I must say the this shop was clean, in a nice "new" strip mall right off Eastern and easy to locate.
The only employee appeared to be a guy pulling double duty. He came up front in a timely manner from his workshop in the back of the store... But that is where the praise ends.
Remember this as you read on... If you are an artisan or craftsman sometimes it's better to stay at the workbench plying your trade and let an an individual with some sales experience handle the customers, lest you scare them away.
After the rude treatment I received at Freij jewelers, research lead me to
http://www.youtube.com/watch? V=HEW28q3sjmQ. Is it any wonder this place is all sizzle and no steak? Since when is a woman dressed in a skimpy animal skin the authority on jewelry? I found she is used in several other videos like this in businesses across Vegas.
The guy in the video is the poster boy for the what used car salesmen are know for - the "hard sale". He tries to nail you down on price right away so as to direct you to a diamond that will bring the greatest profit for him... Not the best deal for the customer. I did NOT tell him what I was willing to pay, explaining that it depends on the quality of the diamond but that I was not going to pay more than $3000.
So what did he do after I choose a diamond to look at? He priced it at $2900 which was ridiculously over priced for that particular diamond even for jewelry
stores that have high rent to pay at the local malls. When I balked, he dropped the price to $2000... So much for giving the customer a fair price from the get go.
Take note, that method of doing business is is the trademark of a ripoff artist. At diamondhelpers (a site that screens jewelry stores by acting like secret shoppers) says this: "If the first price offered (by the jeweler) is not an excellent price, we hang up and move on." Great advice.
You should do the same.
He also claims that all of his jewelry new. Liar! The piece I looked at had PLENTY of scuff marks... A dead ringer that it has been well worn! He claimed
that was due to "polishing" the diamond. Really? Did the polish the band and
mount to cause those scuff marks too? Puh... Lease!
After he was caught in a lie, he argued with me about pawn shop diamond prices. He said they take advantage of people selling their jewelry. True. But that is how that business works. Pawn shops provide instant cash to those that need it instantly. What would you expect? Hence, that is how they make their money.
Buy low sell high... Duh!?!?
Based on this experience, Friej jewelers is WORSE than a pawn shop. They sell used jewelry for over twice market value passing it off as new. Hmmm.
Unlike pawn shops and mall jewelers, Freij does NOT have tags (price/description of the diamond) on their jewelry. This gives them free rein to lie about the diamond quality and gouge the unwary customer.
After he found out I was educated about diamonds he refused to show me another piece.in other words, his motto is 'if he can't screw you over, why waste time making an honest sale?'
Here is my advice to Freij jewelers:
Instead of making YouTube videos focusing on sexy women dancing in your store why not give customers something of value. Best to hire a greeter with some "counter manner" so you can keep your grumpy craftsman at his bench where he belongs. Your return on marketing dollars will be better spent. Word of mouth advertising from happy customers reaches the market quicker and is FREE!
My advice to fellow complaint readers: Stay away from Freij unless you know ALOT more than the four C's of diamonds and are willing to pay for an inferior product. I received better treatment at several EZ-Pawn stores and witnessed higher quality diamonds at fair prices.
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