FURIOUS!

[mepearl53]

Amazing! Bottom line is the business must deliver on their word. They had to pay for the diamond and reference a invoice! Could they not have a reference here? But, if they won''t return emails or calls what can you do.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/24/2005 11:45:48 AM
Author: Richard Sherwood

...the thing that bothers me about it is the removal and resetting of the diamond. It's a fact that prongs which have not been touched are stronger than prongs which have had a diamond removed and reset. I haven't seen a photo of the mounting, but I know that Leon often has prongs with nicely shaped tips. These might be affected during the removal/resetting process, and I (personally) wouldn't trust anyone other than Leon to make them perfect again if this occurred.


That's why I recommend not messing with it. It seems to me there's nothing to be gained from it at this point. A partial refund of some sort would seem to be more practical in terms of time, money and security.

This sounds sensible...from a jeweler's point of view. It's a "what's the cheapest and safest at the same time?" solution. It's pragmatic.

However, I like having a laboratory certificate (although I have no EGL certificates and do not know if I would feel the same way about one of them) on all my larger stones. And that was what PG was promised.

I know to a jeweler it makes sense to save the money by not removing a stone and then having to pay the person who made the ring to reset it...but that's because the jeweler is in business to make money. Has the consumer no rights? No right to get what was promised?

Maybe this time Abazias has to eat the profit (or a small portion of it) by both getting the stone certified and paying the setter to reset the stone. (IF the old EGL certificate does not show up.)

Deborah

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/24/2005 11:59:37 AM
Author: mepearl53
Bottom line is the business must deliver on their word.

Bill and I were writing at the same time. Interestingly, I just returned a pair of Gurhan earrings I bought through Bill because I hadn't wanted enormous dew drop South Sea pearls, but round pearls, in my earrings. I have not yet seen what was done with the earrings (although Bill shipped them out to me), but he didn't ask questions when I said I didn't like the pearls in the earrings he sent me-except to ask what I wanted done to make me happy!!!

Deb

 

[kenny]

If Abazias took the stone out . . .
sent it out for the report . . .
had it set into an identical NEW setting by Leon Mege . . .
finally give you a written receipt with full description of the product you already paid for. . .
then compensated you for the time and hassle of their mistake (perhaps with a substanitaly upgraded stone) . . .
cleaned up their processes so this will never happen again . . .
and did all this cheerfully with profuse apologies for ignoring you and treating you badly . . .
you would have only gotten what you paid for in the first place.

Oh, and showing up here and restoring their good name would be a nice touch too.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/24/2005 12:14:53 PM
Author: kenny
If Abazias took the stone out . . .

sent it out for the report . . .

had it set into an identical NEW setting by Leon Mege . . .

finally give you a written receipt with full description of product you already paid for. . .

then compensated you for the time and hassle of their mistake (perhaps with a substanitaly upgraded stone) . . .

cleaned up their processes so this will never happen again . . .

and did all this cheerfully with profuse apologies for ignoring you . . .

you would have gotten what you paid for.


Oh, and showing up here and restoring their good name might be a good touch too.

Kenny,

Will you marry me?

Deb

 

[pricescope]

Just an update. Oscar responded on my email that he wasn''t aware of the problem and he is currently looking into it.

Let''s give him a bit of time.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/24/2005 12:19:01 PM
Author: Pricescope
Let''s give him a bit of time.

For you, Irina (or Leonid), anything!

Deb

 

[kenny]

PS said, "Oscar responded on my email that he wasn't aware of the problem and he is currently looking into it.”

The boss not knowing what his employees are doing is far from an excuse.
I assume Oscar is the boss at Abazias.

That this could go on for 5 months without the boss knowing is yet another example of horendous customer service.
It is another indication of the lack of customer focus and shows how unimportant they felt this matter was.
They really need to examine their processes and do some soul searching.

Clearly this will all turn out well ONLY (and I mean ONLY) because of the publicity here!

Shameful.

And shame on those who have done anything but condem this mistreatment of a customer.
Let's see what Oscar will do to restore the good name of Abazias.

 

[AGBF]

Kenny?

Does no answer mean you will not marry me? Here I was, ready to break-up up a 28 year marriage for you...and you weren''t interested!

Deb

 

[kenny]

That depends.

What are the specs on the diamond ring you are proposing with?

 

[decodelighted]

I really hope you don''t have to/choose to have the stone removed. As Allycat found out, changes to a perfect ring can be devestating & time consuming to fix.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/24/2005 12:41:10 PM
Author: kenny
That depends.
What are the specs on the diamond ring you are proposing with?

I just happen to have one unset stone. (I am generous, but not about to part with my jewelry to get a husband...even a great one like you.) The unset stone is a 1.38 carat GIA certified stone of G color, VS clarity (I can''t remember if''s it''s VS1 or VS2) and is of the cut one used to get at good (not mall) jewelry stores before people were buying ideal cuts. Probably a 60/60 type of stone.

What do you say?

Deb

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Date: 10/24/2005 12:30:57 PM
Author: kenny

The boss not knowing what his employees are doing is far from an excuse.

I assume Oscar is the boss at Abazias.

That this could go on for 5 months without the boss knowing is yet another example of horendous customer service.

It is another indication of the lack of customer focus and shows how unimportant they felt this matter was.

They really need to examine their processes and do some soul searching.

Clearly this will all turn out well ONLY (and I mean ONLY) because of the publicity here!

Shameful.

And shame on those who have done anything but condem this mistreatment of a customer.

Let's see what Oscar will do to restore the good name of Abazias.

Kenny, relax. I think you're way out of line here. Give the man a chance to respond. You have no idea how or how not this company would have responded to this situation.

I think it needs to be remembered that Abazias took very good care of PG upfront with a beautiful stone at a great price. Don't trash them because they feel asleep at the wheel regarding this detail. Your expectations of what a company should do are unrealistic.

 

[kenny]

Deb before we tie the knot I thought I'd mention:
I'm old, bald, fat, smelly, and lazy.
I'd take my boots off when I get home from a long day at the steer manure plant, and I leave them and my crusty sox on the kitchen countertop.
I demand breakfast in bed with freshly squeezed orange juice and am a lousy lover, except with other women.
I'm broke, in debt and I'm wanted in 34 states, and I got hair shooting out in places I cannot mention.
The flatulence problem I've developed since reaching 80 is aggravated my love of beer, cabbage and lentil smoothies.
During football season you'll have to wear a yellow polka dot bikini when you serve my buds and me beer, chips and guacamole during the games.

Yes, Yes I know I'm everything every woman dreams of.
I'm sure we will be very happy together.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/24/2005 1:43:37 PM
Author: kenny
The flatulence problem I''ve developed since reaching 80 is aggravated my love of beer, cabbage and lentil smoothies.

OK..sounds good. Two questions: do you make those smoothies or do I? And is the beer part of the smoothie or a chaser after one made with cabbage and lentils alone?

Deb, who already KNOWS what marriage is like

 

[Mara]

Tough call on cert or not to cert etc...I forgot that it was a Leon ring...if it was a regular ring then I would think no big deal to unset-reset etc as long as prongs are checked and double checked, but as Ally just found out, something seemingly simple on a custom piece, can be a larger problem if it's not handled correctly.

If this were me, I would not mind that the stone was uncerted if I could be refunded the difference between buying a certed stone vs an uncerted, and also that I had the confirmation/peace of mind of an expert appraisal, which she does. However if ever planned to trade in or re-sell, not having a cert could prove a problem.

I think it's important not to entirely tar and feather Abazias (deb!kenny!) before we know the whole story. They are a respected PS vendor who has alot of positive accolades under their belts...not some random fly-by-night company. Yes so far it sounds pretty bad, but they have a chance to redeem themselves...PS being a public forum makes doing business very transparent as most of the vendors know. If they do not know there is a problem (maybe within CS or similar), how can they fix it? If it were me, I would have climbed the heirarchal ladder 2ce over by now beating my drum, not just worked with the same CS rep for a few months. Then again I can be a pain in the butt sometimes.

Edited to add, can we nix on the flatulence/manure/crusty sox aka TMI talk? It's certainly not relevant and my breakfast is churning uncomfortably.

 

[AbaziasDiamonds]

Dear PGtips, we at Abazias are quite frankly embarrassed at how this simple situation has become something far more difficult, and at how we have handled the situation to this point. This is not an attempt on our part to simply forget about your problem or something more nefarious like an indication that the stone you have is not the one we said it was.

As the independent appraiser informed you, that is indeed exactly the stone we claim it is and you did in fact get a beautiful diamond at an excellent price. We have simply been having a great difficulty getting the certificate from the vendor and have dropped the ball in our communication with you. As we have discussed earlier.

The vendor, from which your diamond came, had an entire order of certificates lost in transit from EGL in Antwerp. The EGL offices have not been forthcoming with information to our vendor about the original certificates or the additional copies that they requested months ago. Additionally, they have not provided us or the vendor with the certificate number so a new certificate could be ordered. We are working diligently to get them to get that certificate to us, unfortunately we are dealing through two separate companies and have to wait for them to take action and respond before we can provide you with any additional information.

I, Oscar Rodriguez CEO of Abazias, have contacted the vendor directly and have applied pressure in order to get a more rapid response from them. Regardless, we stand behind our products and will make things right. If we can not get the certificate to you in short order, we will pay to have your diamond recertified or will let you return the stone to us.

On the matter of the invoice, this is a simple enough fix. You will have one emailed to you before the day is done.

To say Abazias prides itself as on customer service is not a cliché for us, but a company mandate. Our record in this forum and elsewhere is exemplary, and we will always endeavor to keep it so. The time delay has made it difficult for us to communicate by phone, so it may be best to do so by email. We will of course also be contacting you directly at the email we have for you. Once again, we apologize to you and wish to allay all your worries, this will be made right.

Sincerely, Oscar Rodriguez.

 

[kenny]

Glad to hear from you Mr. Rodriguez.
Also glad to hear you will make this right by your customer.

(And Deb started it all by throwing herself at me - of course how could she resist?)

 

[lumpkin]

I, too, am very relieved about this because my diamond came from Abazias. I have given good reference to Abazias on other boards and once or twice here, possibly. I would hate for someone I referred to them to have a bad experience. I have been watching this thread with great interest, particularly since Abazias is now a publicly held company and I don''t believe it was when I made my purchase in March of 2004.

 

[MissAva]

Date: 10/24/2005 1:43:37 PM
Author: kenny
Deb before we tie the knot I thought I''d mention:
I''m old, bald, fat, smelly, and lazy.
I''d take my boots off when I get home from a long day at the steer manure plant, and I leave them and my crusty sox on the kitchen countertop.
I demand breakfast in bed with freshly squeezed orange juice and am a lousy lover, except with other women.
I''m broke, in debt and I''m wanted in 34 states, and I got hair shooting out in places I cannot mention.
The flatulence problem I''ve developed since reaching 80 is aggravated my love of beer, cabbage and lentil smoothies.
During football season you''ll have to wear a yellow polka dot bikini when you serve my buds and me beer, chips and guacamole during the games.

Yes, Yes I know I''m everything every woman dreams of.
I''m sure we will be very happy together.

Once again Kenny you have made me laugh quite hard. And way to go Deb with the snappy come back.

 

[PGTips]

After spending all day in London, I am pleased to come home to an email from Abazias. We were hoping for a phone message, but, at least we got some contact. I''m also pleased to hear that this will be "made right."

I guess now I will just continue waiting and see what Abazias finds out about the original certificate...

Thank goodness for Pricescope. Thank you Leonid for your assistance with this. What a relief to know I can turn to the community and you guys are here to offer support! You have all helped me so much. Thank you.

 

[PGTips]

Deborah -

Your comments are completely on target with how I''m feeling. Each of your posts seems to clarify my thoughts. I''m sure the practical thing for me to do would be to just accept my diamond as a pretty sparkly stone and just love it for sentimental reasons, not caring about the details of a certificate. But I just don''t feel comfortable without having a certificate. Richard''s appraisal is worth A LOT to me and my peace of mind. But, it is not the certificate we paid for. This diamond is the most beautiful, special, sentimental, precious thing I have ever owned. We didn''t just have extra cash laying around to buy it. It was a stretch to get this diamond. I don''t have any other significant pieces of jewelry. This is it for me. As everyone here on pricescope does, we searched and searched and searched for just the right diamond. We studied all the diamond buying guides. We worked hard to find THIS diamond! A certificate would simply validate the fact that this diamond is everything we chose. I hope that makes sense.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/24/2005 6:29:54 PM
Author: PGTips

Deborah -

Your comments are completely on target with how I''m feeling. Each of your posts seems to clarify my thoughts. I''m sure the practical thing for me to do would be to just accept my diamond as a pretty sparkly stone and just love it for sentimental reasons, not caring about the details of a certificate. But I just don''t feel comfortable without having a certificate. Richard''s appraisal is worth A LOT to me and my peace of mind. But, it is not the certificate we paid for. This diamond is the most beautiful, special, sentimental, precious thing I have ever owned. We didn''t just have extra cash laying around to buy it. It was a stretch to get this diamond. I don''t have any other significant pieces of jewelry. This is it for me. As everyone here on pricescope does, we searched and searched and searched for just the right diamond. We studied all the diamond buying guides. We worked hard to find THIS diamond! A certificate would simply validate the fact that this diamond is everything we chose. I hope that makes sense.

I am glad I could be supportive, PG. Jewelers and those in the diamond trade deal with these things every day and it may be no big deal to them whether a diamond has a cert. (Heck, my husband''s uncle was a jeweler and he said I was crazy to get a certified stone because I was just paying extra for a piece of paper!) To us consumers a cert can be a very big deal indeed.

I hope that Oscar Rodriguez come through as he should. Please keep us all updated. It never hurts for someone to know he is being watched. An honest man will stilll be honest .

All the best,
Deb

 

[The Joker]

From Oscar Rodriguez:

"If we can not get the certificate to you in short order, we will pay to have your diamond recertified or will let you return the stone to us."

Am I the only one who is bothered by this statement???

IMHO, that should read, "we will pay to have your diamond re-certified and all costs associated with the re-certication (International shipping, removal, insurance, Lab certification, re-appraised by Richard Sherwood, resetting,etc... ) period.

Joker....

 

[Mara]

I think that Oscar was saying if they cannot get the cert to her ASAP, they will pay for re-certification OR she can return the stone if she wants. Basically it would be her call on how to proceed. Did you just want him to word it in a more detailed manner??

Oscar has come on here and in good-faith basically publicly said he would make it right. I think it can be left at that for now. Just my two cents.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 10/24/2005 7:17:27 PM
Author: Mara
I think that Oscar was saying if they cannot get the cert to her ASAP, they will pay for re-certification OR she can return the stone if she wants. Basically it would be her call on how to proceed. Did you just want him to word it in a more detailed manner??


Oscar has come on here and in good-faith basically publicly said he would make it right. I think it can be left at that for now. Just my two cents.

I agree with mara the thumbscrews are tight enough and if they follow thru and make it right then kewl.
If not there is plenty of time to hold there feet to the fire.
Lets give them one last chance to make it right.

 

[Kaleigh]

Very well said Mara and Storm.

 

[The Joker]

Date: 10/24/2005 7:14:27 PM
Author: The Joker

Am I the only one who is bothered by this statement???

Joker....

Out come the big guns to Quiet Me.

12,251 + 5,598 + 6,077

Wow, I must be wrong.

Lets just give Oscar another 5 months to "Make this Right"

Joker...

 

[Mara]

You asked if you were the only one bothered and so far it looks like yes that is the case. Does it really need to be more dramatic than that?

Hey K...you are a 'big gun'! Betcha didn't know that!

 

[MissAva]

I dont know, I think they agree with you. But if we do not give people a chance to respond then they might be les likel to post and respond to issues in the future. Give it a day or two.