Price variability

This applies to most of the channels really, but the variation in prices for the same item is maddening.

I've started shopping with Gems again because of the rainbow sapphires, and for the SECOND time in a couple of days, I've seen an item I ordered go for significantly less (and the original order has already been despatched, so I can't cancel it). Result? I've had to buy another of the same item, and the first one will get returned.

This can only be costing Gems money, as they will have the cost of processing the return, and they can't sell the second item to anyone else while I have it. I wish they would bring in a system whereby if you saw the same item go for less within the 10 day return period, they would simply refund the difference...

I think what the customer needs really is set prices, but with specials for that little shopping oomph, so you know that you are paying more or less, and the reason why, rather than this accident of when you are or are not watching. However, that's no good to the channel as they can no longer call themselves auctions and the regulations start getting tougher. We lose whatever (there's a surprise)! xxx

this happened to me too, several months ago now, there were two different gems, but the same style, one was amethyst, and the other was rose quartz, they were huge hearts pendants with a cherub sat on the top (as part of the bale) it came with a extremely long chain too! I fell for the amethyst, and i had seen it go for more money than i could afford at that time; one particular day, mid morning i was watching, and it came up!! and i was at panic stations!! my debit card had no pennies on it, and my other debit card was at work (my husband); and it went for a £29.00!!! my husband came home half hour later for lunch!! i could have spat feathers! and i told him that i had seen the pendant go for a ridiculous price, and he said "next time it comes up, you can have it!" i was well excited, and i watched for a few days, when it did come up it went for £49.00! obviously by my husband saying i could have it, he hexed it lol, i kicked myself all the way from my fox hole, up to Scappa Flow and back, twice! I was gutted. Lol :sweat::sad:

Sally Morgan PG - and if she "designed" those pieces I'm a monkey's uncle (though I could be a monkey's auntie of course). xxx

AB you made me chuckle! wonder why Sally Morgan jewellery no longer being sold? Mind you some of it was quite pricey ! :38::wink2: xxx

Probably got dropped/left when Steve went. xx

It is a real shame that Gems TV as a channel has lost its sparkle, since I'm just discovering that a lot of the jewellery now is really nice - apart from the price issues, it just gets boring to watch! Whereas Rocks TV I'll watch even if I don't buy anything, because it's such fun. I hope the bosses at Gems are reading this, even if they don't respond...

I dont watch much now but the prices have always varied.

I don't think anyone would disagree with that Grovesy, but it wasn't that long ago that it worked both ways and we therefore didn't mind. You could just as easily underpay as overpay before they decided to have it completely their own way by bringing in the clock and not having proper downward dropping. You're lucky if they do it twice now, which is why I personally would prefer the honesty of a set price. I totally understand that they couldn't allow themselves to slip into too many losses, but it went from one extreme straight to the other.

Like many I'm sure, I have a fixed price in mind that I refuse to go over, kidding myself that this is how I'll know if I'm meant to have it. Slightly crackers I know, but it's my contribution to the "game". Now there's absolutely no "silent bartering" and many a piece has gone back into stock for the want of just another fiver or so off the price.

Presenting has become really poor, and I don't blame all the presenters for this as I suspect its down to their directors pushing them into a hard sell position, or a couple of newbies who simply shouldn't be doing this type of work. Vicki C was on this morning and you'd have thought she was teaching a class of five year olds a combination of geography and geology using a very strange dictionary. I can't remember the last time I felt, as an audience, so very patronised. Appalling. Needless to say I used my right to turn off.

Customer services is still strong however. It did slip for a little while, but it has recovered. I suspect they must have learned that this is bad for everybody. It is this strength, along with my addiction, that keeps me coming.

See what you've done Grovesy, set me of all of a burble again, you have no-one to blame but yourself. <a href="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fwww.smileycentral.com%252F%253Fpartner%253DZSzeb008%255FZNxpt484YYGB%2526i%253D36%252F36%255F11%255F6%2526feat%253Dprof/page.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_11_6.gif" alt="SmileyCentral.com" border="0"><img border="0" src="http://plugin.smileycentral.com/http%253A%252F%252Fimgfarm%252Ecom%252Fimages%252Fnocache%252Ftr%252Ffw%252Fsmiley%252Fsocial%252Egif%253Fi%253D36%252F36_11_6%2526uiv%253D3.0/image.gif"></a> xxx

AB I agree - unfortunately i cannot watch Vicki c for too long, its the faces she pulls and the over exagerated wide eyed look; she should be given an oscar for her overacted "surprise" reactions! Yesterday, did any one see the black diamond rign being sold - when they bought one of the girls in, who said, that "for all the people that are watching now" and Vicki c, slightly mocked the girl, i expect vicki c would say it was all a bit of fun, I found it uncomfortable, even my husband commented! so i turned over. Liam, nice lad, but when he presents Tanzanite, he continually tells you, that it is R A R E! wont be available for very long, sometime in the future the only way we will be able to get Tanzanite is second hand! If i hear him say it one more time, i am going to scream! lol:grin:

argeybargey said:

Sally Morgan PG - and if she "designed" those pieces I'm a monkey's uncle (though I could be a monkey's auntie of course). xxx

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I am interviewing her in a couple of weeks so will certainlly ask her.

G - many of her "designs" were shown long before she was associated with GemsTV! I think perhaps they had two or three Sally designed pieces but the majority were at GemsTV way before she was!

Meeshoo said:

G - many of her "designs" were shown long before she was associated with GemsTV! I think perhaps they had two or three Sally designed pieces but the majority were at GemsTV way before she was!

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I'm sorry if this is disappointing for you Graham, and I certainly don't want to give you any preconceptions but sadly it was a farce. As Meeshoo has said, many of the designs were already well-established long before Sally came onto the scene. The scarf thingies being the oldest that come to mind at the moment, and the most immediately recognisable. Gems might have been able to get round this by stating that some invisible/trivial difference was in the Sally M designs, but they really cannot have expected to kid us with this one for long. Perhaps Sally's psychic abilities were working in arrears at the time?

I liked GemsTV very much at the time (Steve Ashton's time but I think towards the end), and thus forgave them, but most certainly had the feeling of being scammed as the prices went up sharply in pieces I knew already to be in existence.

However, she seems like a lot of fun whatever you believe. xx

If i remember correctly, it was all down to the love heart ring she wore, lots of people asked her where she got it from, and i dont know if she approached steve ashton, or if it was vice versa, but i do know that gems replicated that specific ring - i cant remember if it was rose quartz or an amethyst, but i remember to ads gems used carried the mention of the ring; and perhaps because she did have a gathering of viewers, gems thought it would be good for business to create a sally morgan range, but i do know that huge star design pendant it was clear, if i say glacier topaz, i may very well be wrong, it could have been the iced zircon, but they sold that as being one of her range, and i know for a fact that a few weeks before it was being sold as a gems range. I liked it when she and Fiona did a double presentation, she comes over as a very bubbly happy person, and they got on well together, and they managed to make a 2 hour show, fly by - those were the days. I see she is also doing a show in Blackpool - gone are the says where i used to live 2 minutes down the road from Blackpool. :flower: xx

Yes indeed. Now if they could have talked her (and afforded her) into presenting, then the programmes would certainly have a lot more life to 'em. xx

argeybargey said:

Yes indeed. Now if they could have talked her (and afforded her) into presenting, then the programmes would certainly have a lot more life to 'em. xx

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AB you are quite right on that one - Sally Morgan would give gems that oomph that is so definately needed right now xxx :flower:

MissMagpie said:

This applies to most of the channels really, but the variation in prices for the same item is maddening.

I've started shopping with Gems again because of the rainbow sapphires, and for the SECOND time in a couple of days, I've seen an item I ordered go for significantly less (and the original order has already been despatched, so I can't cancel it). Result? I've had to buy another of the same item, and the first one will get returned.

This can only be costing Gems money, as they will have the cost of processing the return, and they can't sell the second item to anyone else while I have it. I wish they would bring in a system whereby if you saw the same item go for less within the 10 day return period, they would simply refund the difference...

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In the good old days (of the 2 Steves) they had exactly that system - except it was for about a month after purchase - I know I bought a ring with a big Swiss blue topaz and I think I had 3 refunds as I happened to be watching when the price went lower than I had paid.

That was in the days when they had the 'price pledge' on screen all the time and mentioned it at least every other auction - and occasionally said that it even applied to their own auctions.

Oh how I miss those good old days . . . :sad:

I remember that system!

On top of Gems own price variability, I just ordered an expensive FS bracelet, only to remember - after it had shipped - that I had a 10% discount code from filling in some survey GTV sent me! Luckily, there was still one in stock, so I rang PS, got it for the same price, and applied the discount this time... so now I have two identical bracelets coming my way (the one without the discount to be returned, obviously).

I bet good ol' Steve A would just have refunded the discount amount... but I am still getting the discount, so I suppose I can't complain...