DO NOT BUY EFFY Jewelry on the cruise ship! NO RETURN policy and LIED to!!

[Arzeena]

The receipt we signed had NO policies listed on it. They told us to come back the next night for the certification, appraisal, and EFFY printed receipt (not the one I signed). We trusted the sales person we bought from. She said that they were priced way better than we could find outside of the ship, and she backed it up with "we price match if you do." What she didn't say was that it has to be an EFFY product.

Funny part is that the certification, appraisal, and the second EFFY printed receipt aren't given until the next night and that EFFY receipt is what has the NO RETURN POLICY on it and EFFY price match only-not the receipt they had me sign. It's just deceitful.

Once you call Carnival, they blame it on vendor policy that they have NO control of it. EFFY blames Carnival-it's AWFUL.

Yes, they gave us a printed appraisal which lists the same Cut, Clarity, Color, and Weight. The earrings I'm comparing it to are the same (as well as certified), but it's not an EFFY brand so they won't price match (which was not explained on the ship). I'm just warning people to ask the return policy and make sure that they know their prices before they go because once you are off the ship, there is NO support and you are stuck with it, even if they gave you promises-it's just a sales pitch. EFFY and CARNIVAL should be ashamed of themselves.

I went to the shopping specialist's shopping talk aboard the ship and believed what they said. It's sad that they are so deceitful. When you find out that your product isn't worth what you paid or that you can get it cheaper at home after they promised and backed it with a price match guarantee-which is a lie....it's an awful place to be.

 

I just read this after I posted earlier. And I am sorry to say that they are right here......they cannot price match an Effy product to another product.....it is like apples and oranges. Sorry, but this is a matter of common sense. I hope you understand that they are not deceitful. You just can't ask for a price match between Effy and another brand or no brand.

I would say, enjoy your earrings and wear them in good health.

[coevan]

watches are MUCH cheaper in St Thomas, it's a duty free port. A;so their liquor prices blow out CCL's pricing

[honeycutt264]

Good to know. Thanks for the Heads-up!

 

 

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Sure! I just want people to know so that they don't make the same mistake that we did.

[honeycutt264]

I understand feeling you have been taken advantage of, that's not a good feeling. I don't buy jewelry on board, but Effy is,a brand,and I understand their policy of price matching to their brand i.e if you found Effy earrings cheaper at your local Macy's. I wouldn't expect to buy a Tag Hauer watch on a ship and have them price match to a Sieko watch I priced at the mall.

 

 

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I understand but I did ask about the pricing and quality that we could find off the ship. She told me that they price match to ensure that they give the best price. My mistake was believing that. I just wanted them to price match. They actually told me to go to Bloomingdales or Macy's website and if their prices were cheaper, they could match them because they carry EFFY there. I've submitted the information, now I'll wait and see. They are giving me the run around. But I've learned my lesson and just don't want anyone else to make the same mistake I did.

[elainmir]

The whole price matching thing hacks me off. I feel so bad for you. I have learned a lot about price matching. We were looking at appliances once and I found the same product for less at another store and it had a different model number but when I looked it was the EXACT same thing so I questioned the appliance person who said..GE will manufacture the same product with one model number for Lowe's and another for Home Depot! So they do not have to beat anyone elses price! That is just wrong. How can you freakin price match when they make it so hard? Just give it up! I do not buy any jewelry on a ship because they act like shady used car salesmen. I feel horribly for you OP.

[honeycutt264]

Rule number one a verbal contract has 0 credibility in a court of law. (he-she said scenario) Was policy posted in the shop?

Never buy a substantial purchase that does not have a written policies on returns or exchanges. Would you buy a car or a home without one?

 

Nobody is to blame but yourself. Sorry for your loss.

You are correct. I trusted the verbal information given to me by the sales person. I have my signed receipt with no information except for my purchase and room number. I was never told the return policy or told that the price match was only EFFY brand. Sadly, those things were given to me 24 later when I picked up the appraisal and that's when the 2nd "printed EFFY receipt" was given (24 hours notice was given by law at that point and they knew that according to my charge card company). That's why I posted this. I don't want others to make the same mistake. I've bought plenty of jewelry on Carnival through International Diamonds and never had an issue like this before. My lesson has been learned.

[gigito2]

Man, I'm so sorry this happened to you. Thanks for warning the rest of us!

[honeycutt264]

I understand feeling you have been taken advantage of, that's not a good feeling. I don't buy jewelry on board, but Effy is,a brand,and I understand their policy of price matching to their brand i.e if you found Effy earrings cheaper at your local Macy's. I wouldn't expect to buy a Tag Hauer watch on a ship and have them price match to a Sieko watch I priced at the mall.

 

 

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Actually, they sell these at Macy's and Bloomingdales where they are cheaper (same product). So I'm not comparing anything different from what I bought.

[iamsteph]

For next time and for people considering large purchases: you are spending a LOT of money. why not spend another $10 for an internet package for the day to do some quick research online? Spending $10 could save you hundreds of dollars and a lot of your time!

[CrusinCyndi]

My understanding with Effy was/is that the majority of their jewelry is one of a kind, maybe 2. They make very few as they are all designer pieces. I went on Effy's website to price something I saw at Macy's, it was the same price but they said there was only 1 available online and the other one was at Macy's...however I have seen some of their pieces, and they are gorgeous and pricey.

[rolloman]

My understanding with Effy was/is that the majority of their jewelry is one of a kind, maybe 2. They make very few as they are all designer pieces. I went on Effy's website to price something I saw at Macy's, it was the same price but they said there was only 1 available online and the other one was at Macy's...however I have seen some of their pieces, and they are gorgeous and pricey.

 

Not true........they make collections of jewelry.... example watercolors. This whole thread is much to do about nothing.....The OP could have gotten her money back on the ship if she was upset about what she read on the receipt. If the OP has found Macy's or similar to have the same piece of EFFY jewelry 600.00 cheaper, she can call NY EFFY to resolve. I doubt she did because EFFY is strict about their set pricing. In the Watercolors collection, they have a smaller version and a larger version of each item.... one can easily confused with pricing as from a distance they look about the same size. I am well versed on EFFY and the wife owns several pieces. Virtually every port we go to we visit EFFY. They are a reputable company....period.

Edited June 6, 2017 by rolloman
Added information

[maynovmom]

I happen to love Effy. I have purchased Effy jewelry in three ports. The jewelry is top quality and I've had zero issues with pendants and earrings I've purchased.

 

First of all I wouldn't buy jewelry on the ship because you "can't deal". There has always been better pricing on the islands. Even if you look on line (and I get their emails) the prices for some items I've seen on the islands cost more on line.

 

Secondly no jeweler is going to price match with a different jeweler. That isn't price matching. It has to be the exact same item and that's not going to be the case from different jewelers. You can't compare an item that looks the same. It has to be identical in make and quality.

 

Finally jewelry is a hard thing to really be absolutely sure of the best price. I happen to love nice jewelry and buy a piece annually when cruising. I have certain jewelry stores on the islands that I frequent and trust more than others. That being said I buy what I like and can afford, but I do shop around. I did buy a beautiful ring on the ship once and am not sorry I did. It was a very different blue and white diamond ring than I'd seen anywhere. I felt comfortable with the price and did get it appraised when I got home. I did well according to the jeweler here and had a 30 day return guarantee if it wasn't actually the stone weight and clarity stated on the paperwork.

 

You should enjoy what you bought and if there is a "next time" compare Effy in the ship to Effy on the islands. If you do buy on the ship I'd wait til you've gone to all the ports. As I said before I think there are more choices there and sometimes it's easier to get a little more for your money.

[O2Bcrusin]

the silver by the foot is crap, less than a year the silver faded, it's cheap for a reason, it's not real silver

Agree. I bought gold by the inch and the same thing happened. I had to return it several times and they sent me new ones but what a pain. When I bought it they gave me a piece of paper with the address for the guarantee. Glad I kept that piece of paper. Now I just don't wear it anymore. It was an ankle bracelet.

[firegal2539]

maynovmom,

I completely agree with you. I have bought an Effy ring on board and was told verbally that if I found it cheaper, etc., when I went to St Thomas I found it about $30 cheaper. I bought it and returned the ship purchase for a full refund.

 

The OP had a chance on the second day to return the jewelry and didn't, her fault. When she got home she was comparing Effy to Zales jewelry, you can't do that. It is crazy that she thought she could compare a totally different manufacturer to Effy.

 

This is all the OP's fault, she didn't do her due diligence.

 

 

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[Moviela]

If you don't know jewelry, know your jeweler.

Very few people are expert enough to determine the true value of a piece. That is why you must know and trust a person who does know to be your jeweler. There are more con games in the bright shiny stones business than all the carnival games at four county fairs and a Mexican goat roping.

In the diamond trade it starts at the source with a cartel (DeBeers) controlling the price by holding product off the market, and selling only to site holders (stooges) to keep the prices artificially high.

If you must have one, go ahead and get it, but make sure the person you get it from is trustworthy.

[nhsails]

Amen Moviela.....

[sc4125]

OP, I understand your frustration. What I don't get is who is training the sale staff to purposely lie to the customer regarding policies? Is it EFFY, Carnival or both?

 

If enough people have been duped by this, I bet some type of class action would be possible.

 

I never buy anything expensive in international waters.

 

 

On a past cruise I met & talked at length (we were both waiting to go through the Back to Back process) to an employee of EFFY. She was placed onboard the Breeze for 4 weeks to sale their product. She would then transfer to another ship for a total of 6 months. She did not work for Carnival and her contract was with EFFY.

 

It doesn't sound like anyone purposely lied or tried to dupe the OP. I'm sure the salesperson assumed that when she said EFFY offered a price match guarantee he/she assumed the OP knew that it meant the same EFFY item sold at another store. Winn Dixie doesn't have to explain that they will meet the price of any competitor as long as it's the same product - everyone should know this.

 

OP if you found the same EFFY piece of jewelry at another store, you should certainly be able to invoke the guarantee, but from the way you explained it, I can't tell if the other pair of earrings were EFFY earrings.

 

NO one should slam a company and say that they are ripping people off or running a scam if you didn't understand their policy. They gave it to you in writing, so I'm not sure what you think they did wrong.

[SnorkelMoose]

Who price matches a different brand? I'm not understanding the dilemma, here.

 

 

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[crusinpsychRN]

Did you dispute with the credit card company? I would. And I'd make a lot of noise about this. So wrong. I will make a point of going to Effy and complaining on all my cruises.

[crusinpsychRN]

Agree. I bought gold by the inch and the same thing happened. I had to return it several times and they sent me new ones but what a pain. When I bought it they gave me a piece of paper with the address for the guarantee. Glad I kept that piece of paper. Now I just don't wear it anymore. It was an ankle bracelet.

 

I have some of the gold and 15 years later it's like new.

[Thorncroft]

Agree. I bought gold by the inch and the same thing happened. I had to return it several times and they sent me new ones but what a pain. When I bought it they gave me a piece of paper with the address for the guarantee. Glad I kept that piece of paper. Now I just don't wear it anymore. It was an ankle bracelet.

 

Every mall in America has gold by the inch. Buy it there for an easy exchange. Their lifetime warranty means that you will spend the rest of your lifetime getting it warrantied, so buy it from somewhere where it's easy to get done.

[bcberri]

There is a flip side to every coin.

 

Last year we were celebrating our 15yr wedding anniversary. We cruise each year to celebrate. We decided to buy me a new ring as a gift for this one. We were on the Conquest. I had been window shopping the EFFY store on the ship the first few days. While in St Maarten we popped in to the EFFY store there. Found the ring I had fallen in love with on the ship, for literally the same price. We decided to purchase it there and couldn't have been more happy with the customer service both at the store on land as well as on the ship. The next day while wearing my new ring I got sunscreen down in the setting. I took it to the store on the ship and they cleaned it right up for me and made sure I was happy.

 

Moral of the story: Having a bad experience with a single purchase does not make an entire company crooks.

 

 

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[ray98]

Obviously the price match would be for the same product from another vendor. One company isn't going to price match to a vaguely similar product sold by some random company. I don't under stand this 'outrage'.

 

If I bought a Citizen watch on board they are not going to let me price match to a Casio when I get home. To the contrary, they certainly would entertain a claim on the same Citizen watch from another retailer.

[BoDidly]

I get more enjoyment in reading the replies in a thread more so than posting. But for those reading my post let me give you a free tip. Dont buy jewelry on a ship or island not unless your willing to ship it to the company or fight for results if the product becomes defective . Trust me it's not worth the hassle ,monies or time spent in tryng to get the problems solved. The sales person will lie to you just to get the sale.

 

Buy from a local jewelry in your home town ,at least then you can go to the source .

Edited June 6, 2017 by BoDidly

[wizard-of-roz]

I certainly understand and do empathize with all the "buyer beware" statements......that being said, I'm a jewelry buyer. I wear a Rolex watch that I purchased while onboard an RCCL ship, in St. Thomas. It's one of my most treasured purchases and, to this day, is as lovely as it was the day I bought it. The value of this watch is 8-10 times what I paid for it in St. Thomas.

 

I wear a pair of diamond "huggie" earrings that I purchased while onboard the Sapphire Princess. I love them so much, I wear them every day!

 

If I love the piece of jewelry and will wear it with pride, I buy it. I trust my decisions and will buy what I know I will wear, whether it be on board a cruise ship or a land-based jeweler. I don't need a salesperson to talk me into or out of a purchase that I'm making with MY money.

 

I walk into the jewelry store, I look through the cases and refuse the salespersons assistance, until I spot what catches my eye [the lights in the jewelry store certainly are turned up a notch or two, aren't they?]

 

I ask to see whatever I fall in love with and if I can afford it, I buy it. I don't question or doubt my purchase, once I've handed over my S&S Card, I'm committed to it.

 

I NEVER even look at the plastic/silver, waste-of-money-by-the-inch stuff. I work very hard for my money and if and when I'm going to part with it, it will be with no doubt.

 

It's grossly unfair to slam a merchant in the public venue......JMHO!