No more online certs at James Allen

[lovedogs]

There is a way to see the table and depth without requesting certificates. (for now anyway)

On my laptop, if I right click somewhere on the page and press “Inspect”, it brings up a section that will include the table and depth of the stone. It might be different depending on your browser, under developer tools maybe? I have a MacBook Pro with Chrome so YMMV. Go down the page a bit and it will be under the section that starts with: <div itemscope itemtype=http://schema.org/Product>

This may help a little bit in weeding stones out before requesting certificates on them.

I wish I could figure out how to do it on my iPhone though.

Thanks! This made it freaking impossible for me to even narrow it down earlier.

 

[mermaid]

I lurk and have learned so much here over the years. But this is for you J.A., and other vendors: whenever you list a diamond and I click on it, I want the specs. I want the price, too. I want to think for myself and shop all by myself. You are not in my head, obviously, but I really do know what I'm looking for much more than does some service rep. Maybe I'm not your average consumer. Fine. But why are you tossing educated consumers away, anyway? My guess is that on average we probably spend more per purchase once we've made the decision to buy. See my pic? That's just three of my large diamonds, a 5 carat asscher, 4 carat emerald, 2.67 carat August Vintage cushion. I bought a 5 carat Fancy Intense Yellow a month ago. ALL were purchased from online vendors---after I had the specs in my hands. Then and only then did I call anyone. Most communication was through email. I Hate having someone call me. Hate having to call C.S. reps. It's not 1992. I want to shop my way. But whatever. So if you are going to be so ridculous as to not provide me the info I require I will take my big f $$ and purchase elsewhere.

 

[Volvoqueen]

I lurk and have learned so much here over the years. But this is for you J.A., and other vendors: whenever you list a diamond and I click on it, I want the specs. I want the price, too. I want to think for myself and shop all by myself. You are not in my head, obviously, but I really do know what I'm looking for much more than does some service rep. Maybe I'm not your average consumer. Fine. But why are you tossing educated consumers away, anyway? My guess is that on average we probably spend more per purchase once we've made the decision to buy. See my pic? That's just three of my large diamonds, a 5 carat asscher, 4 carat emerald, 2.67 carat August Vintage cushion. I bought a 5 carat Fancy Intense Yellow a month ago. ALL were purchased from online vendors---after I had the specs in my hands. Then and only then did I call anyone. Most communication was through email. I Hate having someone call me. Hate having to call C.S. reps. It's not 1992. I want to shop my way. But whatever. So if you are going to be so ridculous as to not provide me the info I require I will take my big f $$ and purchase elsewhere.

. When I read that all I could think of was the sound of dial up internet. Ah, the 1990's.

 

[mermaid]

. When I read that all I could think of was the sound of dial up internet. Ah, the 1990's.

Omg, it's back to AOL, Volvoqueen!

 

[OoohShiny]

See my pic? That's just three of my large diamonds, a 5 carat asscher, 4 carat emerald, 2.67 carat August Vintage cushion. I bought a 5 carat Fancy Intense Yellow a month ago.

Did I hear someone say 'Show Me The Bling thread'?

 

[Snowdrop13]

Did I hear someone say 'Show Me The Bling thread'?

Yes, we definitely need to see and hear more about those mahoosive, gorgeous stones!

 

[mermaid]

Yes, we definitely need to see and hear more about those mahoosive, gorgeous stones!

Oh that thread. Okay, will upload a few pics today! I always feel like the pics I take of my diamonds do not do them any justice. Will do a quickie of the FIY, since that's my latest crazy purchase. Must. Stop.

 

[FutureGracie]

This move makes me to sad for your company. It’s such a bad move and in the end whatever you are trying to achieve will fail..... I just bought my pear from James Allen in the winter and had the no certification thing been implemented during that time I would have never bought it from you. I would have bought it from another vendor. Don’t get me wrong I am satisfied with my diamond, but that is because I was able to compare all the diamonds within my budget via their certification. In any case it’s safe to say that I will not be a repeat customer which is a sad thing because I loved the whole process of ordering my diamond from your company comparing certificates, waiting for the delivery,and opening the beautiful packaging.

 

[scouty]

This move makes me to sad for your company. It’s such a bad move and in the end whatever you are trying to achieve will fail..... I just bought my pear from James Allen in the winter and had the no certification thing been implemented during that time I would have never bought it from you. I would have bought it from another vendor. Don’t get me wrong I am satisfied with my diamond, but that is because I was able to compare all the diamonds within my budget via their certification. In any case it’s safe to say that I will not be a repeat customer which is a sad thing because I loved the whole process of ordering my diamond from your company comparing certificates, waiting for the delivery,and opening the beautiful packaging.

Exactly!! We just bought my engagement ring in March and I never would have bought it from them if it was such a hassle to view the GIA certificates and I would have gone with Blue Nile. I only started looking at James Allen because it was a PS recommended vendor.

 

[arkieb1]

I just helped a friend of my husband purchase 2 diamonds both triple Ex cuts with GIA certs that were viewable online from Blue Nile that were made into earrings as a gift. I'm an Aussie I think they have to realise that not everyone can just pick up the phone and call them and being able to view the certs and decide what you do and don't want is a FAR easier way to buy decent diamonds.

I looked at JA first and decided that Blue Nile was both cheaper and easier.

 

[WhatAboutTheCats]

@mrs-b I would bet the CS reps are now paid on commission; JA wants to get their customers on the phone.

This is ridiculous.

The whole point of online shopping is to cut the bs and go straight to the specs. I’m sure young people love the idea of wasting an hr on the phone, desperately trying to get some transparency about what they’re actually buying.

Imo, this kind of information asymmetry can only disadvantage the consumer. I can no longer recommend JA in good conscience

 

[WhatAboutTheCats]

A lot of consumers end up disliking the quality of their very first diamond. Usually, the bad purchase was a result of being uninformed on the subject (ex: first time buyers getting fed misleading information by some sales rep ). First time buyers tend to have untrained eyes. But after owning a diamond for a few months, they WILL start to notice things they didn’t notice previously. This is why I find it incredibly suspicious when a company chooses to remove information that was previously available. Especially when the information can only help, not hurt, the consumers’ ability to make an informed choice. Do we really need MORE women wondering why their e-ring doesn’t sparkle like other people’s?

Anywho ... most younger people aren’t into diamonds regardless, and those who are, prefer lab growns (WITH lab reports)! A lot of high income millennials are value shoppers and do their due diligence on reddit, bogleheads etc before making a purchase (btw: reddit/bogleheads/weddingbee routinely refer people to PS, but I notice a lot of people find PS to be intimidating). JA seems to be driving away the PS demographic (experienced, repeat buyers who tend to spend more per purchase).

Eta: a fundamental principle of online stores is to always reduce friction for your customers.

I’ll be watching JA’s performance with interest. this might prove to be an interesting business case study

 

[kmoro]

MY HEAD HURTS IT MAKES NO SENSE ... AAAAAAAAGH!

Why not leave the certificates up ... AAAAAAAGH MAKES NO SENSE!

What, to prevent the odd price match? Look at this thread! Look how many sales are lost right here! This is the tip of the iceberg.

Omg. Who is on the board of the directors and why are they still employed. (I purposely left that without a question mark ... rhetorical question style even if not exactly rhetorical, lol)

Wait wait wait, one more thing before I can’t edit anymore ... I am soooo glad that I am not a shareholder reading this .....

It’s really hard to believe that I have been resisting my urge to reply on this thread and yet have still replied many times. I find it strange, even in myself, to find such a strong reaction. Why do we care so much? <- question mark.

 

[lovedogs]

This just keeps getting stupider. For all of the fancy colored diamonds , they no longer even show the mm dimensions. So now I have to ask for certs simply to see whether a stone looks it's weight. And yesterday when I asked for 2 certs, only 1 was sent. Today, the person wanted me to "share my screen" to review the stone before sending me the cert. At the very least, tell me how big a freaking stone is without forcing me to use chat.

 

[tigertales]

People shopping cert numbers is the least of JA's problems. Their loooong and constantly changing shipping/delivery dates, the questionable workmanship on some rings....I could go on. Oh wait, and telling you a diamond is available, charging your card and then, NOT NOTIFYING YOU when they find out it's mysteriously NOT available ( only to have it show up on their website a week later at a much higher price). I gave up on them a while ago, this cert masking just made me laugh...

 

[duckduckgoose]

I know I'm tardy to the party, but I have also complained to management. This is really unfortunate. @WhatAboutTheCats I agree, might be an interesting business case study!

 

[Susan7639]

This is what I was told when I asked why the certs are not longer visible. "To protect integrity" ok.



The GIA report has been removed from the display on our website to protect the integrity and exclusivity of our diamond listings. Rest assured the original report is fully intact and will be included with your order, along with our 100% Money Back Guarantee and Free Shipping policies. You may also request a full copy be emailed to you prior to purchase.

 

[whitewave]

People shopping cert numbers is the least of JA's problems. Their loooong and constantly changing shipping/delivery dates, the questionable workmanship on some rings....I could go on. Oh wait, and telling you a diamond is available, charging your card and then, NOT NOTIFYING YOU when they find out it's mysteriously NOT available ( only to have it show up on their website a week later at a much higher price). I gave up on them a while ago, this cert masking just made me laugh...

This has been in the back of my mind all thread...

 

[cflutist]

James Allen has made a decision to no longer show certificates (GIA/IGI/AGS) on line. If you want to know what's on
a certificate you have to contact them and they will provide it for you. I told the SA I was chatting with that I won't be able
to recommend stones from them anymore because I can no longer see the reports. She said that they wanted people to
judge the stones by what they could see. I told her that was not good enough because a lot of people new to diamonds
do not know what they are looking for/at.

I asked her to pass my opinion on to management.

From a Pricescope perspective, it's a bad move.

Whoa!

https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/james-allen-laboratory-diamonds/

 

[farrahlyn]

Whoa!

https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/james-allen-laboratory-diamonds/

did you notice that certs are available on the lab diamonds?

 

[lovedogs]

did you notice that certs are available on the lab diamonds?

Just looked yesterday to see what was happening with the website and noticed that. So freaking stupid.

 

[lissyflo]

did you notice that certs are available on the lab diamonds?

That is, quite frankly, insane!

 

[farrahlyn]

Just looked yesterday to see what was happening with the website and noticed that. So freaking stupid.

That is, quite frankly, insane!

i know, i was BAFFLED when i saw it!!

 

[baby monster]

i know, i was BAFFLED when i saw it!!

There's no established market for lab diamonds so no opportunity for comparison shopping. No reason to hide cert numbers.

 

[lissyflo]

To start (and as unbelievable as it may sound), many people don't even look at the certificate. Seriously. And for those who do, most don't really understand what they're seeing. They might think 'Polish' is what makes a diamond beautiful, all lab reports are equal, fluorescence is always bad, or 50 other myths and misinterpretations. I'm not suggesting any of these people are dumb - they are engineers, medical students, and every other walk of life - they just aren't diamond experts (and often aren't that interested in becoming one). They have a budget, a preferred shape, and want to get the best diamond they can. For those folks, removing the reports is a nonevent, and we don't expect to tilt that needle one way or another.

Another thing that we know about our customers, however, is if they interact with our Customer Service staff, they are 10x more likely to make a purchase than someone who just browses the website unassisted. They are also 50% less likely to return or exchange their diamond because it didn't meet their expectations, and some other multiple more likely to highly recommend us to friends and family. While our CS team may not be perfect, they are still very, very good at what they do and enjoy finding great diamonds and sharing them with customers more than any other part of their job.

So people don’t use or value cert information when buying earth-grown diamonds, but it’s useful info for people buying lab-grown stones to have at their fingertips? I’m flummoxed!

 

[lissyflo]

There's no established market for lab diamonds so no opportunity for comparison shopping. No reason to hide cert numbers.

But it’s not just the cert number they’re hiding. It’s the entire cert!

 

[lovedogs]

But it’s not just the cert number they’re hiding. It’s the entire cert!

Right. Thats the part that bugs me.

 

[JPie]

Stupid is as stupid does.

 

[baby monster]

I'm more curious to see if JA will extend their upgrade policy to lab diamonds given that there's almost no resale market.

 

[OoohShiny]

Ok, I've just been looking at a couple of the (very few but quite nicely cut) MMD asschers on JA and also some MRBs, and all have said to call up for certificates, so perhaps it was another 'oversight' that PS has helped them spot and 'fix'

To be blunt, it's f****** irritating not even being able to confirm LGFs, table size, etc.