Is anyone following the dumpster fire on IG?

[YadaYadaYada]

Recently a PS’er bought a diamond that ended up being smaller than advertised from an IG seller, I actually posted it in another thread since the price was so good.

Well it seems there are unhappy customers coming out of the woodwork and this IG seller has been posting about it since last night. Today there are several posts in her stories and it just seems unhinged at this point. What is that saying about protesting too much?

Anyways, just wondering if anyone else has seen this and what your thoughts are. I’m not usually one for the drama but this is just next level crazy at this point.

 

[marymm]

Is there a reason you are not identifying the IG seller? It's a public account, yes?

 

[YadaYadaYada]

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[winnietucker]

I unfollowed her… it’s all too unhinged for me to consider buying from her.

 

[HisMrs]

I’m semi-following (as in it’s all over my feed and hard to avoid). I won’t be buying from any of the parties involved.

 

[maryjane04]

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Yeah I'm definitely not going to buy from her. Just stick to IG sellers who have been vetted.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I’m semi-following (as in it’s all over my feed and hard to avoid). I won’t be buying from any of the parties involved.

This is me too, I wouldn’t know about it if it wasn’t posted all over stories. I follow two of the three accounts involved and it’s a lot. Airing every detail on IG is a bad look.

 

[RRfromR]

Where do I go and see the the drama? What is happening?

 

[Slickk]

Where do I go and see the the drama? What is happening?

@RRfromR This is the IG link that @YadaYadaYada shared. It may be too old to see now.
I don’t think certain things should be shared online. This certainly is one of those things.

 

[RRfromR]

@RRfromR This is the IG link that @YadaYadaYada shared. It may be too old to see now.
I don’t think certain things should be shared online. This certainly is one of those things.

I think so all I see is the seller profile

 

[YadaYadaYada]

They were apparently all taken down so I’ll probably delete this thread later. The short story is that multiple people bought jewelry from Retro and there were issues with the items. One ring had a good size chip on the girdle that I believe was not disclosed and the videos didn’t show it well. The other was a custom order with a sapphire.

I think a lot can be said for how a seller handles complaints and unhappy customers so from what I’ve seen, I would not purchase from Retro, not worth the risk.

 

[RRfromR]

They were apparently all taken down so I’ll probably delete this thread later. The short story is that multiple people bought jewelry from Retro and there were issues with the items. One ring had a good size chip on the girdle that I believe was not disclosed and the videos didn’t show it well. The other was a custom order with a sapphire.

I think a lot can be said for how a seller handles complaints and unhappy customers so from what I’ve seen, I would not purchase from Retro, not worth the risk.

I totally agree.

 

[Mreader]

Retro has a zillion voice stories so I don’t want to listen to all of those haha but yes when someone is that loony after an unhappy customer comes forth, it’s not a good look at all. Buyer beware.

 

[HS4S_2]

She has a ton of voice stories in regards to whatever happened. I didn't listen. It's not a great look.

 

[JPie]

I did listen and regret that life choice deeply.

Bottom line, some folks are too defensive and terrible at written communication to run a business well.

 

[HisMrs]

They were apparently all taken down so I’ll probably delete this thread later. The short story is that multiple people bought jewelry from Retro and there were issues with the items. One ring had a good size chip on the girdle that I believe was not disclosed and the videos didn’t show it well. The other was a custom order with a sapphire.

I think a lot can be said for how a seller handles complaints and unhappy customers so from what I’ve seen, I would not purchase from Retro, not worth the risk.

HyperSparkle was already on my “do not buy from” list because of some stories she posted several weeks ago. Apparently she sold a designer item that turned out to be a replica. She (hypersparkle) didn’t know, but somehow the buyer found out when she received it. Basically, in the posted stories HyperSparkle ranted and put the blame on the buyer for not requesting more photos and videos. She emphasized her no return policy which is normally fair, but you sold something that was not as described. She then allowed for a return, but the buyer took too long to return and she revoked her offer. What upset me was her freaking tone. IT WAS ALL THE BUYERS FAULT! She didn’t take any responsibility for selling a replica. Her stance on this situation with retro now, to me, seems hypocritical. Why didn’t she ask for more photo or videos? They’re all bad actors in my opinion.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Retro has a zillion voice stories so I don’t want to listen to all of those haha but yes when someone is that loony after an unhappy customer comes forth, it’s not a good look at all. Buyer beware.

Yeah I saw those voice overs of black screen and went “Nope!”

 

[RRfromR]

HyperSparkle was already on my “do not buy from” list because of some stories she posted several weeks ago. Apparently she sold a designer item that turned out to be a replica. She (hypersparkle) didn’t know, but somehow the buyer found out when she received it. Basically, in the posted stories HyperSparkle ranted and put the blame on the buyer for not requesting more photos and videos. She emphasized her no return policy which is normally fair, but you sold something that was not as described. She then allowed for a return, but the buyer took too long to return and she revoked her offer. What upset me was her freaking tone. IT WAS ALL THE BUYERS FAULT! She didn’t take any responsibility for selling a replica. Her stance on this situation with retro now, to me, seems hypocritical. Why didn’t she ask for more photo or videos? They’re all bad actors in my opinion.

This is terrible.

 

[hypersparkle]

This is terrible.

HyperSparkle was already on my “do not buy from” list because of some stories she posted several weeks ago. Apparently she sold a designer item that turned out to be a replica. She (hypersparkle) didn’t know, but somehow the buyer found out when she received it. Basically, in the posted stories HyperSparkle ranted and put the blame on the buyer for not requesting more photos and videos. She emphasized her no return policy which is normally fair, but you sold something that was not as described. She then allowed for a return, but the buyer took too long to return and she revoked her offer. What upset me was her freaking tone. IT WAS ALL THE BUYERS FAULT! She didn’t take any responsibility for selling a replica. Her stance on this situation with retro now, to me, seems hypocritical. Why didn’t she ask for more photo or videos? They’re all bad actors in my opinion.

Hi! I wanted to chime in on this. I had a designer week by customer request back at the end of May. I let everyone know multiple times that this is NOT my specialty and that I am going based on the identification of the partner shop I work with and to ask questions. I always provide a last look video to all of my customers, and I believe that the hallmark was visible in the last look video.

When the buyer let me know after her initial "I love it!" reply that it wasn't the designer, I asked if she still wanted to keep it because the value of the designer box and the brooch was about the same as what she paid (I sent comparable listings), if anything, a little more. She declined so I provided her with a pre-paid shipping label to return the item to me.

I then heard absolutely nothing from her. She lives in NYC so getting to a post office should not have been an issue like it may have for say, a customer in rural Alaska. And if it had been due to illness or some other delay, courtesy is usually that someone communicates that. When 17 days later I still had not heard from her and she had not used the pre-paid return label I provided, I let her know that I would no longer be refunding. I felt I had provided both the means and the time in order to do so. I did post a public opinion question and videos asking what others thought is a reasonable timeline as a newer business owner, I thought 2 weeks was plenty of time for a return. Heck, a lot of sellers on IG would have asked the client to pay the shipping and some have even shorter turnarounds for returns.

Had the client taken the time to return promptly, she would have happily received her refund. I hope you can understand my perspective. 17 days is a long time, especially when in that time, stones can be changed out, items can be damaged, etc. A prompt return was expected and not received and no communication happened in between.

I work really hard to do my best, but I'm a human being. That's why I told my customers in that live show and afterward to double check, ask for more pics, etc because this wasn't my specialty. I'm sad that it turned out that way, but I have sold a lot of stuff and only ever had a few things like this slip through the cracks and whenever they have, the customers have promptly and quickly returned the items & I promptly and quickly paid them back, always providing them with a pre-paid shipping label too.

If you want to talk to me about it further, you're more than welcome to message me here or on Instagram. I am a friendly person and my customers can attest that I am very forthright and up front about my items. Thank you.

 

[RRfromR]

@hypersparkle This is what I would do. I very rarely sell the items that I'm not longer wearing and, because I'm not a professional, I always get a written appraisal from a NAJA-certified appraiser. For colored stones that around 1 ct. or more, I send them to GIA and provide the certificate and information to the buyer. As a customer of a business, I would expect a 30-day return window.
I'm an European living in the US, and I buy from here, the UE, and UK, both in person and online, so I have buying experience across markets and jurisdictions.

 

[lala646]

Most of you know about my experience with the seller @YadaYadaYada is referring to, that I no longer want to even mention. I will say I'm glad I at least got a decent stone out of it, and if they had been remotely cool-headed with me when I asked them about the discrepancy between the stone I received, and the stone I believed I was buying, showed even the tiniest bit of remorse for the mix-up, I would have been satisfied. Decent stone for a decent price - hey, I'm good! That has not been the case. I have continued to receive aggressive and attacking PMs from the seller as recently as 2 days ago when I finally blocked them on IG, blaming me for damaging their business, and continuing to take absolutely no responsibility for their own actions. Decent stone or not, I regret ever doing business with them. :/

 

[HisMrs]

Hi! I wanted to chime in on this. I had a designer week by customer request back at the end of May. I let everyone know multiple times that this is NOT my specialty and that I am going based on the identification of the partner shop I work with and to ask questions. I always provide a last look video to all of my customers, and I believe that the hallmark was visible in the last look video.

When the buyer let me know after her initial "I love it!" reply that it wasn't the designer, I asked if she still wanted to keep it because the value of the designer box and the brooch was about the same as what she paid (I sent comparable listings), if anything, a little more. She declined so I provided her with a pre-paid shipping label to return the item to me.

I then heard absolutely nothing from her. She lives in NYC so getting to a post office should not have been an issue like it may have for say, a customer in rural Alaska. And if it had been due to illness or some other delay, courtesy is usually that someone communicates that. When 17 days later I still had not heard from her and she had not used the pre-paid return label I provided, I let her know that I would no longer be refunding. I felt I had provided both the means and the time in order to do so. I did post a public opinion question and videos asking what others thought is a reasonable timeline as a newer business owner, I thought 2 weeks was plenty of time for a return. Heck, a lot of sellers on IG would have asked the client to pay the shipping and some have even shorter turnarounds for returns.

Had the client taken the time to return promptly, she would have happily received her refund. I hope you can understand my perspective. 17 days is a long time, especially when in that time, stones can be changed out, items can be damaged, etc. A prompt return was expected and not received and no communication happened in between.

I work really hard to do my best, but I'm a human being. That's why I told my customers in that live show and afterward to double check, ask for more pics, etc because this wasn't my specialty. I'm sad that it turned out that way, but I have sold a lot of stuff and only ever had a few things like this slip through the cracks and whenever they have, the customers have promptly and quickly returned the items & I promptly and quickly paid them back, always providing them with a pre-paid shipping label too.

If you want to talk to me about it further, you're more than welcome to message me here or on Instagram. I am a friendly person and my customers can attest that I am very forthright and up front about my items. Thank you.

So the short of it is you sold something fake. Just because you admitted ignorance does not make it a valid excuse. It’s your business. Do better. Your buyer was excited to receive the item and enthusiastically sent you a message upon receipt saying that they loved it. What a lovely person! Then, upon closer inspection, they realize this designer item is actually a fake. They reach out to you for a refund, you seemingly begrudgingly agree. They then take too long to return, you rescind your offer AND question their integrity. Then you post a series of stories about it where you place the entirety of the blame on them instead of keeping it between the two of you or, i don’t know, taking some responsibility. YOU didn’t do your due diligence.



I buy a lot and have established amazing relationships with sellers. I trust them and in turn they seem to trust me. If any of them at any point questioned my integrity then that relationship would be over. Similarly, I wouldn’t purchase anything from anyone whose integrity I question.



Lastly, as the primary caregiver to a young child who homeschools and runs her own business I can confidently say 17 days can go by in a flash. It’s wonderful that it seems as though you have the ability to run errands whenever, but we don’t all have that luxury.

 

[hypersparkle]

So the short of it is you sold something fake. Just because you admitted ignorance does not make it a valid excuse. It’s your business. Do better. Your buyer was excited to receive the item and enthusiastically sent you a message upon receipt saying that they loved it. What a lovely person! Then, upon closer inspection, they realize this designer item is actually a fake. They reach out to you for a refund, you seemingly begrudgingly agree. They then take too long to return, you rescind your offer AND question their integrity. Then you post a series of stories about it where you place the entirety of the blame on them instead of keeping it between the two of you or, i don’t know, taking some responsibility. YOU didn’t do your due diligence.



I buy a lot and have established amazing relationships with sellers. I trust them and in turn they seem to trust me. If any of them at any point questioned my integrity then that relationship would be over. Similarly, I wouldn’t purchase anything from anyone whose integrity I question.



Lastly, as the primary caregiver to a young child who homeschools and runs her own business I can confidently say 17 days can go by in a flash. It’s wonderful that it seems as though you have the ability to run errands whenever, but we don’t all have that luxury.

Thank you for the feedback. With no communication from the customer, and 17 days having gone by without it being dropped off, I felt like a reasonable amount of time had elapsed. I checked in with a couple more seasoned sellers and asked for their advice before I even sent my message to the buyer. Most agreed that within 14 days was plenty of time unless a situation was communicated such as an illness or a family emergency that prevented them from returning.

As a mother of two busy children, as well as the part time childcare provider for my sister’s two toddlers, I understand being busy! I am doing this all on my own with only the occasional help of my kids. However, I still manage to get my shipments out in a reasonable fashion and even on the worst days, USPS does offer next business day service free of charge.

I do appreciate all y’all’s feedback and if you’d like to discuss this any further, you’re always welcome to DM me. Have a wonderful day!

 

[RRfromR]

I'm just amazed that sellers would do that. It's so dangerous. The counterfeit laws are strict, and while nobody will go to jail for a fake jewelry item, they will certainly go bankrupt while defending themselves. And I bet most of them don't have liability insurance. It also triggers the possibility of an IRS audit.

 

[Rhea]

I'd be upset about a delayed return too but that doesn't matter. If your customer were to file with her credit card company for saying it wasn't as described, they will side with her. Consumer protections are strong in a lot of countries and fees for sellers getting chargebacks are fairly high.

I'd expect a seller to take an item which wasn't as described back for much longer than a normal 14 day return policy. This isn't a change of mind, this is a mis-sold item. That's completely different.

 

[seaurchin]

Thank you for the feedback. With no communication from the customer, and 17 days having gone by without it being dropped off, I felt like a reasonable amount of time had elapsed. I checked in with a couple more seasoned sellers and asked for their advice before I even sent my message to the buyer. Most agreed that within 14 days was plenty of time unless a situation was communicated such as an illness or a family emergency that prevented them from returning.

As a mother of two busy children, as well as the part time childcare provider for my sister’s two toddlers, I understand being busy! I am doing this all on my own with only the occasional help of my kids. However, I still manage to get my shipments out in a reasonable fashion and even on the worst days, USPS does offer next business day service free of charge.

I do appreciate all y’all’s feedback and if you’d like to discuss this any further, you’re always welcome to DM me. Have a wonderful day!

Was the customer informed that there would be a 17 day time limit on the return ahead of time, or given any notice and deadline at all about when you planned to take back your offer to correct your mistake?

Because from what you’ve written, it sounds like you just yanked the offer to correct your mistake away, without notice, when you arbitrarily decided you “just felt that was probably enough time” or “because some unidentified third party/parties who aren’t involved in this transaction agreed with you that that was probably enough time.”

If so, no. That’s not fair and that’s not how business works.

If I understood you correctly, I think you should apologize for both of your mistakes and correct them the best you can by extending the return window—-and clearly informing the customer of the time limit— then issuing a refund. It would also be a good idea to toss in something extra for your two mistakes that the customer had to deal with. Because if I understood you correctly, your actions and excuses are ridiculous.

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

There is no statute of limitations on fraud. The buyer can and should do a credit card charge back. Totally different than an ‘I don’t care for it’ return. The seller shouldn’t be selling if they don’t understand this distinction.

 

[LightBright]

i had this happen to me on Etsy. A vendor sold what she advertised as a vintage tourmaline ring. It turned out to be a newly made glass filled ruby. It was extremely obvious when I received the ring! I paid five times what it was worth. I immediately told the vendor the item was not as advertised. The vendor refused to refund the non returnable item, which I bought on the basis of her description. Opening a Dispute with Etsy was humiliating, they sided with her and closed the case even when I showed the ruby flourescing madly and providing scientific paper saying tourmalines don’t flouresce bright pink, ever. I then went to my credit card company and they refunded me the price.

The difference is that hypersparkle immediately offered to accept a return and sent a prepaid label. Then waited 17 days. Customer said nothing like hey I’m busy can you extend the return period, etc. Then seller decided something seemed off and refused the return. Am I missing something? It would seem that hypersparkle might be gracious and accept the return still, even now, but sometimes items are altered, etc. That would be my concern as a vendor, too, lost ability to sell in-transit inventory and possibility of tampered item. I’d still not create a problem, I’d still be gracious and accept the return. I’m not sure what caused Hypersparkle to rant but perhaps it was the insinuation that she is an unreasonable vendor, when in actuality, her actions seem more than reasonable to me as a buyer, especially if her customary policy is no returns at all.

 

[Tinytreasurers]

i had this happen to me on Etsy. A vendor sold what she advertised as a vintage tourmaline ring. It turned out to be a newly made glass filled ruby. It was extremely obvious when I received the ring! I paid five times what it was worth. I immediately told the vendor the item was not as advertised. The vendor refused to refund the non returnable item, which I bought on the basis of her description. Opening a Dispute with Etsy was humiliating, they sided with her and closed the case even when I showed the ruby flourescing madly and providing scientific paper saying tourmalines don’t flouresce bright pink, ever. I then went to my credit card company and they refunded me the price.

The difference is that hypersparkle immediately offered to accept a return and sent a prepaid label. Then waited 17 days. Customer said nothing like hey I’m busy can you extend the return period, etc. Then seller decided something seemed off and refused the return. Am I missing something? It would seem that hypersparkle might be gracious and accept the return still, even now, but sometimes items are altered, etc. That would be my concern as a vendor, too, lost ability to sell in-transit inventory and possibility of tampered item. I’d still not create a problem, I’d still be gracious and accept the return. I’m not sure what caused Hypersparkle to rant but perhaps it was the insinuation that she is an unreasonable vendor, when in actuality, her actions seem more than reasonable to me as a buyer, especially if her customary policy is no returns at all.

I 1000% agree with this. She tried to make it right, the customer went dark while holding on to merchandise and did not respond to any additional attempts to make contact. This isn't fraud, this is a mistake Hypersparkle intended to correct. Could she have waited longer? Maybe, but at what point do you assume someone has taken your item and has no intent to return? Could she have kept quiet and dealt with it privately? Probably, lesson learned there, but I think she was well intentioned and looking for some reassurance from the community.

I will disclose I have purchased from her a few times and have always felt like she went out of her way to be helpful, gracious, and quick to respond / ship an item.

 

[Mreader]

Where is the buyer in all of this? Did the buyer communicate once the offer was revoked? The seller seems like a nice person, but in this case I think she’s in the wrong. It was essentially a counterfeit item and I agree with @Mrsz1ppy - buyer should contest with her cc.