Well,
I''ve been reading on Pricescope for awhile and I''ve finally purchased a stone/setting combination from Whiteflash. I''m very excited about it and I''m sure I''ll be thrilled with it when it arrives. (see thread here)
There is one fly in the ointment, though, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Whiteflash, so please don''t get that impression. This will be long and involved, so read on at your own risk.
When I was shopping for the stone/setting, I went to a local diamond wholesaler in Charlotte with a very nice store and HUGE selection of settings (two of which my GF was very fond). Before I went in, I was convinced that I wanted an AGS/GIA Ideal Stone, just as big as I could afford, and was pretty well set on an ACA. When there, the saleswoman led me to believe that a particular EGL (Israel) graded stone was the be-all and end-all of diamonds and she was cutting me the best deal ever on a particular stone. (Oh, and if I wanted to put a 20% downpayment on it to hold it, it would be completely refundable if I changed my mind.) No big deal, I figured. So, I put 20% down and went home to dig a little deaper into the lab threads on Pricescope. Turns out, some EGL certs aren''t worth the paper they''re written on and I''m suddenly feeling quite duped.
I email said wholesaler saying I want a refund. No problem, just stop by the store, she says. After that, I find the wonderful ACA stone from Whiteflash and buy it.
Later that week, I go into the wholesaler for the refund. My saleslady''s not there, so someone else gives me the rundown, telling me there are no guarantees from the internet and that the internet is made up of stones that retailers reject, etc., etc. I''m not buying it, and I still want the refund. He says no problem, I''ll go run it for you.
Then the owner of the store walks in and sits down with all my paperwork and the diamond I put on hold. He asks me why I''m taking my business elsewhere, and I explain to him that I felt duped on the EGL cert/stone and that I''m not looking for a "good enough" diamond, I''m looking for "the best" diamond. He then apologizes to me, tells me he''s sure it was a miscommunication between me and the saleswoman (which I highly doubt) and tells me what he''s willing to do to make it right.
He says he''ll pull in 3 or more AGS 000 Light performance 0 stones for me, send me the certs ahead of time, allow me to bring in my stone for direct comparison, and undercut the ACA price by about 12%. I probably wouldn''t even consider it, but I''m drawn to the free inspection, maintenance, and polishing that would come with an e-ring from the wholesaler.
So, should I just roll up in there with my H&A viewer from WF, an Idealscope (to be purchased where I don''t know) and my 20/15 eyes to see what I see? I feel like I would be stiffing WF if I actually chose to go with the Wholesaler, but it would be within the WF return period, so I guess it would be somewhat legit.
I guess I''m asking two/ well three things:
1.) What would you as a consumer do in my situation? and
2.) How important is it to have free lifetime inspection, maintenance, and polishing? (Keep in mind that I WILL be purchasing insurance for any ring)
3.) Would it be shady (unethical) of me to send it back to WF and go with the wholesaler?
Just in case you''re wondering, right now I''m leaning towards probably keeping the WF ring since I don''t think the wholesaler will be able to match the quality of the ACA stone. But I haven''t even seen it yet (or any ACA in person), so I''m not sure.
If you made it all the way to the end, thanks for reading. If you take even more time to respond, thanks for that too!
VanGo.
I''ve been reading on Pricescope for awhile and I''ve finally purchased a stone/setting combination from Whiteflash. I''m very excited about it and I''m sure I''ll be thrilled with it when it arrives. (see thread here)
There is one fly in the ointment, though, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Whiteflash, so please don''t get that impression. This will be long and involved, so read on at your own risk.
When I was shopping for the stone/setting, I went to a local diamond wholesaler in Charlotte with a very nice store and HUGE selection of settings (two of which my GF was very fond). Before I went in, I was convinced that I wanted an AGS/GIA Ideal Stone, just as big as I could afford, and was pretty well set on an ACA. When there, the saleswoman led me to believe that a particular EGL (Israel) graded stone was the be-all and end-all of diamonds and she was cutting me the best deal ever on a particular stone. (Oh, and if I wanted to put a 20% downpayment on it to hold it, it would be completely refundable if I changed my mind.) No big deal, I figured. So, I put 20% down and went home to dig a little deaper into the lab threads on Pricescope. Turns out, some EGL certs aren''t worth the paper they''re written on and I''m suddenly feeling quite duped.
I email said wholesaler saying I want a refund. No problem, just stop by the store, she says. After that, I find the wonderful ACA stone from Whiteflash and buy it.
Later that week, I go into the wholesaler for the refund. My saleslady''s not there, so someone else gives me the rundown, telling me there are no guarantees from the internet and that the internet is made up of stones that retailers reject, etc., etc. I''m not buying it, and I still want the refund. He says no problem, I''ll go run it for you.
Then the owner of the store walks in and sits down with all my paperwork and the diamond I put on hold. He asks me why I''m taking my business elsewhere, and I explain to him that I felt duped on the EGL cert/stone and that I''m not looking for a "good enough" diamond, I''m looking for "the best" diamond. He then apologizes to me, tells me he''s sure it was a miscommunication between me and the saleswoman (which I highly doubt) and tells me what he''s willing to do to make it right.
He says he''ll pull in 3 or more AGS 000 Light performance 0 stones for me, send me the certs ahead of time, allow me to bring in my stone for direct comparison, and undercut the ACA price by about 12%. I probably wouldn''t even consider it, but I''m drawn to the free inspection, maintenance, and polishing that would come with an e-ring from the wholesaler.
So, should I just roll up in there with my H&A viewer from WF, an Idealscope (to be purchased where I don''t know) and my 20/15 eyes to see what I see? I feel like I would be stiffing WF if I actually chose to go with the Wholesaler, but it would be within the WF return period, so I guess it would be somewhat legit.
I guess I''m asking two/ well three things:
1.) What would you as a consumer do in my situation? and
2.) How important is it to have free lifetime inspection, maintenance, and polishing? (Keep in mind that I WILL be purchasing insurance for any ring)
3.) Would it be shady (unethical) of me to send it back to WF and go with the wholesaler?
Just in case you''re wondering, right now I''m leaning towards probably keeping the WF ring since I don''t think the wholesaler will be able to match the quality of the ACA stone. But I haven''t even seen it yet (or any ACA in person), so I''m not sure.
If you made it all the way to the end, thanks for reading. If you take even more time to respond, thanks for that too!
VanGo.
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