Arguing with vendor over purchased Spinel

[Mreader]

@Rfisher is the best!

She is! And the same thing happened to her where a PSer “tattled” - so immature.

 

[Odyssey44]

That would be terrible, but are you certain it happened? Since he told you to poll PS, he may have just come around to monitor the conversation.

In any event, had I seen what he said about taking back the offer of an exchange out of spite, I would've been much harsher in my response on the other thread. That is just unprofessional, childish, and malicious. He asked you to post here about it! I won't buy from him, but then again I'm not a big fan of IG purchases to begin with for this very reason. I know a lot of PS members have been pleased with him. But the real show of someone's character is when a sale does not go smoothly. His inventory is fabulous. I'm questioning his attitude and store policies.

Thanks Dear Autumn. It was really shocking. I have never encountered this kind of behavior from any type of vendor selling anything before! Childish and malicious are exactly the words for him, yes. I thought the same to myself--he seemed very nice and knowledgeable--right up until I went back to him with the window issue. He became cranky about that pretty much right away. The bottom line is until there is a problem, no one can be sure how good any vendor is. That is when they shine or sink. I will never wire money again, I know that. Credit card or I am not buying. $850 is not a small sum, but it is not so big that it is a massive loss. Funny thing is I was going to buy another stone from him--I asked him to keep his eyes open for a loupe clean neon pink spinel for me. That would have been much, much more. So thank goodness there was not one already in his inventory. And of course I am never going to buy from him again--So he kept his $800 and lost out on a future sale of thousands. Not very smart. Another lesson--it may be best to test a vendor with a smaller sale first before committing a lot of money on a more expensive stone.

As to the spy on this thread--he claimed to me he did not go to PS anymore and to tell him what happened. And he told me someone contacted him to claim I said he was not answering my question about whether the stone was precision cut. Is it true? In as much as he said it, yes. I would not take any bet that involved betting on him to tell the truth though. Him editing our message flow was pretty darn shady.

He was all happy when he thought PSers backed up all his opinions after I said he was right on the tilt window (he really seems to not know that phrase). He became angrier when PSers did not back him up that there was no middle window. I had to smirk when he said in the other thread he started that PSers are "fair and square." Yeah---right up until they disagree with him. Then they do not have the necessary expertise.

I was out tonight so catching up on posts now. I truly appreciate you saying everything you have. My spirit is really buoyed to see no one has changed their opinion just because the vendor accused me of manipulating photos. I even picked different colored backgrounds to try to have my pictures be as fair and representative as possible. I hope in time I will laugh about the absurdity of that. Not there yet though!

 

[Odyssey44]

That all being said, I'm so sorry this has been your introduction into CS buying. Please don't let it color (no pun intended) your feelings toward collecting. It has enriched my life in so many ways, not least among them, all of the wonderful relationships I've forged along the way.

I'm still hoping the seller will reflect on the issue and decide to accept a return here. If not, count me amongst those who feel the window will almost certainly be less discernable when set, especially if you use a jeweler who is experienced in that respect.

But if you can't get past any negative feelings associated with the purchase now, it would be best to sell and recoup what you can. Honestly, I wouldn't use LT for this one... PS'ers might not want to get involved after the bad PR. Sell it on ebay or etsy, etc. Post the best glamour shots you can, without resorting to witchcraft to hide the window. And for goodness sake, if someone asks if the gem has a window, tell them it has a small one. lol I think you have a good chance of getting all of your money back.

Thank you, thank you! I feel the virtual hug and send it back. I am not going to let this stop me. It has definitely cooled me on IG though. Not sure what it would take to get me back over there, at least out of country wise. I know some US precision cutters sell there and that would be ok as long as they take credit cards.

I have some precision cut amethyst arriving tomorrow hopefully. I know this is not spinel-level, but I really liked the colors I saw and can't wait to see them in person. I could use getting to post a happy post!

Good advice--PSers may remember the bad juju with this stone. And do not worry---I am someone who would be mortified not to disclose any issues! I will say it has a small window upfront in the listing precisely because I do not want anyone to experience what I did! Let me ask you this--do have any idea what would sell better, the loose stone or a finished ring? It will be easier to see how I feel about the stone once it is set. But I probably should not do that if I am more likely to recoup more money selling the loose stone.

 

[Odyssey44]

FYI, he posted your IG handle, not sure if it matters. I'm sorry this happened @Odyssey44. I would feel the same about the bad juju. I was following him based on recs here and had even been in touch about a sapphire, but will not be pursuing that. Thank you for sharing your experience. I don't actually know anything about windows, but definitely need to be able to trust my vendors.

I saw that Hockey Mama. I am not a big poster on IG, so I am not going to worry about it. I mostly lurk. That sure was another thing that annoyed me, after I showed him the courtesy of being careful with his identity. I did not even reveal it once he reneged on his trade-in offer in a snit.
I so very much appreciate you saying thanks. I am very, very glad if I save even one person any heartache associated with this vendor. If the stone was nice, you would have had a perfectly fine transaction. If there was an issue though, it would have been horrible and you would have been blamed. Find vendors that people have reported handled problems well. That is the key. That is what I plan to do from now on. Everyone is nice when the sun is shining. What happens in stormy weather?

 

[Odyssey44]

She is! And the same thing happened to her where a PSer “tattled” - so immature.

Oh, wow! I am sorry to hear she was in that position! But she was so very empathic towards me it makes sense. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. But if it does, I hope I can be half as comforting to them as she was to me. Hers was also the very first reply I read, when I was feeling attacked and particularly down about it all. It made a big difference to me.

 

[VividRed]

I bought from Stefan more than once and was never disappointed.

But this episode leaves me scratching my head. I simply don't understand vendors taking it to PS to try and justify themselves and post a PRIVATE chat history with the customer - this is the worst possible PR in my book. It can only get ugly.

And of course, while small, the window is there, period

 

[Dreamer_D]

I understand the principle of the thing and all that, and $800 is not a small sum of money, but this isn’t worth the stress IMO. Chalk it up to lessons learned, take a break to let it all cool down emotionally for you, then set and wear your pretty gem or sell it.