OT: Carter's Jewelers

[ERDawg22]

Just a FYI.... Don't buy an engagement ring from Carter's. They went in dry on me. I bought a diamond and ring from them about 3 years ago for roughly $10000. After buying the ring they appraised it at $7500. Recently I went to sell the ring and was told it was only worth about $2000. I've had three appraisals made and they are all around the same amount. I went back to Carter's and jay lake offered me $1000. He pointed out on the receipt and appraisal the disclaimer that his values are only estimates and if I didn't like it, have my lawyer call him. What an ***.

 

[Original48]

I have not had any direct dealings with Carter Jewelers, but their television advertisements make me want to apologize for any disparaging remarks I've ever made about used car salesmen.

edited to add this 'gem'...
http://youtu.be/3EPPCl-MsDI

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

What a scam. It might be worth letting a lawyer take a look at your docs, since their offer (and that of several others) is nowhere near the appraisal they gave you at purchase. I went there to look a while back, but got a bad vibe.

Shop at Juniker. Buy from Gold & Diamond in Memphis.

 

[coach66]

I think Chuck Campbell is a pretty honest guy, at least he appears to be. He is

located in downtown Jackson across the Street from the Elite.

 

[AlCoDog]

Best part about that is you can run across the street and get the fried veal with brown gravy after you drop that cash.

 

[coach66]

If they can ever get that street fixed* Elite about to go under, nowhere to

park.

 

[patdog]

Sad. And for a completely worthless project to turn Capitol St. back into a 2-way. They're going to kill what little business is left along there.

 

[Dawgbite]

Van Atkins in New Albany, just saying.

 

[Statedog101]

There was a story couple years ago in the media about a Dentist in Jackson who bought something like a 50k ring and had it appraised for far less than that and he sued Jerry Lake and the jewelry store. Not sure how it turned out. Might wanna try to find that story and talk to him or his lawyer. Jerry Lake is a con artist.

 

[lutedog]

http://www.clarionledger.com/articl...dentist-wins-suit-over-50-000-engagement-ring

 

[615dawg]

Man, sorry to hear that. I've heard it from others, and the link provides a high profile case. He has a questionable reputation to say the least.

 

[patdog]

Getting a kick out of that commercial since I know Jay from tennis. Nice enough guy but I have no knowledge good or bad about his business practices.

 

[treeddeep]

Van Atkins in New Albany, just saying.

Because you KNOW she's worth it

 

[Shamoan]

head and shoulders the worst commercials on the radio. i started changing the channel or turning the radio off when they would come one.

aside from that, i never liked carters. they kinda seemed hokie to me some of their jewelry is gaudy....but what do i know.

that sucks dude....i would be pissed, but im not surprised.

 

[SugarDawg662]

Just a FYI.... Don't buy an engagement ring from Carter's. They went in dry on me. I bought a diamond and ring from them about 3 years ago for roughly $10000. After buying the ring they appraised it at $7500. Recently I went to sell the ring and was told it was only worth about $2000. I've had three appraisals made and they are all around the same amount. I went back to Carter's and jay lake offered me $1000. He pointed out on the receipt and appraisal the disclaimer that his values are only estimates and if I didn't like it, have my lawyer call him. What an ***.

I assume there is a story to the reason you are selling the ring 3 years later...we all know the story about Carters, I'm more interested in your story.

 

[Ridgeland Dog]

Something similar happened to a dentist in Brandon. His name is Dr. Germany. He sued and won.

 

[AlCoDog]

Jay Lake's *****^^^^^^

 

[FormerlyHighLifeRebel]

There's no need for a phone call. File suit in Hinds County Court and request a trial date. Designate the guys who gave you the appraisal as experts and be prepared to pay them for their time at trial.

 

[civildawg88]

How carter jewelers is still in business is beyond me. They screw people over everyday

 

[Digging dog]

Should have waited for one of their BIG sales!********

 

[coach66]

Reminds me of "one call that's all", could

It possibly be worse.

 

[Bucky Dog]

Haven't they been "going out of business" "final clearance" "everything must go" for at least the past five years? That should tell you something right there.

 

[Brad Stevens.sixpack]

I genuinely hate that for you. I looked at places all over MS when looking for an engagement ring in 2010/2011 and Carter Jewelers was by far the worst place I went. The guy acted like he was going to go hungry if I left his store without buying a ring. His business approach is whiny and sad, and like others have said, I don't know how they are still in business. For those of you who are college students or young adults not yet married, look everywhere (including online sites) before you even think about stepping foot in that place. I'm usually pretty neutral to businesses and believe in letting things play out, but I never want someone taken advantage of like this guy has done multiple times, apparently.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Something similar happened to a dentist in Brandon. His name is Mr. Germany. He sued and won.

Fixed that for ya.

 

[Statedog101]

Kind of funny this spat between Jerry Lake and Germany, because Germany advertises on Tv about as much as Old Jerry. Two TV hogs.

 

[YardBarker]

Just a FYI.... Don't buy an engagement ring from Carter's. They went in dry on me. I bought a diamond and ring from them about 3 years ago for roughly $10000. After buying the ring they appraised it at $7500. Recently I went to sell the ring and was told it was only worth about $2000. I've had three appraisals made and they are all around the same amount. I went back to Carter's and jay lake offered me $1000. He pointed out on the receipt and appraisal the disclaimer that his values are only estimates and if I didn't like it, have my lawyer call him. What an ***.

I'm not at that point yet but damn is $10k the typical amount to spend on an engagement ring?

 

[Lawdawg.sixpack]

Three months' salary is the old rule of thumb.

#ouch

 

[seshomoru]

and don't let weight (carats) be the majority of your cost

Cut, clarity, and color make it shine. A big dull rock just looks stupid. Probably how people like Carter Jewelers get some of the prices they do. The bigger the better and the more expensive right? If you haven't done your research then they are going to devour you and sell you a ****** rock. Of course, all could be solved by going to somebody like Thomas Jewelers or some of the local and respected others mentioned here. Oh, and the three months thing is what some jewelers say. Find out what your girl likes, figure out what you can afford, and shop around. And by afford I don't mean monthly payments. Save up, swipe the debit card.

 

[seshomoru]

Beware the dentist that advertises that he can sedate you.

He's either a perv or such a crappy dentist that you need to be asleep to get your teeth cleaned.

 

[CadaverDawg]

Don't forget that they are having to liquidate their inventory due to a flood, however their Pimberton plaza location just so happens to be having the same liquidation sale without said flood. I cannot stand Jerry Lake and your story makes me hate the bastard.

 

[CadaverDawg]

He's either a perv or such a crappy dentist that you need to be asleep to get your teeth cleaned.

B.

I speak from family experience when I say....if you think Jerry Lake is bad, consider Germany the Jerry Lake of the Dental world. $8,000 in dental work that had to be repaired by a different dentist within 2.5 years. The X-Ray's made me want to curb stomp Germany

 

[codeDawg]

You could probably get the difference between the purchase and the appraisal price out of them, but the big secret with diamonds is that they aren't worth **** after you buy them from a jewelry store. The appraisal is a retail value estimate, not a resell price. Retail diamonds are rip offs, even at reputable, low cost jewelers.

 

[mcdawg22]

One thing that amazed me is, I lived in S'Vegas when i decided to get engaged, I went to jeweler's bench with a couple of designs my future wife printed online, they customized her ring to a T. I picked my diamond, not the best, but what I could afford told vsi. She loved it. Five years later, I take it to a jeweler in Columbia, SC to swap out to a better clarity, (vvsi,) and lo and behold the jeweler tells me the diamond I'm trading in is close to vvsi and I probably shouldn't switch for a minimal upgrade at a steep price. I didn't upgrade, and took the ring to an independent jeweler who was a client in Pensacola and he confirmed the clarity was vvsi, with minimal imperfections. I don't know if I got lucky or what, but I will always recommend Jeweler's Bench in Starkville.

 

[starkvegasdawg]

What a scam. It might be worth letting a lawyer take a look at your docs, since their offer (and that of several others) is nowhere near the appraisal they gave you at purchase. I went there to look a while back, but got a bad vibe.

Shop at Juniker. Buy from Gold & Diamond in Memphis.

Second Gold and Diamond in Memphis. That's where I bought mine and I have nothing but good things to say about them. The fact that the place was jam packed with people while I was in there also told me this was a reputable place. Most jewelry stores I have gone in had maybe 2-3 other people shopping in there at any given time. This place had close to 20 people in there. They do (or did) have interesting security to get in the place, though. Everybody that walked in had to be photographed and go through a metal detector first. Good idea considering they are in Memphis.

 

[civildawg88]

I bought my diamond online. I was very worried when they shipped it though. Everything turned out good though

 

[SwampDawg]

Slight hijack - The tv show 60 Minutes did a number on a jeweler. They had heard rumors about the guy so decided to check him out. They got a jeweler to somehow mark a very good stone that was set in an old ring. Then one of them took it to the jeweler for appraisal and told him they had just inherited it from their grandmother. Went back and the jeweler told him it was a poor stone worth almost nothing. 60 Minutes had the ring checked by their guy and the jeweler had swapped diamonds on them. Gotta watch yourself at all times.

 

[patdog]

Old rule was ******** even back then. 3 months salary for someone who is typically just starting their career and struggling to make ends meet to begin with is just asking for the marriage to start out with even more debt problems than it's probably going to anyway.

 

[Seinfeld]

Dude, that is awful and I hope this somehow end up working out for you, but let it be a valuable lesson for all the guys on here that haven't tied the knot yet...

1. Always be sure to get an independent appraisal when buying an expensive piece of jewelry such as an engagement ring
2. Once bought, take that appraisal straight to your insurance agent and make sure that it's fully covered. In my case, while my renter's insurance(at the time) and now my home owner's insurance do technically cover the ring, they have a max amount that they'll pay for a single item which was far less than the ring's value. Therefore, I took out a personal articles policy to fully cover the total value of the ring. Just make sure you understand what your agent will pay if something happens

 

[gdogg]

Jeweler's Bench is my recommendation

One thing that amazed me is, I lived in S'Vegas when i decided to get engaged, I went to jeweler's bench with a couple of designs my future wife printed online, they customized her ring to a T. I picked my diamond, not the best, but what I could afford told vsi. She loved it. Five years later, I take it to a jeweler in Columbia, SC to swap out to a better clarity, (vvsi,) and lo and behold the jeweler tells me the diamond I'm trading in is close to vvsi and I probably shouldn't switch for a minimal upgrade at a steep price. I didn't upgrade, and took the ring to an independent jeweler who was a client in Pensacola and he confirmed the clarity was vvsi, with minimal imperfections. I don't know if I got lucky or what, but I will always recommend Jeweler's Bench in Starkville.

You stole my thunder. I have had the same experience with Jeweler's Bench. Very high quality rocks at a good price.

 

[Philly Dawg]

Its rarely worth it to sue someone over less than 10k. I'd sue them in justice court for $3500. You won't need a lawyer.