HELP! RCCL Guaranteed Shop Milano Diamond Gallery!!

[Laura11982]

Hi! I am hoping someone here can offer some advice... We recently purchased a white gold and diamond ring and had my existing loose tanzanite set into it. We made this purchase at the Milano Diamond Gallery in Mazatlan in January. It has 4 diamonds in a row going down each side of the ring.

 

Here is the order of events:

 

-Negotiated price for the ring

-Purchased ring and was told sizing and setting would take 20-30 mins onsite.

-Returned 45 mins later to find that it was taken OFF site and was no where near completion. :mad:

-Waited over 2 hours in the store. :mad:

-Finally got my ring, but a diamond was missing out of the side.

-Salesman blamed it on the sizing, which I can understand. He sent his runner back to get a diamond put in.

-When he returned, there was a nick in the white gold where it looked like he struggled to get the diamond in. :mad:

 

At this point, I wanted to get back on the ship... 6 of us had been waiting in their store for almost 3 hours. They gave me a $50 refund and paid for all 6 of us to get a cab back to the ship. It literally came down to me fighting with the ships Shopping Guide guy, then he went to the store manager to get this resolution. Thank goodness the Shopping Guide walked in when he did or I dont think they would have done anything.

 

Now, about 2 weeks ago I bacame suspiciuos of the repairs and took it to a local jewler. She is appaled at the workmanship of the people that worked on it there. She said the basket is only saudered on in ONE place, that there are 3 lose diamonds, they didn't even finish the sizing job, leaving it unsaudered, and the list goes on. She is willing to fix everything for $75 total.

 

Just now, I contacted Milano Diamond Gallery at 877-634-5878 and spoke to a customer service rep that instructed me to mail them the ring (sans the tanzinaite) and they would special order a new one for me. She was unwilling to tell me how long this would take. I can't help but be a little skeptical of this after the shotty experience I had in the store.

 

Bottom line, I don't know if I should risk sending it back to MDG (their NYC address), or just spend the $75 to get it fixed here by someone I trust. I know for sure, I won't be shopping at a RCCL Guaranteed store for a while... lol. :confused: :confused: :confused:

[FL_Cruiser64]

Hi! I am hoping someone here can offer some advice... We recently purchased a white gold and diamond ring and had my existing loose tanzanite set into it. We made this purchase at the Milano Diamond Gallery in Mazatlan in January. It has 4 diamonds in a row going down each side of the ring.

 

Here is the order of events:

 

-Negotiated price for the ring

-Purchased ring and was told sizing and setting would take 20-30 mins onsite.

-Returned 45 mins later to find that it was taken OFF site and was no where near completion. :mad:

-Waited over 2 hours in the store. :mad:

-Finally got my ring, but a diamond was missing out of the side.

-Salesman blamed it on the sizing, which I can understand. He sent his runner back to get a diamond put in.

-When he returned, there was a nick in the white gold where it looked like he struggled to get the diamond in. :mad:

 

At this point, I wanted to get back on the ship... 6 of us had been waiting in their store for almost 3 hours. They gave me a $50 refund and paid for all 6 of us to get a cab back to the ship. It literally came down to me fighting with the ships Shopping Guide guy, then he went to the store manager to get this resolution. Thank goodness the Shopping Guide walked in when he did or I dont think they would have done anything.

 

Now, about 2 weeks ago I bacame suspiciuos of the repairs and took it to a local jewler. She is appaled at the workmanship of the people that worked on it there. She said the basket is only saudered on in ONE place, that there are 3 lose diamonds, they didn't even finish the sizing job, leaving it unsaudered, and the list goes on. She is willing to fix everything for $75 total.

 

Just now, I contacted Milano Diamond Gallery at 877-634-5878 and spoke to a customer service rep that instructed me to mail them the ring (sans the tanzinaite) and they would special order a new one for me. She was unwilling to tell me how long this would take. I can't help but be a little skeptical of this after the shotty experience I had in the store.

 

Bottom line, I don't know if I should risk sending it back to MDG (their NYC address), or just spend the $75 to get it fixed here by someone I trust. I know for sure, I won't be shopping at a RCCL Guaranteed store for a while... lol. :confused: :confused: :confused:

 

What advise are you looking for? Lawsuit?

 

Or a simple, peace at mind?

 

In the latter I'd say, pay the 75 bucks and call it a day. I don't know how much the ring is worth but 75 bucks seems reasonable.

[Laura11982]

No, I'm certainly NOT looking for a lawsuit... I simply thought someone here may have gone through something similar and could offer some advice. :o

[FL_Cruiser64]

No, I'm certainly NOT looking for a lawsuit... I simply thought someone here may have gone through something similar and could offer some advice. :o

 

If the ring is worth enough just pay the $75. Otherwise you have to deal with shipping, delays, and then the ring is not what it supposed to be like.

 

You know warranties are a realy good thing but at times it doesn't make much sense. For 75 dollars the warranty is more hassle.

[reallyitsmema]

Personally, I would send it back and ask for a full refund. They didn't do what they said they were going to do from the beginning. The ring was damaged by them and I would be concerned about problems with it in the future. JMO.

[Laura11982]

Well, after a second call to Milano Diamond Gallery, the lady said it would take 6-8 weeks to repair/replace but she couldn't tell me if they would insure it when it was sent back to me. Other things she said just didn't sound quite right so I am just keeping the ring and getting it repaired for $75. I do love the ring and honestly, I am sick of the hassle. At least this way, it's one last thing to think about. :D

[Loracpin2]

If this store is guaranteed by RCI, don't they have some liability? I would get in touch with their customer service (if it's possible to be connected to the right person who knows what they're taliking about) and see if they can resolve the issue to your satisfaction. If nothing else, RCI should reimburse you the $75.

 

As an aside, I have never done business with a cruise line "guaranteed" store after my first experience years ago with Diamond International in St. Thomas. Although I thought the price was too good to believe, I went in there to look at the "cruise special" 2 carat diamond tennis bracelet for $699. When I asked for a lupe so I could inspect the diamonds, the clerk responded "you don't want this bracelet, you should look at the better ones in the back of the store". Because of their bait and switch methods, I walked out of the store and found a non-approved small shop down the street. I did however, get a great recommendation while I was in that shop- a New York Giants player was also in there with his wife. They both had quite a bit of jewelry on which they purchased from this shop every year when they visited St. Thomas.

[Laura11982]

If this store is guaranteed by RCI, don't they have some liability? I would get in touch with their customer service (if it's possible to be connected to the right person who knows what they're taliking about) and see if they can resolve the issue to your satisfaction. If nothing else, RCI should reimburse you the $75.

 

As an aside, I have never done business with a cruise line "guaranteed" store after my first experience years ago with Diamond International in St. Thomas. Although I thought the price was too good to believe, I went in there to look at the "cruise special" 2 carat diamond tennis bracelet for $699. When I asked for a lupe so I could inspect the diamonds, the clerk responded "you don't want this bracelet, you should look at the better ones in the back of the store". Because of their bait and switch methods, I walked out of the store and found a non-approved small shop down the street. I did however, get a great recommendation while I was in that shop- a New York Giants player was also in there with his wife. They both had quite a bit of jewelry on which they purchased from this shop every year when they visited St. Thomas.

 

Yeah, the more I cruise, the more I wisen up to the "guaranteed" shops... they basically just pay RCCL to be put on the "map" and don't offer any true value.

 

The claims process through RCCL seems to be very stressful and tedious and after all we've been through (purse stolen, lost passport, etc) on this trip, I've learned to pick my battles and I just don't think it's worth it. Don't worry. I fully intend on writing a letter and having my jewler make a list of what's wrong and sending it to RCCL. Not that they'll do anything, but... :rolleyes:

[cb at sea]

If you're looking for a bargain, then you're ripe for a swindle! If you're really looking for a specific piece of jewelry, do your research! Find out how much it would cost at home, and then really compare "apples to apples"!

Generally, there are no bargains! You get what you pay for! If you really like the ring, get it fixed, wear it, and enjoy it!

[jersey]

How did you pay for the ring?

 

If you paid by credit card - go back e to the credit card issuer (Visa, AmEx, ets.) dispute the charge - they will immediately credit your account and they will fight with the vendor for you.

 

If you paid by cash - I would not send it back - pay the $75 and be done with it.

[rockinrobin614]

I have a story for you:

 

My mother was looking for an opal and tanzanite ring on one of our cruises. We found a ring at one of the reccomended shops in the eastern caribbean (cant remember which one, several we visited that day). They "sized" the ring for her and we paid and got back on board the ship to have lunch. My sister was looking at the ring during lunch in the Windjammer and asked why one stone was black and the others were blue/green. One of the opals had fallen out! We rushed back to the store, only had about an hour before we left port and demanded a refund. The store didnt want to do it even though their error caused the opal to fall out.

 

Finally got a refund and had a long talk with the shopping guide back on board. Essentially told us were sorry, but there is nothing we can do. Sent a long letter to the ceo of rccl and guest relations and nothing ever happened.

 

We no longer trust the store the ship reccomends. For the price difference (not much) we can get excellent quality jewelry from a local store that we trust.

 

Hope everything goes well.

[K9guy]

We bought a blue daimond at Venitian Jewelers in San Juan. They gave us the paperwork etc... and said that the stone and ring were worth much more than what we paid for it. We took the ring to a local trusted jeweler to have an appraisal done. She looked at the stone and found in her opinion a much different rating than what was given to us and what is on the paperwork from Venitian. She is going to have a full appraisal done and will get back to us next week. The mount was bad, there were inclusions in the stone, and there appeared to be chip in the diamond. None of this was discussed at Venetian. They claim VS2 our jeweler said not even close.

 

So.... if our jeweler comes up with a much different and much lower appraisal than what we paid, what is our recourse? I have not looked at the "guarentee" or any of the ship customer service settlement options yet.

 

How soon do you need to notify your credit card company of the possible misrepresentation of what was purchased?

 

Any help would be appreciated. Not interested in going to court, but would like a full refund!

[K9guy]

Double Post... Sorry

[Loracpin2]

K9guy

 

I would get in touch with your credit card company ASAP, explain the situation and find out your options.

[tigger241]

We had a very similar problem at Milano Diamond Gallery in St. Thomas on 12/24/07. They sold us two rings. A diamond anniversary ring and a new engagement ring for my wife. We too waited several hours, nearly missing our boat to find that the person who did the sizing on the anniversary ring stretched out the channels and the diamonds were not lined up straight. They gave us a refund on that, after some arguing.

 

The engagement ring, my wife felt uncomfortable with them removing her diamond so we brought it home to be sized. This ring too had channels down the side and my jeweler refused to size it. He said he could not guarantee the diamonds would not fall out.

 

I call STS Jewels, the parent company of Milano Diamond Gallery and dealt with the most incompetent customer service I had ever seen. My phone messages go unreturned. When I do speak to someone, they never seem to know the answers. The CS rep I spoke with, Natalie Fernandez, told me that they have talked with their managers and they know that they cannot size rings with channels down the side and they should never have tried to.

 

She promised she could have a replacement ring for my wife by Valentine's Day.

 

She never got back to me with a price (for a possible upgrade). I tried for a week to reach her boss, Alex (he would not give his last name). He said that Natalie never gave the retailer a final answer so they sold the ring!!!! He now tells me he can have it in 6-8 weeks.

 

I have called my CC Company and have filed a complaint. The ring was sent back via DHL and I have confirmation that it was received. Now, I can't get anyone in STS's Office to tell me when I will get my money back.

 

It seems that they attend a lot of meetings that they cannot be reached at.

 

And yes I did call Carnival because they were a preferred jeweler. but they said it was out of their hands.

 

 

So a bit a warning to everyone, stay far away from Milano Diamond Gallery...........

[bigeagle12]

My wife and I have had good experiences with Milano in St. Thomas. Just purchases a 2.5 carat diamond necklace there last month. Never had and customization done .. always buy staight out of the display case. Have a friend who is a jeweler do any sizing or customization once we get home.

[bubbie617]

When I have bought expensive jewelry while on vacation, I ALWAYS get a written statement from the store that if the piece does not appraise for at least what they say it is appraised for, I can return it - no questions asked. The appraisal has to be done by a certified gemologist not just a local jeweler.

 

I have bought things several times at Imperial Jewelers on Main Street in St. Thomas and have never had a problem. I returned something once and they credited my credit card immediately upon receiving the piece I returned. I highly recommend them. They are honest and good to do business with.

[TXNlostMN]

Do not buy from this company! I purchased a ring in Cabo and have had a diamond fall out of it 3 times. Every time I sent it back to "customer service" it took 6 weeks to get back to me. So since March of 2009 I have worn my ring maybe 3 months! The owner of the company promised my husband he would refund our money if it happened again....guess what? He is not refunding $ or returning any phone calls or emails. DO NOT BUY from MILANO DIAMONDS!

[deborah grimes]

We have a problem too. My son purchased a ring in St. Kitts Milano's on Dec 2, 2010. Yes last month! He gave it to his Girlfriend on New years eve and now they are engaged. The problem is on Sunday Jan, 2 a diamond fell out and we can not find it. I can not find a number to the store in St Kitts does anyone know the number? I hope there was some kind of guarantee. The diamond must have already been loose.

[RareBird]

Very odd and bad experience!

 

I bought an expensive diamond ring from Diamonds Int'l in St. Thomas on last cruise. Port shopping guide guy was in store and offered to pick up the ring after resizing and give it to me on the ship, so I did not have to wait. Everyone was great and he had lots of ladies picking up Jewerly back on board.

 

I'm sorry for your experience. Pay $75 and enjoy the ring.

Edited January 6, 2011 by RareBird

[MDSue]

We have a problem too. My son purchased a ring in St. Kitts Milano's on Dec 2, 2010. Yes last month! He gave it to his Girlfriend on New years eve and now they are engaged. The problem is on Sunday Jan, 2 a diamond fell out and we can not find it. I can not find a number to the store in St Kitts does anyone know the number? I hope there was some kind of guarantee. The diamond must have already been loose.

I'm really sorry about the lost stone- I suspect there will be no recourse but you should certainly try. Does your son have homeowners insurance that might cover the loss? It is relatively cheap to insure jewelry so I make sure I have it for my pieces that are worth more than a few hundred dollars

Keep searching! My engagement ring fell off my nightstand years ago and landed in a trash can. The trash had been thrown out and was at the curb for pick up when I decided to check the bag. I brought inside right before the truck came around. Luckily, after a tedious search, the ring turned up. I hope the diamond will re-surface for your son and future daughter-in-law.

Edited January 6, 2011 by MDSue

[deborah grimes]

I'm really sorry about the lost stone- I suspect there will be no recourse but you should certainly try. Does your son have homeowners insurance that might cover the loss? It is relatively cheap to insure jewelry so I make sure I have it for my pieces that are worth more than a few hundred dollars

Keep searching! My engagement ring fell off my nightstand years ago and landed in a trash can. The trash had been thrown out and was at the curb for pick up when I decided to check the bag. I brought inside right before the truck came around. Luckily, after a tedious search, the ring turned up. I hope the diamond will re-surface for your son and future daughter-in-law.

 

Thanks Sue! I called them in New York( the receipt gave a number to call) They said they would fix it. Just return it to them. I would have to pay all shipping and handling. :eek: I don't know what to do? All the stories I have read on here about not the right stone came back and stuff. His GF family knows a good jeweler here and took the ring to them. They would fix it and make sure nothing else falls out for $45.00. I think that is the way to go and I know in my mind it would be done right. I Think just in shipping and price for insurance may cost almost as much if not more and she will not be weeks with out the ring.

[jsoenning]

Thanks Sue! I called them in New York( the receipt gave a number to call) They said they would fix it. Just return it to them. I would have to pay all shipping and handling. :eek: I don't know what to do? All the stories I have read on here about not the right stone came back and stuff. His GF family knows a good jeweler here and took the ring to them. They would fix it and make sure nothing else falls out for $45.00. I think that is the way to go and I know in my mind it would be done right. I Think just in shipping and price for insurance may cost almost as much if not more and she will not be weeks with out the ring.

 

If it were me I'd pay the $45 locally and not worry about the ring getting lost in shipment.

[BND]

We bought a blue daimond at Venitian Jewelers in San Juan. They gave us the paperwork etc... and said that the stone and ring were worth much more than what we paid for it. We took the ring to a local trusted jeweler to have an appraisal done. She looked at the stone and found in her opinion a much different rating than what was given to us and what is on the paperwork from Venitian. She is going to have a full appraisal done and will get back to us next week. The mount was bad, there were inclusions in the stone, and there appeared to be chip in the diamond. None of this was discussed at Venetian. They claim VS2 our jeweler said not even close.

 

So.... if our jeweler comes up with a much different and much lower appraisal than what we paid, what is our recourse? I have not looked at the "guarentee" or any of the ship customer service settlement options yet.

 

 

How soon do you need to notify your credit card company of the possible misrepresentation of what was purchased?

 

Any help would be appreciated. Not interested in going to court, but would like a full refund!

 

First, all diamonds have inclusions, the grading depends on how visible they are. Second, blue diamonds are blue because they are heat treated to be blue to cover up visible inclusions. If you knew that going in, you would realize that is normal. Most jewelers in the US don't see blue diamonds. Any blue diamond you can afford will be SI at least because they heat treat ones to be blue to hide the visible inclusions. No reason to heat treat a VS diamond. I own several blue diamond pieces and would never believe a VS grading on them because I knew what I was dealing with. It's hard to get a true appraisal on a diamond without removing it from it's setting. Real,natural, blue diamonds are very, very expensive. We've purchased blue diamonds from Venetian in St Thomas and didn't have any issues. Education is the key. We've bought at least 6 or 7 pieces in the caribbean with diamonds and/or blue diamonds and have had no issues at all with any of them. I think some people are expecting to get jewelry for a lot less than it's worth, and while you can save money in the Caribbean, don't expect a huge savings. Go there educated.

Edited January 9, 2011 by BND

[jewopaho]

If you're looking for a bargain, then you're ripe for a swindle! If you're really looking for a specific piece of jewelry, do your research! Find out how much it would cost at home, and then really compare "apples to apples"! Generally, there are no bargains! You get what you pay for! If you really like the ring, get it fixed, wear it, and enjoy it!

 

This is the best advice on this, or any other, thread addessing the topic. I don't know how many times I've posted similar replies. Having spent years in the business, I can state unequivocally that about all you save in the Caribbean is the sales tax ... maybe. If jewelry were priced at pennies on the dollar (which is what they want you to believe), every jeweler in the US would be on the next plane to the Caribbean to buy everything in sight. Another helpful tidbit ... burn the appraisal. If you think for one minute that a $3000 appraisal on a $1000 ring equates to buying it for 1/3 of its value ... I've got this oceanfront property in Kansas (just off the coast of Nebraska) that might interest you.

 

The mount was bad, there were inclusions in the stone, and there appeared to be chip in the diamond. None of this was discussed at Venetian. They claim VS2 our jeweler said not even close.

 

All diamonds have inclusions (flaws) except those graded as "flawless." You don't want to know what a one-carat stone would cost ... but you could buy a really, really nice car for the money. The more inclusions and other flaws (carbon deposits, "feathers," etc.), the lower the grade. What these little gremlins do is affect the refraction of light through the stone, and thus the sparkle (or lack thereof). VS-2 is decent ... about mid-grade. Judging from what your jeweler told you, you likely purchased an SI-2, the lowest graded diamond ... not necessarily bad, but much less expensive. There's also the matter of color ... again, probably a wild guess in this instance. The closer to the letter "A," the "cleaner" (i.e. less yellow) the stone. Generally speaking, H to J is about where a nice-looking, well-priced SI-2 diamond should be. The mounts are cast (mass-produced), and quality control appears to be non-existent in your case. Hopefully your credit card company can be of assistance.

 

Do your homework, do your homework, do your homwork! If you don't want to go to a local jeweler and waste his time, you'll find nice selections at the warehouse clubs ... everything is clearly marked and graded. You might also want to take a look in a couple of pawn shops ... if you're somewhat savvy and have reasonable negotiating skills, that's where the deals are!

 

And don't forget to do your homework ... there will be a pop quiz next week!

 

Al

Edited January 9, 2011 by jewopaho