Page
Posted 11/23/2012 9:24 pm
