CVB LAD Communication?

[Wendylynne]

again.. the forum is going after the OP. So predictable. Its sad.. people DONT post their negative experiences because of THIS EXACT THING. I haven't any clue who's in the right and who's in the wrong - not my journey. I know that I ABHOR the tone the vendor has taken and the private info shared. I understand that LAD felt the need to defend... but - its easy enough to say i communicated my best, remade the ring and offered a refund..

I urge you guys to be kind when questioning, or guiding. We will all loose if we don't hear about all the experiences good, bad and the UGLY.

 

[Mayk]

again.. the forum is going after the OP. So predictable. Its sad.. people DONT post their negative experiences because of THIS EXACT THING. I haven't any clue who's in the right and who's in the wrong - not my journey. I know that I ABHOR the tone the vendor has taken and the private info shared. I understand that LAD felt the need to defend... but - its easy enough to say i communicated my best, remade the ring and offered a refund..

I urge you guys to be kind when questioning, or guiding. We will all loose if we don't hear about all the experiences good, bad and the UGLY.

+1

So glad she offered SD a full refund that ring would have been expedited to Fed Ex.

Ame I have to tell you based on previous threads if you received a $3,000-$4,000 ring that's didn't match a CAD I'm not sure Zin is what we would see. More like melting keyboards and fired up truncated lines. But if you've reached Zin. That's awesome. Congratulations!

I've personally commissioned seven custom settings. Two from Sareen one of them I designed myself. It sat too high and I paid to change the setting. So let's make that eight. (dang I need counseling) One from ERD now BE, one from DBL and two from Victor Canero where one I shipped the diamond and still hadn't decided on the setting and my last from Erika Winters. While not as elaborate as some of the CVB designs my ring, prongs, intricate details, etc were a perfect match to my CAD or renderings of the settings I'd reviewed. I made changes to each with the exception of the VC and EW settings.

I think Wendylynee said it best. Sometimes we are rough on the OP. I will say it again. When you are spending upwards of $3,500-$4,000 on a setting its nerve wracking, emotional and in the end you hope to get exactly what you had been dreaming of and saving for I know for me my heart was racing as the UPS guy walked up the steps and my hands shook as I opened the boxes. Just pure joy. Then begins the plotting for the next project. And Baby it's game on. Time to study!

 

[Kimmy]

I believe the OP mentioned she was really purchasing the diamond and that the setting was sharply discounted because it was part of a package. OP and Erica have both been pretty open about stating that the setting wasn't the main cost, but that the setting and band were a bit of a hassle. The OP said she had negative feelings about the purchasing experience and that in the future she might reset the diamond for emotional reasons.

I have never worked with this vendor, but I admire Caysie's work and think Erica did the right thing by offering a refund. However, I don't think that anyone should be jumping on the poster for not wanting to FedEx her engagement ring back. She might feel attached to the diamond or want to enjoy her engagement without having to hurriedly search around for a new ring.

 

[pinkjewel]

again.. the forum is going after the OP. So predictable. Its sad.. people DONT post their negative experiences because of THIS EXACT THING. I haven't any clue who's in the right and who's in the wrong - not my journey. I know that I ABHOR the tone the vendor has taken and the private info shared. I understand that LAD felt the need to defend... but - its easy enough to say i communicated my best, remade the ring and offered a refund..

I urge you guys to be kind when questioning, or guiding. We will all loose if we don't hear about all the experiences good, bad and the UGLY.

Well said, Wendylynne- I agree wholeheartedly with this.

I think it is sad to see how members here have jumped all over the OP. People don't post negative experiences for fun (well, unless they're a troll). Obviously, there are hurt feelings on both sides. but I am totally turned off by the tone of LAD's posts.

I've worked with Caysie directly who does beautiful work, has excellent communication, but has an inordinate amount of crisis happen to her- and I know they are real and not made up crisis that lead to delays. I would work with Caysie again- just not sure I could work with LAD. And this is not based on the negative reviews (as I'm sure All vendors could have negative reviews)- this is based on her Handling of them.

 

[D&T]

****Just to update on my own experience*** I'm not sure if SunnyDelta will update this thread later.

CVB/LAD and I have decided to part ways, refunded me in full which was gracious, and putting this whole band debacle to rest.
Thanks and have a great weekend to everyone

Just to be fair, the lack of communication came from both Caysie and Erica this time around. 1st experience was directly with Caysie on a custom piece which was awesome!, 2nd time, (didn't know that Erica was partnering up with Caysie) instead of Caysie emailing me, it was Erica on behalf of Caysie - confused me there, so maybe the mix up of who would email the client back might have been the issue?. third this band, very mixed and lack of communication leading to my frustration.

 

[ame]

DandT I am glad to see that you have an outcome that is favorable to you.

again.. the forum is going after the OP. So predictable. Its sad.. people DONT post their negative experiences because of THIS EXACT THING. I haven't any clue who's in the right and who's in the wrong - not my journey. I know that I ABHOR the tone the vendor has taken and the private info shared. I understand that LAD felt the need to defend... but - its easy enough to say i communicated my best, remade the ring and offered a refund..

I urge you guys to be kind when questioning, or guiding. We will all loose if we don't hear about all the experiences good, bad and the UGLY.

I absolutely agree that we need to hear about the good, bad and ugly, it's why we ask so many questions. But I feel like the obvious is being overlooked: this is the internet, this is not private, this is publicly searchable. And if you're going to post about any of the above: DO NOT LIE. And that's exactly the point of my post. LAD has every right to defend herself as she chooses, I had literally nothing wrong with her tone, I felt she was incredibly professional given the fact that she was being slandered here. Nor do I find anything she posted to be particularly private information. No names, just pertinent dates and exerpts that were necessary to clarify the accusations. Just saying "I communicated my best, remade the ring and offered a refund" doesn't clarify anything, and gives angry customers more ammunition to libel her further and make the transaction go further south.

So to be clear: I didn't go after the OP. The OP and the vendor have worked their situation out as noted above.

BUT: Unrelated to this specific OP, more to your point about OPs: Every situation is different, and if the OP isn't sharing the full story or makes shit up, and the vendor comes back with details the OP conveniently omits, yes, the OP is going to get a shitstorm. And, frankly, in those cases, it's deservedly so.

But vendors get their own shitstorms just the same. It's this particular vendor shitstorm that I do not feel is warranted. I haven't read any other threads about this vendor or CvB to know about their history. I have no idea if this is a pattern, other posters are saying it is, but frankly, I don't give a flying fck. Totally irrelevant.

What is, in this case, relevant, is that someone else chimed in with their situation, that was NOT OP, and I did go after that someone else, let's call her the thread hijacker in this instance, known as TH from here on out in this post, because TH has posted some not quite so honest information and some pretty pointed accusations about her transaction that were clarified with what appears to be factual evidence by the vendor, including and not limited to confirmations that there were multiple apologies, confirmations by the vendor that there were mistakes made and admitted to, and confirmations that those mistakes resulted in quite a ridiculously favorable outcome to the poster, not limited to, but including getting to wear the mistake ring while the new one was crafted AND multiple return for full refund offers that thread hijacker has thus far not taken the vendor up on, which leads me to believe that she loves the ring and is instead choosing to play martyr for attention.

Instead, TH has chosen to continue to bash the vendor and to dangle the words "I could write a novel," which would be the perfect phrase to use for this saga, I'd add, considering it sounds like she's writing a work of fiction, what degree of realism is clearly up for discussion. Basically, what this person did, is come on here, use false statements to attempt to damage Erica's business. That is libel. And having realized she stepped in it, she's trying to play the victim card by getting butthurt about "personal information" being posted, despite the fact that Erica is fully justified to share said information to defend herself. So, NO the Forum is NOT going after the OP. But *I* am calling out the thread hijacker who is clearly full of it, and slandering a business who was above and beyond generous with her despite how truly obnoxiously she speaks of them.

In this case, I don't believe the vendor is 100% in the wrong, which is why I am not taking the side of the poster, who is NOT the OP. I might have been the only one to call her on that, and that's fine, and I'd do it again. This place needs to not be rainbows and unicorn farts.

+1

So glad she offered SD a full refund that ring would have been expedited to Fed Ex.

Ame I have to tell you based on previous threads if you received a $3,000-$4,000 ring that's didn't match a CAD I'm not sure Zin is what we would see. More like melting keyboards and fired up truncated lines. But if you've reached Zin. That's awesome. Congratulations!

I've personally commissioned seven custom settings. Two from Sareen one of them I designed myself. It sat too high and I paid to change the setting. So let's make that eight. (dang I need counseling) One from ERD now BE, one from DBL and two from Victor Canero where one I shipped the diamond and still hadn't decided on the setting and my last from Erika Winters. While not as elaborate as some of the CVB designs my ring, prongs, intricate details, etc were a perfect match to my CAD or renderings of the settings I'd reviewed. I made changes to each with the exception of the VC and EW settings.

I think Wendylynee said it best. Sometimes we are rough on the OP. I will say it again. When you are spending upwards of $3,500-$4,000 on a setting its nerve wracking, emotional and in the end you hope to get exactly what you had been dreaming of and saving for I know for me my heart was racing as the UPS guy walked up the steps and my hands shook as I opened the boxes. Just pure joy. Then begins the plotting for the next project. And Baby it's game on. Time to study!

Oh I get that we're spending a lot of money here, I've been excited and I've been defeated many times by a project. You can go back through my thread history for over a decade, and you'll see plenty of craziness with the things I've bought not going quite ring and me falling apart, or the items themselves falling apart... You and I are probably tied, or you might have edged me out by a setting or two (we need to share a counselor...) But I have gotten to the point where I realize this is a first world problem, I don't need this thing or these things, and it'll get figured out. I don't think I contacted Lesley even one time while my necklace was getting made...she can confirm that but I was like eh itll get here eventually. That's the closest to zen I get regarding my pieces that I almost never wear.

But to the point you and Wendylnee are trying to make: SOMETIMES there are posters who are rough on an OP, this place can turn to a mob mentality around here, and I feel like that showed itself in this thread, but in this case, it was the vendor who was mobbed and that was really not fair to the vendor in question. I don't know of other cases with that vendor, I haven't paid attention to that and I don't care, like I said. I don't have a dog in that fight. But the more I read, the more I wasn't buying what the TH was saying and that was starting to become a very thin ice situation.

I didn't understand why no one seemed to be paying any attention to the fact that the vendor had repeatedly offered this person a refund and that she had not taken her up on it, all the while mobbing against the vendor. Like, how was that missed? If it was me, or anyone else for that matter, and I was really not happy with it as she swears she isn't and it's ruining her relationship and dampening her engagement as she states, I'd be on the way to FedEx so f'ing fast your head would spin so I could take that money elsewhere and start over to get the bad juju out of my house and off my finger. She had no issue getting a refund from James Meyer, and going elsewhere to start over (LAD), so I don't know what's stopping her this time. Unless, of course, she actually does love this and doesn't want to part with it. Hence my disbelief in her "novel."

 

[Laila619]

****Just to update on my own experience*** I'm not sure if SunnyDelta will update this thread later.

CVB/LAD and I have decided to part ways, refunded me in full which was gracious, and putting this whole band debacle to rest.
Thanks and have a great weekend to everyone

Just to be fair, the lack of communication came from both Caysie and Erica this time around. 1st experience was directly with Caysie on a custom piece which was awesome!, 2nd time, (didn't know that Erica was partnering up with Caysie) instead of Caysie emailing me, it was Erica on behalf of Caysie - confused me there, so maybe the mix up of who would email the client back might have been the issue?. third this band, very mixed and lack of communication leading to my frustration.

What, I thought you were getting the band by the end of this week!

Oh well, I'm sure you're a little disappointed, but it's also probably a bit of a relief. So sorry. What a long, ongoing thing but at least you have your money back.

 

[ericad]

again.. the forum is going after the OP. So predictable. Its sad.. people DONT post their negative experiences because of THIS EXACT THING. I haven't any clue who's in the right and who's in the wrong - not my journey. I know that I ABHOR the tone the vendor has taken and the private info shared. I understand that LAD felt the need to defend... but - its easy enough to say i communicated my best, remade the ring and offered a refund..

I urge you guys to be kind when questioning, or guiding. We will all loose if we don't hear about all the experiences good, bad and the UGLY.

+1

So glad she offered SD a full refund that ring would have been expedited to Fed Ex.

Ame I have to tell you based on previous threads if you received a $3,000-$4,000 ring that's didn't match a CAD I'm not sure Zin is what we would see. More like melting keyboards and fired up truncated lines. But if you've reached Zin. That's awesome. Congratulations!

I've personally commissioned seven custom settings. Two from Sareen one of them I designed myself. It sat too high and I paid to change the setting. So let's make that eight. (dang I need counseling) One from ERD now BE, one from DBL and two from Victor Canero where one I shipped the diamond and still hadn't decided on the setting and my last from Erika Winters. While not as elaborate as some of the CVB designs my ring, prongs, intricate details, etc were a perfect match to my CAD or renderings of the settings I'd reviewed. I made changes to each with the exception of the VC and EW settings.

I think Wendylynee said it best. Sometimes we are rough on the OP. I will say it again. When you are spending upwards of $3,500-$4,000 on a setting its nerve wracking, emotional and in the end you hope to get exactly what you had been dreaming of and saving for I know for me my heart was racing as the UPS guy walked up the steps and my hands shook as I opened the boxes. Just pure joy. Then begins the plotting for the next project. And Baby it's game on. Time to study!

MayK,

Here are the CAD's and the finished ring that she received. The first set of CAD's did not match the finished ring, that's correct, the points at the top of the basket were supposed to pass the girdle, but we miscalculated and the setter polished them down to just below the girdle. This is what triggered the remake. The remake resulted in the pictured ring, which she's currently wearing on her finger, and I think they match quite nicely, thank you very much.

Despite what she is telling people "offline" (facebook private group, I'm guessing? IM?), the fact remains that I've offered to take the ring back, both on the forum and via email, however she has yet to take me up on it.

I also have no desire to sift through 290 emails creating a timeline and defending myself, but I will do so if I must. Thus far she's accused me of causing her relationship problems, of being "too friendly" (not sure what that even means), ignoring her completely and then, when I disclose that we've exchanged approx 290 emails, it's that they weren't of a high enough "quality".

As recently as late February we exchanged 13 emails within a 24 hour period just regarding the delivery of her package. I sent a tracking number and she asked me to contact UPS to see if they could deliver after 5pm, so I called them, then I tried helping her set up the UPS My Choice options, emailed her the various delivery and re-route options that I was given by UPS, etc. Apart from hand delivering the package to her myself, I'm not sure how I could have been any more helpful - and this is only one example of the dozens of email chains we've had.

 

[ericad]

****Just to update on my own experience*** I'm not sure if SunnyDelta will update this thread later.

CVB/LAD and I have decided to part ways, refunded me in full which was gracious, and putting this whole band debacle to rest.
Thanks and have a great weekend to everyone

Just to be fair, the lack of communication came from both Caysie and Erica this time around. 1st experience was directly with Caysie on a custom piece which was awesome!, 2nd time, (didn't know that Erica was partnering up with Caysie) instead of Caysie emailing me, it was Erica on behalf of Caysie - confused me there, so maybe the mix up of who would email the client back might have been the issue?. third this band, very mixed and lack of communication leading to my frustration.

What, I thought you were getting the band by the end of this week!

Oh well, I'm sure you're a little disappointed, but it's also probably a bit of a relief. So sorry. What a long, ongoing thing but at least you have your money back.

Her band is completing this week, in fact it's already in route to me, however knowing how unhappy she was with her experience, I offered her a refund, which she took me up on.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

DandT, I think this thread went downhill not because of your original post. Email communication is important and I sympathize with your frustration. I am glad you were able to resolve it and get a refund, although I am sad that all this caused you to not get a band you clearly wanted that probably would be ready any day (just saw Erica's post that it is ready). The rest of this post is in response to some of the other posts on this thread, not to you specifically.

I think it is awesome that there are apparently some perfect people here who have never made a mistake! I have actually overcooked something before (and my husband is still here!). I can say that I have actually read an email before not having time to reply then, and then forgot to reply later. I think I have done that more than once, actually. I have forgotten an appointment before. I have been late more than once. I am far from perfect so I try to extend grace towards those who make mistakes in regards to me.

I could tell many examples of vendors missing an emails or not returning calls over the last 10 years. I either moved on or contacted them in multiple ways until I reached them. One time it took three times, but it was a project for my sister and I knew I had to use that vendor because of their pricing. Even though that was very frustrating, I still would recommend that vendor, and they are very well liked here (have not used them personally yet). I've had a few minor complaints with bench craftsmanship and had things like prongs redone elsewhere. I didn't report these things here because I generally like the vendors and realize that NONE of them are perfect and none of their benches are perfect. I just make mental notes on who I recommend for certain things. You may not be aware of it, but there can't be a bench in the world that hasn't made a mistake or had a complaint or had to remake something or was a few days late finishing something.

Caysie is an incredibly gifted designer/artist who has some exceptional benches who are hopefully going to be well now and working within the timelines she gives them. My newest ring from her is heirloom quality, one of a kind, and something I hope generations after me will appreciate. I certainly hope to have her make me other things. She works far too much and the partnership with Erica is important because it allows Caysie to do design and work with the benches while Erica mostly handles the business end, billing, photography, shipping, some design, etc. I am from the south and may have a more gentle way of responding to things than Erica, but I have never doubted her truthfulness. Most disagreements are due to misunderstandings or misconceptions and I saw some of that come out on this thread. Yep, mistakes were made and acknowledged, too. Hopefully some good will come from the thread in terms of all vendors and communication expectations and customers maybe trying another method to reach a vendor before posting here.

Hopefully SD has returned her ring by now and can move on like DandT. I sincerely hope they both can have a great experience moving forward with their next projects.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Whoa, just read the posts before mine. SD hasn't sent the ring back yet?!!!! Unreal.

 

[Mayk]

again.. the forum is going after the OP. So predictable. Its sad.. people DONT post their negative experiences because of THIS EXACT THING. I haven't any clue who's in the right and who's in the wrong - not my journey. I know that I ABHOR the tone the vendor has taken and the private info shared. I understand that LAD felt the need to defend... but - its easy enough to say i communicated my best, remade the ring and offered a refund..

I urge you guys to be kind when questioning, or guiding. We will all loose if we don't hear about all the experiences good, bad and the UGLY.

+1

So glad she offered SD a full refund that ring would have been expedited to Fed Ex.

Ame I have to tell you based on previous threads if you received a $3,000-$4,000 ring that's didn't match a CAD I'm not sure Zin is what we would see. More like melting keyboards and fired up truncated lines. But if you've reached Zin. That's awesome. Congratulations!

I've personally commissioned seven custom settings. Two from Sareen one of them I designed myself. It sat too high and I paid to change the setting. So let's make that eight. (dang I need counseling) One from ERD now BE, one from DBL and two from Victor Canero where one I shipped the diamond and still hadn't decided on the setting and my last from Erika Winters. While not as elaborate as some of the CVB designs my ring, prongs, intricate details, etc were a perfect match to my CAD or renderings of the settings I'd reviewed. I made changes to each with the exception of the VC and EW settings.

I think Wendylynee said it best. Sometimes we are rough on the OP. I will say it again. When you are spending upwards of $3,500-$4,000 on a setting its nerve wracking, emotional and in the end you hope to get exactly what you had been dreaming of and saving for I know for me my heart was racing as the UPS guy walked up the steps and my hands shook as I opened the boxes. Just pure joy. Then begins the plotting for the next project. And Baby it's game on. Time to study!

MayK,

Here are the CAD's and the finished ring that she received. The first set of CAD's did not match the finished ring, that's correct, the points at the top of the basket were supposed to pass the girdle, but we miscalculated and the setter polished them down to just below the girdle. This is what triggered the remake. The second revised CAD's resulted in the ring she's currently wearing on her finger, and I think they match quite nicely, thank you very much.

Despite what she is telling people "offline" (facebook private group, I'm guessing? IM?), the fact remains that I've offered to take the ring back, both on the forum and via email, however she has yet to take me up on it.

I also have no desire to sift through 290 emails creating a timeline and defending myself, but I will do so if I must. Thus far she's accused me of causing her relationship problems, of being "too friendly" (not sure what that even means), ignoring her completely and then, when I disclose that we've exchanged approx 290 emails, it's that they weren't of a high enough "quality".

As recently as late February we exchanged 13 emails within a 24 hour period just regarding the delivery of her package. I sent a tracking number and she asked me to contact UPS to see if they could deliver after 5pm, so I called them, then I tried helping her set up the UPS My Choice options, emailed her the various delivery and re-route options that I was given by UPS, etc. Apart from hand delivering the package to her myself, I'm not sure how I could have been any more helpful - and this is only one example of the dozens of email chains we've had.

My point Erica and I'm sure you can appreciate this in your business is this experience, of ordering custom settings can be unnerving and emotional. People have expectations about their outcomes and when it's not as expected it becomes very emotional.

As for the CAD for some reason I thought the prongs were the issue. But thanks for clarifying. Nice of you to offers refunds. I'm sure that will help ease some stress on the clients.

 

[ericad]

****Just to update on my own experience*** I'm not sure if SunnyDelta will update this thread later.

CVB/LAD and I have decided to part ways, refunded me in full which was gracious, and putting this whole band debacle to rest.
Thanks and have a great weekend to everyone

Just to be fair, the lack of communication came from both Caysie and Erica this time around. 1st experience was directly with Caysie on a custom piece which was awesome!, 2nd time, (didn't know that Erica was partnering up with Caysie) instead of Caysie emailing me, it was Erica on behalf of Caysie - confused me there, so maybe the mix up of who would email the client back might have been the issue?. third this band, very mixed and lack of communication leading to my frustration.

DandT, when you say that you experienced a lack of communication, I completely believe you. Most likely a case of all 3 of us (you, me, and Caysie) communicating about a job together, and she and I were probably just not organized enough and each thought the other was going to respond to you. I see emails where you cc us both, and I know that she and I texted each other about your ring multiple times per week, so this is probably where the ball got dropped. Our fault, and something we will fix in future. Some clients want open communication with both of us, which is fine, but this is a problem we didn't anticipate, so she and I need to find a way to prevent it from happening again.

I'm glad you're happy with the resolution. You never asked for a refund, and your band will be in my hands this weekend, but I know you are unhappy and I wanted to make it right for you by giving you the option of canceling the order.

 

[Laila619]

Whoa, just read the posts before mine. SD hasn't sent the ring back yet?!!!! Unreal.

This isn't necessarily shocking to me.

There could be a number of reasons: maybe she is attached to that particular stone now that it's the one her fiance proposed with. Maybe she is fed up with rings and doesn't want to start the whole searching/buying process over again. Maybe her fiance doesn't want her to get a different ring. Maybe she has better things to focus her time/energy/budget on.

Even though we might have taken Erica up on the offer, it doesn't mean SunnyDelta will or even can.

 

[SunnyDelta]

again.. the forum is going after the OP. So predictable. Its sad.. people DONT post their negative experiences because of THIS EXACT THING. I haven't any clue who's in the right and who's in the wrong - not my journey. I know that I ABHOR the tone the vendor has taken and the private info shared. I understand that LAD felt the need to defend... but - its easy enough to say i communicated my best, remade the ring and offered a refund..

I urge you guys to be kind when questioning, or guiding. We will all loose if we don't hear about all the experiences good, bad and the UGLY.

+1

So glad she offered SD a full refund that ring would have been expedited to Fed Ex.

Ame I have to tell you based on previous threads if you received a $3,000-$4,000 ring that's didn't match a CAD I'm not sure Zin is what we would see. More like melting keyboards and fired up truncated lines. But if you've reached Zin. That's awesome. Congratulations!

I've personally commissioned seven custom settings. Two from Sareen one of them I designed myself. It sat too high and I paid to change the setting. So let's make that eight. (dang I need counseling) One from ERD now BE, one from DBL and two from Victor Canero where one I shipped the diamond and still hadn't decided on the setting and my last from Erika Winters. While not as elaborate as some of the CVB designs my ring, prongs, intricate details, etc were a perfect match to my CAD or renderings of the settings I'd reviewed. I made changes to each with the exception of the VC and EW settings.

I think Wendylynee said it best. Sometimes we are rough on the OP. I will say it again. When you are spending upwards of $3,500-$4,000 on a setting its nerve wracking, emotional and in the end you hope to get exactly what you had been dreaming of and saving for I know for me my heart was racing as the UPS guy walked up the steps and my hands shook as I opened the boxes. Just pure joy. Then begins the plotting for the next project. And Baby it's game on. Time to study!

MayK,

Here are the CAD's and the finished ring that she received. The first set of CAD's did not match the finished ring, that's correct, the points at the top of the basket were supposed to pass the girdle, but we miscalculated and the setter polished them down to just below the girdle. This is what triggered the remake. The remake resulted in the pictured ring, which she's currently wearing on her finger, and I think they match quite nicely, thank you very much.

Despite what she is telling people "offline" (facebook private group, I'm guessing? IM?), the fact remains that I've offered to take the ring back, both on the forum and via email, however she has yet to take me up on it.

I also have no desire to sift through 290 emails creating a timeline and defending myself, but I will do so if I must. Thus far she's accused me of causing her relationship problems, of being "too friendly" (not sure what that even means), ignoring her completely and then, when I disclose that we've exchanged approx 290 emails, it's that they weren't of a high enough "quality".

As recently as late February we exchanged 13 emails within a 24 hour period just regarding the delivery of her package. I sent a tracking number and she asked me to contact UPS to see if they could deliver after 5pm, so I called them, then I tried helping her set up the UPS My Choice options, emailed her the various delivery and re-route options that I was given by UPS, etc. Apart from hand delivering the package to her myself, I'm not sure how I could have been any more helpful - and this is only one example of the dozens of email chains we've had.

Erica,

Do you really want to continue this online?!?

You emailed me offering to send me a shipping label and I immediately (near midnight my time zone) responded with “I will discuss it with my fiancé and I appreciate the offer”!

I am discussing it with my fiancé! This is not just my ring, this is our ring! This is not just my money this is his money too! He lived through the experience with me and the ring is now a part of our lives and our engagement.

You offered to take the setting & the diamond back; not just the setting. So let’s says I return the ring, what am I going to wear to my June wedding? Or even if I returned just the setting where am I going to get my OEC set in time? Like a previous poster correctly assumed I am attached to my diamond and it feels like part of my life. The setting and band was what all the fuss was about and WILL be the replaced in the future when it works for us; not an angry mob.

We also spent additional money on this ring. To have it appraised and insured. Jeeze Erica, if I had been offered a refund at any point during the madness I would have jumped on it, just like DandT wisely choose to do.

Where are the rest of the pictures Erica? All of them? If you’re going to post some you should post all. (With labels so readers don’t get confused). How about we see: first set of CADS laid out next to first cast of the ring. I think it would be great so they can see the rough finish on that ring too.

For the love of GOD are we really going to continue this blood bath online?! People are screaming for me to write a “novel” and you and I both know this could drag out forever! I backed out a long time ago because it got out of control. This is totally out of control!

 

[Ella]

Everyone. The only people who know the details of a situation are those who were involved. Please stop armchair quarterbacking regarding situations where you have limited information, it is not fair to the OP, the posters in this thread, or to the vendor.

Take the information from each source, consider it on your own, and make your own choices. But please do not claim slander or libel because of rumors or unconfirmed details.

 

[D&T]

****Just to update on my own experience*** I'm not sure if SunnyDelta will update this thread later.

CVB/LAD and I have decided to part ways, refunded me in full which was gracious, and putting this whole band debacle to rest.
Thanks and have a great weekend to everyone

Just to be fair, the lack of communication came from both Caysie and Erica this time around. 1st experience was directly with Caysie on a custom piece which was awesome!, 2nd time, (didn't know that Erica was partnering up with Caysie) instead of Caysie emailing me, it was Erica on behalf of Caysie - confused me there, so maybe the mix up of who would email the client back might have been the issue?. third this band, very mixed and lack of communication leading to my frustration.

DandT, when you say that you experienced a lack of communication, I completely believe you. Most likely a case of all 3 of us (you, me, and Caysie) communicating about a job together, and she and I were probably just not organized enough and each thought the other was going to respond to you. I see emails where you cc us both, and I know that she and I texted each other about your ring multiple times per week, so this is probably where the ball got dropped. Our fault, and something we will fix in future. Some clients want open communication with both of us, which is fine, but this is a problem we didn't anticipate, so she and I need to find a way to prevent it from happening again.

I'm glad you're happy with the resolution. You never asked for a refund, and your band will be in my hands this weekend, but I know you are unhappy and I wanted to make it right for you by giving you the option of canceling the order.

I did request a refund on April 19th email (emailed to Caysie, I did not know to cc you as well, as I initially contacted Caysie and was not told who to email, both? You? or Caysie only... ) - email also questioned why it wasn't measured after cutting for the depth during the first time of cutting? I had received 2 different emails indicating multiple new batches of French cuts to be cut (10 days apart? adding to my confusion of cutting and measurements and timeline?)

But yes, my issue is resolved here. thanks!

DS- like I said in my first post, that I don't usually ever come on here for one off instance (this was finally my last resort to come on PS) I have purchased and commissioned way too many pieces, and have worked with many PS vendors, this just didn't go well and I haven't been on PS for the past couple of years frequently to know what is going on with a vendor or not and I couldn't get a response. I'm not on FB, or Instagram, still a bit old school so I don't want to have to track down by multiple modes of social media communication, I think that adds to confusion as well.

Nonetheless CVB/Erica and I are settled. I appreciate having been able to quickly resolve it on PS for me, but it shouldn't take a public forum to do so.

 

[ericad]

again.. the forum is going after the OP. So predictable. Its sad.. people DONT post their negative experiences because of THIS EXACT THING. I haven't any clue who's in the right and who's in the wrong - not my journey. I know that I ABHOR the tone the vendor has taken and the private info shared. I understand that LAD felt the need to defend... but - its easy enough to say i communicated my best, remade the ring and offered a refund..

I urge you guys to be kind when questioning, or guiding. We will all loose if we don't hear about all the experiences good, bad and the UGLY.

+1

So glad she offered SD a full refund that ring would have been expedited to Fed Ex.

Ame I have to tell you based on previous threads if you received a $3,000-$4,000 ring that's didn't match a CAD I'm not sure Zin is what we would see. More like melting keyboards and fired up truncated lines. But if you've reached Zin. That's awesome. Congratulations!

I've personally commissioned seven custom settings. Two from Sareen one of them I designed myself. It sat too high and I paid to change the setting. So let's make that eight. (dang I need counseling) One from ERD now BE, one from DBL and two from Victor Canero where one I shipped the diamond and still hadn't decided on the setting and my last from Erika Winters. While not as elaborate as some of the CVB designs my ring, prongs, intricate details, etc were a perfect match to my CAD or renderings of the settings I'd reviewed. I made changes to each with the exception of the VC and EW settings.

I think Wendylynee said it best. Sometimes we are rough on the OP. I will say it again. When you are spending upwards of $3,500-$4,000 on a setting its nerve wracking, emotional and in the end you hope to get exactly what you had been dreaming of and saving for I know for me my heart was racing as the UPS guy walked up the steps and my hands shook as I opened the boxes. Just pure joy. Then begins the plotting for the next project. And Baby it's game on. Time to study!

MayK,

Here are the CAD's and the finished ring that she received. The first set of CAD's did not match the finished ring, that's correct, the points at the top of the basket were supposed to pass the girdle, but we miscalculated and the setter polished them down to just below the girdle. This is what triggered the remake. The remake resulted in the pictured ring, which she's currently wearing on her finger, and I think they match quite nicely, thank you very much.

Despite what she is telling people "offline" (facebook private group, I'm guessing? IM?), the fact remains that I've offered to take the ring back, both on the forum and via email, however she has yet to take me up on it.

I also have no desire to sift through 290 emails creating a timeline and defending myself, but I will do so if I must. Thus far she's accused me of causing her relationship problems, of being "too friendly" (not sure what that even means), ignoring her completely and then, when I disclose that we've exchanged approx 290 emails, it's that they weren't of a high enough "quality".

As recently as late February we exchanged 13 emails within a 24 hour period just regarding the delivery of her package. I sent a tracking number and she asked me to contact UPS to see if they could deliver after 5pm, so I called them, then I tried helping her set up the UPS My Choice options, emailed her the various delivery and re-route options that I was given by UPS, etc. Apart from hand delivering the package to her myself, I'm not sure how I could have been any more helpful - and this is only one example of the dozens of email chains we've had.

Erica,

Do you really want to continue this online?!?

You emailed me offering to send me a shipping label and I immediately (near midnight my time zone) responded with “I will discuss it with my fiancé and I appreciate the offer”!

I am discussing it with my fiancé! This is not just my ring, this is our ring! This is not just my money this is his money too! He lived through the experience with me and the ring is now a part of our lives and our engagement.

You offered to take the setting & the diamond back; not just the setting. So let’s says I return the ring, what am I going to wear to my June wedding? Or even if I returned just the setting where am I going to get my OEC set in time? Like a previous poster correctly assumed I am attached to my diamond and it feels like part of my life. The setting and band was what all the fuss was about and WILL be the replaced in the future when it works for us; not an angry mob.

We also spent additional money on this ring. To have it appraised and insured. Jeeze Erica, if I had been offered a refund at any point during the madness I would have jumped on it, just like DandT wisely choose to do.

Where are the rest of the pictures Erica? All of them? If you’re going to post some you should post all. (With labels so readers don’t get confused). How about we see: first set of CADS laid out next to first cast of the ring. I think it would be great so they can see the rough finish on that ring too.

For the love of GOD are we really going to continue this blood bath online?! People are screaming for me to write a “novel” and you and I both know this could drag out forever! I backed out a long time ago because it got out of control. This is totally out of control!

SunnyD,

If you want to return the ring, you can. If you want to keep the ring, you can. I never gave you a deadline to make your decision - the choice is yours, today or even next week. I haven't put any pressure on you to decide. I offered the refund on page 1 of this thread, and via email, and it is a fact that as of yet, you have not taken me up on it. I understand that it's a complicated decision - all I said was that you have not yet chosen to return it. I'm not trying to hurt you by saying that - it's just a fact as of this moment in time. As you said above, you are still thinking it over. I have no problem with that. We are in agreement that you haven't decided whether to return it yet, so I'm not sure what I've done wrong by saying that. You just said it yourself.

As for pictures, the issue in question is the ring that is currently on your finger. The first ring was immediately replaced because of the problems with it. I have never said otherwise - we messed it up and we replaced it because it didn't meet our standards. But when posters suggest that your ring, the current ring, doesn't match CAD's, I have no way of knowing where this information is coming from, so I posted the CADs and the pics of the finished ring that you are currently wearing. But you're absolutely correct that the first ring had a problem with the basket and didn't meet our production standards - sometimes this happens and we immediately remade it. That ring was scrapped months ago, so I'm not sure how it's relevant here.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

SD, when you received the ring did you tell Erica that you didn't like it, it wasn't as you requested, and wanted to return it? You make it sound like she didn't offer, but unless you told her you didn't want the ring, I am not sure why she would have offered a refund.

I am not clear on what the problem is with the return since you already had a ring custom made by Jame Meyer and returned it.

 

[Diamondz1]

I've been trying to follow this whole thing and am getting way lost.

If the current issue is SunnyDelta returning her ring, I seem to be in the minority here, but I wouldn't be able to return the ring if I were in her position. She's already been proposed to with it. Why isn't it possible for her to feel conflicted now?

Erica, you posted that she had not taken you up on your offer for return after another poster straight up called her a liar if she doesn't accept the return (in a post filled with bolded and capitalized letters, lol) and then a few others also questioned her lack of immediate return. Is it possible that Sunny felt you were insinuating that the she has proven something by not making the return so she got defensive?

And DS, Sunny mentioned that her wedding is in June - we're three days away from May, that doesn't leave much time to embark on a new ring search before her wedding and antique stones are few and far between.

 

[RaiKai]

I could tell many examples of vendors missing an emails or not returning calls over the last 10 years. I either moved on or contacted them in multiple ways until I reached them. One time it took three times, but it was a project for my sister and I knew I had to use that vendor because of their pricing. Even though that was very frustrating, I still would recommend that vendor, and they are very well liked here (have not used them personally yet). I've had a few minor complaints with bench craftsmanship and had things like prongs redone elsewhere. I didn't report these things here because I generally like the vendors and realize that NONE of them are perfect and none of their benches are perfect. I just make mental notes on who I recommend for certain things. You may not be aware of it, but there can't be a bench in the world that hasn't made a mistake or had a complaint or had to remake something or was a few days late finishing something.

I think this is a very good little tidbit in all of this DS, and so I wanted to just highlight it again. I have had my own dealings with various vendors, including PS recommended vendors, and had various experiences. If things aren't quite how I want or expected, I always try and resolve things between us first and foremost, privately. If they resolve it and I am happy with the result, I actually keep them high on my list to recommend to others because that is what is important to me - that if there are mistakes, they work to try and correct it, not that they never make mistakes at all. I am actually far less likely to go to a vendor who does amazing work 99% of the time but would never admit to any mistake or error in that 1% of the time, even if odds are I would end up in that 99%. And there are vendors like that.

The tide on here also seems to change towards vendors from time to time. Once a vendor has "proven" themselves, there seems to a be a greater tolerance for their errors or weaknesses, at least for a period of time. I can think of one vendor who was praised early on for being so responsive to emails, but now that he has gotten busier, not only from PS members but from other places as well, there are more reports that people have to contact him several times to get one response, but since he has already proven himself, this seems to be less of a big deal it seems at this point. I am sure eventually that won't be as well tolerated and people will start recommending a new vendor who is more responsive than that one...and the cycle continues.

The custom process is a sensitive, and stressful one for many. Engagement rings and other sentimental items bring on a whole other set of emotions, not just with the item itself, but things surrounding the item which then can also end up being projected on the item and process itself. I think for anyone going into the custom process, they have to not only research the vendors, think about what they really want and whether that vendor can meet that, but also really look at themselves and decide if they themselves are up for the custom process. There is nothing wrong with saying, "nope, I want to know exactly what my ring is going to look like, and I want it in 1-2 weeks!"

 

[nala]

Oh No Sunny- I hope you got something beautiful out of it

I think its more the promise and lack of delivery/acknowledgement of emails. When I email to ask "Please provide status?" and I get a response "will check on it, and get back to you" a week later, I still haven't heard a peep, then I have to ask again about status... "remember you'd get back to me?" and I get a response back "band will be done soon" that was in mid March

Anyhoo, supposedly it will be done this week, but I've heard that before.

Thanks DandT,
I eventually did get a ring, but the journey was so extremely stressful that it ruined most of the excitement surrounding our engagement and caused a lot of tension at home. Like you, I also paid in full (upfront) and felt like I was being held hostage by the end of the project. When it comes to lack of communication, missed deadlines, delays, egregious mistakes, and excuses....I experienced and heard it all! It was literally a nightmare.

My take away from the experience is that there are definitely two personalities involved. I rarely communicated with Caysie, but when I did, she was reasonably prompt, polite, and responsive. Erica was the opposite, often ignoring my inquiries or selectively answering only some questions. Like you, I also experienced a honeymoon period with LAD, where during the initial courtship phase she was amazing, attentive, almost too friendly and very involved. I also noticed (and was baffled by) the immediate switch in her behavior once I wired the money. By the end of the project I felt neglected, and to be frank, that she just wasn't paying attention anymore (to me or to important details pertaining to the ring). I was often left hanging feeling frustrated, confused, and at times angry.
In a way, the bad experience was my fault too because I did notice a lot of red flags during the beginning of the project. I choose to stay the course because I was excited, emotionally invested, had received a substantial discount, and mistakenly believed it was only going to be "a few more weeks".

Many times I felt the desire to vent on PS, but never did because there was another poster (who ordered a "Chloe" solitaire I believe) who turned to PS to vent during the exact time period I was having my LAD disaster. Her story was picked apart by some PSers and by Erica. She was made out to be a nuisance-personality, which who knows, maybe she was because there are certainly two sides to every story (even this one).....but at that time I had already experienced so much stress both with the ring and in my personal life (some job & health issues) that I decided to let it go for my own sanity.
It's been a few months and while I'm still not interested in mudslinging or fighting over the "who, what, when, where, and how's" of what happened to me, I do feel the PS community deserves to know that "something might be up" or that "maybe they aren't the only ones" when it comes to issues with this vendor.

I do think Erica has good taste in diamonds and offers fair prices. I also feel that Caysie does beautiful work. I am trying to love my ring. I do however regret the purchase and will likely have it reset in the future to try and "reset" the negative emotional cloud it cast over my engagement. I know that sounds a little dramatic, but it's honestly how I feel.

Sorry for rambling...I wasn't trying to high jack your thread. Just know you are not alone in your feelings or experience. I hope your project turns out well!

Hi. This is why many assumed she would jump on the refund bc if she associates it with negativity, why make that ring a part of such an important day in her life? Why include it in her photos?

 

[ame]

I've been trying to follow this whole thing and am getting way lost.

If the current issue is SunnyDelta returning her ring, I seem to be in the minority here, but I wouldn't be able to return the ring if I were in her position. She's already been proposed to with it. Why isn't it possible for her to feel conflicted now?

Erica, you posted that she had not taken you up on your offer for return after another poster straight up called her a liar if she doesn't accept the return (in a post filled with bolded and capitalized letters, lol) and then a few others also questioned her lack of immediate return. Is it possible that Sunny felt you were insinuating that the she has proven something by not making the return so she got defensive?

And DS, Sunny mentioned that her wedding is in June - we're three days away from May, that doesn't leave much time to embark on a new ring search before her wedding and antique stones are few and far between.

Her immediate return to reply didn't matter to me, I don't know how many people it did, wasn't paying attention to that. People have jobs, need to sleep, whatever. She can get married with this ring and then return it afterwards, wear a plain band on her honeymoon and thereafter.

I repeatedly (in bold, capitalized letters) called her out for being dishonest because she was changing the story along the way, making it a moving target and dangling some dramatic juicy novel at us, and based on what she's posted thus far, not sounding like it'll be firmly rooted in fact. And given that this is the second such drawn out adventure with a vendor she's had, I am starting to wonder what the problem is. Poor communication on both sides, ridiculous expectations, misunderstanding of what you can get for this budget? (I have already addressed and own that I have my own issues with vendors and expectations, so no one needs to bring any of that up. )

Making accusations and attacking the vendor's credibility even after the vendor flat out admitted mistakes were made both privately and publicly only piled on to the stress and strain of the situation--something that only got worse when you posted in the tone she posted. Had she simply said "I did not have a great experience either and I am hoping we can work something out in email" would've been sufficient. However she didn't. She started a bloodbath, as she puts it. The cooks are all in the kitchen now.

Erica pointed out details of the story that Sunny was conveniently omitting and being dishonest about or exaggerating for effect and various other details of the transaction that Erica clarified with snips from their lengthy communication, and prior to Erica informing the board of those--such as the company sending you the mistake ring anyway (seriously--that's pretty amazing, I don't see why you take that as such a negative now, despite the fact you seemed positive about it to her), and you telling her how great it looked and wearing it while you waited for the replacement, and then later you telling her how much you loved your ring (so what changed? When did you become ambivalent towards it and why didn't you talk to HER about it or Caysie?)--when was Sunny going to tell us any of this? Probably never. Those are pertinent details to the timeline that would be nice to know, before you tell us that Erica is a she devil who stole your money and then trying to tell us all how horrible her business is.

I just don't get it. And your posts with so much vitriol leave me sitting here thinking "girl, please."

But I am done trying to get it. Get married, return the ring for a refund after your wedding, and start fresh. Hopefully third time is a charm.

 

[WeeOui]

I'm not sure I'd say that SunnyD is the one posting with "vitriol" in this thread. The tone didn't get downright nasty until you posted, Ame. Your almost tangible anger in a post that admit you have no stake in is cringe-worthy. Why so nasty?

 

[ame]

I'm not sure I'd say that SunnyD is the one posting with "vitriol" in this thread. The tone didn't get downright nasty until you posted, Ame. Your almost tangible anger in a post that admit you have no stake in is cringe-worthy. Why so nasty?

It was "downright nasty" long before I said anything. But go ahead, check the timeline of posts, I'll wait. I chimed in yesterday, well beyond the point of "bloodbath", because I watched someone lob accusations and make discrediting remarks about a vendor without anything to back them up, and that's not fair, nor is it how things work around here. The fact that you, or anyone else, with as little stake as I have in this situation, is making as many strong-handed comments as you say I am making, yet I am somehow singled out as having more "tangible anger" than anyone else, is LAUGHABLE.

And for the record, since you're inferring tone from what I've said: I am not angry at all. Perfectly calm and happy go lucky, in fact.

I realize you're new here. Stick around longer and you'll realize that I speak pretty directly, bluntly in fact, and capitalize and bold things to emphasize them. That doesn't make me angry.

 

[Mayk]

I'm not sure I'd say that SunnyD is the one posting with "vitriol" in this thread. The tone didn't get downright nasty until you posted, Ame. Your almost tangible anger in a post that admit you have no stake in is cringe-worthy. Why so nasty?

It was "downright nasty" long before I said anything. But go ahead, check the timeline of posts, I'll wait. I chimed in yesterday, well beyond the point of "bloodbath", because I watched someone lob accusations and make discrediting remarks about a vendor without anything to back them up, and that's not fair, nor is it how things work around here. The fact that you, or anyone else, with as little stake as I have in this situation, is making as many strong-handed comments as you say I am making, yet I am somehow singled out as having more "tangible anger" than anyone else, is LAUGHABLE.

And for the record, since you're inferring tone from what I've said: I am not angry at all. Perfectly calm and happy go lucky, in fact.

I realize you're new here. Stick around longer and you'll realize that I speak pretty directly, bluntly in fact, and capitalize and bold things to emphasize them. That doesn't make me angry.

Ame I will say for someone like yourself who's been bullied in the past your posts today have been a bit "raw" with your language being very strong. I've even recoiled a bit and I've been around for five years.

 

[Bonfire]

Come on everyone, this has turned ugly and hostile. What started out as an OP 's legitimate guestion to others who may have first hand experience with a vendor, turning into ugly distortion, innuendo, swearing and nonsensical bickering. Ella has issued her warning. This is how threads get closed.

 

[Laila619]

I'm not sure I'd say that SunnyD is the one posting with "vitriol" in this thread. The tone didn't get downright nasty until you posted, Ame. Your almost tangible anger in a post that admit you have no stake in is cringe-worthy. Why so nasty?

It was "downright nasty" long before I said anything. But go ahead, check the timeline of posts, I'll wait. I chimed in yesterday, well beyond the point of "bloodbath", because I watched someone lob accusations and make discrediting remarks about a vendor without anything to back them up, and that's not fair, nor is it how things work around here.

But Ame, how (or why) is she supposed to "back them up?" All she can do is give her side of the story. It's not like this is a trial. I would think you would be a little more understanding...like what if people had accused you of making up the issues with your Flyer rings, or saying you were lying about that jeweler?

 

[metooplease]

I have not read through all of these...so you all can tell me to eff off since I am new.

I am sure that the vendor (ANY vendor) knows that when it comes to business, such an extensive defense of themselves by providing blow by blow accounts of dealings with unhappy consumers only results in a generally smaller customer base in addition to those few disgruntled ones....

It's not true that there's no such thing as negative publicity.

Whether you are selling houses, or buttons or anything in between....you can defend yourself privately if you must do so in order to gain some personal satisfaction, but doing so publicly WILL cost you. Just speaking in general as a consumer with common sense...

I have no beef with anyone.

 

[mrs-b]

We've passed the point where this should be discussed in an open forum. At this point, this is just in bad taste. Take it offline, ladies; the damage is done.