upgrade--return diamond refund

[teobdl]

Need advice on how pesky I should be about a refund from a reputable PS vendor.

About 2 months ago, I returned a diamond which was unset and had only been taken out of its packaging to ogle at, in order to upgrade to a better spec diamond. I'm still waiting for a refund check, which they said would take 3-5 weeks so that the diamond can be sent back to the lab to verify that it was as purchased (ie no damage).

First, is it standard for a diamond to be sent back to a lab?? Wouldn't a GG or equivalent on staff be able to verify this? Particularly for an unset stone. All paperwork was sent back, accompanying the diamond.

Second, how should I approach the issue with the vendor other than continually asking for an update? Unfortunately, they're not the best at responding to my emails, which are short but always courteous. I don't want to piss them off for fear not receiving a full refund. Thanks in advance...

 

[Maisie]

2 months is a long time to wait for a refund.

 

[Passafire]

2 months is a long time to wait for a refund.

Agreed. Sometimes unfortunately the "nice guy" does finish last. It's rather sad that being a jerk today will net you better results with retailers than being nice and courteous. I might get a little more stern with them. Mentioning the BBB might be a good start. It's your cash, they have the product back. A little time to inspect it is understandable. 2 months is not.

 

[Gypsy]

I would be firm. That's your money.

 

[TC1987]

Seems like an abnormally long time, to me, especially if this is a return that's made within the original 30 days or 60 days or whatever the vendor's normal return period is.

eta: two months = 8 weeks, well beyond the stated 3-5, so I would be naming names and raising Cain.

 

[teobdl]

I upgraded after the 30 day return period, hence an upgrade rather than going to another vendor. I decided a little too late that the diamond wasn't the right specs, and I had been patiently waiting for a diamond to come in that met both my criteria and the vendor's (somewhat unreasonably stringent) upgrade policy. To be honest, I hadn't read the upgrade policy as closely as I wish I should have at the outset.