Complaint Review: Zo Diamonds - Boca Raton, Florida

And did you get stuck $14 K for the deal, or not.

I am happy to say that all issues have been resolved fairly and professionally. 

Apparently, Max was under the impression that one of his employees had given me the change in cost and I was just balking at the price when I came to pick-up.  He didn't realize that no one informed me of it prior to making the ring.  Once the clarification was made and he realized I had never been told, he made every effort to work with me to resolve the problem.

I have to acknowledge Ken, who works with Max & Michael.  Had it not been for his assistance and complete professionalism in handling this matter....it may not have been resolved as amicably as it was.  Ken arranged for me to bring back the ring, get my original diamond bracelet back and then have a new ring made from my own stones as I originally wanted. 

A big thank you to Michael who assisted in the design of the new ring and I'm glad we were able to work everything out.

After being a customer for over 15 years....I'm glad we were able to resolve this for both parties!

There was something I neglected to address in my rebuttal to Max's erroneous follow-up statements.....
I stated in my original report: "Then he threatened me that if I complained any further that I would
experience what he's really like when he get's angry. He also threatened to call security and have me thrown out of the Exchange"! 

Let's be straight here.....this is a jewelry exchange with many, many booths and he kept asking me to go outside to discuss this.  Obviously he didn't want anyone to catch on to his deceptive practice of what he was doing to me.  Although he makes it sound that I "came up with the idea to exchange my ring for my bracelet".....do you honestly believe that?  He made the offer to me on the phone the week before and I told him I would think about it and be by the following week.  I thought he was trying to be a nice guy and make a customer happy! Now I realize that he knew he was ripping me off and wasn't going to honor the offer.  Sure....he had more diamond and more gold than he gave me in the ring!  And if he said he tried showing it to other jewelers to sell it----that's an out and out lie.  He had no idea where it was until he asked his salesperson Richard who said it was in a plastic box in the drawer and had never been put out!

When he verbally threatened me, my 19 year old daughter who was with me at the time....became frightened.  Telling someone that I have never seen him really mad and if I continued to complain that I wold get to experience his anger is not exactly what I would call good customer service! 

Max was the one who walked out of the Exchange expecting me to follow and when I didn't, he decided to find a Security Guard ----but there was nothing done by security nor was I ever escorted out---another Max fabrication.  By the time I walked out of the Exchange going to the parking lot....MAx was walking up the walkway with a security guard so the incident as he describes certainly sounds dramatic enough, but once again....he's making up stuff to bail his butt out of his unprofessional behavior.

I did want to clarify that Zo Diamonds has another partner Michael.  I haven't dealt directly with him over the years as much as I have with Max but he and his wife have always been pleasant and professional.  IF you are going to buy from Zo.....stick with Michael.

Wow!  The defense tactic is so fabricated that it's scary!  Thankfully there are vehicles such as Rip-Off Report that allows you to warn people of bad business practices.  It's interesting how his story changes now that he knows the truth is out.  All I can say is shame on him.  Over the years I have bought and sold many items from this jeweler and it wasn't until he blatantly tried to cheat me that I was forced to make it public.

Now he's backpedaling the truth on how the events occurred and what was said.  So you decide. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that if I give you someone an 8" Diamond bracelet with larger stones and the value of the gold itself (especially in today's gold market) and in return he gives me back a  ring, less gold with significantly smaller stones only half way around ... how can anyone think that's an even trade???  Especially to do to someone you've done $1,000's of dollars worth of business over the years!  Besides, he kept sayiing he was going to do things like try to sell the bracelet or take the ring back and give me back my bracelet.....I believed him.....his denial is a joke.  I'm flattered that he thinks I can come up with such fabrications but he said he'd do those things and I had no reason not to believe him until he out and out cheated me.

Shame on you.  If he was ethical & a gentleman, what he should have done is advised me that the setter could not use my stones before he made the ring!  Instead he didn't tell me until I picked it up.  Thank goodness we live in a country where we have freedom of speech.  He can defend himself all he'd like but he knows the real truth too.  I stand by my original Rip-Off Report

I have to say being 20 years in business this is the first major complaint made to our company, unfourtunately in most every business there are always a few customers that no matter what you do for them they will never be satisfied.
This particular customer which I won't mention her name to protect her privacy approached us to make a wedding band for her. We couldn't use her diamonds on her bracelet because the diamonds would have looked mismatched with her engagement ring. the diamond band came out really nice and the customer was satisfied. I showed the customer all the slips and receipts,  the cost was close to $1,500 to make the band  which is what I charged  her. She complained business wasn't great and she really didn't have much to spend so I gave her a break.
The customer then asked me to apply her bracelet toward the ring and I really wasn'r interested so
We then got a few offers on the bracelet from outside dealers and the most we were offered was ranging from $1,200 to $1,500.
At that point the customer offered to trade the bracelet for the ring and I did, I even told the customer that when I sell it over $1,500.00 I would give her half the profit.  Well it's been a few months and it hasn't sold so the customer called me and I offered to sell her back the bracelet for what I had give her for it  which was $1,500. She then came up with the idea that I would take back the ring that I had custom made for her for the bracelet.
This customer to this date can still buy back the bracelet for the original price that I gave her for it. This transaction  was never a money making deal for us from the beginning,  I tried to help someone out and unfortunately it backfired. There are just some customers that no matter what you do for them, they can never be pleased. The customer was escorted off the premises after becoming very belligerent and trying to cause a scene in our place of business.
In our defence of bait and switch, We are a company with very high integrity and We have proven that over the years with thousands of satisfied customers. we have one of the highest ratings in the Jewelers Board of Trade, and have never abused any business client relationship in all the years that We are in Business.
Sincerely
Max Machat