Bailey Banks and Biddle your opinions wanted.

[Gypsy]

Since we have a representative from BBB here ...

I thought we should tell our new member Jonathan from BBB our experiences with his store. The good, and the bad.

Personally, I've been completely ignored a few times. The sales people weren't busy, but wouldn't let me catch thier eyes when I was CLEARLY looking at their settings, or their earrings.

Lied to twice. I asked for customization options on a Tacori setting and on a different occasion on a Memoire band. Both times I was told these designers don't customize. When they do. Maybe it wasn't intentional and it was just lack of familiarity with the product, but in my opinion, they could have checked with the designer.

I've heard them tell people that clarity and color are the most important aspect of a diamonds performance.

And I had one woman refuse to clean my ring because my old setting had the 14K stamp inside the head (odd place, but still) and said they don't offer cleaning for immitation jewelry. And would I like to see "what real diamonds look like."

She had never seen an asscher before, and nothing I said would convince her it was a 'real' cut. "Emerald cuts are rectangular" was what she had to say. That was in August.

I can honestly say I have never had INFORMED, HONEST AND POLITE service there.

 

[dolphingirl22]

I have also been completey ignored. Its not like they were busy, there was NOBODY else in the store and about 5 sales people standing around. I was wearing a hoodie and jeans....I guess I wasn''t dressed nice enough? Thats why I love buying online...I can sit on the couch on my old sweats and a t-shirt and get treated exactly the same as everyone else. Maybe the top notch service he was speaking of is only for the people that appear to have money.

 

[tberube]

Date: 12/20/2007 7:05:47 PM
Author:Gypsy
Since we have a representative from BBB here ...

I thought we should tell our new member Jonathan from BBB our experiences with his store. The good, and the bad.

Personally, I''ve been completely ignored a few times. The sales people weren''t busy, but wouldn''t let me catch thier eyes when I was CLEARLY looking at their settings, or their earrings.

Lied to twice. I asked for customization options on a Tacori setting and on a different occasion on a Memoire band. Both times I was told these designers don''t customize. When they do. Maybe it wasn''t intentional and it was just lack of familiarity with the product, but in my opinion, they could have checked with the designer.

I''ve heard them tell people that clarity and color are the most important aspect of a diamonds performance.

And I had one woman refuse to clean my ring because my old setting had the 14K stamp inside the head (odd place, but still) and said they don''t offer cleaning for immitation jewelry. And would I like to see ''what real diamonds look like.''

She had never seen an asscher before, and nothing I said would convince her it was a ''real'' cut. ''Emerald cuts are rectangular'' was what she had to say. That was in August.

I can honestly say I have never had INFORMED, HONEST AND POLITE service there.

Holy crap. Wow. My fiance has told me that BBB was a very stuffy, impolite place to be, but wow that''s brazen. It really gets me that someone who works in a jewelry store wouldn''t know what an asscher cut diamond was.

I bet I''d be a great candidate to work in a BBB - sounds like I already know more about jewelry than they do! HA!

 

[Miranda]

I live in So Ca. The BBB at South Coast Plaza is beyond terrible. The sales people are rude and unhelpful. On the other hand, the BBB at The Shops at Mission Viejo is wonderful. The sales agent that helped me look at Memoire bands was very helpful. She even took out some goodies for my daughter to look at. Another time I was looking at three stone settings with DH and a different sales agent was helping us. She, too, was helpful and seemed excited about jewelry (aside from not knowing the difference between a radiant and a cushion). I mentioned that I loved ovals and she tore off to the back to get a 5+ ct they had in the safe. Though I haven''t yet, I would absolutely buy something from the MV store.

 

[2bogey]

Here''s my experience: I had my class ring rhodium plated at BBB in SF. My class ring looked completely different after the plating, but it''s finally looking normal now (5 years later). For some unknown reason, BBB sent me a free $100 gift card in the mail later that year. Yay! So I used the gift card to purchase a BBB yellow gold heart pendant. But within a year, the BBB pendant broke. So I bought the same pendant from Tiffany which I still wear now.

 

[ringabling]

we have a new one where I live. I''ve visited it several times and have had nothing but fantastic service from them. Their items were high quality, even my favorite local jeweler gives them this
Although my local jeweler went in to "shop them" and also complained of poor customer service.
I tried to get DH to buy me a gorgeous JBStar ring from them!
I''d definitely recommedn mine or go back for a purchase. . . haven''t bought anything so far from them.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Not all locations are the same! Some stores have rude sales people, some don''t. It''s like that with nearly every store, not just jewelry stores, but clothing stores, etc.,

The one located nearby me has great, patient sales associates. I went in there to try on the Roberto Coin Palm Tree necklace and had my two kids with me. The sales gal came up to me and helped me immediately and talked and entertained my kids while I looked at the necklace. The next day I decided to go back and buy it. The whole experience was to my satisfaction. The ONLY part I regret now is that she sold me the necklace in the showcase and the clasp isn''t as "tight" as a new one would be. I wish I had asked if they had another necklace in back.

 

[onvacation]

Date: 12/20/2007 8:13:12 PM
Author: ringabling
we have a new one where I live. I''ve visited it several times and have had nothing but fantastic service from them. Their items were high quality, even my favorite local jeweler gives them this
Although my local jeweler went in to ''shop them'' and also complained of poor customer service.
I tried to get DH to buy me a gorgeous JBStar ring from them!
I''d definitely recommedn mine or go back for a purchase. . . haven''t bought anything so far from them.

I''ve only been there once, to a store in the Oak Brook mall near Chicago. It was near closing time, but the lady there was very excited to show us their watches, catalogues, and whatever else we needed to compare. Maybe it was because we were the only people in the store? Anyhow, she seemed to know her stuff farily well, and kindly dug through catalogs to show us our options. She was also really nice, commenting on how she liked my coat, and offered to show me their jewelry pieces too! (Because once I looked round the watch displays and made up my mind about which watch to go with, I was naturally glued to the e-ring display cases.) Now anytime I get an offer like this I normally wouldn''t have declined, but we were running short on time and had just spent the past hour at the Tiffany''s nearby, so we had to leave. But all in all, we had a great time there, and didn''t feel pressured to buy, either. She wrote down the quote for the watch and the necessary information on the back of her business card, telling us we could always come back with the card and that they would honor the price for a number of months (that I don''t remember anymore). Based on service alone, I would have definitely bought the watch in that store that day. Now, to find the funds for the watch...!

 

[onvacation]

Date: 12/20/2007 7:05:47 PM
Author:Gypsy
Since we have a representative from BBB here ...

I thought we should tell our new member Jonathan from BBB our experiences with his store. The good, and the bad.

Personally, I''ve been completely ignored a few times. The sales people weren''t busy, but wouldn''t let me catch thier eyes when I was CLEARLY looking at their settings, or their earrings.

Lied to twice. I asked for customization options on a Tacori setting and on a different occasion on a Memoire band. Both times I was told these designers don''t customize. When they do. Maybe it wasn''t intentional and it was just lack of familiarity with the product, but in my opinion, they could have checked with the designer.

I''ve heard them tell people that clarity and color are the most important aspect of a diamonds performance.

And I had one woman refuse to clean my ring because my old setting had the 14K stamp inside the head (odd place, but still) and said they don''t offer cleaning for immitation jewelry. And would I like to see ''what real diamonds look like.''

She had never seen an asscher before, and nothing I said would convince her it was a ''real'' cut. ''Emerald cuts are rectangular'' was what she had to say. That was in August.

I can honestly say I have never had INFORMED, HONEST AND POLITE service there.

That is horrible! That''s definitely cause for complaint to the management, or corporate even! But I could imagine service like that might make you feel it''s not even worth it to fight, huh? I totally feel for you. Just stare into your lovely ring, and forget, forget, forget.

 

[surfgirl]

Well, I've been mainly to the one at South Coast Plaza and while the staff have been nice to me, they also know nothing about diamonds...Other than "oh, these are the very best diamonds...blah blah blah." They have no clue about cuts or the 4C's and how to talk about them in any coherent manner other than to parrot what is on the item tag. They also, while being very nice, always appear to be very desperate to make a sale. It's always a "buy it now, I beg of you" demeanor. Which makes me suspicious. It's too bad that they dont get paid well without commission. I think it would be different if there was no commission in the equation.

That said, the lighting is quite good, way better than Tiffany's so props for good lighting! But honestly, there isn't anything I'd buy there knowing the salespeople know so little about what they sell. For example, we went there looking for an eternity band for my wedding ring and I tried on a lovely prong set band, which looked pretty but it overwhelmed my ering and it obviously hit the ering setting in a place that would have been rubbing against both the setting and possibly the center stone. When the salesperson asked if I liked it I said I did but that it wasn't an contender because of the prongs hitting the ering in the wrong place. She of course told me that wasn't the case and that platinum was very strong and there is no way the prong band would rub against or damage my ering or it's setting in any way. I was thinking "seriously?!? Anyone can SEE where it's hitting my ering. It is totally obvious!" That really turned me off to BBB because I figure if someone is that desperate for a sale, what else will they tell me just to close the deal?

ETA: When BBB was down in San Diego years ago, it seemed like a higher end store. Now it seems like I'm in Ben Bridge when I'm in BBB. Even the colors are identical to BB. It's weird.

 

[Jonathan the Jeweler]

I wouldn''t say the company is perfect, as no one is. I apololigize for the poor service these salespeople provided you and desire to make amends as best I can. We offer a solid high-quality product at a convenient location. We can deliver service that rivals a good independant. I will always clean and polish jewelry for customers, buying or not, when I have the chance. Though, during busy times, you may have to wait. This is mostly where our value to the consumer lies, but evidently not all stores are run as well as they should. We are under new ownership now, and I hope this will cause a change in the company for the better. I have other experience in the industry and working for BBB is my part time job while attending college. I am not a zealot for the company, however I will say that we can bring beautiful jewelry to people that they will enjoy for years. Our company has contacts with many of the finest manufacturers and can give some good deals on upscale product. Its not the place to go for rock bottom prices, but sometimes in jewelry it seems that the lowest price is not always the best deal.

 

[Jonathan the Jeweler]

BTW I do not claim to represent Bailey Banks & Biddle. I merely am stating my affiliation as a matter of fact. I will try to maintain objectivity in my posts, but acknowledge that my view is partially determined by my position with them. I do have other experience in the broader industry, and so do have other sources for my perspectives.

 

[Jonathan the Jeweler]

One More thing, While I agree that the cut of the diamond is most important for determining the stones overall beauty, some customers may prefer a good, or maybe even fair cut, if they can reach the more elite levels of clarity VS,VVS, or IF, and color D,E,F and still fit a particular budget. For shear optical brillance an "ideal" cut diamond is best, but many people have other criteria with a different emphasis.

 

[KtIceRN]

You will find that around here CUT IS KING. There is no ifs ands or buts about it, period.

Pser''s and the people who learn about cut know this and most would rather have a 0.5 ct d IF ideal cut stone than a 0.75 D IF fair cut stone.

 

[Jonathan the Jeweler]

I would agree with you, but not all consumers would share this position. Stones with mediocre cuts have their place as entry level pieces in the higher grades of cut and clarity. Different consumers can place varying importance on each part of the four C's and still work to a price-point that they are comfortable with. To my eyes a better cut is more beautiful, but everyone doesn't see beauty same. I recently sold a 1.2 ct. F/VS1 with a good cut by GIA. All said and done the customer paid about 12k after setting in a designer platinum setting. The customer was cost sensitive, and had he demanded a better cut he would not be able to afford the other fine aspects of his diamond and setting. The recipient loved the piece and wears it proudly knowing how rare and costly such a colorless and clean stone is.

 

[KtIceRN]

That is fine but like I said around here cut is king.

 

[Rabe2000]

Where did this guy come from?? Jonathan the Jeweler?? I belive he is on here to learn from us..which is all fine and dandy. Dude just try and fit in a little more. And I will second that motion around here CUT is where it's at!! What would be the purpose of buying a D or E color if the cut is horrible.

 

[HEPennypacker]

Date: 12/21/2007 7:53:04 AM
Author: Rabe2000
Dude just try and fit in a little more.

Lol that sounds just a wee bit cult-like. Maybe the Cut Cult? j/k

But I agree with what John said in another thread...diversity of opinion is good. And I think Jonathan K properly qualified his statement in this thread...to many in the outside world, other factors are more important than cut. He recognizes that cut is king, and he knows we think so. But I don''t think there''s anything wrong with saying what the average buyer thinks, and I personally think his perspective in this regard is interesting. My $.02.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 12/21/2007 8:20:25 AM
Author: HEPennypacker


But I agree with what John said in another thread...diversity of opinion is good. And I think Jonathan K properly qualified his statement in this thread...to many in the outside world, other factors are more important than cut. He recognizes that cut is king, and he knows we think so. But I don''t think there''s anything wrong with saying what the average buyer thinks, and I personally think his perspective in this regard is interesting. My $.02.

Ditto!

Welcome, Jonathan! We realize that you just work for BBB and are not responsible for the behavior of all the sales people! If you were the sales manager, then we might have a few words of advice! PS people have been educated about cut, but we have very diverse preferences on color and clarity and size. I am well aware that most people know nothing about cut. In fact, when my sister got a new diamond pendant recently, I asked her the specs and she didn''t even know the color! lol! So I know what you are saying! And my old diamond is probably only good cut, but it is F color and I got sooo many compliments on it through the years. So try to stick around but understand that this forum will always recommend ideal cut and everything else is oopen to opinion!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/21/2007 8:39:19 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 12/21/2007 8:20:25 AM
Author: HEPennypacker


But I agree with what John said in another thread...diversity of opinion is good. And I think Jonathan K properly qualified his statement in this thread...to many in the outside world, other factors are more important than cut. He recognizes that cut is king, and he knows we think so. But I don''t think there''s anything wrong with saying what the average buyer thinks, and I personally think his perspective in this regard is interesting. My $.02.

Ditto!

Welcome, Jonathan! We realize that you just work for BBB and are not responsible for the behavior of all the sales people! If you were the sales manager, then we might have a few words of advice! PS people have been educated about cut, but we have very diverse preferences on color and clarity and size. I am well aware that most people know nothing about cut. In fact, when my sister got a new diamond pendant recently, I asked her the specs and she didn''t even know the color! lol! So I know what you are saying! And my old diamond is probably only good cut, but it is F color and I got sooo many compliments on it through the years. So try to stick around but understand that this forum will always recommend ideal cut and everything else is oopen to opinion!

Ditto what DiamondSeeker and HEP said, and welcome Jonathon

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I''ve been buying from BBB since the 1960''s and have always been pleased with them. I have always found them to be helpful and honest. I would never hesitate to do business there. I have dealt with the downtown Philadelphia store, which closed about 3 years ago, and now I deal with the King of Prussia store.

 

[vespergirl]

I have to say that I''ve always had great experiences at BBB - I go to the ones at Tysons Corner in VA and Pentagon Mall. There are always SAs falling over themselves to help me, and I usually have a cranky baby with me! They also always offer to clean my rings, and I''ve only ever gotten a pair of pearl earrings there, so it''s not like I''m some great customer.

 

[gwendolyn]

Last year in January, I spent a few hours trying on different sizes of diamonds to get a feel for what I thought looked best on my hand, and to figure out whether I was a round or princess chick. When I went into BBB (in Columbia, MD), I was one of a few customers in the store, and was asked if I needed assistance. I said I was only looking, and the woman behind the counter said that was fine and to let her know if I wanted to see anything up close. I explained to her that I was just doing some research and trying things on so I would have a better idea of what I wanted when the time came to actually choose my engagement ring, and she said that was very smart of me, and proceeded to pull out some rings for me to try on, and told me the basic information (colour grade and carat) on each. She probably spent about 20 minutes talking with me, gave me her card, and thanked me for stopping in. I thanked her for being patient and answering my questions even though I wasn't a paying customer today, and she said that it was a pleasure, and that if spending some extra time with me to answer my questions made me feel like a valued customer, that hopefully I would return to make my purchase there.

Since discovering PS and WF and other online vendors, I don't think we will get my engagement ring from BBB, but because that saleswoman treated me with respect for the reason I was shopping, I will probably go in and buy something from there one day. Of course, at that point, she might not care anymore personally, but it will be because she gave me a good experience there.

 

[Ali]

Date: 12/21/2007 4:59:22 AM
Author: Jonathan the Jeweler
I would agree with you, but not all consumers would share this position. Stones with mediocre cuts have their place as entry level pieces in the higher grades of cut and clarity. Different consumers can place varying importance on each part of the four C's and still work to a price-point that they are comfortable with. To my eyes a better cut is more beautiful, but everyone doesn't see beauty same. I recently sold a 1.2 ct. F/VS1 with a good cut by GIA. All said and done the customer paid about 12k after setting in a designer platinum setting. The customer was cost sensitive, and had he demanded a better cut he would not be able to afford the other fine aspects of his diamond and setting. The recipient loved the piece and wears it proudly knowing how rare and costly such a colorless and clean stone is.

Welcome and thank you for sharing your perspective Jonathan. I know it is hard for some here to imagine getting anything but the highest cut quality. Regardless, I hope everyone can be RESPECTFUL of the views that others bring to PS.

 

[Regular Guy]

Jonathan,

Thanks for venturing here. Re your comments:

Date: 12/21/2007 4:59:22 AM
Author: Jonathan the Jeweler
I would agree with you, but not all consumers would share this position. Stones with mediocre cuts have their place as entry level pieces in the higher grades of cut and clarity. Different consumers can place varying importance on each part of the four C's and still work to a price-point that they are comfortable with. To my eyes a better cut is more beautiful, but everyone doesn't see beauty same. I recently sold a 1.2 ct. F/VS1 with a good cut by GIA. All said and done the customer paid about 12k after setting in a designer platinum setting. The customer was cost sensitive, and had he demanded a better cut he would not be able to afford the other fine aspects of his diamond and setting. The recipient loved the piece and wears it proudly knowing how rare and costly such a colorless and clean stone is.

...frankly, I'm surprised the premium isn't higher for what you describe...but maybe you do attach, in contrast, a pretty significant premium indeed to cut , because...as the pattern on this page in the tutorial implies...the general pattern is, relatively, that you'd pay the greatest premium to color, than clarity, and least (illogically) to cut...per industry norms.

I did call over to BB&B to inquire about a Lazar 5 years ago before buying on line. But...that price did contribute to sending me elsewhere.

Generally, apart from what I will grant are advantages for having "the guy behind the counter," vis-a-vis the end product...on line you can frequently get your cake, and eat it, too! It is a challenging argument to counter (that's the other counter).

Regards,

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Many years ago when we were living in Washington, DC, my husband (then boyfriend) bought me a couple of things from BBB. He bought me a diamond and emerald stackable ring in white gold that I loved. I had to have it sized down, which apparently made the prongs open up and on two occasions one of the small diamonds fell out of the setting. BBB was always happy to help and because there was a 2-year warranty on the jewelry, we never had to pay a dime for the repairs. When we came back the third time, BBB offered to have the ring remade for me in my exact size to fix the problem, which I thought was generous. My husband bought me the matching earrings shortly after.

Unfortunately I lost the stackable ring earlier this year, which I literally cried over for days (it was the first piece of jewelry he bought for me, so very sentimental) and while BBB doesn''t sell the diamond and emerald stackable ring anymore, I''m always looking out for it on ebay. I still wear the earrings.

 

[musey]

I went there twice recently to look at wedding bands (Glendale Galleria location). Their prices for the two I was looking at were actually better than Pearlman's

I found the salespeople patient and eager to please, and sans sales-pressure, for whatever reason. They wrote down the SKU#'s for me (though I still can't find a way to make use of those...??) and didn't give me that "Are you kidding me??" 'tude when I left without buying anything.

So... my experience has been good. But I've actually yet to have a bad experience at a jewelry store since I adopted my uber-enthusiasm approach to them. I just act super excited about everything and pretend I can't buy because "My fiancee does the buying" (wink*wink*), haha! It seems to work though, they always feed off of and seem to try to meet my level of enthusiasm. I can turn any grumpy saleslady into a giggly girl in a candy store

Salesmen, on the other hand, are a bit more tricky...

Sorry, I went a bit OT there! Moral of the story is that while my experiences there have been quite limited, they've been very good (especially in comparison to other B&Ms).

 

[Haven]

I had some pretty rotten experiences with the BBB located in Northbrook, Illinois. A good friend of mine was set on purchasing an engagement ring at BBB, so I went with him to help him make his decision. We were ignored until I walked up to a salesperson and asked if she could help us when she has a moment. She sighed and reluctantly left her conversation with the two other salespeople that were standing there. She then proceeded to educate my friend about the various diamonds they had, and she said several things that concerned me, including the bit about color and clarity being more important than cut.

He ended up buying a sub-par ring for an inflated price, but he was a man on a mission and I couldn''t convince him otherwise. I WAS able to convince the saleswoman that she should throw in a silver "L" necklace for me if she refused to go lower on the price, and she did, so at least I got something out of the deal!

My little sister''s boyfriend actually ended up getting her a silver initial necklace from BBB shortly after I got mine, and it broke a few months after she had it. The little A came clean off of the hook. She went in to BBB and they treated her pretty poorly, told her she must have mishandled the piece, and refused to offer any help. I understand if they can''t replace it, but at least give the kid a break and be nice. She was pretty upset when she came home.

These stories just make me love my wonderful local family jeweler even more.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 12/21/2007 8:46:43 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 12/21/2007 8:39:19 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 12/21/2007 8:20:25 AM
Author: HEPennypacker


But I agree with what John said in another thread...diversity of opinion is good. And I think Jonathan K properly qualified his statement in this thread...to many in the outside world, other factors are more important than cut. He recognizes that cut is king, and he knows we think so. But I don''t think there''s anything wrong with saying what the average buyer thinks, and I personally think his perspective in this regard is interesting. My $.02.

Ditto!

Welcome, Jonathan! We realize that you just work for BBB and are not responsible for the behavior of all the sales people! If you were the sales manager, then we might have a few words of advice! PS people have been educated about cut, but we have very diverse preferences on color and clarity and size. I am well aware that most people know nothing about cut. In fact, when my sister got a new diamond pendant recently, I asked her the specs and she didn''t even know the color! lol! So I know what you are saying! And my old diamond is probably only good cut, but it is F color and I got sooo many compliments on it through the years. So try to stick around but understand that this forum will always recommend ideal cut and everything else is oopen to opinion!

Ditto what DiamondSeeker and HEP said, and welcome Jonathon

I ditto this too.

Welcome Jonathan.

We do welcome diversity, and will respect differing opinions on here, of course.

The store where I''ve had these bad experiences is the Pleasanton Mall store. They are, as you can see, pretty bad there, and I don''t go in anymore. Especially since I rarely shop at that mall now, and go to Valley Fair instead. I don''t know your position at BBB, but the information on the new management is very welcome, because I think that''s something the chain definitely needed. Hopefully with new leadership we''ll have more reports of good experiences. I, for one, would find it refreshing.

 

[AllieLuv83]

My FF and I bought my e-ring second hand from a person that purchased the ring from BBB a little over a year ago ( the engagement fell apart). It was a size 4.5 and I needed it sized to a 6.5. I took it into BBB, since the first owner purchased a care package for the ring which covered all sizing and such for two years I was able to get it sized for free. They actually sent the ring to Ritani for me for sizing free of cost. It came back better than new. My only complaint is that there was little communication between the employees and myself while waiting for my ring to come back. It did return to me in a 4 week time period and I am very happy.