Would you risk a Leon?

[gemgirl]

you do some of the best work out there, but I won''t be coming back again>>>>

Trust me you will. The real question is –will I take you back? Of course I will. I like you. You are fun. I haven’t had such a clear case of temporary jewelry blindness since 1995. I think you will get over it. Get a good night sleep, take an aspirin, wait for a week or so and by that time doctor “pink spinel ring” will arrive and will put you out of your misery. I know right now your head is preoccupied with images of airlines and splits in a size of Grand Canyon, but when the dust clears I expect a nice gift with a letter of apology.
My regards to your husband, my heart is going out for him. >>>


I''m sorry, but Leon clearly went over the line here. There should be boundaries maintained in all professional relationships and Leon did not maintain a professional demeanor when he said "I like you. You are fun." You are fun?? He was making fun of Boom and he''s basically calling her a nut!

And when the dust clears he expects a nice gift and a letter of apology? He''s just a little bit full of himself, isn''t he? He''s being very condescending and inappropriate.

Leon crossed a huge line when he extended "his sympathies" to Boom''s husband. Anything outside of this business transaction is frankly none of Leon''s business. He should have never made a comment like that. He was totally, and in my mind, unforgivably inappropriate with that comment.

Kenny, I agree with you. I didn''t find Leon''s comments to be "humor" of any kind.

 

[kenny]

Leon Mege is one of 21 vendors you will see listed when you click on RESOURCES then on DIAMOND VENDORS.

I feel he should be removed from the list. (Perhaps only for a year for bad behavior, or something.)

How can PS give their stamp of approval to a man who treats even repeat customers like this?

Shouldn't we be able to go to PS vendors with confidence?

He is getting business from PS yet won't even appear here to explain himself.
I'm sure he's heard about this ruckus and has read the threads.

Mr. Mege

your silence is deafening.

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 10/3/2009 5:21:25 PM
Author: kenny
Leon Mege is one of 21 vendors you will see listed when you click on RESOURCES then on DIAMOND VENDORS.

I feel he should be removed from the list. (Perhaps only for a year for bad behavior, or something.)

How can PS give their stamp of approval to a man who treats even repeat customers like this?

Shouldn''t we be able to go to PS vendors with confidence?

He is getting business from PS yet won''t even appear here to explain himself.
I''m sure he''s heard about this ruckus and has read the threads.

Mr. Mege

your silence is deafening.

Kenny,
Have you made your concerns known to Ali and Andrey? We (fellow PS''ers) aren''t the ones to make that kind of a call.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 10/3/2009 6:06:31 PM
Author: Lynn B

Date: 10/3/2009 5:21:25 PM
Author: kenny
Leon Mege is one of 21 vendors you will see listed when you click on RESOURCES then on DIAMOND VENDORS.

I feel he should be removed from the list. (Perhaps only for a year for bad behavior, or something.)

How can PS give their stamp of approval to a man who treats even repeat customers like this?

Shouldn''t we be able to go to PS vendors with confidence?

He is getting business from PS yet won''t even appear here to explain himself.
I''m sure he''s heard about this ruckus and has read the threads.

Mr. Mege

your silence is deafening.

Kenny,
Have you made your concerns known to Ali and Andrey? We (fellow PS''ers) aren''t the ones to make that kind of a call.

I agree, I think we have pretty awesome Admins and they will listen to your concern; just let them know.

 

[decodelighted]

What Leon meant with his last line is open to interpretation. For example, I read it as if the ring was a gift from husband to wife and that Leon was sorry for the husband that his wife was so disappointed in it before she''s even laid eyes on it. That would be a heartbreaking scenario FOR THE HUSBAND. Obviously Boom is upset. She''s stated as much.

I *never, ever, in a million years* interpreted that Leon was implying he pities her husband for marrying her! That is just such a huge leap its practically laughable.

Leon doesn''t hide who he is. His website is FULL of language that would run off the faint of heart. And he''s BY FAR one of the most consistent custom vendors Pricescope has in its vendor list. When I think of some of the custom disasters I''ve seen around here, "punishing" for THAT could get pretty interesting.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I totally agree decodelighted. This thread is like a train wreck you cant keep from looking at. LOL

 

[sillyberry]

Date: 10/3/2009 6:21:59 PM
Author: decodelighted
What Leon meant with his last line is open to interpretation. For example, I read it as if the ring was a gift from husband to wife and that Leon was sorry for the husband that his wife was so disappointed in it before she''s even laid eyes on it. That would be a heartbreaking scenario FOR THE HUSBAND. Obviously Boom is upset. She''s stated as much.


I *never, ever, in a million years* interpreted that Leon was implying he pities her husband for marrying her! That is just such a huge leap its practically laughable.


Leon doesn''t hide who he is. His website is FULL of language that would run off the faint of heart. And he''s BY FAR one of the most consistent custom vendors Pricescope has in its vendor list. When I think of some of the custom disasters I''ve seen around here, ''punishing'' for THAT could get pretty interesting.

I totally interpreted his statement to mean "I''m sorry your husband has to deal with such a wackjob. You must be a major PITA for him." I don''t think that''s a laughable interpretation in the slightest.

I love pave work, but whenever I go to LM''s website (long before I knew about him personally) his designs leave me feeling "eh." However, his attitude is what would keep me from working for him.

 

[elle_chris]

When I read that letter, I see it as more of a teasing, rather than straight out being mean. I can almost understand why he''d be annoyed as she hadn''t seen it. BUT, the last line about her husband was waaay out of line.
Based on the tone of his letter, I doubt that Leon''s so concerend about her hubby''s feelings. More like, "your poor husband has to hear you bitch over a ring you haven''t seen yet." But regardless of how we read it, it should not have been said.

Would I use him? Yes. But it would be for an exisitng design with no modifications. I''d also keep the convos to a minimum.

 

[E B]

Date: 10/3/2009 6:53:33 PM
Author: sillyberry

I totally interpreted his statement to mean 'I'm sorry your husband has to deal with such a wackjob. You must be a major PITA for him.' I don't think that's a laughable interpretation in the slightest.

I agree. To me, the above is very clearly what he meant. Why, after the rest of his sassy responses, would he end with a heartfelt, "it must be hard for your husband to see you so upset"? Doesn't fit.

I find it interesting that some have had completely smooth experiences with a friendly, accommodating man, while others have been insulted by an impatient, haughty a-hole. Dr. Leon/Mr. Hyde?

 

[VegasAngel]

There was only one line where I felt he was joking the rest was him taking stabs at her. I'm just surprised that some people would put up with him. Would you/do you talk to your clients like he does?

 

[kenny]

Thank you Lynn for the good suggestion.
Yes, I have notified Admin of LM's actions.

A guy like that would be better off working in secret where public fora do not discuss his actions.
He'll make more money without PS.
He sure lost a bunch of business with this fiasco.

His hostility indicates to me that he clearly has more business than he needs or wants.
He does not need clients from PS.

 

[y2kitty]

Date: 10/2/2009 9:22:37 AM
Author:redfaerythinker
After the recent thread in the colored stone forum I was wondering. Would you take the risk to own a Leon creation?

Of course! I would buy one second hand from someone. I frequently search EBAY for them. Work with Mr. Mege? Maybe if I won the lottery and I could afford to give the ring away if I didn''t love it. Otherwise, no, I like a few pleasantries and maybe a bottle of water when I drop a few grand.

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 10/3/2009 7:57:14 PM
Author: y2kitty

Date: 10/2/2009 9:22:37 AM
Author:redfaerythinker
After the recent thread in the colored stone forum I was wondering. Would you take the risk to own a Leon creation?

Of course! I would buy one second hand from someone. I frequently search EBAY for them. Work with Mr. Mege? Maybe if I won the lottery and I could afford to give the ring away if I didn''t love it. Otherwise, no, I like a few pleasantries and maybe a bottle of water when I drop a few grand.

LOL!

mz

 

[Deelight]

Would I work with Leon - YES do I see it as a risk? NO, have I had better service from him then other really popular PS vendors YES


FI and I have worked with him before and it went really well considering we did that from the otherside of the world that has to account for something, I have also meet up with him and I found him to be really nice and plesant he exceeded my expectations. I found his customer service to be really great - he even rushed sized my ring for me so I would have it before I left the states without worries or having to come back later during the week.

Some personalities blend better with people then others you see this everywhere - not saying what he did was right or wrong but writting does leave a lot up to interpretation.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 10/3/2009 5:11:10 AM
Author: arjunajane

Date: 10/3/2009 4:28:31 AM
Author: justginger
AJ, I found corresponding with Leon from Perth to be quite good. He and Rachael both respond to emails very quickly, I''ve called him at least 5 times now (!), and at the risk of being branded a liar, I found him to have better communication than BGD. I was in correspondance with Lesley, but days passed with no returned emails, and eventually she just didn''t write back at all! I never actually got a quote from them. I think I might have just slipped through the cracks, so to speak - I initially thought it was because I was being difficult, but now I realize that''s what most of their customers are like. Anyway, I wouldn''t discount using BGD in the future; I don''t feel affronted or as if they have poor service, but in this case Leon was actually easier for me to liase with if that''s one of your chief concerns.

Hey JG,

This just illustrates how different everyone''s experiences are with vendors, and why there is never one answer.

I''m glad Leon has been very responsive to you so far. TBH, your experience with him doesn''t sound like the norm - even Tgal, who''s project is almost complete, said she only had few very short talks with him.
But I guess all the better for you

I did end up phoning Leon and we ''cleared the air'' so all is fine.


But on the other hand (after a couple emails to Lesley), Brian phoned *me* and gave me more than 5mins and perfunctory answers

Anyways, I''ve jacked this thread enough, I''m going to leave it there now!

I should clarify that I only had a few short talks with him because not much needed to be said. I sent him the stone, asked what he thought and went with it. If I had changed my mind or had other design ideas, I would have called him. But really, there is no point when the ring is under way and I don''t have anything to really say, right?

I think he''s fine to take calls. Maybe his reputation makes people think when he''s succinct, he''s not happy to talk. Or maybe he hates having his time "wasted." I don''t really know.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 10/3/2009 2:32:32 PM
Author: kenny
I have a question for the people who are still LM supporters, or potential future customers.

How can you forgive the last sentence of his email to Boom, that basically said he feels sorry for the man who married her?

I am astonished anyone could see that as just having a sense of humor.

I''m really curious; what would he have to say to a customer to get you to cross him off your list?

Possibly because people have different senses of humor? And yours is not the same as those who think so?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 10/3/2009 6:21:59 PM
Author: decodelighted
What Leon meant with his last line is open to interpretation. For example, I read it as if the ring was a gift from husband to wife and that Leon was sorry for the husband that his wife was so disappointed in it before she''s even laid eyes on it. That would be a heartbreaking scenario FOR THE HUSBAND. Obviously Boom is upset. She''s stated as much.

I *never, ever, in a million years* interpreted that Leon was implying he pities her husband for marrying her! That is just such a huge leap its practically laughable.

Leon doesn''t hide who he is. His website is FULL of language that would run off the faint of heart. And he''s BY FAR one of the most consistent custom vendors Pricescope has in its vendor list. When I think of some of the custom disasters I''ve seen around here, ''punishing'' for THAT could get pretty interesting.

Another case that his reputation around here is possibly blowing things out of proportion.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I guess I wont be posting my leon when I get it!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 10/3/2009 7:48:17 PM
Author: kenny
Thank you Lynn for the good suggestion.
Yes, I have notified Admin of LM''s actions.

A guy like that would be better off working in secret where public fora do not discuss his actions.
He''ll make more money without PS.
He sure lost a bunch of business with this fiasco.

His hostility indicates to me that he clearly has more business than he needs or wants.
He does not need clients from PS.

Honestly, this is ridiculous.

I APPLAUD Boom for writing her story (even though I don''t agree with her not seeing the ring first, but I understand why she did it.) This is a CONSUMER forum. People can decide if they want to use him based on reviews here. There is good, there is bad, and it works.

Who are you to decide where his clients should come from? He''s obviously paying to advertise here, which helps pay for a forum for all of us to come praise him, bash him, or do whatever. He doesn''t come here and participate. He doesn''t berate members on her as I''ve seen a vendor or two do.

If you''re on Pricescope, it''s because you are doing your research. People can figure out themselves if Leon is the right person for them. Geez, on this thread it''s obvious that people are figuring out just that - isn''t that wonderful?

 

[kenny]

Sorry, I guess I was not clear enough.

Business that want more business treat customers well.
Apparently he must have too much work.

That was my reasoning.

 

[FrekeChild]

I wouldn''t. There is not much that I like on his site for myself, and the man''s attitude stinks. I cannot imagine wanting to drop Gs and treated like dirt, if a multiple repeat customer like Boom was.

Not to mention I have two friends who asked him for quotes/prices who were questioned/ridiculed/told to stop wasting his time/told to stop LYING by the man himself (both were asking their second question of him, and one was a serious buyer).

I would not want to even give him the chance of treating me like poo, and I would not want to contribute to his livelihood.

Plus I want a fifty cent box.

 

[KimberlyH]

I would absolutely use him; I tend towards T-Gal''s style of seeing the big picture but not wanting to get caught up in the minutiae and trusting a well respecteed designer to do his/her best work.

As for the husband comment, I ditto Deco. His email wasn''t polite, but I don''t think it was meant as many are reading it. Certainly not worthy of being removed from PS vendors list, people have the right to choose who they work with, and it is evident that Leon isn''t for everyone. Doesn''t mean he isn''t the right fit for some consumers.

 

[kenny]

If Leon Mege wrote an apology to Boom and demonstrated a change of heart I'd reconsider giving him my business.

I do appreciate his beautiful work.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Honestly, Leon can run his business any way he wants, but we, as consumers, can ALSO choose not to give him our business. And it''s an individual decision for each prospective customer. Personally, I wouldn''t want to give him my business because I would want to be treated as a valued customer if I''m dropping several grand on a project. I''m not rich, any such project with him would be me parting with money that I had saved up for a long time specifically for that project, and I want to be treated well. Others relate better to Leon, or are thicker-skinned, and love his rings, and will still go to him - and if he exhibits his sense of "humor" and they don''t mind, go right ahead.

I don''t think he should be penalized by being removed from the PS vendors list for his rudeness...and on the same note, I don''t think threads like this should be pulled. His rudeness doesn''t detract from his craftsmanship, and he''s not being unethical, so why should he be pulled from the PS vendors list? As long as forums like PS, and threads like Boom''s exist to give other potential customers a multi-sided view of a vendor, then I think it''s fine for Leon to still be a PS vendor...at least people are forewarned and can choose whether or not to go with him.

 

[bee*]

Date: 10/3/2009 7:16:14 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 10/3/2009 6:53:33 PM

Author: sillyberry


I totally interpreted his statement to mean ''I''m sorry your husband has to deal with such a wackjob. You must be a major PITA for him.'' I don''t think that''s a laughable interpretation in the slightest.

I agree. To me, the above is very clearly what he meant. Why, after the rest of his sassy responses, would he end with a heartfelt, ''it must be hard for your husband to see you so upset''? Doesn''t fit.

I got that impression as well. There is absolutely no way that I would use him after reading how he''s treated Boom. I am extremely relaxed and not much fazes me even when I''m working with a vendor for a particular thing, but I would not put up with being treated poorly when I am spending my hard earned money. I don''t want someone fawning over me, just common courtesy would be nice. I think if another vendor gave that reply, they''d be hung but because it''s LM, it''s accepted. I don''t get it.

 

[steph72276]

I think his work is beautiful, but his customer service is clearly awful. It is like a few college professors I had....they were brilliant people, but they couldn't teach the material to save their lives. He should hire a customer service person to act as a go between the customer and himself and never, never speak to the public again!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/3/2009 7:16:14 PM
Author: EBree

Date: 10/3/2009 6:53:33 PM
Author: sillyberry

I totally interpreted his statement to mean ''I''m sorry your husband has to deal with such a wackjob. You must be a major PITA for him.'' I don''t think that''s a laughable interpretation in the slightest.

I agree. To me, the above is very clearly what he meant. Why, after the rest of his sassy responses, would he end with a heartfelt, ''it must be hard for your husband to see you so upset''? Doesn''t fit.

I find it interesting that some have had completely smooth experiences with a friendly, accommodating man, while others have been insulted by an impatient, haughty a-hole. Dr. Leon/Mr. Hyde?

Bingo. I came to that conclusion a long time ago. IMO, 99.9% of the time, when something goes wrong it''s not a matter of "personalities" not meshing, as in plural, it''s just his. The guy is a total crapshoot.

 

[niccia]

Date: 10/3/2009 10:18:52 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 10/3/2009 2:32:32 PM
Author: kenny
I have a question for the people who are still LM supporters, or potential future customers.

How can you forgive the last sentence of his email to Boom, that basically said he feels sorry for the man who married her?

I am astonished anyone could see that as just having a sense of humor.

I'm really curious; what would he have to say to a customer to get you to cross him off your list?

Possibly because people have different senses of humor? And yours is not the same as those who think so?

I agree with Tgal...it was probably not the most appropriate comment from a professional, but I did see the humor in it. I think he was just trying to lighten things up at the end of his email and it obv wasnt the best way to do it in those circumstances.
ETA: I am not really a LM supporter either...I wouldn't pick him neccessarily, and I do think he needs to address the issues with Boom's ring and make sure she is 100% happy . I just don't read the email as negatively as some.

 

[steph72276]

Well, it is obvious that he wants Pricescope members as customers, otherwise he would not waste his precious time and money to advertise here. So, the best way anyone can speak up against his awful customer service is to not use his services...speak with your wallets. Even the great Leon has to be feeling a little bit of a decline in business due to the economy. People just aren''t spending big $$ on luxury purchases as freely as they were a year or two ago. If enough people take their business elsewhere, maybe just maybe the decline in revenues will be enough of a kick in the pants to let him know he can''t get away with treating customers like dirt.

 

[Lula]

Date: 10/4/2009 9:37:48 AM
Author: niccia

Date: 10/3/2009 10:18:52 PM

Author: TravelingGal

Date: 10/3/2009 2:32:32 PM

Author: kenny

I have a question for the people who are still LM supporters, or potential future customers.


How can you forgive the last sentence of his email to Boom, that basically said he feels sorry for the man who married her?


I am astonished anyone could see that as just having a sense of humor.



I''m really curious; what would he have to say to a customer to get you to cross him off your list?

Possibly because people have different senses of humor? And yours is not the same as those who think so?

I agree with Tgal...it was probably not the most appropriate comment from a professional, but I did see the humor in it. I think he was just trying to lighten things up at the end of his email and it obv wasnt the best way to do it in those circumstances.

ETA: I am not really a LM supporter either...I wouldn''t pick him neccessarily, and I do think he needs to address the issues with Boom''s ring and make sure she is 100% happy . I just don''t read the email as negatively as some.

Ditto Tgal and Niccia. I saw the humor in it, too.

And he is right, she hasn''t seen the ring in person yet, so her complaints may be a bit premature.

From what I''ve read on PS, Leon does seem like a bit of an odd duck, but apparently Leon considers Boom a regular enough customer that he felt comfortable saying these things to her. Apparently he misjudged how upset she was.

Would I work with him -- sure, but I wouldn''t expect a lot of hand-holding from him. His designs have a bit of "I vote Republican and work in finance" look to them for my taste, but his craftsmanship is lovely.