Complaint Review: Universal Coin & Bullion TRUSTED Business | Verified™ Safe …businesses you can trust. Universal Coin & Bullion specializes in rare United States coins gold silver and platinum bullion coins & IRA diversification strategies to clients nationwide. Universal Coin & Bullion provides leading edge acquisition strategies for gold & rare coin markets award-winning numismatic materials comprehensive coin consultation services.

I rescind the claims made in Apple Pie's original comment on this page. 

*****[Note to Ripoff Report: PLEASE HELP ME! It is EXTREMELY important that you publish this post. All of its contentions are completely truthful, a fact which you can easily verify. Please immediately contact me at my email address if you have any concerns. I did NOT defame anyone, but I do not want to be the victim of a frivolous but financially catastrophic lawsuit. Thank you.]*****

On June 21, 2014, Apple Pie retracted all of his claims about Michael Fuljenz and Universal Coin and Bullion - via followup comments from the original author on his other reports about them. For proof, just search this website for those reports posted about Michael Fuljenz and Universal Coin and Bullion. The June 11, 2014 consumer comment posted by Apple Pie on this page was made before the June 21 retractions. 

Apple Pie has already retracted all reports made by him on this website. 

I am the President of Universal Coin & Bullion, Ltd. and am responding to the misleading, inaccurate and libelous comments posted by “Apple Pie” who has not identified himself as ever being our customer.

 The original author of the report “Apple Pie” refers to acknowledged he was “low balled” by area buyers, and was not over-charged by UCB.  Furthermore, the original author was not “compensated” by UCB to attempt a retraction of his posting on this site.  This is a topic I have reported on regionally and nationally that resulted in me receiving awards from the Numismatic Literary Guild and the Press Club of Southeast Texas.  Statements by “Apple Pie” contrary to that are erroneous, defamatory and libelous.

 We have a lengthy recorded transaction verification script.  The recordings are independently reviewed.  Statements that we make unauthorized credit card charges are libelous and not substantiated by recordings.  The verification asks the customer if he is suitable for the transaction, comfortable with the entire transaction process, and if they are agreeable to being called in the future.  It is defamatory to assert we target those who are not suitable mentally or comfortable with our entire transaction process.

 Our products are sold at competitive prices.  Check our website and online store at universalcoin.com.  Our mark-ups for various product categories are also disclosed on our website videos.  A coin’s value, like fine art, stamps or baseball cards, often has little to do with its’ “melt value.”  I am one of a relatively small number of experts who has been asked to contribute pricing to the leading price guides, including the Redbook and Insider’s Guide.  I have the expertise to know that our pricing is competitive, and certainly not at multiples of our cost.  It is defamatory to assert we overprice our products and that there is no true wholesale market for older or newer products.  In fact, major guide sheets and guidebooks show many coins described by “Apple Pie” at multiples of melt value, not melt value.

 Ed Reiter, Executive Director, Numismatic Literary Guild, said in 2014, “The fact that since 1986 Mike Fuljenz has won so many major awards in so many diverse categories, including the top NLG award ‘The Clemy,’ underscores how important his peers in the rare coins and precious metals markets view Mike’s excellent analysis and reporting.”  Any claims that Mike Fuljenz does not have peer respect, a good public reputation, and lies about sources of coins are defamatory and libelous. 

The lawsuits referred to in your June 2014 postings occurred (7) years ago, were dismissed, and nothing like that has happened in the past seven 7 years.  After the cases were dismissed, the opposing counsel even wrote letters to numerous media sources asking them to remove articles about the cases due to “many significant and important statements and allegations contained in the articles that were unfounded, inaccurate or erroneously made on behalf of their clients.”  We were the ones who got numerous judgments against our adversaries in these matters, not them.  The statements posted by “Apple Pie” in June 2014, including old lawsuit issues, were acknowledged by our opposition in writing years ago as incorrect.  We demand “Apple Pie” retract and remove his defamatory and libelous statements.

 I would gladly assist “Apple Pie” too, if he would contact me and identify himself so I could better research and understand his issues.

If the defamatory statements about UCB and Mike Fuljenz on this website and elsewhere by “Apple Pie” and any other names associated with “Apple Pie” are not retracted and removed by “Apple Pie”, et al, UCB will avail itself of all legal remedies permitted under Texas law.

  Mike Fuljenz

President, Universal Coin & Bullion, Ltd.

I retract my original consumer comment in its entirety. 

Universal Coin and Bullion, its owner Michael Fuljenz, and their affiliated companies swindle customers via schemes involving the fraudulent representation of their overpriced bullion coins, according to several lawsuits filed. The plaintiffs state that Fuljenz and his firms high pressure elderly dementia and Alzheimer's patients into buying their vastly overvalued coins, use religion as a befriending tactic, lie about the sources of the coins and their true wholesale values, make unauthorized charges to customers' credit cards, and commit other abuses. Proprietor Michael Fuljenz hides behind his industry credentials to justify his corporations' questionable activities. I personally know several people who responded to Universal Coin and Bullion's "bargan" ads, only to be persistently called by their salesmen with offers of common bullion coins at double to triple or more their melt value, merely because they were certified by grading services. I am likewise acquanted with myriad industry heavy hitters who believe that there is no true wholesale market for almost all of the high-grade bullion coins peddled by Michael Fuljenz and his companies, which have done billions of dollars in business. Merely because the original author of this report was adequately compensated by Fuljenz and his company (only because he filed a report on this website) does NOT vindicate Michael Fuljenz and his companies of the charges made against him in court. For additional details, google the Houston Press article, "Texas Coin Companies Target Elderly Investors" - or search the plethora of other media coverage about the dozens of customers of Fuljenz who believe that they were defrauded by his firms.

William from N. Fort Myers, Florida is a customer of my company, Universal Coin & Bullion Ltd. (UCB). On October 29, 2008, William posted a report regarding my company after receiving false information from third parties. After posting the erroneous report, William communicated with my company and concluded his issues with UCB were based upon misinformation received from other coin dealers. On December 10, 2008, William sent the email below to our office:

From: William
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 7:05 AM
To: Forest
Subject: Retraction of Rip-Offf Report

Dear Forest; You have been very helpful since you contacted me after my filing of the Rip-Off Report. The other dealers I was talking to were just trying to rip me off by giving me the melt value of the coins I bought from you, You offered me much more than the bullion value of the coins, and I appreciate that. I tried to retract my rip-off report but the site does not allow that, so I hope this email will suffice to state that I was mistaken in filing the original report, I should have contacted you first. Sincerely, William. Please feel free to have any customers contact me for verification. Sincerely, Bill

Obviously, it is the desire of William to retract the October 29, 2008 report. However, the policies of this website preclude such action by William. Like thousands of others, William is a satisfied customer of UCB. Our commitment to the highest level of ethical service to our customers such as William is evidenced by the following:

UCB is an A+ rated member and has been in good standing of the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Texas since 1995. In 2008, our newsletter won a 10th Numismatic Literary Guild Award, and I was also awarded a 2008 Best Dealer Publication Award. This month, The Money Show of the Southwest honored me for 20-plus years of service to the coin collecting community.

I am presently a Board member for the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. I have contributed to most leading price guides available for over 20 years, including The Redbook and The Insider's Guide to U. S. Coin Values. During this time, I have taught more than 20 seminars for the American Numismatic Association on grading, pricing, and counterfeit detection. In 1996, I received the Presidential Service Award from the American Numismatic Association.

I am a member of the Professional Numismatic's Guild (PNG) and pledge to arbitrate customer disputes with the PNG as well as the Better Business Bureau. I have never had to arbitrate a dispute with either organization.

All customer transactions with UCB are double verified and recorded to ensure the highest level of customer service. Our verification script has been reviewed favorably by the former head of the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Protection Division. Finally, our buy and sell prices are competitive with other retail coin dealers.

Finally, this posting has done damage to our business, was inaccurate and we are formally requesting that it be removed in its entirety.
Thank you for your assistance,
Mike Fuljenz
President, Universal Coin & Bullion, Ltd.
mike@universalcoin.com