Can I talk about CS of Victor Canera here?

[yssie]

I’m slow on the phone and missed that the justification of this $4 gone walkabout is now being actively litigated here on this thread.

Apologies for the interruption. I will say that there are likely a great number of vendors you should refrain from working with in future, @beatricezh.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I will have to say that it was exceptional service that they not only did the sizing and engraving at no charge, but also being uncertain about the driver pick-up, Nicholas actually walked the package to Fed Ex to return it to you. I think after 6 months you should have let the $4 go regardless of whether it was picked up or delivered to Fed Ex. I think I would have been extremely frustrated, too, if I were him.

 

[Beatrice09]

I honestly don't understand what you are saying here. Here is my understanding of events.

1. VC told you FedEx would be $15.
2. You said it would be $4.
3. They were wrong and you were right. You asked for a refund
4. They send you $11 (I assume not realizing you were separately charged with FedEx).
5. You realized (6 months later) they had sent you $11 instead of $15....which is a $4 difference.
6. VC, understandably frustrated at this point, tells you, "no. this matter is closed. I dropped this off for you myself in the middle of COVID and should be charging you. Go away".

Was their last email nice? No. But IMHO it was completely justified given your behavior (If I am understanding the story correctly).

Haha 1-4 was right, but 4. they should have realized if they do their books good; 5. I thought they didn't refund me and emailed - later I found they sent $11 already, not $15; 6. they didn't drop this off for me, I paid Fedex to pick up. If it's like he said he dropped off for me Fedex wouldn't charge.
If you make a mistake, it still is one even if discovered months later and you should sincerely say sorry. Again, what I care here is not the $4.

 

[Beatrice09]

I’m slow on the phone and missed that the justification of this $4 gone walkabout is now being actively litigated here on this thread.

Apologies for the interruption. I will say that there are likely a great number of vendors you should refrain from working with in future, @beatricezh.

Thanks, I do have awesome relationship with a few vendors already before I discovered VC back in 2017 None of them made mistakes and then made more excuses about it while a simple honest explanation and sincere sorry can fix.

 

[Beatrice09]

I will have to say that it was exceptional service that they not only did the sizing and engraving at no charge, but also being uncertain about the driver pick-up, Nicholas actually walked the package to Fed Ex to return it to you. I think after 6 months you should have let the $4 go regardless of whether it was picked up or delivered to Fed Ex. I think I would have been extremely frustrated, too, if I were him.

I do love Victor honoring the warranty and his craftsmanship a huge lot. If you read #24, you'll know it's not a special treatment for me and it has nothing to do with shipping fees. Also Nicholas did not walked the package to Fedex for me. I paid for it to be picked up. I regretted sending the email for a while and was already letting the $4 go - all I expect was he just apologized nicely, a mistake was a mistake after all, but he didn't. I was extremely frustrated that people can just be so not nice, especially for a vendor I dealt with and like so much.

 

[yssie]

I paid Fedex to pick up. If it's like he said he dropped off for me Fedex wouldn't charge.

Oh dear. You obviously don’t deal with FedEx much.

They will most certainly charge for pickup, specify a time window, and then just not show up. Usually it’s because the window you thought you were requesting isn’t the window that FedEx has in their system - despite what you might specify when you create your label. Is it a problem? Yes. Does FedEx care? Not one whit. They charge for that service at time of service request, not at time of service fulfillment - you got billed for that pickup service whether or not they performed it. You can request a refund for the service that wasn’t performed - if it’s worth the hassle and months of waiting. For you, well, it actually might be.

So by my calculation - you owe VC $11 (that they refunded you unnecessarily - they could have told you to go get your refund from FedEx) plus $X for time taken to walk your package out to FedEx personally.

I’m laughing out loud here.

 

[lovedogs]

Haha 1-4 was right, but 4. they should have realized if they do their books good; 5. I thought they didn't refund me and emailed - later I found they sent $11 already, not $15; 6. they didn't drop this off for me, I paid Fedex to pick up. If it's like he said he dropped off for me Fedex wouldn't charge.
If you make a mistake, it still is one even if discovered months later and you should sincerely say sorry. Again, what I care here is not the $4.

I should probably bow out now because this is just unreasonable IMHO.

Nicholas dropped it off FOR YOU (because the FedEx guy didn't come or came too late).

They refunded you $11 out of the $15

Of COURSE he's frustrated with you....you are angry that he went out of his way to drop off your package AND also refunded you $11 out of $15. I am seriously baffled by this.

 

[munchee]

I should probably bow out now because this is just unreasonable IMHO.

Nicholas dropped it off FOR YOU (because the FedEx guy didn't come or came too late).

They refunded you $11 out of the $15

Of COURSE he's frustrated with you....you are angry that he went out of his way to drop off your package AND also refunded you $11 out of $15. I am seriously baffled by this.

I think OP feels being lied to because Nicholas emailed her and said “The FedEx guy pickup your package” and if it were him who dropped the package he should’ve said “I dropped your package” instead of “The FedEx guy pickup your package”

@OP FedEx status isn’t always right! I once got a package from BN, FedEx guy marked my package as delivered but no one at home. Truth is, he never step his foot in my front door. I’ve been waiting for that package the whole morning, there was absolutely no chance I would’ve missed him. And even if I missed him, there was no FedEx notes in my door which should’ve been there if he was here. My CCTV didn’t show a single soul the whole morning, it only catch some birds.

 

[yssie]

I also want to say this to other consumers - on a much more serious note:

ALWAYS have your vendor provide the FedEx shipping label, and pay your vendor for that label. NEVER create labels yourself.

Why?

Vendors have business accounts with FedEx that include both reduced costs and allow much higher declared values on jewellery. If you create your own FedEx label, you take liability during shipment for that package.

Anyone ever read FedEx’s T&C? Buried in the PDF linked below is this quote:

https://www.fedex.com/content/dam/fedex/us-united-states/services/Service_Guide_2021.pdf

F. Shipments (packages or freight) containing all or part of the following items are limitedtoamaximumdeclaredvalueofUS$1,000:
[...]
7. Jewelry, including, but not limited to, costume jewelry, watches and their parts,
mount gems or stones (precious or semiprecious), industrial diamonds, and
jewelry made of precious metal.

What that means for general consumers like us is that FedEx will happily charge you for whatever you’d like to specify for declared value (“shipping insurance”), but if they lose your package their liability is at most $1000. And you’d better believe they’ll fight you every step of your claim.

A vendor with an account with FedEx is able to declare (and actually make FedEx liable for) much higher values, and any claims they raise will be taken much more seriously.

 

[lillibear]

I bought a ring in November - not from VC- and I was overcharged by $25. I contacted them and they told me they would send a check. It is now February and I had not received the check, but I didn’t bother reaching out because I am very busy and just didn’t want to deal with it really. Then.... my check finally arrived this week- 3 months later! So, is it really unreasonable to wait for a business check to arrive for months before reaching out? I think that depends on the individual. Everyone is entitled to their own viewpoints. However, I am very satisfied with the vendor for keeping accurate records and sending my check.

 

[LLJsmom]

I'm still confused. VC said FedEx pick up is $15. For you, Fed Ex said pick up is $4. So without thinking about it more, couldn't the additional $11 be just an additional charge that VC has the right to charge right? There you go. He could charge $1000 for Fed Ex pick up (but no one would pay for it, but that's beside the point).

When I ship, I charge $9 for USPS priority mail. Technically, the cost is $8.45, but I'm too lazy to deal with the $.55 so I'm actually making off like a bandit with the additional $0.55. I'm not lying and anyone can look it up. The buyer is ok with me getting an additional $0.55.

People charge what they charge for shipping. I'm just glad it's not ME that has to go down to some shipping center and spend time and touch stuff and breathe a bunch of potential covid-air to get this stuff done.

Ok, moving on. Fed Ex did not pick up. You paid Fed Ex to pick up and they didn't. That's between you and Fed Ex. Nicholas walked it down to the Fed Ex office for you during Covid when Fed Ex didn't pick up, so that was really nice. He didn't charge you. Yeah. I would not have. Your ring isn't worth the risk to my health.

You asked for $11 and they gave you $11 and now you want the $4?

And what @yssie said about Fed Ex is true. You should be grateful it got hand delivered which is better than having it sit in a truck for their rounds.

 

[munchee]

@yssie I agree with your post about FedEx and vendors!!!! So my story with BN was, I called FedEx numerous times that day because definitely no one in my doorstep! And I needed that package that very day, because it was my SIL studs that my mom need to bring home the following day, so having that studs at that very day is extremely important for me. And also I was busy with so many things that day because my mom need last minute shopping before going home to her home country. And all that phone call resulted with Nothing!! I was told there’s absolutely nothing they can do, and other BS! I called BN told them about my situation, and voila!!!!!!! FedEx guy send it to me in the evening!!!! Only vendors can press the matter and escalate it.

 

[Beatrice09]

Oh dear. You obviously don’t deal with FedEx much.

They will most certainly charge for pickup, specify a time window, and then just not show up. Usually it’s because the window you thought you were requesting isn’t the window that FedEx has in their system - despite what you might specify when you create your label. Is it a problem? Yes. Does FedEx care? Not one whit. They charge for that service at time of service request, not at time of service fulfillment - you got billed for that pickup service whether or not they performed it. You can request a refund for the service that wasn’t performed - if it’s worth the hassle and months of waiting. For you, well, it actually might be.

So by my calculation here - you owe VC $11 (that they refunded you unnecessarily - they could have told you to go get your refund from FedEx) plus $X for time taken to walk your package out to FedEx personally.

I’m laughing out loud here.

I don't know you or me who dealt with Fedex less, but I have had Fedex/UPS/DHL guys pick up from me all the time, I never had someone simply doesn't show up at all in the past ten years. If someone couldn't make it in the time frame they originally scheduled, they always call to reschedule. Plus, I didn't specify any time frame for this pickup with VC when I purchased the label. There's no such option online so Nicholas scheduled it as he knows better about his area.

Still, I was constantly talking to him on chat and I don't recall he said he needed to leave the desk or anything and if he really dropped off the package, he would have told me instead of saying the driver just picked up. Why not show your customer you care? It doesn't make sense at all. To me it looked like he lied now to justify his behavior.

I'm laughing even louder when you have a calculation when Fedex literally charged me instead of them.

 

[Beatrice09]

I should probably bow out now because this is just unreasonable IMHO.

Nicholas dropped it off FOR YOU (because the FedEx guy didn't come or came too late).

They refunded you $11 out of the $15

Of COURSE he's frustrated with you....you are angry that he went out of his way to drop off your package AND also refunded you $11 out of $15. I am seriously baffled by this.

I don't believe he dropped off my package explained in #24. If he did he for sure would have let me know.

 

[Beatrice09]

I think OP feels being lied to because Nicholas emailed her and said “The FedEx guy pickup your package” and if it were him who dropped the package he should’ve said “I dropped your package” instead of “The FedEx guy pickup your package”

@OP FedEx status isn’t always right! I once got a package from BN, FedEx guy marked my package as delivered but no one at home. Truth is, he never step his foot in my front door. I’ve been waiting for that package the whole morning, there was absolutely no chance I would’ve missed him. And even if I missed him, there was no FedEx notes in my door which should’ve been there if he was here. My CCTV didn’t show a single soul the whole morning, it only catch some birds.

Hey there, thank you!! You're right that sometimes the driver would mark the package as delivered but delivered to a wrong place or actually showed up the next day. However, my pickup never went bad before as they always show up the day they were supposed to or call ahead to reschedule. IDK.

 

[Beatrice09]

I also want to say this to other consumers - on a much more serious note:

ALWAYS have your vendor provide the FedEx shipping label, and pay your vendor for that label. NEVER create labels yourself.

Why?

Vendors have business accounts with FedEx that include both reduced costs and allow much higher declared values on jewellery. If you create your own FedEx label, you take liability during shipment for that package.

Anyone ever read FedEx’s T&C? Buried in the PDF linked below is this quote:

https://www.fedex.com/content/dam/fedex/us-united-states/services/Service_Guide_2021.pdf

What that means for general consumers like us is that FedEx will happily charge you for whatever you’d like to specify for declared value (“shipping insurance”), but if they lose your package their liability is at most $1000. And you’d better believe they’ll fight you every step of your claim.

A vendor with an account with FedEx is able to declare (and actually make FedEx liable for) much higher values, and any claims they raise will be taken much more seriously.

I also would like to remind you guys that vendors don't always have the best rate considering the insurance surcharge if you have specific insurance for your jewelry pieces when you send them back for service, lost/damage during shipping is covered, at least for my jewelry insurance (and confirm with your insurance provider).

A lady on instagram has the problem with UPS, their liability is only up to $1000 UNLESS you purchase and sign the contract for additional insurance in an UPS STORE. It has to be all in store, the customer center or online don't count.

 

[munchee]

Since this is a He say and She say case, I’m out of here....

 

[yssie]

Ignoring the remainder of this silliness.

I also would like to remind you guys that vendors don't always have the best rate considering the insurance surcharge if you have specific insurance for your jewelry pieces when you send them back for service, lost/damage during shipping is covered, at least for my jewelry insurance (and confirm with your insurance provider)

Ignore the above, and follow the below as a best practice, unless you’re willing to make a claim against your insurance in case of loss/damage and risk your premiums increasing, or your carrier dropping you altogether (and then having to find another provider with that black mark on your file).

ALWAYS have your vendor provide the FedEx shipping label, and pay your vendor for that label. NEVER create labels yourself.

 

[Beatrice09]

I bought a ring in November - not from VC- and I was overcharged by $25. I contacted them and they told me they would send a check. It is now February and I had not received the check, but I didn’t bother reaching out because I am very busy and just didn’t want to deal with it really. Then.... my check finally arrived this week- 3 months later! So, is it really unreasonable to wait for a business check to arrive for months before reaching out? I think that depends on the individual. Everyone is entitled to their own viewpoints. However, I am very satisfied with the vendor for keeping accurate records and sending my check.

That's awesome that they keep it up with the right thing.
People who would understand my point always would. xx

 

[LLJsmom]

Ignore the above, and follow the below as a best practice, unless you’re willing to make a claim against your insurance in case of loss/damage and risk your premiums increasing, or your carrier dropping you altogether (and then having to find another provider with that black mark on your file).

ALWAYS have your vendor provide the FedEx shipping label, and pay your vendor for that label. NEVER create labels yourself.

I cannot agree more. I always, always choose the vendor's insurance over mine for this reason. I am throwing my money at them to use their insurance. I won't even ship if they won't provide the insurance. I am more than happy to cover the cost.

 

[Beatrice09]

Ignore the above, and follow the below as a best practice, unless you’re willing to make a claim against your insurance in case of loss and risk your premiums increasing, or your carrier dropping you altogether (and then having to find another provider with that black mark on your file).

ALWAYS have your vendor provide the FedEx shipping label, and pay your vendor for that label. NEVER create labels yourself.

Haha my friend bought from Hermes.com, lost her package and had a horrible experience with Hermes and FedEx pointing to each other. When you have your vendor providing the label, you lose even the right to step against the currier directly if your vendor doesn't corporate. It's a personal preference depending on the value of item and the trust between you and the vendor. I also had filed claims with my insurance in the past, premium was even lower the next year. There's many factors influencing the next premium. I prefer my own insurance in my case, end of story.

I'm still confused. VC said FedEx pick up is $15. For you, Fed Ex said pick up is $4. So without thinking about it more, couldn't the additional $11 be just an additional charge that VC has the right to charge right? There you go. He could charge $1000 for Fed Ex pick up (but no one would pay for it, but that's beside the point).

When I ship, I charge $9 for USPS priority mail. Technically, the cost is $8.45, but I'm too lazy to deal with the $.55 so I'm actually making off like a bandit with the additional $0.55. I'm not lying and anyone can look it up. The buyer is ok with me getting an additional $0.55.

People charge what they charge for shipping. I'm just glad it's not ME that has to go down to some shipping center and spend time and touch stuff and breathe a bunch of potential covid-air to get this stuff done.

Ok, moving on. Fed Ex did not pick up. You paid Fed Ex to pick up and they didn't. That's between you and Fed Ex. Nicholas walked it down to the Fed Ex office for you during Covid when Fed Ex didn't pick up, so that was really nice. He didn't charge you. Yeah. I would not have. Your ring isn't worth the risk to my health.

You asked for $11 and they gave you $11 and now you want the $4?

And what @yssie said about Fed Ex is true. You should be grateful it got hand delivered which is better than having it sit in a truck for their rounds.

I will not explain more about why I don't believe he dropped off the package. See #24 plus he firmly said no to drop off the package a number of times. I don't believe if he actually did he didn't tell me when we talked constantly that day to impress me. Doesn't make the slightest sense at all.

 

[Beatrice09]

Since this is a He say and She say case, I’m out of here....

Yeah just wanted to let it out and I welcome everyone say what they want.
Someone will be reminded of something they never thought before, which is a bonus.
Thanks for being here. Have a wonderful evening!

 

[LLJsmom]

Haha my friend bought from Hermes.com, lost her package and had a horrible experience with Hermes and FedEx pointing to each other. When you have your vendor providing the label, you lose even the right to step against the currier directly if your vendor doesn't corporate. It's a personal preference depending on the value of item and the trust between you and the vendor. I also had filed claims with my insurance in the past, premium was even lower the next year. There's many factors influencing the next premium. I prefer my own insurance in my case, end of story.



I will not explain more about why I don't believe he dropped off the package. See #24 plus he firmly said no to drop off the package a number of times. I don't believe if he actually did he didn't tell me when we talked constantly that day to impress me. Doesn't make the slightest sense at all.

Oh I see. You still think he's lying. Oh well. Guess there's no help for that.

 

[yssie]

If you don’t trust that your vendor will go to battle for your parcel and money in a claim against a courier in case of courier fault or negligence, then why on earth would you choose to work with that vendor?

@beatricezh Time to step away from PS. You’re coming off as irrational, petty, and needlessly dramatic. And looking back at your thread history - consider working with vendors directly to answer questions about perceived failures and resolve issues rather than bringing them directly to PS, as these sorts of threads really don’t make you look good.

 

[lovedogs]

Ignoring the remainder of this silliness.


Ignore the above, and follow the below as a best practice, unless you’re willing to make a claim against your insurance in case of loss/damage and risk your premiums increasing, or your carrier dropping you altogether (and then having to find another provider with that black mark on your file).

ALWAYS have your vendor provide the FedEx shipping label, and pay your vendor for that label. NEVER create labels yourself.

This 1000000000000x, especially for high value items. I often ship myself for things that are less expensive (and do so using USPS, etc). But for anything close to an engagement ring, wedding band with sentimental value, etc, I would BEG the vendor to charge me for a return shipping label. It means you are benefitting from their high value of insurance.

 

[Tarquin]

All this over $4, six months later? And the service was complimentary?

Even if you don't think your time has any value, the people at VC might feel differently about their time. There is a pandemic going on right now. You need to take a deep breath and just let this pettiness go.

 

[munchee]

Bottomline, if we still want to have a relationship with any vendors, just let go small mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, we’re all human. Letting go $4 mistake half year ago in return not burning bridges with them is something that all PSers here would agree for.

As for the lying part, only God knows the truth and we won’t be the judge of it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I totally agree that $4 is not worth ruining a relationship with one of the very best ringmakers. It doesn't really matter how the package got to Fed Ex does it? Why on earth would anyone email a vendor over $4 months later when the situation was resolved at the time with the requested refund of $4?!!!

 

[lillibear]

I agree with munchee. i understand OP’s frustration and the principle of the matter. However, I encourage OP to make peace with the situation especially if she hopes to work with VC in the future. Nobody is perfect and people don’t always know the best way to deal with a situation but we have to focus on the big picture and pick the battles worth our energy.

 

[123ducklings]

I’m surprised how many commenters are focusing on the $4. From my reading, the OP’s concern isn’t about the $4 but rather about honest bookkeeping and professional customer service — both of which are completely reasonable considerations, particularly when we’re talking about establishing an ongoing relationship between client and vendor.

I can’t say I would have handled this situation the same way, but so many comments on this thread feel unnecessarily rude and honestly just missing the point.