Print the value of index0
Shenoa & Company - Global Bargain Hunters - ebay ripoff dishonest fraudulent scam New York New York
Dear readers,
I am willing to post my own ignorant foray into trying to buy a diamond online, in hopes that others will be able to avoid my painful experience with Shenoa & Co. First, I actually bought my ring from a company listed as Global Bargain Hunters on Ebay, but this company turned out to be simply another alias for Shenoa & Co. So be forewarned that if you are looking to buy a diamond ring off of Ebay make sure it is not from Shenoa & Co. or Global Bargain Hunters. They may very well have other aliases they are using as well.
Here is the short & skinny of what happened... I purchased what was supposed to be a .78 carat solitaire ring, round brilliant cut, VS1 clarity, and G color. I am certainly no expert on diamonds, but even I could tell as soon as I opened my UPS package that I had been seriously misled. I then took the ring to a local jeweler to get an appraisal. Well the ring was appraised as a .47 carat, SI3, J-K color. Obviously I was furious and immediately returned the ring.
After returning the ring, the customer service agent actually had the nerve to tell me he had put the ring on the diamond scale himself and that the diamond was actually a .79 carat, as they don't mind giving away an extra point or two. I cannot even fathom what kind of company and what kind of person it takes to lie outright to my face and treat me as if I am the world's biggest fool.
I personally held the ring I received up to a .75 diamond ring and the difference was obvious. The customer service agent then went on to tell me that the local jeweler was deceiving me for his own purposes. This is the line you will see as response to any negative feedback they receive on Ebay! According to Shenoa all local jewelers are out to screw the consumer by issuing faulty appraisals! These scammers will do anything to avoid negative feedback on Ebay!
Anyhow, it took three phone calls, five emails, and numerous threats to receive my refund, but I finally did get my money back. Oh yeah, they did leave an extra $20 on my card though probably just as one last little attempt to win the "Worst Online Seller in the History of the Internet" award.
I wrote them a scathing email telling them all the ways I was going to spread the word of avoiding their company so they did also refund that $20. All said and done I lost a total of $145 on this fiasco due to a bogus certificate they won't refund money on, return shipping, and the real appraisal.
Learn from my mistake and others to avoid this company. That is Shenoa & Co. and Global Bargain Hunters! If you are insane enough to purchase a diamond online, call the company first if there is a phone number and make absolute sure that you are not buying from Shenoa & Co. hiding under yet another alias.
Help me spread the word about this terrible company. When a deal seems to good to be true it is. No exceptions.
Mad
Raleigh, North Carolina
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Scott
New York,New York,
U.S.A.
BAD APPRAISAL BUY COMPETITIVE JEWELER !
#4UPDATE Employee
Tue, March 27, 2007
I have read a few responses from others that do point out several problems with the appraisal that this customer received. I would like to point out a few myself:
1- Never go to a jeweler for an "independent appraisal". You will not and can not get one. This is like bringing a Ford to Chevy dealer and asking for his unbiased opinion of his competitors product. Always go to someone that does not buy or sell what you are appraising.
2- Carats are a measurement of weight, not size. Weight can be estimated by its measurements, but if the diamond is set the depth measurement could be impossible to get, thereby making the estimate completely inaccurate.
3- Understand that color and clarity is subjective and a matter of opinion. Weight is mechanical and theoretically the same on everyone's SCALE.
4- After almost 30 Years in business we have hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers. 98% of the time we have an unhappy customer it is because "their local jeweler", who they decided not to buy their jewelry from, yet decided that they would be a good person whose opinion to seek, bad mouthed the item.
So ask your self the question "the next time I need an independent opinion of quality and value do I go to my local retailer and ask him about my internet purchase, or do I go to someone that does not buy or sell, pay the appraisal fee, and receive an impartial evaluation ?"
Dont Worry, Be Happy !
William
Boca Raton,Florida,
U.S.A.
Suggestion on how to deal with these type of cases
#4Consumer Suggestion
Mon, November 13, 2006
I am a professional gemologist and appraiser,and specialize in consumer fraud cases in the jewelry industry.
Consumer mistake....In this matter the jeweler who checked the stone should HAVE INSISTED it be removed from the setting to determine it's actual weight. Carat is a weight, not a size.
Diamonds are cut to different depths, and if you bought one that was cut shallow, it could appear larger, much larger than one that was proportioned properly or one that was cut to be excessively deep.
Resolution:
If a jeweler tells you ( or any merchant for that matter ) that a item he is selling you is of a specific weight, or quality, then the item MUST conform to that representation. A sales slip or a gem report, or even an appraisal made by the SELLER legally becomes a WARRANTY.
When you agreed to purchase the item, you created a binding contract, and if the seller delivers something different, he is liable to replace the item that would conform to the representation of weight, quality etc, he originally made, REGARDLESS of how much more the proper item would be. This is legally called specific performance.
In simple layman's language, he can't sell you a Yugo with Cadillac emblems on it and call it a Cadillac. If that happened at your local car agency, you would have demanded what the seller said he was selling you (legally referred to as Benefit of the Bargain). It isn't different when it comes to jewelry, diamonds or anything else sold.
Jeweler Who Checked the Stone's Mistake......
As the previous rebuttal stated, SI-3 is not comparable to the most widely accepted diamond grading terminology which was authored by the Gemological Institute ( GIA ). A credentialed gemologist would not use this grading system, as SI-3 does ont exist in the GIA's system. It is an I-1 at best. ( I used here stands for IMPERFECT).
Hope this helps.
Darren
Hickory,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
The company you mentioned...
#4Consumer Comment
Mon, March 27, 2006
...sounds pretty bad, but something else i would point out to you is that the "appraiser" you took the ring to when you got it, that said it was an "SI3" was fairly uneducated as well. The only comapny that uses the SI3 designation is EGL which has a stellar reputation for being WRONG...this "appraiser" doesnt have a clue or the proper education to make the call he did.
glad it ended well