Help me not get screwed by robbins bros

[davidorangecali]

So I'm sure everyone's first response will be don't buy from them but I have a couple of issues. I had started saving up money earlier this year and was just over 5k and started looking at places like blue nile and others when a pipe burst in my front yard followed by a leaking shower that required re-tiling and that led me to redoing the pipes in my entire house. So 8.5k later I have no more savings and a gf of 5 years who is constantly put down by her family because she is in her 30's and not married and her parents are old school mexican so if you weren't married by 20 they feel there is something wrong with you. I told my gf we would be engaged for sure by last year but I got my identity stolen which screwed up everything. She has been super patient but after 3 years of saying "oh we'll get engaged soon" she literally set a limit that the end of this year is it if we're not engaged by then. She says she's fine with a small ring but I'm NOT fine with it because she means so much more to me than that.

So I don't have much money and I have 0 credit so my only options are layaway programs or installment programs. I have an appointment at Robbins Bros later today and I chose them in part because they have a 60-day installment plan so I would have 8 to 9 paychecks to pay off the ring and 9 payments of around 350 can get me a 3k ring which I think would work but I have read so many horror stories here about RB that you guys have left me scared out of my whits.

I already had it in my head that i wasn't going to buy today anyways just look when I go in for the appointment but I'm hoping they'll let me take some pictures or write down some prices and have you guys tell me how bad of a deal I'm getting. because of my situation I'm fine with overpaying a bit for the convenience of the installment payments but I don't want to get completely screwed.

Of course my other option is just start saving again but I really don't want to wait much longer and we're going on a trip mid-august where we're going to hike to the top of Mt. San Jacinto in palm springs which I think would be perfect setting to propose with the sun setting over southern california on top of one of the highest points in california.

I'll edit when I get back from my appointment with more details. Thanks in advance to everyone.

 

[whitewave]

Let me think on this a bit

 

[whitewave]

How much did you think you might spend?

Enchanted diamonds has a 6 month layaway but the purchase has to be minimum $3500.00.

Since1910 has a layaway plan

Diamondsbylauren might have a layaway plan.

 

[ohsomethingshiny]

Do you have to propose with a diamond? What about a colored gem surrounded by diamonds? You could also upgrade later.

 

[whitewave]

In other words, it might be best to stick with a company we have experience with and can vouch for.

 

[Lykame]

Hi,

Okay, I can see that you have yourself a difficult situation here, and a desire to propose in mid August.

I would say perhaps think about proposing with something other than a ring, but I suspect from what you've said about her family dynamic that that perhaps wouldn't go down well?

I'm not sure what other people will tell you, but I would honestly advise waiting and starting to save again. You put yourself at risk by buying something like this on credit that you don't sound like you have.

Is there another lovely event that will come up maybe in two or three months?

It's a day away from August. If you think you can do this in a two months anyway on a programme, then you're still within your end of year deadline you've set yourself if not including the trip in August. You can use the time to do some careful research on how to get the best stone for your budget, without being trapped by one company, at a price that will give you the most for your money. Hopefully that would stop you getting ripped off by some jeweller because you felt forced to by circumstances and your financial situation.

I know that it sounds like your/her family dynamic is complicated and there is a lot of pressure, but I personally would appreciate if my partner did things properly and made sensible decisions with his finances, rather than stretching his budget and putting himself at risk. I would be even more grateful if he talked about it with me so that I understood. I mean that in the kindest way. Please, think carefully about it. By all means go to the appointment, but do not jump into anything without walking away and thinking about it with a cool head.

I'm sorry you're in this difficult situation and I hope you find a solution that works well for you! If you're wanting to go ahead with the programmes that are offered, let us know their prices for various things and we will tell you if you're about to be horrifically ripped off.

Hopefully others might have more useful suggestions for you!

All the best,
Lydia.

 

[whitewave]

My personal opinion is cancel the appt with Robbins brothers and let us help you find a ring and layaway program that works for you.

 

[farrahlyn]

Since your girl is expecting it, talk to her and ask her what she would prefer. If she just wants to be engaged, save for a couple months, purchase from Whiteflash (or someplace with a good upgrade policy like WF, BGD or HPD) and down the road you can EASILY upgrade. with Whiteflash you just have to purchase a stone $1 more. Same with High Performance Diamonds. She will get a real sparkler and you get the peace of mind that you can upgrade at a later time so that she gets the ring you feel she deserves.

My hubby spent ~$900 on my e-ring when we got engaged some 18 years ago. it was a small stone but i loved that ring. i wouldn't have cared what he proposed to me with, really. He upgraded that ring on our 15th anniversary and i love that ring too! lol!

 

[ac117]

Whiteflash - you'll be getting a stone that'll knock her socks off and they have a 90 day flex plan according to their FAQs webpage:
"90 Day Flex Plan - How it Works
Purchases of jewelry or in-house diamonds where the total is over $1,500 are eligible for the Whiteflash Flex Plan. The order may be placed with a 20% down payment and three equal payments of the balance scheduled at 30 day intervals. (Prepayments may be made at any time.) Should any scheduled payment be more than 10 days late, the merchandise will be returned to stock and a store credit issued.
Normal 30 day money back return privileges apply for all in-house diamonds and jewelry items from our catalogue. The 30 day money back guarantee for Flex Plan begins the day the order is placed and runs concurrently with the Flex Plan.
Therefore, during the first 30 days of initiating a purchase through the Flex Plan, you may cancel the order and receive a full refund of all funds paid. After 30 days, should you cancel the order, you will receive store credit for all monies paid.
Your order will go to production once the third regular installment has been received (normally at the 60 day point).
Diamonds from Virtual Selection category are not eligible for Flex Plan. Custom designs and catalogue items altered from their stated specifications (semi custom) are not returnable.
Customers interested in making a purchase using the Flex Plan should speak to their Whiteflash diamond consultant or contact customer service at 877-612-6770."

"Do I have to pay in full at the time of my order?

Payment in full is required before an order can ship. We have provisions for temporary holds of merchandise while wire transfer or other arrangements are made. We also have a flexible payment plan (Flex Plan) that provides for payment spread out over 90 days. A customer service representative will be happy to assist with such requests."

Otherwise, are you open to preloved? I believe JbG and LAD offer layaway plans.

 

[Bron357]

Hi, would you consider a coloured gem ie a blue sapphire ?
Ivy and Rose have a number of well priced ring settings and I have a number of gems sitting in Gem jars.
This lovely setting is $329 ad I think their setting fee is about $60.
The sapphire is 7mm round and a deep royal blue.

 

[HDer]

Take @Bron357 up on her suggestion! Best piece of advice I could give.

Second best piece of advice: don't worry so much about the ring. There are many ways to show a girl your love that doesn't involve an expensive piece of jewelry. For example, having a financial plan and not being in debt to start your life together.

 

[davidorangecali]

Wow! First off thanks for so many responses so quickly it shows this community really cares and wants to help people so thanks again. Just to answer some questions:

A Different stone? Like I mentioned she and her family are pretty traditional. I know she would prefer a 500 dollar diamond over a 5k ring with a different stone because its been her dream since she was a little girl to get that diamond.

Ask your gf what she would prefer: She LOVES surprises and this I feel would ruin the surprise. We have talked about it in the past and she says she's fine with a cheap ring but I'm the one who isn't ok with a cheap ring. But honestly I know she would just rather get engaged and married asap. Her family literally constantly makes fun of her when they have get together's because she's not married and I feel like it's all my fault because we've known we've wanted to get married for almost 3 years now.

X company has a layaway program: Thanks for the suggestions and keep them coming! If I do decide against RB I'm going to look at all of them!

How much are you looking to spend? I'm hoping to be around 3k out the door. Looking at 2k to 3k diamonds at RB similar to this and this one.


Ultimately it's going to boil down to do I want to wait until October (probably Halloween) with a layaway program or overpay for the convenience of getting engaged sooner and at a picturesque location (which I know she would love) by going with RB or some similar program that lets you pay after getting the ring without credit.

I'm definitely leaning to the RB/sooner engagement option so long as I don't get completely screwed by them because I know it's what she would prefer but I'll report back after my appointment so you all can laugh at how bad I'm getting screwed over

 

[Bron357]

If you do decide to go with a credit plan you MUST check the actual interest rate and terms. And the admin, establishment etc fees.
Read the whole credit agreement / document EVERY WORD!
For eg $3,000 at 10% interest was be $300 for 1 year. If the “plan” was 6 months, that would be $150 interest.
If your “interest” figure is say $500 for 6 months, that means the interest rate they are charging over 30% ! Some unscrupulous lenders can have effective interest rates of over 100%.
With “unsecured loans” the interest rate is always very high, it’s a risk/ return formula for lenders. The “safer” a risk you are, the lower the interest rate, the “higher” a risk you are (or the loan format is) the higher the interest rate.
You also must check the terms ie if a payment is late what happens. The penalties can be extreme. Don’t be late or miss a payment.

 

[ringo865]

Get a small diamond from whiteflash then you can make incremental (or bigger) upgrades as finances improve. Robbins is lesser quality and overpriced. So there's that.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

By any chance, does your SO family have a ring (heirloom) that they might want their daughter to have for an engagement ring? Could this be an option?

cheers--Sharon

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Honestly in your situation I would propose with a diamond wedding band. You can easily get a very respectable band (especially if you browse our preloved section) for less than 1k, much less if you want. Then you can pay cash. You know you want to marry her, and soon it sounds like. Propose with a band, a bigger diamond can come later.

 

[WinkHPD]

I think you are getting some very good advice here. I have worked with many clients over the years that have needed for various reasons to start small and gradually work their way bigger. Many of them never got to work their way up, as their ladies said they would rather go on a cruise or get a new car or buy new furniture for the house or (add a list a mile long here.)

Your soon to be fiance sounds like she might be one of those who is perfectly happy with a smaller diamond than you want to get. If not, it is so easy to upgrade whenever you are ready, so long as you bought from someone who makes upgrading easy.

I hope you find what you are looking for and that you make your deadline with much time to spare!

Wink

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...-and-10k-white-gold-diamond-wedding-set;23497

check this out!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...autiful-3-stone-bezel-halo-diamond-ring;23485

hello stunning!

 

[HDer]

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...-and-10k-white-gold-diamond-wedding-set;23497

check this out!

Was just about to post that!!! Yes, if you don't mind preloved, that's the way to go. Much more carat weight, half the price as the RB rings, and you get the wedding band to boot!

 

[ohsomethingshiny]

https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...autiful-3-stone-bezel-halo-diamond-ring;23485

hello stunning!

Yumm!!! Love this!!!! What beautiful finger coverage. And so stylish!

 

[tyty333]

Those 2 pre-loved items are really nice deals...

James Allen has financing too...not sure if its good or not. Whiteflash has a much better upgrade policy though. YOu have to spend 2x your original stone
at James Allen. James Allen is also running 25% off their settings right now.
https://www.jamesallen.com/financing/

Settings
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...d-inspired-diamond-engagement-ring-item-41042 $862
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...etite-diamond-halo-engagement-ring-item-41066 $900
https://www.jamesallen.com/engageme...nd-engagement-ring-princess-center-item-17453 $540
(add a diamond wedding band later)

With something like this...there are others that would fit the bill, just trying to give you ideas of options and pricing.
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.71-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-sku-5392102 $1890

 

[Niel]

Oh man! I’ve been waiting for one of these threads to come along

Amended - boo I thought this was a “find a e ring under 1k “ type thread

 

[LLJsmom]

http://www.loveaffairdiamonds.com/0-96ct-old-european-cut-diamond-gia-j-vs1/

And choose a very simple white gold solitaire setting. LAD has layaway plans.

 

[Niel]

If you had to pay cash how much would you have to spend?

 

[Niel]

Also what’s her finger size?

 

[ohsomethingshiny]

Would she like something like this pretty and classic three stone ring?




https://www.gesner.com/estate-engagement-ring-55ct-diamond.html?

I know the owner and have purchased through them. Great family. Frank, the owner, is very easy to work with and you can even make an offer less than the current $1,395 sales price. He’s been in the business for about 50 years. They in Florida and will ship it to you. Plus they offer layaway.

 

[Niel]

Idk if this is in budget but if we could get a pic of the stone I think this is promising. Could probably get for 1500 or less, and that setting alone is probably double that (Sebastien Barier)
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/162633185772

 

[lovedogs]

There is awesome advice in this thread!!! Please don't buy low quality from rb, it just isn't worth it. Buy what you can afford now from Wf or preloved or JA, and then upgrade later if she wants to.

 

[ChristineRose]

No one should ever finance a ring because they can't afford to pay cash. Full stop.

There are (as said) many less expensive ways to go, up to and including no ring at all. You say you want the ring because she's important to you--but fixing your burst pipes is a much better way to start a wonderful life together than going into debt for a ring.

The two of you can plan to get a ring later, or get something meaningful but inexpensive. If the goal is impress her family, discuss getting a fake with her. Don't think of it as giving something up, think of it as choosing your time and place and and this time, this place, getting something wonderful and wonderfully affordable.