Cameo Couture

Item sold via website was not as described and advertised. Photos of item were not current or accurate. Fraudulent sales practices. Purchased a coral rose and jade leaf brooch described as follows: "Both rose and jade leaves are skillfully peg and pressure set in a custom 14K yellow gold frame. Wire prongs strategically and aesthetically caress the rose and jade leaves, firmly holding in place. All three carvings are tight in their mounts and without the slightest wiggle. We see no evidence of assistance from clear epoxy, original or later addition. The brooch pin closes easily and securely with a locking clasp. We are not sure if the brooch was custom set in Italy or the USA, as the mount is not hallmarked. It has been tested and guaranteed at 14K yellow gold."Item arrived with following:- missing and broken gold pieces on right jade leaf; clear epoxy used on both leaves; repair/soldering to gold pieces on right right jade leaf; piece weakened from previous soldering work and unable to be usedAfter contacting the retailer with this information, we were told that a refund was against their 3 day policy.Desired SettlementFull refund and return.Business Response The customer purchased a consigned coral brooch from us on June 3 for a reduced price ($1795). Our consignor had greatly reduced the price from an original $3299 to try to effect a quick sale. He paid June 5. This item was shipped same day via [redacted] delivery. He received it and expressed his and his wife's pleasure with it on June 6. Below are copies of emails between him and our shop. If you would prefer to have all the original emails forwarded, please advise. Copy of His JUNE 6 Email: "[redacted],it arrived and my wife absolutely loves it. She is going to have a jeweler make a removable mount for her coral bracelet, so she can wear it that way as well as a broach. Thank you" This email was the first mention of having it converted into a bracelet. I had spoken to him on his payment date but he made no mention of any plans for retrofitting. On June 14, he wrote us and said he no longer wanted the brooch because his jeweler could not make it into a bracelet. Please note that he wrote in this email (to follow) that the bracelet was in perfect condition as it was when he first received it. We adhere to [redacted] standard return policy of notification within 3 days of receipt for a return and must be received in the same condition as when it was shipped. Our consignors are advised of this policy and we agree to pay them as soon as possible after the approved acceptance by the buyer and the return period has passed. We paid the consignor on June 10.Copy of His JUNE 14 Email:"Hi [redacted], First let me say that the Rose Cameo is a lovely piece. My wife's intent was to join it with another piece of coral jewelry she has and make it into a bracelet. After reviewing with our jeweler, he doesn't think it would be agood idea. I would like to inquire if you would allow me to return the item. It is in absolute perfect shape as you sent it to me. Please let me know, __________________________________________________From that date on here are all the email exchanges that will fit in the allowed by the Revdex.com between Cameo Couture and the customer: JUNE 15 From Cameo Couture to Customer:Dear Mr., Good afternoon. We received your message regarding the coral rose. This item was a consignment piece that had been marked down for quick sale. As this sale was confirmed by you on Friday, June 6, the consignor has already been paid for this transaction. We offer items both from shop inventory and a variety of different consignors. With consignmentpieces, once the 3 day return window has passed and/or we receive confirmation from the customer, proceeds are paid out. This one especially so because she needed a quick sale. On the phone, I had mentioned our retrofitting services for perhaps adding a bail for wear as a pendant or a slide for wear with an [redacted] chain. When I saw your message regarding having the rose crafted to a bracelet slide, I assumed it was for a multi strand beaded bracelet. Did your jeweler feel that the size of the carving was too substantial to be easily worn on a bracelet? Was your wife not interested in having it converted into a pendant slide? I am attaching two photos that will give you an example of how a simple gold bail can transform these grand pieces into extraordinary pendants that can be worn on eitherbeads or an [redacted] chain, while still retaining their brooch pin, or not. The featured carving was sold some time ago. Or pendants can bepermanently attached at each side to beads or chain. We do offer retrofitting services at wholesale pricing. I have left a message for the consignor about your request for a return, as an outright return would be out of our hands at this point. However, we do have another customer who was also very interested in purchasing this rose at the time you purchased it. We are in the process of attempting to contact her, as well. I hope to have some answers for you by tomorrow afternoon. If your wife may be interested in our suggestions for retrofitting at all, please let us know either way before we contact the potential buyer. I will try my best to work this out for you. Would it be possible for you to call us tomorrow afternoon? [redacted]. Sincerely, [redacted] Cameo Couture" He never called.__________________________________________________JUNE 15 Customer to CameoCouture:"No luck? How about I offer up a 10% restocking fee?" __________________________________________________JUNE 17 CC to Customer:"Dear Mr., Good afternoon.As we did not receive a call from you yesterday, we thought that perhaps your wife was considering the conversion to a pendant since the bracelet idea did not work out. As this sale was alreadyfinalized and the consignor paid, we are working diligently towards the best remedy possible for you. We have just heard this morning from thepaid consignor. As this item was offered at a low price for quick sale, she is not in a position nor willing to reverse this sale. In my initial telephone conversation with you regarding this purchase, I had told you that another customer had been quite disappointed to see that this coral rose had sold. In that conversation, I made reference to our retrofitting services in the event your wife had interest in a pendant conversion. Had I known up front your desire to convert to a bracelet slide, I would have referenced that bracelets experience more wear and tear than any other piece of jewelry, even rings. I am sorry your wife's design idea did not come to fruition, but I wish we had been contacted sooner. We have been trying to contact this second customer to see if she still has interest. I believe she purchased another item elsewhere, so that may be a sticking point for her. We have left messages for her the past two days and sent emails,but yet no reply. We are hopeful to receive a response from her sometime today. I will be back in touch just as soon as we have ananswer. Please be assured that we are trying our best to ensure the best outcome for you. Sincerely, [redacted]Cameo Couture"__________________________________________________ JUNE 17 Customer to CC:"Thank you [redacted]"__________________________________________________ JUNE 17 Customer to CC:"At this point [redacted], I would sell it for $1500 just to cut my losses."__________________________________________________ JUNE 17 CC to Customer:"Dear , We are still waiting to hear back from this customer. We will keep working on this. Sincerely, [redacted]"__________________________________________________ JUNE 17 Customer to CC:"Thank you [redacted], as you might be able to appreciate, I've already had to buy another gift as this one didn't work out! LOL Best." __________________________________________________JUNE 18 Customer to CC:"Hi [redacted], We went back to our jeweler and he hadthe following observations that I think is important to the situation: As described on the web site. "Both rose and jade leaves are skillfully peg and pressure set in a custom