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E

eman

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 12, 2004
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2
Poor service
After emailing them about two stones listed in thier online
database...I was told those are unavailable from thier wholesaler then I gave them a list of 7 similair stones to check on thier availability they still haven''t responded back its been 2 weeks. Every time I emailed them back they just "thanked me for my patients"

1. ebusinesses with high ticket items need supurb customer service which whitefash does not have
2. don''t advertise items you don''t even know you can obtain

Just put this out there as a heads up for any other online shoppers
 
You will find that almost all PS members who have bought from WF have had very positive experiences. Have you tried calling them on the phone?
 
Not my experience with them at all. I recently purchased a 1.72 A Cut Above diamond from them and the customer service was exceptional. Bob provided me with more information, pictures and follow up than I even requested. My experience with them was outstanding and I would do business with Whiteflash again in a heart beat.
 
I'm so sorry that you had a bad experience! My own experience with WF could not have been better! Denise emailed me within 15 minutes of my first email, and still keeps constant contact with me today. She was EXTREMELY patient with me (even went through a huge spreadsheet of diamonds I provided), and helped me to choose the best stone (not the most expensive, I might add). In fact, I'm curently working on my w-band with them because my e-ring experience was so positive!

With every company, there will always be something that falls through the cracks. It's got to be upsetting that you're the person who seems to have slipped by them. Hopefully one of them will respond to this message, or get in touch with you shortly--I can honestly say they would not knowingly leave you upset!
 
well, while it's true that many people who post here seem to have had very good experiences with WF, you're not the only one ever to have expressed this kind of sentiment--as you can see here.
 
One other thing--the diamonds they list that turn out to be unavailable are list diamonds. As such, it's the responsibility of the manufacturers to tell the vendors when the stones are no longer available, not the vendors' responsibility. You will run into the same problem with other online vendors who sell the list diamonds.
 
My experience with Whiteflash was very favorable. My ring and the setting they had made for it are beautiful and I am very pleased. I dealt with Lesley and she could not have been more helpful. Also, they do not drop ship. Brian, the cutter, sees every stone before it is sent out and discusses it with you at length on the phone.


They may be having some temporary problem but if you call, I am sure they will straighten it out. They do not have every stone they list in stock. Sometimes the stone is sold or sent out before you requested it. This often happens with very desirable stones but if you tell them what you are looking for, they will call you when they find it. It took several weeks for her to locate my stone but I am very pleased with the service and the great value I got on the ring.
 
Well,

I can add - that WF sometimes does not get back to you. I had a couple of good emails back and forth with Bob (VERY NICE GUY!), then later called him by phone to get a price - and he said he would get back to me.

That was two weeks ago.

I have emailed him since then to remind him he owes me a quote - and heard nothing back. I guess another phone call from me is in order -but I hate to feel like I am the one trying to get their business.
 
.
 
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On 10/12/2004 1:30:11 PM researcher wrote:

One other thing--the diamonds they list that turn out to be unavailable are list diamonds. As such, it's the responsibility of the manufacturers to tell the vendors when the stones are no longer available, not the vendors' responsibility. You will run into the same problem with other online vendors who sell the list diamonds.----------------
Click to expand...


How funny you mention that, I just got back an email no more than 10 mins ago from Superbcert.com saying the exact same thing. I requested detailed info on two of his "discount diamonds" and it turned out they were already sold. I don't blame Suberbcert for this however.
 
bar01 - I am pleased that Bob has resumed communications with you and hope that we can help you with your special purchase.

eman - please get back with us. We are unable to find you in our database and cannot correct your problem unless we know who you are. I'm sorry that you felt the need to post publically and I would like to personally make it right for you.

To all our Pricescope customers - Whiteflash is internationally known for its integrity and unique personal customer service. Every so often we drop the ball, as is human. In addition, we have a very powerful fire wall into our system and some of your e-mails may go into the spam filter. If we have promised to get back to you and you have not heard from us as quickly as you would have liked, please give us a call.

To explain the instock/out of stock question....We have a large in house inventory of diamonds in our A CUT ABOVE and Expert Selection sections. We also list stones that are housed at different manufacturers around the country. The manufacturers do not always update their databases in a timely manner and since we have a live feed, these listings come down the chain. In addition, we cannot always guarantee that a diamond that is not in stock is available and it may take a day or two to ascertain this. Over the past two weeks many of the manufacturers were closed for 10 days which made our goal of exceeding customer expectations more difficult. I do not want to sound like an infommercial but feel that this needs to be clarified.

LesleyH
www.whiteflash.com
 
As much as I'd like to think that I'm the center of the universe and everyone should pay me utmost attention...
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I've had some problems getting in contact with WF here and there. Promises to get back to me about some quotes and questions I had that haven't materialized. I figure they've got a year to get back to me (waiting for more information about some wedding bands.. wedding will be in a year). Hopefully I'll hear something by then!

People get busy... I'm sure they get a HUGE volume of mail that sometimes just doesn't get answered.
 
just to add some balance to this discussion and take the heat off of WF alone, i want to come out and say that i've found the same to be true (i.e., glacially slow response time, requests for information going unaddressed) of at least one other very well-respected pricescope vendor. my speculation is that, with the volume of business that some of these vendors deal with, stuff like that is just bound to happen. doesn't mean that they're not reliable vendors or that you're not going to get a great stone from them.

what it does mean is that it's up to you to decide whether that type of thing bothers you enough that it would deter you purchasing from that particular vendor. (and i'm talking very generally at this point, not about WF--lesley seems to have stepped up to the plate very quickly and expressed her willingness to rectify the situation.
appl.gif
) i personally came to the conclusion that i would prefer to deal with, and to give my business to, a vendor that responded to my requests and inquiries in an efficient and timely manner. i ended up purchasing from mark at engagementringsdirect.com, and i know i always say this, but if you're looking for someone to be attentive and responsive to you, he's really your man. night and day compared to the other vendor. i could not be happier.
 
1> dont feel bad about taking it public.
2> your title does not fit the problem. If you had sent them money and then they are hard to get hold off thats shady. Which isnt the case.
3> the title should have been that they are hard to get a hold of.
4>see above comments about online database stones.
5> if your not happy with WF then move on there are several other vendors here that will work hard to make you happy.
No sense dwelling on it.
A vendor here has untill the next business day to answer my emails or I move on its that simple.
In my line of work often 1 hour is unacceptable tardy in answering emails so even next day is annoying but its fair and better than average for consumer contact from vendors vs vendor to vendor.
 
I think you're way out-of-line with your topic heading.

There's a big difference between "poor service" and "a little shady".
 
Even if the problem lies elsewhere, WF is still to blame.

IF WF, or other companies WhiteFlash companies like IdealDiamonds.com or WholesaleDiamonds.com, advertise a stone, they should have access to it. Same goes for other brokers.

If you offer to sell something, have access to it, blaming your supplier or anyone else is lame.

When dozens of vendors list the same stone and problems arise......YOU VENDORS FIGURE IT OUT, but you should not make it your customer's problem.
 
I also concur... While their customer service might be lacking at times, "a little shady" is hyperbole.
 
Eman,

I suggest considering stones in a vendor's inventory rather than brokered ones. There are companies with tons of inventory out there. Some do not list brokered stones, perhaps due to the problems listed I don't know.

Cushion: glad you found a competitive price at WF.

Researcher states: "As such, it's the responsibility of the manufacturers to tell the vendors when the stones are no longer available, not the vendors' responsibility"

The VENDOR has a responsibility to it's CUSTOMERS.

THEY are advertising the stones for sale and must either FIX THE SYSTEM, ONLY DEAL WITH RELIABLE SUPPLIERS, OR ACCEPT THAT LISTING UNAVAILABLE STONES MAKES THEM UNRELIABLE.

YOU VENDORS NEED A BETTER SYSTEM!

A mover with no dolley on the truck, a restaurant with no food, a surgeon without hemostats, a CompUSA with no laptops ......it's unacceptable. If WF or ANY diamond vendors have unreliable suppliers, then THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO BE UNRELIABLE. Don't pass the buck.

Get on the ball brokers, a Lowe's can tell how many WAXYZSA3302 model washing machines it has in stock instantaneously at every location in the region and when the next shipment is scheduled. GET it fixed please.

A computer nerd could set up inventory that would tell you when the stone was 'out' of manufacturer warehouse being viewed, when it was in house, when it was sold. I find it hard to believe the manufacturer doesn't type this info into their computer to keep track of their stones. Perhaps there's a linkage problem. Whatever.

my $ .02
 
It is understandable that you are aggrivated with them right now but I would try calling them. The customer service is wonderful. You couldn't ask for better.
They go above and beyond for there customers.
appl.gif
 
Blueman and original poster - you are both entitled to your opinions. Based on your experience, please don't bother to do business with Whiteflash. You will never be happy. I don't agree with either of you but that does not matter. As to my own opinion, Whiteflash is fantastic. No, I did not receive a one hour or one day response to all of my e-mails. I did make some phone calls to them. I even found my own stone on another site that they brought in for me. I was not disappointed in this and I was happy to do business with them. My custom made ring and the stone I purchased could not be more fabulous. Do yourself and the rest of us a favor and move on. Best of luck in finding a vendor you will be ecstatic to work with.

Lesley - you can't please everyone, as you are well aware. Fortunately, most of us appreciate your company.
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It's funny, but the problems people have had with WF I've had with their competitors (including those that have been mentioned above as having superior service). A big part of the reason I went with WF over 4 other vendors I contacted about the same stone was the customer service. Denise was and is amazing to work with! I have NEVER gone more than 24 hours without a response, and Denise even contacted me about my ring when she was taking a vacation (spending time with her new baby nephew)!

So, my point is no one is perfect. What matters most though is how a company takes care of the situation. WF is willing to admit their mistakes and flaws in their system, and will go out of their way to correct the situation when something doesn't go right. What more could you ask for in a vendor?
 
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On 10/13/2004 12:28:15 AM zoobiedo wrote:

Blueman and original poster - you are both entitled to your opinions. Based on your experience, please don't bother to do business with Whiteflash. You will never be happy. I don't agree with either of you but that does not matter. As to my own opinion, Whiteflash is fantastic. No, I did not receive a one hour or one day response to all of my e-mails. I did make some phone calls to them. I even found my own stone on another site that they brought in for me. I was not disappointed in this and I was happy to do business with them. My custom made ring and the stone I purchased could not be more fabulous. Do yourself and the rest of us a favor and move on. Best of luck in finding a vendor you will be ecstatic to work with.


Lesley - you can't please everyone, as you are well aware. Fortunately, most of us appreciate your company.
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Click to expand...


it's great that you had a good experience with WF, but the fact of the matter is that the original poster did not. i'm not sure why you're being dismissive of his complaint and faulting him for being upset about having "fallen through the cracks"--i think many customers would be upset about that. to me, his gripes sound quite legitimate. (sure, he could have done things to try to fix the problem on his own--like calling WF directly--but perhaps he was sufficiently put off by the e-mail situation that he didn't want to do that. which i understand.) luckily, WF came forth to rectify the problem very quickly, for which they are to be commended.

i just don't think "well, forget you then, you'll just never be happy" is an appropriate response to a poster who expresses a valid objection to less-than-acceptable customer service.
 
re: brokered stones
Like a lot of things in the jewlery industry the system set up for them isnt perfect and has a lot of flaws.
The problem is that a lot of it is beyond the vendors controll.
If it becomes a problem for you then the solution is simple just buy stones the vendors have in their own stock and put a hold on them early.
There is nothing a vendor can do for you even on their own stones if someone says here is the money ship it if you dont have it on hold.
Virtual lists are a double sided coin while it does make more diamonds available there is always a chance the stones arent actualy available because the lists arent updated that often.
 
I would say more often than not a brokered stone that is a desirable & well priced stone is off the list as soon as it's on the list.

As someone who purchased from a jewelry store, same ole same ole w/ these brokered stones. I never faulted my jeweler. This type of stone was not something that his regular supplier supplied. As a result, he went to polygon. Even though my stone was requested promptly after being listed, it was on it's way out on memo. One stone that I was interested in was also out on memo. The jeweler decided to keep it for inventory. I think the fault lies with the suppliers. Or the inherent nature of a brokered stone. Though one can certainly save money w/ a brokered stone, to me, it can be an exercise in frustration.

Yeah, I'm with the others "shady" - an inaccurate description for the title. And, I don't think there is anything wrong with asking someone to move on to another vendor. Some people/vendors aren't a good fit.
 
Eman-
I am sorry to hear of your experience with WF. I understand how it is to have your heart set on a particular stone that appears to be available only to find out that it has been sold. I worked with Denise a few years ago on a project that I wanted all the stones to have the same clarity/color and roughly the same size. Well, one of the stones was not available. However, Denise called me and worked with me to find a great alternate. With WF, its not like the ebay seller horror stories of bait and switch with a much lesser quality stone than you initially inquired about. Some of those ebay sellers, now they're shady!
nono.gif
WF has an excellent selection. I guess (if it were me) I would have just called instead of getting more upset every time I checked my e-mail for weeks on end to find no response. It is a toll free number? I have had to call and "nudge" some of my favorite vendors in follow-up to an e-mail or two.

I agree that there is nothing wrong with speaking of a not-so-positive experience. My only caution is that since these are written words with no emotions, nuances, facial expressions etc. it is easy to slam someone harder than you intend. (Regrettably, I've said things that can be taken the wrong way on this board, so I really try to think twice before hitting that "submit" button).

Anyway, I hope you will also post when/if Lesley is able to fix this situation. Good luck!
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Luv
 
luv:

Thank you for your thoughts. I would very much like to help eman but as of now, we still do not know who eman is....eman, please e-mail me at [email protected] and identify yourself so that I can get back to you and sort this out.

LesleyH
www.whiteflash.com
 
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On 10/13/2004 3:22:06 PM Feydakin wrote:

Blueman and others complaining about virtual lists..

Diamond inventory is VERY expensive to maintain.. Especially with diamond prices moving as much as they are these days.. In order to provide diamonds at a better price point to consumers the entire memo / virtual stone market has developed..

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Click to expand...


With the consumers getting frustrated & the jewelers catching the majority of the heat, why doesn't the suppliers react more quickly w/ keeping their inventory more up to date? Also, the supplier can call back a memo stone - correct? One would think that if this is a way of the future in moving their stones, suppliers would be more productive w/ keeping their lists up to date. Or does their inventory really move that quickly. I can't imagine a store turning down a sale because you can't get the merch when it's readily available from a list.

Also, consumers must realize, while your search may take longer than you thought (for a more specialty item), there is *always* another bus coming along. And, the wait worth it in the end.
 
Yeah, I suppose you are right. Doing a search for approx 1c w/ specific specs yields pages here on PS.

But, as a consumer, it is quite frustrating when you salivate over a stone only to be told it's sold. I went into the search w/ being told that caveat about the list & I was still upset until I realized lots o' stones out there to fit the bill - even w/ my crazy blue fluor fetish requirement.
 
Leonid~
Can the name of this thread and the other one be deleted? I think it's good to leave the threads up, but it's not right to have such misleading and defamating titles.
 
Reena and anyone else who found my remarks dismissive: One, they were not and two, anyone can have a valid complaint about anyone or any company. My feelings are just as valid as theirs are. I think they should move on, plain and simple. If they want to contact Whiteflash and Lesley to rectify the situation, then let them do that but if they don't then they have no right to continue complaining. Did they try to contact Lesley in the first place before putting this thread up? I had several internet companies that did not respond to my e-mails, were rude and otherwise provided horrendous service but I did not post saying they were the worst things on earth. In fact, I did not mention them by name in any fashion whatsoever -- so am I wrong because I did not say on this board who treated me poorly and provided horrible customer service? I don't feel some of the "BASHING" that is done on this board serves much useful purpose. Even the most fantastic corporation in the world has someone who is not happy with their services. When I have a complaint about a company, I go to the Company to rectify the situation, I don't post on a forum.
 
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