PS Vendors- what''s your upgrade policy???

[moremoremore]

Hi all PS vendors. Can you share with me your return and upgrade policies! (including how much I need to spend on the upgrade).... I was certain I was going to go with one vendor but they are SO much more expensive than other vendors...so I want to compare other vendor''s policies so I can make the right decision! Thanks! ;0

 

[moremoremore]

GOG's policy doesn't apply to brokered stones? I thought that if they got it for you and you paid more for their policies, the trade in applied???? REALLY???

Was the $1.....as in one buck more???

 

[Mara]

yes if you have GOG call in a brokered stone and they run their workup on it for the additional amount (which is something like $300 I think), it DOES apply for the lifetime upgrade. read up on GOG's site about it.




mmm, checking out each site individually is probably the best way to find out what the vendor policies are. most of the vendors only have time to check in periodically on the forum due to actually conducting business, so your thread may not get a fast response from all vendors. good luck!

 

[aljdewey]

Sorry for the confusion on the GOG thing......I should have said "drop-shipped" stones instead of brokered stones.




My bad.

 

[moremoremore]

naughty gal!

 

[Uncle Marty]

I thought your question very interesting.
It seems that others assume that you are asking about a trade up policy prior to your buying a Diamond.
My thought is that you want to buy a new Diamond of either larger size or better clarity or color, and use a Diamond you own as payment.

Since it has occured to me that most of the sellers do not own the Diamonds they are selling because they are not sight holders, I might be able to offer you a better deal.

As I am sure you found out that the sellers on this website (here I go starting a problem again)
are not non-profit sellers but try to beat out the others while still making a profit, their selling prices do not cover a potential trade in.

Most sellers of Diamonds when hearing about a trade-in have a dilemna. How to sell the new Diamond and still make a profit. i.e. assuming
you did buy the original Diamond from the new seller.

The first part of the problem is did they sell you the original Diamond ? You do know they made a profit on the original sale, don't you?
How can they substantiate a lower value for your previously purchased Diamond without giving the store away.

If they offer you the new Diamond at their regular selling price, discounted from the average (?) (whatever that is) and competing with the others on PS can they give you an honest trade in allowance.

The 2nd part of the problem is exactly what are you trading in, where did you buy it, and how much did you originally spend ?
I really do not want to know the answers to the above questions, but I am sure the other sellers on PS would like to know those answers.

If you contact me directly (so I do not share my procedure with all the sellers on PS)I have your answer. Got to keep them guessing.

Sellers of Diamonds on PS for the most part are resellers of others who have invested in Diamonds.
Not original resources.

I have been reading about the problems some of these sellers have selling mountings for the Diamonds they have sold you. Their problem is treating the selling of Diamonds as a commodity and not as a fulfillment of love and caring.

I owned a jewelry store for over 32 years. When I sold a Diamond to my friends my responsibility did NOT END there. My responsibility never ended.
I was responsible for information, education about many things, and service.
Those of you who sell your local jeweler short and are only interested in the price you pay for the "ROCK" do not deserve better treatment.

But that is another story.

Uncle Marty

 

[moremoremore]

thanks uncle marty! But I actually did mean upgrade, not trade in. Gal's gotta think long-term!

 

[Uncle Marty]

Now that I read you might want (some day) to upgrade or trade-in your Diamond at some future time.
The Aljdewey list was very interesting.
Be especially careful about LifeTime Guarantees.

Lifetime Guarantees are only as good as the company stays in business.

Ask others who bought appliances (etc.) from Grants (probably before your time)Dept Store. We bought a refrigerator (type of ice box) with a wonderful guarantee. Store went out of business.
Could not buy parts. No service at all.

We still have the refrigerator and are waiting for them to return to honor their guarantee.

Diamond sellers do not continue to live for ever, or until you are ready to buy your NEW DIAMOND.
I know of many B & M jewelry stores who have continued to be in business over 50 years.

Can you name any Internet Diamond seller that has continued in business over 25 years.

My not so humble suggestion is to be happy with your fiancee's purchase and all the LOVE that is attached.

If you want a 2nd Diamond, buy it. Is the LOVE that accompanied your first Diamond transferred to the second Diamond in the same way.

Uncle Marty

 

[pricescope]

Uncle Marty, you wrote:

"I might be able to offer you a better deal."
"If you contact me directly (so I do not share my procedure with all the sellers on PS)"

This is all against the forum rules as you perfectly know.

You also use fear tactics to scare consumers away from other vendors without any facts of their wrong doing. This is also against the forum policies.

I'm afraid, I have to ask you to kindly stop doing this in the future.

 

[CaptAubrey]

----------------
On 4/12/2004 7:12:33 PM Uncle Marty wrote:





I know of many B & M jewelry stores who have continued to be in business over 50 years.

----------------

and i know of B&M jewelers who were in business 50 (or 100) years, who have since gone out of business. i know of one that was around 137 years; they closed their doors a few months ago.

the industry is in serious flux right now. there is no guarantee any particular jewelry business will be around in 10 years, no matter how long they have been in existence.

 

[Uncle Marty]

Yes you are right about the jewelry store that went out of business after 137 years.

So that statement just reinforces my theory about sellers of all types that offer a LifeTime Guarantee.
The question is whose lifetime?

My refrigerator awaits the fixer.

Uncle Marty

 

[Uncle Marty]

Come now leonid,
I did not suggest that any of your venders do anything wrong. In my opinion you are over reacting.

I did suggest that I do it differently.

I will share my over 50 years of jewelry, gemstone and Diamond knowledge with your subs but not my marketing ideas with the venders on PS.

They will have to learn the hard way.

Uncle Marty

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 4/12/2004 7:34:42 PM CaptAubrey wrote:

----------------
On 4/12/2004 7:12:33 PM Uncle Marty wrote:





I know of many B & M jewelry stores who have continued to be in business over 50 years.

----------------

and i know of B&M jewelers who were in business 50 (or 100) years, who have since gone out of business. i know of one that was around 137 years; they closed their doors a few months ago.

the industry is in serious flux right now. there is no guarantee any particular jewelry business will be around in 10 years, no matter how long they have been in existence.

----------------

THANK YOU, Capt......I've brought this point up several times in the past. There is NO guarantee with anybody. Being around even 100+ years doesn't guarantee that a jeweler, law firm, or any other business will be around in the future.

Having said that, MMM, a good trade-up policy would be a nice plus to have.

 

[TheDiamondPro]

Honestly, most online sellers have begun to realize the shortcomings of being merely brokers (as Uncle Marty candidly pointed out!) and not having a vested interest in the goods they proffer.

Typically, JEWELERS and established JEWELRY STORES offer the opportunity to 'upgrade' a diaond, having been previously purchased from them, as a matter of reward for consumer loyalty and for the expression of continued confidence. The standard rate across the US is "lose nothing of the value of your original purchase price toward a diamond at least twice the price of your original purchase" (excluding taxes, which may change from time to time).

Problem with online vendors: they do not own, nor can they spend any $ out-of-pocket for something that they are usually not qualified to evaluate precisely.....and they do not have any reliable means of distributing their investments (can't turn the goods on a timely basis). This is why it is difficult to find a vendor/merchant to take in your 'foreign' diamond and apply the value - whatever is agreed upon - toward your purchase.

NOTHING TAKES THE PLACE OF A TRUSTED LOCAL JEWELER WHO PORFESSIONALLY GIVES YOU THE INFORMATION Ever wonder why 99% of online vendors don't fully identify themselves?? Or have a showroom/store to demonstrate history/reliability?

Take your time, choose your Provider with care, and then make your buying decisions with confidence! Paying for expertise and service is nothing to be worried about....asking these questions already is a signal not all is right.....

 

[Nicrez]

Excuse me but just because a person can own a diamond, does not mean they know the workings of one. Like I pointed out with a great number of vendors I have had personal experience with in NYC (47th street), these are just booths and stores FILLED with salespeople, not gemologist or certified experts. If they were, they wouldn't need to employ such shameless plugging online to sell their stones.

The fact is, jewelers have good stones and bad. They need to sell them all. They are not out to make happy customers, unless they can sell stones. Sold stones pay the bills. That is why I can never enter the diamond industry as a seller. I would never have the heart to tell some kid who saved his hard earned money that an ugly stone is the best for his money, when I would most likely send him online to find a better stone for less. I would be broke in a few months with scores of ugly stones waiting, unsold...

To say that the must trust a diamond vendor is like saying I trust my loan shark. Dramatic, perhaps, but the diamond business is as vicious as the used car business, because of the fact that diamonds have always been romanticised as wildly profitable, and to certain people it is...Those who can buy diamonds cheaper, and sell them to ANYONE at a high price. Hence branding and cut types, and places like Tiffany's and Cartier...etc...

A diamond is expensive and I'll be damned if I buy a luxury item based on an untested faith of a person who DEALS in selling diamonds (both good and bad) and make s aprofit off the sale. I am sure they are really looking out for my best interest, and NOT their inventory or paycheck...

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 4/12/2004 9:43:16 PM TheDiamondPro wrote:











Problem with online vendors: they do not own, nor can they spend any $ out-of-pocket for something that they are usually not qualified to evaluate precisely.....and they do not have any reliable means of distributing their investments (can't turn the goods on a timely basis). This is why it is difficult to find a vendor/merchant to take in your 'foreign' diamond and apply the value - whatever is agreed upon - toward your purchase.

----------------

Excuse me? You most certainly aren't familiar with many of the vendors here who have plenty of their own $$ spent on inventory. You should really fact-check a bit better than that before slinging stones.

Oh, and while we're at it, when I go to the local jewelry store.....you know, the one with no AGS stones and only 1-2 GIA stones in the "ideal" cut range.......they have to bring those stones in on memo, too, and they don't own them either. Yes, they own SOME stones....but not the quality I'm interested in.

The vendors I've become familiar with here invested beaucoup bucks into their inventories.

 

[Mara]

Hehe...the fight between the old and the new. Always entertaining...good read with a bag of popcorn.




Uncle Marty wrote:


"Can you name any Internet Diamond seller that has continued in business over 25 years."




Well since you don't specify online or offline...the ecommerce industry has not been around 25 years. BUT there are some reputable online vendors who have been in business for many years in one way or another, and have smartened up to bring their business in full-force online as well. They are covering all their bases. Kudos to them. The Internet is NOT going away..and those who refuse to see that and include it in their bag of tricks are foolish. It does not mean that B&M's all automatically are horrible, but I would venture to say that 9 out of 10 truly are used car salesman. Just like the internet gets a bad rap when people say that you will get 'taken' on there...or your credit card information will definitely get 'stolen by hackers'...the B&M jeweler gets a blanket bad rap for not having enough data to satisfy the hungry.

 

[moremoremore]

out of control this is!

I couldn't log on either last night and it's grown. I don't even need to comment any further...maybe should have let this thread go. But I did want to add that I think consumers are quite savy....they understand the pros and cons of buying from all different types of vendors- internet, B&M, a mix of both. Furthermore, I do understand that nothing in life is free, and that the 100% upgrade, generally isn't. And lastly to Uncle Marty- I thank you for your advice, but I was looking for diamond info, not relationship info! FYI- I'm on my fourth stone, same husband...so if I want to upgrade, that's pretty much my business...as long as I'm upgrading the diamond, not the husband!

I was just exploring my options...but despite being a little disheartened by the markup I just realized exists with one particular vendor, I think that it pays to pay a bit extra for service. A BIT...not THAT much!

 

[moremoremore]

and Leonid...I wanted to thank you for looking out for us!...I wasn't going to contact him anyway!

....

p.s. your avatar scares me a bit!

 

[moremoremore]

oops...my thought got cut off on that previous post...as long as I'm comfortable with the amount I"m being overcharged, I'm going to go with that vendor I originally planned on using! Thanks for all your help!

 

[fire&ice]

The old & the new....and neither (especially the old) seems to get that consumers are looking for a happy medium.

Yes, you will have those consumers that fall on either side; but, the majority is in the middle.

All we want is a fair price w/ the value being in the service. Adaptation to the current market is all the consumer wants.

Hey, if I can come full circle to being mad at Stuart Moore for marking up his diamonds - to actually wanting to go there & consider the experience & uniqueness of the experience - then maybe the B&M can survive. But, not without adapting & offering something more unique. Or at least a knowledable sales force - go figure why in the world we would have to ask for that!