James Allen - Disappointing Experience

[Missa1723]

I think I'm cursed when it comes to diamond rings. A few months ago my perfect diamond fell out of my engagement ring and was lost forever, thankfully it was insured and I was able to get the money needed to replace it. After pouring over website for days, I went with a diamond and setting from James Allen. This is where the saga continues; James Allen reps guaranteed me the ring would ship last Friday and arrive to me Saturday. I was SO excited to finally have it in my hands. Unfortunately, the message didn't make it to their shipping department and it would arrive Monday instead. Very frustrating but I accepted my fate and waited. I went out of my way to arrange for someone to accept the package Monday. It never came. I called FedEx and was told the ring was probably lost, and I'd have to wait a few days to see if they could find it. The next day or so was filled with inaccurate communication, and a lack of communication from FedEx that delayed the ring further (this part was not James Allen's fault, but their incorrect shipping was basically a domino effect that lead to me not getting the ring until last night).

SO, I finally received the ring, I opened it up and was immediately disappointed. The setting looked very cheap and very weak. Two of the prongs were crooked and it looked to me like the diamond could fall out (which is what happened with my last ring). I wanted to keep the diamond and planned to take it in to a jeweler to have it removed from the setting, but before we got that far my husband took the ring out of the box to inspect it and give me his opinion and the diamond FELL OUT. Just like that. At this point I'm so frustrated I don't know what to do. The diamond is beautiful and I absolutely got an amazing deal for the price, but the setting is, for lack of a better word, garbage. Now I have to deal with mailing the setting back, and waiting a month for a refund, or send them both back and give up. This post is mostly a huge vent for me, but for others considering buying from James Allen, here is my honest opinion:

The diamonds are amazing and you get your money's worth
They have 24 hour customer service and they really do try to help as much as they can (granted they are limited in what they can do)
They have a 30 day return policy, so at least there is a remedy for customer's like me who are unhappy

Their settings are cheap.
They don't properly build the crown for the diamond or affix the prongs to hold the center stone
I imagine the refund will be a long process, considering I paid by bank wire, it will take weeks for me to get a check

I'll update this post if the return process is a huge headache, but overall I would say it wasn't worth the stress. Pay a little more for a diamond with a quality setting, or find someone to set the diamond for you. I'd still recommend JA for people trying to save money, but not for the setting.

Anyone else cursed when it comes to rings or is it just me?

 

[OoohShiny]

Do you have any pics of the setting?

I am surprised that JA would send out a setting that had not been fully Quality Checked.

 

[whitewave]

There have been several complaints about JA in the last 6 months that I have seen here, but none had the diamond fall out! The complaints mostly have been about lack of communication and shipping issues...

 

[kgizo]

Sorry you experienced bad service. As long as you are in the return window think hard about if you want to keep the diamond or not. I've seen it go both ways on PS, and one time a poster returned the diamond bc they were so frustrated with JA and then later regretted it bc trying to find another diamond he liked at his price point just added more frustration to the whole shopping process. Do whatever is right for you.

 

[HDer]

Which setting did you get from James Allen?

I've read several reviews on Yelp about shoddy workmanship on their settings.

Apparently they remove any bad reviews from their site so almost all of their settings are 4.5 or 5 stars, but I'm getting a setting from James Allen soon (also delayed) and I'm kind of worried after reading about experiences like yours.

 

[MarionC]

I've had many positive experience with the quality of JA work. I learned early on to specify the level of quality I expected.
Ironically the one time I went for a 10k+ diamond from them, the setting details looked partially melted and the setting itself had been cut down to accommodate the diamond and the setting was not symmetrical.
I would not give them bad marks just yet. I suppose because they are a big company sometimes things slip through quality control. I know they will make it right.

 

[Funnyface850]

So sorry to read about your experience. I too have had many problems with fedex deliveries, when it comes to jewelry. Can you just get a refund for the setting. I’m unfamiliar with JA and their policies. I would be concerned if considering another setting from them, if it was me. Hopefully it works out and you get the fabulous ring you want and deserve

 

[Eli22]

I had a disappointing experience with my JA engagement ring setting. It is a 3-sided pave setting, resized from 5.5. to 4.5. There is indication that the side stones will fall out (one of them is already jutting out), and the actual shape of the ring is a bit "off" after resizing. This item shipped with their hand-signed "inspected & approved" card in the package.

Here is the webpage for the setting. They refuse to post my review of the setting on the actual page (where I said it was a beauty, but beware of resizing difficulties).

My fiancé is a designer, and he said that resizing this type of ring from a 5.5. to a 4.5 is completely different than a resize from 7 to 6 simply because of how far down the pave stones go down the shank. In smaller sizes, there is a bigger probability of the pave settings becoming compromised because the design is "pinched" so to speak. We are trying to get it repaired, but I am not very optimistic about the outcome, especially after reading other reviews on Yelp about settings (they censor the reviews on their own website).

 

[Tekate]

well I just learned to basically not buy a setting from James Allen, the setting that Eli22 picked was expensive.. for an extra 1K (I know that is a lot) I'd go to Ms von Bebber or David Klaas.. so sorry about everyone's problems on what is a wonderful time in your lives.