buying online: recourse

[ryan8211]

Hi - I've pretty much decided to go the online route
I've never purchased something like this online so I'm nervous of course.
having a means for recourse is important to me -- I would never be foolish and wire money no matter the discount offered. I feel that this purchase should be on a credit card so it can be disputed if it isnt what it claims to be, if the company doesnt honor their return policy etc etc

so polling the crowd:

does anyone know what stance the major Credit card companies have on diamonds/gems - are the eligable for dispute. what terms and conditions apply. what is isn't covered.

I'll ask them directly, but wanted to know if anyone has good/bad experiences to share, or any personal research on this topic

thanks

 

[chrono]

Ryan,
This probably isn''t of much help but I''ve only purchased fom trusted Pricescope vendors like Whiteflash, Wink and Goodoldgold. Their diamonds are as represented and awesomely gorgeous. I''ve not ever needed to return or dispute anything. I''ve seen GOG honour their return, buy back and upgrade policy firsthand.

 

[Todd Gray]

Most reputable online diamond dealers offer the option of sending the diamond to an independent Gemologist / Appraiser of a client''s choosing prior so that the characteristics of the diamond may be verified by a neutral third party prior to the client actually paying for the diamond - which enables the client to have the peace of mind that the diamond they are purchasing is viable and of the quality advertised - and which enables the client to take advantage of the cash / wire transfer discount price if they so desire without worry as to whether the vendor is legitimate.

Beyond that, consider the fact that most of the vendors here on PS have been around for quite some time - several vendors have been selling diamonds online for more than a decade or so - if people were not receiving the diamonds they were paying for, it wouldn''t take very long for those vendors to be fried to a crisp here on PS! Let''s see, I venture to say it would take 1-2-3 seconds

 

[Moh 10]

If you buy from a B&M or an online vendor with no Pricescope presence and there is a problem it is you and the vendor.
You are all alone.

One benefit of buying from a PS vendor is you can post complaints here.
It is rare, but it happens.

When a customer posts a complaint the vendor knows that a zillion eyes are watching how they resolve things.
IIRC they all have gone the customer's way.

To me this makes PS vendors the safest vendors in the world to buy diamonds from.

 

[mrssalvo]

keep in mind too that many of the vendors with an online presence are actually local stores. Goodoldgold is in Long Island, Pearlmans is in Michigan, NiceIce is in Oregon, Winfields is in Idaho etc. they have just managed to tap into the internet market as well as maintaining their walk in jewelry business.

 

[shelleydog]

I think it''s safe if you wire to a vendor here with good feedback. I have wired several times with Whiteflash. In fact, I did an upgrade but wanted to see the new diamond first, so I wired money for it, they shipped it, I decided to keep it, and then sent the old stone back to them. They cut me a check for the price of my old stone within three days of receiving the stone (another great benefit of using some of the vendors here - better upgrade policies than I''ve seen in any b&M).

 

[sarah95]

I bought my diamond from usacerteddiamonds.com (a ps vendor) and payed via wire transfer. I was told that bank wires are safer than credit card transactions because the money can be traced and there''s a paper trail. My husband and I were incredibly nervous to wire such a large amount of money, but being as USA Certed is a reputable company, there were no problems.