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Why I Will NOT Be Buying a Superbcert

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pscopefan

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
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5
I am writing to let all readers of Pricescope know why I will NOT be buying a Superbcert. My experience with Barry, to say the least, was not a positive one. I contacted Jonathan at Goodoldgold about a Superbcert I saw on his Superbcert search engine and promptly placed a deposit on it and had the stone shipped to Jonathan. The stone arrived at Jonathan's store safe and sound.

However, four days later, Jonathan called me and informed me that Barry had just called him up and told him that there was a huge mistake and that the diamond was already sold and that Barry wanted it back. Barry promised to make things right and that he would work on the price of the next stone i would purchase to rectify the grave mistake he had made. I was rather upset that I had my dream stone taken from me, but nevertheless, was upbeat about getting a great deal on the next stone I purchased.

I asked Jonathan to call in a couple of stones for me and Barry promised to have them there by that Friday. I drove over 10 hours total that day from DC to NY to visit Jonathan and to look at these 2 Superbcerts. Well, to my surprise, the stones did not arrive on Friday as promised. Jonathan, being the gentleman he is, took great care to pick out some other wonderful stones, and he gave me his utmost attention my entire visit there, even though his store was swamped with customers. That's what I call customer service!!

Well, that Monday after I returned from NY I decided to e-mail Barry to see what the discount would be for the stones so I could make up my mind on which diamond to choose. Not only had he taken my diamond from me (yes a mistake, but still a bummer), but he also made me drive over 10 hours without even getting to see the diamonds because of his failure to ship them to Jonathan. When I e-mailed him of this, he first sent an e-mail saying he was sorry, but did not respond at all to my discount question, which was the crux of my e-mail. I decided to e-mail him back to be clear if he was not going to me a discount and to make it clear to him that my experience would be posted on DT.

Barry responded very rudely saying that I was trying to squeeze him out of his money and saying that I was making childish threats. I e-mailed Jonathan to inform him of this and he said he would see what he could do.

After speaking to Barry, Jonathan e-mailed me and told me that on the $11,700+ diamond I was looking at purchasing, Barry was willing to give me a discount in the total of, hold on to your seats people, a whole $300. That's what i call superb customer service and doing your customer right after causing him two huge inconveniences and wastes of time and money.

I could have refused to give the diamond back and defended what was rightly mine, but no, I figured I would be a gentleman and be treated accordingly for being so agreeable. It is for this reason that I refuse to buy a Superbcert. It is my opinion that Barry does not value, at least me, as a customer. It seems to me, in my opinion, that Barry is only out to make a sale and could care less about customer service in my case. This is all my opinion, and I am only referring to my own horrible personal experience. Take from it what you will.
 

lawmax

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 1999
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1,317
Thanks for sharing your experience with the rest of us. What are you buying instead?
 

pscopefan

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
5
I'm not sure yet. I'm going to look into Eightstars and see what they're all about. Do you have any suggestions lawmax?
 

lawmax

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 1999
Messages
1,317
----------------
On 6/5/2002 1:02:08 PM

I'm not sure yet. I'm going to look into Eightstars and see what they're all about. Do you have any suggestions lawmax?
----------------


Well, if you read many of my posts and do a search here on EightStar you'll see that I am an 8* owner and huge fan. :) Feel free to send me an email if you want to chat.
 

belk2000

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
7
Lawmax, I am in the market for a .35 to .5 carat AGS000 diamond. I want to spend about $800 to $1200 for the diamond I'm looking for which is atleast a G color and SI1 clarity. This diamond is for a single earring stud in a platinum setting.

Cut is very important to me and I would want a very bright, white, sparkling, firey diamond over having a huge diamond. Do you think a Eightstar would benefit me with a diamond of such small size

Thanks for any advice you can give.
 

lawmax

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 1999
Messages
1,317
----------------
On 6/5/2002 2:20:59 PM

Lawmax, I am in the market for a .35 to .5 carat AGS000 diamond. I want to spend about $800 to $1200 for the diamond I'm looking for which is atleast a G color and SI1 clarity. This diamond is for a single earring stud in a platinum setting.

Cut is very important to me and I would want a very bright, white, sparkling, firey diamond over having a huge diamond. Do you think a Eightstar would benefit me with a diamond of such small size

Thanks for any advice you can give.
----------------


If cut is very important to you, than 8* is the way to go. Some people recommend going with something that is not as well cut for an earring. I couldn't disagree more. With that diamond being right next to your face, why shouldn't it be just as beautiful or more so than one on your hand?

I don't know if you'll have difficulty finding an eightstar in your price range. You can always take a minute and go to www.eightstar.com and inquire. You can also inquire about having a stone recut for you. This can be a less expensive option, I think, although it does entail some risk.

Good luck :)
 

belk2000

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
7
Thanks, lawmax. :)) I will most likely inquire at the Eightstar site about pricing options for what I'm trying to achieve. Thanks again.
 

LesleyH

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 28, 2000
Messages
506
Belk:

Don't forget to look into the A CUT ABOVE branded hearts and arrows diamonds at www.whiteflash.com

LesleyH
ww.whiteflash.com
 

Domino

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
15
Kontos, it's unfortunate you had this bad experience with Barry at SuperbCert. My experience with Barry and SuperbCert could NOT have been any better.

Barry has publically admitted his mistake and BOTH dealers that were involved in this transaction have clearly stated it was an honest mistake over on diamondtalk.com.

A $300 discount is a discount, which is something that doesn't happen with SuperbCert. Barry has publically admitted his mistake in this situation and has tried to make it right. I have found Barry to be a true gentleman that always valued me as a customer. It's unfortunate you have chosen to not work with him on a discounted SuperbCert because of a special honest mistake. I doubt you'll be able to find a better value with all of the analysis, etc. that he provides for cheaper somewhere else.

Best of luck to you either way though.
 

pscopefan

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
5
DOmino, I respectfully disagree. I wasted around $300 on my trip to New York to luck at diamonds which Barry failed to ship, so the $300 barely makes up for that, much less the fact that the diamond which was represented to me as being mine was later taken away. True it was an honest mistake, but it was a mistake nonetheless, and I didn't have to give the diamond back, I only did it under his assurance that he would make things right. However, Barry only offered the $300 discount AFTER I made a big stink about it and told him I would go public with this disservice. So sorry, I will not be buying from someone who does not value customer service. I'm happy you had a pleasant experience, best of luck to you.
I'm actually glad this fell through in the long run despite the way I was treated, because I have come across Eightstars and they are the most beautifully cut diamonds I have ever seen.
 

Domino

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
15
Kontos, I would be upset as well if the same situation has happened to me. I had an excellent experience with him and I'll admit $300 seems a little low, but that's still more than what anybody else gets. Oh well, I guess it's impossible to make everyone happy. If he ended up giving you the stone then the other person that already had a check paid for it would have been screwed. It's a no win situation for Barry.

Please keep us updated which EightStar you choose. :) I agree they are also beautiful diamonds.

By the way nice icon, we're twins. :)
 

pscopefan

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
5
True, the other guy would have been screwed if I kept the diamond. So either way Barry would be screwing someone over because of this mistake. As a result, he should have made up for his mistake in a more professional fashion as a way of making things whole again as a matter of principle, rather than a half-hearted last ditch effort to protect his image on DT. I know if it were a car dealership or some other place with high-end items, I would have been treated better for their mess-up, regardless of how honest the mistake was. Their goal is to do the customer right.

Just curious: "$300 is more than anyone else gets"... You've made this statement several times...Who are you referring to when you make that statement about 'anyone' and what do you base it on? ... Sure, you should give your perspective and tell people how great your experience with Barry was. There's certainly nothing wrong with that. It just seems however, that this statement is baseless and could be misleading to others.
 

Domino

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Messages
15
Kontos,

All I meant was that the prices are controled by SuperbCert. The exact same stone will be the same price at USACertedDiamonds, GoodOldGold.com, Abazias,com, etc., and none of them discount the price. So if he offered you a discount, that is more than others have received. That's my only point - not trying to start something ok? I agree that in my opinion he should have offered you more than a $300 due to your hardship. It's an unfortunate situation.

I do look forward to seeing pics of your diamond, whichever you choose.

Domino
 

pscopefan

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
5
Sorry if I seemed threatening, I just didn't understand what that meant. Thanks for the explanation. Don't know what I'm getting quite yet but leaning toward Eightstar. If I were a rich man, no doubt that's what I would buy. Nothing even comes close. The question is will I find something which fits my budget, as it has decreased recently because of some unexpected financial situations. I saw your ring on DT and it is beautiful, both the diamond and the setting. Peace.
 
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