How should I deal with this vendor？

[mandyXL]

I ordered a diamond from an online retailor. At first everything looks good. I did my order. My credit card got charged. I was giving a estimated delivery date that is between 2 to 3 weeks. After 2 weeks, I asked the vendor for the status. They told me the diamond was not available. But I was never notified. My order was not cancelled. My money was never refunded. The vendor claimed they refunded the money the next day but my credit company said it never happened. Meanwhile I noticed the GIA report on the diamond was updated. The diamond is a little smaller now, from 2.20 to 2.12, and the polish is changed from VG to EX. Do you think the vendor recut the diamond I ordered？But then why they hold my money all this time? Now they are trying to suggest other diamonds to me. Should I even trust them?

 

[bludiva]

I'd open a dispute with your credit card ASAP if the vendor hasn't already refunded your money.

 

[GeliL]

They are not trustworthy if they are not at all transparent with you about what has happened or notified you about the refund.
Usually when a vendor has issued a refund they would notify the customer to make sure the money is received.

 

[tigertales]

Dude ! Something like this happened to me twice, with two different vendors. They charged my card immediately. I waited, waited. Finally I called and they said, "oh, the diamond was not available" I was like Huh?? You didn't even call me, or email and refund my card?
Then, they listed the SAME stone, but had upgraded the price.
I had found a diamond at a really good price on their site, and when I had said as much to the rep, I think their sales dept took it off, and then re-priced it.
SCAM.
I demanded my money back immediately. and they took me seriously when I implied they were using a bait and switch tactic. ( They kept offering me "similar diamonds" of lower quality).
And these were two VERY well known sites.

 

[lovedogs]

I ordered a diamond from an online retailor. At first everything looks good. I did my order. My credit card got charged. I was giving a estimated delivery date that is between 2 to 3 weeks. After 2 weeks, I asked the vendor for the status. They told me the diamond was not available. But I was never notified. My order was not cancelled. My money was never refunded. The vendor claimed they refunded the money the next day but my credit company said it never happened. Meanwhile I noticed the GIA report on the diamond was updated. The diamond is a little smaller now, from 2.20 to 2.12, and the polish is changed from VG to EX. Do you think the vendor recut the diamond I ordered？But then why they hold my money all this time? Now they are trying to suggest other diamonds to me. Should I even trust them?

Definitely get a refund asap. Call your card company and file a dispute if you need to. If they are a PS vendor, escalate this to the higher ups. This is totally unacceptable, and the company needs to be aware that this stuff is happening. So sorry!

 

[bludiva]

and please tell us which sites if you feel ok doing so, so others know to be careful shopping there.

i hope it gets resolved soon!

 

[OoohShiny]

Dude ! Something like this happened to me twice, with two different vendors. They charged my card immediately. I waited, waited. Finally I called and they said, "oh, the diamond was not available" I was like Huh?? You didn't even call me, or email and refund my card?
Then, they listed the SAME stone, but had upgraded the price.
I had found a diamond at a really good price on their site, and when I had said as much to the rep, I think their sales dept took it off, and then re-priced it.
SCAM.
I demanded my money back immediately. and they took me seriously when I implied they were using a bait and switch tactic. ( They kept offering me "similar diamonds" of lower quality).
And these were two VERY well known sites.

Name and shame??

 

[jp201845]

Reputation is everything in this business and the Vendor names should be posted when something like this happens so other consumers are well aware. Name and shame absolutely.

 

[kmoro]

Wow - I had heard of diamonds not being available and customers not notified or immediately refunded (by the way, I have yet to hear of someone not receiving the refund eventually, but I have heard many of no automatic immediate refund), but never that the same diamond is then listed again. Are you sure it’s the same diamond?

Sorry to hear of your negative experience. We’re all interested in names, although I’m pretty sure that I can guess one of them.

It can take 1-3 days for a refund to show up on your credit card. Personally, I would not be afraid of not getting refunded by a PS vendor even if I have to remind them to do it, but if they seem like they get their wires crossed a whole lot, I would go with a different vendor.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Dude ! Something like this happened to me twice, with two different vendors. They charged my card immediately. I waited, waited. Finally I called and they said, "oh, the diamond was not available" I was like Huh?? You didn't even call me, or email and refund my card?

That's the reason why I don't deal with any virtual stone vendors. Why bother going on a wild goose chase?... I only buy from vendors with inhouse inventory.

 

[MarionC]

The first diamind I ever bought online, (and pre-PS) was from Blue Nile. I returned the stone and it took weeks to get a refund. I was really sweating because at that time I didn’t know if they were a trustworthy company. I assume they have gotten a lot better than that over time.
I would be curious to know who the vendor is as well.

 

[tjkswift]

We're hear to share and learn from one another so I, too, feel it's prudent to share the names of vendors.

 

[rockysalamander]

Get a full refund. Do not discuss any other diamonds with them until you have your money back in your account. Then, I'd personally move along to a different vendor.

 

[missy]

I ordered a diamond from an online retailor. At first everything looks good. I did my order. My credit card got charged. I was giving a estimated delivery date that is between 2 to 3 weeks. After 2 weeks, I asked the vendor for the status. They told me the diamond was not available. But I was never notified. My order was not cancelled. My money was never refunded. The vendor claimed they refunded the money the next day but my credit company said it never happened. Meanwhile I noticed the GIA report on the diamond was updated. The diamond is a little smaller now, from 2.20 to 2.12, and the polish is changed from VG to EX. Do you think the vendor recut the diamond I ordered？But then why they hold my money all this time? Now they are trying to suggest other diamonds to me. Should I even trust them?

My motto is "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". Get a refund ASAP (contact your credit card company now) and do not do business with this online retailer. They already showed who they are to you. Now you know.

PSers can help you find a more trustworthy online retailer if you would like and you can get a stellar diamond.

As far as the diamond being the same and just being recut I am not sure how you could know that for sure and it doesnt matter as they have already proven themselves not trustworthy.

 

[rockysalamander]

The diamond is a little smaller now, from 2.20 to 2.12, and the polish is changed from VG to EX. Do you think the vendor recut the diamond I ordered？

I highly doubt they would recut a diamond to lose weight. It simply does not match the mass-market model that pushes the 4Cs and cuts for weight -- not performance. I suppose someone could have dropped the stone and it was chipped and recut, but that would require a full recut and the size and weight would change. That could alter the cut rating. Otherwise, I suspect there was simply a mistake in the systems where the wrong cert or measurements were entered.

The problem is not that there may have been a mistake, there are still many human steps along the pathway, but they failed to communicate with you about the mistake to resolve the issue.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hi all!
A few points raised could use clarification.
Recutting to loose .02ct: This could be done for a number of reasons. In that case of a round diamond, it could be done to increase the cut grade. In some cases, you'll lose a lot more than .02ct. but in general, if the total dollars increase, it makes sense to lose a little weight.
In the case of fancy shaped diamonds, there are times that a few tweaks to the cut make the stone more salable- prettier.
I've seen this done many times- with minimal weight loss.
It's nearly impossible to chip a diamond by dropping it. I've never seen it happen and I've dropped diamonds more times than I can count.
Generally, chips occur in a more forceful impact.
Even then, a skilled cutter can often repair the chip with minimal weight loss- and no need for an entire recut.
None of this excuses lack of important communication on the part of a vendor......I feel like they should answer these important questions about the change in weight....and obviously about refund

 

[Jelly88]

@tigertales do you feel comfortable sharing which online vendors you had this experience with? I know this would cause me a TON of stress/anxiety and so I want to make sure I avoid these vendors.

 

[LightBright]

Hi all!
A few points raised could use clarification.
Recutting to loose .02ct: This could be done for a number of reasons. In that case of a round diamond, it could be done to increase the cut grade. In some cases, you'll lose a lot more than .02ct. but in general, if the total dollars increase, it makes sense to lose a little weight.
In the case of fancy shaped diamonds, there are times that a few tweaks to the cut make the stone more salable- prettier.
I've seen this done many times- with minimal weight loss.
It's nearly impossible to chip a diamond by dropping it. I've never seen it happen and I've dropped diamonds more times than I can count.
Generally, chips occur in a more forceful impact.
Even then, a skilled cutter can often repair the chip with minimal weight loss- and no need for an entire recut.
None of this excuses lack of important communication on the part of a vendor......I feel like they should answer these important questions about the change in weight....and obviously about refund

Regarding chips. I had a diamond, a very precious stone to me. I took it two places. One, an experienced dealer took it to his experienced setter and the setter released it from the prongs. As the setter was doing this, I noticed something fly off of the setting or diamond, I couldn’t tell. It was a speck that flew off into the air. I took the loose stone back to the dealer and as he was inspecting the diamond he accidentally dropped the loose stone onto a glass counter, and it bounced. Somewhere along the line, a tiny chip was created on the table (gasp) of my stone. I don’t fault anyone here, it was clearly an accident. But something chipped my diamond’s table. It wasn’t that difficult. This is not to dispute anyone, it’s just to say it happened to me.

Second personal observation is a repolish on a diamond from very good to excellent can make a big difference in how the stone looks. Sadly, I know this because of the experience above. My precious diamond in some ways looks much better than before. It looks glittery. It lost very little weight and a lovely extremely experienced artisan cutter did the repolish, which I got to see happen behind the scenes. But I am sad that I had to repolish just because of the Murphy’s law of a table chip. Sorry to threadjack.

 

[mandyXL]

I'd open a dispute with your credit card ASAP if the vendor hasn't already refunded your money.

That's what my credit card company said too.

 

[blueMA]

Regarding chips. I had a diamond, a very precious stone to me. I took it two places. One, an experienced dealer took it to his experienced setter and the setter released it from the prongs. As the setter was doing this, I noticed something fly off of the setting or diamond, I couldn’t tell. It was a speck that flew off into the air. I took the loose stone back to the dealer and as he was inspecting the diamond he accidentally dropped the loose stone onto a glass counter, and it bounced. Somewhere along the line, a tiny chip was created on the table (gasp) of my stone. I don’t fault anyone here, it was clearly an accident. But something chipped my diamond’s table. It wasn’t that difficult. This is not to dispute anyone, it’s just to say it happened to me.

Second personal observation is a repolish on a diamond from very good to excellent can make a big difference in how the stone looks. Sadly, I know this because of the experience above. My precious diamond in some ways looks much better than before. It looks glittery. It lost very little weight and a lovely extremely experienced artisan cutter did the repolish, which I got to see happen behind the scenes. But I am sad that I had to repolish just because of the Murphy’s law of a table chip. Sorry to threadjack.

Was the chip in the middle of the table or edge? If in the middle, that's very odd and unlikely to happen from a drop or a prong-release, unless the diamond had a knot?

 

[mandyXL]

Dude ! Something like this happened to me twice, with two different vendors. They charged my card immediately. I waited, waited. Finally I called and they said, "oh, the diamond was not available" I was like Huh?? You didn't even call me, or email and refund my card?
Then, they listed the SAME stone, but had upgraded the price.
I had found a diamond at a really good price on their site, and when I had said as much to the rep, I think their sales dept took it off, and then re-priced it.
SCAM.
I demanded my money back immediately. and they took me seriously when I implied they were using a bait and switch tactic. ( They kept offering me "similar diamonds" of lower quality).
And these were two VERY well known sites.

Thanks for the reply. So I'm not the only one. I was trying to give them the benefit of doubt. I think I will let me credit card company handle it now. Glad I didn't transfer the money from bank directly to save that several hundred bucks.

 

[mandyXL]

and please tell us which sites if you feel ok doing so, so others know to be careful shopping there.

i hope it gets resolved soon!

It's enchanted diamonds. I bought from Blue Nile several years ago. Everything went perfect that time. This time enchanted diamonds offers a better price so I went with them.

 

[bludiva]

It's enchanted diamonds. I bought from Blue Nile several years ago. Everything went perfect that time. This time enchanted diamonds offers a better price so I went with them.

i assume they care enough about their brand to get this resolved asap. good luck & with the cc company behind you i'm betting it will all come out ok.

 

[mandyXL]

Wow - I had heard of diamonds not being available and customers not notified or immediately refunded (by the way, I have yet to hear of someone not receiving the refund eventually, but I have heard many of no automatic immediate refund), but never that the same diamond is then listed again. Are you sure it’s the same diamond?

Sorry to hear of your negative experience. We’re all interested in names, although I’m pretty sure that I can guess one of them.

It can take 1-3 days for a refund to show up on your credit card. Personally, I would not be afraid of not getting refunded by a PS vendor even if I have to remind them to do it, but if they seem like they get their wires crossed a whole lot, I would go with a different vendor.

I ordered on Jan. 25th. Called yesterday and found out all these. I noticed the GIA report was down over the weekend. The new report came out with a Feb. 11th date.

 

[mandyXL]

My motto is "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". Get a refund ASAP (contact your credit card company now) and do not do business with this online retailer. They already showed who they are to you. Now you know.

PSers can help you find a more trustworthy online retailer if you would like and you can get a stellar diamond.

As far as the diamond being the same and just being recut I am not sure how you could know that for sure and it doesnt matter as they have already proven themselves not trustworthy.

GIA kept the same report number. I saved a copy of the previous report. The face dimension is the same, the flaw is the same, same grade, only thing is the bottom is a little shorter(0.5%), the weight is a little lighter(0.0.

 

[mandyXL]

Thank you everyone for the input. Today my order is still not cancelled at their website. I tried to call Enchanted's number but was put on wait for a long time. I will just call my credit card company now. Hope I will get my money back soon.

 

[LightBright]

Was the chip in the middle of the table or edge? If in the middle, that's very odd and unlikely to happen from a drop or a prong-release, unless the diamond had a knot?

Sorry to threadjack. The chip was on a facet at the edge of the table (one of the lines that form the octagon). If you looked at that table edge, one of the six sides, the chip was in the middle of that table edge on the table side. It was a tiny, flea bite size. But there. I don’t know how it was possible. That’s why I don’t blame anyone. Mysterious!

 

[doberman]

Definitely call the cc company. I've had to do this 2x over the past several years (not for diamonds). It's good to get it on record ASAP.

 

[blueMA]

It's enchanted diamonds. I bought from Blue Nile several years ago. Everything went perfect that time. This time enchanted diamonds offers a better price so I went with them.

With all virtual stone vendors, it's best to call and place an order after confirming that a diamond is indeed available for someone to call the supplier immediately. If you simply purchase a stone and process a credit order through the automated processing, the likelihood of the stone not being available or it getting snatched before someone at the vendor eventually procures the stone is pretty high, especially with nicer stones. This is a problem with ALL vendors with virtual inventory.

However, the problem of not contacting you immediately or not refunding for over two weeks is inexcusable and this needs to be reported to BBB, CCC, and online reviews.

 

[mandyXL]

With all virtual stone vendors, it's best to call and place an order after confirming that a diamond is indeed available for someone to call the supplier immediately. If you simply purchase a stone and process a credit order through the automated processing, the likelihood of the stone not being available or it getting snatched before someone at the vendor eventually procures the stone is pretty high, especially with nicer stones. This is a problem with ALL vendors with virtual inventory.

However, the problem of not contacting you immediately or not refunding for over two weeks is inexcusable and this needs to be reported to BBB, CCC, and online reviews.

I asked before purchasing. They told me it's available. I requested for a picture, didn't get a reply for an hour so I purchased it. Another hour later, I got a reply told me the diamond got purchased since the last communication. I thought 'well that was me'. The website told me to expect the shipment this week.

btw I called my credit card company to start the dispute process.