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Slightly irritated with Whiteflash...any advice?

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october214

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 13, 2006
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I sent in a request for a quote on a custom platinum setting over 2 weeks ago. I heard from Lesley a couple days later, who said she had submitted my request and was just waiting for the quote. I sent another email last week asking about the quote and she replied this past Sunday to tell me that they were backed up, but she hoped to have something the next day (Monday). It''s now Wednesday and I haven''t heard from her. I called her today, but she was in a meeting and the girl on the phone said she couldn''t find anything about my quote request. I was almost 100% sure I was going to use Whiteflash to create the custom platinum setting for my 2ct cushion, especially after all the great feedback I have heard about their work on these boards...but now I am having second thoughts. I don''t know if this is their usual customer service, but over 2 weeks to just get a quote seems a little ridiculous. Can others who have used Whiteflash for custom work let me know if this seems right or did you have a different experience? And if this continues and I don''t use Whiteflash, can someone recommend another vendor for a simple custom platinum setting? I ended up purchasing the stone from another PS vendor and I''m wondering if I''m getting brushed off by Whiteflash because I did not buy the stone from them. Any thoughts? Thanks!
 
Doesn''t Mark work with Leon Mege? Claw prongs are his deeeluxxxeee specialty. If I was setting a 2ct cushion in a solitare with claw prongs ... I''d go LEON.

(Though I have nothing against Whiteflash -- lots of good reviews on their custom work too)
 
I doubt you are getting brushed off by them. I think they probably are truly busy and every once in a while a customer slips though somehow
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. I would however be frustrated in having to wait 2 weeks for a quote. when I worked on my project with them I only waited 2 days, of course that was over a year ago and their business has really grown. There are several other highly recommended vendors here for custom projects if you decide you'd like to pursue other options. I have also done a custom project with Quest Jewelers. you can see some of the pieces they have done for other pricescopers here. i would however suggest calling them first so they can be on the lookout for your email. anytime i called one of the 3 brothers, who are the owners answered the phone. good luck..a 2 carat cushion sounds divine..

ETA: didn't see deco's post, but definitely consider Leon Mege..www.artofplatinum.com
 
Yes, Mark does work with Leon and I thought about using him, but since I''m not doing any pave, I thought it might not be cost worthy to go with a Leon setting...but you are right about his claw prongs. I also didn''t want to have to wait 6-8 weeks for the setting if I go with Leon. Although, the time that Whiteflash is taking to just get me the quote might take longer than if I just go with Leon! I think I''ll call Mark and see if he can get me a quote from Leon, assuming I could have the setting by the middle of July. Has anyone recieved a setting from leon in less than 6 weeks?
 
there have been a couple of pricescoper to get them in less than 6 weeks. i would think it would be possible since you''re not doing any pave. I think KristyDarling''s 3 stone took 4 weeks.
 
I worked with WF for a recent piece and it was very fast to get a quote for a custom setting (maybe 1 day?) I would call Lesley and talk to her directly. If she says they are backed up they probably are. For my engagement ring I worked with Leon Mege, and I can say that it was VERY expensive (about 2 times the cost of WF quote). I would have to agree that if you aren't doing a pave encrusted ring, then I wouldn't pay the price for a simple platinum setting by Leon. And my setting took over 8 weeks!!The WF setting would be very beautiful at a good price.

Hope it works out for you because the stone sounds beautiful!
 
Yup, 4 weeks for my non-pave 3-stone ring with double claw prongs.
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And many people are very surprised to find that Leon''s quotes are extremely reasonable.
 
ETA: the price quotes he gave me for non-pave, simple settings were actually VERY reasonable. No more than what I would''ve paid with someone like WF or Quest. But, I''m not surprised that you''d have to pay a premium for his pave work...that''s his specialty area. Leon was also very responsive about price quotes and during the production process as well. He always got back to me within 1-2 days. He''s not the warm and fuzzy type, more like the efficient type, but he is very experienced with working one-on-one with clients.
 
leon''s rings are handmade which makes him more expensive compared to vendors who cast their rings. I''ve contacted him a couple of times for quotes and found him very reasonable for what he does compared to other handmade designer settings.
 
KristyDarling: I like that...he''s not the warm fuzzy type
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. I was under the impression that there was a premium for all his work, not just for the pave, but if it''s comparable wth WF''s prices then I would definitely give him a call.
 
I don''t remember seeing a claw prong from Whiteflash that''s impressed me as much as Leon''s. Kristy''s setting is TO DIE FOR and plain platinum, no pave!

With a 2 carat cushion ... I''d want a handmade setting & be willing to pay a little more & wait a little longer for Leon. Who knows! You might not even have to do either!!!
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Whiteflash is in Houston.......

Houston had a zillion inches of rain and is flooded in some of the areas.

So maybe that is the reason for the delay..

I admit though you''ve tried... Sure they''ll answer you shortly. They try really hard.

Rockdoc
 
hi OCtober214,

I think that going with LM seems like the best option for what you are wanting. I LOVE all the Leon pieces I have seen on PS. Also, I agree with the others who said that WF is going through some growing pangs because I had a similar frustrating experience with them.

Out of all of the vendors my bf and I contacted through our diamond search they were the slowest and least responsive (only replying when I emailed a few times or called and reminded them). They do have some beautiful diamonds and we still almost went with one but it just didn''t leave the best impression. Other vendors were quick to reply and answer questions we had. Hopefully they will get their issues resolved soon and hire on more people or what not.

RockDoc, I''m from Houston and everything is back to normal. I don''t think flooding caused any issues for the area WF offices are located in -- it was a very specific area of SE Houston that was hit hard by the flooding. I don''t know if anyone in their office was personally affected of course.


DL
 
my experience w/ getting a quote from WF about 2 months ago was the same experience. I sent an email request for a quote thru their website but I didn''t hear back for a few days and I don''t think they ever found my email. Since I was trying to pick between vendors I just bugged them a lot via phone. Their response is much faster if you just constantly call them =) Although the process of them consulting with the jewelers and then getting back to you w/ a new quote/etc can really slow things down since sometimes they just don''t get back to you. I think it also depends on the CSR who becomes your contact for a particular project at WF. They never did get back to me with a final quote and suggestion for my request, but by then I had decided to go w/ Quest and so never followed through with WF. Otherwise I would have been dialing their number every other day =)

but it seems like with any jeweler listed on PS, they''re all so busy that you have to really keep at them until they get the project rolling.
 
October 214:

My apologies for not sending out your quote. On Monday morning, when I said I would get back to you, half our team could not make it in because of the floods. Yesterday was catch up in the processing center.

I have e-mailed you the quote and look forward to hearing from you.

LesleyH
www.whiteflash.com
 
WF seems to invariably be one of the best and most responsive in customer service IMO =)
..there''s a reason they''re so popular i guess!
 
I used them for my diamond and completely love my ring ,and everyone was very very nice!

However, several months ago I wanted to get a matching eternity band. My first several requests got lost, and then I finally heard from them and was told they would get back to me with a quote and we swapped several emails and then...nada!

It was just too much hassle for me for a simple $1000 eternity ring, and I ended up ordering it from Signed Pieces! But, now that I have one eternity band, I''ve decided I need another for the other side...

Still love them, and would use them again in a heartbeat for a larger purchase!
 
I don't blame you for feeling impatient. I was a raving lunatic when I was waiting for my engagement ring. Hang in there!!
 
Well, I admit it''s nice to know that Whiteflash is so busy with other customers because everyone wants to use them! That does say a lot about the quality of the work that they do and I know that I would be pleased with their work. As noted above, I did get the quote from Lesley and I also requested one today from Mark at ERD, so I hope to make my decision by the end of the week. Don''t worry, I will be posting many pictures when it''s finished! Thanks for everyone''s thoughts and comments.

Lesley, Thanks for the response. I just wrote you an email back.
 
exactly! That is why Whitefalsh is so busy. Mark Morrell is the same way, as are many others. With the increase in interest in Quest, no doubt their backlogs will get longer, too.

I''m glad you got your response!
 
Regarding timing: Earlier this week, I submitted a custom order request and didn''t hear anything for 24 hours. I sent a follow-up message requesting confirmation that my order had been received, and WF sent acknowledgement (albeit generic) literally 60 seconds later. They got back to me with an individual e-mail response a little over an hour later, and the gemologist in charge of my order followed up with me via e-mail later that evening (even offered his home phone number).

We made arrangements to talk on the phone the next day, but he did forget to call me at the appointed time. I simply called him back after it was clear he wasn''t just running late, and he apologized for forgetting the time and scrambled to pull out my information and walk through the order with me. He was extremely courteous and friendly, and he asked plenty of good questions about what I wanted (and was very willing to answer my many questions). He told me that he could have a quote for me by tomorrow, but that I could expect it to be somewhat late in the day.

My impression is that as long as you keep on them (via e-mail or phone), you''ll get the answers/service that you need. I don''t think the slow response/turnaround time is due to lack of effort -- they just seem very busy. They''re certainly very courteous and helpful whenever you do track them down. Hope this continues to be the case.

Slightly off-topic, but a few additional items of interest: He told me a few things about my requested design that could not be accommodated, e.g., pave band cannot be less than 2.2 mm (sigh...) and won''t replicate the exact design of the basket due to copyright concerns (even though other design elements are being changed).

I have heard from others that WF won''t make a pave band as thin as some people would prefer (because it would weaken the ring), but I had not heard anything about design-related issues. I understand that you cannot (or should not) copy something exactly, but the particular design I have in mind has been made by two different designers, with only slight differences between the two. Both designs feature almost identical baskets that are completely covered in pave, and I was told that we could only do partial pave -- even though I am suggesting modifications to the shank that are different from both designer rings. Small disappointment, but it shouldn''t detract from the ring overall.
 
minxes...it''s funny you mention the basket in pave because my girlfriend is getting engaged soon and is working on her ring and WF would not make her a regular 4 prong basket head with just pave horizontal bars on it! i was amazed, i mean who can claim copyright to a basic 4 prong basket head with some pave? neither a 4 prong basket or pave are exclusive. but it sounds like you are able to get it done at least with some pave? hmmm.
 
I''m so sorry but butt in, but can anyone tell me who the Mark who works with Leon Mege is? (I''ve scanned the thread over and over again in case it was mentioned but couldn''t find it - if it was, my apologies).

Thank you!
 
I''m waiting too...
But, having been in Houston 5 years ago during Tropical Storm Allison... it''s totally understandable. Believe me. :)
 
Thanks so much, Kaleigh.
 
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