My Upsetting Brilliantly Engaged Experience

[Mailin]

Can you just cut and paste the text into the box, and not worry too much about formatting? I think the community would benefit from being able to hear about your experience.

--- The majority of the review is in screen shots (the email conversations back and forth. I would have to retype quite literally, 14-15 pages of text. Which I have already spent 6+hours making this review and prepping it in the current state.

Just got done reading some addition post. I did not run away or was scared, and I am not trolling. Just busy and did not know a moderator had edited my post.

 

[Ella]

You can post it on multiple posts, or we would also suggest not posting screenshots and posting your story. Use the report post button to contact us directly, but that is what we can offer. This is why we recommend everyone read the policies.

 

[Niel]

Can you just give us he gist? I know I'm sure there are a lot that went on bit a bulleted cliff notes version might be easy for you.

Did you say you had your ring finished? May we see?

 

[msop04]

OP, just post screen shots if that's all you have... People post screen shots all the time... Just do two per entry, so we can read it.

 

[msop04]

You can post it on multiple posts, or we would also suggest not posting screenshots and posting your story. Use the report post button to contact us directly, but that is what we can offer. This is why we recommend everyone read the policies.

What's the problem with posting screen shots? PS members do it all the time. It's the easiest way to attach things as an image on apps ...and more importantly, I hope you meant for him to post his story, rather than "not post"...

 

[WillyDiamond]

I have had good experience with BE, but as one poster said, even the best can screw up. I am sure that a PS vendor would want to make it right, they live and die by the feedback on the forum. I don't think it is fair to bash a vendor and walk away, at least re-post the problem. A few people saw it, I am one who did not. I guess we will never know, but I don't think BE should take lumps over it, if we cannot all read it. Oh well.
Happy Fathers Day to all the father on the forum.

Since you weren't able to actually read the OP's post, I think is unfair to say anyone was being "bashed" -- FYI... He was in no way bashing BE, and was being more gracious than most regarding them after such an experience...

As I said before, I'm hoping the OP isn't on here bc he's working it out with the vendor.

If you re-read his title (Upsetting Brilliantly Engaged Experience), then what would you call it?
It certainly wasn't a rave review by the title. Looking forward to reading it.

 

[msop04]

I have had good experience with BE, but as one poster said, even the best can screw up. I am sure that a PS vendor would want to make it right, they live and die by the feedback on the forum. I don't think it is fair to bash a vendor and walk away, at least re-post the problem. A few people saw it, I am one who did not. I guess we will never know, but I don't think BE should take lumps over it, if we cannot all read it. Oh well.
Happy Fathers Day to all the father on the forum.

Since you weren't able to actually read the OP's post, I think is unfair to say anyone was being "bashed" -- FYI... He was in no way bashing BE, and was being more gracious than most regarding them after such an experience...

As I said before, I'm hoping the OP isn't on here bc he's working it out with the vendor.

If you re-read his title (Upsetting Brilliantly Engaged Experience), then what would you call it?
It certainly wasn't a rave review by the title. Looking forward to reading it.

WillyDiamond, just because a consumer is upset with a vendor doesn't mean they were bashing them when telling their account. Although clearly frustrated and put out, the OP never once bashed the vendor. He, like me after reading the emails, was having a hard time understanding/accepting how the vendor (and associate) were failing to see that issues weren't addressed, making the entire thing just a big 'ole clusterf*ck. To me, it wasn't a matter of miscommunication -- it was more the total lack of acknowledging the OP's requests, questions, and concerns from the very beginning before making the ring.

Was he upset? Yep -- don't blame him, as I would be as well.
Did he try to work it out with the vendor? Yep -- to me, he did his part by reaching out to BE with multiple emails and texts, but it seems that BE wasn't acknowledging the issues at all... which was strange and would be beyond frustrating for me.
Did he bash BE? Nope -- not IMO.
Do I think BE dropped the ball on this project? Absolutely. But the OP still praised their past work and really wanted BE to do the design.

You're correct -- it certainly was not a rave review, but obviously it wasn't gonna be, given the title.

Like you, I really hope the OP can take the time to post those screen shots for everyone to read.

 

[WillyDiamond]

I have had good experience with BE, but as one poster said, even the best can screw up. I am sure that a PS vendor would want to make it right, they live and die by the feedback on the forum. I don't think it is fair to bash a vendor and walk away, at least re-post the problem. A few people saw it, I am one who did not. I guess we will never know, but I don't think BE should take lumps over it, if we cannot all read it. Oh well.
Happy Fathers Day to all the father on the forum.

Since you weren't able to actually read the OP's post, I think is unfair to say anyone was being "bashed" -- FYI... He was in no way bashing BE, and was being more gracious than most regarding them after such an experience...

As I said before, I'm hoping the OP isn't on here bc he's working it out with the vendor.

If you re-read his title (Upsetting Brilliantly Engaged Experience), then what would you call it?
It certainly wasn't a rave review by the title. Looking forward to reading it.

WillyDiamond, just because a consumer is upset with a vendor doesn't mean they were bashing them when telling their account. Although clearly frustrated and put out, the OP never once bashed the vendor. He, like me after reading the emails, was having a hard time understanding/accepting how the vendor (and associate) were failing to see that issues weren't addressed, making the entire thing just a big 'ole clusterf*ck. To me, it wasn't a matter of miscommunication -- it was more the total lack of acknowledging the OP's requests, questions, and concerns from the very beginning before making the ring.

Was he upset? Yep -- don't blame him, as I would be as well.
Did he try to work it out with the vendor? Yep -- to me, he did his part by reaching out to BE with multiple emails and texts, but it seems that BE wasn't acknowledging the issues at all... which was strange and would be beyond frustrating for me.
Did he bash BE? Nope -- not IMO.
Do I think BE dropped the ball on this project? Absolutely. But the OP still praised their past work and really wanted BE to do the design.

You're correct -- it certainly was not a rave review, but obviously it wasn't gonna be, given the title.

Like you, I really hope the OP can take the time to post those screen shots for everyone to read.

Thanks for your comments. Lets hope we see the post.

 

[kenny]

Yes, the rules here can be a pain but they have them because posters can delete any content (linked to here) that is externally-hosted.
Then PS is left with missing content and that thread becomes worthless.

Since all your content is screen captures just post 4 attachment pers post.
Just make as many posts as you need ... hopefully in chronological order.

Thanks for taking the time.

Kudos to PS for allowing posts/threads that are not flattering to PS sponsors.
I know other product-specific fora where anything but praise for a forum sponsor is quickly deleted and the poster banned forever.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My suggestion is to first post a summary of the events. Then post the screen shots 4 per post to back up what you have said.

As has already been said, all good vendors here have had a negative review. Even if someone plans on using that vendor in the future because of all the good reviews, it is helpful to know the potential problems someone else has had in order to try to avoid those.

 

[WillyDiamond]

I think this thread is dead, we are all talking among ourselves, OP has no intention of posting.......onto the next.

 

[soxfan]

I think this thread is dead, we are all talking among ourselves, OP has no intention of posting.......onto the next.

People have lives outside of PS. And it's a shit ton of work piecing together screenshots for people like you who will just pick everything apart anyway because they have some rabid dog loyalty for a particular vendor.

 

[msop04]

I think this thread is dead, we are all talking among ourselves, OP has no intention of posting.......onto the next.

People have lives outside of PS. And it's a shit ton of work piecing together screenshots for people like you who will just pick everything apart anyway because they have some rabid dog loyalty for a particular vendor.

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Considering several members saw and read the original post with the emails, I think it is very strange to blame the OP. He simply hasn't had time to come back and deal with posting. Or perhaps this is an e-ring and he can't quite spend a half hour posting all the screen shots without her seeing it. Most people can't do it at work.

 

[Mailin]

MY BRILLIANTLY ENGAGED EXPERIENCE​

THE GEM
Cut
• Cushion
Type
• Montana Sapphire
Color
• Blue/Green
Size
• 2.17ct
Info
• I was in the market for a center stone, ideally an oval green/blue sapphire and wasn’t very open to other shapes. Ended up finding a Cushion Montana Sapphire from Gemfix and never looked back.

RING FEATURES
Metal
• 14k rose gold, we love the warm look and think it will accentuate the gem.
Finger Size
• 4
Ring Type
• Halo with diamond melee, ideally being very tight around the gem and dainty in size.
Pave Type
• U Cut, there are many paving styles but we think this is the style we like most.
Shank Type
• Single band into a narrow split shank. Split to sit as high as possible on band.
Shank Thickness
• Want the metal to be thin and the width as close to 2mm as possible to match band.
Prong Type
• Single Eagle Claw

DESIGNER OPTIONS
David Klass
• iirc did not choose him because I did not see any of his halo work similar to what I desired
Victor Canera
• will NOT create a ring out of 14k rose gold which I think is absurd
Local VT Designer
• this was our first choice but an accident happened
Mark Turnowski
• this was our second choice but an accident happened
Local MA Designer
• this is now our third choice and hopefully no accident

THE RING CREATION EXPERIENCE
Greetings! To make this section brief, I started off with PriceScope recommended from a friend who had gone to Victor. PriceScope helped me find my Sapphire along with filled me with tons of knowledge. I was suggested the above designers and did my research on them and acquired accordingly. David’s halo work was not similar to what I desired. Victor will not work with 14k rose gold, which is very upsetting and absurd (not sure if it is due to creation problems or not). I then went to a local VT designer in Burlington and was speaking to one of their sales reps. They asked to see the gem and attempted to place it in some rose gold settings to get a feel for metal color to gem color. She ended up dropping my gem from her tweezers and scratched the pavilion and chipped the culet. The VT company sent it back to Gemfix to be corrected and the VT company handled all cost. They also offered to severely discount the ring price once it would be designed and created. I ended up not going with them due to my significant other being very stressed out at this time.

This is where I had it sent to Mark Turnowski (Brilliantly Engaged) and was dealing directly with Chris Anadiotis via phone/email conversations. I decided Brilliantly Engaged, not only due to their modest pricing but their customer service from the get go seemed great. Chris had very fast, detailed response times, and it was a no brainer to go with them. My significant other and I have seen their work all over the internet and loved it and it just happened to be that, before purchasing my gem. There was a preloved ring I was considering purchasing (but did not due to me wanting to pick the stone and design the ring myself) and we found out later that Brilliantly Engaged were the creators of that ring.

START OF EMAIL CONVERSATIONS | Chris Anadiotis & Mailin.
I would like to point out my question asking him if my design request will pose any issues​

Greetings Mailin,

I hope this email finds you well as always and thank you kindly for selecting Brilliantly Engaged to assist you with your engagement ring design and fabrication. The "Meghan" micro pave inspired halo in 14K Pink Gold for your Montana Sapphire is estimated at $ x,xxx.xx.

I will be more than happy to explain in greater detail the stages involved in the design process along with the safeguards we have in place to insure 100% satisfaction with the end result, thank you again for your consideration and I look forward in answering any thoughts questions or concerns you may have.......

Sincerely,
--Chris

Thank you for your quick and pleasant response! I've been shopping around and I can tell you this, customer service has gone out the window with a few of the vendors.

What kind of information do you generally require in order to get you in the ballpark of (types of design changes/request) final ring design?

Will any of the design request in the order request be of issue?

Please let me know everything and anything, the more detail on the process of purchase, process of creation, price breakdown, etc etc would be fantastic. The more the merrier.

With more questions sure to come!
-Mailin

Good morning Mailin and happy Monday,

Hope you had a pleasant and relaxing weekend of course and thank you much for the follow up email along with your questions and thoughts, listed below is an outline of the process and time line for each order based on complexity and scope of design and modifications;

1- Deposit of $ 500.00 required
2- 1st draft renderings based on the style or model requested which in this case is the Meghan
3- Center stone is needed for dimensions in MM of height, depth and length along with diagonal measurements for prong placement of corners along with finger size
4- 1st draft renderings will be emailed and completed within 48-72 hours
5- Renderings can be modified and adjusted based on your preferences and personality of up to 3-4 times based on overall scope of design
6- After approval a plastic resin model is printed for a more realistic look an feel so that all is structurally sound
7- After Plastic resin it's approx. 7-10 business days for full fabrication
8- Upon completion images will be emailed for your review and balance paid prior to shipping via FedEx with Insurance.....

Thank you again for your consideration and please don't hesitate to call me or email me any questions that you may need....

Best as always,
--Chris

Mailin,

Hope all is well of course and the package has been delivered....

Have a great weekend,
--Chris

Mailin,

Hope this email finds you well as always and CAD/renderings are attached for your review..... please note that renderings may appear a bit bulky as this is due to the size and ratio of magnification, let me know your thoughts of course and any questions you may have....?

Best,
--Chris

There were some more descriptive emails back and forth about the design (including images of styles desired), and some shipping and insurance information being exchanged. Fast forwarding to the CAD renderings, I was provided 6 pictures via email.
Shown are 3 of 6 pictures.​

​

Howdy Chris,

Ring Type: The halo/basket does not seem to be based off of the 'Meghan' ring. Reiterating: Halo should be as close/tight as possible to the gem, along with the amount of metal showing should be as minimal as possible. Ideally we want the ring to be as dainty as possible.
Metal: Looks fine (14k Rose Gold)
Finger Size: -
Pave: The paving is not showing prongs.
Shank Type: It looks pretty good with the depth of the split.
Shank Thickness: Hard to tell from the CAD. Reiterating: the band will be 2mm, and this would be ideally as close to that as possible.
Prongs: Doesn't show any prongs on the CAD.

As of now it isn't exactly what we had envisioned, and I am not sure if I didn't explain it well enough or if CAD didn't render the images in great detail. Let me know if you have any questions, very excited to have started the process!

With Gratitude,
Mailin

Thanks Mailin for the update....

As I might have mentioned that renderings should only illustrate Design, scope and flow of the overall design of the ring, Diamonds are drilled and scooped under a microscope that the setter does with various tools and in this case it will be a scoop or U-shallow as you referred to it, also the shank will most likely finish at 1.9-mm after setting and polish..... as long as the design is to your liking then we will continue the fabrication stage, also as a side note when I issued a quote to you it was for the Megan deign that does not have a split shank and therefor I underestimated the cost due to the split shank where there will be extra diamonds and carat weight and material.....

Let me know if we are on the same page and again please don't hesitate to ask any questions that I may answer for you.....?

Best,
--Chris

From this point forward, everything went awry with Brilliantly Engaged. I know this is lengthy, but it is for clarity purposes since Brilliantly Engaged is always so highly recommended by so many on PriceScope. Which I still believe they provide good customer service, to the majority. I just happened to be the minority.​

Hello Mailin,

Hope all is well of course and thank you for the follow up email, we are closed today and return to the office on Monday at which point I will be in touch then in which I think a phone conversation is in order to go over the finer details...

Have a great weekend
-Chris

Hello Chris,

I do not remember what number you have on file, but I do not think I received any calls. I don't have signal at my house so many calls go unanswered.

I am free until around 8pm EST and will have signal if you want to give me a ring at xxx.xxx.xxxx.

Regards,
-Mailin

Hope all is well of course and excuse my late reply this week has been quite hectic and mostly due to the simple fact that we we're closed this past Friday ..... since we haven't had a chance to talk about the various stages that our team goes through in terms of design and cast and pre-polish and setting and full polish, I just wanted to let you know that I have asked them to proceed with cast so we all have a clearer understanding of what you would like done setting wise and once we are all on the same page I'll let you know prior to proceeding....how does that sound....>?

Best,
--Chris

Greetings Chris,

Whatever you think is best is good for me. I just didn't want a cast to be made and have it not close to what we were thinking etc. If it won't cause any issues to change it the design after, if there is any discrepancies. It sounds like a plan.

With Gratitude,

-Mailin.

16 DAY PERIOD OF NO RESPONSE FROM CHRIS​

Greetings Chris,

Hope you are going to have a fantastic Friday It has been 16 days~ since I replied to you last, and haven't heard from you since. No rush or anything implied, just wanted to see what the current status was of your process. I am a patient man myself, but my lady friend... Insisted I email you to inquire. Haha, so I apologize.

Regards,
Mailin & Xxxxx

Mailin,

Hope all is well of course and I understand completely and do apologize for not keeping you updated, your ring looks great and is currently being set, so I suspect it should be fully completed and polished by no later than Tuesday evening......

Best,
--Chris

Greetings Chris,

I am not sure if this message was sent to me by accident or not. Just to clarify, the last time we spoke you were only just starting to set up the plastic mold for us to look over, since the CAD drawing was showing as detailed as expected. You previous email says you are setting the stone and continuing the remainder at the start of the new week.

Please get back to me ASAP so I know what is going on.

Regards,
-Mailin & Xxxxx

Thanks Mailin,

Hope all is well of course and once again miscommunication missed emails and on top of that our phone lines we're down for 6 business days and all this leads to more confusion but none the less you're going to have to trust me on this one as I assumed that that's what you meant on our last email correspondence....... we make halo's all the time and stand behind our work 100% so you have nothing to worry about I'll have images for you early next week and we'll see what you think then...

Best,
--Chris

Greetings Chris,

When should I be expecting those images? The anticipation is building! I also wasn't trying to imply that I did doubted/not trust you. The emails went from us having discrepancies and then you saying you would show us the plastic mold, to skipping over all of that into you telling us it was just about done. It was just huge jumps in steps is all and it caught me off guard.

Regards,
Mailin & Xxxxx

No worries Sir.... setter is finishing up and then we'll proceed with polish so I'll definitely have images by tomorrow and as I stated I've been on top of this project all the way down the line and it's coming out great!

Best,
--Chris

Greetings Chris,

You said you were going to send the pictures yesterday. I haven't received any yet. I was just checking to make sure they didn't get filtered out as spam or anything. I wanted to make sure I caught you before the holiday weekend. Just let me know. Looking forward to seeing the finished product. Have a nice holiday.

Thank you,
-Mailin.

Mailin,

Hope all is well of course and yes ring looks great.... just haven't had a chance to take images what's your cell # and I'll take a quick iPhone for you.....?

Best,
-Chris

​

Greetings Chris,

I was looking at the video again just now, admiring the ring. When I saw the side view for a split second and found a discrepancy.

The rings basket is not in the Meghan set up that we requested. Let me know how this effects your situation, I'm assuming that isn't an easy fix.

Let me know your thoughts.

Regards,
Mailin

Mailin God morning of course and many thanks for the follow up email, the Meghan can not be made for a split shank Halo due to the fact that there isn't enough room under the gallery for petals also based on my memory I did provide Cad-renderings for you did I not ?

Best
Chris

Greetings Chris,
The CAD rendering you provided we did see, and I sent an email in reply expressing every single feature we did not like about the rendering. That included me specifically stating I did not like the basket pictured (+our other concerns). We 100% did not approve of the CAD rendering, and you said you wanted to call and speak to me "to go over the finer details" on the phone and you never did due to "you being closed and things got hectic."

We then spoke some more and you said you were going to have the plastic mold made. You said, "I just wanted to let you know that I have asked them to proceed with cast so we all have a clearer understanding of what you would like done setting wise and once we are all on the same page I'll let you know prior to proceeding." Then I didn't hear from you for over 2 weeks, and I then emailed you expressing my concern about not hearing from you in so long, but by that time you were basically done with the ring with nothing verified by me. You then said to worry not because you "stand behind your work 100%".

You never told us about the basket not being able to work with a split shank. If you would have told us that, we would have went with a single shank with the basket. The petals of the Meghan basket are specifically what my girlfriend liked about the ring and it is why it was "Meghan Inspired".

I couldn't see the finer details due to it being a video. I did like the way the halo fit, the spacing of the diamonds, height of the gem in the basket and everything else (except the basket). I do not want this email to come off as combative or argumentative, but informative. I am very particular with the way I would like this ring to come out, and it is why I gave so many specific details about each design point. I have attached a couple images of our conversations with me stating that the basket was incorrect in the CAD/what we wanted the design to look like. When I discovered the discrepancy last night, it was gut wrenching. I am not mad, but sad that this is even an issue. I was super excited when I saw that the ring was finish.

Let me know what you think.

Regards,
-Mailin

END OF EMAIL CONVERSATIONS | CHRIS THEN TEXTED FROM HERE ON​

Chris had texted me and asked me to call him at the shop so we could speak over the phone about the ring. I did not record this conversation, so I will paraphrase it to the best of my ability. Chris told me that the ring as desired is “not possible” with the split shank, petal basket, halo, and that they are unable to create the ring. I asked if it is possible to create the ring without the split shank and just the halo and petals and he said no. I questioned this response and he quickly responded with, “Listen Mailin, we just can’t recreate this ring for you after already making it.” I then responded and said, “So now it isn’t a ring design issues, it is a… You cutting your losses and leaving me out back to square one.” he said, “I am sorry, but I will have the gem removed and shipped back to you.” A few more words exchanged, nothing rude, and the conversation ended. I was furious at this point, as anyone would be that was in my position. I then contacted Mark Turnowski via email and expressed my concern about what just happened.

Response from Mark after my initial email reaching out to him about correcting this debacle​

hi mailin:

it is deeply disturbing to me to have received this email. As it is a holiday weekend that I am spending with my family and grandchildren, I do not wish to review this in haste but rather go over the specifics of the process between you and Chris. At the earliest I will get back to you on tuesday.

best,
mark

Greetings Mark,

Thanks for the quick reply. Enjoy your holiday, I wasn't even expecting an initial response until after the holidays.
Please take your time with this and I thank you for your time

Happy Holidays!
-Mailin

Hi Mailin:

I hope this finds you well.I had a chance to review in detail your correspondence with Chris. Chris has worked with me to my great satisfaction for over 6 years and not once have I ever received an email indicating the lack of customer service or neglect in communicating with a customer. I believe to date the company as a whole has not received any negative comments from the consumer community. Thus you can understand that the nature and content of your email took me by total surprise. It has taken me time to digest all the information provided as well as read the text emails between you and chris and review the attachments of the progress of the ring as it was being fabricated. It was during this time that I had an injury to my leg which keep me out of the office and while I could help from home the onus of the responses were on Chris's shoulders. In addition as Chris indicated to you in one of the emails our phone system was down due to a cutting of a cable by Verizon. I'm sure you can understand the pressure that he was under and even with this he still communicated with you as well as many other customers though it may not have been in the timely manner he usually replies which can be verified by many of our customers. For this I owe Chris a tremendous amount of gratitude. Keeping all this in mind, I then ask you to reread the emails,texts and view the attachments. I understand that you wanted the Megan with a split band from the original request you forwarded. Without going into all the back and forth of the emails I suggest you view the email of the attachments which I'm sure you have. They do not show the Megan with the petals as only the Megan can have but rather the split band ring. Based on our jewelry expertise its extremely difficult to fabricate the megan as a split band ring. There is not enough room once the split has been placed on the ring. As I was home, Chris informed me of every step with all our customers. both mine and his as we discuss every ring together. Some times customers have design ideas that may seem practical but in practice not attainable due to structural deficiencies. We always keep our customers best interest in mind. At the same time I reviewed the rings you forwarded by canera which you indicated was the setting style you wished to have. This was repeated in your analysis of the renderings where the only mention made was that you wished the diamonds to be set closer which in the final product they were as your text response to the video Chris sent you was fantastic. Thus you can understand Chris's reaction when he received your information that this was the wrong ring. Unless I missed it and if I did I apologize if I did, you gave no indication throughout the entire process that we were fabricating the wrong ring. Again I spent a great amount of time reviewing all the information and though Chris may have been slightly negligent under the circumstances in responding he did not commit an error when building this ring.

Having stated the above and not wishing to pinpoint every issue , it is still our intention to try and reach a compromise as to how you can be a satisfied customer. I would love to hear your ideas and at the same time take into consideration any area that you feel I've either misjudged or misread. It is not my intention to leave you unhappy or dissatisfied.

best,
mark

Greetings Mark,

Thank you for the response! I wasn't trying to make an issue of the phones being down or anything like that, was just including it since it was part of my current experience. Again, no worries on that and it is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

To get further into the ring resign, and the… (explanation text deleted due to redundancy) …The text below specifically states every single detail I wanted incorporated into the ring, and at the end of the email I stated, "if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know." From this point, I should have received an email saying that the basket cannot be done with a split shank. I bolded the text below where it specifically states the basket type.

"Ring Type: Meghan "inspired" (ie. basket&halo)
- She loves the Meghan basket with the halo and paved band. …”

Email received from Chris on April 26th, 2016, which had CAD renderings attached. I then replied same day with this response, (I bolded/italicized the basket concern)

"Howdy Chris,

Ring Type: The halo/basket do not seem to be based off of the 'Meghan' ring. Reiterating: Halo should be as close/tight as possible to the gem, along with the amount of metal showing should be as minimal as possible. Ideally we want the ring to be as dainty as possible.
… "

A few emails went back and forth and this is when he stated he would call me when he was in the office in order to figure out more details? That call never came, and then a few emails back and forth and he stated that, " I just wanted to let you know that I have asked them to proceed with cast so we all have a clearer understanding of what you would like done setting wise and once we are all on the same page I'll let you know prior to proceeding....how does that sound....>?" I then replied, "Whatever you think is best is good for me. I just didn't want a cast to be made and have it not close to what we were thinking etc. If it won't cause any issues to change it the design after, if there is any discrepancies. It sounds like a plan."

Then it went 16 days without a response of any kind, so I initiated an email and that's when Chris informed me that the ring was just about done. (and emails pursued)

…

Hopefully the above is enough evidence to show the negligence/misunderstanding by Chris. I honestly wasn't sure how much more clear I could have been with my details, images, and terminology. I do not want you to think I am attacking Chris either, because he was fantastic up until the 16 day period of no response or updates. I didn't mind the CAD rendering not being 100% because he assured me the plastic mold would be made so I can verify the design. I asked him in one of the original emails if he could even send it to me, so I could have the plastic mold in my hands to see in person (and to hold onto as a keepsake).

Without making this email any longer than it already is, please read over this and let me know what you're thinking.

Regards,
Mailin

Hi Mailin:

I think we have both laid out our personal issues and there is no need to continue writing long emails. Basically from reading yours there appears to be a misunderstanding in the processing of the fabrication of the ring which I expressed my apologies as there was very specific reason that there was a temporary loss of communication which I hope you understand. Renderings were sent as well as the video which other than the spacing of the diamonds it appears they were satisfactory. Again when you viewed the video you indicated that the ring looked fantastic. I'm not understanding how we went from fantastic to being dissatisfied.
Not being someone who takes a dogmatic position as customer service as well as the education we provide both with jewelry and gemology is our strength I'm asking what you feel is the best way to resolve this. I'm apologizing for both Chris and myself and wish to hear from you.

Best,
mark

Greetings Mark,

In no way was my previous email meant to be read in a combative manner, nor this email in any way shape or form. You said in the previous email that you didn't see where I ever spoke about having an issue with the rendering so I was only attempting to clarify the specific times I did bring up my concern regarding the basket not being correct.

As for the response to the video via text, if i remember correctly (without checking my phone) I said that I was driving and ended up quickly viewing it while I was at a stop light. The video was from the top view for the majority of the time, and only when I was at home later that night when my significant other was sleeping and I could view it with no distractions did I see the brief 1 second side shot of the basket area (from the video the diamond spacing and paving style did look fantastic). I immediately contacted Chris from that point via email.

As for what I want to do, that is completely up to you as the business owner. I was told by Chris that you guys were not willing to continue making me a ring due to the design issues. I would feel more comfortable with you letting me know what you are offering/willing to do rather than me making unreasonable request. Let me know the options available and we can go from there.

Regards,
Mailin

-Hi Mailin:

I didn’t read it in that format at all. What I am trying to accomplish with these emails is find a satisfactory solution for both of us. What I’m not reading in any of the emails sent is your indication that the renderings were incorrect. This is what I’m trying to ascertain as to how the process went awry. There was a request for the diamonds to be placed close together in the final ring as the renderings cannot show this and this was done.
As I stated in my 1st email I’m not trying to put you up against a wall and I assume the same from your end. It would be helpful if your specific information concerning the split on the Meghan not showing in the rendering was sent to me. Maybe I’m missing something as It has been very hectic here moving, my repeated journeys outside the office and at the same time still not having full telephone service.

I wish to make you and your fiancée happy but we both have to work on accomplishing this. Its not only up to me as the business owner as I’m hoping we can work together to reach a solution.

I look forward to your reply.

Best,
mark

Greetings Mark,

My specific indication of the basket not being correct was sent two emails ago. I have screenshot and attached the direct email AFTER I received the CAD renderings where I stated my issues with the rendering. I state that the basket shown does not seem to be based off of the Meghan ring, it is the highlighted section in the screenshot, along with the other issues I wanted to address.

In my opinion the entire process went awry at that point forward. At that point I specifically told Chris that I did not like the rendering. He then replied back and said to just let him do the plastic mold in order to let us get a better look of the design. Chris never made the plastic mold, and then continued onto the creation of the ring without informing me.

I outlined all of your questions in the email sent on May 31st and attached direct quotes from Chris and I. With the text bolded and explained in depth of how the process as told, was not followed. So please take a gander again at the May 31st email and read it in depth (I know it was a lengthy one) but literally everything you are questioning was answered.

If rereading the May 31st email and all of the contents and viewing the attached image is still not sufficient, please let me know if anything else needs to be clarified.

For reiteration reasons from my last email, I would feel more comfortable with you letting me know what you are offering/willing to do rather than me making unreasonable request. Let me know the options available and we can go from there.

Regards,
Mailin

Hi Mailin:

I'm not trying to be a lawyer so please bear with me so we can resolve this to both our satisfaction as i'll be leaving the country on the 8th and returning the 23rd. What you have highlighted and then are specifically reiterating is
"Halo should be as close /tight as possible to the gem". If you look at the original group of renderings you are using this as the highlighted area of your last comment. This does not refer to the combination of the split and the petal becoming one on the Meghan which we have indicated prior that it was not possible.If this would have been indicated by you we would not not have continued. Continuation was an issue which we have addressed but fabricating rings for more than 20 years if a customer has issues I do not continue the ring style. Chris corrected and explained the slight separation the diamonds have and that on a rendering it is very difficult to show this.I believe your reaction when shown the video was that this was corrected and you loved the ring. Your comments not ours.Perhaps what happened was that you didn't notice the lack of the petal of the meghan and the rendering and again in the video. Just guessing.
My 1st email addressed this, thus my request to ask how you wish to resolve this. I honestly do not think an error was made by Chris but rather a misunderstanding on the style of the ring based on your original request which again could not have been completed and was addressed by him. We do not build rings with only our input provided. This is not who we are and I believe thats why you came to our company and not another internet jewelry.
As you can see from the video its a beautiful ring and one that I believe you will receive many compliments.It embracing the sapphire and brings out all its beauty.
Lets not go back and forth as both our positions have been more than addressed.I stated in my 1st email that my purpose was to resolve this in a timely manner with both of us feeling that a compromise has been achieved. To date I have read your comments and you mine. As I said you have a magnificent ring and you even said so yourself. What can be achieved by not finalizing this.

best
mark

Mark,

The section I highlighted was me, as the customer, telling Chris that the design "was not based off of the Meghan" AKA the only thing we requested from the Meghan (the basket being of utmost importance as stated in previous emails). Then the second portion was addressing the diamond spacing on the halo, which was corrected.

This was not a miscommunication issue, this was a reading comprehension issue on Chris' part. Chris NEVER once said that the basket could not be incorporated with the split shank. I had no way of knowing that was even a possibility.

If Chris would have did as he promised, such as... Provided more than 1 CAD rendering, or provided the plastic mold like he said he was going to, or called me like he said he would so "we could clear the design features up". That would have giving me even more chances to tell him that the basket was still not as requested.


I asked you to provide options of what you are willing to do to correct this situation, which you still have not presented me with any options.

So going off of the lack of options presented by you, I will take that as you not wanting to remake the ring as requested. So the only option you are leaving me is, please kindly remove the centerstone and refund the deposit that was made. I shouldn't have to even ask you to present me options, this should have been as simple as... "I am sorry this ever happened, let me correct Chris' wrong doing."

Ship the centerstone (in a proper protective case and the refund (if you can not do it electronically) to the following address:

Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
P.O. Box xxx
Xxxxxxx, XX xxxxx
I am at a loss for words for the way my previous emails/text are being twisted and I am livid because of that. This email will cease any further conversation.

-Mailin

Hi Mailin
I was just going over my notes and your last email. What ring would I be remaking as the Megan cannot have a split band as is. This was the issue being addressed. If it's the Meghan than it has to be as is. If it's the split than it has a different basket than the Meghan. The combination cannot work as originally requested.

Mark

I contacted Chris after this and simply forwarded him my return address and options of refund to be processed. Ended up not shipping it to my P.O. Box and just picked up at the FedEx warehouse over an hour away. I still have yet to receive my refund though. Chris stated that they have no record of my deposit, that their systems are messed up, they shred all their transaction paperwork, and asked me to provide proof of my deposit. Mark is now on vacation and he cannot have him look into it further until after he returns. I then sent him verification from my credit card that the deposit was made months ago and if need be, I can simply file a dispute through my credit card company and have them refund me. He replied and advised me to do that, in order to speed up the refund process.

We are now at the current point in time, where I am in touch with a Local MA designer located in Boston. Crossing my fingers to hopefully have something fantastic come out of my current horrible experience.

Now I do not think I was asking of much with Chris or Mark. I feel like they 100% were using my words against me, and attempting to push blame onto me. Only after I flipped out and stated that I would be taking my business elsewhere was there ever an attempt to actually correct the wrongdoing. Chris had also apologized in another email (not shown) saying how he wishes he could do something to change my mind etc. I do not think they handled this situation properly. If I didn't have such strong views on my personal principles, I would have continued to work with them. I do love the work they do, from what I have seen around the web. I really wish it didn't come to the point that it did. I would have been proud to say that Brilliantly Engaged was the company that created the very important ring I presented to my significant other.

Take my very long, very detailed review as you will. Hopefully Mark and Chris will make different choices next time and I pray that this never happens to anyone else. It has made a experience that should be nothing but happiness and joy, nothing but heartache and pain. Not just Brilliantly engaged but the previous Jewelers who handled my gem and damaged it. So many bad experiences compounded into a single hellish nightmare.

I am sharing this partly due to my being upset but also due to it only being fair to other PriceScope users who might potentially use Brilliantly Engaged. This is not my attempt to scare away customers or potential customers, but to simply be informative.

Let their work, their pricing, and all their thousands of good reviews sway you in whatever way they shall.

Hope you enjoyed this in depth review,
-Mailin

 

[msop04]

YAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSS!!! [emoji1376][emoji1376][emoji1376]

 

[Mailin]

This took me another 4 hours off and on at work to get it formatted properly. I wanted this review to be legible and easy to follow. I could have just copied and pasted it but the readers deserve better than that! So again, sorry for the delay and do not take my post for anything but a review.

I did not make any changes to the text besides for my name (to match forum name) and some personal information pertaining to payment, address, etc.

If an Admin could please copy and paste my review post back into the 1st page on my original post, that would be fantastic!

 

[WillyDiamond]

I think this thread is dead, we are all talking among ourselves, OP has no intention of posting.......onto the next.

People have lives outside of PS. And it's a shit ton of work piecing together screenshots for people like you who will just pick everything apart anyway because they have some rabid dog loyalty for a particular vendor.

Woa! Soxfan, sorry for your anger problem. Sounds like you had a bad day. Hope tomorrow is better.

 

[ihy138]

I have been reading along with interest and want to say thank you for posting your experience. It seems as if they just weren't understanding what you were saying re: the basket, or they didn't want to understand. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience and I hope you get the ring of your dreams at the next jeweler you use.

 

[WillyDiamond]

I have been reading along with interest and want to say thank you for posting your experience. It seems as if they just weren't understanding what you were saying re: the basket, or they didn't want to understand. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience and I hope you get the ring of your dreams at the next jeweler you use.

These rings cost lots of money, you should be 100% satisfied, best of luck getting it done the way you want.

 

[Wendylynne]

Well.... I can tell you Mark's a liar- I contacted him in regards to my horrible experience with Chris... We also had a back and forth on the situation. He also said how amazing Chris was and had never had any complaints...

Thank you for posting. I hope your new ring is everything you and your partner want and more!!

 

[Gypsy]

Yeah.
They didn't just drop the ball they dribbled it all over the place. Yikes.

I am sorry for your frustration.

The only thing I can think that you could have done is to have called them, repeatedly and talked things out during the process. But in this day and age email is standard and I can totally understand wanting to keep everything in writing.

That said, they clearly had their ear plugs in and didn't listen to you AT ALL.

You are right 100%.

Did you try Steven or Maytal?

 

[Elepig]

Holy crap, I am so sorry you had to go through that.

 

[LLJsmom]

I am sooooo sorry. That is a horrible experience. Thank you for going through the trouble of sharing. Just from reading the language in the emails, I cannot understand how anyone could think that you approved of the work. They said early on (when they proceeded without your approval) that you could make any changes later.

I am truly so sorry. I hope that you will find a designer with integrity as well as skill and taste that will create for you the ring of your dreams!

 

[Garnetgirl]

How frustrating and upsetting the whole experience must be for you. You go through all that, and don't have a ring to show for it, and now you probably have to start all over again. It's hard to understand how a jeweller could go ahead and make a ring after the customer clearly stated that that wasn't what he wanted.
At least you have your beautiful stone, Mailin. You seem like a patient and understanding person. I hope you get the ring of your dreams soon.

 

[soxfan]

WOW. THANK YOU for posting your experience. What a nightmare. I remember you posting about the sapphire getting chipped. I hope you have better luck this time!

 

[mrs-b]

I think this thread is dead, we are all talking among ourselves, OP has no intention of posting.......onto the next.

People have lives outside of PS. And it's a shit ton of work piecing together screenshots for people like you who will just pick everything apart anyway because they have some rabid dog loyalty for a particular vendor.

Woa! Soxfan, sorry for your anger problem. Sounds like you had a bad day. Hope tomorrow is better.

Just pouring oil on an already flammable situation, Willy. Try to get back to the topic.

 

[Niel]

Well.... I can tell you Mark's a liar- I contacted him in regards to my horrible experience with Chris... We also had a back and forth on the situation. He also said how amazing Chris was and had never had any complaints...

Thank you for posting. I hope your new ring is everything you and your partner want and more!!

Yeah I can't even believe he wrote that. What company that's been around more than a year hasn't had a negative experience .
.
I tried to work with them once. The first email I got back was "why don't you just use a stock setting"

 

[derbygal]

Thanks for taking the time to share your story OP. Hope you get the ring of your dreams.

 

[lovedogs]

Thank you, OP, for taking the time to format and post this! As I said previously I think you are 100% in the right here, and am so sorry you went through this. I really hope that your next experience is better and you end up with the ring of your dreams. Please keep us posted!