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Avoid Shenoa & Co. (Global Bargain Hunters) at all costs!

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topforextrader

Rough_Rock
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
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Dear Pricescope readers, I realize that there are already several warnings about the scam artists Shenoa & Co. on this forum, but I wanted to post my own horrible experience with this company. First, I actually bought my ring from a company listed as Global Bargain Hunters on Ebay, but this company turned out to be simply another alias for Shenoa & Co. So be forewarned that if you are looking to buy a diamond ring off of Ebay make sure it is not from Shenoa & Co. or Global Bargain Hunters. They may very well have other aliases they are using as well.

Here is the short & skinny of what happened...I purchased what was supposed to be a .78 carat solitaire ring, round brilliant cut, VS1 clarity, and G color. I am certainly no expert on diamonds, but even I could tell as soon as I opened my UPS package that I had been seriously misled. I then took the ring to a local jeweler to get an appraisal. Well the ring was appraised as a .47 carat, SI3, J-K color. Obviously I was furious and immediately returned the ring.

After returning the ring, the customer service agent actually had the nerve to tell me he had put the ring on the diamond scale himself and that the diamond was actually a .79 carat, as they don''t mind giving away an extra point or two. I cannot even fathom what kind of company and what kind of person it takes to lie outright to my face and treat me as if I am the world''s biggest fool. I personally held the ring I received up to a .75 diamond ring and the difference was obvious. The customer service agent then went on to tell me that the local jeweler was deceiving me for his own purposes. This is the line you will see as response to any negative feedback they receive on Ebay! According to Shenoa all local jewelers are out to screw the consumer by issuing faulty appraisals! These scammers will do anything to avoid negative feedback on Ebay!

Anyhow, it took three phone calls, five emails, and numerous threats to receive my refund, but I finally did get my money back. Oh yeah, they did leave an extra $20 on my card though probably just as one last little attempt to win the "Worst Online Seller in the History of the Internet" award. I wrote them a scathing email telling them all the ways I was going to spread the word of avoiding their company so they did also refund that $20. All said and done I lost a total of $145 on this fiasco due to a bogus certificate they won''t refund money on, return shipping, and the real appraisal.

Learn from my mistake and others to avoid this company. That is Shenoa & Co. and Global Bargain Hunters! If you are insane enough to purchase a diamond online, call the company first if there is a phone number and make absolute sure that you are not buying from Shenoa & Co. hiding under yet another alias.

Help me spread the word about this terrible company. When a deal seems to good to be true it is. No exceptions.
 
I''m sorry, but anyone who would buy a diamond on Ebay . . .

(I''d better not finish that sentence.)
 
Guess you learned a hard lesson. I''m glad you got your money back.
 
Yes, I admit I was a fool on this one. The company has overwhelmingly positive feedback on Ebay which is what made me take the chance. I have always found in the past that company''s with very positive feedback on Ebay turn out to be very reputable and the experience is good. It seems that Shenoa offers disatissfied customers incentives to remove their negative feedback. I believe many people never get the diamonds they purchase from Shenoa appraised because they want to believe the lie that they are getting a fantastic deal. I posted my shame for the benefit of others. I ended up buying an absolutely beautiful ring from an estate jeweler, so even though I paid a bit more, I still got an incredible ring for a great value. Everyone compliments my fiance on it.
 
There are thousands of untold stories like yours. Thank you for helping others to avoid having to learn a hard lesson as you did.

It is true that some appraisers are biased. A few retailers do abuse the appraisal process in order to ''knock'' purchases made at any competitor''s stopre or on-line. When you want a vaild second opiniuon, you must seek out an unbiased expert, not what we''d call a captive gemologist who follows the dictates of the boss or loses their job.

I''m glad you were able to recover most of your costs. You did a great job. THANKS AGAIN.
 
Getting 0.47 carats instead of 0.7x carats.

Can you post a copy of the jeweler''s appraisal here?

Does it have diameter and depth information on it, and is that information on the bill from Sheona - et al?

Did your jeweler appraiser remove the stone and actually weigh it? or was the weight estimated while set?

Not defending Shenoa or its aliases, but discrepancies to this extent are pretty uncommon, particularly in the carat weight of the stone.

Carat weight really isn''t a subjective call. It is what it is, as long as the stones weight is a result of an actual weighing.

Did the stone from Shenoa have a lab report such as EGL IGI AGS or GIA?

I am curious as to why the appraiser used SI-3, and by what standard he chose that. SI-3 is not a grade recognized by AGS and GIA, the major labs.
 
I have recently purchased my enagement ring from Shenoa & Co (not online - at the store itself) and I have had a great experience with them. What I think needs to be clarified is that online vs in store consumers tend to be two completely different animals. Now if you were intentionally deceived I think that is terrible and you have every single right to demand your money back.

Did they give you an appraisal that showed the carat rate at .75? If they did, how could they be that stupid to ship you a .4ish stone?? Do they not think you can tell the difference?? From what I understand the people who handle the internet business are different from those in the store. I delt with Boris and Mel at the store and they were great. If you are in the area you should definitely stop in there and voice your complaint and speak to someone. It is easier to hide behind an email or put a "customer service" rep on the phone to handle a potential problem.

My advice is to stay away from buying stones online in general, unless they come with GIA certification. Going in a physically seeing the stone beats any online image any day of the week.

I am glad everything turned out well for you.
 
It does happen. A few years ago I bought what was supposed to be a .75 from an online vendor on ebay called surat.
They sent me a .40 stone. I had to file complaints with ebay, and even filed an online fbi form until I got my money back.

The band wasnt even the same one pictured.
 
Date: 3/13/2006 3:20:28 PM
Author: Jensia
It does happen. A few years ago I bought what was supposed to be a .75 from an online vendor on ebay called surat.
They sent me a .40 stone. I had to file complaints with ebay, and even filed an online fbi form until I got my money back.

The band wasnt even the same one pictured.

Hi Jensia


Is Surat a company in India, with offices in the Miami Florida area?

Did the FBI ever do anything to help?


Rockdoc
 
Date: 3/13/2006 3:05:11 PM
Author: RockDoc
Getting 0.47 carats instead of 0.7x carats.

Can you post a copy of the jeweler's appraisal here?

Does it have diameter and depth information on it, and is that information on the bill from Sheona - et al?

Did your jeweler appraiser remove the stone and actually weigh it? or was the weight estimated while set?

Not defending Shenoa or its aliases, but discrepancies to this extent are pretty uncommon, particularly in the carat weight of the stone.

Carat weight really isn't a subjective call. It is what it is, as long as the stones weight is a result of an actual weighing.

Did the stone from Shenoa have a lab report such as EGL IGI AGS or GIA?

I am curious as to why the appraiser used SI-3, and by what standard he chose that. SI-3 is not a grade recognized by AGS and GIA, the major labs.
RockDoc and others....you might be interested in viewing this Ebay listing from Global Bargain Hunters...It is a sample appraisal of an appraisal that you can purchase....?????
33.gif


http://cgi.ebay.com/DIAMOND-GRADING-CERTIFICATE-NATIONAL-GEMOLOGICAL-LAB_W0QQitemZ8913693001QQcategoryZ505QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem




www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 
Oh my I cant even remember, it was so long ago. I just went to the FBI website and filled out a form. I never did hear anything back on the matter. In the end I got my money back and it was a pain . This was one of those nr auctions, and I had won it for llike $275.00 , I think the seller didnt want it to go at that low price and sent me the .40. That was my opinion at the time.
The .40 was a nice vs diamond, and very worth it, but not what was listed.
 
Diamonds by Nicole is ANOTHER alias of Shenoa. I was drooling over a neclace and called the number to ask a question about it and the automated voice that picked up said the name Shenoa. I did a search on the internet before buying and decided against it. Made me decide not worth the risk to buy on ebay.
 
The customer purchased a diamond that was accurately graded and was sold as a 0.78 ct diamond. The customer took it to his local jeweler who killed the sale and attempted to sell him a diamond of his own. We re-examined the diamond upon its return and believe it was represented accurately. Our scale, approved by the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, weighed the diamond in at 0.79 ct, after removing the diamond from its setting.

The customer then extorted us with the threats of bad mouthing our business on the internet and television. He even stated that he he been on TV twice before, reinforcing our belief he was some type of publicity seeker. We then refunded him shipping and certification fees, which are both clearly advertised as being non-refundable.

I agree with David Atlas's previous post, that getting an independant appraisal for a qualified expert that does not buy or sell diamonds is the only way to go. We include a letter with every shipment that states this. The problem is some customers believe that they are going a fair and unbiased opinion from "their jeweler". Their jeweler has watched the become more competive as online merchants are now selling to their client base.

We have thousands of satisifed and happy customers and continue to add to that loyal base on a daily basis. We offer engagement rings in all price points, from $100 to one Million Dollars. The eBay shopper is typically looking for a "bargain", hence the name Global Bargain Hunters. The ebay shopper is typically looking to purchase at the lower end of the price ranges.

Bottom line; this buyer to our diamond to our competitor, returned the diamond, then extorted non-refundable fees from us, and apparently still wasn't happy.

As always, I believe and educated onsumer is our best customer, and that buyers should research what type od Laboratory Certification, if any, that they require, and then be willing to pay the appropriate price.

Good by, and God Bless
35.gif
 
I appreciate your response and it is interesting to see that you are monitoring the forums. We will agree to disagree on this one, because the amount of lies in your post should embarrass you. The readers on this forum can form their own opinions on which story rings more true.

I want to make it quite clear that the sale was not killed by a local jeweler attempting to get my business. I told the jeweler I had an engagement ring I had purchased some time ago that I now wished to sell, and therefore needed a fair and accurate appraisal. I made it extremely obvious I was not looking to purchase a ring from him. This jeweler is a G.G. of GIA, has been in business for over 25 years, and is very well respected. He had nothing to personally gain by listing the weight as .47 instead of .78. I did not at any point buy a ring from this jeweler and he made no attempt to sell me a ring, so that claim is absolutely 100% false.

A small amount of research will reveal that Shenoa''s typical response is always, "local jeweler killed the sale". Every local jeweler in the country it seems is appraising diamonds far, far below their true value. That is a very far-fetched hypothesis in my humble opinion.

Also, I did not receive a refund for the certificate as the previous post states. It still remains on my credit card. I requested a refund for the certificate because it did not come close to matching the ring, but they refused. That is their prerogative to not refund the certificate cost, but that doesn''t give them the right to lie and say the refund was given.

I was on Ebay looking for a bargain as most people are, and I see nothing wrong with seeking the best price on goods and services. I simply got more than I bargained for in the end!
 
Thanks for warning others with your story. Maybe you should dispute the certificate charge with your credit card company since it was a fraudulent cert.
 
So you went to the local jeweler and lied to him that you were looking to sell it, right ? In one of your emails you stated "I am honest to a fault". I guess only when it is convenient. The local jeweler who migh be interested in purchasing "your" ring has an interest in devalueing it, so that he can buy it very inexpensivley. That is why we recommend taking the item to someone that "does not BUY or Sell".

So now we have the TRUTH and the REAL story from you. Thanks for explaining what we already knew.
 

An appraisal estimating what to expect with the resale of a ring is decidedly not the same thing as an appraisal estimating what you should expect it to cost at a jewelry store and an offer to buy isn’t an appraisal at all. On this I agree with Shenoa. The primary discrepancy seems to be between the appraisers grading and the sellers grading. Correct? Again, I’m leaning towards Shenoa. They’re pretty upfront in their advertisements about their non-refundable fees and the rules surrounding both their return policy and the quality of their grading. You chose to shop there anyway.



They honored their policy and then some. By all means, feel free to not shop there if you don’t like their policies or their products but they deserve credit for saying up front what they were going to do and then doing what they said.



Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
Well, the senario sure does happen quite a bit. Same story. Same response. Something that makes you go huumm.

My guess is that the stone was so deep that it faced up like that of a <.50.
 
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