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How to upgrade / ERD won't honor their upgrade policy?

gobble

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 17, 2014
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62
We'll be married a year in 3 weeks and wife wants to upgrade. I find that a bit offensive but you pick your battles.

The agreement when I bought the stone from Engagement Rings Direct was that over the lifetime if I spent at least 50% more on a new stone I could trade mine in for what I paid. I found out today they won't honor that commitment, that I'd have to spend 100% more to upgrade. First, that really sucks. I bought based on reputation and got burned. Nobody needs a $35,000 diamond so to incur that 100% cost would be prohibitive.

Is there a market besides Ebay to sell a stone and get a fair price?

How do people upgrade when relying on the original vendor isn't an option???
 

flyingpig

Ideal_Rock
Premium
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Nov 7, 2015
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2,975
Ouch.. That sucks. It is a reminder for everyone to read all fine prints when selecting a vendor

For an example.

"All policies are subject to change at the discretion of BrilliantEngaged.com"
VS
"Policies subject to change. Benefits based upon published policy at the time of purchase and posted on our website."

I hope you find a good solution
 

PintoBean

Ideal_Rock
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6,589
I think that vendors would probably offer you a price closer to wholesale than retail, but if prices are still low, then the plus is that you'll be buying the upgrade at a low.

You can also try consigning or selling yourself pre-loved. It depends on your current cash flow availability for purchasing your upgrade. You could also buy low now, and wait till prices rise again and then sell the current diamond.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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A couple of thoughts. Do you have that upgrade policy written on your sales receipt? Was it written on their website at the time? Just wondering because if you have it in writing, they should honor it. If it was verbal only, is it possible you misunderstood? In any event, unless it was in print somewhere, I don't think you'll get very far. Most of the PS vendors either have an upgrade policy with no money limitations other than the stone costing more than the one traded in, or it is double the amount of the original stone.

People sell diamonds second hand all the time. Expect to lose 15-30% if it is a nice quality diamond (and depending on the popularity of the stone), although diamond prices will have an influence on that, as sometimes prices have gone up and sometimes they have declined. In your case, diamond prices may be fairly similar to when you bought the stone or they may have gone down a bit. Many PS members have sold diamonds by listing on Loupetroop.com and then posting the link on the Pre-loved forum here. It will help if you use a known vendor or appraiser to be your middleman to hold the stone when the buyer sends payment and then they send the diamond to the buyer.

Somebody's going to address this, so it may as well be me! You said:

"Nobody needs a $35,000 diamond so to incur that 100% cost would be prohibitive."

No one needs a $10k diamond or even a $1k diamond. It's all "want", never need. You can get married with no rings at all or a gold wedding band. Many people here have $30k+ diamonds as upgrades, but most of us were far beyond the first anniversary when we got it. I was married for 30 years+ when I got mine. I can't imagine most young couples married a year being able to upgrade to a $35k diamond as most are buying or furnishing a home, some have student loans, and most are beginning long term savings plans for retirement, an emergency fund, other savings, starting a family, etc. In your case, if you can't upgrade, you are going to lose money on your current diamond and it will probably be a few thousand dollars. So do you have the extra funds to make up the loss plus add an additional $5k or so to do an upgrade? Are all those other basic financial responsibilities taken care of? Because as much as I like diamonds, they are a luxury and never should be bought (upgraded) if all the other financial needs are not met. I am only addressing this because you seem a little negative about doing an upgrade at this point, and maybe you have good reasons. On the other hand, if you have all those needs met and have tons of discretionary extra money, then diamonds are a great thing to spend extra money on! ;))
 

gobble

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 17, 2014
Messages
62
Diamond prices are low right now? Is that why a vendor would back off their policy? I do have it in writing, but that doesn't mean much, not like I'm going to take them to court or anything crazy.
 

mrs-b

Super_Ideal_Rock
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11,542
Sometimes our words come back to haunt us....

Written by gobble » 27 Feb 2014 17:56:
Some are more materialistic than others and she'll be happy with whatever. I'd like something nice though that doesn't break the bank.

I'm talking about spend $20,000! on a tiny piece of glass and people are giving me a hard time. Crazy.
 

marymm

Ideal_Rock
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gobble|1467846077|4052281 said:
Diamond prices are low right now? Is that why a vendor would back off their policy? I do have it in writing, but that doesn't mean much, not like I'm going to take them to court or anything crazy.

If you have it in writing, please quote the entire upgrade policy here.
 

FancyIntense

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
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278
You can click on the tab above at the top of the page under the advertising, labeled 'Resources' click on 'Sell Your Diamond'.

Fill out the form and someone will get back to you with an offer for your diamond. Include your cert number and specs. =)

Don't worry it's just an offer.
 

Gypsy

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40,225
canuk-gal|1467844280|4052274 said:


Oh yeah. I remember this guy.

You reap what you sow.

You won't find me wasting my time helping you again.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Gypsy|1467852859|4052327 said:
canuk-gal|1467844280|4052274 said:


Oh yeah. I remember this guy.

You reap what you sow.

You won't find me wasting my time helping you again.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Just read through the entire old thread again. Nope, no sympathy and no help from me, since all you did in the previous thread is insult everyone and be entirely ungrateful for the advice you were given. My guess is that you didn't take that advice, and now you see what happens.
 

Laila619

Super_Ideal_Rock
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gobble|1467842144|4052251 said:
We'll be married a year in 3 weeks and wife wants to upgrade. I find that a bit offensive but you pick your battles.

Just tell her that sorry, but it's not in the cards right now. If you're planning on having a baby sometime soon, explain to her that it's really not a smart use of funds.
 

rainydaze

Ideal_Rock
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Nobody needs a 200k car either, but you had no trouble treating yourself to that.

Are you really surprised (and offended?!) she wants to upgrade? You put all your energy into getting a subpar diamond to make yourself happy and no effort into getting her a truly nice diamond. And she noticed. Imagine that.
 

ringo865

Ideal_Rock
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2,897
Are you sure it is the ring she wants to upgrade?
 

Dee*Jay

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I just read through the entire original thread (amazing what I will do to procrastinate the project I'm working on... ) and I just want to say from now on Gypsy will forever be The Cat Lady to me. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

(You know I luvs you Gypsy; couldn't resist!)
 

PintoBean

Ideal_Rock
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Dee*Jay|1467904623|4052553 said:
I just read through the entire original thread (amazing what I will do to procrastinate the project I'm working on... ) and I just want to say from now on Gypsy will forever be The Cat Lady to me. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

(You know I luvs you Gypsy; couldn't resist!)
Ditto, Dee*Jay!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

lovedogs

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ringo865|1467896700|4052498 said:
Are you sure it is the ring she wants to upgrade?

Unknown.jpg :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

Bonfire

Ideal_Rock
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You're going to have to figure this out on your own bud.
 

bright ice

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Dee*Jay|1467904623|4052553 said:
I just read through the entire original thread (amazing what I will do to procrastinate the project I'm working on... ) and I just want to say from now on Gypsy will forever be The Cat Lady to me. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

(You know I luvs you Gypsy; couldn't resist!)


So did I :lol:
 

pyramid

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I hate this piling on. I mean fancy going back and reading his old thread, in order to bully him.

Pricescope never used to be like this, this is why lots of great posters left.
 

pyramid

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Community guideline for both sides:

I agree to not participate in rudeness, personal attacks, or any unethical behavior
 

gobble

Rough_Rock
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marymm|1467849787|4052295 said:
gobble|1467846077|4052281 said:
Diamond prices are low right now? Is that why a vendor would back off their policy? I do have it in writing, but that doesn't mean much, not like I'm going to take them to court or anything crazy.

If you have it in writing, please quote the entire upgrade policy here.

I have an old email from him stating what I would need to spend to upgrade, down to the exact dollar figure which is 50% of what I paid. I had looked into making a change shortly after purchasing the stone because we couldn't get comfortable with the H vs. I color. At the time though the cost to make a change (50% more) made switching to an H prohibitive.

Last time I visited this forum I felt some were rude and less than helpful. In the end though when I disappeared I did take their advice (despite my view on how they presented it) so I'm thankful for that. It seems nothing has changed in the last two years here.
 

gobble

Rough_Rock
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Feb 17, 2014
Messages
62
rainydaze|1467894983|4052495 said:
Nobody needs a 200k car either, but you had no trouble treating yourself to that.

Are you really surprised (and offended?!) she wants to upgrade? You put all your energy into getting a subpar diamond to make yourself happy and no effort into getting her a truly nice diamond. And she noticed. Imagine that.

Nobody does need a $200,000 car, but believe it or not her family is in the exotic car business and she loves that car more than me. I barely drive it.

The diamond I purchased is anything from subpar. It's a 1.4 on the HCA scale and was purchased from a well known and respected vendor. The local jeweler who made the setting even commented on how nice the diamond was. I did end up taking the advice of this forum but stopped posting after the attacks.
 

iwantsparkle

Shiny_Rock
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What a hilarious thread. I didn't know things got snarky here.

Fun!
 

momma2boys

Shiny_Rock
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Jun 12, 2013
Messages
311
Wow. Just wow. I come on Pricescope every single day but I stopped posting quite a while ago...until today. There are so many incredibly snarky and immature people on this forum. There is such a-holier-than thou attitude with certain posters. The people who I'm referring to know who they are and will of course adamantly disagree with me either publicly or not and I absolutely do not care. It's amazing how a person's true character shines so brightly through a computer screen. I don't care how talented you are, an ugly character means more. I remember Gobble. I didn't think too highly of him when he originally posted on here. But it never once crossed my mind to bash him the moment he came back here looking for help again. Pricescope is not about condemning someone if they don't agree with you or you don't agree with them. If you want to help them, then help. But if you don't, then by all means DON'T.

I want to add that I admire many posters, like Niel, who offer their help and time while also managing to remain classy despite any adversity. I respect that and I know many others do, too.
 

newjourney

Rough_Rock
Joined
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Messages
72
gobble|1467912885|4052647 said:
marymm|1467849787|4052295 said:
gobble|1467846077|4052281 said:
Diamond prices are low right now? Is that why a vendor would back off their policy? I do have it in writing, but that doesn't mean much, not like I'm going to take them to court or anything crazy.

If you have it in writing, please quote the entire upgrade policy here.

I have an old email from him stating what I would need to spend to upgrade, down to the exact dollar figure which is 50% of what I paid.

Gobble,
Can you elaborate on their exact reasons for not honoring the written agreement? I'm curious.
 

rubybeth

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 12, 2007
Messages
2,568
gobble|1467912885|4052647 said:
marymm|1467849787|4052295 said:
gobble|1467846077|4052281 said:
Diamond prices are low right now? Is that why a vendor would back off their policy? I do have it in writing, but that doesn't mean much, not like I'm going to take them to court or anything crazy.

If you have it in writing, please quote the entire upgrade policy here.

I have an old email from him stating what I would need to spend to upgrade, down to the exact dollar figure which is 50% of what I paid. I had looked into making a change shortly after purchasing the stone because we couldn't get comfortable with the H vs. I color. At the time though the cost to make a change (50% more) made switching to an H prohibitive.

Last time I visited this forum I felt some were rude and less than helpful. In the end though when I disappeared I did take their advice (despite my view on how they presented it) so I'm thankful for that. It seems nothing has changed in the last two years here.

I would definitely forward them the old email and see if they are willing to honor that. Can't hurt to try, right? :)

And if they won't honor that, definitely see if another vendor would do a buy back of the stone. Last options would be consignment or selling yourself on Diamond Bistro or Loupe Troop, and you can use an intermediary like an appraiser or vendor to handle the shipment of the stone if you aren't comfortable doing that yourself.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
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33,227
Pyramid|1467911440|4052632 said:
I hate this piling on. I mean fancy going back and reading his old thread, in order to bully him.

Pricescope never used to be like this, this is why lots of great posters left.

Read the old thread.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whats-the-best-value-in-a-2-ct-round-stone.198687/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/whats-the-best-value-in-a-2-ct-round-stone.198687/[/URL]
This guy totally deserves what he's getting.

The old PS was not about people cheerfully being doormats to guys like this.
 

gobble

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 17, 2014
Messages
62
newjourney|1467916311|4052676 said:
gobble|1467912885|4052647 said:
marymm|1467849787|4052295 said:
gobble|1467846077|4052281 said:
Diamond prices are low right now? Is that why a vendor would back off their policy? I do have it in writing, but that doesn't mean much, not like I'm going to take them to court or anything crazy.

If you have it in writing, please quote the entire upgrade policy here.

I have an old email from him stating what I would need to spend to upgrade, down to the exact dollar figure which is 50% of what I paid.

Gobble,
Can you elaborate on their exact reasons for not honoring the written agreement? I'm curious.

He doesn't want to have to inventory the old diamond and said as the owner he's free to change his policy to avoid losing money. That's fine but I'd think you'd still honor the policy in effect at the time of purchase otherwise none of your policies have any credibility going forward. Yeah probably if I had a screenshot of the policy from 2 years ago it would have some weasel out language but who knows. The receipt itself is very simple and is silent on upgrades. I did send back the old email and this is pretty much the response I received, albeit polite.

It sounds like the conclusion is that there's no way to sell a diamond anywhere close to retail and also that in general diamond prices are depressed so selling it or trading it in would result in a worse outcome than the upgrade path. If they honored their policy it might have been a good deal with prices down but that's the reason they won't honor their policy. So I'm stuck which probably isn't the worst thing in the world.

Funny how people remember me from two years ago I didn't reread that thread or care to.
 
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