I was scammed by this jeweler while visiting NYC a while ago, but I just discovered this great site and I want to warn others. Here is the chronology of events.
I purchased a diamond tennis bracelet at Brahle-Firenze that was labeled as 6 carats. I asked for the appraisal for insurance purposes. They said no problem. When I paid for item, they said the appraisal was temporarily misplaced, but they would mail it to me ASAP (I'm from out of town). I said OK, since it looked like a legitimate store and I could trust them.
Two weeks later and still no appraisal. I called repeatedly. Their excuses for not sending it were:
"that agent is out sick today"
"we never told you that you would get an appraisal"
"what's the big deal? You don't need an appraisal"
I then became suspicious and had to pay $70 myself to get it appraised. Not 6 carats. It turns out it was only 4.5 carats. I called the store and told them. They said the appraiser was wrong. I had it appraised (another $70) by another certified gemologist. This time it was "4 carats, 4.5 carats max".
Of course the store knew this all along. The agent laughed at me when I called, and said tough luck! Live and learn. That's when I also discovered how useless the BBB is. The BBB is another scam, but don't get me started on that one!
I will be happy if I could prevent just one consumer from getting scammed from this jeweler, Brahle-Firenze. They are in the "Diamond District" in NYC. Stay Away!
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