Very disappointing and confusing experience, despite a great effort from Max Orloff to make things…read moreright.
We recently purchased an engagement ring from Orloff Jewelers in Fresno, and unfortunately, the experience was much more stressful and confusing than it should have been.
We initially worked with Rhonda, and at first we thought she was great. We gave her a specific budget, but she ultimately took us more than two thousand dollars over that budget without ever clearly communicating what the total final price would be. One of the biggest issues was that we were not clearly told upfront that the ring and the diamond were being sold separately. We left the store with the ring in hand under the impression that we had paid the full amount because we had been told we would pay half when we ordered the ring and the other half when we picked it up.
The second payment was less than the first, which already didn't make sense to us, and no one could clearly explain the numbers. Rhonda called us the day after and told us that we still owed approximately two thousand dollars for the diamond.
At that point, we were understandably frustrated. We had been given different numbers multiple times, and even after repeatedly asking for clarification, no one seemed able to provide a consistent, accurate total. Two thousand dollars is not just "a little oversight" on their part.
We were also never given official paperwork explaining everything clearly, and when we asked for the diamond paperwork/pamphlet at pickup, the sales associate couldn't even locate it.
When we went into the store to try to negotiate with Rhonda to address the situation, because we felt we had not been properly informed about what we were agreeing to, we felt she became very defensive and rude rather than taking responsibility for the lack of clarity.
To make matters worse, the ring was made in the wrong size. I am a size 4.5, and the ring came back as a 6.5.
Thankfully, Max Orloff happened to be there, and he genuinely made an effort to turn an otherwise terrible experience around. His customer service was completely different. He listened, understood why we were frustrated, acknowledged that multiple mistakes had been made, and worked with us to find a solution. He arranged to have the ring resized that same day, worked out a personal payment plan, and even offered to personally deliver the ring to us.
Even then, we were given another incorrect total by Rhonda. We specifically asked whether the number included sales tax and whether it was the final amount we would owe, and we were assured that it was. Later, we discovered that sales tax had been left out because she had forgotten to include it.
We seriously considered returning the entire ring, but my fiancé had planned to propose during an upcoming trip on Tuesday, and all of this happened on Saturday. Ultimately, my fiancé decided to move forward because of Max's hospitality, understanding, and willingness to take ownership of the situation and help make it right. We genuinely appreciate what Max did for us, and we love the ring itself.
That said, the overall experience was extremely disorganized. We were given different prices multiple times, the ring and diamond pricing wasn't clearly explained, paperwork was difficult to locate, sales tax was repeatedly mishandled, and the ring was made in the wrong size. Most importantly, we felt like we weren't given the information necessary to understand exactly what we were agreeing to pay.
I also wish the commission had gone to Max, because his customer service was the reason we ultimately stayed with the purchase, especially after spending more than we originally intended.
If you visit Orloff and Rhonda assists you, I would definitely recommend asking to work with a different sales associate. While we appreciate Max's efforts and love the ring, the experience with the sales floor left us feeling frustrated, misled, and disappointed.
Unfortunately, based on our experience, we would not recommend Orloff Jewelers to friends or family.
Management, I hope you are able to have a conversation with Rhonda about the way she speaks to customers. She needs to be extremely clear about pricing. She was careless and rude towards us and it is not something I will ever forget or forgive. She even cornered me when we came back in to resize my ring and told me to not let this ruin my experience, which was extremely unwarranted and unwelcome coming from her. We will be finding a different jeweler for any future cleanings or adjustments because I don't ever want to have to run into her again.
Max deserves recognition for going above and beyond to fix a situation he did not create. Without his involvement, this review and our experience would have been very different.
