International Diamond Center — Local services in Pinellas Park

My partner and I visited the store on March 22 to look at engagement rings. We were immediately greeted by a salesperson and had a very good experience looking at the different options. Since I hadn’t purchased the stone yet, the sales person made an appointment for me to come back the following month to purchase the setting. He specifically scheduled my appointment for the weekend of their semi annual sale so I could get a discount on the ring. I showed up at the store for my appointment on April 26 and looked at the setting my partner picked out. I noticed the price was $500 higher than it was in March. I had taken pictures of the ring and tags during my first visit so I knew exactly what to ask for when I came back. As a result, I knew for a fact the price was different. I made a comment about it to the sales person and explicitly asked if the price was marked up for the sale. He assured me the store doesn’t do business that way and told me the increase was due to a rise in the price of gold. The sales person must’ve double-booked himself because a few minutes later he abruptly passed me off to another sales person and went to help a couple who had just come in. The person he passed me to rung me out and I left the store. However, I still felt a little confused about the price and it was making me uneasy so I called the store on my way home and inquired again about the large increase. Once again, I was told this was due to the increased price of gold. I also made another call to the store because I noticed the item number on the receipt was different than the item number on the ring and wanted to make sure there wasn’t any kind of mix up. I spoke to the woman who checked me out and she explained that those numbers are always different. She made a comment that ‘she’s pretty good and her job’ and ‘knows what she’s doing’, which I’m only mentioning because those comments ended up being ironic since there actually was a mishap with the order. Later that day, I went directly to the website for the ring brand I purchased and noticed the exact same ring was listed on their website at $250 less than what I paid at IDC. I immediately texted the salesperson I had the appointment with to let him know about the price difference and ask why I was charged more. He looked into it and said they charged me for an 18k gold ring instead of 14k gold ring and he would work with the manager to get me a $200 refund. I was still a little confused because the price I paid was less than the price of the 18k ring listed on the brand’s website and my receipt reflected 14k. Someone from the store called me to issue a refund and I asked why the refund was only $200 when the price difference was $250. The person I spoke with put a manager on the phone who adjusted the refund. I asked the manager about the price discrepancy and she said she would ask the brand rep who happened to be in the store that day because of the sale. After a brief hold, I was told that the price on the brand’s website was actually a sale price - but they were going to honor it. That was a red flag to me because I’d already been told that this brand does not do any kind of sales outside of events like the one at IDC. I also called the brand’s flagship location, and they confirmed that I should’ve been charged the price listed on their website, not the higher price I paid at IDC . I ultimately decided that I did not feel comfortable with the situation and drove back to the store, spoke to a manager (not the same one I’d previously spoken to on the phone), and requested that my order be canceled and refunded. He obliged and was very apologetic. However, this was the first time someone actually apologized. While everyone I interacted with prior had been polite, they did not apologize or take accountability for the situation. Overall, the experience was very disappointing. From the salesperson seemingly double-booking himself to being overcharged (with multiple explanations as to why), I felt there was very little attention detail and an overall lack of...

If you want to enjoy your engagement, don’t shop here. My fiancé bought me the perfect Noam Carver ring. Exactly what I was hoping for! It had a floral shank and rose gold accents on it. IDC resized my ring for me twice. The second time they took it in they rhodium plated over the rose gold accents on the ring! I brought it back in, they said they would fix it and did not. They gave me back a ring that still had plating over the rose gold and the details could barely be seen any longer. At this point I spoke with John, the general manager, who PROMISED me he would personally handle the situation. He stated he would have it sent back to Noam carver to be fixed by the designer himself. I walked out of IDC thinking that it was an honest mistake and being taken care of. After not receiving a follow up call that John stated he would make to me, the following day- I phoned IDC to see what was going on. I was then connected with Michael, the sales manager, whom John had delegated this issue to now. At this moment it was very clear to me that the communication issues within this company were at a management level and a direct result of the poor example set forth by their general manager who evades any situation that he does not want to deal with. Moving on, I was then promised by Michael that my ring would be shipped out over night to Noam in Canada and that I would have it back by the following Wednesday. Fast forward to the following Wednesday, it comes and goes- no phone call from IDC. Surprise, surprise! When I called them on Thursday to find out what was going on, I was told John was on a conference call and couldn’t come to the phone to speak with me on the matter, however he was available enough to relay information to his employee, TWICE. (Another example of not wanting to deal with problems) Finally, I got a voicemail from Michael’s cell phone, on his day off, apologizing for the situation and stating that he would contact Noam again about having the ring shipped out over night. So my fiancé paid outright for a brand new setting and diamond and what I will be getting back is my ring, refurbished, after just one short week of wearing it. I did request from Michael that my wedding band from Noam be sent out at the same time since my engagement ring was already being expedited. Though I don’t feel I should have needed to ask for this accommodation. I wouldn’t recommend IDC to anyone. I’ve had to reschedule engagement photos more than once due to their screw up and was never OFFERED any sort of compensation for the major inconvenience/run around. I won’t be able to use all the “free” services they offer in house (lifetime re-sizing, cleanings, etc.) because I will never allow their jeweler to touch my rings again. I intentionally suggested them to my fiancé over the gold and diamond source and now I am regretting that decision. NEVER AGAIN. What an awful experience and a despicable example of customer service/leadership when a problem arose, right from the “we are sorry for your bad experience” man himself,...

I went to IDC Clearwater after calling a few stores to sell or trade a previous engagement ring in order to purchase a new engagement ring. All the other places insulted me with their “value” of the ring due to the pear shape of the center stone. Apparently, although pear shaped diamonds still sell at a high price, they aren’t worth much when selling or trading due to lack of demand in comparison to existing supply. IDC gave me the best offer for the ring. I had stopped in months earlier to look at rings with my girlfriend and told Tim we were trying to narrow the field among their gargantuan selection but at this stage looking. He kept my info but never called me to harass me about when I might be ready. I came back and re-verified the prices and started looking at the 5 rings we had picked back then. I am very knowledgeable about diamonds and when Tim realized that, he respected that and only informed when he felt necessary instead of trying to fire hose me with info. I spent hours there day after day and not once did he try to rush me or try to blow me off. His attention was 100% mine and if indecisive he would try to clarify or present a different perspective. His professionalism, attention to detail, knowledge, and customer service has been impeccable and paramount in my decision to continue my relationship with IDC. I was very happy with my purchase and I had to be since I ended up way over my budget, but when the deal is too good to pass sometimes it’s for the best… in this case it was. I came back months later for her matching wedding band and my wedding band. Every experience has been great and any issues or concerns are addressed immediately. Tim was never pushy and even when I didn’t ask; he still tried his hardest to ensure that I was getting the best price they could possibly give me. He worked tirelessly at making sure I was fully satisfied and has continued to maintain contact and make sure I remain fully satisfied. His management has been very supportive as well and works with him not against him to ensure customer satisfaction. For all your jewelry purchases, I highly recommend Tim...