Parks fine group inc

[Sparklythingymabobs]

Hi everyone,

I’m pretty new to the forum since I just started looking into engagement rings.
I wanted to share my recent experience with Parks fine group inc.
I’ve seen a few threads about this vendor, praising him for patience, quality and price.

I did also see some negative reviews around customer service though that didn’t really put me off because it could be due to a multitude of reasons.
I probably jumped the gun and messaged him when I didn’t know what I wanted exactly. He sent me a diamond to consider (very quickly with decent photos) which is to his credit.

Wanting to make sure he wasn’t wasting his time while I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for, I told him that I will get back to him once I have more information.

Here’s the exchange, after which he blocked me! (Please excuse the typos)




I can’t attest to the quality of his diamonds or anything else since my period of interaction with him was very short (24 hours..maybe)

I’m pretty certain after sharing this, he won’t want to work with me in any circumstance. Though I’m confident that I’ve been appropriate in my communication, but it’s unfortunate that he’s obviously taken offence to it.

There is not too much on this vendor here or elsewhere, but I wanted to document this for other people considering working with him.

I’m interested to see what the community’s opinions are on this!

Thanks,

 

[MamaBee]

What is going on with him? This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this kind of response from him. I would like to hear other feedback good or bad. I follow him and love some of the things he posts. I would have considered buying something from him in the future. I won’t do that if he’s not a nice person..
It kind of reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where the guy says, “No soup for you!”.

 

[Rfisher]

He’s not hurting for sales dollars.
Plain and simple as that.
When he starts a ‘buy one stone get one free promotion’ - then the tides have turned.

 

[PreRaphaelite]

I’m so sorry you had that experience. I’m sure that other vendors would value you as a customer. So please don’t give up; there’s a stone out there somewhere with your name written all over it!

 

[MK Malone]

I find it very strange and sad. Buying a diamond is hard for an inexperienced person. I had no idea until I got started how long it would take me (5-6 months), how many brick and mortar stores I would go to (looking for inspiration) and how many diamonds I would buy online (5) before finding the right one. Did I upset some vendors when returning ugly stones? Yes! Honestly, I was ready to quit more than once and finding PS at the end of the journey was the only reason I was finally successful. Having some basic information provided here along with the search tool, lots of feedback on my posts from many of you, and a very patient vendor - that’s what got me through it. I am sorry Parks was not the vendor for you. I can personally recommend Shane at B2C Jewels. And there are so many positive recommendations here for WF and HPD. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Starfacet]

 

[YadaYadaYada]

The few posts I have read about this guy make him sound like an absolute jerk, so what if he doesn't need the sale, you can still be a decent person.

Damn, well there are lots of fish in the sea, don't let one rotten one spoil it for you!

 

[Starfacet]

The few posts I have read about this guy make him sound like an absolute jerk, so what if he doesn't need the sale, you can still be a decent person.

Well, he did say Please!!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Well, he did say Please!!

I literally just laughed and almost spit out my coffee

ETA: I'll revise my opinion and say he is a polite jerk but still not someone I would give my money to or spend any amount of time dealing with on any level.

 

[marymm]

In my experience Alex's texts are short and to the point, and he seems to value the same back.

His response to you is pretty straightforward and framed in a fairly courteous way (to my reading): "Its okay. You dont have to message me. Please buy else where. Thanks and good luck." It is unclear to me why you would then text him further, after his message?

Sometimes a vendor and a customer are not a good fit, and it seems this time the vendor made the choice. Next time you might make the choice. There are several PS favorite vendors I choose not to work with because my experience with them are less than satisfactory. Not sure why/how other PSers manage to have good to fantastic experiences with those same vendors, but sometimes there's a disconnect. And for sure if a vendor makes it known that he/she doesn't want to work with me, I look elsewhere.

There are other vendors who sell old stones, and there are knowledgeable PSers who stand ready to help you find what you're looking for ... I suggest you start a new thread when you are actually ready to purchase and include all the details of your prereqs etc.

 

[_dracarys_]

Not sure if you're the same person, but he blocked someone on IG yesterday after asking a seemingly harmless question regarding a stone that was on hold or available. He replied, the person replied back that she understood, and he replied with "blocked." I was truly baffled, unless his version of blocked is different than mine.

 

[MamaBee]

I saw that _dracarys_ I wondered if that meant it was spoken for. Is there a language barrier for him?

 

[_dracarys_]

I saw that _dracarys_ I wondered if that meant it was spoken for. Is there a language barrier for him?

I originally thought it might have meant it was spoken for, but with this post I'm not as convinced.

 

[meely]

I do not necessarily see that exchange as being rude. It could definitely be read in two different ways.

 

[Starfacet]

I do not necessarily see that exchange as being rude. It could definitely be read in two different ways.

True. My first impression was that it was just a polite way of saying "Get Lost." But I could be wrong of course. If he meant "feel free to look elsewhere," then it would have been more clear to say that.

 

[_dracarys_]

But why did he block the OP after the message exchange? That's the part that makes it seem not so innocent.

 

[Mixtress]

I would have been baffled by that response as well, I think it was courteous of you to explain your current situation. Purely my own assumptions - all the diamonds and jewels he posts on Instagram seem to get sold quickly so he probably doesn't feel the need to "work" for new clients. Most clients probably come to him making immediate purchases.

 

[distracts]

I honestly don’t get where the people who think this is fine are coming from. He told her to buy elsewhere and then blocked her! If he wanted to express that he didn’t think they were a good fit as vendor and customer, he could have SAID that, rather than saying what he DID say. And then blocking her! He definitely comes across as someone who wants to do zero effort in terms of customer service and just wants to post and sell things (which makes Instagram kind of a silly platform for him, but whatever). Sorry, but if you’re in sales, you have to do some level of customer service and need to learn how to communicate and be polite even when expressing difficult concepts. He can’t do that.

 

[lovemochi]

I'm sorry but I think he could have gotten his point across in a nicer way. He did not address what you were looking for and essentially told you you're wasting his time and to get lost. That message would have caught me off guard. I personally would not work with someone who displayed that kind of attitude, much less pay them a ton of money so he can keep being a jerk to other people.

 

[Sparklythingymabobs]

@marymm I could have left it with his message. But since I was still interested in working with him, I wanted to address it since I didn’t want that to cement the tone for future interactions. Also I didn’t want to beg someone to let me give them money!

I agree it’s probably just a poor fit between vendor and buyer so I’m not trying to cast blame. I was more confused that the solution to being not ready straight away, is to turn them away and block. He’s obviously able to work with other people successfully.

@_dracarys_ I wasn’t the person in the comments, and the diamond he sent to me wasn’t posted on the account. In this instance I actually didn’t ask about any specific stone, but I did give him some specs when he asked (albeit ones I couldn’t commit to). But I did see similar interactions before I messaged him, but I chalked it up to edited/deleted comments or other interactions (unseen).

 

[meely]

I honestly don’t get where the people who think this is fine are coming from. He told her to buy elsewhere and then blocked her! If he wanted to express that he didn’t think they were a good fit as vendor and customer, he could have SAID that, rather than saying what he DID say. And then blocking her! He definitely comes across as someone who wants to do zero effort in terms of customer service and just wants to post and sell things (which makes Instagram kind of a silly platform for him, but whatever). Sorry, but if you’re in sales, you have to do some level of customer service and need to learn how to communicate and be polite even when expressing difficult concepts. He can’t do that.

Missed the blocking part, that definitely makes the message clear. Not OK. What a strange and unnecessary way of treating potential customers.

Edit: now I’m confused as to whether OP was blocked or not! If not and that was another Instagram user obviously a lot could have been going on via dm

 

[PreRaphaelite]

There have been some stones on his IG that I was interested in, but I unfollowed him after reading PS threads about the poor customer service. I just don’t have time for nonsense.

Thanks, OP, for sharing your experience.

 

[Sparklythingymabobs]

I’m pretty sure I’m blocked since I can’t see any of his stuff anymore!
It is what it is, it’s a shame but also it’s not worth pushing ahead if a vendor isn’t willing to work with you at all.
Thanks for the responses guys, I was confident I was not out of line at all, but in the back of my mind I was worried that perhaps I did it all wrong since it was pretty sudden to me!

 

[MamaBee]

True. My first impression was that it was just a polite way of saying "Get Lost." But I could be wrong of course. If he meant "feel free to look elsewhere," then it would have been more clear to say that.

That’s why I thought maybe there’s a language barrier..

 

[muesli]

I'm so sorry for you OP but I'm sure you'll find the diamond of your dreams eventually.

I follow him aswell and he posts stunning stones/pieces but this behaviour is not something I appreciate to be honest. There are so many ways to answer politely.

 

[mrs-b]

It's arrogance, plain and simple. It's a case of "I'm very busy and important and making plenty of money."

Well, good for him. Because I've seen the tide turn comprehensively on businesses in short order with this sort of jackassery.

Very foolish.

 

[hypermom]

OP I’m sorry to hear of your experience. I recently made an appointment with Adam at Old World Diamonds. I knew I wasn’t going to buy at that time but was looking to get a feel for what I’d like if I were planning to buy. I was very upfront with Adam. Adam was very cordial and polite and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from him in the future.
Adam specializes in old cut diamonds if that was what you were interested in.
Good luck to you in your search!

 

[MamaBee]

It's arrogance, plain and simple. It's a case of "I'm very busy and important and making plenty of money."

Well, good for him. Because I've seen the tide turn comprehensively on businesses in short order with this sort of jackassery.

Very foolish.

Jackassery! I love that @mrs-b!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

It just occurred to me that the pawn shop I frequent here in CT has a diamond buyer named Alex come in from NY to buy frequently.

Wouldn't it be a coincidence if it was the same Alex? I know it's a long shot, Alex is a common name, probably lots of diamond dealers with that name but still.....

 

[elle_71125]

@_dracarys_ @Mamabean I saw that comment too. I hope for that poor girls sake he didn’t block her for asking if a stone was on hold or not. It was a weird interaction to say the least.

I follow him because his prices are pretty good (and because I know a couple of people here who’ve had positive interactions with him). I’ll just be careful not to ask about anything unless I’m dead serious.