LaShandar D. Cook ||||

Buyer Beware: Jewelry By Rhonda

I’ve long since been aware of my metal allergy. I discovered it early on when my body was having extreme reactions to custom jewelry–mainly my big brother’s fake gold chains I snuck and wore in junior high, trying to be cool. Well that was a hard lesson learned. I’m not sure if he ever saw those chains again, considering how hard I threw them.

I avoided wearing jewelry and belts with metal buckles until high school when my mom offered to let me wear some of her real stuff. Well, even it gave me hives. Over the years I learned I couldn’t wear gold, silver, or stainless steel, as well as the cheap stuff.

Even though I haven’t worn any jewelry in like 10-15 years, I still have an appreciation for it, and I recently developed an obsession with hoop earrings. My interest was heightened when I visited a beauty supply store that had a bunch that claimed they were hypoallergenic–no nickel, no lead. Sold, I purchased liked 10 pair and crossed my fingers.

Well, I didn’t get lucky. My ears started itching and leaking gooey stuff within minutes. Stubborn, I got some clear nail polish and painted them, and that enabled me to wear them for a few hours. Probably in combination with the weight of the hoops, I finally got to the point where I couldn’t stand it. But I wasn’t ready to give up.

Still stubborn, and not yet ready to accept that I just don’t get to wear jewelry, I googled for a solution and I discovered “E’arrs(R) Pierced Ear Protectors” which are these little plastic sleeves that slip over the earring’s post. Perfect solution for me. Unfortunately, so far, I’ve only found them on one website that also accepts PayPal–JewelryByRhonda.com.

Despite the site’s unprofessional design and presentation, I decided to try it out. It wasn’t much money and there was also an optional USPS Priority Mail shipping guarantee–providing insurance and tracking–which I absolutely purchased since I’m not into just giving my money away.

On Thu, Jul 23, 2009 at 3:13 PM, Rhonda Styles wrote:

Thanks for your order! All Sales Final (see our Policies Page
for further information).
All orders (except for sterling silver charms) ship USPS first
class mail at the customer’s risk (no tracking or insurance)
unless the Priority Mail option has been selected (be sure to
read our shipping policy on the Merchant Policies Page).
Email us at rhondastyles@mindspring.com to contact us.

========== GENERAL INFORMATION ==========
Company: Jewelry by Rhonda
Order date: 7/23/2009

========== ORDER INFORMATION ==========
Payment By: PayPal
Order: OnlineOrder_00005339

Product Name: E’arrs(R) Pierced Ear Protectors(TM)
Item#: Earrs701
Unit Price: $4.95
Quantity: 1
Shipping Method: Ear Allergy Products Shipping/Handling

Coupon: FREE SHIPPING
USPS Priority Mail – Select this option if you want tracking
& insurance – if not selected, you will SHIP AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Please Do NOT Select for Charm Orders (they automatically ship
via Priority Mail).: $2.00
Grand Total: $6.95

How did you find Jewelry by Rhonda?
Google Search

List Special Requests to Rhonda Here:

Cake Charms/Pulls Orders: What Ribbon Color Do You Want?

Cake Charms/Pulls Orders: What is the Bride’s Name? What is the
Event (ex. wedding reception, luncheon, etc.)? I need this information
for the PERSONALIZED CARD.

I’ve ordered online many times before, so I know what to expect. Well, a week went by and I still hadn’t received any kind of update or tracking number. I decided to contact the vendor and ask about it…

From: LASHANDAR
To: rhondastyles@mindspring.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 4:45 PM
Subject: Re: Jewelry by Rhonda Order Receipt

I opted to pay $2 extra for “USPS Priority Mail” yet I haven’t received any tracking number or any other status information or updates regarding my order. It has been 5 days and I would like to know where my order is.

I need to know if my order has already been shipped to me? If not, when will it be sent?

…and she basically proved herself a liar. Fortunately, miraculously, I got a refund, but I hope no one else will fall for this scam. This is the last email I sent, but you can read the chain:

to Rhonda Styles
date Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 9:36 AM
subject Re: Jewelry by Rhonda Order Receipt
mailed-by gmail.com

If I wanted a free product I would not have paid. The fact that I have already paid refutes your ridiculous accusation.

Additionally, I did not receive free shipping. I clearly paid $2, in addition to the price of the product I purchased, for a promise you are clearly unwilling to fulfill.

Furthermore, the fact that you now claim you won’t send the product, while 2-3 emails ago you stated it was sent yesterday, further reveals you are exactly what I suspected. A liar.

With these business practices, everyone will shop elsewhere.

- Hide quoted text -
On Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 9:27 AM, Rhonda Styles wrote:

So…what you want is a free product? You will get your money back, but you will not get any product. Please shop elsewhere…oh yes, and learn how to read all the posted policies on a merchant website before you buy. I have never had anyone so upset about FREE shipping.
Rhonda Styles, Owner
Jewelry by Rhonda
www.jewelrybyrhonda.com
email: rhondastyles@mindspring.com
Toll-free: 1-877-572-0735
Studio Line: 334-785-5170

—– Original Message —–
From: LASHANDAR
To: Rhonda Styles
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 9:23 AM
Subject: Re: Jewelry by Rhonda Order Receipt

The order form indicated the USPS Priority Mail was only $2 extra. While $2 is not a lot of money, most people do not give away their money in general–good economy or bad economy–unless it is explicitly a charitable donation.

I paid for this service, and I would like the insurance and the tracking. I would not have made the order if not for the implied guarantee of tracking and insurance. If you are unable to provide me this service, I definitely want my money back.

I also suggest you update your order form to accurately reflect your services. As is, it is deceptive and misleading, if not an outright lie:

========== ORDER INFORMATION ==========
Payment By: PayPal
Order: OnlineOrder_00005339

Product Name: E’arrs(R) Pierced Ear Protectors(TM)
Item#: Earrs701
Unit Price: $4.95
Quantity: 1
Shipping Method: Ear Allergy Products Shipping/Handling

Coupon: FREE SHIPPING
USPS Priority Mail – Select this option if you want tracking
& insurance – if not selected, you will SHIP AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Please Do NOT Select for Charm Orders (they automatically ship
via Priority Mail).: $2.00
Grand Total: $6.95

The highlighted, in red, certainly indicates my order would be sent via USPS Priority Mail. I selected that option and I was charged for that option.

On Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 9:09 AM, Rhonda Styles wrote:

The free shipping is offered through the end of June for all orders. If you want priority mail, it is $7.50. If you want the free shipping offer, I will send your $2 back to you – I know $2 can be a lot of money in this economy.
Rhonda Styles, Owner
Jewelry by Rhonda
www.jewelrybyrhonda.com
email: rhondastyles@mindspring.com
Toll-free: 1-877-572-0735
Studio Line: 334-785-5170

—– Original Message —–
From: LASHANDAR
To: Rhonda Styles
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 9:01 AM
Subject: Re: Jewelry by Rhonda Order Receipt

I paid an extra $2 for the USPS Priority Mail–that was an option on the order form and it indicated that it would provide insurance and tracking, and that’s why I selected and paid for it.

I do not know where the free shipping coupon came from; I assumed it was a special automatically applied to everyone’s order. However, I still made sure to purchase the optional insurance/tracking.

On Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 8:51 AM, Rhonda Styles wrote:

Your order came in while the studio was closed from Friday to Monday. It shipped yesterday. You do not get priority mail shipping with FREE shipping promo. You should have it by the end of the week.

There is clearly a potential for consumers to lose a lot more money than I risked, and yes, I did inform PayPal, but since I already got a refund I don’t think they’re going to do much about it; though they did say they will look into it.

As for jewelry, I will invest in some high quality stuff. I’ve researched and most people with a similar allergy can tolerate gold that’s at least 18k, and platinum and titanium should also be fine. I’m also considering trying silver again since the silver ring I had was from a flea market in New Orleans, which may or may not have been real/quality silver. Anyways, time will tell.

(Oh, and yes I was amazed that my holes were still open. I had assumed they were closed after so many years, but my mom made me try on some earrings I was offering to give her that came free with some beaded necklaces I bought. I tried and they just slipped in. I was so excited because I absolutely was not liking the idea of getting them pierced. If that were necessary, I probably wouldn’t have done it.)