^Ok I have read through this entire thread and would just like to add my $0.02. I would also like to state that I am pointing this out from a customers point of view and not specifically as a customer of FF (which I am not). Any company/person/website selling actively has a duty to maintain it's customer service and supply goods in a timely manner to all it's customers or refund immediately. We have had numerous threads on tpf about various aspects of customer service both good and bad and if FF had been Nordstrom/Saks/Shopbop whatever any reasonable person would be appalled at the nightmare of paying for expensive goods and not receiving them. The fact that members here are friends with the seller is no excuse and frankly irrelevant to her business dealings. It is not the customers place to be finding reasons for not having received goods or not having enquiries answered ; i.e Poison Ivy, Family matters etc ;period. If any member had not received an item paid for by another company we would be appalled for that member.
Should be careful when you order on Future Fashionista!!
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Customers and friends of Elana and her company are not defending her or her actions, it's more a question of some of us knowing her and having had successful transactions with her that leaves us all "scratching our heads" and wondering what has happened. And until we hear form Elana all the speculation in the world and name calling is really not getting any of her customers closer to the facts.
fyi, not buying that ridiculous telephone story either.
with all due respect, i don't think anybody has been calling elana names, they're just frustrated and are wondering where their stuff is, and like you said, confused about her and their merchandise, which apparently was paid for. i think anybody has the right to contribute since this thread has been created—whether or not they're a current or past customer of FF.
what it boils down to is this, i don't know elana personally, nor have i ever done business with her, that being said, like syma has eloquently stated in her above post, we would all be very upset if it were any other company like crate & barrel, et al, if this had happened to them. i'm sure if i myself had done the exact same thing with my pop art business and people hadn't received their prints for several months, i imagine they'd be pissed off, and they'd have every right to be pissed off. it's just business, it's not personal.
i think if elana would be honest with those customers and tell them what is going on individually instead of posting on FB or a blog (more personalized service), her customers would be more than understanding. there have been a few times in the past few years where someone ordered a print from me and i couldn't get it to them for over a week because of my daughter being ill (last year she had the swine flu and was home sick from school for a week), but once i explained the situation to them, they were extremely understanding. i think if she would just be honest and upfront, she would get a lot more hugs than hate. but the fact that she isn't coming forth to say anything, not even her husband (which i know for certain if i were very ill and couldn't honor my business commitments, my husband would take over and help), of course has raised many red flags.
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It's not a matter of being negative, it's a matter of all this involvement and opinion about someone who isn't even here on this thread to address the situation.
Look.....IF it were me, I would be here offering an explanation....publically to the OP & the readers of this thread. It's just human decency.
^^Agreed! (That Syma's post was spot on and I'm not buying the telephone story either. That's something the phone company could easily remedy.)
Every time a scammer is called out on tPF, members are always surprised because "She seemed so nice, was such an active contributer, beyond helpful to others, etc." As Nyriah pointed out, scammers do this to gain trust in the community. Sure, any number of unfortunate things could have gone wrong with Elana, but it's important to separate friendships and business in any scenario where a customer's money is being taken with no product provided.
I am not a customer who had forged a friendship, but if I were I would not be placing the friendship above being reimbursed or receiving my product. As Syma pointed out, it is not the the customer's place to be finding reasons for her actions (or lack of them).
Even if she were to come to the thread to explain herself, I'm not so certain I would believe her based on what we've read so far both here and on her Facebook page. But, that's just me...
Every time a scammer is called out on tPF, members are always surprised because "She seemed so nice, was such an active contributer, beyond helpful to others, etc." As Nyriah pointed out, scammers do this to gain trust in the community. Sure, any number of unfortunate things could have gone wrong with Elana, but it's important to separate friendships and business in any scenario where a customer's money is being taken with no product provided.
I am not a customer who had forged a friendship, but if I were I would not be placing the friendship above being reimbursed or receiving my product. As Syma pointed out, it is not the the customer's place to be finding reasons for her actions (or lack of them).
Even if she were to come to the thread to explain herself, I'm not so certain I would believe her based on what we've read so far both here and on her Facebook page. But, that's just me...
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Here's another friend scratching her head....
I also know Elana irl and have bought one item from her that was appraised by a respected jeweler for about 80% more than I paid...
My .02 cents? She is a very giving person that "overgave" and stretched herself too thin. She was going in so many directions, that it was exhausting just to watch. She never wanted to say no to anyone and took on way more than she should of. I'm saying this from a friend perspective, not as a customer.
I honestly think, and I say this with no malice, that she has had some kind of breakdown and reality for her right now may not be our reality, if that makes sense.
She was in my home awhile back and I saw some of her inventory, it was extraordinary and real...pearls are her passion and she is a walking wikipedia of pearl information. But I could also tell she was haphazard with securing the jewels at times, and I worried for her.
I don't think she's scamming but inevitably that's how things will appear to some and I can't stop that. I can only speak from what I've seen.
I also know Elana irl and have bought one item from her that was appraised by a respected jeweler for about 80% more than I paid...
My .02 cents? She is a very giving person that "overgave" and stretched herself too thin. She was going in so many directions, that it was exhausting just to watch. She never wanted to say no to anyone and took on way more than she should of. I'm saying this from a friend perspective, not as a customer.
I honestly think, and I say this with no malice, that she has had some kind of breakdown and reality for her right now may not be our reality, if that makes sense.
She was in my home awhile back and I saw some of her inventory, it was extraordinary and real...pearls are her passion and she is a walking wikipedia of pearl information. But I could also tell she was haphazard with securing the jewels at times, and I worried for her.
I don't think she's scamming but inevitably that's how things will appear to some and I can't stop that. I can only speak from what I've seen.
While I realize it is against policy to mention other sites by name, there are other sites with trusted members who have experienced the same thing as the OP here - this is not a one-time event. Additionally, there was a situation on another board where Elana posted blatantly false and defamatory information regarding a trusted online seller (one well-known and recommended by the BBB). Because the board in question dislikes drama, the threads regarding that were taken down after they were resolved.
Given Elana's erratic behaviour on that site and her reported behaviour since (not responding to customers, not sending out merchandise, updating FB like nothing is the matter, having an excuse for anything and everything), I would tend toward believing that something is the matter with Elana. Perhaps, like I mentioned before, it is mental illness (and I do not mean that in any derogatory way, but in a genuine way). But regardless, SOMEONE (if she ever worked with anyone else) should shut down her site or take over running it. Clearly, there is no excuse for this to have been going on for month after month.
Apparently, Elana is not registered with the BBB, so complaints there will accomplish nothing. I am not sure if there is any recourse (except through credit card companies for refunds) to get her site closed or her business shut down until she can prove she can fulfill her obligations as a business woman. But it is pretty plain to see that doing business with her based on the faith of the person she USED to be would be dangerous at this point. While perhaps those who have done business with her in the past might try again if she were to come back and attempt to address everyone's concerns, any new customer with the ability to do an online search about her would not. If she returns to business, it will without doubt take her years to re-establish any credibility she once had.
When I did a transaction with Elana almost a year ago, I had concerns then. It took an extraordinarily long time to receive my order, and I received no communication from her when I emailed my concerns. I ultimately chalked it up to postal error, but I now wonder whether it was the beginning of the problems. My order was placed in February of this year.
Given Elana's erratic behaviour on that site and her reported behaviour since (not responding to customers, not sending out merchandise, updating FB like nothing is the matter, having an excuse for anything and everything), I would tend toward believing that something is the matter with Elana. Perhaps, like I mentioned before, it is mental illness (and I do not mean that in any derogatory way, but in a genuine way). But regardless, SOMEONE (if she ever worked with anyone else) should shut down her site or take over running it. Clearly, there is no excuse for this to have been going on for month after month.
Apparently, Elana is not registered with the BBB, so complaints there will accomplish nothing. I am not sure if there is any recourse (except through credit card companies for refunds) to get her site closed or her business shut down until she can prove she can fulfill her obligations as a business woman. But it is pretty plain to see that doing business with her based on the faith of the person she USED to be would be dangerous at this point. While perhaps those who have done business with her in the past might try again if she were to come back and attempt to address everyone's concerns, any new customer with the ability to do an online search about her would not. If she returns to business, it will without doubt take her years to re-establish any credibility she once had.
When I did a transaction with Elana almost a year ago, I had concerns then. It took an extraordinarily long time to receive my order, and I received no communication from her when I emailed my concerns. I ultimately chalked it up to postal error, but I now wonder whether it was the beginning of the problems. My order was placed in February of this year.
This is excellent news, OP, although it's truly disappointing that FF didn't make good. This should not have been your bank's responsibility to fix this.
And speaking of disappointing, my appraiser's opinion is far closer to lovely64s experience than Cavalier Girl's. I would recommend anyone who has bought from Elana in the past to have their items checked over closely by an impartial third party. I am not pleased, not one bit. And with my results in hand, OP, you should count yourself lucky, even though this has not been a pleasant experience for you.
And the posters who say that Elana's clients are defending her are reading far too much into those posts. I, for one, never once defended her treatment of the OP or her business practices since at least May of this year. In no way is refusing to stridently denounce someone without at least some time to think about it anywhere near the same as condoning or defending their behavior. It's very insulting to equate refusal to take strangers' accusations as gospel truth without thought and research with defending shady business practices. I did not defend her. I simply chose to withhold my own personal verdict until I had something more substantial than the opinion of strangers on the Internet. Sadly for me, as of tonight I do have a more substantial reason to be appalled.
My input here doesn't relate at all to any business done by FF this year. But as far as Elana's business practices prior to this mess, I'd like to say that appraisal is far more art than science. But if you have bought from Elana in the past and are remotely concerned, please have your items checked out. My appraiser was not impressed, but hers is perhaps just one opinion.
That sucks, gga, on SO many levels, sorry
Oh honey, you don't even know the half. 2 hours...2 looooooong painful disillusioning hours.
PS: please, any past customers of FF, get your stuff evaluated. The appraiser I used for this works with Roadshow and two major auction houses, but maybe she could be mistaken...
gga: I am so, so sorry. I can only imagine the horrible, sinking feeling in your stomach during your appraisals. Fortunately (I guess), the only item I bought from Elana I knew I could not get for less elsewhere (I had looked for a very long time). Unless she was selling dyed FW as Tahitians (*gulp* I hope that isn't even a possibility), then I am still pleased with my purchase and believe I paid a fair price.
And to add to this post,there were other posts elsewhere that were the same issue as the op and they had to apply for chargebacks. One got her merchandise after 2 months only after threatening a chargeback.
As for her honesty, she was caught blatantly lying trashing another site, but I will give her credit. She came online and apologized publicly and took responsibility which is not an easy thing to do. But that was long beforer this. So issues have been around for a long time. They are just getting more frequent and more severe. I just hope she can find the currage to once again face the music.
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