The worst customer service and buying experience of my life

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Okay, the first stone is not very attractive compared to the others linked. But I am glad you did link it because at 1.81 carats, the diameter is 7.16 x 6.57.

The ring I linked for you above has a 1.67 diamond with measurements of 7.80 X 6.72!!!!! A definite larger appearance than the 1.81!!!!

The rest are virtual stones again with no pictures. But.......

1.9 4.57x6.75 !!!

1.91 4.72x7.02 !!!

2.07 7.31x7.07 better than the previous two but about the same surface area as the 1.67

2.02 7.39x7.14 " "

See, you really have to look at the measurements because 2 cts of weight means little when the stone looks like a diamond less than a carat!

DS, the 1.9s have the depth listed first, so they're actually not as small as the measurements you copied suggest.

I would honestly buy the preloved one... I don't know how else you're going to get a diamond that big in your budget with your specs, though many on PS can work magic with finding diamonds.

I assumed anyone looking at the numbers can see that there are two numbers and it doesn't matter which was listed first by the vendor. I copied and pasted the dimensions. 6.75 x 4.57 is a heck of a lot smaller than 7.80 X 6.72!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

My opinion on the poster's situation is that vendors should always check on the availability of a diamond AND make sure the price is correct BEFORE taking full payment. Maybe they can ask for a $500 deposit, but taking full payment and then figuring out the price is wrong or the diamond is not available is pretty unacceptable to me. What if he had a second stone he wanted at another vendor and had to wait a couple of days to get the credit straightened out on his card? He could lose another diamond! That is the main fault I see in this transaction.

 

[kristalulu]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

After the problems you have had with JA, I don't know if you are still completely against buying from them, but I found this stone and if you use the PS discount, wire discount, and the $1000 off that they offered you, this diamond falls in your price range:

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/G-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1474670.asp

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

My opinion on the poster's situation is that vendors should always check on the availability of a diamond AND make sure the price is correct BEFORE taking full payment. Maybe they can ask for a $500 deposit, but taking full payment and then figuring out the price is wrong or the diamond is not available is pretty unacceptable to me. What if he had a second stone he wanted at another vendor and had to wait a couple of days to get the credit straightened out on his card? He could lose another diamond! That is the main fault I see in this transaction.

I couldn't agree more!

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Can you please take. Look at jamesallen.com and give me insight on item 1488042 the depth seems kind of deep.

 

[distracts]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Okay, the first stone is not very attractive compared to the others linked. But I am glad you did link it because at 1.81 carats, the diameter is 7.16 x 6.57.

The ring I linked for you above has a 1.67 diamond with measurements of 7.80 X 6.72!!!!! A definite larger appearance than the 1.81!!!!

The rest are virtual stones again with no pictures. But.......

1.9 4.57x6.75 !!!

1.91 4.72x7.02 !!!

2.07 7.31x7.07 better than the previous two but about the same surface area as the 1.67

2.02 7.39x7.14 " "

See, you really have to look at the measurements because 2 cts of weight means little when the stone looks like a diamond less than a carat!

DS, the 1.9s have the depth listed first, so they're actually not as small as the measurements you copied suggest.

I would honestly buy the preloved one... I don't know how else you're going to get a diamond that big in your budget with your specs, though many on PS can work magic with finding diamonds.

I assumed anyone looking at the numbers can see that there are two numbers and it doesn't matter which was listed first by the vendor. I copied and pasted the dimensions. 6.75 x 4.57 is a heck of a lot smaller than 7.80 X 6.72!

But there are THREE numbers on the site -

1.9 - 4.57x6.75x6.97, so it is 6.75x6.97
1.91 - 4.72x7.02x7.24, so it is 7.02x7.24

So you c&ped the first two but not the third.

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

If we open this up to cushion and round will it make it harder or easier?

 

[slg47]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

If we open this up to cushion and round will it make it harder or easier?

it is much easier to find a round because you can shop more by the #s. however, I don't think it is the shape that is giving you problems...just the fact that your specs don't match with your budget

 

[Christina...]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

If we open this up to cushion and round will it make it harder or easier?

it is much easier to find a round because you can shop more by the #s. however, I don't think it is the shape that is giving you problems...just the fact that your specs don't match with your budget

I agree and rounds are typically priced higher than some other fancy cuts.

 

[Christina...]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Can you please take. Look at jamesallen.com and give me insight on item 1488042 the depth seems kind of deep.

do you have this diamond on hold?

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Can you please take. Look at jamesallen.com and give me insight on item 1488042 the depth seems kind of deep.

do you have this diamond on hold?

I do because they "actually" have this one on hand and will send the ASET pictures.

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

If we open this up to cushion and round will it make it harder or easier?

it is much easier to find a round because you can shop more by the #s. however, I don't think it is the shape that is giving you problems...just the fact that your specs don't match with your budget

I agree and rounds are typically priced higher than some other fancy cuts.

well I was trying lol we will see.
Let's go 1.8-2.0? Will that help?

 

[that_someone_special]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

If we open this up to cushion and round will it make it harder or easier?

it is much easier to find a round because you can shop more by the #s. however, I don't think it is the shape that is giving you problems...just the fact that your specs don't match with your budget

I agree and rounds are typically priced higher than some other fancy cuts.

well I was trying lol we will see.
Let's go 1.8-2.0? Will that help?

Do you have a problem with si1 or si2? I color?

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

If we open this up to cushion and round will it make it harder or easier?

it is much easier to find a round because you can shop more by the #s. however, I don't think it is the shape that is giving you problems...just the fact that your specs don't match with your budget

I agree and rounds are typically priced higher than some other fancy cuts.

well I was trying lol we will see.
Let's go 1.8-2.0? Will that help?

Do you have a problem with si1 or si2? I color?

I do yea what does 15k get you then it sounds like not much of an good quality. :/

 

[Smith1940]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Hotskate - if you aren't so keen on I colour and Si1-2, might I suggest dropping in size a little in order to get the better specs that you want? For your budget you should be able to get a great stone. Even if the diamond was, say, 1.8 carats or 1.65, that's still a really nice size diamond - and you'd have a better one, too! Bear in mind that high-quality diamonds of smaller size can appear bigger with the sheer amount of sparkle and fire coming from them.

To address everyone at once: I think the OP has every right to be upset, and if that had happened to me I'd be simply appalled. It sounds awful, and so was another poster's experience of trying to purchase a $1400 diamond, being told it was unavailable and then having it come free again at $1900.

I have no idea of the way these inventories work - it seems quite complex to me - so I won't comment on that. But from an outsider's perspective, it seems that these ups and downs are the downside of having a much larger inventory to choose from than is possible with stones that are all in-house. It's like the difference between picking fish from a small private pond, or going fishing in the big wild sea.

Myself, I experienced the upside of this system. The diamond that I'm probably proudest of is my James Allen diamond. It's AGS certified, a triple 000 cut, 0.52, and it's D colour. It's an SI2 but any inclusions are white and I can't even find them with my x30 loupe. And this diamond cost a mere $1,050 about 18 months ago. It is so, so sparkly and beautiful and icy-white, and I can't believe this AGS D colour, amazing cut, over half a carat, was such a great price. It is truly one of my most treasured possessions. So I guess I've benefited from this system of fishing in the big wild sea. I'm really sorry for people for whom it hasn't been so smooth, though, and I reiterate that they have every right to be upset.

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Hotskate - if you aren't so keen on I colour and Si1-2, might I suggest dropping in size a little in order to get the better specs that you want? For your budget you should be able to get a great stone. Even if the diamond was, say, 1.8 carats or 1.65, that's still a really nice size diamond - and you'd have a better one, too! Bear in mind that high-quality diamonds of smaller size can appear bigger with the sheer amount of sparkle and fire coming from them.

To address everyone at once: I think the OP has every right to be upset, and if that had happened to me I'd be simply appalled. It sounds awful, and so was another poster's experience of trying to purchase a $1400 diamond, being told it was unavailable and then having it come free again at $1900.

I have no idea of the way these inventories work - it seems quite complex to me - so I won't comment on that. But from an outsider's perspective, it seems that these ups and downs are the downside of having a much larger inventory to choose from than is possible with stones that are all in-house. It's like the difference between picking fish from a small private pond, or going fishing in the big wild sea.

Myself, I experienced the upside of this system. The diamond that I'm probably proudest of is my James Allen diamond. It's AGS certified, a triple 000 cut, 0.52, and it's D colour. It's an SI2 but any inclusions are white and I can't even find them with my x30 loupe. And this diamond cost a mere $1,050 about 18 months ago. It is so, so sparkly and beautiful and icy-white, and I can't believe this AGS D colour, amazing cut, over half a carat, was such a great price. It is truly one of my most treasured possessions. So I guess I've benefited from this system of fishing in the big wild sea. I'm really sorry for people for whom it hasn't been so smooth, though, and I reiterate that they have every right to be upset.

I am looking at 1.8-2.0 carats still maybe by being patient will help me find the right one. I went and looked at all differetn stones today and there is clearly a large differnece IMO from G to H

I would go VS2 or a really good Si

 

[slg47]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Hotskate - if you aren't so keen on I colour and Si1-2, might I suggest dropping in size a little in order to get the better specs that you want? For your budget you should be able to get a great stone. Even if the diamond was, say, 1.8 carats or 1.65, that's still a really nice size diamond - and you'd have a better one, too! Bear in mind that high-quality diamonds of smaller size can appear bigger with the sheer amount of sparkle and fire coming from them.

To address everyone at once: I think the OP has every right to be upset, and if that had happened to me I'd be simply appalled. It sounds awful, and so was another poster's experience of trying to purchase a $1400 diamond, being told it was unavailable and then having it come free again at $1900.

I have no idea of the way these inventories work - it seems quite complex to me - so I won't comment on that. But from an outsider's perspective, it seems that these ups and downs are the downside of having a much larger inventory to choose from than is possible with stones that are all in-house. It's like the difference between picking fish from a small private pond, or going fishing in the big wild sea.

Myself, I experienced the upside of this system. The diamond that I'm probably proudest of is my James Allen diamond. It's AGS certified, a triple 000 cut, 0.52, and it's D colour. It's an SI2 but any inclusions are white and I can't even find them with my x30 loupe. And this diamond cost a mere $1,050 about 18 months ago. It is so, so sparkly and beautiful and icy-white, and I can't believe this AGS D colour, amazing cut, over half a carat, was such a great price. It is truly one of my most treasured possessions. So I guess I've benefited from this system of fishing in the big wild sea. I'm really sorry for people for whom it hasn't been so smooth, though, and I reiterate that they have every right to be upset.

I am looking at 1.8-2.0 carats still maybe by being patient will help me find the right one. I went and looked at all differetn stones today and there is clearly a large differnece IMO from G to H

I would go VS2 or a really good Si

these two are antique style cushions...you could call and request images
http://www.micropave.com/index.php/loose-diamonds/1-76-carat-antique-cushion-cut-diamond-g-vs2-color-clarity.html
http://www.micropave.com/index.php/loose-diamonds/1-78-h-vs2-antique-cushion-cut-diamond.html

this one is a modern style cushion, 1.52 G VS1
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/modern-x-factor-cushion-gid-81843.html

here is another modern cushion, 1.7 H SI1
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/9045/

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

DS, the 1.9s have the depth listed first, so they're actually not as small as the measurements you copied suggest.

I would honestly buy the preloved one... I don't know how else you're going to get a diamond that big in your budget with your specs, though many on PS can work magic with finding diamonds.

Distracts!!! Oh my gosh! I have NEVER seen that done before and am sorry for the mistake! That is extremely slack on their part to post the depth first!

But I would also buy the pre-loved one. Seems like a no-brainer to me because it is a beautiful cushion at the right size and price.

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Hotskate - if you aren't so keen on I colour and Si1-2, might I suggest dropping in size a little in order to get the better specs that you want? For your budget you should be able to get a great stone. Even if the diamond was, say, 1.8 carats or 1.65, that's still a really nice size diamond - and you'd have a better one, too! Bear in mind that high-quality diamonds of smaller size can appear bigger with the sheer amount of sparkle and fire coming from them.

To address everyone at once: I think the OP has every right to be upset, and if that had happened to me I'd be simply appalled. It sounds awful, and so was another poster's experience of trying to purchase a $1400 diamond, being told it was unavailable and then having it come free again at $1900.

I have no idea of the way these inventories work - it seems quite complex to me - so I won't comment on that. But from an outsider's perspective, it seems that these ups and downs are the downside of having a much larger inventory to choose from than is possible with stones that are all in-house. It's like the difference between picking fish from a small private pond, or going fishing in the big wild sea.

Myself, I experienced the upside of this system. The diamond that I'm probably proudest of is my James Allen diamond. It's AGS certified, a triple 000 cut, 0.52, and it's D colour. It's an SI2 but any inclusions are white and I can't even find them with my x30 loupe. And this diamond cost a mere $1,050 about 18 months ago. It is so, so sparkly and beautiful and icy-white, and I can't believe this AGS D colour, amazing cut, over half a carat, was such a great price. It is truly one of my most treasured possessions. So I guess I've benefited from this system of fishing in the big wild sea. I'm really sorry for people for whom it hasn't been so smooth, though, and I reiterate that they have every right to be upset.

I am looking at 1.8-2.0 carats still maybe by being patient will help me find the right one. I went and looked at all differetn stones today and there is clearly a large differnece IMO from G to H

I would go VS2 or a really good Si

these two are antique style cushions...you could call and request images
http://www.micropave.com/index.php/loose-diamonds/1-76-carat-antique-cushion-cut-diamond-g-vs2-color-clarity.html
http://www.micropave.com/index.php/loose-diamonds/1-78-h-vs2-antique-cushion-cut-diamond.html

this one is a modern style cushion, 1.52 G VS1
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/modern-x-factor-cushion-gid-81843.html

here is another modern cushion, 1.7 H SI1
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/9045/

I like this one the most. so far but really need to see them in person is what i am starting to lean towards.
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/modern-x-factor-cushion-gid-81843.html

 

[mandasand]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Finding a beautiful cushion is hard. It could take a long time, I hate to say it. It can be really frustrating but you'll find it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

I like this one the most. so far but really need to see them in person is what i am starting to lean towards.
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/modern-x-factor-cushion-gid-81843.html

I know you must be tired of hearing me say this, but this stone's diameter is 6.4x6.4mm which is close to the diameter of a 1 ct. round (without the corners, of course). This is in comparison to the same style cut stone (modern cushion) I was showing you on the pre-loved forum at 7.80 X 6.72 for a 1.67 ct. I was gone over the weekend and maybe did not see all the posts, but did you ever show that ring to your girlfriend?

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

I like this one the most. so far but really need to see them in person is what i am starting to lean towards.
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/modern-x-factor-cushion-gid-81843.html

I know you must be tired of hearing me say this, but this stone's diameter is 6.4x6.4mm which is close to the diameter of a 1 ct. round (without the corners, of course). This is in comparison to the same style cut stone (modern cushion) I was showing you on the pre-loved forum at 7.80 X 6.72 for a 1.67 ct. I was gone over the weekend and maybe did not see all the posts, but did you ever show that ring to your girlfriend?

I showed her it and she didnt like the setting at all

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Okay, fair enough! I just hate seeing you paying so much and getting a smaller stone than you could get in that ring. It's perfect for somebody, though.

 

[hotskate]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Okay, fair enough! I just hate seeing you paying so much and getting a smaller stone than you could get in that ring. It's perfect for somebody, though.

I will just have to keep looking until I find the perfect stone.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

I like this one the most. so far but really need to see them in person is what i am starting to lean towards.
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/modern-x-factor-cushion-gid-81843.html

I know you must be tired of hearing me say this, but this stone's diameter is 6.4x6.4mm which is close to the diameter of a 1 ct. round (without the corners, of course). This is in comparison to the same style cut stone (modern cushion) I was showing you on the pre-loved forum at 7.80 X 6.72 for a 1.67 ct. I was gone over the weekend and maybe did not see all the posts, but did you ever show that ring to your girlfriend?

I showed her it and she didnt like the setting at all

Find out if they will sell the stone without the setting.

 

[Christina...]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

I know that I mentioned this before, but I really think that your best deal would be to buy the 1.67 cushion that DS has mentioned and then have the diamond removed from the setting. You could sell the setting to someone else for probably at least 2k or more, I'm guessing, but it's a very expensive and popular setting. The money that you make off the setting would further offset the cost of the diamond, making it the best deal out there for a stone this size! Buy the ring, sell the setting, pay for the honeymoon!

 

[MissStepcut]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

I already asked the seller to split them up and she said no. Also, that setting would be hard to resell since it's so small and probably not resizable to a more common size. I am guessing that's why it's still on the market after so many months.

 

[mrssalvo]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

I already asked the seller to split them up and she said no. Also, that setting would be hard to resell since it's so small and probably not resizable to a more common size. I am guessing that's why it's still on the market after so many months.

Actually, I said I thought the ring had more value together but any and all offers would be considered through Julian or Bill

 

[MissStepcut]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

I already asked the seller to split them up and she said no. Also, that setting would be hard to resell since it's so small and probably not resizable to a more common size. I am guessing that's why it's still on the market after so many months.

Actually, I said I thought the ring had more value together but any and all offers would be considered through Julian or Bill

Sorry to misquote!

 

[ducfrog]

Re: The worst customer service and buying experience of my l

Sorry for bringing this topic back up, especially as my first post, however I created an account solely to address the OP's post. I'm not affiliated with any diamond companies or JA at all, just a young guy looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend.

I had almost the exact same incident that occurred to the OP with JamesAllen.com happen to me just today. Back story, I have been searching for several weeks for an appropriate engagement ring and on Thursday of last week I saw a very suitable diamond on the JA site for a very good but not outrageously cheap price and decided to call in about it. I talked with the representative and everything seemed to be good so I placed the diamond on hold. At the same time, I asked if this was the best possible price, and the SA informed me that she would ask and let me know the next day. Come the following day, on Friday, I received a response from the SA telling me that they could do a small discount & provided me with the details of the diamond, setting, and total price for the ring. I let them know that I would review everything, keeping in the mind they agreed to hold the diamond until this Monday (1/28/2013). After everything looked good, I called the SA back on Friday evening and confirmed the order. Emails were sent to me confirming the order and bank information for where to wire the funds. Saturday morning I scheduled a bank wire transfer to a JamesAllen.com account and was told the wire transfer would go through on Monday morning.

Fast forward to Monday (today). I received an email earlier in the morning from the SA asking to confirm if I had sent funds as they did not see my transfer yet. Then in the early afternoon around 1 pm PST the wire transfer was completed, and a "Hello confirmation" email was sent to me by the SA including a shipping date of Feb. 1 for my ring. (this is also the exact same confirmation email the OP posted). Not 20 minutes later I received an email from JA from Josh, who is apparently a manager at JA stating the following:

"I just received a notification from our diamond department stating that the GIA round brilliant cut diamond that you selected is no longer available for purchase. It appears as though the diamond was mistakenly listed as being available when your order was finalized, when in fact it had been sold prior to your purchase.In short, the listing of this diamond should have not been active when your selection was made. Given the current availability of this item, we will no longer be able to offer this diamond for sale (as you would assume). We were not made aware of this until today, as our diamond departments are closed over the weekend."

After calling them, I was told that I can buy another diamond that is slightly smaller but in similar condition for $1000 more. As you can imagine, I am very disappointed and appalled at this kind of service. I have done my diligence and read countless reviews on JA, and decided to give them a shot as they seemed to be reputable. This clearly seems like a bait and switch tactic and it leaves me with a very negative view on JamesAllen. I placed the diamond on hold on Thursday and they are saying that their diamond departments are closed over the weekend...is this to imply that they do not work on Thursday or Friday? Do they simply not check if they actually have the diamond you ordered until after they have received your money?

I find this impossible to believe and quite frankly if their diamond department was at work Monday morning, why was I not informed of this BEFORE the wire transfer went through in the afternoon? (By the way, I'm on the west coast, & JA offices are in Frederick, MD, not far from where I used to live) On east coast time, the wire transfer went though at 4:20 pm, with Josh emailing me at 4:40PM...I find it impossible to believe that the diamond department just miraculously informed him of the situation at the end of the day 20 minutes after my wire transfer went through. I wasted time and money going to the bank and scheduling a wire transfer (which of course have fees), and wasted time, energy, and most importantly relief that I had found a suitable ring.

I am still in talks with JA, however I don't believe they will be earning my business. I wanted to post this as it seems I am not the only one who has had almost the exact same experience with JamesAllen. Thanks for listening.

-A guy just trying to find a decent engagement ring