Help: Advice needed. Brian Gavin Diamonds holding onto Refund

[Wewechew]

*Maybe* I can concede that BG is well within their right to send the stone to AGS given the circumstances (the stone being unset). My experiences returning stones, and upgrading diamonds through WF and CBI, however, were much smoother

CBI didn’t recert my trade in stones until after the new stones were in my possession (yes, I would check up on my trade in stones on their site ).

 

[whitewave]

It's almost funny that it appears we are going backwards to rehash what we've already established as the crux of the issue. Not including some of the misunderstandings that others have already posted on and been corrected. So I will not go there as it's not worth it.

What I do want to address is; being called a *snowflake ; being told that I need to be respectful; assuming that I should not care about $180; assuming that I'm telling BGD how to run their business. None of these are accurate.

So let me try and explainy position or grievances. If you dont agree, that fine. As you said, you're not at risk and neither is your money.

I've been purposely respectly of everyone on the forum including the vendor being as objective as possible given the situation. The facts are the facts along with what was contractually promised via the website. What I would say is disrespectful is assuming that I'm just being a snowflake and disrespectful of anyone. In spite all of the fear mongering and questionable business practices, I've been cordial, not that I should even have to explainyself to someone .aking assumptions otherwise.
As the next point, I dont care if you are rich beyond imagination or poor, you should be respectful of anyone's dollar regardless of the amount. You have no idea what an individual has gone through to get to where they are or be in a position to make a purchase. $180 could be someone's everything. To assume that it is not worth anything is to be disrespectful. Furthermore, I won't rehash what everyone else has already addressed into why that is just unethical business behavior. It's also entirely not the point.
I've never once told BGD how they should run their business. I have only communicated the disparity between what they publicly advertise to gain clients vs what I'm being told is the process and the failure to communicate ahead of time what to do or what to expect. Would it have impacted my decision to buy if the website stated a 30 day refund process with all these additional parameters? Absolutely. That's why this information is on their website because its inherent in the purchase contract.

As one commenter noted, there are other vendors who handle this process with grace and class. That is a sign of a good company. Just because we have there are hurt feelings because I decided to purchase fro. Another vendor, it doesn't justify mistreatment. Especially as I was a repeat customer.

Also worth noting, there are many avenues that I could take for a remedy but despite your assumptions/inferences, I am holding tight. I am trying to be as patient and respectful of the process as possible. There are plenty who would have pushed back more aggressively.

You dont have to agree as I am not trying to argue. Just my two cents.

Ps, the "sounds like you were ahead of the process comment" was the same rhetoric they gave me which was inaccurate. I have a timeline with correspondence that proves otherwise. There was time for them to communicate the process before HPD unmounted it.

You aren’t at risk and neither is your money. Calm down and let the process happen.

You had custom work done on your ring which you then owned/wore for several days. (Does anyone disagree about the use of the word custom here?)

Custom work nearly always negates stated general return policies and BG’s policy is no returns on custom work, so you are sort of between stated policies.

You want respect for your investment; you must also respect the vendor’s investment.


Plus, it sounds like you admit that you sent HPD (wink is a gem and no one is disparaging him) the ring for unmounting BEFORE you received instructions from BGD. That’s on you and probably caused most of this.

 

[whitewave]

“The facts are the facts along with what was contractually promised via the website.” the website states none of that is a contract and it’s all subject to change, IIRC.


“I have a timeline with correspondence that proves otherwise. There was time for them to communicate the process before HPD unmounted it.”

You admit that you did not receive instructions from BGD before you sent their stone to another vendor to unmount.

That is a BIG problem. You should own that part. I’ll repeat that your actions here are likely what triggered the stone having to go to AGS etc. You can’t just do what you want when you send things back, especially a 2.3 carat diamond!

 

[whitewave]

They received the stone back TWO business days ago. I mean seriously calm down...I don’t know what else to call “the rules don’t apply to me and I want everything my way now” because that is how I read all of this.

And, furthermore, how does this constitute “holding on to a refund”???? As of right now, they are still within your multiple-noted 3-5 day policy. So maybe you can see how this is a LOT of drama...

You also posted this thread declaring that BGD is holding on to a refund not even 24 hours after they received the diamond back. What is up with that?

 

[the_mother_thing]

It’s worth noting that a ‘contract’ is not necessarily what a vendor posts on their website. It’s what is on your sales agreement/receipt/agreement directly with the vendor that is YOUR contract. Websites and their contents change periodically and without warning. Assuming that what is on a website - before or after a transaction takes place - explicitly applies to one’s transaction is not a wise assumption to make.

Carry on.

 

[Katty01Kat]

I've already stated that I was fine with the not getting a refund on the custom work. What I'm not OK with is obscure charges post return. The vendor is currently not invested in anything. They have both my money and the diamond without informing me of a timeline is not fair.

I will also re-iterate, they had time to communicate to me the process before the unmounting was already done. In fact, the communication for return was sent to them BEFORE Wink had it. So please withhold judgement without the facts.

Related to calm down and be patient...again, not sure where you're getting all these re-assurances from? That said, I am glad to hear from this forum that it will most likely be OK in terms of the return. And trust me, I am extremely grateful to hear that. Although everyone else seems to be generally more respectful in their message. What I am more worried thus far about is not necessarily getting a refund, its what they will try to keep back given what they've tried so far.

Again, I really appreciate this community and all the advice I've been given. I feel it's the point of this site to help buyers handle situations and navigate decision points. And also to make folks aware of experiences and considerations. Including sharing my own story so others can learn or go into this with knowledge. It's been an amazing experience thus far. However, I do request that you refrain from the inferences and assumptions that some can take as offensive. Like I said, assumptions around "Snowflakes and nonchalantly disregarding $180" was more on the offensive than helpful side. And accusations based on misinformation isn't helpful either such as "that's on you".

 

[whitewave]

It’s on you when you did what you wanted before you got instructions from them. You don’t like that, I understand. It’s still on you.

They informed you that AGS usually takes a week and they will try to expedite the process.

Once again, you admit that you did what you wanted before you got instructions from BGD and IMO that was arrogant of you.

“they had time to communicate to me the process before the unmounting was already done.“
You made an error in judgement and that is likely what caused all of this.

Here is a helpful tip: when dealing with expensive items such as a 2.35 H vs diamond, NEVER do anything to it without receiving return instructions from the vendor.

 

[Katty01Kat]

It’s worth noting that a ‘contract’ is not necessarily what a vendor posts on their website. It’s what is on your sales agreement/receipt/agreement directly with the vendor that is YOUR contract. Websites and their contents change periodically and without warning. Assuming that what is on a website - before or after a transaction takes place - explicitly applies to one’s transaction is not a wise assumption to make.

Carry on.

Agreed. But I will say there were no additional T&Cs on the invoice and their standard website T&Cs referenced a link for the return policy which took you back to FAQs on their website. So while I agree, I did confirm these were the official T&Cs.

I'm pleasantly surprised that there is so much detail oriented-ness in this forum. Probably not a word, but you get my drift. LOL.

 

[JoJa12345]

When I exchanged my BGD they sent the diamond to AGS to inspect for damages, etc. and when I upgraded my BGD stone they sent the stone to AGS for inspection. I believe this is their policy. It was explained to me prior to any exchange / upgrade. They also notified me it could take up to 2 weeks for inspection, etc.
Hopefully your issue gets resolved quickly!

 

[lovedogs]

*Maybe* I can concede that BG is well within their right to send the stone to AGS given the circumstances (the stone being unset). My experiences returning stones, and upgrading diamonds through WF and CBI, however, were much smoother

I agree. They are within their right to send to AGS (of course). But the lack of communication with OP is what I have an issue with. That, plus statements about the stone being "filthy" and then them acting like she now owes them $180 is all really shady to me, and just suggests that they are dragging their feet and being rude, which I don't like.

 

[Katty01Kat]

It’s on you when you did what you wanted before you got instructions from them. You don’t like that, I understand. It’s still on you.

They informed you that AGS usually takes a week and they will try to expedite the process.

Once again, you admit that you did what you wanted before you got instructions from BGD and IMO that was arrogant of you.

“they had time to communicate to me the process before the unmounting was already done.“
You made an error in judgement and that is likely what caused all of this.

Here is a helpful tip: when dealing with expensive items such as a 2.35 H vs diamond, NEVER do anything to it without receiving return instructions from the vendor.

So now I'm arrogant. I really wish you wouldn't resort to these accusations on this forum. It's been really nice thus far. You're assuming that they would have eventually told me the deal. So I get what you're saying but there's still fallacy in it. Informing me that it minimally takes a week but trying to expedite is not a real timeline. I still don't have a date or ETA. It's vague and subjective. If it was my error in judgement to do that (which I'm glad I had HPD did it btw because I don't know what they would have tried to do if it was just me and not a reputable vendor), then fine. But are you then saying everything else they did is OK? It still doesn't excuse everything else that has been discussed. Again, returns should be handled with grace and class. Not to look for ways to recoup some kind of money or mistreat your customer. So I get that part but I don't agree with the other parts.

 

[Wewechew]

@lovedogs the bad customer service is what we all agree on, so I thought it didn’t have to be restated

 

[Katty01Kat]

When I exchanged my BGD they sent the diamond to AGS to inspect for damages, etc. and when I upgraded my BGD stone they sent the stone to AGS for inspection. I believe this is their policy. It was explained to me prior to any exchange / upgrade. They also notified me it could take up to 2 weeks for inspection, etc.
Hopefully your issue gets resolved quickly!

Thank you! That's really helpful to know!

 

[Katty01Kat]

@lovedogs the bad customer service is what we all agree on, so I thought it didn’t have to be restated

YES! Thanks

 

[lovedogs]

@lovedogs the bad customer service is what we all agree on, so I thought it didn’t have to be restated

I just wanted to re-state bc I feel a bit bad that the OP is being blamed.

 

[Katty01Kat]

I just wanted to re-state bc I feel a bit bad that the OP is being blamed.

Thank you. My head is spinning.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Agreed. But I will say there were no additional T&Cs on the invoice and their standard website T&Cs referenced a link for the return policy which took you back to FAQs on their website. So while I agree, I did confirm these were the official T&Cs.

I'm pleasantly surprised that there is so much detail oriented-ness in this forum. Probably not a word, but you get my drift. LOL.

Maybe it depends on the individual, but personally - when spending several thousand dollars on something - I aim to get EVERYTHING in writing pertaining to my transaction to alleviate potential misunderstandings later. If it’s not on the invoice, I get it in writing, before I send the check/CC #/wire ... but that’s just me.

 

[whitewave]

I just wanted to re-state bc I feel a bit bad that the OP is being blamed.

Given we don’t know the other half of the story, it is about half and half imo.

1) how can they give her a date when AGS can’t give them a date?

2) as of today, they are still comfortably in the refund return policy dates for unmounted and unused stones and jewelry. (Which hers is really not)

3) OP admits she didn’t get a response from them on how to handle the dismount and return, but did it anyway.

4) the extra money charge was tacky but is now resolved

5) other people mention distasteful experiences with vendor

6) OP claimed vendor was being shady less than 24 hours after they received the stone back.

At any rate, I must return to my hometown tomorrow very unexpectedly to handle a family urgency, so I won’t be returning to this thread any time soon.

Good luck, OP. I truly think you have nothing to worry about.

 

[amoline]

We can probably all debate back and forth on service or what the OP should/shouldn't have done.

But... we've never commented our opinions on what should/shouldn't be a lot of money to someone on this forum...That's just forwardly unkind.

We're all on the same team here, in the end, after all...

 

[jp201845]

I really sympathize with your situation OP and I'm sorry you have to deal with all this. I just want to say BGD is a very trusted vendor on this site and have no doubt you will get your refund. This is a very unique return in the sense BGD doesn't deal with this often . This would explain their position to have the stone re-certified to protect their investment as noted in an earlier post. I don't think it helps either side to play the blame game and point fingers, but rather communicate effectively between OP and BGD at this point in the process. My advice to the OP ... try to refrain from demands or even worse ultimatums as this could potentially make things worse for you.

Please be patient in this process you will get your refund back which is what everyone on this forum wants for you.

 

[yssie]

I’ve had stones unset, reset, etc. by alternate vendors prior to return and trade-up (with WF and BN) any number of times. They informed me they’d need to check for damage and possibly re-cert. I was always fine with this: If my choices result in damage, well, that’s on me. If BGD wants to handle unmounting for returns that should be in their T&C.

There’s just no excuse for BGD’s miserable customer service. A vendor shouldn’t ever, ever claim damage before ascertaining there actually is damage - that’s appallingly unprofessional. If the stone actually is damaged that’s going to be on OP. The return likely would have gone more smoothly had she gone to BGD for unmounting, but IMO that’s irrelevant to how poorly they’ve handled this process.

I’m stuck on this: Don’t ever tell a customer that a 2.3ct stone is damaged before verifying that it’s damaged. I simply cannot imagine WF or BN ever doing this.

 

[Katty01Kat]

Thanks @yssie . Agree with all your points.

I thought we all agreed that customer service was the issue here as others have posted. Then I felt like I was being blamed for the poor service because I sent the stone back unmounted. Which based on the discussions so far, sounds like it's pretty routine for a return from BGD regardless of who unmounted it. So I agree, I think it would have been irrelevant anyways. Also Just wished it was in their TCs like you said.

For the group, the initial thread title and concern was primarily based on my lack of knowledge around this process which is why I posted the thread plus the fear that resulted from the customer service and communication from BGD.

To confirm, since hearing about the AGS minimal timeline and attempt to expedite, I've actually not done nothing but wait. Agreed that they are currently within their window but communication to date has inferred that this will be outside of that window.

I've responded to the thread here though since the comments just didnt feel right and felt more of a personal attack to me rather than objective comments. I'm not expecting special treatment. just the initial lack of upfront communication; attempt at an additional $180; inferences to damage; and initial disregard to my repeated requests for a timeline will of course make anyone worry about what is going to happen. I'm glad that the forum is able to reassure me and I'm very thankful. But given some of the unkind accusations and assumptions, I will probably step away from this for a while. Its adding stressors to the situation. I dont want to argue or be forced to defend myself. I will let you all know about the refund status.

Thanks again!

 

[Katty01Kat]

To clarify, meant to say "AGS process seems pretty routine" in the first paragraph.

 

[chamois]

I hope your refund (in full) is processed for you as soon as possible, amicably. It would also be (perhaps I am being idealistic?) fitting that an apology was forthcoming from BDG.

Wishing you the best of luck going forward with your new CBI.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Lesley have always treated me well. In fact I worked with her on my wife's 3 stone pendant . I send BGD XXX dollar deposit then after the pendant was finished Lesley shipped me the pendant even though I still owe her like $700. My receipt said balance due of $700, so I send BDG a personal check and the deal is done. I can't think of another vendor who would ship me the merchandise before it is paid in full.

So, I don't understand why all these negative posts about BGD...

 

[missy]

So, I don't understand why all these negative posts about BGD...

@Dancing Fire just because you had a good experience with them doesn't mean they treat everyone as well. One cannot extrapolate one's individual experience to everyone's experience.

Hopefully they will make this right for the consumer and moving forward provide not only a good product but fair customer service.

@Katty01Kat wishing you the best of luck and hoping it works out for you.

 

[cmd2014]

You should have anticipated some complications due to the amount of money involved.

Why? Most vendors are very clear on their return policies and follow them. Why should the OP expect that BGD do any different? If they recertify returned diamonds before issuing a refund (which I am not arguing isn't a reasonable thing to do), they should indicate so on their refund policy.

As for the BGD attitude, I've encountered many retailers who were quite cordial to all potential or actual customers, but much less so to those who have ceased to be a customer.

Perhaps these are retailers we should all be avoiding and not putting them on the preferred vendors list. I firmly believe that how a retailer handles mistakes, problems, and returns is the true test of their trustworthiness. These are not small purchases, online shopping carries a risk to the consumer, and most reputable places make returns easy and painless for this reason. If they don't, I think it is eminently legitimate to warn others of this fact.

I have worked in retail, and I can tell you that there's nothing more infuriating than a special snowflake who wants to tell you how to run your own business. Tread lightly and be respectful. You will get your refund, but the balance of power is on their side now. That's a tough lesson for some people.

This is just rude. There is nothing in what the OP has said that has suggested that this is the case here. BGD did not give her any instructions, did not advise her of what their refund policy was (or the fact that it was going to be different than what they had posted on their website), and tried to hit her up with extra fees that made no sense simply because they were angry after the fact about what they had chosen to charge her for her setting. None of that has anything to do with the OP - and I am shocked at how many people have come on here to attack her for doing nothing more than what many of us might have done.

Personally, I think the OP was probably safer having had HPD unmount, clean, and photograph the stone as proof of it being in good condition prior to sending it back rather than just sending the whole ring back in to BGD - especially given her experience of having been told that it was filthy and damaged and that her refund might be at risk because of it. If it comes to legal action, this will probably serve her well as she has proof of what condition the stone was in. Much better than what would essentially be a he said she said if she had just sent the ring back to BGD and was told the same thing.

I also think that most of us would be upset by a company trying to hit you up for extra money after the fact because they were unhappy with the price they originally agreed to sell the mounting for.

Honestly, it's things like this that make it possible for so many companies to slide into truly disreputable territory before people here take notice. We should not foster an environment where posters don't want to post negative experiences for fear of being attacked. That serves no one in the end.

 

[Dancing Fire]

@Dancing Fire just because you had a good experience with them doesn't mean they treat everyone as well. One cannot extrapolate one's individual experience to everyone's experience.

That's True. All I can say is I have had great purchasing experience with HPD, WF and BGD.

 

[LightBright]

I agree with cmd2014. I believe the OP did us a service by creating this thread to discuss how one of our recommended vendors handled a return. I might be guilty of saying something unhelpful and Katty01Kat, I’m sorry about that.

At the time I was quite concerned that BGD was being criticized for a policy that I agreed with, and that protects all parties. But the customer service faux pas’ that were described by OP added up to a vendor that I would be careful doing business with in the future. The OP has forewarned us to be careful to understand policy in our dealings with BGD and for that I am thanking her for the informative post which will help others avoid the same thing from happening.

 

[distracts]

Honestly, it's things like this that make it possible for so many companies to slide into truly disreputable territory before people here take notice. We should not foster an environment where posters don't want to post negative experiences for fear of being attacked. That serves no one in the end.