Slow response from the Perth Mint Depository Service

T

t_muraoka

New Member
There's a bit of talk about the PMDS in other threads, but not that much - I was looking for feedback from people who use them about their service.

I've opened an account and am ready to purchase but they're not replying to some questions I've sent by email (I'm outside of Oz, so calling is a pain). AFAICT, there is no online interface, so it seems that there needs to be a certain amount of communication between PMDS staff and customers to trade, etc., and I'm somewhat reluctant to buy and store large amounts of PM with a company that is slow to, or don't, reply to emails.
 
t_muraoka said:
There's a bit of talk about the PMDS in other threads, but not that much - I was looking for feedback from people who use them about their service.

I've opened an account and am ready to purchase but they're not replying to some questions I've sent by email (I'm outside of Oz, so calling is a pain). AFAICT, there is no online interface, so it seems that there needs to be a certain amount of communication between PMDS staff and customers to trade, etc., and I'm somewhat reluctant to buy and store large amounts of PM with a company that is slow to, or don't, reply to emails.
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Not sure what the email issue is, but after setting up my PMDS, I've only ever spoken to them by phone. So far as I'm aware, you cannot buy via email. I don't see why calling is a pain, as some years ago, I used to regularly call people on the other side of the planet and in-between on a regular basis. But of course, you're not going to get instant turnaround on emails.

Furthermore... even if you can buy via email (might be possible), I would NEVER dare send my password via email. Anyway as you might know, even if someone gets hold of your password, the other surrounding security protocols [I'm not going into this] are such, that its still extremely difficult for someone to steal from you.

PS: Final word of advice. Suggest you call and ask, as some stuff is quite involved (eg. security), and rather than playing email ping pong, its best to have a conversation.
 
mmm....shiney! said:
Is this post for real???
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seems a fair enough question, especially with another long thread on SS about a nightmare scenario being experienced by other SS, involving sizeable sums of money & silver, and haphazard communication
 
Funny, black_sun and and t_muraoka seem to be online and offline at the same time.

Edit to add; ha ha ha, not now though, actually yes. I'm confused.
 
Black_Sun said:
So far as I'm aware, you cannot buy via email. I don't see why calling is a pain, as some years ago, I used to regularly call people on the other side of the planet and in-between on a regular basis. But of course, you're not going to get instant turnaround on emails.
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According to the PIS, you can buy via email. Calling is a pain due to time zones and my schedule - it's difficult for me to call them during their office hours. However, I'm not trying to place an order, just get some answers to questions, so email is fine.

But I guess my point was, without an online interface, you have to talk with PMDS staff and if they don't reply to emails, it makes me reluctant to spend large amounts of money with them. Customer service is important to me :shrug:
 
t_muraoka said:
Black_Sun said:
So far as I'm aware, you cannot buy via email. I don't see why calling is a pain, as some years ago, I used to regularly call people on the other side of the planet and in-between on a regular basis. But of course, you're not going to get instant turnaround on emails.
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According to the PIS, you can buy via email. Calling is a pain due to time zones and my schedule - it's difficult for me to call them during their office hours. However, I'm not trying to place an order, just get some answers to questions, so email is fine.

But I guess my point was, without an online interface, you have to talk with PMDS staff and if they don't reply to emails, it makes me reluctant to spend large amounts of money with them. Customer service is important to me :shrug:
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In my day, before emails, we used to use a phone to talk to people.
 
I'm sorry shiney, but your've been a bad boy. Here's something which will throw your mental world into a state of completion confusion.

I'm sorry... just hope there's room in the hospital for you... ga ga ga... cannot comprehend... gahh... cannot assimilate... :P

3854_zzz.jpg
 
:lol: :P :/ ;) :o :D :( :| :) :cool: :rolleyes: :mad:

when punishment comes, it comes swiftly... and you my boy, are now on a rocket shop ride to the local mental asylum :cool:
 
Black_Sun said:
:lol: :P :/ ;) :o :D :( :| :) :cool: :rolleyes: :mad:

when punishment comes, it comes swiftly... and you my boy, are now on a rocket shop ride to the local mental asylum :cool:
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see!! I purposely used the word "shop" instead of "ship", in order to twist the fabric of your mind :cool:
 
Well at least that's all cleared up. All insane people are are mad, all mad people are liars. Or cretans - and shiney! is a Cretan.
 
"IF" the Perth Mint is some sort of dodgy fly by night operation then then are going to have one hell of a time getting that coin press they bought last year out of there without anyone noticing! :lol:
 
Blake17 said:
"IF" the Perth Mint is some sort of dodgy fly by night operation
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I'm sure the Perth Mint is far from dodgy, but it's disappointing that they're not replying to emails.

For example, they have a list of what's available for purchase in their PIS, but threads here suggest that not everything is in stock. So, I'd like to know if there's some way of finding out what's in stock *before* I transfer money in. The last thing I want to do is transfer in a large sum of money, only to find out that the only available products are ones I don't want. Really, I have to make an expensive and inconvenient international phone call to find out basic information like what's available?!

We're talking about very high-value purchases here, and something like this doesn't fill me with confidence in their systems. It's unbelievable, in this day and age, that this information is not available online somewhere, even if it's only updated daily manually. How are they tracking customer holdings - an Access database on someone's PC?! A notebook in the filing cabinet? :-D
 
t_muraoka said:
Really, I have to make an expensive and inconvenient international phone call to find out basic information like what's available?!

We're talking about very high-value purchases here, and something like this doesn't fill me with confidence in their systems. It's unbelievable, in this day and age, that this information is not available online somewhere, even if it's only updated daily manually. How are they tracking customer holdings - an Access database on someone's PC?! A notebook in the filing cabinet? :-D
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Wow. If you really want very-high-value commodities and want, up-to-the-minute, or, up-to-the-hour, or maybe I'll-get-back-to-you-the-next-day-after-the-groundswell-has-peaked-at-my-local-spot, then PM-me!!!

If not, then make that inconvenient international phone call.
 
t_muraoka said:
We're talking about very high-value purchases here, and something like this doesn't fill me with confidence in their systems. It's unbelievable, in this day and age, that this information is not available online somewhere, even if it's only updated daily manually. How are they tracking customer holdings - an Access database on someone's PC?! A notebook in the filing cabinet? :-D
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Depository staff usually reply to emails within a day. I had a chat with the manager and we are guessing you spoke with Chole who was ill for a week. The day she reported in sick her out of office was turned on but it is possible you sent an email overnight and thus didn't get the out of office message and also that we didn't check for Chole's overnight emails. We apologise for that.

The Depository computer system is standalone to our main system where the physical stock records are kept and on which perthmintbullion.com and telephone sales are done. The reason for the separation is partly historical but we aren't in any rush to merge them because it makes it a lot easier to "hide" Depository client details from the rest of the staff and keep it limited to only those who need to access it.

There is a view internally that showing how much bullion we have on site is a security risk as it highlights how much metal we have - this business isn't exactly the same as selling books online. I have a different view, but the views of our security and risk people prevail.

FYI, we have looked at doing an online interface for Depository but our feeling is that given the amounts of metal some clients hold, this is going to attract a lot of hacker attention and we don't have the expertise nor can justify the ongoing expense to ensure our systems can hold up against this. We know we lose business to competitors with online capability but we also think we get business from those who like the old fashioned speaking to a real person approach and the fact that the Depository system is not "plugged" into the internet.
 
t_muraoka said:
Blake17 said:
"IF" the Perth Mint is some sort of dodgy fly by night operation
Click to expand...
I'm sure the Perth Mint is far from dodgy, but it's disappointing that they're not replying to emails.

For example, they have a list of what's available for purchase in their PIS, but threads here suggest that not everything is in stock. So, I'd like to know if there's some way of finding out what's in stock *before* I transfer money in. The last thing I want to do is transfer in a large sum of money, only to find out that the only available products are ones I don't want. Really, I have to make an expensive and inconvenient international phone call to find out basic information like what's available?!

We're talking about very high-value purchases here, and something like this doesn't fill me with confidence in their systems. It's unbelievable, in this day and age, that this information is not available online somewhere, even if it's only updated daily manually. How are they tracking customer holdings - an Access database on someone's PC?! A notebook in the filing cabinet? :-D
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If the investment you want to make is so substantial, a paltry few dollars by comparison, will be well spent on the phone call. It will also go a long way to sorting this out quickly and painlessly. You are sounding like an internet scammer trying to avoid actual communication. Prove me wrong and get on the phone. :rolleyes:
 
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