Bad experience with James Allen!

[Lynn B]

Well, all''s well that ends well.

Jim, thanks for posting. All things considered, I think JA did a great job!

And I hope Coda *ADORES* her new ring!

 

[DrH2O]

Lets get something straight here....there is nothing wrong with ordering on Dec 6. I am sick of hearing about how that is cutting it close. If a vendor thinks its cutting it close, they should have indicated that to begin with. But of course as with majority of the vendors they would say otherwise because they want the sale and deal with the negativity later on. The airline business does this all the time, they overbook then they offer $200 certificates for someone who is willing to be bumped. In this case JA sales rep wanted to book the sale and deal with not meeting its obligation later on. Secondly, they know its the holiday season so staff up. If you do not want to staff up to meet your customer demand then dont accept the order or accept it with the premise that you will not be able to make it. So stop with the crap about ordering on Dec 6 is cutting it close. Also, it should not take the CEO of a company to resolve anr issue such as this. All of a sudden you think JA is so great cuz theyre CEO stepped up, give me a break.

 

[diagem]

Date: 12/25/2007 8:47:07 AM
Author: DrH2O
Lets get something straight here....there is nothing wrong with ordering on Dec 6. I am sick of hearing about how that is cutting it close. If a vendor thinks its cutting it close, they should have indicated that to begin with. But of course as with majority of the vendors they would say otherwise because they want the sale and deal with the negativity later on. The airline business does this all the time, they overbook then they offer $200 certificates for someone who is willing to be bumped. In this case JA sales rep wanted to book the sale and deal with not meeting its obligation later on. Secondly, they know its the holiday season so staff up. If you do not want to staff up to meet your customer demand then dont accept the order or accept it with the premise that you will not be able to make it. So stop with the crap about ordering on Dec 6 is cutting it close. Also, it should not take the CEO of a company to resolve anr issue such as this. All of a sudden you think JA is so great cuz theyre CEO stepped up, give me a break.

Reality check... (just because you mention the Co. name)!!!

The "sale" got there on time!!

 

[basisforaday]

bottom line is the purchase was made on the 3rd, the customer made the assumption that the purchase on the 3rd would be shipped relatively close to the third, because the website had not indicated otherwise (also not every spends hours a day on a diamond message board to learn how these things work).

Someone here stated that not everyone celebrates christmas. What if this had been a last minute splurge for Hanukkah, for someone who had been extra nice

? Faults on both ends.

Shame on all of you for your over the top criticisms of coda and her husband. Were they premature, yes. Were they taken care of in the end, yes. Were their fears of not receiving a ring that in the husbands mind could have shipped the 4th very real, yes.

I understand that some of you are very close to the vendors, but I think that in this case it clouded your judgment.

 

[TheDoctor]

Date: 12/25/2007 8:47:07 AM
Author: DrH2O
Lets get something straight here....there is nothing wrong with ordering on Dec 6. I am sick of hearing about how that is cutting it close. If a vendor thinks its cutting it close, they should have indicated that to begin with. But of course as with majority of the vendors they would say otherwise because they want the sale and deal with the negativity later on. The airline business does this all the time, they overbook then they offer $200 certificates for someone who is willing to be bumped. In this case JA sales rep wanted to book the sale and deal with not meeting its obligation later on. Secondly, they know its the holiday season so staff up. If you do not want to staff up to meet your customer demand then dont accept the order or accept it with the premise that you will not be able to make it. So stop with the crap about ordering on Dec 6 is cutting it close. Also, it should not take the CEO of a company to resolve anr issue such as this. All of a sudden you think JA is so great cuz theyre CEO stepped up, give me a break.

IMHO, ordering Dec. 6th is fine if you are buying stocked, mass-produced items such as an IPod or skateboard in time for Christmas, but what people don''t realize is that the people who work at the bench putting together these sometimes complicated, personally customized items get very, very little sleep during December, and are at the mercy of procrastinating, dithering consumers and the salespeople who reward their slacker behavior with soft promises.
On average, orders placed Dec. 1st are challenging to promise for delivery prior to Dec. 24th. Try booking a flight for Dec. 24 on Dec. 1st. There is a lot of demand by other people who got it together and booked before you.

Staffing up before the holiday season isn''t an easy option in the jewellery business. You simply can''t poach employees from Starbucks to finish castings and set hundreds of diamonds prior to Christmas. You double efforts and accept that there may be people who freak on you because their heads are very securely tucked into their nether regions while you are missing your family, proper meals, and the comfort and joy that everyone else seems to be enjoying during the lead-up to Christmas. All that freaking was for nothing, if put into proper perspective. Usually is.

I think James handled the flaming he received with an admirable level of calm, a true professional. I''m sure his staff were pedalling as fast as they could, and someone or a group of someones made this anxiety-plagued transaction complete in time for Christmas, and I hope that those who had a hand in making this happen get a couple of day''s rest, time with family, and a little cash so that they don''t decide that this insanity is too much for them and find more sensible work elsewhere.

If there''s a lesson in all of this, it should be that bench jewellers are not short-order cooks, and you can''t show up at the restaurant 10 minutes before closing and then shout at the cook to hurry the f*ck up and expect the other patrons to like you.

 

[DrH2O]

Lets get something straight here....there is nothing wrong with ordering on Dec 6. I am sick of hearing about how that is cutting it close. If a vendor thinks its cutting it close, they should have indicated that to begin with. But of course as with majority of the vendors they would say otherwise because they want the sale and deal with the negativity later on. The airline business does this all the time, they overbook then they offer $200 certificates for someone who is willing to be bumped. In this case JA sales rep wanted to book the sale and deal with not meeting its obligation later on. Secondly, they know its the holiday season so staff up. If you do not want to staff up to meet your customer demand then dont accept the order or accept it with the premise that you will not be able to make it. So stop with the crap about ordering on Dec 6 is cutting it close. Also, it should not take the CEO of a company to resolve a minor issue such as this. All of a sudden you think JA is so great cuz theyre CEO stepped up, give me a break.

 

[coda72]

Forgive me for not posting earlier, but I have been working 12 and 13 hour days all weekend, and posting to a diamond forum has not been my absolute top priority. I received my ring this morning, and it''s very nice. Thank you James Allen for delivering it in time.

 

[Steel]

Hi Coda,

I made my feelings clear and have nothing but the best of wishes for you and your husband.

Would you pretty please post in SMTR? Please?

 

[Mara]

Coda, please definitely post that beauty in SMTR when you have a moment!!

Hope you guys are enjoying the holidays!

 

[bee*]

Date: 12/25/2007 10:42:56 AM
Author: coda72
Forgive me for not posting earlier, but I have been working 12 and 13 hour days all weekend, and posting to a diamond forum has not been my absolute top priority. I received my ring this morning, and it''s very nice. Thank you James Allen for delivering it in time.

Glad to hear that your ring is lovely! Enjoy it!

 

[LuvThatBling]

As an online vendor (not of jewelry), I feel for my fellow vendors at this time of year, but the customer has some valid points here and doesn't really deserve the level of flaming I see here IMO. FedEx is an excellent shipper and I use them almost exclusively myself, but they aren't perfect. I can vouch that several of my deliveries, perhaps even as many as 10%, missed their estimated delivery times. If I had not anticipated this and shipped ahead of time, I would have made some of my customers very angry. They don't always understand that FedEx is very busy and does not keep a sleigh with a rednosed reindeer who can nagivate a foot of snow .

These type of complaints keep online vendors searching for ways to better serve their customers and address concerns. We all, even the best of us, have room for improvement and it seems that JA will use this experience to learn and improve what sounds like an already excellent company. So from my perspective, this is a happy story for everyone. Coda, I hope you love your ring and I can't wait to see pictures!

 

[Jypsie]

Date: 12/25/2007 10:42:56 AM
Author: coda72
Forgive me for not posting earlier, but I have been working 12 and 13 hour days all weekend, and posting to a diamond forum has not been my absolute top priority. I received my ring this morning, and it''s very nice. Thank you James Allen for delivering it in time.

Coda - Good to hear from you! I''m glad you like your ring and it''s good to see that JA''s efforts were appreciated and helped make Christmas happy for everyone involved. I wanna see pictures!! (they may already be posted, I''m going to go peek in SMTR next)