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THE DUBLIN MINT Office has denied targeting older people or sending unsolicited items after complaints from a number of customers about receiving coins they didn’t order and then being invoiced for them.
RTÉ’s Liveline programme has received a number of calls from customers who claim to they were sent several coins they did not order and were then invoiced for them.
Dublin woman Philomena this week told the programme that she was sent 100 unwanted coins by the company, with increasing amounts on the invoices each time after ordering her free coin.
She said her husband called the office after they paid some of the invoices and told them to stop sending them but they kept coming.
“He told them they could come and collect their coins because we didn’t want them. They threatened us with legal action and said we owed them €100.”
Today a woman told the show that her aunt, who is 76, received a statement last month indicating the balance on her Dublin Mint Office account was more than €56,000.
She said her aunt has ordered coins and is a customer of the company, but “it escalated in late 2019″.
She said the woman received a set of six coins in particular that she did not order. The cost of these coins was €12,193 and that she had paid some of this in instalments because she was “so flummoxed”.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, she said her aunt continued to receive coins she had not ordered, including one priced at more than €16,000. Since 30 March she said she has received medals she didn’t want to the value of €44,800.
“She wasn’t able to get to the Post Office to return these medals. She was so upset and so embarrassed. Cocooning was difficult enough, the circumstances the elderly found themselves in. It came to light when her account went into overdraft due to a Dublin Mint Office payment going out.”
Greg Prosser, CEO of the Samlerhuset Group, parent company of the Dublin Mint Office, acknowledged that some of the stories on the show had been “heartbreaking”.
However he told Liveline presenter Joe Duffy today that the company does not “target a specific customer base”.
He said the company does have some young customers, but generally coin collecting is a hobby taken up by older people.
“We do not issue products without express permission from customers and we do not take money from customers without express permission.”
He said the company wants “to get these issues sorted for people” and encouraged them to get in contact either by calling 1800 804 287.
Knock Shrine has requested that its certificates and holy water be withdrawn from a Pope John Paul II coin package offered by the Dublin Mint Office, priced at up to €9,000.
Spokesperson for Knock Shrine Maria Hunt told Liveline they were unaware of the ” types of sales tactics used” by the company. She said Knock Shrine was not paid for the use of these items in the package.
She said the parish priest was approached by the company in October and advised they wanted to present a medal to him to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the visit of Pope John Paul II.
“Obviously we were delighted and agreed to that, no problem we’ll accept this medal that you’ve crafted,” Hunt said.
“They came to the shrine and we got the photograph taken but then they explained that they wanted to also get holy water from the shrine to accompany the medal. We just didn’t have any reason to question that, it all seemed fine at the time.”
She said they were not told how much the package would be sold for.
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Spot on, our own antivaxxers, antivaxxers and conspiracy theorists are anti Ukraine and will have the same opinion when the warmonger Putin overthrows Moldova,
@Charles Coughlan: your comment is above and beyond dum.
@John Johnes: actually most anti science nutjobs I’ve known, watch RT news every night.
@Donal Desmond: I strongly recommend to watch documentary on Netflix “How become a tyrant” epizode 2 that will give you some idea about SH.
@Charles Coughlan: Geopolitics is not a simplistic team sport, in which you have to pick a side and blindly support them no matter what, while waving their colours to identify yourself to others as a loyal supporter.
The invasion of Ukraine is an illegal act of aggression by Putin and targeting civilians is reprehensible, but its not as simple as starting the clock from the invasion and chanting Russia bad, NATO good, its a lot more complex and long running situation that has brought us to this point, acknowledging the documented reality that nuance and bigger picture exists, is neither supporting Putin, anti Ukraine, or a conspiracy theory.
Accepting or embracing a simplistic reductive black and white narrative from any side of this situation is frankly just intellectual laziness.
@Donal Desmond: Yeah sure you know best . Go back to watching Rossiya Segodnya.
@Donal Desmond: Of course we remember. I wonder do you remember the reaction to that? The protests in nearly every major city in the world, the countries that point blank refused to support it, the embargos on French produce in the US because France wouldn’t roll in with them. Most people condemned it at the time and most still do. In the same way most people condemn this war now. It’s not an either/or situation and your whataboutry is both banal and pointless.
@artur fil: Same as watching our national broadcaster RTE. Certainly do not know best, but our own media is not shy in the propaganda game.
@Francis Devenney: I don’t remembered it exactly like that. People were against the war while we all thought it was a plot to start a war due to the terrorist attack on the twin towers and USA interests. That was until the the lies/mistake on MDW was confirmed and heavenly published by the media. Shortly after the war broke and the protest then become a small minority. With time they become nothing and after the terrorist attack in Madrid on 2004 and then in London in 2005 the protests were all forgotten and anything related to wars in the middle east was accepted by the public without questions, including the “mistake” made in Iraq.
@Francis Devenney: Whatabourty is pointless? A bit like denying the past. Most conflicts that take place relates to what happened in the past..History repeats itself. The invasion of Ukraine was wrong, but the hypocrisy of our politicians and media is comical.
@Donal Desmond: When someone says “this is bad” and someone else says “Yeah, well this other thing is bad too” what is the point of that? It doesn’t contribute at all. It is literally pointless. And as everyone knows the other thing was bad, it is the very definition of banal to make such a statement in the first place
@John Johnes: no it is not , some of them are outside the embassy purporting to be “journalists”
Watching world leaders making daily phone calls to Putin is getting embarrassing at this stage. All it serves to do is boost his ego and feelings of self importance. Like Hitler before him, once he gets what he wants, there will be a new list of contrived grievances and demands. Once again, world leaders will throw their hands up in shock horror at his duplicity.
@Paul Shepherd: What do you think is the appropriate course of action?
@Paul Shepherd: The West especially the U.S. from Vietnam to Afghanistan have learned a lesson that with all their technology wars are not easily won. Not for a second condoning the invasion of Ukraine, but like 1914 the jingoistic propaganda of all sides seem to be heading in that direction. Only difference thus time is the finger on the button. Talking is better than the alternative.
@Donal Desmond: not much point in talking to a deaf person?
@Paul Shepherd: Suppose when I replied to your comment, didn’t realise I was corresponding with the blinkered..A serious comment from you would be appreciated. Like Joe Duffy you seem to be at a loss when faced with a different viewpoint.
Like the picture. Pinnochio himself
It’s very easy to see it online now. Loads of utterly ridiculous theories and “genuine” “analysis” and understanding of the issue. And while reading through comments on FB pages of Reuters, Euronews and a few others, one can see how they try to divide us on a simple matter of unjustified military invasion and aggression on Ukraine.
How can a country with a population of 146 million people, most of whom don’t have a clue what’s going on, hold the rest of the world to ransom. The rest of the world should be ashamed allowing this to happen. So what if Putin presses the nuclear button he won’t see the next sunrise if he does and by all accounts the world is fkd anyway according to David Attenborough. So stand up for what is right, it’s time to get rid of the worlds dictators and their apologists.
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