What do vendors think of customers who are members on Pricescope?

[SomethingNew]

Have you ever experienced vendors ignoring your inquires, maybe even turned you away, once you mentioned you found them via PS or is a member of Pricescope? I won't name who (really cannot, so pls don't ask), but I've heard some irresponsible comments about PS buyers in general. Basically saying that we are ridiculous (for lack of a better term). Perhaps what they meant is we are not in the trade business so we will never understand how the gem business works. They are running on tight margins, and the amount of time/work they put in to complete a business with a PSers, they could have done a couple other transactions already. In other words, they stay away from doing business with PSers due to us being knowledgeable or in their world - "demanding".

I feel like it is a double edged sword, this is a public forum, so no one can control what people say, but if they do a good job, we often publicly praise their good work here with tons of photos, and all the "oous" and "loves". I can name so many vendors who gets free publicity because of the good work and their care to everyone of their customers, but that's not easy especially the volume of work. Maybe they have to be super sensitive/careful because if they messed up (though unintentionally), they know it gets posted here.

 

[musicloveranthony]

That's an interesting quandary. I've always asked vendors before personally recommending them.

 

[demantoidz]

There's a vendor over at the CS forum who had PSer-specific policies (either no returns from PS members or a stricter return policy, I forgot).

 

[yssie]

Just a heads up to anyone who caught them - I removed my posts in this thread because I don’t feel that it’s possible for me to opine without becoming more specific than I’m comfortable with.

 

[SomethingNew]

Just a heads up to anyone who caught them - I removed my posts in this thread because I don’t feel that it’s possible for me to opine without becoming more specific than I’m comfortable with.

yes, i do realize this is a sensitive topic, so pls no names of any vendors please. But I think it is a valid question, and I am guessing some people do ponder: have anyone experience alertness by vendors when we say we found them via Pricescope.

 

[whitewave]

The colored stone vendor is justified in his policies, IMO, based on what happened. There is a reason.

other than that, I can’t see anything good coming from this post.

 

[yssie]

Agree that it’s a valid question.

For me - PS is a huge part of my life and I never hide it. I don’t necessarily flaunt it, but if I’m your customer it’s probably going to come up sooner or later!

I do, however, understand vendor wariness and hesitation. The very nature of an anonymous web forum removes hands-on learning, and the absence of hands-on experience inevitably creates many students who have “book smarts” without corresponding/commensurate “field smarts”. In cases where overconfident consumers fail to recognize vendor competence - vendor frustration is the inevitable outcome.

I will say that based on my own experiences - activity on PS does not preclude a positive working experience with a vendor who doesn’t care for PS. And lack of activity on PS shouldn’t preclude a positive working experience with a vendor who favours PS.

 

[Karl_K]

They are awesome and fun but can take a lot more time.
Some vendors just don't have the business model and or patients to deal with them.
Those that adapt or have a business model that fits the model that PSers like and they put in the work, can be rewarded with some of the most loyal customers.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

My favorite vendor recommends PriceScope, I've been told more than once to visit the forum, they're so good and so knowledgeable. Can I drop a name?

 

[yssie]

Those that adapt or have a business model that fits the model that PSers like and they put in the work, can be rewarded with some of the most loyal customers.

They absolutely are rewarded with customer loyalty.

They’re also occasionally blatantly taken advantage of by dissatisfied buyers who choose to use this forum as a public stick rather than behaving as adults and trying to address problems directly with their vendor first.

 

[Karl_K]

They absolutely are rewarded with customer loyalty.

They’re also occasionally blatantly taken advantage of by dissatisfied buyers who choose to use this forum as a public stick rather than behaving as adults and trying to address problems directly with their vendor first.

We disagree on this somewhat.
I'm having an issue type posts advise me, I am fine with even before contacting the seller.
It depends on the tone of the post.
For example: is blah blah blah normal? is one thing and saying zxy is a rat without giving them a chance to address it first are 2 very different things.
Considering the numbers of sales per year they are extremely rare either way.

 

[AprilBaby]

What should a vendor think? They don’t know you and you can be a member with 1 post or 26,000 posts. Even with 26,000 posts you may not be an expert on stones. I guess I’m saying none of us are really that special.I just he to get treated with kindness and in return treat them with kindness.

 

[LLJsmom]

Ideally a vendor will treat me with the same care and respect regardless of whether I am a regular on any forum. It should not be relevant. I expect any jeweler I work with to be a professional. So if a vendor finds out I am a PS member and does not want to do business with me then I am perfectly fine with that. We are both better off not having any interaction.

 

[Cerulean]

I’ve had a vendor react very negatively to finding out that I was on PS and it ruined our relationship. It was really unfortunate and put me in an awkward position. Obviously I never worked with them again.

It’s come up with one IG vendor (for loose stones) and they were excited about it!

It hasn’t come up with any other vendors, but honestly I can’t imagine they’d have a strong reaction one way or another. Purely speculative, but I bet positive if anything. If you think about how much PS comes up in search engine results it’s an extremely powerful way to get great grassroots marketing, and all you have to do is hold your end of the bargain as a vendor, which is to provide great customer service and products!

To me a vendor can really rise to the occasion when things go wrong…I want to hear those stories!

Agree w/ @yssie, I’ve seen some really weird complaints lodged against vendors, but given the variety of personalities on the forum, different things will bother some of us, while others won’t care. To me, it brings transparency no matter what and it’s up to readers to discern whether they pay attention.

 

[SomethingNew]

My favorite vendor recommends PriceScope, I've been told more than once to visit the forum, they're so good and so knowledgeable. Can I drop a name?

This is great to hear! Pls do tell, only if you feel comfortable. I know certain vendors have the Pricescope quality products and they love people who appreciate the time and amount of work they put in to suss out super ideal stones. That's not easy.

 

[SomethingNew]

I’ve had a vendor react very negatively to finding out that I was on PS and it ruined our relationship. It was really unfortunate and put me in an awkward position. Obviously I never worked with them again.

It’s come up with one IG vendor (for loose stones) and they were excited about it!

It hasn’t come up with any other vendors, but honestly I can’t imagine they’d have a strong reaction one way or another. Purely speculative, but I bet positive if anything. If you think about how much PS comes up in search engine results it’s an extremely powerful way to get great grassroots marketing, and all you have to do is hold your end of the bargain as a vendor, which is to provide great customer service and products!

To me a vendor can really rise to the occasion when things go wrong…I want to hear those stories!

Agree w/ @yssie, I’ve seen some really weird complaints lodged against vendors, but given the variety of personalities on the forum, different things will bother some of us, while others won’t care. To me, it brings transparency no matter what and it’s up to readers to discern whether they pay attention.

to some extent, vendors are vulnerable to forums like this because of limitations on what they can say, both due to forum rules and their own company policies. I did also see some posts whereby the OPs had some valid concerns, but wasn't clear on the accusation and the vendor had to defend their position. I totally respected that they came out and explained from their side. You are right, vendors should not have any concerns if any customers are active members here if they always provide great service and products.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

This is great to hear! Pls do tell, only if you feel comfortable. I know certain vendors have the Pricescope quality products and they love people who appreciate the time and amount of work they put in to suss out super ideal stones. That's not easy.

B2C, who I always recommend. Their search takes some patience but those guys really know what they're talking about, and with fancy cuts, you need this. I returned the first diamond I bought from them because it just wasn't doin' anything and they could not have been more gracious.

 

[nala]

I recall meeting one vendor in person and mentioning PS, and he rolled his eyes and asked if we were still giving his “buddy Leon” a hard time

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

I recall meeting one vendor in person and mentioning PS, and he rolled his eyes and asked if we were still giving his “buddy Leon” a hard time

That's a scream!
Leon seems as if he can take care of himself.

 

[yssie]

Actually Leon is a fantastic example of PS Gone Wrong.

PS zeitgeist paints him as some sort of unreasonable and churlish ogre. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen people here say things like “I would never work with Leon, just do a PS search on him”, or “I’ve read so many scary things on PS that I don’t even want to reach out”.

This is how highschool children behave. They form cliques and they adopt each others’ opinions as their own. We’re all adults here and we should expect more from ourselves and from each other. Like a vendor’s work? For goodness sake, just reach out and find out what he or she is about for yourself; you’ll most likely be pleasantly surprised. Helping someone who likes someone’s work? Encourage them to reach out. Be a grown-up, don’t just parrot someone else’s probably-also-parroted opinion.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Leon, as a human being, as an artist, and as a professional. Yes, his aesthetic and his sense of humour aren’t for everyone. That’s fine, and it’s no reason to encourage others to blindly (and inappropriately!) condemn him.

And with that I will bow out of this thread because I’m going to tear something rolling my eyes too hard. Let’s please not kid ourselves about the answer to the thread title: PS absolutely has a reputation for creating customers who are entitled j*erks and it’s not exactly hard to see why. Maybe instead of using topics like this to collectively pat ourselves on the back and revel in how “special” we are, we could try acknowledging reality and doing something about it.

 

[Cerulean]

Actually Leon is a fantastic example of PS Gone Wrong.

PS zeitgeist paints him as some sort of unreasonable and churlish ogre. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen people here say things like “I would never work with Leon, just do a PS search on him”, or “I’ve read so many scary things on PS that I don’t even want to reach out”.

This is how highschool children behave. They form cliques and they adopt each others’ opinions as their own. We’re all adults here and we should expect more from ourselves and from each other. Like a vendor’s work? For goodness sake, just reach out and find out what he or she is about for yourself; you’ll most likely be pleasantly surprised. Don’t be a child, don’t just parrot someone else’s probably-also-parroted opinion.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Leon, as a human being, as an artist, and as a professional. Yes, his aesthetic and his sense of humour aren’t for everyone. That’s fine, and it’s no reason to encourage others to blindly (and inappropriately!) condemn him.

And with that I will bow out of this thread because I’m going to tear something rolling my eyes. Let’s not kid ourselves, PS does have a reputation for creating customers who are entitled j*erks, and it’s not exactly hard to see why.

I wholeheartedly agree with all of this. It’s a slippery slope. I think what’s also tricky is, for PSers, the more you know the more finicky your can get. I bet most vendors are accustomed to clients who know/care very little about the minutia.

And on the other side of the coin for your example, it is entirely possible for someone to have a BAD experience with a PS-adored vendor. I’d seen people attacked who had legitimate concerns with vendors who are generally revered here.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Most of the custom vendors don’t want to be micromanaged. They’ll turn down people like that, and I don’t blame them. I think people with that nature will also be most likely to complain, too. I have seen fair and unfair reviews on here. I have such respect for the vendors I work with the most that I’d never get on here and complain about the little snags I encounter. I appreciate their products and workmanship and want to keep a good relationship.

I will say that Leon is a true master artist/craftsman and I regret years ago joining in on the complaints of others. I felt the complaints were legitimate at the time, but in the overall scheme of things, they were very rare. I’ve learned since then to not throw the baby out with the bath water!!! I feel extremely fortunate to have such gifted vendors who have provided me with beautiful diamonds and jewelry. We are connected with the best of the best on PS!

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

Gosh, was I bashing Leon? I hope not, I've know nothing about him other than his website with his superb work and highly entertaining comments.
I still think nala's story is funny, and while there is the dark side of PS, it's kind of the reason it exists. This industry was "Accept what we offer and believe what we tell you" for centuries. Not any more.

 

[marymm]

I am only one person, I am not a PS conglomerate, and I don't identify as a PSer outside of this website and known PS members.

I really don't care what "vendors think of customers who are members of pricescope."

I care about the kind of work and the prices that vendors are charging for the kind of work I am seeking.

I care about vendors who are transparent and are willing to answer questions -- including providing pricing and metal gram weight and photos showing the underside of a ring or gemstone or diamond -- this is part of doing business online -- I shouldn't even have to ask for this kind of information.

I care about the kind of customer service policies that vendors have.

I care about a straight-forward order process and meeting deadlines and getting status updates as appropriate.

I don't buy without a return policy, and I have no problem returning something that doesn't measure up.

If I am doing custom work, then I make sure the order reflects the elements that are integral to the project; even custom work will be refunded if the vendor fails to produce what was memorialized on the order invoice.

FWIW there are more than a few PS favorite vendors who I have learned do not match my own prereqs for a vendor -- personally I am not looking for a friend or for stories -- please, do the work I ordered and do it well and do it timely -- I am reasonable and understanding so if there's a problem with supply or shipping or personnel that is slowing down production, give me a head's up -- I don't want to chase you down when you blow past a deadline.

I am a loyal customer but if a vendor is not reliable and professional, I move on.

 

[dk168]

I don't let on I am a PSer when I make contact with potential vendors, as I do not expect them to treat me any differently being a member of this board.

The ones I use regularly know I am on here.

DK

 

[dk168]

I don't get on with some vendors and that has nothing to do with being a member of PS or not!

I just don't have a good rapport with them for whatever reason(s).

DK

 

[kenny]

My my my! Broad brush, anyone!?!

Members and vendors both vary, from wonderful to terrible.

That said, thanks to PS et al. the days high profits from uneducated masses walking in and quickly overpaying for poorly cut and dishonestly "graded" diamonds are numbered.
Ignorant buyers are gradually being replaced with knowledgeable ones.
Of course that's going to change everything.

It's understandable that some jewelers, who for decades enjoyed a quick buck from ignorant customers, don't like this.
Boo Hoo for them.

I recommend they stop whining, then accept and adapt to reality.
The Internet isn't going away.

 

[yssie]

Gosh, was I bashing Leon? I hope not, I've know nothing about him other than his website with his superb work and highly entertaining comments.
I still think nala's story is funny, and while there is the dark side of PS, it's kind of the reason it exists. This industry was "Accept what we offer and believe what we tell you" for centuries. Not any more.

Just need to come back and say - my post not aimed at you or Nala. Y’all just provided an excellent example of a widespread problem that is not acknowledged.

I don’t dispute the bolder, but I think we are much too cavalier about ignoring the caveats I outlined in my first post regarding book smarts and commensurate hands-on.

 

[Mary Queen of Scotch]

Actually Leon is a fantastic example of PS Gone Wrong.

PS zeitgeist paints him as some sort of unreasonable and churlish ogre. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen people here say things like “I would never work with Leon, just do a PS search on him”, or “I’ve read so many scary things on PS that I don’t even want to reach out”.

This is how highschool children behave. They form cliques and they adopt each others’ opinions as their own. We’re all adults here and we should expect more from ourselves and from each other. Like a vendor’s work? For goodness sake, just reach out and find out what he or she is about for yourself; you’ll most likely be pleasantly surprised. Helping someone who likes someone’s work? Encourage them to reach out. Be a grown-up, don’t just parrot someone else’s probably-also-parroted opinion.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Leon, as a human being, as an artist, and as a professional. Yes, his aesthetic and his sense of humour aren’t for everyone. That’s fine, and it’s no reason to encourage others to blindly (and inappropriately!) condemn him.

Without inadvertently turning this into a Leon thread (how passé), I couldn’t agree more. It does seem the same vague old chestnuts are trotted out over and over due to a few 15 year old threads. I’m glad I didn’t take them to heart when selecting a vendor for my e-ring — the setting he created truly makes it for me. My center stone could have been a literal lump of coal, and I would still love that thing. It’s a shame others are missing out as a consequence of this kind of mob mentality.

 

[Matata]

I’d seen people attacked who had legitimate concerns with vendors who are generally revered here.

Those incidents are very ugly. I don't know which is worst -- the torch bearing vendor bashing crowd or the cheerleader squads who are so ardent about a vendor they seem like shills. I think these incidents are the ugliest part of PS and perhaps contribute to the negative reputation of PS members among some vendors.