Cruise Island Shopping

[MamieinGA]

We took our first cruise aboard the Disney Magic over Thanksgiving. Loved the cruise and the shopping guide Whitney was especially helpful meeting us at Diamonds International to help us make a once in a life time purchase. Diamonds Int. is one of Disney's trusted sellers and we were assured over and over what a great deal we were getting. We were told the salesman was "straight-up". Roll forward 3 weeks, and after two appraisals (one by an independent lab) we found out we overpaid $20,000 for the ring. We trusted the Disney recommendation and the Disney employee. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Disney has referred us to a third party, Diamonds International is fighting a return, and Whitney is not returning my emails. Buyer Beware! Please let me know if anyone can help us. We are super disappointed in the Disney Company Name and their representations.

 

[jilljill]

Call your credit card company to see if you can dispute the charge until everything gets resolved. Keep lots of notes on who you talk to and when.

 

[Cruella 66]

I'm very sorry to hear that.

I learned my lesson on our last cruise with the art. We over paid but it was 'only' hundreds...won't EVER buy art or jewlery on DCL.

I wish you luck getting your money back. Cindy

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

That is horrible. Good luck in finding a resolution.

 

[MamieinGA]

Thank you, we are doing just that. My mission now is to get the word out to keep someone else from going through the stress of what we've been through. We were first time cruisers and always had a positive experience with the Disney company before. I wonder why Disney would risk their brand name to be a part of these scams? The second appraiser told me I was the 5th person in his office last week in a similar situation with a cruise promoted jewelry purchase.

 

[MamieinGA]

Sorry guys, forgot to mention that the independent lab downgraded the color and clarity of the ring also. Praying for a refund, and this doesn't happen to anyone else!

 

[Wadekind]

Wow! I talked my parents out of purchasing from DI earlier this year just because I am paranoid about buying "certified" items from places where returns will be difficult and I thought the on board shopping seminar provided no real information and sounded more like a sales pitch.Your post prompted me to start googling and I am having a hard time finding anyone that has something good to say about this company. Look on trip advisor and you will see complaints about DI in every port even in Alaska.
DCL is doing a disservice to their brands reputation by allowing this company's name to be mentioned any where near one of their ships let alone endorsing them. DCL should also step up since they push this company on board in their shopping seminar.
Good luck, keep us posted and I hope you get the resolution you are looking for.

 

[kcashner]

The "shopping expert" on the ship is actually paid by the businesses she represents. The stores pay a fee to be placed on that preferred list and have us pointed in their direction.

Thanks for posting your experience.

DCL is now operating the art sales themselves after having bad experiences with 2 different companies. On the Magic last week it was not an auction; there were pieces shown on a wall with prices noted and a DCL CM there to assist with purchases.

 

[Cruella 66]

I was just on the Magic over Christmas and also saw the art was handled differently. There was a silent auction held one evening and I happened to walk past it. They were selling line art or sketches...not the paintings, by auction. I asked the cast member there "How is it going for you tonight?" He said it was slow. I looked at the papers and NOBODY had offered any bids. I was thinking it was early in the process so I asked him how much time was left? He said "4 minutes" I was amazed! I said "Oh, my, no bids?" He said one lady made a bid, changed her mind, and took her name off. I said "Wow, I am sorry to hear that. Have a good evening!" Now had this been 4 years ago, I wouldn't have gotten out of there so easily, so I guess that's why I did...no more high pressure salesmen! I did hear Whitney's pitch one evening while I was at the 'internet cafe'. She is a good saleswoman; nice to know she doesn't represent DCL. Let us know how your case turns out! Cindy

 

[tinkerone]

okay, i have been following this thread and i just have to ask.....what must you have paid for the ring if you OVER PAID 20,000?? holy crap! give me a number so i can get the whole picture.

 

[MamieinGA]

okay, i have been following this thread and i just have to ask.....what must you have paid for the ring if you OVER PAID 20,000?? holy crap! give me a number so i can get the whole picture.

Thank you for following along the thread. I would rather not say. This was a once in a lifetime purchase for a special occasion. We've learned so much the hard way, and its not over. The difficulty is ever present with us until there is a resolution.

 

[mcgrawfan]

My parents got took by DI too. Another cruise line. We are only talking $5000 total on the ring. Luckily they put it on their credit card and eventually it was taken care of. By the credit card not DI. That diamond too was also a different color and clarity when they had it appraised. Did you purchase a loose stone and have them mount it? That is what my parents did and the DI staff mounted the diamond in another room or building. Weird. Pretty sure they switched them from the one they had chosen. Good luck!

 

[MamieinGA]

....I did hear Whitney's pitch one evening while I was at the 'internet cafe'. She is a good saleswoman; nice to know she doesn't represent DCL. Let us know how your case turns out! Cindy

Thank you for your concern, but I differ in that Whitney did hold herself out as the "Disney Shopping Guide". As first time cruisers, we did not learn until later that she was employed by a 3rd party. Other cast members on board referred to her as "our" shopping guide. I thought she was delightful, and even asked for her supervisors name, but she didn't provide. She operates under the Disney umbrella as the guest's shopping guide. Again, I'm all the wiser now to how this shopping scheme works. Thanks again, and we are still in the process of seeking a refund.

 

[ksloane]

So sorry this happened to you and thanks for warning us. I too would have thought of the seller as truly being Disney endorsed and trusted them. I guess we have to remember that in the end Disney is a business seeking a profit, but I just get a bad feeling now that I know these reps are not Disney reps but instead are reps of those companies....

 

[MamieinGA]

I am happy to report that a manager at the DCL corporate offices took notice of one of my letters of complaint and intervened on our behalf with Diamonds International. Without his help, the process could still be ongoing and without resolution. I want to thank Mr. Joe Paris for evaluating the evidence and assisting us with a refund. - The process has taken almost two months to complete even after we received a call from DCL stating we would receive a refund due to merchandise being misrepresented. Diamonds International continued to be difficult to deal with. After Disney requested PPI to get involved and act as a mediator in the process, DI requested that we drop our dispute with Chase Visa. Visa in turn responded that we would loose all our rights and possibly our money if we dropped the dispute. Long story short, we held with our dispute through the refund process, and DI was very slow to respond, but in the end agreeded with the dispute and all our money was settled with credits through the process. Thank You Disney Cruise Line for standing behind your shopper guarantee. I am one of the lucky ones that actually received a refund from DI. Please be aware of Diamond International's shady business practices, and read the hundreds of scam reports posted about them on travel sites.

 

[mmouseforpres]

I am glad to know that Disney did intervene and the situation was resolved.

 

[SallySkelington]

Thanks for letting us know. I would have been one of the unlucky few to buy into it as well. I'm very glad that the situation was resolved.

 

[Cruella 66]

I'm glad it worked out positively for you! When we were on our cruise I didn't go any where NEAR DI! And, I kept in mind who's paying the cruise 'shopper' presentation. We were very reluctant to go to ANY of the stores but went to a couple. Thank you again! Cindy

 

[Evil Queen 2]

Glad to hear that eveything worked out for you. And that DCL came through with helping you get your money back.

The only expensive jewelry I have purchased on a cruise was from Bernard Passman galleries. And I can tell you that they are great to work with after you return home. I recently had a broken earring and inquired to them best options for getting repaired. The earrings were about 3 years old at the time. They asked me to send to them (UPS with a tracking number) and they replaced them at no cost. I just paid for return shipping.

 

[Daisygeo]

I just found out today that a diamond ring my husband and I purchased on Disney wonder Mexican riviera cruise the week of March 25 is not worth anywhere near what we paid for it. The cut and clarity are horrible. We only bought in Mexico because we had our Disney representative Nick with us to make sure we were not being ripped off.

I had it appraised by three separate people including a certified gemologist and we overpaid by at least $10,000. The gemologist showed it to me under a microscope and it is horrible. I would not have ever bought a diamond of this low quality let alone pay what we paid for it.

why would Disney allow someone on their ships like Nick? I am devastated and from what I understand it is just about impossible to remedy the situation. we are going to try but the odds are against us.

maybe I am naive, but I trusted Disney to put reputable people on board their ships. i am so sad.