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is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and how?

Imdanny

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 21, 2008
Messages
6,186
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

Lula|1295352035|2825643 said:
Where humans are involved, there is bias -- period. So a truly unbiased site is not realistic, in my opinion.

That said, it costs money to maintain a site like this; if consumers would be willing to pay a fee to use it, I'd agree that that may make PS less susceptible to the kinds of bias that may result from paid advertising. It will be a cold day in h*ll, though, before any consumer will drop a dime to support a site like this. I'm just sayin'.

There is a checks and balances process that occurs here among consumers, vendors, and the mods. Could it be better? Sure. But I do see it evolving. I do see more transparency than in the past.

Personally, I don't really care who "owns" PS. Most people come here to get some education, and perhaps some recommendations, which they are free to ignore. Yes, they may be steered to online vendors, but that's because the majority of the consumers on this site prefer to buy online. Those who wish to buy locally can take their knowledge -- acquired for free on this site -- straight to their nearest B&M.

But realize, too, that many people on this site are here because their experiences at B&M stores have led them to believe they're not getting the whole story (bias, anyone?) from the B&M's they've visited.

As to your charge that the same vendors are recommended over and over -- yup, it does seem that way. Just like any community, trends and "buzz" develop around certain products/vendors. Posters are required by the rules to post only about what they know, and many of us have worked with specific vendors on several projects. Not all of those vendors are contributors to the site nor are they paid advertisers. They benefit from this site, as do the dozens of local B&Ms that are recommended often by posters. I wrote a long testimonial about a local store in my area. The store owner was asked by an online vendor I've worked with to join PS; he declined to join.

As a former business owner, I take the opposite view that you do, i.e., it amazes me that this site does not prohibit the extensive recommendations and discussion of vendors (online and B&M alike) who do not advertise here. Try that approach with any other media outlet (e.g., your local newspaper) and see how far you get.

Yes, why do people expect we live in a world of objectivity. How could that be? Such a good point about humans being inherently biased.

Another way to look at it is there's no free lunch because someone has to keep the electricity running. It's a fact of life.

I used to post at a site that begged for money under a "patronage" system and the owner complained bitterly about those who didn't contribute. It become throughly and explicitly commercial after years of explicitly claiming not to be. I'll tell you that site was started and built by a small group of us who were kicked to the curb like scaffolding after we built it so that they would come.

Needless to say I have more respect for people who don't tell me their business than tell me lies.

I for one am not interested in any journalistic expose of PS. It seems clear enough to me what this site is about and how it's run.
 

bright&shiny

Brilliant_Rock
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May 11, 2009
Messages
1,259
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

JS:

If people were being harmed by any of your concerns, then I'd share some of them....but where is the harm? If we members were being pushed into bad decisions or products, we wouldn't return - many would complain - and some would possibly take action. Instead, PS members have sought advice, learned, found and purchased stones they love - most for a price they are willing to pay - which is typically less $ than lesser stones from other vendors. I call that a win. From a legal perspective - what injury could we point to and value for recovery (what kind and how much monetary damage could be claimed and recovered)?

If we are on a word-choice mission - without great demonstration of harm - I think it is mis-placed mission. Lurkers have easy access to the site and can easily discern, before joining, if it has any useful information. I don't believe anyone is making a decision to join or take advice based on the word 'advocacy'. I believe they are joining because they find the information useful - and want to ask questions about their own situation. While I enjoyed the earlier postings of definitions, I don't think most folks will make drastically different decisions based on the word choice of advocacy vs. education. Just my opinion - of course.

Regarding vendors: I have seen a sound variety of vendors recommended - and panned - both B&M and online. Of course many B&M's are now online vendors, but I wouldn't shop there without the technical expertise I have come to expect re: photos, light return imaging, etc.... We've bought from online stores, a often recommended PS vendor (but we went to their B&M location to finalize the first purchase), and local B&M's.... PS has helped us with all the purchases.

The many responses here to your very questions should tell you a lot about this group. It will not inform you as to the questions we can not answer: who exactly owns it and how much they make, but again, where is the harm. The responses should tell you that we are free to discuss, disagree, recommend, and so on in a way that makes us feel comfortable enough to continue doing so.

BTW: I grew up in the midwest and could not recommend one vendor from any of the 4 states I lived in....particularly with what I know now as a PSr.

Good luck jousting the windmill. I hope it makes a difference for you.
 

texaskj

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Messages
1,197
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

I agree with Matata's ideas for something other than consumer advocate site. To me, the ultimate consumer advocate is Consumer Reports, since they take no advertising, never have, never will.
Any business has to make money, period. The owners of this web site see it as a business, not a hobby. And since they are not public, they don't owe me or any other poster full disclosure.
I found this site about five years ago because I wanted to know what a bluff stone was. I found out. I also found a bunch of people who love jewelry as much as I do and honestly want to help others. When you spend the kind of money some people do on a diamond, you want a good deal. You can come here for advice and hand holding and guess what, the ultimate decision is still yours. To expect no bias is unrealistic.
 

WinkHPD

Ideal_Rock
Trade
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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

JustSaying|1295389674|2826064 said:
<Snip> lets not kid ourselves by acting like B&M vendors and online vendors are so different. Their motives are one and the same, to assume that they don't both try to on some levels get away with ripping customers off is a joke. <Snip>

This is a highly offensive statement to those of us who spend and who have spent many hours helping people to understand the diamonds we love.

Yes we strive to make friends and earn their business, and we strive when we deliver a product to do it well enough to earn some positive reviews and testimonials for our sites. We also strive to make a profit and feed our families.

That is NOT synonymous with ripping off our clients.

Shame on you for saying so.

Wink
 

bright&shiny

Brilliant_Rock
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1,259
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

Amen, Wink!
 

suchende

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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

bright&shiny|1295411750|2826400 said:
Amen, Wink!
Ditto. I don't think a vendor who was ripping people off would last long on PS. I think the vendors respect the consumers, and earn our respect in return. Can't say the same of most of the B&M vendors I have to choose from.
 

Gypsy

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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

bright&shiny|1295411750|2826400 said:
Amen, Wink!

Ditto. I've worked with a number of PS recommended vendors (to be distinguised from the different pool of advertising vendors) and I can honestly say... NONE of them get amusement out of anyone pulling a fast one on their customers.

Again, the issue is integrity. The vendors that last here have it. Just like the posters that last here. Integrity... which builds them credibility... which makes them friends and builds their business organically.

Wink, Pearlmans, BGD, JKT, Daniel M....
 

kenny

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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

I'm very proud of the PS community and of admin for tolerating such threads. :appl:
 

diamond_seeker

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Messages
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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

I'm with Wink here as well. To imply that EVERYONE in business is out to "rip off" customers simply shows a lack of business knowledge and a generally pessimistic and negative attitude.. Ultimately, $$$ is made in the long run from happy and satisfied customers....who feel they were treated fairly.

In the world of diamonds....I'm simply a consumer...not at all in the business. But I consider this site a blessing for consumers...as it is a place where experiences can be shared and dishonest vendors can be outed. For instance, I have worked with BGD on multiple occasions, and they have been honest and respectful at every step of the purchase process. In each instance, I have ended up with a stone that i love at a price i find fair. What else can one expect?
 

Imdanny

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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

Wink|1295411577|2826398 said:
JustSaying|1295389674|2826064 said:
<Snip> lets not kid ourselves by acting like B&M vendors and online vendors are so different. Their motives are one and the same, to assume that they don't both try to on some levels get away with ripping customers off is a joke. <Snip>

This is a highly offensive statement to those of us who spend and who have spent many hours helping people to understand the diamonds we love.

Yes we strive to make friends and earn their business, and we strive when we deliver a product to do it well enough to earn some positive reviews and testimonials for our sites. We also strive to make a profit and feed our families.

That is NOT synonymous with ripping off our clients.

Shame on you for saying so.

Wink

Wow, OP. You really went off the tracks with that one.
 

PinkTower

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
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1,129
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

bright&shiny|1295411750|2826400 said:
Amen, Wink!
Thanks, Wink. Thanks especially for thinking through what you had to say, and editing it before you posted. Your point is well taken, and I can follow your train of thought.

Just saying,
Please take the time to read through what Wink posted. As a reader, I can find his thesis, and his thoughts have been edited for spelling and punctuation.

Just saying,
I have tried to read through what you have written, but I have to wonder if you have done me, as the reader, the courtesy of reading through what you have written before you post. Even the title of the thread has misspellings. I feel uncomfortable as a reader because I feel as if you are shouting.

Please do us the courtesy of "tightening up" your thoughts before you post, and at least give your posting a cursory pre-reading to correct run-on sentences, misspellings, etc. I simply lose interest before I wade through all the diatribe and ramblings, and I cannot even find your point(s).

Thank you.
 

LtlFirecracker

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Feb 29, 2008
Messages
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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

suchende|1295412587|2826413 said:
bright&shiny|1295411750|2826400 said:
Amen, Wink!
Ditto. I don't think a vendor who was ripping people off would last long on PS. I think the vendors respect the consumers, and earn our respect in return. Can't say the same of most of the B&M vendors I have to choose from.

I have to agree with this. I have searched for a B&M who offers the same quality as PS and have yet to find one. I found one vendor who emphasized cut quality in diamonds, but I had an issue with a colored stone setting they made for me. That is one of the reasons I steered my now husband away from them.

I would argue the vendors who get to be on the "short list" have to really watch themselves. One unhappy customer can really do damage in a short amount of time.

Look, I think the questions that are being asked about PS are questions that a lot of people are asking. I am not even connected with the whole private group thing and am probably one of the most "out of the loop" members, and I know this! While some past events have made me unhappy, I have seen that it is possible for vendors who do not sponsor the sight get some great publicity here. A vendor I am using to set a colored stone has a 6 month wait list because of PS right now! Since joining PS I have made purchases from Richard Homer (directly, not tough Wink), WF, BGD, Leon, ACS stones, Swala Gem Traders, Hearts of Water, and Julia Kay Taylor. All these vendors I found though PS and only two are sponsoring the sight. For diamonds, the vendors that are on the list have made it very easy to communicate about their stones via the internet. I agree, that at times people are too quick to make a recommendation instead of helping the consumer out with the stone they are actually asking about, but that is something that falls on the entire community, not just the owners.
 

Luv4ever

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 17, 2011
Messages
44
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

JustSaying|1295345347|2825618 said:
When I take a hop and a skip over to the Better Business Bureau, I don\'t see a single advertisement: http://www.la.bbb.org/Home.aspx

nor do I see one over on the EWG website:http://www.ewg.org/ which similarly has forums and posts recommendations to various products:

There are numerous Consumer Advocacy sites that recommend everything from makeup, contacts, doctors, etc. that are designed to empower the PRO-sumer WITHOUT advertising the very businesses they are educating people on.


I think you would be hard pressed to find any "Consumer Advocacy" sites that do not receive some form of Income.

Here is a quote, with link from the BBB site listed above:
http://www.la.bbb.org/AccreditationStandards.aspx

"Pay monetary obligations to the Bureau in a timely manner."

In other words, in order to be an Accredited Member of the BBB, you must pay Membership Dues.

The EWG website has an advertisement for Amazon directly on the front page.

The majority of Consumer Advocate sites I have seen are either "Non-Profit", Accept Donations, or Generate Income through other means (Membership, Advertisements, etc.). No matter the method, they are still generating income to fund their activities.
 

diamondseeker2006

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
58,547
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

I also agree with Wink. After almost being majorly cheated by a local jeweler, I have extreme appreciation for a site that allows positive and negative reviews of vendors so I'd have at least a chance of dealing with an honest vendor and one who is held accountable by an open forum. The odds of getting cheated here are SOOOOOO much less than just walking in a random store. We have heard countless times here how people use a "diamond wholesaler" that a friend recommended, and almost always, those people made very bad deals and had no recourse. The thing is, I went to a reputable high end jeweler and while they certainly did nothing unethical, they didn't have a single hearts and arrows stone and most were in the very good range for the prices I see here for top ideal/excellent cut!
 

TheDoctor

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
371
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

suchende|1295412587|2826413 said:
bright&shiny|1295411750|2826400 said:
Amen, Wink!
Ditto. I don't think a vendor who was ripping people off would last long on PS. I think the vendors respect the consumers, and earn our respect in return. Can't say the same of most of the B&M vendors I have to choose from.

The term "Ripping people off"...offends everyone. There are thousands of online vendors, B&M retailers, and craftspeople who market jewellery who would cry themselves to sleep after reading some of the generalizations posted about them. How fair is it for annoymous posters to repeatedly use the legal name of a retailer or online merchant, or many of them, in a sub-libellous manner?

You should really qualify the statement flaming your B&M locals, by mentioning that you live in a trailer park in Arizona, and your local B&M sales rep is actually Bubba at the gas station. Screw your generalization, mine is just as true.

True consumer advocacy comes with no hidden agendas. Mine has, and always has been from the time I joined PS, to keep the playing field level in the discussions related to jewellery. I cannot abide by some of the nonsense that has been posted, and to the best of my abilty, will continue to challenge those who spread misinformation. As long as we're all being monitored, I believe that there is at least some credibility in the banner stating PS is a consumer advocacy site.
 

suchende

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 14, 2008
Messages
1,002
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

TheDoctor|1295450362|2826632 said:
suchende|1295412587|2826413 said:
bright&shiny|1295411750|2826400 said:
Amen, Wink!
Ditto. I don't think a vendor who was ripping people off would last long on PS. I think the vendors respect the consumers, and earn our respect in return. Can't say the same of most of the B&M vendors I have to choose from.

The term "Ripping people off"...offends everyone. There are thousands of online vendors, B&M retailers, and craftspeople who market jewellery who would cry themselves to sleep after reading some of the generalizations posted about them. How fair is it for annoymous posters to repeatedly use the legal name of a retailer or online merchant, or many of them, in a sub-libellous manner?

You should really qualify the statement flaming your B&M locals, by mentioning that you live in a trailer park in Arizona, and your local B&M sales rep is actually Bubba at the gas station. Screw your generalization, mine is just as true.

True consumer advocacy comes with no hidden agendas. Mine has, and always has been from the time I joined PS, to keep the playing field level in the discussions related to jewellery. I cannot abide by some of the nonsense that has been posted, and to the best of my abilty, will continue to challenge those who spread misinformation. As long as we're all being monitored, I believe that there is at least some credibility in the banner stating PS is a consumer advocacy site.
I said most, and it's true, MOST of the jewelers I have had to choose from in MOST of the places I have lived (rural Iowa, Washington and Oregon) sold diamonds that were stupidly expensive with bad cuts. I am not going to apologize for generalizing with appropriate qualifiers when it accurately reflects my (admittedly rural) experiences. The people living in a trailer park in AZ probably stand to benefit the most from PS because they don't have many B&M choices, as I haven't the majority of my life as a rural American. No where in my post as the legal name of anyone, and I didn't say anything approaching libel, though you certainly did about me.
 

D&T

Super_Ideal_Rock
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12,502
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

Suchende- I don't think David was talking about you making that comment. It was JustSaying that first used the term "ripping people off"


JS- I think you yourself is a contradiction -

Please re-read your first post

" I don\'t want to request any advice until I get an honest answer to my questions."

then

here is your second post -

" I don\\\'t have a single issue w/ GOG, Jonathan got me a great AVC but I also got a great deal on some stones via Blue Nile."

Would you have gotten those "great deals" if it were not from this site and the advice given here?

According to your second statement, it appears that this website has provided the proper function of a consumer advocacy site regarding your purchase of the AVC and possibly your Blue Nile Purchase.

This is a fallacie:

"If this site is a FOR PROFIT site, it cannot be a consumer advocacy site at the same time. That is a contradiction BY DEFINITION."
FOR PROFIT & Consumer advocacy is independent of each other!



ETA: By the way I highly suggest you research what NON Profit 501(c)3 IRS guidelines entails. In fact the other "consumer advocacy sites" you speak of could possibly be FOR-PROFIT. Main difference is paying taxes or being tax exempt (such as a non profit) you can have excess "profits" but it is whether you pay taxes or not and IRS guidelines are very strict in this manner.

Generating Profits is irrelevant to having a consumer advocacy designation.

Having Advertisements on your site, is a whole other issues on integrity and whether you are being impartial or not. In this case I do believe that PS and its owners are generally impartial for the most part although it is not a perfect system - rarely there is a perfect system where People are involved. We as the consumer maybe partial based on our experience
 

TheDoctor

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Messages
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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

Suchende...

You defended Wink and added to the negative comments about B&M in the same post. Unfair. I was taking you to task, sacrificial-lamb style. Sorry. It was an illustration.
So you understand how easy it is to say something that probably isn't accurate and may be even hurtful or harmful, as is done hundreds of times every year in these forums. The mantras that rag the responsibility that B&M businesses hold are repeated ad nauseum. Wink was hurt by the comment about rip offs too, and he didn't go as far as I did in demonstrating how easy it is to get away with saying something that simply is not true, but he did express his disappointment. The comment he quoted was unfair. It is difficult to be objective, or to find objectivity, within the confines of a site where glowing recommendations are made and then repeated as gospel by posters who may have never had dealings with any company..yet. There are a host of "cheerleaders" who will offer vendor recommendations because they have read lots of affirmative testimonials, yet they can hide behind their anonymity. Follow the legions of the enlightened, buy online, get your education here.
I apologise to you suchende, I used you as your negative reference to B&M was the last one on the page, but there were others before you and my post addressed all of them.
 

suchende

Brilliant_Rock
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Messages
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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

Okay David, but the thing is, there are more "bad" B&Ms that most of us are exposed to than good ones. Can you really be upset that people have a low opinion of B&Ms when they're raised on Zale's and Jared's?

Hey, I am a former lobbyist, and while I think I fought the good fight, I don't get upset every time people rail on the evils of special interest groups, because I understand that their exposure to lobbyists, both real and imagined, were from the sizable "dark side."
 

Lula

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Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

I do believe we can do a better job working with posters who want to buy local from a B&M store. And I do wish we had more B&M participants on PS.

I think the bad attitude toward B&M comes from a mix of bad consumer experiences and also the focus on "getting a deal." B&M stores may not be able to compete on price, but they can offer "value-added" services that customers desire. Sometimes I think the emphasis on "getting the lowest price" isn't always the best choice for online shopping either, because there are definitely low-cost, low-service online options that compete with Wink and Jonathan and the other online vendors who offer more personalized service with all the images, video, etc. I know I've willingly paid more for the diamonds I've purchased to receive this additional service.

So I think we can all do a better job of outlining all the options for posters and respecting the consumer's *educated* choice.
 

MichelleCarmen

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
15,880
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

diamondrnglover|1295404094|2826318 said:
I never post in these type of threads, but I swear it seems like we had a discussion like this awhile back :confused:

Yep, these discussions are posted ALL THE TIME! Nothing new here.
 

smitcompton

Ideal_Rock
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Messages
3,254
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

Hi,

This appears to be a person with an agenda of his own. He is an angry person and I suspect his questions are to provoke.
He reminds me of a person I ran across in several forums, who has his own consumer advocacy group. He detests vendors, the only point I can't reconcile is that individual wasn't interested in diamonds. Of course this fellow is not interested in diamonds, just wants to put down the site. This is a consumer forum. I personally like vendors on the site. We need their expertise. The word advocacy is perhaps a bit much, but I learned a lot here--more than anywhere else.

This fellow has his own agenda.

Annette
 

Todd Gray

Brilliant_Rock
Trade
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Jan 20, 2009
Messages
1,299
Re: is PS biased? a real advocay site? who started it and ho

In any business, brick and mortar or online only, there are vendors who are exceptional and others who are sub-par... in my experience as a vendor of 25+ years in the diamond business, the majority of vendors who actively participate here on PS are exceptional and I consider most of them to be good friends as well as trusted competitors. There are certainly quite a few B&M jewelers who excel in the arena of diamond cut quality and many, many others who still believe that "diamond cut" refers to "shape" :-o and who will likely continue to think so until a savvy customer points out the error of their ways and steers them to PS or another such resource.

PS is not the only place where PS vendors give freely of their time, let's see...

For the past few days, I've been corresponding via email with a person who contacted me regarding an insurance loss... he had questions pertaining to the quality and value of his original diamond and about the options being offered to him by the jeweler "representing" the insurance company. I've spent quite some time answering every question in detail, all the while knowing that my efforts would not result in a sale because offering to sell the person a diamond in this instance creates a conflict of interest in my mind.

The latest offering from the insurance company was a "comparable" diamond with a crown angle / pavilion angle offset which made me shudder... polish and symmetry were very good / good and the diamond was priced at $5,800.00 with the insurance company "discount". I looked around and found a diamond of the same carat weight, color and clarity as the original diamond with proportions right in the center range of the spectrum for the zero ideal cut rating with GIA excellent polish, symmetry and overall cut rating from a trusted PS vendor for $4,800.00 and brought the diamond to the attention of the customer.

Time invested in the project thus far: approximately 3 hours, not all at one time.
Profit (Gross / Net): $0.00
Karma Points: Let's hope so.
Personal Satisfaction (Feeling): 100%
End Result: Win / Win.

I enjoy this kind of interaction with people who email me on a daily basis and believe that other PS vendors enjoy the same experience... I believe this because my conversations with other PS vendors lead me to believe that they try to address the needs of each person who contacts them to the best of their ability and sometimes doing so does not mean selling them something directly. I believe that the practice of helping people without expectation of immediate profits is good for business and "what goes around, comes around". Earlier this week I was having problems with the entry gate to the neighborhood where I live and out of frustration with the local gate company I contacted a firm in Nevada (I live in Oregon) and began the conversation with "so I live in Oregon and there is no hope for you to profit from this call, but I have some questions and would appreciate your insight..." he responded by laughing and saying "No problem, let's see if we can figure this out for you" and 30 minutes later we had the problem resolved and I got to experience the feeling that I hope people get when I answer a bunch of questions for them without expecting anything in return and hope that he felt the same satisfaction that I get when I help people without expecting something back in return... Immediate profit to him = $0.00 but you can bet if I hear of anybody in Henderson, Nevada looking for an electronic gate that I'm going to refer them to Quad Controls, Inc. at Door-King.com because he reminds me of a PS vendor and I would do business with him if I could (Oh what I would do for the teleport machine promised to us by Star Trek, that guy would be servicing our gate!)

For the record, I don't own ANY portion of PS and I'm pretty sure that I'm only being paid to shill for myself, but I support the theory that PS is owned by a mysterious unknown vendor who controls everything... In fact, most of us (vendors) seem to believe that the other (vendor) owns a secret share of PS and we spend hours tossing and turning at night trying to figure out how to validate our conspiracy theory (no, really)... but that said, I don't "really" think that any of us (vendors) actually own any portion of PS (however, if anybody wants to prove my rational mind wrong, my irrational conspiracy side will love you for it). I don't contribute to PS financially at the moment due to financial restraints remaining from a long, drawn out probate battle involving the company that was recently determined in my favor - but I would contribute to the operations of PS if that were not the case (and did until the issues pertaining to probate became, well, issues) because I like what PS has to offer and recognize that it costs $$$ to operate a site like this... is PS 100% impartial? I think it is doubtful and unrealistic to expect any person contributing to this forum to be impartial since we all write in support of our beliefs, likes and dislikes; however I find it difficult to believe that anybody reading PS would believe that PS is a perfect, unbiased, realm of perfection; and they certainly have the ever present choice to either stay and read the information and opinions that are available or leave in hopes of finding something more suitable to their preferences... And they also have the choice to buy from any of the vendors frequently mentioned throughout PS; or purchase from a B&M jeweler in their region; or not to purchase anything at all. Interestingly enough, I have customers who email me links to interesting threads on PS who haven't purchased a diamond in years and aren't looking to purchase anything jewelry related in the near future, but who just like to keep up on diamond related stuff and spend their spare time plunking around PS - who'd of thunk it? :o
 
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