Diamond Hawk

[Gypsy]

A potential customer is having issues with your company.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/yeesh-gia-vs-egl.203404/page-3#post-3705820#p3705820']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/yeesh-gia-vs-egl.203404/page-3#post-3705820#p3705820[/URL]

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Thanks Gypsy - I will research the issue - thank you for your pro-activity.

 

[Gypsy]

OK. This is getting ridiculous. I am going to have to stop recommending B2C. Nothing works the way it should. This poster can't even put a stone on hold!
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-online-retailer-for-a-custom-setting.203660/#post-3706499#p3706499']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-online-retailer-for-a-custom-setting.203660/#post-3706499#p3706499[/URL]

I'm sorry your company policies are not user friendly. And I can't keep recommending stones then have buyers be stonewalled by incompetence or cruddy policies.

 

[Andelain]

Gypsy, I tried buying a stone from them with similar results. Inconsistant polocies from one person to the next, one live-chat salesman just abandoning the conversation, etc. I went back to the vendors I trust.

 

[Gypsy]

Yeah. I'm not surprised. This is like the 4th or 5th person that I've recommended stones to that have had issues of some sort. And TWICE now that someone has commented that things sounded "dodgy" with the overseas call center. A few people did have good experiences. But that's just not enough.

For those of us who post on RT, recommendations are a trust. We recommend vendors, they benefit, and we trust that they will take care of the people we recommend with quality customer service. If that breaks down, it damages our reputation, and that of PS and that's just not acceptable.

Not to mention... [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/bc2-thinks-this-cushion-is-a-great-value-your-thoughts.203384/page-2']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/bc2-thinks-this-cushion-is-a-great-value-your-thoughts.203384/page-2[/URL] you can see my comments here about the melee quality.

I'm getting a lot of marketing. But nothing of substance to bear it out. So that's it for me.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

On another thread, someone said they called B2C and the salesperson said that Brian really didn't work there. He is a consultant that does some training for them. But apparently maybe he is also paid to represent them here on the forum. Nothing wrong with that, but he apparently doesn't work in the physical B2C store and is not a fulltime employee for them.

As to the problems, it is why I prefer vendors that carry their own inventory and are not primarily drop shippers.

 

[rockhoundofficiando]

hmm notice Diamond Hawk no longer has his store affiliation listed....

 

[diamondseeker2006]

hmm notice Diamond Hawk no longer has his store affiliation listed....

I can see B2C beneath his signature.

 

[rockhoundofficiando]

my mistake, I must have some setting incorrect here, am not seeing any of the affiliations or tag lines.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

my mistake, I must have some setting incorrect here, am not seeing any of the affiliations or tag lines.

I think that is set somewhere in your account settings.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Hi all.

My role with B2C, which started this past April, is to provide feedback/training and specifically help the company become better established here. It’s been very nice to see our diamonds, specifically those with added scientific information, become more recommended over the last weeks.

Regarding this thread and recent others: “Officially” I’ve been on-leave since June 11, in Europe dealing with a death in my fiancée’s family and settling legal issues on her parents’ behalf. Then, literally as I was returning stateside, my own father passed (not unexpected but still painful). So finding time has been difficult. I’ve tried to continue interacting, as I feel the exchange here can benefit B2C and ultimately the community, but it’s possible there were lapses in my posting that were interpreted as apathy. I assure you that is not the case.

Diamondseeker: I know the thread you referenced. The rep was confused since a Brian used to work in the call center. Details here:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/buying-from-b2c-jewels.203115/#post-3696466#p3696466

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Yeah. I'm not surprised. This is like the 4th or 5th person that I've recommended stones to that have had issues of some sort. And TWICE now that someone has commented that things sounded "dodgy" with the overseas call center. A few people did have good experiences. But that's just not enough.

For those of us who post on RT, recommendations are a trust. We recommend vendors, they benefit, and we trust that they will take care of the people we recommend with quality customer service. If that breaks down, it damages our reputation, and that of PS and that's just not acceptable.

Not to mention... [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/bc2-thinks-this-cushion-is-a-great-value-your-thoughts.203384/page-2']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/bc2-thinks-this-cushion-is-a-great-value-your-thoughts.203384/page-2[/URL] you can see my comments here about the melee quality.

I'm getting a lot of marketing. But nothing of substance to bear it out. So that's it for me.

Gypsy,

Some context about B2C here. Not marketing. Facts about the larger-model, and the now-focus on PS.

https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-diamonds.203291/page-3#post-3703665#p3703665

Among other things, I’m working to bring the issues being raised to the attention of our management team and they are aware of each concern that has been expressed here.

Like you might expect in the diamond world, there are practices and phraseology which work for the masses, but may not work on PriceScope. As an example, the “world” almost unilaterally believes “GIA EX” indicates indisputably superior cut-quality. On Pricescope the experts quickly identify differing levels - rightfully so in my opinion. In the same way, comments about why a setting will or will not work with a particular diamond (I’ll come back to you on that when I’ve received a satisfactory answer), verbal descriptions of diamonds and myriad other particulars away from PS may not fall into conventions here immediately. It’s my belief that dialogue here will be productive.

In fact, it already has been. When a captain of a large cruise ship needs to change course, however, he does so knowing that the bow of the boat will not in fact change course for X number of kilometers after he makes the adjustment. While we have been changing course in a number of ways to accommodate this community, portions of the ship are still headed down the path that most of the e-commerce diamond-buying world requires. Your expressed concerns are understood – and the folks at B2C, from myself to the customer service team to the top guys in New York are aware of them.

I understand your desire to only recommend companies you’re confident-in. I hope we can arrive there.

 

[JulieN]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Gypsy]

I am sorry for you loss as well Diamond Hawk. Hopefully the big cruise ship can be brought to a better course soon.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Thank you for clarifying about your role at B2C. I understand now about the confusion with more than one Brian. I also am very sorry about the loss of your father.

So you would say that the difference between BN and B2C is that BN sends virtual stones to customers without ever seeing them other than their in-house stones, whereas B2C has all stones come to their location before sending them to the customer? BN is definitely considered a drop shipper here even though we know their signature stones are supposedly owned by them. Would you say B2C sells more in-house inventory or virtual inventory?

 

[VRBeauty]

Diamond Hawk: I'm very sorry to read of your family's losses.

 

[CanuckAB]

Very sorry for your loss, Diamond Hawk.

It sounds to me that you are active in helping B2C come up to the standards that PSers expect but that the process is relatively new and will take some time to completely get there, correct? Is there any resistance from B2C on these changes?

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

DiamondSeeker,

So you would say that the difference between BN and B2C is that BN sends virtual stones to customers without ever seeing them other than their in-house stones, whereas B2C has all stones come to their location before sending them to the customer? BN is definitely considered a drop shipper here even though we know their signature stones are supposedly owned by them.

I would say the difference is that we enjoy an inventory just as expansive as BN’s, but are working to provide actual images, ISs and ASETs (a huge undertaking). And where “drop-shipping” implies a sale where the retail-company may never examine the diamond they sold, any diamond we sell is inspected and undergoes QC in our offices.

This happens in two stages. First, any diamond we list has been inspected by a gemologist who has noted things like tint, eye-clean level, fluorescence implications, durability, etc. With proper notes the sales pro who answers the phone can provide accurate gemological information about a potential purchase. This is as-important to us as to the end-client because nobody wants the frustration and expense of returns, especially with some inventory coming from overseas. With several gemologists involved we must work to arrive at consistency of language, terminology and standards, the all-important ability of the sales-pro to give the info in-context, and (more recently) to interpret and explain scientific information surrounding cut-details (such as ASET or IS). The second stage occurs in NYC where the diamond is inspected again, prior to being sent to the client.

So short answer - B2C has every diamond examined by a reporting gemologist and undergoes QC inspections in NYC (loose/set) before we ship. We’re working to provide actual and scientific images where possible, as well.

Would you say B2C sells more in-house inventory or virtual inventory?

That is an interesting question and I would answer it by telling you that since every diamond, without exception, goes through our NYC office and is inspected in-house before being sent to the customer we don’t officially sell any ‘virtual’ inventory. Any diamond is always in our possession prior to be sent to the customer, therefore answerable to us.

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

It sounds to me that you are active in helping B2C come up to the standards that PSers expect but that the process is relatively new and will take some time to completely get there, correct? Is there any resistance from B2C on these changes?

Thanks for checking CanuckAB – no, B2C is engaged in improving the responsiveness to and providing the type of details expected on PS. The NYC management team is fully engaged, but it is a large operation with many facets (a gem pun!) – this is, frankly, why they have asked me to help with the company training and presence here on PScope.

The good news is that B2C is being talked about (obviously) and I think the quality of product for the diamond consumer is improving (see the available ASETs and details for our products). But there are other areas where the PScope community would like to see further steps taken – and we are incorporating those as well.