Its been a year since "A go at a "constructive" thread" was done.
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Sacha
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Delved back into the past and found the thread Sahara is referring to. Just quickly read through it and I do think that many points that were mentioned then still remain as 'bugbears' today. Certainly as regards the points I felt strongly about! Someone mentioned the packaging and in my experience that is much improved, the ring boxes are smart and robust.
http://forum.shoppingtelly.com/forum/showthread.php?27844-A-go-at-a-quot-constructive-quot-thread
http://forum.shoppingtelly.com/forum/showthread.php?27844-A-go-at-a-quot-constructive-quot-thread
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jinnyjamjar
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Sadly, they're still persisting with those risible accent diamonds....
Jinny x
Jinny x
I had a pendant only this week sent in an earring box but as it was for me I'll forgive them but I would of been annoyed if it was for a gift
I would like to be able to request an item like in the old days
but the thing I find really annoying is when they put things that have not sold on the web for an hour they dont have any information about the piece so if you missed the presenation you have no idea what your buying size weight etc especially if its the loose gemstones surely this could be sorted out.
Nearly all my purchases now are solitairs so no more dull accent diamonds
I would like to be able to request an item like in the old days
but the thing I find really annoying is when they put things that have not sold on the web for an hour they dont have any information about the piece so if you missed the presenation you have no idea what your buying size weight etc especially if its the loose gemstones surely this could be sorted out.
Nearly all my purchases now are solitairs so no more dull accent diamonds
V
Vienna
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I`m a new customer to the forum and I`m also a new customer of Gems tv. I haven`t had anything of theirs containing diamonds but the few gemstone items I`ve ordered have been very much hit and miss. I`ve watched Gems for quite a while but have only recently ordered from them.
I found a pair of gemstone earrings had such flimsy posts they actually bent when putting them into my ears. The gems in them were quite nice ( tanzanite ) and considering earrings are something we put on and off all the time then the posts need to be sturdier. Sooner or later I know the posts will snap.
I`ve seen various presenters and regularly turn off the sound because the constant drivel from some presenters is really annoying and also the manic waving of hands. If I was in a jewellery store and was met with such behaviour then I`d exit fairly quickly. Gems needs to see itself as a jewellery store with a difference and its customers need to see proffessionalism not schoolgirl excitement.
I fully agree about the dire packaging. A pendant I ordered arrived in an earring box and I`ve had dented boxes too.
I`d also like to see more " groups " of matching items such as pendants and earrings or rings and bracelets. Often I see a pendant on Gems then just by sheer luck a pair of matching earrings on Extra, usually too late having missed the auction ! Or a ring at 10am and then someone will air a bracelet which would match at 4pm etc. I know they have to present a cross the board selection but its rare we ever see items together which would form a suite and if you`re keen on one particular style then its often difficult to match things with ease.
When the presenters open a show we see a little group of things on a glass stand but only from a distance and then there`s much reading of a list or listening down the ear piece regarding what`s up next then the presenter fiddles amongst the pile trying to find which piece it is, all annoying. Why not put all the items into a jewellery tray and at the beginning of the show let the camera do a close up sweep of things in the tray and we can see what`s going to be shown and what catches our eye from the start.
There`s a fine line between keeping the customer watching or boring them with waiting.
As for presenter clothing, well lots of up market jewellers have smart outfits for their staff, not only does it make them look smart but also professional and it doesn`t detract from the merchandise. I`m sure Gems could come up with something for their presenters such as a simple black smart dress with a scoop neck for the women and smart shirt and jacket with optional tie for their men. Or a smart blouse for the women which could be worn with trousers. Something simple, tailored, good quality and which would show off any gem to its best and one presenter cannot be seen to outshine another when it comes to their outfits, plus we`re there to buy jewellery not be distracted wondering where someone bought her dress or who`se decollage is nicer than someone else`s.
I found a pair of gemstone earrings had such flimsy posts they actually bent when putting them into my ears. The gems in them were quite nice ( tanzanite ) and considering earrings are something we put on and off all the time then the posts need to be sturdier. Sooner or later I know the posts will snap.
I`ve seen various presenters and regularly turn off the sound because the constant drivel from some presenters is really annoying and also the manic waving of hands. If I was in a jewellery store and was met with such behaviour then I`d exit fairly quickly. Gems needs to see itself as a jewellery store with a difference and its customers need to see proffessionalism not schoolgirl excitement.
I fully agree about the dire packaging. A pendant I ordered arrived in an earring box and I`ve had dented boxes too.
I`d also like to see more " groups " of matching items such as pendants and earrings or rings and bracelets. Often I see a pendant on Gems then just by sheer luck a pair of matching earrings on Extra, usually too late having missed the auction ! Or a ring at 10am and then someone will air a bracelet which would match at 4pm etc. I know they have to present a cross the board selection but its rare we ever see items together which would form a suite and if you`re keen on one particular style then its often difficult to match things with ease.
When the presenters open a show we see a little group of things on a glass stand but only from a distance and then there`s much reading of a list or listening down the ear piece regarding what`s up next then the presenter fiddles amongst the pile trying to find which piece it is, all annoying. Why not put all the items into a jewellery tray and at the beginning of the show let the camera do a close up sweep of things in the tray and we can see what`s going to be shown and what catches our eye from the start.
There`s a fine line between keeping the customer watching or boring them with waiting.
As for presenter clothing, well lots of up market jewellers have smart outfits for their staff, not only does it make them look smart but also professional and it doesn`t detract from the merchandise. I`m sure Gems could come up with something for their presenters such as a simple black smart dress with a scoop neck for the women and smart shirt and jacket with optional tie for their men. Or a smart blouse for the women which could be worn with trousers. Something simple, tailored, good quality and which would show off any gem to its best and one presenter cannot be seen to outshine another when it comes to their outfits, plus we`re there to buy jewellery not be distracted wondering where someone bought her dress or who`se decollage is nicer than someone else`s.
Sacha
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Welcome to the forum Vienna and thanks for your post. It's good to hear the thoughts of someone new to GemsTV and you've raised points that are very familiar. Shame about your Tanzanite earrings, but I believe items are guaranteed for 6 months and that should include earrings. They should be fit for purpose and yours don't sound as though they may be.
Good luck with your purchase mentioned in the other thread, hopefully the Diamonds will sparkle brightly for you, particularly in sunshine rather than indoor lighting.
Good luck with your purchase mentioned in the other thread, hopefully the Diamonds will sparkle brightly for you, particularly in sunshine rather than indoor lighting.
argeybargey
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ArtDeco
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I watched a bit of Gems TV in 2007 when I had prescribed rest, I haven't really seen it since but am currently under instructions from my quack again to rest for a bit and as a result have tuned in to Gems again (and also to TJC, and Rocks n Co which I don't think was around then.) I think I can detect changes in terms of the presentation in that time - for a start there seems to be better lighting, better manicures (some of them last time were truly awful!), and quite a bit less cleavage on show :blush:. Some of the presenters seem to have shifted about too - I'm sure at least a couple of the girls from Rocks are now on Gems and some of the Gems people now on TJC etc! I recall OH saying when Gems was on five years ago that it looked like it was being broadcast from someone's garage and it does seem a tad more professional than that now! I haven't got on with actually buying anything yet, but I wonder if the quality of the jewellery has changed in that time, and have regular buyers seen price rises as the cost of metals has increased? I seem to see more silver items plated with gold, and more semi-precious pieces too...
Sacha
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New presenters on Xtra..........
What are they playing at on GemsXtra, it seems to have become a training / work experience channel for new presenters! The young lady on today for example, Lindsay it says her name is, oh dear! Awful lighting on her face, overly girlish voice and very amateur presentation, its almost embarrassing. As I said on another thread I think these young ladies know next to nothing about gemstone jewellery and are just using these channels as a stepping stone to their ambitions to be 'in the media'.
Sorry, but if I was wanting to purchase some special item of jewellery, these presenters certainly don't cut the mustard!
Imho.......
What are they playing at on GemsXtra, it seems to have become a training / work experience channel for new presenters! The young lady on today for example, Lindsay it says her name is, oh dear! Awful lighting on her face, overly girlish voice and very amateur presentation, its almost embarrassing. As I said on another thread I think these young ladies know next to nothing about gemstone jewellery and are just using these channels as a stepping stone to their ambitions to be 'in the media'.
Sorry, but if I was wanting to purchase some special item of jewellery, these presenters certainly don't cut the mustard!
Imho.......
argeybargey
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When it comes to the crunch, what do I know? However, it strikes me that using cheapie job experience "children" this side of the camera can only damage the company. I certainly wouldn't be tempted in as a new customer, since I'd be extremely dubious about any information they were to give and as an old customer I'd be bored to death.
I've looked at this one Sacha, and she keeps singing the background music, like the real thing wasn't bad enough. Five minutes I lasted. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I've looked at this one Sacha, and she keeps singing the background music, like the real thing wasn't bad enough. Five minutes I lasted. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
PJ.
In an Ideal World ...
What are they playing at on GemsXtra, it seems to have become a training / work experience channel for new presenters! The young lady on today for example, Lindsay it says her name is, oh dear! Awful lighting on her face, overly girlish voice and very amateur presentation, its almost embarrassing. As I said on another thread I think these young ladies know next to nothing about gemstone jewellery and are just using these channels as a stepping stone to their ambitions to be 'in the media'.
Sorry, but if I was wanting to purchase some special item of jewellery, these presenters certainly don't cut the mustard!
Imho.......
I saw that and thought the lighting was terrible too. Is it because they have moved studios because of the rumoured American channel starting?
PJ
Meeshoo
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I met with Steve, Sarah, John Bennett and Barry Kirley on Monday and spent an entire afternoon talking through issues with them (some that have been mentioned in this thread). Rest assured that they WILL be doing something about the lighting and various other issues BUT these will take time. Some of them will be actioned (and easy to correct) quickly - others will take time - others will fall to the bottom of a long queue but that's life - things have to be prioritised.
What I can tell you is that they are passionate about ensuring the customer has a great experience. They have lots of things going on at the moment (and you know that they're building new TV sets as just one example) so bear with them. Steve is absolutely committed to getting it right. I'm sure some of the changes you'll be very pleased with!
Hope that helps!
What I can tell you is that they are passionate about ensuring the customer has a great experience. They have lots of things going on at the moment (and you know that they're building new TV sets as just one example) so bear with them. Steve is absolutely committed to getting it right. I'm sure some of the changes you'll be very pleased with!
Hope that helps!
argeybargey
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Trouble is, how many times have we been here. Individuals and groups (including myself) have met with and/or spoken to the directors and higher ranking presenters before, come away feeling very positive, only to be disappointed. Steve is a very earnest and believable kind of chap, but I have to ask why, if they are so keen for us to have a good experience is their technology so poor as it always has been? Why are presenters never corrected by their directors/producers unless one of us e-mails. Why did they not know the web ordering system was down the other day until I called them about it? Why was the lighting so bad in the first place, why does the awful music continue despite the number of complaints since the year dot? Do I care about a new studio that they keep telling us is going to be so exciting? Nah! I do care however about being able to buy fairly priced goods without being pressurised by a semi-clad, over made-up childie woman who keeps patronising me and telling me my grannie will love this (lol - those of you who know(ish) me will appreciate the humour there. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Meeshoo
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I can't give you chapter and verse BUT let me tell you that for Steve, John, Barry and (for some part) Sarah to give up most of their day and go through a 3 page feedback document line by line, taking notes with Steve telling people to action (certain items), I DO have faith that some of the changes will be made.
Lighting is a big issue and Steve and I spent some time looking at the lighting in the various studios, speaking with the lighting engineers and Barry who has a ton of experience in that field. There are going to hopefully be quite a few changes to the JM website and a few to the GemsTV ones.
Some ideas are impossible to implement because of restrictions imposed by laws/regulations.
It takes a lot for me to be impressed and to believe that changes will happen but I have to say I fully believe they will be. Steve is passionate about giving the best. He's also realistic and there are some things going on that will obviously take priority - as there is in any business - so not everything will be done!
What I can tell you is that I had a sneaky peak at a gem that will appear on the Glenn Lehrer show (tonight?)??? There is one that will knock your socks off so if you're a Glenn Lehrer fan then definitely tune in!!! I did ask if it could accidentally fall into my pocket but unfortunately I was frisked on the way out
Lighting is a big issue and Steve and I spent some time looking at the lighting in the various studios, speaking with the lighting engineers and Barry who has a ton of experience in that field. There are going to hopefully be quite a few changes to the JM website and a few to the GemsTV ones.
Some ideas are impossible to implement because of restrictions imposed by laws/regulations.
It takes a lot for me to be impressed and to believe that changes will happen but I have to say I fully believe they will be. Steve is passionate about giving the best. He's also realistic and there are some things going on that will obviously take priority - as there is in any business - so not everything will be done!
What I can tell you is that I had a sneaky peak at a gem that will appear on the Glenn Lehrer show (tonight?)??? There is one that will knock your socks off so if you're a Glenn Lehrer fan then definitely tune in!!! I did ask if it could accidentally fall into my pocket but unfortunately I was frisked on the way out
G
Graham
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Thing is most of the presenters are now just unwatchable and don't believe that is ever going to change, why the lovely Ali is shoved away overnight is beyond me. Even presenters I loved a few years ago now just bore me to death with the same old BS.
Meeshoo
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Arge - I'm so sorry - I completely missed your question about why didn't they know the lighting was so bad? That's interesting and I think it's a combination of different things:-
1. If you watch something all the time, you don't "see" what customers might.
2. Presenters can control the desk lighting - apparently some have it on, some off.
3. The lighting in the various studios is different. I think (although I'm not a lighting expert) that the lights are set up to replicate daylight. Strangely this is great for diamonds but not coloured gemstones necessarily. Since Gems sell more coloured gemstones (and if you look at the JM feed you'll see that the colour of the gem beads is very accurate) it would be sensible to adjust.
4. The producers can adjust the lighting in the gallery (ie what we see)
5. What I saw straight away was the different set colours I felt made a real difference. When you walked into the JM studio it was light and airy. In GemsXtra it was very dark overall. Darker colours are supposed to be optimal but I'm not so sure after seeing both.
6. I'm going to get this bit wrong but Barry was saying that if you over-expose the lighting on the gem (you know how the hands near the desk can't be seen and all you can see it white light) was good for when the camera went in close. Something to do with the shape of the lens (I'm sure that's not right but it was just another factor in the mix).
So there are SO many variables with different presenters/producers doing different things. I was really surprised at how much it could differ.
Steve certainly could see what I was saying and he wasn't happy with it either. Having said that, with the new studios, it will probably be hit and miss until the optimal setting is found.
That's one example of something that we discussed and gives you an idea of the complexity.
The website is another great example of where a customer has a different experience to those who put it in place. The customer becomes the expert because they use it all the time. Unless it falls over or lots of people complain, it may not be apparent when it goes pear shaped OR the annoying things that really hinder you from shopping with ease.
Not sure that answers your question but thought you might be interested x
1. If you watch something all the time, you don't "see" what customers might.
2. Presenters can control the desk lighting - apparently some have it on, some off.
3. The lighting in the various studios is different. I think (although I'm not a lighting expert) that the lights are set up to replicate daylight. Strangely this is great for diamonds but not coloured gemstones necessarily. Since Gems sell more coloured gemstones (and if you look at the JM feed you'll see that the colour of the gem beads is very accurate) it would be sensible to adjust.
4. The producers can adjust the lighting in the gallery (ie what we see)
5. What I saw straight away was the different set colours I felt made a real difference. When you walked into the JM studio it was light and airy. In GemsXtra it was very dark overall. Darker colours are supposed to be optimal but I'm not so sure after seeing both.
6. I'm going to get this bit wrong but Barry was saying that if you over-expose the lighting on the gem (you know how the hands near the desk can't be seen and all you can see it white light) was good for when the camera went in close. Something to do with the shape of the lens (I'm sure that's not right but it was just another factor in the mix).
So there are SO many variables with different presenters/producers doing different things. I was really surprised at how much it could differ.
Steve certainly could see what I was saying and he wasn't happy with it either. Having said that, with the new studios, it will probably be hit and miss until the optimal setting is found.
That's one example of something that we discussed and gives you an idea of the complexity.
The website is another great example of where a customer has a different experience to those who put it in place. The customer becomes the expert because they use it all the time. Unless it falls over or lots of people complain, it may not be apparent when it goes pear shaped OR the annoying things that really hinder you from shopping with ease.
Not sure that answers your question but thought you might be interested x
I wanted to watch the Glen Lehrer show as they said there was going to be some new pieces but as soon as I seen it was Adina presenting the show I knew I would'nt be able to watch all of it she gets on my nerves with all the stuttering and stammering and she constantly talked her gibberish over Glen why she cant shut up for a few minuits to let the man tell us about the pieces as he is the expert, anyway I turned the sound off because I was interested in the new stuff but I usually just go to the other side when she is presenting,by the way only seen a pendant I liked but realised it would constantly tip over as the back was round which would of driven me mad so was'nt tempted to part with my cash tonight.
Sacha
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I can't give you chapter and verse BUT let me tell you that for Steve, John, Barry and (for some part) Sarah to give up most of their day and go through a 3 page feedback document line by line, taking notes with Steve telling people to action (certain items), I DO have faith that some of the changes will be made.
Lighting is a big issue and Steve and I spent some time looking at the lighting in the various studios, speaking with the lighting engineers and Barry who has a ton of experience in that field. There are going to hopefully be quite a few changes to the JM website and a few to the GemsTV ones.
Some ideas are impossible to implement because of restrictions imposed by laws/regulations.
It takes a lot for me to be impressed and to believe that changes will happen but I have to say I fully believe they will be. Steve is passionate about giving the best. He's also realistic and there are some things going on that will obviously take priority - as there is in any business - so not everything will be done!
What I can tell you is that I had a sneaky peak at a gem that will appear on the Glenn Lehrer show (tonight?)??? There is one that will knock your socks off so if you're a Glenn Lehrer fan then definitely tune in!!! I did ask if it could accidentally fall into my pocket but unfortunately I was frisked on the way out
Well there were a few different varieties of cuts and shapes, was it the very first one-off pendant that went for thousands?
Meeshoo
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No - the one I saw wasn't on tonight! You'll know the one as soon as you see it! It's SOOOOOOO different in terms of colour. It's a Torus but the colour leaps out and smacks you in the face! It may not be on (and I won't be around to watch on Sunday) but you'll know it!!!
I have to say I loved the new water cut Citrine in the flower type setting but I would want a stronger colour. I loved the play of light on the curved facets - it was REALLY gorgeous. If there's one on Sunday in a different (strong coloured) gem, would you mind PMing me the code?
I have to say I loved the new water cut Citrine in the flower type setting but I would want a stronger colour. I loved the play of light on the curved facets - it was REALLY gorgeous. If there's one on Sunday in a different (strong coloured) gem, would you mind PMing me the code?
