SI2 from Fay Cullen - Large Black Inclusion.. What to do??

[RxTechRN2b]

Wow, the pictures show a big black inclusion right in the center and what looks like a ring of smaller black inclusions - and yet her description says its SI quality?? That is misrepresentation. She should refund your money including shipping charges, or replace the stone with what she stated it would be AT NO COST TO YOU. Just tell her if that doesn''t happen you''ll be glad to spread lots of feedback around the internet concerning your experience with her.

 

[waterlilly]

I guess I''m a little torn about my feelings on this...

1. it says "antique" - if it''s not, you were misled.
2. the pictures clearly show big ol'' inclusions, you saw these, but purchased it thinking you wouldn''t see them in real life? Regardless of what clarity is claimed to be, pictures are pictures - no disputing that.
3. If you were told there were no visible inclusions - you were misled. did you ask if the ring in the picture was the exact one that you were going to be purchasing? if so and were told yes...did you mention the big inclusions and ask why they would somehow become invisible to the eye when looked at in person?

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 7/2/2008 5:04:13 AM
Author: Lorelei
Welcome!

It looks as if the inclusion is reflecting in the diamond, what a pretty ring though! I would contact FC if you want to return it ASAP, explain the situation and see what they say.

I would direct them to this thread also so that they can see this discussion. Who ever is in charge will want to discuss stating eye clean to clients when it clearly is not. I am sure that this comment did not come from management, and they will want the chance to fix it!

Wink

 

[LaraOnline]

Erk! I just opened the photos that were associated with the ring on the Fay Cullen Website.
If these are true photographs of the actual ring and diamond you bought, how could the sales assistant possibly say the diamond was eyeclean?
Also, how can it be called an ''Antique Engagement Ring''?
If it''s a reproduction, shouldn''t it be called Antique-STYLE, as well as Edwardian - style?

On the website, it says this:
Diamond Upgrade?
If you would like to upgrade this diamond or you would prefer to replace this diamond with one of our certified diamonds of similar size and grade, please view our Loose Diamonds Pages

So is this ring diamond certified? Have they checked the diamond themselves, or are they simply passing it off according to notation they have received from some other source? I wonder which grading house graded that ring??

 

[MMT]

My first er had an inclusion. No one really noticed it but me. Whenever I looked at my diamond my eyes were drawn to it. It felt flawed. I wouldn''t settle if your not happy. Good luck.

 

[Indylady]

I am so sorry to hear about your situation! I have had poor service from Fay Cullen''s customer service representatives in the past; hopefully they have changed since. Contacting the BBB is a fantastic idea.

 

[Gypsy]

What''s their definition of eyeclean? Did they define it for you?

 

[surfgirl]

Whatever happened to this situation OP?

 

[ChaserGirl]

Just wanted to update the situation..

When I saw the photos of the ring on FCs website, I was suspicious of the black marks I saw in the diamond but wasn''t sure if it was a problem with the diamond or a problem with the photography, hence the reason I wrote to FC and asked about visible inclusions.

We were emailed back and assured that the ring had no inclusions that could be seen with the naked eye (we still have this email) so we went ahead with the purchase of the ring.

The ring ended up having several that I could see. About 3 or 4. I could have lived with all of them except one. Three of them you really needed to examine the ring for quite some time before you noticed them.. The ring had to be held a certain way and so on before they could be seen. One inclusion was not like this. One of them you could see holding the ring away at arms length. It was very big and obvious.

When we wrote to FC and told her about it she didn''t believe us. She said ''we don''t sell diamonds like that''. We argued that it was very obviously flawed and she said we should send it back. We double checked that we wouldn''t be out of pocket any money (as it wasn''t our fault and we shouldn''t be held accountable for something that wasn''t our mistake) and she said we wouldn''t if it ended up being their fault.

As the situation stands right now, they have the ring back in their poesession. They are taking a very long time to respond to emails and do the necessary checks to decide what to do with our money. So far the only emails we have had have said ''we hvae received the ring and we will get back to you once the gemmologist has looked at it''.. And another one from FC herself ''just double checking we want to upgrade the diamond to a VS1''.. Not sure where she has got that one from

So that''s it folks. We are at the mercy of FC 1. Acting in a timely manner and 2. Agreeing that they are at fault re the product they sold us.

Am open to any advice people want to give???

 

[denverboy]

good luck =/ no advice other than be polite and firm with what you want done about it. If a full refund makes you feel better, try for that, otherwise knowing FC stories from the past, you may have to change the stone or something.

 

[mrssalvo]

I''d let them know if you don''t here from them in a timely manner and get your refund promptly your going to contact the jewelers viligance committee

here''s their link:



http://www.jvclegal.org/

 

[Kaleigh]

That's a toughy. At least you have the email stating that it was eye clean. Too bad you didn't take it to an independent appraiser, that would have backed you up even more. But they are known for being difficult with returns, so being nice may pay off in the long run, even if it kills you.

Best of luck.

ETA: Follow up with the link Mrssalvo gave you!!!

 

[surfgirl]

Well I''m glad you sent that bugger back! How long have they had they ring back in their possession? If it''s only a week, I''d call them directly tomorrow and say you want a refund, end of story. If they balk, tell them you will contact the org Mrs. Salvo recommended. OR...you can call that org first, tomorrow, and explain the situation to them and ask them for advice and guidance on how you should proceed. They might offer to intervene, you never know. Thinking about it, I''d call that org first tomorrow, see what they suggest and go from there.

 

[greg123x]

Date: 7/31/2008 12:04:56 AM
Author: ChaserGirl
Just wanted to update the situation..


And another one from FC herself ''just double checking we want to upgrade the diamond to a VS1''.. Not sure where she has got that one from

Think even us novices can see that the diamond is NOT what they told you it was ! And I would be VERY wary of the statement she made... sounds like she is trying turn things around on you by implying YOU requested an ''upgrade''...after which they can hold you responsible and charge you for the ''upgrade''. I would have said "No, I want a diamond with the specs you represented it as...there is no ''upgrading'' involved !"
Good luck...at least people will know to stay away from this vendor !

 

[diamondfan]

I would not be, personally. And you should not have to be considering you were assured it was eyeclean.

I have not read this whole thread but I do hope all is resolved for you.

I agree that I would be firm that this was clearly misrepresented to you and that though she asked you about a higher grade, you never discussed that, just wanted her to see this stone and see the marks. Keep all of your correspondence.

If you charged it, do you have any protection via your card company? I realize they are in the US and you are not, but your card is accepted all over the world so their dispute resolution might be worth checking out.

GOOD LUCK! And do NOT be bullied into keeping something you are not happy with.

 

[lasscreative]

Fay Cullens definition of eye clean is probably more lax then all our Pricescopers!!!
Check out this ring on FC
http://www.faycullen.com/engagement_rings/800/e1029r2d.html
She says that this one is eye clean when you can seriously tell that it is not!!

 

[MMT]

I just wanted to say good luck. Stick to your guns, you deserve the ring you were promised. Keep us informed.

 

[geckodani]

I''m so sorry that this happened to you.

Much wonderful advice has already been given. Keep us posted, and I hope it all works out for you.

 

[RxTechRN2b]

She''s double checking that you want to upgrade? She knows exactly why you sent it back and that she told you it was eyeclean before you agreed to give her your money. Do not agree to give her any more money!! Either get a refund (that would be my first choice) or she replace the stone with one that she represented the ring to be -- eyeclean. Eyeclean means you can''t see any inclusion with your naked eye. Maybe she has weak eyes. Or maybe she is a crooked merchant! She needs some good, free internet publicity concerning the quality of her products and her own unique diamond grading system.

 

[oneam]

Hi,

I wish I had posted this sooner.... Below is the complaint I filed w/ the BBB. I hope that you get a satisfactory resolution. I had limited space to state my complaint on BBB''s form, so I had to stick strictly to the facts, but Ms. Cullen got fairly nasty w/ me stating when I asked her why her customer service rep would indicate during our phone conversation that an exchange for size would be possible, if that were NOT the case, she said "you must have been talking to another company" and in her formal response to the BBB complaint, she suggested that I "eat more cookies" so that perhaps the ring would fit

. Unfortunately, my cc company couldn''t help as they didn''t consider the email w/ the notation a binding agreement. I was so concerned about the sizing because it is an eternity ring, but I was able to find a good jewler that sized it down for me. Hang in there, I really hope your story has a better ending! I think it doesn''t hurt your case that the link lasscreatvie posted above is referred to as eyeclean, yet is a S13.

Prior to placing order on 8/29/07, I spoke w/ customer service about the possibility of exchanging for size. They indicated this would be possible. I placed my order online, and indicated in the comments section of my order that the size might not work, but that I had spoken w/ customer service about exchange and was told it was an option. The order was placed and the seller charged my credit card $1435 the following day. The ring was delivered on 10/9/07 and I found it to be too large. I called customer service to see how to proceed w/ exchange, and was told they did not normally exchange, at which I responded that this had already been discussed and confirmed. I was told they would check into it and get back to me. In the mean time, I found my email order confirmation that included a copy of the above-mentioned comments regarding possible exchange, and forwarded to my customer service contact, Gerard. Gerard emailed me on 10/10 stating an exchange would not be allowed. I spoke w/ Fay Cullen personally the same day, and she stated that exchanges are not possible, providing no explanation for why I was told over the phone that I could exchange nor why my order w/ comments regarding exchange was reviewed and accepted if exchange was not an option. If they had no intention of exchanging they never should have indicated such on the phone, nor accepted my order and charged my credit card.

 

[2Artists]

I can''t believe someone would actually say "eat more cookies". That would make me livid. I am sorry to all who have had an awful time dealing with this company. Sending Luck.

Mrs.2Artists

 

[ChaserGirl]

It''s funny that oneam posted that about the sizing because Max (at Fay Cullen) accidentally sent my husband an email that was a personal correspondance between him and Fay.

It said something along the lines of ''We are going to have to charge him to have the ring resized back because noone is a 4.25 (I in UK sizing)'' which is crap because I am obviously a 4.25 hence the reason we asked it to be sized down to that number. She also said in the same email ''I hope she know''s who she is marrying'' implying that my husband is a cheap skate because he wanted to return the ring. By the way, we have been happily married for 5 years and I know exactly who I am married too!

For all the carry on on their website about selling gorgeous jewellery and exceptional customer service, they clearly do not give a stuff about making their customers happy.

We received this email back from them last night while we were asleep..


I am following up with you as per your previous conversation with Ms. Cullen regarding your refund/return for item number E602R4D.

As it turns out this particular diamond is in fact an SI2 stone and if at this moment you would prefer a refund we can mail you out a company check made out in US dollars in the amount of $4,500 (the sizing fee, shipping fee, and wire transfer fee are non-refundable). If you would like us to wire transfer the funds to your bank the total amount you would receive would be $4,455 as there is a fee of $45 that our bank charges us to wire international funds. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience and let me know how you would like to proceed. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Thank you for your interest in, and your support of our rapidly growing site.


No mention of the fact that we were assured it was eye clean. No mention of the fact that they normally require a $200 restocking fee, plus wanted to charge us to have it sized back, which I think means they know they are guilty. At this stage we are tempted to take this refund as it means we will only be out of pocket about $300 Aust. dollars, which is a huge improvement on the amount we were going to be out before ($900 Aust dollars).

Advice??

 

[glitterata]

What idiots! For $300 they've bought themselves a huge, angry thread of the worst possible publicity on a very influential website. I've often looked at their rings and thought about buying from them. Now I never will, and neither will anyone else who reads this thread. (If it were me, I would take the refund offered just to be done with it, but I wouldn't blame you if you decide to fight until they hand over every last penny they owe you.)

 

[mrssalvo]

I''d take the refund and then contact the JVC I linked you to above and see if they can help you get the rest.

 

[purrfectpear]

Knowing Fay Cullen based on some other reviews I''ve read, I''d take them up on that offer ASAP. Like now, yesterday...ya know

That''s probably the best deal anyone ever came out with after trying to return a ring to Fay.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 7/31/2008 6:13:13 PM
Author: ChaserGirl


It's funny that oneam posted that about the sizing because Max (at Fay Cullen) accidentally sent my husband an email that was a personal correspondance between him and Fay.

It said something along the lines of 'We are going to have to charge him to have the ring resized back because noone is a 4.25 (I in UK sizing)' which is crap because I am obviously a 4.25 hence the reason we asked it to be sized down to that number. She also said in the same email 'I hope she know's who she is marrying' implying that my husband is a cheap skate because he wanted to return the ring. By the way, we have been happily married for 5 years and I know exactly who I am married too!

Are you kidding me?!? AFTER you get your money back PLEASE be sure to include copies of that email in the complaint that you file. That is just beyond words...

 

[Skippy123]

Gosh, I am so sorry you had to go through all this; I hope in the end you can get your $300 back.

 

[kellyfish]

Take the refund ASAP. FC has a notoroiusly bad refund policy & I am surprised they have made you this offer--even if they are to blame. Say DEAL quick!!!!

 

[surfgirl]

TAKE THE REFUND NOW! Be gracious and thank them for their customer service...Just get the check and cash it before you do anything else.

 

[ChaserGirl]

We''ve decided that''s what we''ll do. We will write to them tonight and get them to wire the money through before we make any complaints.

Getting a ring is not meant to be this hard