Whiteflash- disappointed in customer service

[pinkjewel]

So I just got off the phone with Whiteflash and they refused to do a custom order for me. I wanted them to make some diamonds by the yard type dangle earrings for me to give my sister. Since she already has large diamond studs I wanted to just use a ring at the top so that she could wear it behind her present earrings.And since she can't wear really long earrings for her job I wanted to just have 2 diamonds on the chain and then add a pearl at the bottom. What a disappointment that they refused to make them. It would have been so simple as they already make long dbty earrings.Basically all they had to do was make some very easy changes. It really turns me off using them for any future projects.

 

[heididdl]

Curious to their reasoning. I would ask IDJ or GOG........sorry to hear this .

 

[zz00ter]

Does WF do the work inhouse or do they have subcontractors that do the actual work on the jewelry?

 

[pinkjewel]

Curious to their reasoning. I would ask IDJ or GOG........sorry to hear this .

Sheila(?) said it "goes against their custom policy". They'd make them if I bought the studs,too. They offered to sell me the five stone dbty earrings and I could modify them-yeah, right

 

[pinkjewel]

Does WF do the work inhouse or do they have subcontractors that do the actual work on the jewelry?

I don't think it really matters since they would have made them if I also bought studs.

 

[Dreamer_D]

That's sucks sorry! I have seen a few people post similar comments about WF. I have noticed different vendors specialize in different things. It seems like WF is not *really* a custom jeweler -- like, they don't sell just their mounts typically, they won't set your own diamonds into their mounts... they likely would not have actually made any money on your project given their business model. IDJ on Daniel M on etsy might be better bets for you.

I do have one question: Is this really a complaint about CS? Were they rude to you along the way? It is too bad they cannot work with you on this, but the title of this thread implies they did something wrong in their interaction with you? Am I missing something? I am not trying to be petty. Titles of threads really matter because people will search on google and see this title and not read the thread and draw incorrect conclusions... unless you really feel its a CS issue.

 

[pinkjewel]

That's sucks sorry! I have seen a few people post similar comments about WF. I have noticed different vendors specialize in different things. It seems like WF is not *really* a custom jeweler -- like, they don't sell just their mounts typically, they won't set your own diamonds into their mounts... they likely would not have actually made any money on your project given their business model. IDJ on Daniel M on etsy might be better bets for you.

I do have one question: Is this really a complaint about CS? Were they rude to you along the way? It is too bad they cannot work with you on this, but the title of this thread implies they did something wrong in their interaction with you? Am I missing something? I am not trying to be petty. Titles of threads really matter because people will search on google and see this title and not read the thread and draw incorrect conclusions... unless you really feel its a CS issue.

I think if I were asking for something they didn't already make (and they do customize it), or if I was asking them to use my stones (which I wasn't) I could understand their not wanting to make it. And they would have made it IF I bought studs from them. I just think this is disappointing customer service. Customer service is not just how someone is treated or spoken to (and no one was rude), but do you think it is good customer service to tell someone "Yes, we'll make this for someone else (who has spent more money), but not for you." And I didn't say they had "bad" customer service in my title- I said I was "disappointed"- which is what I was

 

[secretagentlaura]

That sounds like a very clever and pretty gift idea for your sister! (My own sister would never think of anything like that).

But I agree with the above poster, it seems like what you are actually disappointed in is WF's custom work policy, not their customer service.

 

[WillyDiamond]

They probably refused to do the job because they felt they could not do it! They have quality standards, I would assume. I have to respect them for turning away a job they would not be proud of. I don't see this as a CS issue.

 

[pinkjewel]

That sounds like a very clever and pretty gift idea for your sister! (My own sister would never think of anything like that).

But I agree with the above poster, it seems like what you are actually disappointed in is WF's custom work policy, not their customer service.

Hmmmm... it's interesting to me that some of you consider customer policy as not part of their customer service. I owned a high end women's boutique for 15 years. If I told one of my customers that I would alter a dress for a customer who spent more money, but not for someone who didn't spend as much- believe me- that would be considered poor customer service. And I guarantee you I would never have seen the second customer again. Customer policy is part of customer service.

 

[pinkjewel]

They probably refused to do the job because they felt they could not do it! They have quality standards, I would assume. I have to respect them for turning away a job they would not be proud of. I don't see this as a CS issue.

You obviously don't know me very well to even think I would consider having something made that is substandard and I really resent your post.

 

[chrono]

PinkJewel,
In reading the thread title, I jumped to the conclusion that Whiteflash did not treat you with respect and courtesy. That is my idea of what customer service means. To me, business policy is separate from customer service. If I am not mistaken, WF will only set diamonds that have GIA or AGL lab reports. Is that why Sheila turned the work down? Can you please clarify? I think you wrote that WF will only do the custom work if you buy WF's diamonds.

ETA
I just went to their website.
Outside stones can be set in their stock settings but must be GIA or AGL stones only.
No outside stones for custom work.

I'm sorry PJ. There are plenty of other vendors who will glady make your earrings.

 

[pinkjewel]

PinkJewel,
In reading the thread title, I jumped to the conclusion that Whiteflash did not treat you with respect and courtesy. That is my idea of what customer service means. To me, business policy is separate from customer service. If I am not mistaken, WF will only set diamonds that have GIA or AGL lab reports. Is that why Sheila turned the work down? Can you please clarify? I think you wrote that WF will only do the custom work if you buy WF's diamonds.

ETA
I just went to their website.
Outside stones can be set in their stock settings but must be GIA or AGL stones only.
No outside stones for custom work.

I'm sorry PJ. There are plenty of other vendors who will glady make your earrings.

They weren't going to set "my" diamonds- I wanted to buy "their" diamonds. I wanted basically a dbty earring with 2 of their diamonds in the chain. Instead of a diamond at the top it would just have a small ring so that my sister could use it with her own diamond studs. It would also have a ring at the bottom so I could add the SS pearls myself. I know they don't set outside diamonds and I wasn't asking them to. What they said is they would make the dbty "charms" if I wanted to buy "additional" diamond studs. I've heard of them making custom items for other people here so I know they do it. I still stand by saying that I'm disappointed with their customer service, even if some of you consider it customer service policy. If they make exceptions for some people, but not others- it's "customer service" to me.

 

[chrono]

Oh, I get it now. I'm sorry.

 

[pinkjewel]

Oh, I get it now. I'm sorry.

No worries, Chrono. I'll have another vendor make them. I really like WF melee which is why I wanted them to make the dangles. I also planned on buying some of their dbty earrings for me,too. Oh well, they lost any future business (and recommendations) from me.

 

[Tekate]

I don't know WF or the other vendors except B2C whom I bought a nice, wedding band from in September but I DO know being a sister!! You are a wonderful sister! will you be my sister what a unique idea.. what a kind and generous gift.. I read you will find another vendor.. I am glad for this.. I really don't understand the reasoning of WF, but perhaps in the end.. you will get a better product AND your sister will jump for joy.. I know I WOULD.. in the world of sisters you are a DIAMOND.. or my new fav diamond, the Octavia of sisters!!! happy birthday to her!! mine is in December

 

[pinkjewel]

I don't know WF or the other vendors except B2C whom I bought a nice, wedding band from in September but I DO know being a sister!! You are a wonderful sister! will you be my sister what a unique idea.. what a kind and generous gift.. I read you will find another vendor.. I am glad for this.. I really don't understand the reasoning of WF, but perhaps in the end.. you will get a better product AND your sister will jump for joy.. I know I WOULD.. in the world of sisters you are a DIAMOND.. or my new fav diamond, the Octavia of sisters!!! happy birthday to her!! mine is in December

awww- you're very sweet. I do hope my sister loves them- she is very hard to buy for. Although the plan was for these to be for her birthday in November, I may have to push it off until Christmas to have another vendor make them.

 

[hawk25]

I'm sorry that you had to push the gift back. Hopefully another vendor can make a great piece for your sister. The idea sounds really sweet!

I can understand why WF wouldn't want to do the custom piece for you though. Other custom pieces WF made were the finished product, so in a sense WF could fully back the entire piece since they made everything. In your case, you're asking WF to make and ship a piece that hasn't been 'finished' yet, which could be against their custom policy. I can understand why a vendor wouldn't want to make a piece that couldn't be used on its own, and was made specifically to attach to another piece, one of unknown quality. If the studs weren't of high quality (of course I'm not saying they aren't, but it's reasonable for a vendor to consider the possibility), the entire piece would fall on WF's reputation. That's just a reason I could see WF (or any vendor) having in refusing custom work.

When I first read the title, I also thought that they were disrespectful, which doesn't seem like the case. I don't think it was bad customer service, but it would have been good customer service (and less disappointing) if they had fully explained why they wouldn't do it.

 

[kenny]

I'm sorry that you had to push the gift back. Hopefully another vendor can make a great piece for your sister. The idea sounds really sweet!

I can understand why WF wouldn't want to do the custom piece for you though. Other custom pieces WF made were the finished product, so in a sense WF could fully back the entire piece since they made everything. In your case, you're asking WF to make and ship a piece that hasn't been 'finished' yet, which could be against their custom policy. I can understand why a vendor wouldn't want to make a piece that couldn't be used on its own, and was made specifically to attach to another piece, one where they don't know the quality of.

When I first read the title, I also thought that they were disrespectful, which doesn't seem like the case. It would have been good customer service if they had fully explained why they wouldn't do it though.

+1, sorry for your disappointment but I respectfully request you ask admin to change the title of this thread.
I see this as WF just following their policy, and this thread title is not accurate and harms their business.

 

[Laila619]

Sorry.

I find a lot of WF's policies to be rather restrictive and puzzling. Why do they only set AGS or GIA diamonds? Why will they not do any custom work for outside stones? Seems pretty snobby to me.

 

[kenny]

Sorry.

I find a lot of WF's policies to be rather restrictive and puzzling. Why do they only set AGS or GIA diamonds? Why will they not do any custom work for outside stones? Seems pretty snobby to me.

Because you can believe the clarity grades from GIA and AGS.
If clarity is actually lower than the grade on the report (as it often is from one of the flakey labs) the stone may be less durable and break during setting.

I support WF's strictness on this.

 

[PintoBean]

awww... I'm sorry WF didn't work out, but I noticed you said that you are having someone else make them - AWESOme!!

Just an FYI for other readers: I had DBTY earrings made by IDJ. They didn't carry them at all, and both IDJ and ERD in my experience will make just about anything. One of my favorite atypical item IDJ made was Bliss' watermelon tourmaline that she had IDJ bezel thinly in gold along the edges. TDF!!

 

[Texas Leaguer]

All,
It was brought to our attention that some clarification of Whiteflash policy on custom design work might be in order here.

First, to PinkJewel I would like to apologize for the disappointment and thank you for seeking out Whiteflash for your special gift in the first place.

To some extent I agree with the posters who view customer service and company policy as separate issues. But I also fully understand that from a customer’s perspective if a policy does not seem fair, it does feel like you are not getting the service you expect.

About a year or so ago Whiteflash began to take a different direction in terms of the utilization of our manufacturing facilities and company resources. We decided to focus the capabilities of our shop and talented team of jewelers on servicing our core products, and did change some of our published policies to reflect this change of direction. At the same time our partnerships with designers started to develop. Over the past year or so we have become authorized distributors for Verragio, Tacori, Ritani, and Mark Schneider. Other designers are also looking for us to represent them and we may grow our collections as our capacity to bring them on board in an orderly fashion continues to expand.

In addition to servicing our own signature jewelry lines, we also provide some in-house services for these designers. The result of this evolution of our business is more limited ability to take on custom projects. Having said that, we have tried our best to serve our existing customers by accommodating their custom requests. If the original poster had fallen into this category, we would certainly have tried to accommodate her as well.

We also made a decision to give flexibility in our custom policy to customers purchasing our core products- particularly our in-house diamonds. This fact may explain why the original poster came away with the impression that she wasn’t spending enough to get a high level of service. We regret that such an impression is created by our policy as that is not at all our intent.

I hope that the above explanation helps create better understanding of some of the changes that people who are familiar with us have seen over the years. Many times there are hard trade offs that have to be made as a company goes through inevitable “growing pains”. Not being able to do as many custom projects is definitely one of them, as we are good at it and we love doing these very special things for our customers.

 

[hawk25]

Customer service = " The customer is always right" am i missing something here...or is protectionism of vendors taking place.

I used to work retail for many years, and I've never agreed with that definition. I provided good customer service, so I always expect good customer service in return. But I can also understand being refused when something I want done goes against the company's policy.

 

[smilligan]

I agree completely. Expectations and reality don't always coincide. That said, I can see why the OP was confused by the policy. It would seem odd to me if a vendor offered to do custom work ONLY if I purchased something else from them. Texas Leaguer's explanation did clarify things, but I think that the policy should have been fully explained to the OP on the phone (if it wasn't). Also, for the record, I too thought that WF had done something wrong when I read the title.

 

[cm366]

Having said that, we have tried our best to serve our existing customers by accommodating their custom requests. If the original poster had fallen into this category, we would certainly have tried to accommodate her as well.

We also made a decision to give flexibility in our custom policy to customers purchasing our core products- particularly our in-house diamonds. This fact may explain why the original poster came away with the impression that she wasn’t spending enough to get a high level of service. We regret that such an impression is created by our policy as that is not at all our intent.

Texas Leaguer's clarification is an excellent one, and together with the responses from JbEG in the "$10k diamond ring shipping" thread will go into my little scrapbook of excellent online outreach. That said, the quote above looks to be saying precisely what pinkjewel thought - if you were a long-time customer or were purchasing our "core products", we'd try to accommodate you. Since you're not, we'll apologize and appreciate your interest. That's perfectly reasonable coming from a business with a profit margin and relationships to protect, but it's easy to see how it could be disappointing. Whether it's a customer service issue, a policy issue or some other class of issue seems largely irrelevant - I doubt that Whiteflash would be better served by a thread titled "Whiteflash- only for the wealthy and established", or "Whiteflash- it's not our intent to disappoint you, people just get that impression".

Full disclosure: I own two small Whiteflash stones, both purchased second hand, and they are absolutely gorgeous. I've enquired about one stone directly through them and they were professional, helpful and overall a delight to work with. I'd buy from them in a heartbeat and encourage others to do the same. I also love the idea of pinkjewel's design and hope whoever eventually makes them does a fantastic job!