Jeff Hayden

[TheManWithNoName]

Considering Jeff isn't a natural presenter and hasn't any presenting or TV background behind him (he's worked his way up the ranks after working at Gemporia for 11 and a half years), he's the one breath of fresh air on the channel at the moment for several reasons:

1. On each occasion he's sold an item tonight, he's actually explained to viewers what stones are - for example, he sold a Heliodor ring earlier and explained that it is a variety of Beryl.

2. He's been transparent about some of the treatments - and even explained what the treatment is.

3. In addition to giving out more information than presenters usually give these days, he's not continual hard sell. He will actually break his talk up with jokes, chat, tell us humorous things that have happened to him this week, engage with viewers that message in, etc - all whilst the quantities of items are going down in quantity on screen quickly. This therefore proves that presenters don't need to constantly talk about an item at 300mph and waffle on about supposed values of stones, how stones are rarer than rare, or that they've 'just got to let us know that............ absolutely' and pull hysterically bad 'shocked' faces in order to flog items.

Probably the only decent, likeable and watchable presenter they have at the moment. The polar opposite of Lyndsey 'Im so proud of you' Carr and Jess 'I've just gotta let you know...... absolutely' Foley.

 

[Marietta]

Considering Jeff isn't a natural presenter and hasn't any presenting or TV background behind him (he's worked his way up the ranks after working at Gemporia for 11 and a half years), he's the one breath of fresh air on the channel at the moment for several reasons:

1. On each occasion he's sold an item tonight, he's actually explained to viewers what stones are - for example, he sold a Heliodor ring earlier and explained that it is a variety of Beryl.

2. He's been transparent about some of the treatments - and even explained what the treatment is.

3. In addition to giving out more information than presenters usually give these days, he's not continual hard sell. He will actually break his talk up with jokes, chat, tell us humorous things that have happened to him this week, engage with viewers that message in, etc - all whilst the quantities of items are going down in quantity on screen quickly. This therefore proves that presenters don't need to constantly talk about an item at 300mph and waffle on about supposed values of stones, how stones are rarer than rare, or that they've 'just got to let us know that............ absolutely' and pull hysterically bad 'shocked' faces in order to flog items.

Probably the only decent, likeable and watchable presenter they have at the moment. The polar opposite of Lyndsey 'Im so proud of you' Carr and Jess 'I've just gotta let you know...... absolutely' Foley.

Agree 100%. But because he has integrity and is a good presenter, he'll probably be moved to an obscure part of the company!

 

[Flo53]

Considering Jeff isn't a natural presenter and hasn't any presenting or TV background behind him (he's worked his way up the ranks after working at Gemporia for 11 and a half years), he's the one breath of fresh air on the channel at the moment for several reasons:

1. On each occasion he's sold an item tonight, he's actually explained to viewers what stones are - for example, he sold a Heliodor ring earlier and explained that it is a variety of Beryl.

2. He's been transparent about some of the treatments - and even explained what the treatment is.

3. In addition to giving out more information than presenters usually give these days, he's not continual hard sell. He will actually break his talk up with jokes, chat, tell us humorous things that have happened to him this week, engage with viewers that message in, etc - all whilst the quantities of items are going down in quantity on screen quickly. This therefore proves that presenters don't need to constantly talk about an item at 300mph and waffle on about supposed values of stones, how stones are rarer than rare, or that they've 'just got to let us know that............ absolutely' and pull hysterically bad 'shocked' faces in order to flog items.

Probably the only decent, likeable and watchable presenter they have at the moment. The polar opposite of Lyndsey 'Im so proud of you' Carr and Jess 'I've just gotta let you know...... absolutely' Foley.

Totally agree with you really enjoy Jeff's shows.

 

[Womanwithnoname]

Jeff is my favourite presenter too, since joining Gems he is such a pleasure to watch
His sincere love of gems is infectious, the presenting style and personality is light years away from the current
line up of shouting and patronising lot.

 

[Mommabear]

Jeff's a great guy

 

[Anna]

He's my favourite too. He's interesting to listen to, funny, easy to watch, no histrionics, and love his voice.

 

[TheManWithNoName]

Jeff was on last night selling a 'Paraiba Quartz' ring. He actually called it what it is:

"Paraiba Tourmaline in White Quartz Matrix".

What a breath of fresh air.

Could you imagine Lyndsey Carr or Jess Foley telling us that? Not a chance.

 

[Womanwithnoname]

Jeff was on last night selling a 'Paraiba Quartz' ring. He actually called it what it is:

"Paraiba Tourmaline in White Quartz Matrix".

What a breath of fresh air.

Could you imagine Lyndsey Carr or Jess Foley telling us that? Not a chance.

I imagine that for a person like Jeff it is very hard to follow “sell by any means” doctrine.

I feel for him at times. He was given these googly eyed glass monstrosities ( “the rabid seagull” and ” peacock with scoliosis” )in one of his late night weekend shows.
He managed to turn his speech about Glass and silica which comes from the sand In a dessert.
No ridiculous comparison with some costly glass creations at all.

It must be so hard to juggle the “sell at any cost” pressures with integrity.
He does it beautifully and with a sincere love of gemstones.

He often said that he works on his own jewellery designs outside of Gems.
I wish he could bring his own line to us!

 

[historymystery]

I imagine that for a person like Jeff it is very hard to follow “sell by any means” doctrine.

I feel for him at times. He was given these googly eyed glass monstrosities ( “the rabid seagull” and ” peacock with scoliosis” )in one of his late night weekend shows.
He managed to turn his speech about Glass and silica which comes from the sand In a dessert.
No ridiculous comparison with some costly glass creations at all.

It must be so hard to juggle the “sell at any cost” pressures with integrity.
He does it beautifully and with a sincere love of gemstones.

He often said that he works on his own jewellery designs outside of Gems.
I wish he could bring his own line to us!

Oh, come on, you know you'd prefer a wizened glass peacock ornament or a model of the Eiffel Tower made of jade in preference to anything Jeff could bring you! Joking aside, he is a good presenter but it must be almost impossible for anyone who believes in treating the customer with respect to carry on amongst a load of Amateur Night presenters. Personally, I'm waiting for Peter Simon to make a comeback....it's the only thing keeping me watching!!

 

[VapidStoat]

Jeff is definitely the last watchable presenter on the channel, but he's as trustworthy as the rest

He's also happily sung the praises of the colours of stones he's selling without bothering to state that they're dyed or coated. And waffled merrily about exciting pieces of ruby jewellery without mentioning that the gems are filled.

Gemporia's current business model appears to be "get as much cash from the viewers as possible". Which seems to be getting done by not being 100% up front about what presenters are selling. And Jeff is pretty much OK with that.

If it's OK to call out other presenters for their ruses, tricks and dodgy behaviour, then it seems unfair to exempt one because he appears to be more personable than the rest.

 

[rubia]

I really liked Jeff but I agree he is now doing what the others are doing only his way is not so heavy handed! I caught glimpses of Angeline today and Hattie earlier what struck me was the real hard sell it both presenters especially Angeline.

 

[TheManWithNoName]

I really liked Jeff but I agree he is now doing what the others are doing only his way is not so heavy handed!

But if, as I suspect, presenters are told to be economical with the truth and / or told to be constant hard sell, but it goes against their morals, then they can only reign it in to the minimum they can get away with before getting told off.

It's quite clear that some presenters are more than happy with just getting stuff out the door by any means possible - and it's also clear that some presenters aren't as comfortable at being so economical with the truth.

I can't say too much without giving Gemporia some sort of clue as to my identity - but I know for a fact that one presenter that left a few years ago HATED working on the main Gems TV channel because of the pressure they were under - but liked working on the other channels they presented on where there was less pressure.

It's clear that presenters are ordered to say certain things when they ALL use the same lines such as:

"It's Sterling Silver drenched in gold" when selling gold plated tat.

Or

"It's just had a little bit of heat" when referring to heat treated gemstones that have been heated to extreme temperates.

 

[VapidStoat]

But if, as I suspect, presenters are told to be economical with the truth and / or told to be constant hard sell, but it goes against their morals, then they can only reign it in to the minimum they can get away with before getting told off.

It's quite clear that some presenters are more than happy with just getting stuff out the door by any means possible - and it's also clear that some presenters aren't as comfortable at being so economical with the truth.

I can't say too much without giving Gemporia some sort of clue as to my identity - but I know for a fact that one presenter that left a few years ago HATED working on the main Gems TV channel because of the pressure they were under - but liked working on the other channels they presented on where there was less pressure.

It's clear that presenters are ordered to say certain things when they ALL use the same lines such as:

"It's Sterling Silver drenched in gold" when selling gold plated tat.

Or

"It's just had a little bit of heat" when referring to heat treated gemstones that have been heated to extreme temperates.

I have had jobs that I was uncomfortable doing, for various reasons. And my answer to that situation, if it was starting to impact on my mental health, or I had got to the point where I couldn't face doing them any more, was to look for something else.

I realise that in this day and age people can't be so choosy. But in the world of shopping telly, presenters seem to come and go, and move between the various channels, all the time.

And quite a few presenters, on most shopping channels, seem to do other work apart from presenting. Often something they appear to enjoy more. It's not all that defines them, or keeps the cash coming in to their bank accounts.

So I would question the alleged morals of someone who can switch their consciences off, and knowingly flog inferior goods to people at hugely inflated prices.

Yes, everyone has the right to choose how they're going to keep the roofs over their heads, and put food on their tables. But agreeing to con people out of cash they probably can't afford to lose by heavily implying that heavily treated gemstones in gold tone tat may help secure customers' families' futures doesn't sound like something a decent person would do.

Especially if they're comfortable with putting on a nice, smiley, friendly and approachable facade while they do it, and fine with encouraging people to swallow their stories and buy their dodgy merchandise.

 

[Ostrichkeeper]

I remember seeing a lady on one of the various antiques type shows who brought in a large collection of coloured gemstones, all in clear boxes. She had paid something like £600 for them but the entire collection sold for under ninety pounds or similar. Absolutely worthless in reality.I just remembered that it was on Dickinson’s programme.

 

[rubia]

I remember seeing a lady on one of the various antiques type shows who brought in a large collection of coloured gemstones, all in clear boxes. She had paid something like £600 for them but the entire collection sold for under ninety pounds or similar. Absolutely worthless in reality.I just remembered that it was on Dickinson’s programme.

That's awful!!

 

[leslie61]

I remember seeing a lady on one of the various antiques type shows who brought in a large collection of coloured gemstones, all in clear boxes. She had paid something like £600 for them but the entire collection sold for under ninety pounds or similar. Absolutely worthless in reality.I just remembered that it was on Dickinson’s programme.

All the presenters are incredibly good sales people (and that's all they are irrespective of initials after their names) and it's very easy to get sucked into their spiel. I'm more than aware of what they're doing and I still find myself getting drawn in, sometimes I buy (and then cancel when I come to my senses) and other times I don't buy simply because I don't like the designs or think they're way overpriced. If I see Jade Troth doing a show I don't even bother to look 'cos I just know I will not be interested in anything he has to say or show - good news for the pocket and he's doing more and more shows of late.

Whatever I have bought I'm pleased to be able to say that it was because I liked the design and price and not because it was a heirloom piece or it was going to increase x times over in value.

I used to watch and see Mirabelle sending messages into the studio saying she'd bought hers, whatever it was they were selling, and remember thinking that that lady must have some money 'cos she didn't buy the cheaper end of the scale it was always £500 upwards and she'd buy more than 1 piece. Unfortunately the truth for her family came out after her death when they had to start a GoFundMe page to pay for her funeral.

It would be nice to think that Gemporia would have had a twinge of guilt and tempered their sales techniques a little, particularly as we're all family!, be a little more honest with their selling in the hope that what happened to Mirabelle didn't happen again but .......

 

[VapidStoat]

All the presenters are incredibly good sales people (and that's all they are irrespective of initials after their names) and it's very easy to get sucked into their spiel. I'm more than aware of what they're doing and I still find myself getting drawn in, sometimes I buy (and then cancel when I come to my senses) and other times I don't buy simply because I don't like the designs or think they're way overpriced. If I see Jade Troth doing a show I don't even bother to look 'cos I just know I will not be interested in anything he has to say or show - good news for the pocket and he's doing more and more shows of late.

Whatever I have bought I'm pleased to be able to say that it was because I liked the design and price and not because it was a heirloom piece or it was going to increase x times over in value.

I used to watch and see Mirabelle sending messages into the studio saying she'd bought hers, whatever it was they were selling, and remember thinking that that lady must have some money 'cos she didn't buy the cheaper end of the scale it was always £500 upwards and she'd buy more than 1 piece. Unfortunately the truth for her family came out after her death when they had to start a GoFundMe page to pay for her funeral.

It would be nice to think that Gemporia would have had a twinge of guilt and tempered their sales techniques a little, particularly as we're all family!, be a little more honest with their selling in the hope that what happened to Mirabelle didn't happen again but .......

At the end of the day, Gemporia is a business. They exist to make money, that's it.

I know that they come out with a load of bull about wanting to sell viewers decent jewellery at affordable prices, and that the Gemporia staff and viewers are one big happy family, but that's all just waffle to hopefully part viewers from their cash.

I don't know about the presenters being good salespeople, since they hardly ever tell you much about what they're actually selling. They're more like snake oil salespeople, willing to say anything to get a sale.

And that's a massive red flag to me, no matter how nice and friendly the presenter may be. In fact, that probably makes me even more suspicious. I am FAR too cynical

 

[rubia]

At the end of the day, Gemporia is a business. They exist to make money, that's it.

I know that they come out with a load of bull about wanting to sell viewers decent jewellery at affordable prices, and that the Gemporia staff and viewers are one big happy family, but that's all just waffle to hopefully part viewers from their cash.

I don't know about the presenters being good salespeople, since they hardly ever tell you much about what they're actually selling. They're more like snake oil salespeople, willing to say anything to get a sale.

And that's a massive red flag to me, no matter how nice and friendly the presenter may be. In fact, that probably makes me even more suspicious. I am FAR too cynical

You are not in your own in that! Which is good if you think about it.

All the presenters are incredibly good sales people (and that's all they are irrespective of initials after their names) and it's very easy to get sucked into their spiel. I'm more than aware of what they're doing and I still find myself getting drawn in, sometimes I buy (and then cancel when I come to my senses) and other times I don't buy simply because I don't like the designs or think they're way overpriced. If I see Jade Troth doing a show I don't even bother to look 'cos I just know I will not be interested in anything he has to say or show - good news for the pocket and he's doing more and more shows of late.

Whatever I have bought I'm pleased to be able to say that it was because I liked the design and price and not because it was a heirloom piece or it was going to increase x times over in value.

I used to watch and see Mirabelle sending messages into the studio saying she'd bought hers, whatever it was they were selling, and remember thinking that that lady must have some money 'cos she didn't buy the cheaper end of the scale it was always £500 upwards and she'd buy more than 1 piece. Unfortunately the truth for her family came out after her death when they had to start a GoFundMe page to pay for her funeral.

It would be nice to think that Gemporia would have had a twinge of guilt and tampered their sales techniques a little, particularly as we're all family!, be a little more honest with their selling in the hope that what happened to Mirabelle didn't happen again but .......

That is never going to happen, I think their behaviour has worsened more since Colin left. Trust me I was no fan of Colin but I did believe Steve was honourable how dumb was I ? Angeline, Lynn, Ellis and others should be ashamed.

 

[VapidStoat]

That is never going to happen, I think their behaviour has worsened more since Colin left. Trust me I was no fan of Colin but I did believe Steve was honourable how dumb was I ? Angeline, Lynn, Ellis and others should be ashamed.

They don't know the meaning of the word.

But then, that's true of all the glorified sales assistants on shopping telly. They've all encountered products that they know are awful (like badly made clothes, beauty products that just make your skin a bit softer and smell nicer, and lots of other overpriced tat), but they've still gone on air and pushed viewers to buy them.

And they'll use any means to do so. Like convincing people with all the knowledge of jewellery buying that I have of brain surgery to buy shoddy tat they compare to million dollar pieces. Or convincing poor lonely and vulnerable viewers that they're their trusted friends who would never lie to them.

In fact, it's important to remember that, first and foremost, all shopping telly presenters are there to flog as much product as possible. That's it. They have no other role to play, and will say anything to achieve that

 

[TheManWithNoName]

I have had jobs that I was uncomfortable doing, for various reasons. And my answer to that situation, if it was starting to impact on my mental health, or I had got to the point where I couldn't face doing them any more, was to look for something else.

It's not that simple for some though.

Some presenters are from a TV or acting background. They have qualifications in that field. For those, finding an alternative job is relatively easy.

However, some presenters have got to where they are through rising through the ranks - Jeff being one of those. He started off years ago in what would have been a relatively low wage working in the warehouse. He's then worked his way up to producer / director, then to presenter. If he was to find another job, it's unlikely it would be at the same level of employment he's at now, and of similar salary.

It's a fairly niche job, in a relatively small industry, with a relatively niche salary to match. It's not like working in your local chippy where you can quit on Monday and have a job in another chippy by Tuesday.

Not forgetting that Jeff was already made redundant earlier year, before being taken back on again. Inevitably, that will have hit him financially. He also said at the weekend that he was selling his house and downsizing to a bungalow. Potentially to free up some finances?

Yes, all business and presenters should be transparent and honest - but, the nature of selly-telly is that NONE of the channels and their presenters are completely transparent and honest. Gemporia are not unique to sailing close to the wind when making claims.

However, it's clear that there are presenters that have no qualms or shame when it comes to making misleading claims, being economical with the truth or using whatever tactic possible in order to line their own pockets via sales bonuses / incentives, etc or to get a promotion to a more lucrative or 'social-life friendly' timeslot. I won't name names, but we can all tell who those are on selly-telly without even hiving to think about it too hard. Some live with their wife slash goddess, some absolutely just have to let you know that they absolutely say the word absolutely every five seconds and some have worked on TV for years - not only on the Bid Up channels, not only on the Ideal Worlds, not only having a short stint on Gemporia, not only moving to a channel with three letters as its company name, a channel that not only sells jewellery, but jewellery with sprinklings of fairy dust sourced by the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan mountain goat hurder friends especially for you lucky people at 'ome!

Then there are those that are clearly uncomfortable in having to use dubious sales tactics - and therefore they do the very minimum required in order to keep their employers happy, whilst still keeping a level of integrity with their viewers by being as transparent as possible within their employers limitations.

I don't agree with any of them - but I do have some sympathy with the latter. Unlike the former, who have all made lucrative TV careers out of sailing so close to the wind that they've almost got sucked into the full storm...........