Robins Bros Humor

[Rock_of_Love]

So, I made a trip to Robins Bros yesterday. I ONLY went in to try on some different settings after a girlfriend of mine insisted and wanted to play around. I was game, because I''m still undecided on my setting.

Anyway, I told them what I like (vintage-esque, but also classic/simple), and they basically said just look around and you can try on what you like. Great! So, I proceeded to start looking...and of course they are asking me questions - what is your timeline, what is your budget, blah, blah. I really didn''t want to share to much because I''m a PSer and I didn''t want to get into any sort of debate, ya know!?!

A little background...I''ve already been working with Jon at GOG to find a cushion...and I, of couse, want one of those difficult to find, antique-style, broad/chunky flash, etc., etc. which, again of course, no typical "maul" store knows about. BUT, when I do "give up" that I''m set on a cushion, so I''m looking for a setting to compliment that stone, the lady goes and grabs her "cushion expert." Oh know...here it goes...couldn''t resist.

Well, I thought to myself, if this guy really is a "cushion expert" maybe he will know what I''m talking about. I proceed to describe the type of cushion I''m looking for, and he started to get this confused look on his face! Stuttered something about old stones, sourcing this or that...basically it sounded like jibberish, he wasn''t making any sense, so I decided to move on and re-focus back on JUST settings.

Next thing I know, this guy walks over who is obviously the store "expert or manager or gemologist or whatever." He must''ve heard the discussion, or someone clued him in, so he starts asking me questions about the cushion. I, again, describe what I''m looking for. And, he proceeds to tell me that Robins Bros doesn''t/wouldn''t get that type of stone because they are not newly cut straight from the mine. HUH??

He said that all of those cushions that I speak of, are from "throw away" stones with chips/cracks/etc. that someone recut, and do not meet the "Robins Bros standards." His associate asked him if there weren''t any current cutters that are cutting these cushions. He said, "NO, not a one. These are all old, recycled stones." I said that I know for a fact that there is at least one cutter in NYC that is cutting cushions this way, and he said "No, there aren''t any." And, he continued on with something about if this cutter could *prove* these diamonds came straight from the mine and are new, then maybe they would be fit to source. HUH??

There was much more of the same...and I don''t want to bore you too much...but you get the idea. UGH! Oh why do I torture myself gong into these stores??? I need to keep my mouth shut. Just pretend I''m a stupid, silly girl looking for a "pretty" engagement ring and that I know nothing about diamonds.

Would love to hear all you PSers thoughts!! Ha ha!!

 

[sonnyjane]

It is so true! I am so glad I found PS!

I made one pre-PS visit to a "maul" store when I was shopping for my ring and everything the sales attendant told me was "too good to be true", but I didn''t know any better! I left that store so excited! Then I found this site and realized everything she told me (and showed me) was crap! My post-PS visits were much more entertaining, as I found myself calling the "BS Flag" on a lot of the salesmen.

Example:
Me: "What kind of cut is this? Good? Very Good? Excellent?"
Salesman: "It''s a beautiful cut!"
Me: "Yes, but technically what cut is it?"
Salesman: "It looks very nicely done."

Lol. Thanks but no thanks.

 

[justjill]

I am so glad that I found this website, wandering through mall stores now is a funny experience.

 

[musey]

Date: 4/15/2009 1:47:14 PM
Author: justjill
I am so glad that I found this website, wandering through mall stores now is a funny experience.

Ditto, it''s so nice to have found others that think "Are you kidding me??" when conversing with mall store salespeople.

 

[oldminer]

Wouldn''t you have loved to have recorded the comments made by this "expert"? I hope someone will hide a microphone sometime and let us hear the chit chat escalate. Great story.

 

[Rock_of_Love]

Ha ha! Thanks, guys, for the comments. Thought you''d get a hoot out of that.

oldminer...I sure DO wish I had a recorder. Pure comedy!!

 

[Tuckins1]

It''s hard being educated and then talking to those who clearly ARE NOT!

 

[Skippy123]

Yikes, I dislike when people assume that customers know absolutely nothing about diamonds and then are fed explanations like that, maybe it is a good thing so people run a million miles away. Thank goodness for Pricescope

 

[Rhea]

So not only are those types of stones not cut, but they are used...and that''s a bad thing? I''ll never understand the thinking of some people!

 

[Rock_of_Love]

Date: 4/16/2009 2:12:56 PM
Author: Addy
So not only are those types of stones not cut, but they are used...and that''s a bad thing? I''ll never understand the thinking of some people!

That''s one of the things I told him! HA! It''s a "green" stone...Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. As long as it has some kickin'' fire and sparkle, it''s just fine with me!!!

 

[Diamond Explorer]

Gotta feel at least some pity for those sales guys... Not

. I recently went to test drive large pick-up trucks with a friend (which I am am really not in the market for

), and I feel it was probably a similar type exchange. I had to speak with three different truck experts, and I had tell each of them that I wasn''t interested in there trucks, and they were totally ignorant about features that I would be interested in, like diesel engines that can run on bio-fuel. They kept saying that no new trucks could do that, even though I knew that it certainly wasn''t the case.

 

[Diamond Explorer]

p.s. Don''t let me tell you what I really think about RB

 

[CPF0RY0U]

I too also went to RB, but mainly to look at settings, not necessarily the stone.

Having browsing this forum for over a year and just registering a couple months ago, I too, can tell a RB story.

I went in with my girlfriend, and we just wanted to browse around. Of course, they were asking questions such as price range, what type of cut, etc.)

I wanted to know what the pricing structure was, so I told them, around 1 carat, F VS2. They gave me ranges of around 7 - 10K for diamonds of with good or very good cuts. I told them I wanted an excellent cut and Hearts and Arrows.

They started to give me prices of 12K - 15K for diamonds of that nature and offered alternatives such as their MSID diamonds. I told them I could get a 1.0 F VS2 Excellent Cut for under 10K easily at online places like Blue Nile. I also knew GoG, Wink, and others have 1.0 F VS2s for under 10K.

They really started to attack "online vendor" in general" and Blue Nile. Basically, they are high-risk purchases as you cannot see the diamonds and most of them don''t even have a return policy............ In reality, ACA, GoG, Blue Nile, etc....have return policies.... Don''t know where they get their data from.

 

[vintagelover229]

I went to RB and they had the same thing happening there at the houston location. I had co-worker get engaged and came in with this ring that was ~4500.00 and the center stone maybe .25 carats with some other side stones...she loves the ring...but when I see something like that i think of what they could have gotten online for MUCH less, or gotten a bigger ring for the same price. If they are happy though, thats all that matters.

I mean my ring cost 2k less than her''s and everyone assumes mine cost more than hers did (when she started talking about how much hers cost, ppl asked me the cost of my ring because they assumed mine was a more). She still wears the ring (which is very pretty and unique) she now wears it as a RHR because the engagement was broken off. She kept the ring because her previous marriage she bought her ring and they used her old ring as a trade in value to get a new ring for this engagement (she bought her first ring).

I understand the convinence and the comfort of a maul store...but I dont understand why someone would grossly overpay for something.

Its super sad that these jewlery stores take advantage of the lack of knowledge of its customers.
I''m super happy I found PS!

 

[aveda6]

Stephanie,

I completely understand what you mean by people overspending on their rings. I purchased my FI''s ring after having found PS and I think many people assume I spent way more than I actually did. Everyone that sees the ring assumes that it must have cost easily double what i paid. I don''t think the vast majority of people realize that you can purchase a very nice, high quality ring at a relatively affordable price online. When I compare it to what I could have purchased at a B&M at the mall I cringe at how close I was to making just such a purchase....

 

[AmberGretchen]

I think the thing that is so obnoxious about all of this is that these salespeople so obviously consider themselves and their product superior to what they are unknowingly insulting

 

[MrsPuppy]

You must have been at the same RB that I was over the weekend.

We went to look at settings to get ideas and they told me all cushions look like the ones they had, which looked like a hammer had gone to town on them! And that what I was looking for was just not possible, it bothers me that anyone would sell anything without knowing the product first.

Thank goodness for PS!

 

[peaches]

These salespeople try to intimidate clueless customers by pelting them with completely inaccurate (if not downright made up) information. It''s amazing the stories they can spin to make their merchandise seem higher quality and lower priced than their competitors. Sadly they succeed way more often than not. I mean, they must be selling SOMETHING if they''ve kept their stores open this long!