Popular PS vendor stopped responding after I paid, WWYD?

[Irving]

I reached out via email to a popular PS vendor for a custom ring. This person was initially very responsive, writing back within hours, if not minutes, and always within the same day. This vendor is highly recommended on PS, and I had great communications with this person, so I decided to proceed. I paid them the full amount for the ring.

A couple of days after I paid, I emailed a request related to the ring that's being custom made and heard nothing back. A day after that, I sent a follow-up email asking my previous question again, and asked this vendor to confirm another important issue. No reply or acknowledgement at all from this vendor whatsoever. It seems like after this person got my money, I am no longer a priority at all. Even this would've been fine, I don't need to be treated like a VIP, but what happens if I don't get my ring at all? This is what worries me the most, though it's probably unlikely. This person is online only, no physical shop I can visit.

I may not have been as worried had the communication not been so super fast initially, that would've kept my expectation lower. To be honest, I would not have chosen a vendor who does not respond in a timely, steady manner to an important question.

What would you do at this point? What's a reasonable amount of time for a vendor to respond to an email? I didn't ask complicated questions. Both questions could've been answered with a simple Yes or No. What's your expectation regarding to the frequency of communications with a jeweler? I'm offended that once this person received my money, they can just let all communications drop.

 

[Karl_K]

Up to 2 business days is normal. If no reply call because maybe the emails got caught in the spam filter.

 

[the_mother_thing]

@odina Sorry to hear about this; I’m sure it’s frustrating. Obviously I don’t know who the vendor is you’re talking about, but if it’s a small/er business (e.g., one-person shop w/others who execute the work), I’d say probably 2-3 days. It may be he/she has to reach out and get answers to respond to you. I’d suggest picking up the phone and calling them if you don’t have a response or have concerns.

Not that this is a excuse, but it is a very busy time for the industry, especially smaller businesses, as the holidays are approaching.

I’m kind of curious who the vendor is, as I’ve not dealt with any PS vendor who require payment in full up front to begin work ... usually it’s about half up front with the balance due at completion/approval.

 

[Irving]

@odina Sorry to hear about this; I’m sure it’s frustrating. Obviously I don’t know who the vendor is you’re talking about, but if it’s a small/er business (e.g., one-person shop w/others who execute the work), I’d say probably 2-3 days. It may be he/she has to reach out and get answers to respond to you. I’d suggest picking up the phone and calling them if you don’t have a response or have concerns.

Not that this is a excuse, but it is a very busy time for the industry, especially smaller businesses, as the holidays are approaching.

I’m kind of curious who the vendor is, as I’ve not dealt with any PS vendor who require payment in full up front to begin work ... usually it’s about half up front with the balance due at completion/approval.

I'm not sure if this person required the full payment upfront. I just paid the whole thing upfront

 

[wildcatz]

I suspect I know who this is as I had a similar experience. Lightning fast communication until payment was made and then nothing until the ring was completed. And I did send a couple of emails after payment re: a change in size and never received a confirmation although the ring did come in the right size so the email was received. The production time was rather lengthy, maybe three months so I was a little concerned. But it came out alright. It did bother me, though.

 

[Irving]

I suspect I know who this is as I had a similar experience. Lightning fast communication until payment was made and then nothing until the ring was completed. And I did send a couple of emails after payment re: a change in size and never received a confirmation although the ring did come in the right size so the email was received. The production time was rather lengthy, maybe three months so I was a little concerned. But it came out alright. It did bother me, though.

Haha! Did you try calling this person when you didn't hear back after a couple of emails? I sent similar questions via email, merely a confirmation of some issues. Did you send further emails at all during those 3 months? E.g., email about status, progress, any follow-ups about the sizing, etc.? I'd imagine that's a long time to sit through without hearing a beep from the vendor.

 

[Irving]

I suspect I know who this is as I had a similar experience. Lightning fast communication until payment was made and then nothing until the ring was completed. And I did send a couple of emails after payment re: a change in size and never received a confirmation although the ring did come in the right size so the email was received. The production time was rather lengthy, maybe three months so I was a little concerned. But it came out alright. It did bother me, though.

Oh dear. I think we are talking about the same vendor

 

[wildcatz]

Haha! Did you try calling this person when you didn't hear back after a couple of emails? I sent similar questions via email, merely a confirmation of some issues. Did you send further emails at all during those 3 months? E.g., email about status, progress, any follow-ups about the sizing, etc.? I'd imagine that's a long time to sit through without hearing a beep from the vendor.

No, I didn't call or bother to try and contact again. I figured if it was wrong, they would have to fix it later. This vendor does invoice you for the full amount up front, but I requested a different arrangement and was allowed to put down a 50% deposit and the balance upon completion. I just had a ring completed by Victor Canera and he also does invoice for the full amount up front so I don't think it is an uncommon arrangement.

 

[Wewechew]

I'm pretty sure I know who you are speaking about as well. Same experience as you and @wildcatz

Before payment they were responding within minutes (even late at night). I ended up having to have the setting remade and there was zero communication after I sent the piece back until it was completed (and I believe the remake took 2-3 months... don't quote me on that though as it was a couple years ago). I was slightly irritated that it took so long to remake and I wasn't put at the top of the list since the remake was due to design error, but alls well that ends well I guess.

 

[kindred]

I wish I knew which vendor you guys are talking about. 2-3 months wait time would drive me crazy, and even more so if there wasn't great communication during that time.

 

[RetroQT]

Have you tried communicating via phone or through PM/DM on Instagram? (I have had much better success getting responses via IG for the vendors I’ve used for personal projects.)

 

[Irving]

I'm pretty sure I know who you are speaking about as well. Same experience as you and @wildcatz

Before payment they were responding within minutes (even late at night). I ended up having to have the setting remade and there was zero communication after I sent the piece back until it was completed (and I believe it also took 2-3 months... don't quote me on that though as it was a couple years ago). I was slightly irritated that it took so long to remake and I wasn't put at the top of the list since the remake was due to design error, but alls well that ends well I guess.

Exactly, lightening fast reply within minutes even late at night before payment, then nothing at all after payment. Part of the reason I chose this vendor (or any vendor) is their communication. Their lightening fast response was what made me feel like they're reliable and customer service oriented.

Long production time is one thing, especially since I didn't specify any timelines. I'm just annoyed and concerned since it's a complete switch-a-roo in terms of communications before vs after payment which seems like a pretty big red flag. It's as if they're not that busy at all and could respond to emails very quickly, but are purposely choosing to ignore you after they get your money. And it looks like (from these responses) that it doesn't matter if it was a deposit vs a full payment, as long as they have some of your money, they disappear. Such bad behavior cannot be explained away by simply, "small business overwhelmed with requests around the holiday season." The silent treatment seems intentional.

Well, it sounds like this silent treatment isn't just happening to me specifically, so I'm relieved to hear that others have experienced the same and that their rings turned out fine in the end. Hearing these stories, however, makes me think that I probably will not use this vendor again in the future. I will probably go with a vendor who has a dedicated customer service team, whether via phone or online chat. Maybe that's not really fair to say either, as I've dealt with Etsy vendors (very small team) who are super prompt to answer any questions at least within 24-48 hours, even though they're pretty much a one man/woman shop, and even though their products cost much less than this particular vendor.

And yes, I called, but also no response. I'm not sure what to do at this point other than wait it out like the above posters. If anyone has got better ideas, I'd love to hear it

 

[bludiva]

Is anyone willing to name this vendor because I personally would like to make sure I don't use them in the future. It would be one thing to set expectations "Once we get started, if you have questions it'll take up to X days to get a response or call if it's more urgent" but no matter how busy you are I don't think it's ok to treat customers this way.

 

[Karl_K]

In my 15 years here it has always been the duty of consumers and prosumers to hold vendors feet to the fire to deliver awesome customer service to futile realistic expectations.
Even the best will fail at times, but how they handle it tells more about the vendor then how they handle things when everything is perfect.
Letting sub-par service slide harms everyone including the vendor in question because they never have the opportunity to address the issue..

 

[wildcatz]

Is anyone willing to name this vendor because I personally would like to make sure I don't use them in the future. It would be one thing to set expectations "Once we get started, if you have questions it'll take up to X days to get a response or call if it's more urgent" but no matter how busy you are I don't think it's ok to treat customers this way.

If you look at my other recent posts, you can easily figure it out.

 

[elliefire99]

If this is the vendor I think it is, I'm sad to hear it sad

Hope things get better for you @odina!

 

[bludiva]

If you look at my other recent posts, you can easily figure it out.

Ok, guessing but not sure it is CVB designs and guessing no one wants to name the vendor because of past threads that devolved into arguments between people who've had great experiences and people who've had iffy experiences with that particular vendor.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's important to spell it out for the people who come on this board for advice. And I hope the vendor sees this and takes the opportunity to set expectations up front with clients going forward.

*Logging off before people start throwing virtual tomatoes*

 

[sledge]

In my 15 years here it has always been the duty of consumers and prosumers to hold vendors feet to the fire to deliver awesome customer service to futile realistic expectations.
Even the best will fail at times, but how they handle it tells more about the vendor then how they handle things when everything is perfect.
Letting sub-par service slide harms everyone including the vendor in question because they never have the opportunity to address the issue..

Exactly @Karl_K! We are all fools if we think we are above failure and mistakes, but how we handle those moments says much about our character and ability to grow beyond the mistake made.

As a business, it is much easier to fess up to the mistake, make it right and do it as quickly as possible so you get a rep for doing the right thing even when things aren't ideal. That will bring more business your way than imaginable and helps you sleep better at night as well.

If you look at my other recent posts, you can easily figure it out.

From my searching, I would guess CvB.

Odd because I talked with her about my own wedding band and she was super fast on the communication side, which I liked! We texted. Prior to that I had used DK who was great but not always lightning quick responses -- but normally the same or next day for me.

Pricing prevented me from exploring CvB further so I don't know about the payment process with her. I know with DK I didn't pay until the job was done, which was my preference as I feel that payment is a buyers leverage in case things go sour.

 

[bludiva]

I know with DK I didn't pay until the job was done, which was my preference as I feel that payment is a buyers leverage in case things go sour.

DKJ is the ONLY vendor I know of that does this. Most require 50% or at least a CAD deposit (anywhere from $50-300) and that is to protect them also which is I think is fair.

 

[sledge]

DKJ is the ONLY vendor I know of that does this. Most require 50% or at least a CAD deposit (anywhere from $50-300) and that is to protect them also which is I think is fair.

I would be okay with a CAD deposit too. Real time and efforts go into that aspect so that makes sense and is fair to both parties. Even progress payments to pay for materials, etc make sense and are fair. I suspect the 50% is for materials, CAD and some leverage on the jewelers part to ensure the buyer doesn't randomly walk.

 

[Bonfire]

To answer your question, “what would you do?” I would give it a few days. After that I’d continue my contact until I got the answer I was seeking. All venders have issues that come up that may influence communication. Hopefully you will hear back soon! I totally understand your frustration however.

 

[Irving]

UPDATE: Vendor responded! I reached out using Instagram like a previous poster suggested, haha! I don't care if the response is short or even curt. I don't care if the response was simply, "got your message, will respond with more details later," but what bugged me was the lack of response. Maybe like someone above suggested, text messaging or social media messages works better for folks these days. However, the problem in our cases wasn't poor communication altogether, it was just poorer communication after payment.

Since someone mentioned DK, I want to add that I did have a similar experience with him but that was before payment. I don't know if I was emailing with him personally or a staff member of his, but the emails had suddenly stopped when this was in the quote phase. I googled and found some members with similar experiences (both on PS and Weddingbee). I decided to drop that project anyway so never followed up. I have to say though that his prices are WAY better than some of the other popular PS vendors on here.

 

[bludiva]

UPDATE: Vendor responded! I reached out using Instagram like a previous poster suggested, haha! I don't care if the response is short or even curt. I don't care if the response was simply, "got your message, will respond with more details later," but what bugged me was the lack of response. Maybe like someone above suggested, text messaging or social media messages works better for folks these days. However, the problem in our cases wasn't poor communication altogether, it was just poorer communication after payment.

Since someone mentioned DK, I want to add that I did have a similar experience with him but that was before payment. I don't know if I was emailing with him personally or a staff member of his, but the emails had suddenly stopped when this was in the quote phase. I googled and found some members with similar experiences (both on PS and Weddingbee). I decided to drop that project anyway so never followed up. I have to say though that his prices are WAY better than some of the other popular PS vendors on here.

glad you got a response & hope the rest of your project is smooth sailing

 

[Karl_K]

In my 15 years here it has always been the duty of consumers and prosumers to hold vendors feet to the fire to deliver awesome customer service to FULFILL realistic expectations.
Even the best will fail at times, but how they handle it tells more about the vendor then how they handle things when everything is perfect.
Letting sub-par service slide harms everyone including the vendor in question because they never have the opportunity to address the issue..

Pardon my spell check failure in my earlier post ROFL!!!

 

[pearaffair]

I wonder what’s going on. I’ve had a similar experience with another vendor and it seems like something a vendor would want to ensure never happens. I wonder what it’s like to be in their shoes! Maybe there’s an angle we’re just not seeing.

 

[Maisie]

I wonder if it’s just a case of being super busy in the run up to Christmas. Not an excuse but maybe a reason?

 

[MarionC]

Although knowing better, (due to the time of year), I’ve started working on having a custom ring made and the response time has been slow. Very slow...in fact...no response yet. Lol

 

[missy]

Although knowing better, (due to the time of year), I’ve started working on having a custom ring made and the response time has been slow. Very slow...in fact...no response yet. Lol

I cannot remember if I messaged you with this but IMO if a vendor is hard to reach before you start the project it's a bad sign. Communication is key in any type of relationship. Work/Romantic/Bling professional.
Be careful sweet @Jimmianne, please be very wary.

 

[Lookinagain]

I think it also may depend on how you initiate your project with the vendor. Do you give them a timeline? Do you say "no rush"? I generally am not in a rush, not buying an engagement ring or a gift for a particular special day so I always say "no rush". If it is the busy time of year, I'm not surprised if I don't get quick responses as I've basically told them I don't need to be a priority. If it takes what seems to be a very long time (a few weeks) I follow up. But quick responses up front and then silence after with not even an acknowledgement of your email would bother me too. But it seems like all tends to end well with this vendor and the prepayment isn't an issue. Best of luck.

 

[sledge]

I think it also may depend on how you initiate your project with the vendor. Do you give them a timeline? Do you say "no rush"? I generally am not in a rush, not buying an engagement ring or a gift for a particular special day so I always say "no rush". If it is the busy time of year, I'm not surprised if I don't get quick responses as I've basically told them I don't need to be a priority. If it takes what seems to be a very long time (a few weeks) I follow up. But quick responses up front and then silence after with not even an acknowledgement of your email would bother me too. But it seems like all tends to end well with this vendor and the prepayment isn't an issue. Best of luck.

Interesting. Although I agree it's a good idea to stage a project so you aren't on a time crunch I have the philosophy that it's bad for the customer and vendor to become too laxed and let a project linger on with no real time line to complete.

I think it's to the vendors benefit as well as they can properly schedule work, collect payments and ensure a good cash flow while maintaining a steady balance. There is a lot to be said for having good control of your operations. It allows you to grow smart and adjust your pricing to maximize profit based on demand and available capacity.