DO NOT BUY FROM DIAMOND INTERNATIONAL

[mMissMeowMeow]

Bought a tanzanite bracelet on the Disney cruise ship. It was listed at a very high price and I ended up with a “huge” manager discount of $2300. Unfortunately the bracelet fell off my wrist 3 times but luckily was able to find it afterwards. The thing that is extremely upsetting is, I took the bracelet for an appraisal and the appraised value is $520….I then researched about tanzanite tennis bracelet online along with the company Diamond International. Please do not ignore the negative reviews as you can find lots of similar all over the internet. They are know for scamming people with overpriced or faulty items. I’ve tried contacting Disney to return the bracelet with no help but sent running in circles. Now I’m trying to dispute it with my credit card company which is also all kinds of circles and hoops. So be aware and AVOID them unless you’re happy to pay up to 4x or more on an item. Even Nordstrom sells an EFFY tanzanite bracelet for $500. Ridiculous.

[donaldsc]

You may have overpaid.  However the price for the bracelet was clearly marked and if you did not do proper diligence that is your problem.  I would never buy a piece of expensive jewelry on a cruise ship.  We have a friend who buys jewelry on cruises and on trips.  His comment would be that if you do not know jewelry know about your jeweler.  They do not owe you anything.  

 

Let me ask you something.  Suppose you want to buy a new computer and you really do not know anything about computers. You go into a store and find a computer you like although you really do not know that much about computers.  A day or so later you go into another store and see the same computer at a significantly lower price.  Would you expect store 1 to refund the difference between their price and the store 2 price.  I doubt it.  

 

The statement that the customer is always right is not correct.  Sometimes they are wrong.

 

DON

[MBP&O2/O]

Also, nothing to do with Disney. It is a franchise on board a ship.

Civil dispute.

If it is too good to be true etc....

Lack of due diligence?

[jollyjones]

Caveat Emptor.

 

The prevalence of these rip off places such as Diamonds International and Colombian Emeralds - not to mention art auctions - must mean there are many pax foolish enough to buy from them but I find it almost unbelievable.

 

I understand the enjoyment of pottering around the shops while travelling and buying this and that but I'd never buy anything involving serious money.

 

 

[Pyrate13]

While the OP may have made a mistake making this purchase, it's not a bad thing to warn others even if it has been done in the past. There are always new readers.

[babs135]

Is Diamonds International on all cruise lines?  Although we've never bought jewellery on board we have bought watches which seem to be comparable to land prices.

[jsn55]

This is a good warning to others.  First of all, it's called DiamondS International.  I've purchased several good pieces of jewelry on cruises, but never from the ship.  Never on impulse, always knew what I was looking for and the general prices.  The first time the bracelet fell off, you should have returned it immediately.  The responsibility is always on the buyer, blaming the company for a mistake you've made solves nothing.  Consumer Rescue had an incredible case where the buyer spent thousands of dollars on merchandise he didn't want ... and blamed the store for getting him drunk and maybe even giving him drugs.  Stated that the store wouldn't let him leave.  Did nothing at the time, and tried to make it right after returning home.  Stick to inexpensive souvenirs unless you know what you're doing.  

[ldubs]

Tanzanite is one of those many success stories to be added to marketing text books.  Recognizing that, buy it because you like it, not because of the marketing hype. 

[mMissMeowMeow]

4 hours ago, jollyjones said:

Caveat Emptor.

 

The prevalence of these rip off places such as Diamonds International and Colombian Emeralds - not to mention art auctions - must mean there are many pax foolish enough to buy from them but I find it almost unbelievable.

 

I understand the enjoyment of pottering around the shops while travelling and buying this and that but I'd never buy anything involving serious money.

 

 

Our cruise hit bad weather so we weren’t able to call the port we were supposed to. Hence we were stuck on the ship for days with nothing but to walk around the ship and eat. Hence got suckered into making a purchase. 😞

[mMissMeowMeow]

11 hours ago, donaldsc said:

You may have overpaid.  However the price for the bracelet was clearly marked and if you did not do proper diligence that is your problem.  I would never buy a piece of expensive jewelry on a cruise ship.  We have a friend who buys jewelry on cruises and on trips.  His comment would be that if you do not know jewelry know about your jeweler.  They do not owe you anything.  

 

Let me ask you something.  Suppose you want to buy a new computer and you really do not know anything about computers. You go into a store and find a computer you like although you really do not know that much about computers.  A day or so later you go into another store and see the same computer at a significantly lower price.  Would you expect store 1 to refund the difference between their price and the store 2 price.  I doubt it.  

 

The statement that the customer is always right is not correct.  Sometimes they are wrong.

 

DON

I would hope store one will allow a refund of the computer. Thanks,

[mMissMeowMeow]

2 hours ago, jsn55 said:

This is a good warning to others.  First of all, it's called DiamondS International.  I've purchased several good pieces of jewelry on cruises, but never from the ship.  Never on impulse, always knew what I was looking for and the general prices.  The first time the bracelet fell off, you should have returned it immediately.  The responsibility is always on the buyer, blaming the company for a mistake you've made solves nothing.  Consumer Rescue had an incredible case where the buyer spent thousands of dollars on merchandise he didn't want ... and blamed the store for getting him drunk and maybe even giving him drugs.  Stated that the store wouldn't let him leave.  Did nothing at the time, and tried to make it right after returning home.  Stick to inexpensive souvenirs unless you know what you're doing.  

For sure in the future I’ll know better. As I explained to another comment. Our ship couldn’t dock at our destination due to the weather so we were unexpectedly stuck onboard for days with nothing much to do but to walk around the ship. One of the only few stores onboard that isn’t Disney toys or clothes is the two jewelry store…the rest is history 

[mMissMeowMeow]

11 hours ago, donaldsc said:

You may have overpaid.  However the price for the bracelet was clearly marked and if you did not do proper diligence that is your problem.  I would never buy a piece of expensive jewelry on a cruise ship.  We have a friend who buys jewelry on cruises and on trips.  His comment would be that if you do not know jewelry know about your jeweler.  They do not owe you anything.  

 

Let me ask you something.  Suppose you want to buy a new computer and you really do not know anything about computers. You go into a store and find a computer you like although you really do not know that much about computers.  A day or so later you go into another store and see the same computer at a significantly lower price.  Would you expect store 1 to refund the difference between their price and the store 2 price.  I doubt it.  

 

The statement that the customer is always right is not correct.  Sometimes they are wrong.

 

DON

Also, this is meant to be a repercussion for others. If sharing an experience is a crime than yes I’m committing one, thanks.

[leaveitallbehind]

3 hours ago, babs135 said:

Is Diamonds International on all cruise lines?  Although we've never bought jewellery on board we have bought watches which seem to be comparable to land prices.

No, to my knowledge they are only onboard a couple of lines.  Typically it is a storefront retail location in most ports of call within walking distance of the pier. They pay a fee to the cruise lines to advertise and endorse them on board with port of call specials and other gimmicks to draw cruise passengers into their stores. 

[Mary229]

You presented your evidence nicely @mMissMeowMeow  On another line I have bought Effy but I always pull out my phone and show them the latest sale price at Macy’s and no one would call Macy’s upscale. They hem and haw and I say call my room if you want to sell.  Usually I walk away with the piece for 65 to 75% off with the added bonus of converting OBC to gems. As a person who is very familiar with tanzanite I have never seen a top notch tanzanite on a cruise ship or cruise affiliated shop.  

Edited Friday at 06:25 PM by Mary229

[CruiserBruce]

I have never understood the appeal of buying something valuable like jewelry from a distant vendor you will never see again...

[Mary229]

3 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

I have never understood the appeal of buying something valuable like jewelry from a distant vendor you will never see again...

Converting OBC but they do give people all kinds of hard sells with their letters of authenticity 🙄 and pseudo guarantees.  Not very appealing granted.  At least with Effy you can do a product search online .  The worst is, dare I say it, the art auctions. 

[Ashland]

On occasion I have purchased jewelry in a port (St Maarten & St Kitts) but they were two that have a very good reputation and were highly recommended. 

 

I won't even go in to DI even for the free charm.

[Shmoo here]

3 hours ago, mMissMeowMeow said:

stuck onboard for days with nothing much to do but to walk around the ship.

I've been on Disney ships.  At sea days have many activities onboard, in my experience.  And there's always "remember, it's a vacation, it's OK to just sit in a lounger and watch the sea go by".

[George C]

Diamonds international has always been a ripoff for many decades, some jewelry shops will. Give you a decent deal.

[Essiesmom]

I go into DI for the a/c, place to sit, bathroom, and sometimes a free bottle of water.  EM

[Mum2Mercury]

18 hours ago, donaldsc said:

You may have overpaid.  However the price for the bracelet was clearly marked and if you did not do proper diligence that is your problem.  I would never buy a piece of expensive jewelry on a cruise ship. 

6 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I have never understood the appeal of buying something valuable like jewelry from a distant vendor you will never see again...

Agree with these two comments.  If you're going to spend hundreds /thousands on any item -- jewelry or whatever else -- it's just smart to research and comparison shop.  I don't understand buying such things on a ship or during an island stop.  It's difficult to comparison shop, and -- if a problem ensues -- it's essentially impossible to return to get them to fix it.  

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

Tanzanite is one of those many success stories to be added to marketing text books.  Recognizing that, buy it because you like it, not because of the marketing hype. 

Well, that's true of just about everything.  

 

 

Edited yesterday at 12:39 AM by Mum2Mercury

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

 

Well, that's true of just about everything.  

 

 

Yes, it should.  In this case people are being made to believe they might miss getting in on a wonderful investment opportunity.   Again, I don't mean this to be a criticism of folks who are buying something they like.  

Edited yesterday at 02:09 AM by ldubs

[CPT Trips]

We took a cruise with our cousins . . . a jeweler. Based on the responses he got to a lot of technical questions he asked in several jewelery stores his conclusion was that not one of the sales people or mangers knew more than the basis, if that, about jewelery. They were really great at selling, knew all the tricks. 

Also a lot of what they were selling was misrepresented, and in some cases were knockoffs. Then the last sea day he went to the art auction and bought a painting his wife liked and was “the perfect replacement” for a painting in their house. None of the hype mattered . . . they liked it enough to pay the price. 

[tscoffey]

Whenever I walk by the Effy store on a ship, my first comment to my wife is, “Check out those inflated, Effy-ing prices”.

[Airbear232]

We had a similar experience with Kallati jewelry on Anthem of the Seas.  They were doing a trunk show and met the daughter.  My wife and her got along quite well and she told her they could make a nice pair of yellow diamond earrings to match a ring she has.  We agreed and the earrings were to be shipped to us after the cruise.  It ended up taking months and many calls and emails to receive the earrings.  When we did receive them, they were quite inferior in comparison to those in my wife’s ring.  We then went through a truly arduous process to return them.  We prevailed.  I would still say the experience on the ship was good.  It was the execution of the vendor that failed.  Very disappointed with her.  In the end, she lost a potentially great customer.