craighnt
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2013
- Messages
- 133
I knew I shouldn't have done it but I was in for a time crunch so I bit the bullet. Here is what unfolded:
I was trying to save some money so I looked them up online and their price sheet for a stone under 1 c was about $65. Now I new GIA was better but they wanted to hold the diamond for 5 weeks and EGL said it usually only takes about a week. I was in a hurry so I pulled the trigger. That is when the problems started.
The office was in a commercial high rise in downtown LA jewelry district. I went up several floors, down a hallway and through a nondescript door. What did I see? Looked like a tiny waiting room at the unemployment office. 3 widows with glass and a row of seats against the walls which look like they have not been painted since 1985. There was a guy arguing with someone behind the glass that "the diamond must be rated excellent, it must be rated excellent or I cannot sell" So apparently this is negotiable?
Girl behind the glass took my info, ask for a fax number (really? who dose that anymore) gave my email instead. She told me the price, plus I called twice and checked online so I knew what I was getting into....or so I thought. About a week later they email me the results. Kind of odd, just straight numbers. No header, name of the organization, no text nothing. You would not know what the email was about if you didn't know it was a diamond grade. Straight numbers all in one long sentence. This seemed odd to me.
I figured they were done and I could go pick up my diamond and pay for the cert. So I am at the window and they say "that will be $1 35 dollars" What? That's double what you told me? Your site says $65. "OH we dont know anything about the site that is just a corporate thing you price is $135. "you are not with a company so that's our price" OH gee thanks for telling me that now. Its not on the form, its not on your website, and no one on the phone or in person told me that when I ask. So you are charging double? Did you spend double the time? Double the labor? I argued with them and the manager and the accountant until finally they relented. I was not happy though and the woman behind the glass thanked me with a evil glare.
So I got my diamond back, but then they said, "oh you wanted a cert? You didn't respond to the fax". Was I supposed to? "OH, we don't move forward until you respond to the fax". "That will be another week, do you want us to mail it to you?" Yes do that thanks. Sure enough a week passes, no cert. I call and you guessed it, still there sitting in the office.
Worst service ever. I knew they were not as well respected as GIA but I had no idea of how different the business is run. I got the feeling that there is kind of an inside game where diamond buyers they have a relationship with can pic their own CERT specs or at least suggest them through the back and fourth fax method system. Maybe that is why my email didn't even have their EGL name on it? I'm not sure but the whole thing seemed like a joke. Meanwhile GIA labs are 2 hours away in a beautiful location, new building, high security and diamond museum too boot.
Only positive thing I could say is I did see people in the back grading jems through a microscope and other equipment that looked professional. They did a pretty good job of finding the inclusions and color rating based on others opinions but not a substitute for bad service. Next time I will wait the 5 to 6 weeks for GIA.
I was trying to save some money so I looked them up online and their price sheet for a stone under 1 c was about $65. Now I new GIA was better but they wanted to hold the diamond for 5 weeks and EGL said it usually only takes about a week. I was in a hurry so I pulled the trigger. That is when the problems started.
The office was in a commercial high rise in downtown LA jewelry district. I went up several floors, down a hallway and through a nondescript door. What did I see? Looked like a tiny waiting room at the unemployment office. 3 widows with glass and a row of seats against the walls which look like they have not been painted since 1985. There was a guy arguing with someone behind the glass that "the diamond must be rated excellent, it must be rated excellent or I cannot sell" So apparently this is negotiable?
Girl behind the glass took my info, ask for a fax number (really? who dose that anymore) gave my email instead. She told me the price, plus I called twice and checked online so I knew what I was getting into....or so I thought. About a week later they email me the results. Kind of odd, just straight numbers. No header, name of the organization, no text nothing. You would not know what the email was about if you didn't know it was a diamond grade. Straight numbers all in one long sentence. This seemed odd to me.
I figured they were done and I could go pick up my diamond and pay for the cert. So I am at the window and they say "that will be $1 35 dollars" What? That's double what you told me? Your site says $65. "OH we dont know anything about the site that is just a corporate thing you price is $135. "you are not with a company so that's our price" OH gee thanks for telling me that now. Its not on the form, its not on your website, and no one on the phone or in person told me that when I ask. So you are charging double? Did you spend double the time? Double the labor? I argued with them and the manager and the accountant until finally they relented. I was not happy though and the woman behind the glass thanked me with a evil glare.
So I got my diamond back, but then they said, "oh you wanted a cert? You didn't respond to the fax". Was I supposed to? "OH, we don't move forward until you respond to the fax". "That will be another week, do you want us to mail it to you?" Yes do that thanks. Sure enough a week passes, no cert. I call and you guessed it, still there sitting in the office.
Worst service ever. I knew they were not as well respected as GIA but I had no idea of how different the business is run. I got the feeling that there is kind of an inside game where diamond buyers they have a relationship with can pic their own CERT specs or at least suggest them through the back and fourth fax method system. Maybe that is why my email didn't even have their EGL name on it? I'm not sure but the whole thing seemed like a joke. Meanwhile GIA labs are 2 hours away in a beautiful location, new building, high security and diamond museum too boot.
Only positive thing I could say is I did see people in the back grading jems through a microscope and other equipment that looked professional. They did a pretty good job of finding the inclusions and color rating based on others opinions but not a substitute for bad service. Next time I will wait the 5 to 6 weeks for GIA.
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