FedEx brought me a package

[FancyDiamond]

Date: 8/10/2009 8:37:21 PM
Author: tap02150
I am sorry about the ring as well. White Flash is currently building mine and soon to be shipping. Your story made me very nervous at first, but after reading all the posts from the vendors and the PC community, I can confidently wait for the package to arrive.

Its a real bummer that you have to go through all this pain but dam; sounds like life to me =/ Cheer up. Things have a way of working out. Hang in there

-Ted

I feel exactly the same way. Everything tap02150 said.

 

[Lesley Harris]

Stephan,

Brian and I were so sorry to read about this awful incident. We know that you were so excited to get your new diamond after getting through your surgery so well. We are sure that everything will work out for the best. You are in good hands.

 

[Kaleigh]

I am very late to this thread, Stephan. I am very sorry. I was hoping for a happy ending. I will still hold out some hope, these things are rare indeed. I know Karl will help you find a kicken replacement stone if need be... HUGS. I am so sorry, I know how passionate you are about YOUR stones.. You have excellent taste.. So am saying a prayer it finds it's way to you. If not, another even better stone will be in your hands soon.

And I know what a tough time you have had with your surgery, etc.. I hope you are on the mend my friend.

JA is such a class act. Love a great vendor!!!!

 

[VRBeauty]

Stephen: I read your initial post, and SaraPJ''s response, during my lunch hour today and thought I was in for another "PS striptease." I''m so sorry to hear that is not the case, and that your ring is indeed missing.

And I''m so heartened by the assurances you''ve received not only from James Allen, but also from other PS vendors and members. If our wishes could make it so, you''d be wearing your ring (and taking pictures to post, of course) right now!

I hope your ring finds its way home to you. I''m sure it belongs with you. And beside, I''d love to see what you and JA have come up with!



BTW,though it rarely shows up on this part of the forum, I''ll be sending you some PS dust!

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 8/11/2009 12:18:01 AM
Author: Kaleigh
I am very late to this thread, Stephan. I am very sorry. I was hoping for a happy ending. I will still hold out some hope, these things are rare indeed. I know Karl will help you find a kicken replacement stone if need be... HUGS. I am so sorry, I know how passionate you are about YOUR stones.. You have excellent taste.. So am saying a prayer it finds it''s way to you. If not, another even better stone will be in your hands soon.

And I know what a tough time you have had with your surgery, etc.. I hope you are on the mend my friend.

JA is such a class act. Love a great vendor!!!!

Ditto. Stephan I''m so sorry, but know there is a lovely stone in your future. ((HUGS))

 

[litebrite]

Stephen, I am sorry for the heartache and stress that this is causing you. I have faith that things will work out in the end, just hang in there. Your fiance will be very very happy with whatever beauty you present her with.

 

[Stephan]

Date: 8/11/2009 12:59:07 AM
Author: SanDiegoLady
You''d need to contact the postal police. How horribly sad.

I even don''t know if such a thing exists here in Belgium.
But sure, if no solution is found in a short time (I''m pretty sure JA will find a solution), I will contact the police.
My spouse was witness when I opened the FedEx box, I keep a copy of all my e-mails, I won''t delete the call history of my cell phone, and I also won''t delete the activity of my computer. I''m perhaps paranoid but that''s the only thing I can do now.

 

[Stephan]

I had a very bad and agitated night with a lot of nightmares.
But I must say that my wounds (of the surgery) almost don''t hurt anymore.

Thanks to Lesley, Wink, San Diego Lady, Gypsy, Kaleigh, VRBeauty, Litebrite and all the others for your kind words and your good wishes!

 

[rickdeckard]

Hi Stephan,

i live in Belgium too and i''m used to fedex, dhl, taxipost etc...kind of transactions.
did you checked the box? does it show signs of suspicious handling? i can hardly imagine that the fedex
guys are guilty ( but everything can be considered) but ALL fedex packages coming from the US to belgium are custom checked... it happened to me several times that customs opened my packages, but then there should be a special "customs seal" on the box... how was the content labeled on the fedex package? was the value of the ring stated on the box as 100% correct?

So far i''ll say that if it can''t be proven that the box was opened, not by fedex, nor by blegian customs, wich ssems to be the actual situation, police won''t be of nay help, cause there is no proof it has been opened and therefore not stolen. fedex insurance won''t cover cause there package was correctly sealed. The only person who can help you is the vendor, i do''nt know james allen, is there a lot of people working there? how much rings do they ship per day, can they be 100% sure they didn''t forget to put the ring inside?

btw... if someone stole it (but HOW ???) pretty dumb not to take EVERYTHING that was inisde...; the box, the cert and so on....

just trust me on something : there is NO WAY to take out the plastic sleeves from a fedex box and put it on another box avoiding to get thesome paper from the external side of the box partially with it... if it has been taken from the original box and put on another it can be seen on the seal, go to a fedex office to get that checked. if it is not the case, i can''t imagine another possibility then that the ring was originally not in the box... (i''m not accusing nayone here, it is just pure logic.)

hang on !!!!! feel deeply sorry for you.

 

[Nomsdeplume]

I was so sad to read this. I really hope you get the ring back.

 

[Stephan]

Oh no, now I see it!
Yesterday, I asked Jim Schultz questions like ''Did your people forget to put it in the box?''
But today, after the shock, I look INSIDE the FedEx box and here is what I see!
I don''t know who did that, I hope we will catch them.

 

[Stephan]

Yesterday, I focused on the outside.
Today, I see a little clearer.

 

[Stephan]

Here is what covers the outside of the area that is damaged from the inside.
I don''t touch it and let it as it is for the investigations.
Sorry if this sound complicate.

 

[rickdeckard]

bingo...

probably nobody will ever catch who did it. but that is not your problem either... it is now clear the package has been opened. fedex must now apply their insurance policy. period.

deal with them directly

might take some time to get everything cleared off. again hang on !!!!

 

[toozy929]

I''ve been reading your thread and I am so, so incredibly sorry this has happened. This is a fear of so many, but you just can''t fathom it actually happening. I am SO glad you discovered the tampering of the box! Your one step closer in getting this resolved, though it will still take some time. I believe if the ring isn''t found, then it wasn''t the one. I realize how special the ring was and I know you did tons of research. I do believe there can and will be a better one. There are so many experts on this forum willing and eager to help you with anything and everything. Isn''t the support system here phenomenal? You are anything but alone. Hang in there - these people will be here for you every step of the way.

 

[Amethyste]

Date: 8/11/2009 6:39:33 AM
Author: rickdeckard
bingo...


probably nobody will ever catch who did it. but that is not your problem either... it is now clear the package has been opened. fedex must now apply their insurance policy. period.


deal with them directly


might take some time to get everything cleared off. again hang on !!!!

Woah....

They went in from the side of the box... Could this have been avoided if the box was taped all over? sort of a deterrent...But I guess that when someone is determined, they most likely do not care...

 

[gwendolyn]

Oh no, this is just awful! What a terribly stressful thing for you to have to deal with, QueenMum, after the health issues you''ve been having lately!

Very glad (and not at all surprised) that JA are taking good care of you, and that it seems like you have evidence of tampering so that Fed Ex will be held accountable for this incident. Sucks that you will have to start your search over, but maybe you''ll find an even better stone this time around? Y''never know...

 

[Phoenix]

Stephan, so sorry to hear about this.

Hope you get your funds refunded pronto (I''m confident Jim will make sure of this), and that you get another diamond to your specs and liking.

{HUGS}

 

[Moh 10]

How interesting.
The thief resealed the box with a plastic sleeve then inserted an email print out.

Wouldn't it be great if the email is addressed to him/her?

Hang in there Stephan.
I know you feel violated but this will all work out in the end.

 

[tap02150]

My question is.. how does one know the contents of the box? Does it state that its from James Allen? During customs or FedEx shipping do they scan into the box to see the contents (checking for weapons/drugs)-like when you put your backpack through the detector at the airport.

The person who stole had to know something about the package - or else they could have been breaking into a box that had some picture frames or something non-valuable in it.

I thought most companies shipped in secrecy, so that the contents are not known. If it stated its from James Allen.. any one who handles this box can be tempted to go after it.

IF it IS shipped in secrecy.. than my money is on someone who knew it was from james allen (someone who picked up the package) or someone who scans the package.

In any event; I am confident as stated in an earlier post that you will find a better replacement diamond through the help and support of PC and JA. You can look at this situation in a few different ways. 1- shit my life sucks and someone made off with my ring and i have to go through a long annoying process to get funds back and find a new diamond or 2. Wow i can really appreciate all the great people out there in the PC community and JA company who are helping me through this process.

Life throws rocks at you!!; find the diamond!!

-Ted

 

[Stephan]

Date: 8/11/2009 9:40:57 AM
Author: Moh 10
How interesting.
The thief resealed the box with a plastic sleeve then inserted an email print out.

Wouldn''t it be great if the email is addressed to him/her?

Hang in there Stephan.
I know you feel violated but this will all work out in the end.

Thanks Moh.
He didn''t reseal it with the plastic sleeve.
But there is tape on that edge, under the plastic sleeve.
I leave everything as it is, so I don''t remove the sleeve to look under it.

 

[DiamondFlame]

This is seriously giving me the jitters. I'm about to Fedex a diamond ring to the US for resizing...

Btw I'm not too familiar with how courier companies work but how do they ascertain that the packages they are paid to deliver don't actually contain questionable items like narcotics, explosives or biohazardous chemicals? Not to threadjack of course but I just can't figure out how someone could target valuable packages.

 

[Amethyste]

Date: 8/11/2009 9:53:17 AM
Author: tap02150
My question is.. how does one know the contents of the box? Does it state that its from James Allen? During customs or FedEx shipping do they scan into the box to see the contents (checking for weapons/drugs)-like when you put your backpack through the detector at the airport.

The person who stole had to know something about the package - or else they could have been breaking into a box that had some picture frames or something non-valuable in it.

I thought most companies shipped in secrecy, so that the contents are not known. If it stated its from James Allen.. any one who handles this box can be tempted to go after it.

IF it IS shipped in secrecy.. than my money is on someone who knew it was from james allen (someone who picked up the package) or someone who scans the package.

In any event; I am confident as stated in an earlier post that you will find a better replacement diamond through the help and support of PC and JA. You can look at this situation in a few different ways. 1- shit my life sucks and someone made off with my ring and i have to go through a long annoying process to get funds back and find a new diamond or 2. Wow i can really appreciate all the great people out there in the PC community and JA company who are helping me through this process.

Life throws rocks at you!!; find the diamond!!

-Ted

i never use FEDEX - but you know, when I use USPS and you insure like a piece of jewelry, the price of the insurance is RIGHT on the form that is affixed to the package. Anyone who knows a little about how their rate works, a $25-$30 insurance rate is pretty high. If you stash the ring in a small box, any employee/thief would probably guess that it must be a valuable item such as jewelry. I think they should remove the insurance field on thier form so no one knows how much the protection was bought for to perhaps avoid any tempted hands...

 

[YoungPapa]

Date: 8/11/2009 9:53:17 AM
Author: tap02150
My question is.. how does one know the contents of the box? Does it state that its from James Allen? During customs or FedEx shipping do they scan into the box to see the contents (checking for weapons/drugs)-like when you put your backpack through the detector at the airport.
-Ted

tap,

Domestic packages are sent in a medium fedex box with the shipping label sticker firmly pressed against the side of the box. The sticker can't be removed, nor does it contain our name or anything that would suggest the contents (or value) of what's inside.

International packages are done in a similar way, but with one important caveat. We are *required* by customs to include copies of the commercial invoice and export declaration forms on the outside of the box, inside a plastic envelope. While we use the most generic terms to describe the contents ("personal adornment" for example), they contain a value declaration. An unscrupulous Fedex employee left alone with a stack of boxes could review these documents, then potentially pilfer a box he/she felt was sufficiently valuable to risk their employment and freedom.

I don't know if Fedex will ever recover this ring. What I can say, however, is that someone who steals once will usually steal again and eventually most thieves get caught.

 

[elle_chris]

Wow, really sorry to hear this. but at least you''re working with a good company and the stone was insured, so it''s just a matter of time to get it sorted out. I understand the hassle of trying to find the right stone again, but you''ll find one!

It''s not just Fedex. Last winter I had an expensive bottle of perfume shipped to me via USPS. I never got the package and to this day they''re still investigating what happened.
I''ve noticed more and more packages go missing these days. You would think that these companies would finally wake up and do something.

 

[Stephan]

Date: 8/11/2009 9:53:17 AM
Author: tap02150
In any event; I am confident as stated in an earlier post that you will find a better replacement diamond through the help and support of PC and JA. You can look at this situation in a few different ways. 1- shit my life sucks and someone made off with my ring and i have to go through a long annoying process to get funds back and find a new diamond or 2. Wow i can really appreciate all the great people out there in the PC community and JA company who are helping me through this process.

Life throws rocks at you!!; find the diamond!!

Thank you Ted!

Jim Schultz is working on my case and I feel much more secure today than yesterday, and you PS people also comfort me greatly!
(I''m browsing for a new baby.)

 

[tap02150]

ahh, thanks for the clarification. That makes sense to me. Its to bad its out of the hands of the customer and the company (you guys/JA). I guess that is what insurance is for. Good luck to the situation

Ted

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 8/11/2009 10:33:38 AM
Author: James Allen Schultz

Date: 8/11/2009 9:53:17 AM

Author: tap02150

My question is.. how does one know the contents of the box? Does it state that its from James Allen? During customs or FedEx shipping do they scan into the box to see the contents (checking for weapons/drugs)-like when you put your backpack through the detector at the airport.

-Ted

tap,

Domestic packages are sent in a medium fedex box with the shipping label sticker firmly pressed against the side of the box. The sticker can''t be removed, nor does it contain our name or anything that would suggest the contents (or value) of what''s inside.

International packages are done in a similar way, but with one important caveat. We are *required* by customs to include copies of the commercial invoice and export declaration forms on the outside of the box, inside a plastic envelope. While we use the most generic terms to describe the contents (''personal adornment'' for example), they contain a value declaration. An unscrupulous Fedex employee left alone with a stack of boxes could review these documents, then potentially pilfer a box he/she felt was sufficiently valuable to risk their employment and freedom.

I don''t know if Fedex will ever recover this ring. What I can say, however, is that someone who steals once will usually steal again and eventually most thieves get caught.

First off Stephan, I am so sorry that you are experiencing this type of frustration. Jim is right, 99.9% of the packages sent by online dealers arrive without incident and most of us benefit from a relationship with our online insured shipping agents which employs an exceptional insurance team. As indicated previously in this post, the box should be handled as little as possible because it is likely to be retrieved by a security agent to be fingerprinted.

It is unfortunate that the contents of international packages require disclosure of the contents on the outside of the box and this likely led to the actions of an unscrupulous employee which might be within Fed Ex or even customs... We''ve had packages re-packaged by customs and re-labeled because they felt the need to open the package. One time one of our clients called my cell phone while I was on a camping trip and started the conversation with "my puppy had puppies!" to which the obvious response was a bewildered "huh?" and she explained that thirty three quarter carat diamonds had arrived in place of the one carat diamond which she had ordered! A quick call to the head of the West Coast Declared Value Exception (DVX) division of Fed Ex resulted in the determination that Canadian Customs had opened the box and mixed up the contents with that of another box being shipped into Canada!

Fortunately this was a matter easily resolved, but it took a few moments off my life nonetheless.

All right while I was in the midst of the lawsuit filed on me / the estate / the company by Robin''s family and I was having "not so nice" thoughts

that resulted in a move up to Seattle so that I wouldn''t do anything rash (six hours provides a lot of time to think) one of my diamond cutters explained a little Jewish wisdom with regards to how to think about the people involved in such things... Instead of wishing harm upon the people involved, simply say "I truly hope that they get everything that they deserve from all of this" and believe that they will. It worked out magically in my situation, to the count of 29 federal indictments for one of the people involved in filing the suit against me! Ah, cosmic justice, you''ve got to love it.

The part that burns me about all of this is the audacity of pulling the ring out of the box and taking the time to put it all back in! That''s just mean! The more I think about this, the more I think the ring had to be stolen while passing through customs because the boxes I''ve seen pilfered while passing through Fed Ex (they show us videos) are simple snatch and grabs where all the contents get ripped out of the box - somebody had some time on their hands to pull this off and I''m thinking customs (which has to be some sort of felony). The good news is that a customs employee should have their prints on file...

 

[njamal]

Stephan,

Coming from someone who is expecting a shipment in the next few days, I can''t even imagine what you felt when you opened the package given how important this purchase is!

However, it looks like you are in good hands with James Allen and obviously with the support here at PS.

Seems like you handled the situation very well and have been very careful and smart about everything. I am hoping for the best for you.

Regards,
Nadim

 

[risingsun]

I am so sorry this happened to you. The person that did this should never have a moment of pleasure from the diamond that was stolen from you

I wish you well in finding a new diamond that will bring you much joy.