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The London Mint Office - scam?

2.5K Posts
hi,
I have been seeing the ads on television a lot recently for a free Golden Britannia penny so rang and applied .... I received a letter stating that my appl has been assepted and its on it way.... where is the catch?
TD
I have been seeing the ads on television a lot recently for a free Golden Britannia penny so rang and applied .... I received a letter stating that my appl has been assepted and its on it way.... where is the catch?
TD
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That is all it is good for
if you want to buy them fine!
but i wouldnt!
you can email and write (recorded delivery) telling them you don't want any, but they still send them, together with demands for payment.
the coins are worthless, just manufactured by themselves, who have no official standing whatsoever. They are a scam company hoping to con you into responding to them, then intimidating you into paying. Avoid at all costs.
My recycling bag is full of their leaflets!
I have fallen for this scam! I ordered the free coin, was sent another one alongside, with an invoice demanding payment for £35. I rang the company, waited 18 minutes to speak to someone and was told that I would recieve a returns pack to send the coin back. I waited, recieved their letter which turned out to be just more offers and an application form to accept additional coins.. nothing about returns!
I don't know what to do! It states on their t&c's on the invoice that if the payment is late there is a charge, 4% interest rate and an administration fee (but no due date). I am going to return the coin by recorded delivery and hope to recieve no further offers (as I have already requested on the phone).. but as their returns pack is more literature on coins I just hope i'm not trapped!
If you were sent stuff you didn't ask for, I understand you can keep them.
From the Consumer Direct site:
"The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 state that unsolicited goods which have not been ordered and are sent ‘out of the blue’ can be treated as an unconditional gift; in other words, you can keep them or dispose of them as you wish. The Regulations make it a criminal offence to demand payment or threaten legal action to obtain payment for unsolicited goods or services."
They do suggest writing to them and asking them to collect the goods:
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/aft...R_unsolicited/
Personally, I would just write or email and remind them that it is an offence to demand payment. I would be wary of ringing because the phone line tarrif could be expensive and another way of making money.
A complaint about the London Mint Office was upheld by Advertising Standards Agency in 2008, ie. sending people coins and wording the letter to make it look like they had committed to the purchase:
http://www.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and...ADJ_45199.aspx
Hope this helps.