Bad experience with James Allen!

[door knob solitaire]

Woo Hoo!!

That is proof that the JA staff does care...and would never take the attitude of that is just TOO BAD!

This company wants you to have the celebration of your dreams...as does each and every one of the PSers including MOI!

I couldn''t be more thrilled for you!

And lets all give a great big shout out to JA and his little elves...as they really did a great job on this one! With an avalanche of parcels that went out this one got a special Saturday delivery! Whoo Hoo! They rock! §

 

[Maisie]

Yey! New ring New ring!!! Can''t wait to see it!

 

[belle]

yay! good news!

hope something was learned here too.

venting is understood around here.....trashing a good vendor before there is even a resolution.....not so much.

james allen = good experience.

glad you will get your gift in time! i hope it brings you happiness.

 

[Haven]

Oh I''m so glad you''ll have your package for the holiday, Coda!

Kudos for Jim Schultz for taking the time to make it happen.

I''ll be impatiently waiting to see pictures . . .

 

[dvd dealer]

I would like to start off by thanking everyone at James Allen for going the extra mile to make sure this package made it on time. Now with that being said I would like to talk about why this rant even started. When I called JA and ordered the ring in the beginning of Dec, I was told that there would be no problem receiving it before Christmas. This past Thursday I received an email stating that it was being sent next day and I would have it on Friday, but when I clicked on the link in the email it said that it was being sent 2 day and I should receive it by Monday. I know this is before Christmas Day, as doorknob had so eloquently pointed out to my wife, but FedEx does not guarantee delivery this close to the holiday.

I have it now and that is great, but I believe I was put through a bit of unnecessary anxiety because it seems too close to not getting it on time. I know what it is like to deal with the e-commerce community. I own and operate a website that ships out 2,000 to 2,500 packages a day during this season. Now, there are dozens of sites you can buy DVDs from, but I pride myself on our customer service. My company can make mistakes too and that is all this is about. It is about a customer service rep that did not communicate well with the customer and how the president of the company had to interject to fix the problem.

It seems to me that JA still needs to train their CSR just a little bit more. While there are dozens of site that I can buy rings from, the one with the best customer service will win every time.

 

[Jenn5504]

I''m so glad your ring arrived in time, Coda! I''m so glad there is a happy ending to this situation and can''t wait to see your ring!

 

[Fly Girl]

Yeh!!! Glad to hear that you got the ring in time for Christmas!

Merry Christmas, and looking forward to lots of pictures!!!

 

[Mara]

kudos jim for coming in and posting even when it's about a negative experience. my personal experience with PS vendors is that the 'well loved' ones are well loved for a reason. they don't tell customers 'too bad'...and that's why they get so much business from PS. also i am not surprised to hear that JA is going to be in the office today making sure that packages were delivered and picked up...because i could easily see all the PS vendors doing that because they are smaller businesses with a real personal touch who do care.

for me there is almost always something that went wrong with communication on BOTH parts. of EVERY situation. because frankly, miscommunication doesn't happen if both parties are over communicating. that's my style. over communicate. because that is how mistakes are avoided. sure it's not ideal to have to over communicate...in an ideal world we'd never have to. but unfortunately everyone is moving at the speed of light nowadays and that is why small details can be overlooked. i'd rather err on the side of too much info vs not enough and feel like i could have done more.

also i have had experiences with fedex or other shippers where if you call and stress just how important something is, they will try their best to help you. the day of the shipment scheduled, many times you can call the corporate #, get routed to your local office where chances are your package is sitting there or out on a truck and make arrangements to have it rerouted OR sometimes they will even tell you where it is...aka in your neighborhood or wherever and you can drive and go find it. sure not ideal but when it comes to stuff like this...sometimes you just gotta go the extra mile to get what you want.

as for where to purchase, i typically will purchase from whoever has the item i want at the time, supply and demand....and also where i know that their CS is proven to help me out in an issue...not every experience is going to be perfect but it's how the company deals with when things DON'T go right that speaks to me. i had a PITA experience this holiday with banana republic which i escalated to a manager....we were BOTH at fault (i ordered wrong size and didn't call to change it, but their systems had already processed by the time they read my email, resulting in a cancellation of order rather than just changing size) but they made it right for me in the end and my package with my hubby's goodies arrived on time with the right sizes in the end.

anyway, glad that you got your ring on time and hope you like it and PLEASE post pictures....and also hope that both JA and coda's hubby learned a thing from this whole experience. happy holidays!

 

[BriBee]

Date: 12/22/2007 2:20:43 PM
Author: dvd dealer

I have it now and that is great, but I believe I was put through a bit of unnecessary anxiety because it seems too close to not getting it on time. I know what it is like to deal with the e-commerce community. I own and operate a website that ships out 2,000 to 2,500 packages a day during this season. Now, there are dozens of sites you can buy DVDs from, but I pride myself on our customer service. My company can make mistakes too and that is all this is about. It is about a customer service rep that did not communicate well with the customer and how the president of the company had to interject to fix the problem.

It seems to me that JA still needs to train their CSR just a little bit more. While there are dozens of site that I can buy rings from, the one with the best customer service will win every time.

I think the moral of the story here is that the well-respected PS vendors have earned their status for a reason, and that it would have been better to wait until the package arrived before posting complaints on here. In the end, your package arrived and your wife will have a lovely present on Christmas morning

And the one other thing is that I noticed you mentioned you own and operate your business, is this correct? It would seem to me, then, that even if the package were arriving later on Christmas Eve, since you own the business, you could have waited for it? But that point is moot now since you received your package nice and early

 

[belle]

Date: 12/22/2007 2:20:43 PM
Author: dvd dealer

I would like to start off by thanking everyone at James Allen for going the extra mile to make sure this package made it on time. Now with that being said I would like to talk about why this rant even started. When I called JA and ordered the ring in the beginning of Dec, I was told that there would be no problem receiving it before Christmas. This past Thursday I received an email stating that it was being sent next day and I would have it on Friday, but when I clicked on the link in the email it said that it was being sent 2 day and I should receive it by Monday. I know this is before Christmas Day, as doorknob had so eloquently pointed out to my wife, but FedEx does not guarantee delivery this close to the holiday.

so you were basing your frustration/disappointment/bad experience/rant on what was on the fedex site and not what was said to you by jamesallen??
-1 for you
+1 for jamesallen for doing exactly what they said they would.
(maybe even +2 since they said you would get it before christmas when you ordered AND when they sent it out)

Date: 12/22/2007 2:20:43 PM
Author: dvd dealer

I have it now and that is great, but I believe I was put through a bit of unnecessary anxiety because it seems too close to not getting it on time.

-1 for you for allowing yourself to be put through unecessary anxiety. you ordered during the absolute busiest time of the year and still got your package before christmas. if you expected anything else, you should have been more specific.

I know what it is like to deal with the e-commerce community. I own and operate a website that ships out 2,000 to 2,500 packages a day during this season. Now, there are dozens of sites you can buy DVDs from, but I pride myself on our customer service. My company can make mistakes too and that is all this is about. It is about a customer service rep that did not communicate well with the customer and how the president of the company had to interject to fix the problem.

relaying your experience with e-commerce makes it easy to understand the position james allen was put in. how would you feel if one of your customers went on the most popular dvd site and said ''bad experience with dvd dealer'' when you didn''t even have a chance to address the issue yet?
your package came TODAY. jim schultz did not have to intervene to fix the problem. the problem was, you allowed yourself to become upset about the package not arriving on time when in fact it was on it''s way to your doorstep. there was no late package.
i don''t know what exactly was said, or not said in your converstaion with the rep but hopefully jamesallen has/will train their staff on what to do in these sort of situations in the future.

Date: 12/22/2007 2:20:43 PM
Author: dvd dealer

It seems to me that JA still needs to train their CSR just a little bit more. While there are dozens of site that I can buy rings from, the one with the best customer service will win every time.

best of luck to you. i guess that means coda gets more sparklies?

sorry you felt you had a bad experience. most of the time (speaking from my OWN experience) it''s our own expectations that are the biggest disappointments.

 

[diagem]

Date: 12/22/2007 2:20:43 PM
Author: dvd dealer

I would like to start off by thanking everyone at James Allen for going the extra mile to make sure this package made it on time. Now with that being said I would like to talk about why this rant even started. When I called JA and ordered the ring in the beginning of Dec, I was told that there would be no problem receiving it before Christmas. This past Thursday I received an email stating that it was being sent next day and I would have it on Friday, but when I clicked on the link in the email it said that it was being sent 2 day and I should receive it by Monday. I know this is before Christmas Day, as doorknob had so eloquently pointed out to my wife, but FedEx does not guarantee delivery this close to the holiday.

I have it now and that is great, but I believe I was put through a bit of unnecessary anxiety because it seems too close to not getting it on time. I know what it is like to deal with the e-commerce community. I own and operate a website that ships out 2,000 to 2,500 packages a day during this season. Now, there are dozens of sites you can buy DVDs from, but I pride myself on our customer service. My company can make mistakes too and that is all this is about. It is about a customer service rep that did not communicate well with the customer and how the president of the company had to interject to fix the problem.

It seems to me that JA still needs to train their CSR just a little bit more. While there are dozens of site that I can buy rings from, the one with the best customer service will win every time.

I am reading..., and can keep amazing myself how risky a on-line jewelry business is!!!
Reputation is all..., especially in the jewelry segment..., and here unfortunately you see a perfect example how a reputation can get dinged in a second.
And with no merit!!!

DVD..., if you are in e commerce..., than I would expect more caution from you (before ranting off

)..., unless you are a rookie in this business

A wise saying: "Dont do to others what you dont want others to do to you"

The only thing I am still trying to figure out..., why dont we get a comment from the ranter

I would strongly suggest people to weigh words prior to ranting..., you can never know the price/cost beforehand!

 

[Skippy123]

This actually reminds me of something that happened to me. I agreed to meet a friend for a sightseeing tour at 9:30; the tour started at 9:30 so I thought to myself I would get there at 9:25. I get to the bus at 9:25 (mind you we both agreed on 9:30). This friend said you could have been late; I looked at my watch and said it is 9:25 I am not late. She got upset with me and said you might have been, then I said well I am here no?!?!

I think sometimes we expect things that are not communicated to the other person, just in our thoughts. I am glad you received your ring on time; can't wait for pics! I also am happy JA chimed in and everything ended happy.

 

[Quash]

It's actually pretty sad that James Schultz can post here that the package is already at dvd dealer's office and that rather than being a gentleman about it, dvd dealer can't resist getting in a final swipe at JA rather than doing a mea culpa and admitting that he might be a part of the communication problem. How ungracious. I will be curious to see Coda's response.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I am happy to hear that your ring will be under the tree, and I think that it was very noble of Jim to come and post here on behalf of James Allen.

 

[mommybuss]

I have to say I am always a cynic, and expect the worst (HORRIBLE, I know....I guess just past experience). I am AMAZED that JA took the time to come here and reply as graciously as he did, AND that he followed it up with delivery confirmation!!! This is the type of company that I would be HONORED to do business with!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

[angel_nieves]

Hooray for James Allen!

Thought I have to say that this post was in the way of being overly judgmental and snide

. I have to say the way JA handled the situation has blown me over, if ever I looking for more sparklies they will be one of the first companies I go to.
Quick question does James Allen do custom mounts?

 

[Kaleigh]

Kudos to James Allen, always love a happy ending!!!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 12/22/2007 10:54:52 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Kudos to James Allen, always love a happy ending!!!

well said
Bravo

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 12/22/2007 3:42:12 PM
Author: DiaGem
I am reading..., and can keep amazing myself how risky a on-line jewelry business is!!!
Reputation is all..., especially in the jewelry segment..., and here unfortunately you see a perfect example how a reputation can get dinged in a second.
And with no merit!!!

The other PS vendors are going whew it wasn't me this time.
That is the fish bowl of PS.
It does serve too keep the vendors on their toes so it isn't all bad.
It makes them work hard and better which is good for them and for consumers.
We the consumers aren't dumb we are watching and know even the best is going to have a problem from time too time.
Read the comments from the regulars in this thread.
When they legitemately mess up they get spanked a little then they do the best they can too resolve it and make sure it doesn't happen again and life goes on.
How they resolve it is far more important than a problem happening because they are going too happen.

 

[stebbo]

Date: 12/22/2007 3:42:12 PM
Author: DiaGem
I am reading..., and can keep amazing myself how risky a on-line jewelry business is!!!
Reputation is all..., especially in the jewelry segment..., and here unfortunately you see a perfect example how a reputation can get dinged in a second.
And with no merit!!!

I''m not sure a company would have a repuation to be dinged if customer service wasn''t a priority. They were in no danger. In fact, JA has come out of this looking better than if the incident never happened.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 12/23/2007 12:03:13 AM
Author: stebbo

Date: 12/22/2007 3:42:12 PM
Author: DiaGem
I am reading..., and can keep amazing myself how risky a on-line jewelry business is!!!
Reputation is all..., especially in the jewelry segment..., and here unfortunately you see a perfect example how a reputation can get dinged in a second.
And with no merit!!!

I''m not sure a company would have a repuation to be dinged if customer service wasn''t a priority. They were in no danger. In fact, JA has come out of this looking better than if the incident never happened.

I agree.

 

[iheartscience]

I''m glad everything worked out for the best! Way to make it happen, James Allen!

And I look forward to seeing your new sparkly, coda!

 

[Regular Guy]

Since my own experience with Jim is getting musty, maybe I shouldn't pipe up at all. But it seems hardly anyone is backing DVD Dealer & Coda, and I feel like the underdogs in this thread could use an ounce of support.

They might have taken one approach, and Steel mentions it earlier...

Date: 12/22/2007 8:23:20 AM
Author: Steel
Hi Coda,
I think [0.02] a couple of comments directed to you have been harsh. Your thread is exactly the reason I chose not to post about a negative experience I felt I had with a well loved PS Vendor. Yes I think it might have been more PC for you to post after Christmas had come and gone and no ring sat waiting for you under your tree. But I get it, you are upset that your DH's wonderful and thoughtful gift to you will not be there Christmas morning. That’s ok. I am sorry too, for you, if indeed it fails to arrive.

In point of fact, this couple could have waited until after Christmas. What no one knows is the result if they had waited. We DO know what has come forward since they had not waited. They got their ring, in time, as requested...and as we learned...the request did come at the time of the order.

Although I mistake Andrey for Sergey in my two posts in this thread, I make this point there:

"Jim offers you the safety net determined by only the amount of concern you are able to identify and bring to bear, based on what you've learned you want to be concerned about."

In my long in the tooth experience with Jim, he was happy to have a minor craftsmanship problem I had taken care of by another vendor, and I chose to only report on my experience after all was said and done. For me, this might have gone differently, had I given notice of the problem on Pricescope...but one will never know. Frankly...in my case...I think the route I took was the most expeditious, my problem was different than the one DVD Dealer experienced, and it's hard to compare them.

Except...that both were somewhat minor, both concern customer service...and maybe our experience was similar in that regard.

 

[strmrdr]

Hey RG hope your having a wonderful holiday season!
There is nothing wrong with posting complaints in a fair manner when needed.
I have blasted PS vendors in the past and I doubt they will forget it.
But in this case it didn''t really pass the reasonable test.
1: dec 6 for a Christmas delivery is pushing it everything would have to go perfect for it too be met.
A lot of time that will be out of the vendors control.
2: technically it was going too be there on the 24th which as pointed out is before the 25th.
3: I saw nothing about resolving it with Jim, I expect a consumer too go too the top before I go too bat for them.

Jim got involved and it got resolved you cant really ask for more than that.
Several thousand people could post that they had a no problem with a product or service from JA but there is always going to a few times that stuff happens.
It did and its resolved YAHH!!!

 

[gontama]

Date: 12/22/2007 11:14:53 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 12/22/2007 3:42:12 PM
Author: DiaGem
I am reading..., and can keep amazing myself how risky a on-line jewelry business is!!!
Reputation is all..., especially in the jewelry segment..., and here unfortunately you see a perfect example how a reputation can get dinged in a second.
And with no merit!!!

The other PS vendors are going whew it wasn''t me this time.
That is the fish bowl of PS.
It does serve too keep the vendors on their toes so it isn''t all bad.
It makes them work hard and better which is good for them and for consumers.
We the consumers aren''t dumb we are watching and know even the best is going to have a problem from time too time.
Read the comments from the regulars in this thread.
When they legitemately mess up they get spanked a little then they do the best they can too resolve it and make sure it doesn''t happen again and life goes on.
How they resolve it is far more important than a problem happening because they are going too happen.

Agreed ... one might say that is the most important. It is going to happen as long as a vendor is operated by human beings. How a problem is resolved to a great degree defines a vendor imo. A problem is not only a risk but can be a great opportunity for a vendor as well. Glad to see a very professional resolution by JA.

 

[Quash]

I can''t help but note that Coda appeared here a number of times attacking JA for not delivering the ring before X-Mas, and then once it was confirmed by Shultz, himself, that it had been delivered three days before X-Mas, she never posted again with a simple thank you, apology or even partial apology acknowledging the communication glitch might have been a two-way street. Disappointing.

 

[Jypsie]

I haven''t posted on this subject, but of course have opinions - I always have opinions.

Quash puts to words exactly what I have thought throughout this post, and you do it very well, Quash - so there has been no point to posting, and honestly isn''t really a point in posting now. HOWEVER, I''m a little bit disappointed and angry with the fact that the incident happened the way it did - I''m sorry for everyone involved, Coda, JA, Jim Shultz, and Coda''s DH.

Here''s what is kind of bugging me and why I am dipping my toes into this pond now - how can Coda come here, complain about something, find out that the "something" she is complaining about has been rectified, Christmas Saved, and then disappear without so much as a thank you?

That''s extremely bad form. Tsk tsk tsk.

First, JA had absolutely NO way of knowing that DH''s work was closing early, which would prevent you from receiving your gift.

Second, once JA was made aware of this, they did what they could to correct it - and they were in fact successful.

Third, assumptions are dangerous, we all heard that wonderful little thing when we were in school "Never assume - it makes an ASS out of U and ME" - if you know what your expectations are, and you have special circumstances revolving around those expectations, it is important that they be communicated clearly and that you offer possible solutions to prevent problems from arising from thos special circumstances.

So after all of that - JA has actually earned some respect from me, right up there with GOG, WF and Diamond.com - these are the vendors I''ve used since discovering this site, and they have all been absolutely fantastic!!!

I''m still waiting to hear something from Coda - I hope she can prove that she''s not as petty as it seems by disappearing and ignoring the efforts on JA''s part with this situation.

 

[Mara]

in all fairness, it is in the thick of the holiday season right now....so posting may not be on top of their priority list or maybe they are traveling...given that coda is a long-term PS member with a good history, i would imagine she deserves a little extra leeway re not posting yet....tar and feathering isn't an attractive thing regardless. i'm sure at some point she or hubby will come back to the thread and post.

 

[Steel]

Date: 12/24/2007 2:26:41 PM
Author: Mara
in all fairness, it is in the thick of the holiday season right now....so posting may not be on top of their priority list or maybe they are traveling...given that coda is a long-term PS member with a good history, i would imagine she deserves a little extra leeway re not posting yet....tar and feathering isn''t an attractive thing regardless. i''m sure at some point she or hubby will come back to the thread and post.

Thanks Mara, nicely said.

 

[HEPennypacker]

Date: 12/24/2007 3:02:13 PM
Author: Steel

Date: 12/24/2007 2:26:41 PM

Author: Mara

in all fairness, it is in the thick of the holiday season right now....so posting may not be on top of their priority list or maybe they are traveling...given that coda is a long-term PS member with a good history, i would imagine she deserves a little extra leeway re not posting yet....tar and feathering isn''t an attractive thing regardless. i''m sure at some point she or hubby will come back to the thread and post.

Thanks Mara, nicely said.

Indeed