Please post this message! I recently had a beautiful diamond
baguette band reset in Bangkok, by the original jeweler who made it
for me. The jeweler switched the stones on me and I am devastated by
this, I really trusted him because the first ring he made for me was
beautiful and the stones wee very good quality. Eventually the
original platinum band developed a hairline crack and I thought it
best if it was replaced because the stones could have have become
loose and maybe fallen out. Does anyone know what I can do to get
this man to replace the ring with the proper stones( the new ring has
many different size baguettes , the original had all uniform sizes.
Also the new rings’stones are poorly cut and the sides are not
polished.) I have an appraisal for the original ring and it is
obvious that the new ring is very inferior. Please advise me as to
what I can do . Thank You Denise W. Margolin
Denise, I know of no legal recourse you can take. Even with a
written guarantee you only have the goodwill of the vendor when you
deal with a supplier outside your country. This means any country.
The best recourse you can follow is to spread the name of the company
around so that others are not taken in by the same company. Even
foreign dealers traveling in another country are very difficult to
hold to a guarantee of trust. There are some International laws, but
it would be very expensive to pursue them. You might try the Embassy
service. Your claim is very small and it is unlikely they would give
you much attention. When foreign dealers come to the USA to sell in
the USA they basically can say and do what ever they want. You have
very little recourse when buying from them because they are foreign
citizens. Even the ones that speak perfect English and are
gentlemen can turn into nightmares. That is why until about 15 years
ago most people who dealt with foreign suppliers where business men
who bought in quantity and knew how to use business leverage to
ensure honest transactions. One on one transactions in a retail
environment with a foreign dealer carry no guarantees and are very
risky transactions. Buyer beware.
Gerry Galarneau
Individuals dealing with jewelers in countries other than their home
country do it because they think they can save a lot of money.
Unfortunately, they also leave themselves open to being "ripped off"
and they have almost NO RECOURSE. It is hard enough for a customer
to get recourse if they were cheated or defrauded in their home town,
even in the United States, where there are strong consumer
protection laws. I always advise my customers to not buy any jewelry
overseas which THEY consider to be an expensive item. Trinkets and
souvenirs, yes. I have seen too many “bargains” purchased by
tourists which were fraudulently represented. And they are 'stuck’
with it. I , myself, bought a beautiful “hand carved ivory” Kwan Yin
at a stall in Hong Kong and I bargained the seller down from 10
dollars to 8 dollars. I’m a gemologist, and knew that the item was
molded plastic, but I am sure many tourists 'fell for it.'
David Barzilay. Lord of the Rings