Has Anyone Purchased from Brume Jeroh

[goldie_locks]

Hi all! As some of you know, I've been on the hunt for the perfect sapphire. I think I've found a lovely option from this seller https://www.instagram.com/bayoto/ which another PSer pointed me to. Does anyone have experience actually purchasing from him? He requires payment through bank wire transfer, which means there is basically no recourse if the stone never gets shipped/isn't as advertised.

 

[elle_71125]

I haven't but he does have some lovely pieces.

I read a FB post by him that I found a little off-putting so I don't know that I'll buy from him. It was nothing terrible. Just complaining about people asking for a price and not buying (as you know, he doesn't post prices so you have to ask him directly). I haven't heard anything negative in the way of poor products.

He had a gorgeous bi colored sapphire a while back. I loved that one.

 

[goldie_locks]

I read a FB post by him that I found a little off-putting so I don't know that I'll buy from him.

Oh, elle, that is off putting! I've had several multiple email exchanges with a number of vendors, and while I feel a little bad taking up their time with my questions, spending a few thousand dollars on a stone is a pretty big deal for me (as I'm sure it is for most folks). Plus, that is part of their cost of doing business, right? I would be very offput if I got the sense from any of them that it was a hassle - especially if something as basic as price required contacting them. Hmmm, I think I would need to see some very stellar reviews from him to think about buying from him.

 

[elle_71125]

Oh, elle, that is off putting! I've had several multiple email exchanges with a number of vendors, and while I feel a little bad taking up their time with my questions, spending a few thousand dollars on a stone is a pretty big deal for me (as I'm sure it is for most folks). Plus, that is part of their cost of doing business, right? I would be very offput if I got the sense from any of them that it was a hassle - especially if something as basic as price required contacting them. Hmmm, I think I would need to see some very stellar reviews from him to think about buying from him.

I agree. I found that most of the vendors in the group were quick to point out that it is just a part of doing business. Either you post your price upfront or you don't complain about people asking for it. It was nice to see so many recommended PS vendors standing up for the consumer side of things.

 

[minousbijoux]

A few years ago, I was considering a large purchase from him and asked him if he had insurance for sending stones internationally. His response was that he was not insured, but had never had a stone get lost or go missing. The idea that somehow I, as the customer, would just eat the cost were it to get lost or stolen was a major deterrent! That said, some of the professional cutters consider him a good source for rough, so they clearly have bought from him with no problems.

 

[Kevin Bryant]

Hes good in the rough gemstone trade and well known. I would have no issue dealing with him.

 

[goldie_locks]

A few years ago, I was considering a large purchase from him and asked him if he had insurance for sending stones internationally. His response was that he was not insured, but had never had a stone get lost or go missing. The idea that somehow I, as the customer, would just eat the cost were it to get lost or stolen was a major deterrent!

Well unless he's going to replace a stolen/lost gem ... ??

 

[digdeep]

I'm waiting on some cheap beads that have USPS tracking and have gone "on vacation" compliments of USPS. At least I can watch where they are (LOL!) and hopefully they'll make their way home at some future point........but this is the important safety net should there be a dispute or if they do NOT arrive at all. And these are not $$$$!

I could not do a transaction like this one.........

 

[Christian_b]

Hi everyone.

I'm new here. Found some negative reviews on him and his partner Idris Yawale. At least one comment was like facebook post and here is a site https://gemstones-scam.livejournal.com/311.html


Confused about it.. Buying stones for thousands usd from Nigeria is quite surprising to me

 

[Gemobsessed]

I agree. I found that most of the vendors in the group were quick to point out that it is just a part of doing business. Either you post your price upfront or you don't complain about people asking for it. It was nice to see so many recommended PS vendors standing up for the consumer side of things.

Elle, so glad you brought it up. I often feel bad taking up time asking about prices back and forth but I really have no other recourse if vendors don't post prices up front. And since international shipping is risky I also ask about colour in different lighting.

Frankly in these situations when you have to ask so many questions, sometimes if the vendor is kind and responsive versus cold/transactional it actually makes a HUGE difference to me..
Most of us I think like purchasing from the same vendor and it helps building that connection that if he/she has something great coming up they will happily reach out to me as well. So yeah a vendor complaining is actually very off putting and counter productive.

I've actually now as a principle cut out some vendors even though recommended on pricescope because of how the communication went. I only talk to two vendors at this point because I'm comfortable!

 

[Gemobsessed]

Hi everyone.

I'm new here. Found some negative reviews on him and his partner Idris Yawale. At least one comment was like facebook post and here is a site https://gemstones-scam.livejournal.com/311.html


Confused about it.. Buying stones for thousands usd from Nigeria is quite surprising to me

I've noticed his stuff on insta. It's good but to do any transaction apart from PayPal for such expensive stuff is a big no no, negative comments being a separate issue.

 

[goldie_locks]

Hi everyone.

I'm new here. Found some negative reviews on him and his partner Idris Yawale. At least one comment was like facebook post and here is a site https://gemstones-scam.livejournal.com/311.html

I feel like I saw him post about this situation on his Facebook. Frankly, I've been completely put off by how he handles his business there since I started following him. Bragging about good reviews (even posting screenshots of chat messages) and then being very condescending when he has issues. He has lovely stones, but I don't think I'll ever purchase from him.

Like @Gemobsessed and @elle_71125 have mentioned, interpersonal communication really matters to the customer - at least it does to me.

 

[Arkteia]

I can imagine how a person might be complaining that people ask and don't buy - I asked about one of his stones, and frankly, forgot about it as my friend had a stroke at that time and I had to change all my plans... a sapphire was not on my mind. But to a vendor, it might look totally different (and who does not complain if the business is slow? We all do, in different ways, but we do).

So the posts are not off-putting to me.

I would not even pay attention to the gemstones-scam blog entry because I don't know who wrote it. Maybe it is someone from Germany, maybe a competing neighbor next door to Jerome? Since the writer did not put his name, I treat it as I would treat everything that is unsigned. He says that the sapphires are fake - this is a serious accusation, but no certification to prove it, no pictures, no names.

A totally different thing is the absence of Paypal account and issues with tracking and insurance. This is serious. Unless Brume Jeroh is willing to do business in the same way as anyone who lives in another country and is respected, I can not risk my money and buy stones from him. With a Paypal account, insurance, and good tracking system, maybe, even possibly, if his prices remain competitive.

 

[tara3056]

There is a facebook group called Gem and Mineral Scammers that is moderated by a well-known person and has a lot of members who would be familiar to many of you (cutters, rough sellers, etc.) I've found it to be a valuable resource. Recently, a customer filed a complaint against Brume Jeroh on there. Long story short: the customer bought a $3000 sapphire from Brume and asked him to ship it with adequate insurance; Brume declined to insure it, saying that he's never had a problem shipping things uninsured before and that to declare it's value for insurance purposes would be asking a thief to take the stone. The stone was stolen from the package. The customer received the package and the packaging had been obviously tampered with, and it was empty inside. Brume refused to refund the customer and, in fact, would not even try to come to a partial agreement (the customer seemed to be willing to share the burden to some degree and would have probably accepted even a partial refund, but Brume refused). He used aggressive and abusive language, even though everyone in the community told him that he needed to make it right or risk losing his reputation in the gem world. Those of us who've been around awhile know that reputation is *everything* in the gem and rough dealing world. I'm not sure what ultimately came of that situation, but I do know that I saw enough of how Brume handled himself that I personally would not want to buy from him.

 

[Arkteia]

There is a facebook group called Gem and Mineral Scammers that is moderated by a well-known person and has a lot of members who would be familiar to many of you (cutters, rough sellers, etc.) I've found it to be a valuable resource. Recently, a customer filed a complaint against Brume Jeroh on there. Long story short: the customer bought a $3000 sapphire from Brume and asked him to ship it with adequate insurance; Brume declined to insure it, saying that he's never had a problem shipping things uninsured before and that to declare it's value for insurance purposes would be asking a thief to take the stone. The stone was stolen from the package. The customer received the package and the packaging had been obviously tampered with, and it was empty inside. Brume refused to refund the customer and, in fact, would not even try to come to a partial agreement (the customer seemed to be willing to share the burden to some degree and would have probably accepted even a partial refund, but Brume refused). He used aggressive and abusive language, even though everyone in the community told him that he needed to make it right or risk losing his reputation in the gem world. Those of us who've been around awhile know that reputation is *everything* in the gem and rough dealing world. I'm not sure what ultimately came of that situation, but I do know that I saw enough of how Brume handled himself that I personally would not want to buy from him.

The part that I highlighted in italics. This is exactly what is called bad business. No insurance, from what I understand, no Paypal transaction to lodge a complaint with (I read that post), no attempt to negotiate with the customer. This is why I am saying I am not risking my money unless it is done in a normal way, via Paypal and traceable delivery system. This is the flaw. And I totally agree with you, @tara3056.

(I merely pointed out that unsigned posts in blogs are not necessarily the most reliable source of information - there is a difference between organizing business poorly (which can be improved) and selling fake stones (it is a much more severe accusation, and in this case, I'd like to see some certificates verifying the validity of the claim)).

 

[Christian_b]

Searched more about Brume Jeroh and found like 4-5 negatives reviews on him. Many people claims he and his partner send fake gemstones after a few success small deals and never answer again. So confused bout it https://gemstonescams.wordpress.com/ http://jeroh-brume.blogspot.ru/2017/10/jeroh-oghenebrume-nigerian-gemstones.html

Does anyone here has really positive feedback of working with him? Brume provides no insurance, no proof documents, no paypal transcations.. just bank account at Nigerian bank that gives no assurance at all..

So any positive feedback?

 

[bayoto]

Hello Everyone,
I just read all your comments here.
Firstly,let me point out that that blog created saying a sell fake gemstones..it's all fake.I have never heard of that fellow or even done any business with him..If he claims to have done business with me,he should post any evidence to back up his claims..it's the handiwork of a Russian guy named Alex I did business with a while ago..He bought stones from me after receiving them he said he liked them and wanted more..At the same time,he was buying from my cutter Idris Yawale..I believe a few people here know the story..When he tried to sell in Hong Kong after 2 months and couldn't get the price he wanted..He then called me to inform me he actually just saw the stones he bought in person after 2 months.. Which wasn't what he told me the first time he received the first shipment from me..I still agreed he sends back my stones for a refund after 2 months and after saying he liked them..But he also bought another 15pcs from my cutter..he begged me to allow him send back all the stones (including the ones he bought from my cutter) to help him sell..I declined..cos I never was a part of their business..That was when he got angry and flatly told me I must pressure Idris to send back his money or I suffer with him..he posted on gem and mineral Scammers,but the admin there took it down cos he refused to send back my stone for a refund and claimed I and idris are partners..so must fix it together.
Regarding,the post I made about asking for prices and never buying..I was referring to a group a persons always commenting pm price on most of my post and they sometimes never respond after I message them the price..I just wanted to dissuade them from doing that..As a seller,I understand not everyone that inquires about price in a private message must translate to sales..I wasn't referring to this people.
And Lastly, I can't change that I can't accept PayPal here in Nigeria..There are Customers I have dealt with that received stones I sold to them and didn't like it..They got their full refund after I received my stones back.. Happened to a guy in Ireland, Another guy in the US and also a guy in Singapore..Those are the 3 cases of Customers that weren't satisfied with their purchase..And they all paid me with bank transfer.
I understand if anyone is reluctant to buy from An international vendor without PayPal.
But there is nothing I can really do about that. The Pat Benson's case of an allegedly stolen Sapphire..The package was delivered to his friend's roommate and he claimed the package was delivered opened with the content gone..but he didn't inform the friend Immediately about it..he had to wait another 24hrs for his friend to come back to see the package was delivered without the content..Who does that?? I even asked Pat to wait for a UPS investigation,he refused..My question is this, there were a lot of third parties involved with the package..so I wasn't willing to do anything till I heard back from UPS..He refused to wait and threaten he will post everywhere on FB till I refund back his $3000 before hearing anything from UPS..He came on so strong..Even when I offered him a replacement stone,he refused,that we wanted his money back.

 

[suzanne2]

Hi Brume,

Thanks for coming here to clarify your position on past experiences. What we want from you is simple.

1. An easy way to pay that protects us. Because of the way of the world, your word usually isn't enough protection. A credit card or PayPal offers us good protection.
2. A complete return policy. Many of us are trying to buy stones online without any experience. We honestly don't know what we like. This results in a high number of returns. We want to be able to return the stones to you, with tracking and fully insured.

And that's it. This is a consumer forum where we talk about vendors. Good or bad, we talk. The best way to get on the preferred vendor list is to have many good transactions, and have people talking about them.

Best of luck,

Suzanne

 

[arkieb1]

I'm surprised he takes refunds all of the African, Sri Lankian and Burmese dealers I've dealt with NEVER take stones back again or if they do they will give you the run around and in general go out of their way to avoid refunding anything. So you have to be very sure of anything you buy, if you like to be able to view stones and send them back again if you don't like the cut or colour buying this way is not for you, if you can't afford to lose that amount of money on a uninsured stone that method of buying also probably not for you. There can be a medium to high level of risk involved, I've gotten some beautiful stones and some stinkers that were nothing like the vendor pics, not from this vendor but from others just like him.

 

[bayoto]

@suzanne2 gem business is all about mutual understanding.. Lately, have been insuring packages for those who request for it..Cos sometimes buyers also know declaring full value will attract import duties on the package..But to countries like Italy and Czech republic they usually request insurance and they pay for it.
Regarding credit card and PayPal payment..I have looked into it but they never allow it from Nigeria..Like I mentioned earlier, business is about mutual understanding..I have got this far in business because of good referrals..if I was Scamming,I don't think I would have been in business this long.
So if a customer is not happy with his purchase..we resolve things like gentlemen..They send back my stuff,and I refund them less shipping..And some of those Customers are still return Customers.
Still,if anyone here is not comfortable doing business this way,I totally understand.
Just wanted to clear the air here on these allegations levelled against my business.
Thank you all for your time.
Brume Jeroh.

 

[Nosean]

Brume,

you have wonderful stones!

Maybe you should have an office somewhere in Europe or USA where you can organize business. Would make it easier maybe.

 

[Arkteia]

@suzanne2 gem business is all about mutual understanding.. Lately, have been insuring packages for those who request for it..Cos sometimes buyers also know declaring full value will attract import duties on the package..But to countries like Italy and Czech republic they usually request insurance and they pay for it.
Regarding credit card and PayPal payment..I have looked into it but they never allow it from Nigeria..Like I mentioned earlier, business is about mutual understanding..I have got this far in business because of good referrals..if I was Scamming,I don't think I would have been in business this long.
So if a customer is not happy with his purchase..we resolve things like gentlemen..They send back my stuff,and I refund them less shipping..And some of those Customers are still return Customers.
Still,if anyone here is not comfortable doing business this way,I totally understand.
Just wanted to clear the air here on these allegations levelled against my business.
Thank you all for your time.
Brume Jeroh.

Gem business, like any business, is about safety. Today I did not find an issue that has been marked on eBay as "delivered". I am going to get to the root of it (was it delivered? If yes, who took it?) but eBay assures that in cases of missed or lost items, the vendors would issue us a refund. This is eBay, basically, the world's biggest flea market. And yet they guarantee certain safety.

I can not believe that a bank in Nigeria can not issue a credit card processing terminal. PayPal - I don't know, although I buy collectibles for my kid from all over the world, and everything always comes, and everyone can open a PayPal. But maybe there is something I don't know about African countries. Of course extra steps cost money, and maybe your stones are more affordable because you are not doing these things... but I'd rather pay 1.5 K than lose a 1 K stone.

Also, I paid attention to the fact that the guy on that blog now wrote his name, Manfred Neumann. (A pretty generic name). Have you ever dealt with this customer, Brume, the guy who now accuses you of selling fake stones, or not? The person under that name?

I noticed that Manfred Neumann posted photocopies of our posts here. First, I don't know what the policy of Pricescope is, is it even OK to take photos of our posts to illustrate his? It is an open forum but there is certain privacy. Plus, the poster links our posts as evidence of negative reviews, which is not the case. Someone is repeating a story that I also read - but it is not a negative, it is a hearsay.

And also - this is all online. Brume might improve his practice, from what I have heard, he was selling decent stones to our vendors, and yet that very serious accusation would stay... because it is Internet.

Maybe it would be more appropriate for the author of that blog, Manfred Neuman, as he says, to come here and explain his side of the situation - so that we all could see that he really exists? Because much as we are now dealing with the result of some sloppiness on the side of Brume, I never heard anyone complaining that he sold fakes, and now he is basically accused of it online.

 

[Arkteia]

P.S. Sorry - just noticed.

https://gemstonescams.wordpress.com/ - scroll down to the second article and then all the way down.

This is allegedly written by Martin Newmann.

At the very bottom of the page, to the left, there is a photo of messages on his phone. On top of the phone, it says

"Brume Jeroh"
Сейчас онлайн

(*Now online - Arkteia*)

It is so hilarious, especially for these of us who read in Russian. Why would a German Marcus Neumann use a Russian cellphone?



Now if you get to the very first link about Nigerian scammers, https://gemstones-scam.livejournal.com/311.html at the very bottom it says

#Я тестирую новый редактор

("I am testing a new word processor", or "word editing system")

Also in Russian.

------------------------------------

So it seems we are having two different situations here:

- Brume Jeroh who probably tries to economize on his business and hence got in a difficult situation when the stone was not delivered because of own self-assuredness (did not want to insure the stone) - a mistake, but correctable as long as he reimburses the customer

And:

A person, posting as a German businessman with a German lawyer, but for some reason using a Russian cellphone and a Russian access to LiveJournal, accusing Brume Jeroh of selling fakes.

But the second person is fake himself...

_____________

Just trying to be just here...

Brume Jeroh, good luck with safeguarding delivery, purchase a credit card processing terminal, and choose better clients next time!

(My own feeling - people may make mistakes, but just because they live in Nigeria, they are not automatically "Nigerian scammers". To my ear, it sounds horribly)

 

[arkieb1]

I do want to point out that there are also reverse scammers out there for anyone that hasn't heard of them, they demand dealers and cutters like Jerome send them stones without paying for them and when the dealers refuse to do this because they know they will never see any money for them, they go to every site and smear their names so people won't deal with them. They use this as a threat to try and get stones sent for free and are as big of a pain in the backside in the gemstone world as scammers themselves.

So yes there does have to be some level of trust on both sides.

 

[Arkteia]

I do want to point out that there are also reverse scammers out there for anyone that hasn't heard of them, they demand dealers and cutters like Jerome send them stones without paying for them and when the dealers refuse to do this because they know they will never see any money for them, they go to every site and smear their names so people won't deal with them. They use this as a threat to try and get stones sent for free and are as big of a pain in the backside in the gemstone world as scammers themselves.

Yes, I also would not put it past them to hastily register at the forum and link own reviews to it.

First, both links with these negative articles came from the same new member who just registered on October 17th.

And, the language is very interesting.

Searched more about Brume Jeroh and found like 4-5 negatives reviews on him. Many people claims he and his partner send fake gemstones after a few success small deals and never answer again. So confused bout it https://gemstonescams.wordpress.com/http://jeroh-brume.blogspot.ru/2017/10/jeroh-oghenebrume-nigerian-gemstones.html

Does anyone here has really positive feedback of working with him? Brume provides no insurance, no proofdocuments, no paypal transcations.. just bank account at Nigerian bank that gives no assurance at all..

Here is what it says in the article: "Shortly speaking: no positive reviews at all"

Am I the only one who thinks that the person who wrote the reviews in Live Journal and the one who linked it here know each other pretty well ?

And then I thought, Christian b expressed surprise that anyone might spend thousands buying from Nigerian dealers.

But...If I don't plan to buy from a dealer, I would not be spending the time searching his name high and low. Because honestly, on Brume, there is his FB, his Instagram, and then at the very bottom the article in Live Journal written 2 hours ago. So on the 17th when Chris b registered on PS, there was not even this.

Again - I have never bought from Brume Jeroh and he can protect himself. But these anonymous scamming articles have to stop. I am against them in principle. Someone got angry, it seems, but why use PS to get even?

 

[tara3056]

I don't know what to make of any of it, but I do know that I am completely against my words/posts being used on another site without my permission!

 

[Barrett]

Brume is legit and a stand up guy. Some of the cutters you ladies buy your stones from, have sourced material from him.
He is A okay, in my book.
Jason