Sozekeyserman
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2005
- Messages
- 27
Edit: Added appropriate hyperlinks to help describe story.
Hi all,
I recently have purchased a loose diamond from GOG and wanted to let people know my experiences. You might describe me as a type A customer, who investigated about diamonds for 6 months before purchasing. I want to share my experience to help those struggling with the decision to buy online or not. I intend this lengthy thread for the people at GOG and for those considering buying from GOG. This experience will recount my purchasing process, from initial e-mail to independent appraisal.
Two of the reasons I went with GOG is because of their in-stock inventory and heavy battery of testing on diamonds they possess. I felt that they possessed intimate working knowledge of the stone I was considering, and were able to immediately answer questions pertaining to the stone. This is much different than other internet vendors I've dealt with, who simply order stones off the memo list and in my opinion, perform a "fly-by-night" appraisal of the stone. Kudos to GOG on this point of their business!
When I first e-mailed Tim, we had perfect timing as he was looking at replenishing his inventory at that time. I gave him rough parameters of the type of stone I wanted, and within a week or so he had two stones roughly within those guidelines.
For the next week, after he had the stones in he kept updating me via e-mail on the status of the stone and its subsequent testing. When all of the testing was done, I placed a $500.00 refundable deposit to hold the stone (located at this thread) I was seriously considering for three days. This provided me with ample time to fully weigh whether or not I wanted to purchase the stone. I was much appreciative of this time, as it allowed me to post the stone's stats on this forum, and get some basal input as to the quality of the stone based on pictures and diamond stats.
On saturday, 8/13, I decided to purchase the stone. Here is where I ran into one of the minor snags in my experience, and where I believe GOG can improve their business. I must clarify however, that after appropriate communications this snag was handled to my satisfaction. Here is the original thread with my problem.
On 8/13 I desired an invoice or billing statement of the stone, to better formalize the deal. I wanted in writing a basic description of the stone (4 C's and GIA #), a figure of how much money I owed GOG, and an estimated shipment date. This not only tells me formally what I should receive for my money when I wire it, but it also clearly states to them what I should pay for the stone. When I was ready to purchase, all I had was an oral description of the stone, and a website where all of the stone's testing information was housed. When I called GOG to request this, I ended up talking with a sales person with whom I had not previously dealt with. When I asked for this billing statement, it sounded like such a foreign idea to her and she stated she's never done such a thing. I then decided to e-mail Tim and Christen, who later that day appropriately responded that such a request was normal and would be completed on the next day GOG would be open. I feel this should be standard practice, but my specialized request was handled appropriately.
Immediately after my requested "billing statement" was faxed on 8/16 I gave the go-ahead for the wire transfer. I then received the diamond 17 hours later, via next day shipping. I must say such a small diamond came in such a large box! It also came with a beautifully constructed appraisal report. Yet, my other disappointment was that the original documentation such as the GIA report did not accompany the diamond. The appraisal report only contained photocopies of the original documentation. I have e-mailed Tim about this, and he will be sending that documentation when they receive it from the cutter. While it would have been nice to have been told this up front, they responded appropriatley when I asked them. I think, although I'm not for certain, that because I bought the diamond so quickly after they had acquired it, they did not have time to possess the documentation.
I was incredibly excited for the stone, and could not wait to have it appraised. I had to wait until 8/20 to have it appraised by a non-local jeweler, who I had deemed as the most knowledgeable around my area. This particular store has been voted the top store in the area for countless consecutive years by the local college paper, and the folks there are incredibly educated and kind. I felt bad bringing in a competitive stone, but I had purchased the engagement ring from them, so at least I had provided them with some business.
They were skeptical of the stone when I asked for an appraisal, and seemingly could not wait to debunk the stone on what ever grounds they might find. They could not find any such grounds however, and even went as far as to say I had a nice stone! They did mention they might drop the clarity grade of the stone from its GIA VS1 to a VS2 because the inclusion is near the center of the table, but made it clearly known that this is simply a matter of opinion and a VS1 grade was appropriate. Then one of the employee's rushed to the back of the store to get a loose diamond similar to my diamond, in order to compare prices. He brought a 1.20 G/VS1 princess, which he priced at $9550.00. He said, "This might put you in the ballpark of pricing for what you paid for the stone." I chuckled to myself, and said I had no qualms telling him how much I paid. When I responded that i paid $7820.00 for my 1.24 F/VS1 princess, he sheepishly hid the stone and paper in his hands, and said, "You definitely got a fair shake on that stone." Boy was I smiling on the inside. No matter how nice a store can be, I don't want to provide them with an extra $2000.00 to $3000.00!
Needless to say, I am extremely satisfied with my purchase, and cannot wait to have my stone set. I must thank GOG for their knowledge of diamonds, their extremely competitive pricing, and their strong communication level to help please me as much as possible. I do think they have an enormous volume, and if the customer expects to be waited on hand and foot without properly communicating to GOG your needs, you will be lost in the masses and be disappointed. However the sale works both ways, and when I made it clear the things I needed to make the sale, they were more than happy to oblige. I also think a standard billing statement should be a part of normal logistics in making the sale, and am surprised this isn't the case. Otherwise, they are an extremely wonderful store, and I am so happy with my diamond. I would whole heartedly recommended GOG for any loose diamond purchase.
Soze
Hi all,
I recently have purchased a loose diamond from GOG and wanted to let people know my experiences. You might describe me as a type A customer, who investigated about diamonds for 6 months before purchasing. I want to share my experience to help those struggling with the decision to buy online or not. I intend this lengthy thread for the people at GOG and for those considering buying from GOG. This experience will recount my purchasing process, from initial e-mail to independent appraisal.
Two of the reasons I went with GOG is because of their in-stock inventory and heavy battery of testing on diamonds they possess. I felt that they possessed intimate working knowledge of the stone I was considering, and were able to immediately answer questions pertaining to the stone. This is much different than other internet vendors I've dealt with, who simply order stones off the memo list and in my opinion, perform a "fly-by-night" appraisal of the stone. Kudos to GOG on this point of their business!
When I first e-mailed Tim, we had perfect timing as he was looking at replenishing his inventory at that time. I gave him rough parameters of the type of stone I wanted, and within a week or so he had two stones roughly within those guidelines.
For the next week, after he had the stones in he kept updating me via e-mail on the status of the stone and its subsequent testing. When all of the testing was done, I placed a $500.00 refundable deposit to hold the stone (located at this thread) I was seriously considering for three days. This provided me with ample time to fully weigh whether or not I wanted to purchase the stone. I was much appreciative of this time, as it allowed me to post the stone's stats on this forum, and get some basal input as to the quality of the stone based on pictures and diamond stats.
On saturday, 8/13, I decided to purchase the stone. Here is where I ran into one of the minor snags in my experience, and where I believe GOG can improve their business. I must clarify however, that after appropriate communications this snag was handled to my satisfaction. Here is the original thread with my problem.
On 8/13 I desired an invoice or billing statement of the stone, to better formalize the deal. I wanted in writing a basic description of the stone (4 C's and GIA #), a figure of how much money I owed GOG, and an estimated shipment date. This not only tells me formally what I should receive for my money when I wire it, but it also clearly states to them what I should pay for the stone. When I was ready to purchase, all I had was an oral description of the stone, and a website where all of the stone's testing information was housed. When I called GOG to request this, I ended up talking with a sales person with whom I had not previously dealt with. When I asked for this billing statement, it sounded like such a foreign idea to her and she stated she's never done such a thing. I then decided to e-mail Tim and Christen, who later that day appropriately responded that such a request was normal and would be completed on the next day GOG would be open. I feel this should be standard practice, but my specialized request was handled appropriately.
Immediately after my requested "billing statement" was faxed on 8/16 I gave the go-ahead for the wire transfer. I then received the diamond 17 hours later, via next day shipping. I must say such a small diamond came in such a large box! It also came with a beautifully constructed appraisal report. Yet, my other disappointment was that the original documentation such as the GIA report did not accompany the diamond. The appraisal report only contained photocopies of the original documentation. I have e-mailed Tim about this, and he will be sending that documentation when they receive it from the cutter. While it would have been nice to have been told this up front, they responded appropriatley when I asked them. I think, although I'm not for certain, that because I bought the diamond so quickly after they had acquired it, they did not have time to possess the documentation.
I was incredibly excited for the stone, and could not wait to have it appraised. I had to wait until 8/20 to have it appraised by a non-local jeweler, who I had deemed as the most knowledgeable around my area. This particular store has been voted the top store in the area for countless consecutive years by the local college paper, and the folks there are incredibly educated and kind. I felt bad bringing in a competitive stone, but I had purchased the engagement ring from them, so at least I had provided them with some business.
They were skeptical of the stone when I asked for an appraisal, and seemingly could not wait to debunk the stone on what ever grounds they might find. They could not find any such grounds however, and even went as far as to say I had a nice stone! They did mention they might drop the clarity grade of the stone from its GIA VS1 to a VS2 because the inclusion is near the center of the table, but made it clearly known that this is simply a matter of opinion and a VS1 grade was appropriate. Then one of the employee's rushed to the back of the store to get a loose diamond similar to my diamond, in order to compare prices. He brought a 1.20 G/VS1 princess, which he priced at $9550.00. He said, "This might put you in the ballpark of pricing for what you paid for the stone." I chuckled to myself, and said I had no qualms telling him how much I paid. When I responded that i paid $7820.00 for my 1.24 F/VS1 princess, he sheepishly hid the stone and paper in his hands, and said, "You definitely got a fair shake on that stone." Boy was I smiling on the inside. No matter how nice a store can be, I don't want to provide them with an extra $2000.00 to $3000.00!
Needless to say, I am extremely satisfied with my purchase, and cannot wait to have my stone set. I must thank GOG for their knowledge of diamonds, their extremely competitive pricing, and their strong communication level to help please me as much as possible. I do think they have an enormous volume, and if the customer expects to be waited on hand and foot without properly communicating to GOG your needs, you will be lost in the masses and be disappointed. However the sale works both ways, and when I made it clear the things I needed to make the sale, they were more than happy to oblige. I also think a standard billing statement should be a part of normal logistics in making the sale, and am surprised this isn't the case. Otherwise, they are an extremely wonderful store, and I am so happy with my diamond. I would whole heartedly recommended GOG for any loose diamond purchase.
Soze
300x240.png)