Stop Getting Ripped Off!

Lately, it has come to my attention that many consumers are not getting what they paid for at their local jewelry stores in Ridgewood and surrounding areas. How do I know you may ask yourself? It’s simple, consumers are bringing in their jewelry in record numbers to check after they purchased it from another jeweler, they did not trust in the first place. This never ceases to amaze me, if you could only see my face when someone brings in a piece of jewelry to check you would be on the floor laughing. For those of you who know me, know exactly what I am referring to. I usually get that dumbfounded look on my face with an extra big grin and smirk and politely ask the customer, “why would you buy a piece of jewelry from a store you think is sketchy or do not trust as far as you could throw it”? The answer is usually always the same, “he said (meaning the sales associate) they are VVS’s or its 14kt gold”. Unfortunately, for most people who bring me their jewelry to check that is simply not the case. Now please do not get me wrong, I have lots of empathy for people who just got “ripped off” but I always ask myself the same question. If they trust us so much to bring in their jewelry to check that they purchased somewhere else, then why not just come to us in the first place so you do not have to worry about what you are purchasing? I have heard at times that we are a little expensive, and the client leaves to shop somewhere else only to return to us something they purchased elsewhere and thought they were getting a good deal, which usually is never the case. Most of the time they have purchased something under karat. I try and explain to all our clients that we are not expensive, we are simply selling you what you are supposed to be getting at a fair market value. The other stores appear to be less expensive than us because they sell you under karat merchandise, that’s how they can give you a better price. I have witnessed other jewelers selling clients silver chains plated gold and stamped 14kt and silver at the same time. There are so many people having issues with this kind of behavior from other jewelers in the area. I find this practice to be shocking and appalling. I always say, “why not just give the people what they paid for, everyone works hard for their money”.  It makes my job so much harder as a jeweler and a human to make people comfortable purchasing gold and diamonds from us or anywhere else for that matter. I often ask the consumer to see a copy of their sales receipt, this way I have an idea of what they are supposed to have in their possession. Again, most of the time the consumer does not have the receipt, or the description is so vague and usually has no mention of the karat content, diamond weight or the color and clarity of the diamond they just purchased. When you shop at AJ’s Jewelry in Ridgewood Queens you will receive a receipt with every purchase you make with us stating what the gold content is, the diamond weight if any, the gram weights of your new gold chains, bracelets and sometimes earrings. When you shop with us, we want you to have a receipt, we have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. We stand behind all our jewelry. Can the other jewelers in the area say the same? I doubt it very much.

Many consumers ask me what they should do after they discover they have been cheated. I often tell them to go back to the store if they have the receipt and demand a refund. Many of them take my advice only to return to me and tell me that the owner refuses to issue a refund. Sometimes they can convince the store to do an exchange but often they come back to me with more jewelry that isn’t worth what they paid for. Consumers get extremely frustrated and still seek advice from me on what they can do. What is even more amazing to me is that they did not purchase the jewelry from us, but they want us to solve their problem, it is kind of mind blowing from my perspective. In any event, there are a couple of other things you can do to try and resolve the issue. The first thing I suggest at this point is to get the Better Business Bureau involved. You can file a grievance with them and that should get the attention of most business owners. You can also file a complaint with the NYC Consumer Affairs. These agencies are there to help consumers settle disputes peacefully and without yelling or violence.

Another piece of advice I like to offer people is never ever psychically or verbally threaten the store owner or staff with violence. That could lead to you being arrested or worse. Most jewelry stores today have sophisticated surveillance equipment, everything is recorded, that means audio as well as video. This can work against you if you do not handle yourself in a courteous manner.  Many store owners are not very receptive to being threatened and yelled at in the store. Please don’t get me wrong, you have every right to be angry and for most people their first instinct is to yell and have a meltdown. This will not help your cause. Remember, you catch more bees with honey!  

If these two agencies cannot help you settle the grievance, then you can always turn to an attorney for help and try and get some sort of financial restitution. Sometimes this can be costly and become a timely process. I only suggest this if you have exhausted all other means of trying to settle your dispute with the store owner first.

The best way to avoid having to go through this is purchasing your jewelry from a reputable jeweler. Read some google reviews or look up the store’s history on the Better Business Bureau website or the Consumer Affairs website to see if there are any unsettled complaints for the business. If everything looks good, then visit the establishment.

While you are shopping for your next piece of gold jewelry here are a few tips to help you make an educated decision on where to purchase gold, silver, or platinum. The first thing I suggest is to ask the sales associate what their return policy is. Every store has its own set of rules that should be investigated before you purchase. If you agree with the policy, then make your purchase. Many stores, including my own, have a no refund policy. There is a good reason behind it. It is not that we do not want to issue you a refund if you are not happy with your purchase or the person you gave a gift to does not like what you purchased for them. Usually, the policy is in place to discourage people from borrowing jewelry for an event or special occasion and then returning it when the event is over. We have issued several refunds over the past 31 years to clients who we could not completely satisfy. Afterall, who wants an unhappy customer telling ten of their friends that they did not get a refund. Not us, that’s for sure.  

Here is another noteworthy tip for you, take a good look at the karat content stamp and company trademark on the jewelry. Most of the time it is stamped on the ends of the jewelry or on the lock. In the United States it is required by law to have the karat content of the jewelry and the company who created the jewelry initials on the piece to identify who the manufacturer is in case of a discrepancy.  The most common stamps you will encounter in the U.S. are either 10kt or 917 which means the same as 10kt. Most people do not know this. There is 14kt or 585 which equals 14kt. Then you have 18kt or 750 which equals 18 karat, Platinum is usually stamped either PLAT , 900, or 950. The reason for this is that there are two different purity levels in Platinum. Finally, is sterling silver. Silver is usually stamped .925. If the jeweler is showing you something that is stamped .925 and they are trying to sell it to you as gold, RUNas fast as you can out of the store. You are about to get ripped off. This practice is done mostly in the street by people trying to hustle you. Do not become a victim. It does happen on occasion in jewelry stores, I have seen people come into my store to check out chains for them that are plated gold and stamped .925, sometimes it even has a 14kt stamp on it also to try and confuse you even more than you already are.

Another scam to watch out for is the people on the street trying to sell you fake gold. The jewelry looks real and sometimes has the correct stamps and trademarks to make it look very authentic. This past year I saw an abundance of people being deceived by villains who like to prey on your good nature. Usually, they will give you some sob story about how they need to sell their jewelry to buy milk or diapers for the baby. Sometimes they even have a baby with them to add to the theatrics. Do not fall for that. If a deal is too good to be true then usually that is the case. Trust your instincts and run!

I hope everyone who reads this blog has learned something that will prevent you from becoming a victim. So, remember, when in doubt, check it out!

Jordan Eddi

Your Friendly Neighborhood Jeweler

Since 1988