Something Smelly in the Blue Nile

[Todd07]

Maryam,
I thought Denver Appraiser did a good job of clarifying the scenarios based on the info shared. I also have sympathy for the guy, regardless of whether the crack/inclusion came with the diamond or was caused through wear and tear.

However, do you really think BN is being unreasonable? They offered to look over the stone but won''t guarantee an exchange or refund since it is outside their return window. If he had bought from Tiffany''s it might have been a different reply - Tiffany''s has the margin to be more generous in grey situations like this one.

This sad story just reinforces the need to be cautious and use an appraiser within the return window.

 

[Kamuelamom]

I *know* that Todd is not Bluenile because he is Ricardo. Or is that cowboy?

 

[Jennifer5973]

Disgust at the diamond business/mark-up and Bluenile's customer service are two separate issue IMO.

I am sympathetic to the poster and can understand his feelings but had he not waited so long, he might have exchanged his diamond and this wouldn't even be an issue.

Like 99% of most situations, you have to be an educated consumer... Is it necessarily fair? No, but even when it comes to your health care, your insurance coverages, etc.,YOU have to do as much research as possible so you know what you are doing .... That's why Pricescope is a Godsend.

I think the poster would have liked to see Bluenile do him this "favor" as someone aptly described it--take the weird diamond back and just give him another SI2. But they are acting according to their business policy--which is clearly stated--not an inate sense of human kindness. Business is business.

If the crack is as superficial as it sounds, perhaps sending it back for repolishing isn't a bad idea...?

The bottom line appears ,to me, to be that this person got a bad SI2 and didn't realize it until too late. GIA or not, all diamonds need to be examined/appraised before purchase or during a confirmed return period. If a vendor does not offer this, Internet or otherwise, walk.

I would be interested in the legal perspeective of this "case." It seems to me that Bluenile did nothing "wrong." They sold an SI2 diamond graded by the recognized leader in diamond grading, GIA. Who is really responsible? Given the full disclosure of their policies by Bluenile and the inherent subjectivity of diamond grading, it seems like the consumer is on the hook for not acting within the return period.

 

[pearcrazy]

Maryam,

I feel for the guy too. Like I said before, it's a shame that he had such a bad experience with such a sentimental and important piece of jewelry. However, when others politely suggested that perhaps he was at fault for waiting so long, he took the offensive and not very nicely accused them of being employees of BlueNile. He has a right to vent, he has a right to be frustrated and angry and to post his thoughts here. However in this situation, I don't think BlueNile did anything wrong. They posted the information as listed by the GIA certificate. Had he taken the diamond for appraisal immediately he would have been told that it was not accurately represented on the GIA cert. If my diamond arrived cracked I would have sent it back ASAP. Thirty days is plenty enough time to make a decision and return the ring no questions asked. He may have even had a case for asking BlueNile to refund him his appraisal fees and shipping fees for a misrepresented diamond. I realize that his girlfriend didn't say anything until too late but didn't he look closely at the diamond before he presented it to her? No matter what the grading by GIA, if I looked at my diamond and saw an ugly inclusion or fracture I would have sent the diamond back- PERIOD!! Why is it BlueNile's fault that the ring wasn't returned in time? The problem isn't so much that the diamond was or wasn't as represented on the GIA cert, it was that he let his 30 day return period expire.

Sure it would have been nice if Blue Nile made an exception and accepted the diamond for a full refund. Everyone wants to be the one that the company makes an exception for, unfortunately not many of us are.

 

[Julian]

Oh, I''m so sorry to hear that.

Initially, my sympathy evaporated when I read Blue Denile''s ranting at other PS members.

But then I read Bruce M''s take on the situation and I do feel for Blue Denile''s predicament.

I''d feel pretty lousy if the token of my love was marred with a CRACK in it, making the stone susceptible to further cracking or damage. But it does boil down to this -- the 30 day period to exchange or return the diamond has passed. It really stinks that his FW mentioned the crack after that period. But it seems totally reasonable.

Still, it is up to us to be vigilant -- that includes reading the rules and inspecting the stone very carefully before the 30 days runs out. When I got my stone my FH and I inspected it very carefully and sent it to a trusted appraiser right away.

I am so sorry Blue Denile got burned, but I can''t really blame Blue Nile for the problem. Their business policy was clearly stated on their web site. BUT -- I have to say that if Blue Denile did offer to upgrade the stone with Blue Nile... They could have done the gracious thing and complied.

Blue Denile''s frustration seems more than genuine... Good luck.

 

[Maryam]

Okay, but doesn''t anyone feel a little terrified at the fact that Bule Nile sold such a bad SI2? I mean, frankly, this terrifies me. We are buying on the web. We want to have trust and confidence in the PS vendors to do right by us - to watch out for us, to want our repeat business. Why is Blue Nile selling a diamond like that? I haven''t seen my diamond yet - I bought it sight unseen and am having it set. Why? Because I have confidence in the vendor. And because I am an American living in Morocco. Yes, we should have it appraised, etc., but sometimes it just doesn''t happen, even though it is desirable. But do we have to be so very vigilant because if not we might get screwed? What happens if the crack appears outside of the 30 day period b/c it broke through afterwards? Because the diamond was awful. Why did Blue Nile buy such a bad SI2 in the first place?

 

[pearcrazy]

1. There was no picture posted of the diamond so how does anyone really know how bad of an SI2 the diamond was? Remember that the next grade below SI2 is I1 for the GIA and I1 stones most definately have visible inclusions. You are talking about a human being's opinion of what is an SI2 and what may be an I1. BlueDeNile opened the ring looked at it and then gave it away to his girlfriend, it would stand to reason that a really included, cracked diamond would not have been given away. That was my point in the above post. No one HAS to get a diamond appraised, it the diamond were truly as bad as he's posted then he doesn't need an expert opinion on it, his own eyes should tell him that the diamond is crappy.

2. I don't know whether Blue Nile actually owns all of the diamonds it sells. Many of the vendors here don't keep the diamonds in house but rather get it from a third party when the diamond is sold. If BlueNile does own all of their own diamonds they must own thousands of them. It would stand to reason that they don't re-grade all of their diamonds but rather rely on the information provided on the GIA certificate. How are they going to know when they are setting the diamond that their customer won't like it? Sure they may see the inclusions and think it's a crappy diamond but some people DO purchase diamonds with visible inclusions. Check around, almost ALL Pricescope vendors sell SI2 and I1 diamonds. Perhaps their needs to be a more strongly worded "buy at your own risk" disclaimer for those stones.

3. If the diamond cracked beyond the 30 day period then the owner should file a claim with his insurance. I mean how long do you hold them accountable for a cracked diamond? 30 days, 30 months, 30 years? The diamond could have been cracked by a hard blow while being worn for all anyone knows. Blue Nile could have cracked it while mounting it-- the buyer had THIRTY DAYS to return it!!

4. It's unfortunate that BlueDeNile was under the false impression that SI2 stones do not have inclusions clearly visible with the naked eye. I was under that assumption too and was quickly corrected by the PS vendor that I purchased my diamond from. Since I was ordering the diamond sight unseen and I wanted to be SURE that my diamond was eye clean, I decided to purchase a VS2 graded stone. Maryam, that would be my advice to you too if you are afraid of getting a diamond that isn't eye clean.

 

[Todd07]

I'm much more terrified for people who buy on eBay and have a 2 day return window from a company that only has a PO Box.

Come on - 30 days is a long time to spot an eye visible crack on the table surface of the diamond. Since he didn't notice it, I do wonder if it was caused after the purchase. I'm sceptical by nature.

This forum is very fact based. I'd love to see a photo of the crack/inclusion or appraiser's comments before I just assume it's BN fault and not buyers remore about an SI2 stone. Personally, I've had buyers remorse after choosing a lower quality product that delivered everything promised but did not meet my expectations (not my e-ring

). I accepted responsiblity for my boo boo

.

Advice for BlueDenile:
Get a second appraisal from an independent appraiser. If both of them veryify your stone is not the promised SI2 then return the stone to BlueNile with copies of your appraisals - ask for replacement plus appraisal costs. With two appriasals that disagree with the cert, you have a very strong case.

 

[Antignos]

If you liked this post you might enjoy mine also about pricing erros ate Blue Nile. I think the big issue is Blue nile is concerned about the sale and thats it. They offer o customer service at all to unhappy customers. If you buy a diamond from then and all goes good then no problems, but if your have issues they will no lift a finger to make you happy. That is the big issue! I own a business and by god if I have to drive acorss town at midnight on Sunday night to keep a customer I will. BN would not! Regardless if he is right or wrong BN DOES NOT CARE. You know who else dopes business like that? ummm The IRS, Phone company, Gas company, traffice cops, etc...