Anyone know anything about Linton/Gemline inc?

[chrono]

Chris,
I have no idea why Litnon dropped the ball in your case. I purchased a Loliondo spessartite from them last year and the transaction was smooth, quick and simple. Perhaps they do better with the selling part and not so well with the return part. Let's wait to see what Litnon has to say. Sometimes email gets dumped into the spam or junk folder automatically even though it went through fine in the past. I hope he'll respond to you sooner than later.

 

[ChrisA222]

Chrono, he did...Its clear to return....read my post from the other day. He extended my return period and said Id get refunded for the purchase....

But then Dana posted how "the phone number is posted" and really set me off with his explanations that people/vendors have lives...and that put me over the edge. YEs, he responded after 48+hours with how he was out of the office etc etc. Whatever. Its over with, but you know what, its still not acceptable.

 

[chrono]

Thanks for the update. I must have missed it. I am glad that Litnon extended the return period for you. At least they did something right there.

 

[aljdewey]

HI Ladies

Don't shoot the messenger...

I was just saying there was a phone number on the site as a means of communications as I did not know the full details of the situation....and it really is not my business... And if anyone made a false statement about any of you I will be one of the first to respond on that side as well; as in my book right is right and wrong is wrong; it makes no difference whether it be a vendor or consumer they both have the same rights.

All I am saying is that sometimes there is a time lag on returning emails. I think any of you that have dealt with me; know I truly try to be responsive as possible.

Chrono; You and I have not always agreed on terms of sale; but I never ignored your point of view or emails; I did and will always respond as curtiously as possible...As I do respect you as a person

Also working for another or corporation is a little different as you have A job ...when you work for yourself you have many jobs; me as an example; I bought the gems as a hobby 20+ years ago when I had A job; now I am the buyer of rough, cutter, bad photographer, lister, editor, seller, invoice maker, box packer, email responder, website uplaoder, mail carrier, refunder, plus all the bill paying, facet rough grader to send to foreign cutters; and that does not come around to childcare provider for a 6 yr. old and 16 yr. old, 55+ acre farm owner with 3+ acres of vege. crops, shop. lab., repair man, and mow 6 acres of my and my parents yard a week... Yes I want some cheese with my whine

So that is why sometimes I am at a loss for time; but I still try...

I am not here to defend all vendors; as some I would not defend as they are not doing as I would consider professional; but again I have had clients that were not kind at all either.

But i totally understand anyone with a complaint wanting to air it and also warn others of a habitual bad seller as that too is why forums like this are made... Not a problem... You all know I have no issue with voicing my opinion.. LOL ...So I think it is a right anyone should exercise...

I just have seen the pendelium swing both ways here and all I ask is to be fair and understanding on both parties sides.. Thats all...

Nothing meant to harm, hurt, or attack personally in any way...

Sorry for any mispelled words as this thing has no spell checker

Most respectfully;

Dana Reynolds
ASG Certified Supreme Master gem Cutter # 96cge42

Dana, I'd like to reply to a few things in your post.

1. Thank you for pointing out where his phone number is; up until that very moment, I'd looked all over the home page and in what I thought was totally the most obvious spot labelled "contact us" without finding it. I even went so far as to start on post on another forum that's frequented by PSers too asking if anyone had a phone to get in touch with him, and the fact that no one replied with that information then suggests to me that most folks wouldn't look there for it. After all, why would I look under Payment information when I can't even place the order?!

2. I've bought from you once before, and I liked you. My transaction with you went very well, so I have no beef with you in general. With that said, though, you really are off-base to talk about unfairness and pendulum swinging in this instance. It is not unfair for me as a consumer to express frustration after repeated attempts to work it out with that vendor directly; it would be unfair if I had not approached him or given him the chance to do right, but it is not unfair nor a witchhunt to accurately relate one's sub-par experiences after the fact.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I can assure you that I am not the variety of poster who doesn't make any effort to let a vendor make it right before stirring crap in this community. I was WF's Customer Relations rep on this forum for a few years, so you can imagine I'm more than acutely aware how quickly something can escalate (and often without fair opportunity given to a vendor to satisfy.) I am not one of those posters, most assuredly.

3. As someone who is busy with multiple roles and interests, perhaps you could take a moment to appreciate that customers also have multiple obligations. I am a salesperson (with demanding clients of my own), a friend, a wife, a daughter, a volunteer, a photography enthusiast, a gem enthusiastic, a Pricescope participant, an occasional babysitter, and many other roles. Vendors are not the only ones with multiple irons in the fire, and not all customers have nothing else better to do than sit around chasing vendors.

I love photography, and I've been complimented many times by people telling me I should parlay that into working for myself. I've not done it because I know that my other obligations leave me unable to be reliable enough as a vendor. Similarly, any vendor who finds themself unable to consistently be dependable should reconsider trying to maintain a business. If you're too busy to treat your customers right, you're just too busy to have a business. Again, let's be clear here..... I'm not talking about a bad day or a few bad days. Any vendor can have a life event pop up that leaves them a bit lacking for a brief period, just as any customer can. But when those instances string together to form a sustained pattern with multiple clients let down, it's time to acknowledge that something isn't working and fix it.

With the technology at our disposal today, there's just no reasonable excuse to be uncommunicative with your customers. If you're having trouble or life issues, put something on your home page saying "rough go of it; expect to get back to normal in 3 weeks and appreciate your patience." Send an email to your mailing list of customers. SOMETHING.....but don't say "I'm too busy to treat my customers with respect" and continue to expect benefit of the doubt. It just doesn't work that way.

 

[minousbijoux]

Aljdewey, VL, Chrono, Chris - all great posts. I cant' agree more about running a business and customer service. As consumers on PS, I think we should - and do - aim to be as fair as possible. I agree with VL's eloquent response explaining the difference between the current unresolved situation with Zebra and your situation. Personally, I think you chose the perfect time Aljdewey, to bring up your story, and I don't think anyone was saying otherwise. You waited until your situation was "resolved" or concluded and now feel that you have information to impart to others. This is different than the current situation with Zebra, where she and the vendor need time to try and resolve before jumping in and piling on begins. I do think we are all in agreement on both those things, as I don't believe that Chrono was chastising you at all for bringing your experience up now, rather concurring that to do so is a good idea and that people should do it more often.

As to the other aspect regarding vendors and their personal lives, Chrono, Chris, and Alj had great points. Yep, the last time I checked, I had a personal life too, complete with competing obligations, appointments, chores and interests. I too have learned in my professional life that a customer/client/patron - however you define them - doesn't want to constantly know about how you are running behind because you're having your bathroom remodeled, or your partner is away and you're caring for the kids, or you didn't sleep well and are not at your best because the baby kept you up, or you're the caregiver for your sick [fill in the blank] relative and therefore didn't get to what you said you would. Once in a while, people not only understand it, but they emphasize and support you. After a while with regularity, it makes you appear like you can't handle the business and then the conclusion people draw is "so don't." I also am amazed at all the people who devote a good deal of time telling me just how busy they are. Of course in those situations, what occurs to me is that they would have far more time if they didn't waste so much time telling me (and others) how little time they have.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I practice what I preach. At work, unless asked, I try to keep my personal life, and related trials and tribulations, out of it, and certainly don't bring it up to explain why I didn't get to something in a timely fashion or when promised. The minute I think its a possibility that I may have extenuating circumstances that might prevent me from making a deadline, I try to proactively communicate, hopefully with alternatives to help mitigate the situation. I would never say something in response to expectations like "gee, I'll try, but external life forces might take me down at any moment so I can't make any promises..." And most importantly, when I am completely ambushed and sideswiped, I communicate and apologize so that life goes on. When Barry hurt his shoulder and missed a month's drop, I'm sure he received nothing but well wishes, as he 1) communicated and warned us all in advance; 2) doesn't make a general practice of not meeting his deadlines; and 3) rarely talks about the complications of his life and competing demands on his time (except his baseball team!)

Just my observations from my complicated and messy life

 

[Lovinggems]

Has anyone dealt with Linton/Gemlineinc? Have good luck or bad luck?

I'm having issues with a stone I bought from them, and I have not heard back from them at all about my concerns/complaints. There isn't a phone number to call...I have an email address for them and an email address for someone that works there, but neither emails are being returned.

I bought a Sapphire which was described as well-cut, but the center of the stone is dead. I am not sure if it is windowing, or if it is caused by the silky lines/inclusions that I can see in the stone if I look closely. I've sent pictures to a few people, they told me that they are fairly sure it is a cutting fault, but I am not sure. Also, there is a 'gash' in the side of the stone, on the pavillion. I don't really care about this, as it won't be seen, but why wasn't this disclosed? why aren't my emails about these issues being addressed? I asked them how long my return policy is...as I need to know if I have enough time to forward the gem to a cutter to see if it can be fixed or not. But again, no response from them. What gives?

I paid a great price for the gem, its 2.18cts, an awesome royal blue but not dark/blackish, I don't see eye visible inclusions aside from those lines that you really have to eyeball to see. Its 8x6x5 so it is super deep (I had planned on a precision-recut from the get-go, so there is enough depth). So I certainly don't mind the recut since that was always part of the plan. The gem was on clearance for $218...I haven't seen this color for twice that price in a stone this size. But I need to know if I have enough time to get it to the cutter. If the cutter says no, cant be fixed, Id have him send it to Linton for me.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions Im all ears. I find it inexcusable that they let the gem go with the gash in the side without telling me, and then after I've sent my concerns to them on Thursday, here it is Saturday and I haven't heard from them. As of now, I don't even know if I can return the stone at all, since I've no instructions or address on where to send it.

When time on Thursday you emailed them? I really don't think you should expect a vendor to return emails on a Saturday, I didn't know they are providing a 24 hour 7 days service to their customers. Maybe they should return your email on Friday, but you caught them on a day off? Sorry your recut plan didn't work out and you feel like you were pressed for time, may be it is something you should communicate with the vendor before purchase if you think you need a longer return time in your situation?

You already explained they were upfront about the inclusion and the gash is actually a natural, and they also gave you 30 days to return the stone, why are you still angry with them?

I had my share of bad experiences with vendors but Litnon has always make it very easy and painless to purchase from.

If a vendor never return my emails I'll assume they do not want my business.

 

[mastercutgems]

I am sorry Chrissa222 that my response inflamed you so much as it was not my intent... It was not personally directed at you but I see you took it that way...


I will not be posting for a while as I am going to better serve my clients

Man this is treacherous waters here... yikes I had to check my rear to see if I still had one

Most respectfully;

Dana Reynolds
ASG Certified Supreme Master Gem Cutter 96cge42

 

[pregcurious]

I feel your pain. I emailed a vendor about a stone this week within 3 hours of a drop, and I haven't heard anything. I keep on seeing other stones getting reserved. It's frustrating. I've emailed two times already, and am just going to wait it out.

 

[chrono]

Pregcurious,
I know what you mean. My experience is that if you "win" the stone, he gets back to you fairly quickly. If not, presume that someone else "won" it. I didn't get what I wanted either but that's the way drops work. I only got lucky once.

 

[minousbijoux]

I have found that although he *tries* to respond to all emails, there have been times when I just didn't hear from him at all about the stone. But once, I actually sent him an email saying basically, "oh well, I guess I didn't get it," and he wrote back saying that I had, even though it was hours after the drop...

 

[chrono]

He responds very quickly to regular email inquiries but I think he gets swamped during the monthly drops, probably receiving hundreds of emails.

 

[pregcurious]

I just heard back and I did get the stone. I will start a new thread when it comes in. Thanks guys. This is truly a support group of sorts. Thread jack ended.

 

[distracts]

I feel your pain. I emailed a vendor about a stone this week within 3 hours of a drop, and I haven't heard anything. I keep on seeing other stones getting reserved. It's frustrating. I've emailed two times already, and am just going to wait it out.

The same thing happened to me with what I am going to assume is the same vendor. I emailed about two stones, one which has been reserved since then and one which has still not. I have contemplated trying from a different email address in case my email was blocked for some reason. It's very confusing, and I think probably not the best way to do sales.

 

[chrono]

I just heard back and I did get the stone. I will start a new thread when it comes in. Thanks guys. This is truly a support group of sorts. Thread jack ended.

Congrats! Hope it lives up to your expectations.

 

[ChrisA222]

Same thing here...I didnt hear though, so I guess I didnt get the stone. But it sure is frustrating when you are seeing these stones becoming reserved and all the while wondering why yours isnt, when you are sure you emailed him about it...twice

 

[mochiko42]

*bumping an old thread..


I recently bought a few items off Litnon's site but apart from the Paypal payment confirmation email, haven't received any other communication (Litnon confirmation, shipping/tracking info, or any other emails). While I know it's right before Xmas and the lack of updates may be due to the holiday rush, I wanted to check if anyone else has ordered from Litnon recently? What is the usual time between ordering and shipping, and do you get notified when your purchase is shipped?

It's my first time purchasing loose gemstones, so I'm a little nervous/ excited. (Also since I'm outside the US I wonder if the delay was related to that...)

 

[Indylady]

*bumping an old thread..


I recently bought a few items off Litnon's site but apart from the Paypal payment confirmation email, haven't received any other communication (Litnon confirmation, shipping/tracking info, or any other emails). While I know it's right before Xmas and the lack of updates may be due to the holiday rush, I wanted to check if anyone else has ordered from Litnon recently? What is the usual time between ordering and shipping, and do you get notified when your purchase is shipped?

It's my first time purchasing loose gemstones, so I'm a little nervous/ excited. (Also since I'm outside the US I wonder if the delay was related to that...)

How long ago did you buy the items?

 

[mochiko42]

*bumping an old thread..


I recently bought a few items off Litnon's site but apart from the Paypal payment confirmation email, haven't received any other communication (Litnon confirmation, shipping/tracking info, or any other emails). While I know it's right before Xmas and the lack of updates may be due to the holiday rush, I wanted to check if anyone else has ordered from Litnon recently? What is the usual time between ordering and shipping, and do you get notified when your purchase is shipped?

It's my first time purchasing loose gemstones, so I'm a little nervous/ excited. (Also since I'm outside the US I wonder if the delay was related to that...)

How long ago did you buy the items?

Oops, forgot to mention that in my original message! I bought it four days ago. I'm not concerned yet, since there was the weekend and holiday rush, but was just curious as it seems other folks have had some delays in communications with Litnon in the past - just wondered if this was still the case.

 

[happybear]

Oops, forgot to mention that in my original message! I bought it four days ago. I'm not concerned yet, since there was the weekend and holiday rush, but was just curious as it seems other folks have had some delays in communications with Litnon in the past - just wondered if this was still the case.

Hi mochiko42,

You should be receiving an update from PayPal soon, based on what I experienced recently. I bought something from them on 5th Dec and got an update from PayPal on the shipping info on 10th Dec. Litnon sent the parcel via Express, though, so I received it earlier than expected.

Just sharing my recent experience with them.

I'm curious... What did you get?

 

[mochiko42]

Oops, forgot to mention that in my original message! I bought it four days ago. I'm not concerned yet, since there was the weekend and holiday rush, but was just curious as it seems other folks have had some delays in communications with Litnon in the past - just wondered if this was still the case.

Hi mochiko42,

You should be receiving an update from PayPal soon, based on what I experienced recently. I bought something from them on 5th Dec and got an update from PayPal on the shipping info on 10th Dec. Litnon sent the parcel via Express, though, so I received it earlier than expected.

Just sharing my recent experience with them.

I'm curious... What did you get?

I'm glad you had a good experience! What did you get?

I just started liking gemstones a few months back when I got engaged and started looking at e-rings.. I bought the Richard Wise book and a coffee-table book ("Rings: Jewelry of Power, Love and Loyalty") by Diana Scarisbrick that has some really wonderful photos. (haha the start of a slippery path..), and I finally decided to make a few small purchases from a PS-recommended vendor to "study" ( ) in person rather than just looking at Internet photos.

So, I won't be heart-broken if it ends up I overpaid or if they're not what I expected, etc. At least I have more confidence buying (as a newbie) from Litnon than randomly searching on Ebay!

I got 3 relatively budget-friendly stones (for me) to start:

Natural Lavendar Pink Namya Spinel 1.50ct <-- visible inclusions in the vendor photos but I'm OK with small inclusions (my sapphire ering has some inclusions) as I like stones with natural character
http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=9791

Top Cut! Natural Golden Citrine Brazil 5,34 ct <-- it seemed to have some dark areas/zoning (?) in the vendor photos but not sure if it was the angle.
http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=8758

Portuguese Cut Light Green Tourmaline Afghanistan 3.11 ct <-- this is the one I took a little bit more of a risk on, since it was pricier than the others. But I really like green and I have completely fallen in love with Portuguese cuts.........
http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=8807

I don't know if I trust my judgment when going only on photos, so I'm going into this as a learning experience.

 

[happybear]

Nice! Do make a new thread on them once you receive them!

I got this.... after seeing some nice blue zircons here.
http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=9803

I'm also rather new to CS. Came to Pricescope when I was researching for my e-ring and couldn't leave since then

 

[mochiko42]

Nice! Do make a new thread on them once you receive them!

I got this.... after seeing some nice blue zircons here.
http://www.litnon.com/index.php?page=viewgem&id=9803

I'm also rather new to CS. Came to Pricescope when I was researching for my e-ring and couldn't leave since then

Oooh that's a really pretty emerald cut stone, and the blue is really scrumptious! Have you decided how you're going to set it yet?

 

[chrono]

When I purchased from Litnon during Thanksgiving week, they responded to my email within 2 days and once I confirmed that I was buying the stone, I received an invoice later that night. I don't know if there is any tracking for international mail but since I am within the US and the purchased amount was under $500, there was no tracking. The package just showed up a week later.

 

[mochiko42]

When I purchased from Litnon during Thanksgiving week, they responded to my email within 2 days and once I confirmed that I was buying the stone, I received an invoice later that night. I don't know if there is any tracking for international mail but since I am within the US and the purchased amount was under $500, there was no tracking. The package just showed up a week later.

Thanks for the feedback, Chrono!

I emailed them yesterday and got a prompt response from Michael with the USPS tracking number. So I guess if you have an international order, you get a tracking number even if your order is below $500 (I ordered just over $300.)

I'm eagerly awaiting the package!!

 

[mochiko42]

Just wanted to give an updated review of my experience purchasing from Michael (Litnon / Gemline) for the first time. I hope it's helpful for any other non-US PSers, since Michael said that international customers are almost half of his customer base these days.

I purchased 3 stones (about a total of $300) on Dec 19. I received the shipping confirmation and tracking number (USPS Express Int'l) on Dec 23. According to USPS, the expected delivery date was Dec 30. However, due to some error, my package was shipped to a different country on a different continent (!!) and eventually had to be rerouted back to the US and then finally on to its original destination. I received the package yesterday (January 20), a full three weeks after it was supposed to arrive. (It was sent to Honduras instead of Hong Kong... )

Throughout the process Michael was helpful in working with USPS to figure out what went wrong and how to reroute the package to its correct destination. (He sent me a scan of the original mailing slip and USPS receipt, which had the correct address & country clearly stated, so I know it was not his fault, but rather USPS made an error somewhere..)

I'm glad that I wasn't in a rush to receive my goodies, but overall I had a good experience with Gem Line's customer service. I would absolutely recommend and would purchase from Gem Line again, although I can't say the same for the US Postal Service!

Michael also said that he may set up an alternative such as UPS in future, which may help reduce this type of situation for international customers.

On to the review of the goodies!

In general I found that the vendor descriptions are pretty accurate, and the stones are much livelier and nicer in person than in the vendor photos. The only thing I would say is that the "small natural" surface blemish on the pavilion of the pink spinel that I purchased seems a bit larger than "small" .. but maybe that's a subjective thing. In any case the gem faces up eye-clean and I think the blemish will not be visible once set. The price for the spinel wasn't bad so I guess I can't complain. I haven't had a chance to shoot photos in daylight, will try to get to it this weekend and post them later

 

[chrono]

Your stones are experienced world travelers. But seriously, I'm glad they finally made their way to you in HK and that you love what you received. Thank you for the review too.