Should be careful when you order on Future Fashionista!!

[lovely64]

Great post gga. You sum it up perfectly. This is not a recent thing, and your items discrepancy prove it. My earrings were bought in 2008 as well.

 

[Winston]

Of course jewelers have a significant markup. I can't imagine where you got the idea that we didn't know or understand that. I've bought from mom and pop stores to major chains, and Elana is the only salesperson I've ever bought from who has consistently forced me to listen to how broke she is and how she's doing me a favor selling me these items at her cost while inflicting a significant markup on me. I don't think any of us would be focused on price or markup if Elana hadn't turned our attention there herself by over and over claiming to sell at wholesale or below. Don't claim something then turn around and become outraged when people hold you at your word.

And of course earrings have inferior quality diamonds.

The problem isn't that there was a markup. The problem isn't that the diamonds are inferior.

The problem is that Elana lied.

The problem is that she sold diamonds that didn't meet the specs she listed on receipts by a wide margin. Small differences in diamond qualities as assessed by various appraisers can be dismissed as opinion. Big differences can't be so easily dismissed.

And if we step away from diamond quality, I don't think your everyone-on-here-is-such-a-rube-and-poor-Elana-is-a-beleaguered-professional-who-just-had-a-run-of-bad-luck-recently defense explains away a 2008 receipt that lists diamond weight on beads on a pearl necklace as double what the diamonds weigh in reality. 5 carats in diamond weight don't just disappear on opinion.

Selling a client diamonds that you say weigh 5+ carats more than they really do? That's a lie. That's fraud. And that predates Elana's illness.

And that's just one necklace out of several jewelry items with the same problem.

I have not, nor do I defend any of Elana's actions. I have no idea what a "rube" is, and my stating she made poor business decisions, does not translate into a feeling she is "...beleagured, with a run of bad luck..."My opinion, which is just that, an opinion, is not fact, nor an accusation towards anyone who purchased from FF in the past.

I inferred, from the beginning of this thread, that members were concerned with orders that were paid for and then went unfulfilled. I recounted my experience in case anyone had a similiar issue, and, because my items, returned to me, still appear on the website, I felt it my place to warn other members accordingly.

What one chooses to do about something they purchased in the past is of no consequence to me. I am not judging anyone, and again, MY OPINIONS, about jewelry, diamonds, settings, etc. was just to add another facet, if you will, to understanding this situation. Especially, as it started to go off the rails with the whole CZ business.

If you were lured in by Elana's stories, then she did what any effective salesperson does, she sold you. Her "selling at cost" was schtick. No one forced you to buy anything. If you didn't feel the need to have these items checked before finalizing the transaction, then you bear the burden of the results of buying something online.

Respond however you feel, I am done opining on this. I contributed what I felt was necessary to help others get some clarity. Good Luck!

 

[doberman]

As I stated before on this thread, if someones personal life, (Elana's children have answered phone calls where they have been told their mother is a thief and many more things), business life is trashed, destroyed on the web, responsibility has to be taken to post factually.

I agree that people should post factually. However, there are documented cases of people trying to call Elana for months and months and receiving no answer. Now all of the sudden the children are answering the phone? I don't buy that. However, if it were true, it would be very wrong, keep the children out of it.

 

[doberman]

I called out of curiousity and an elderly man answered. He said she was out but would be in this evening. I asked him if she was still ill and he said "as far as I know she is"

Ill, but still traveling around going to chicken shows (as verified by her Rubin Ranch blog which has new pictures from a show last weekend).

 

[habanerita]

habernita- with all due respect we all get that you like elana and want to defend her. but consistantly telling everyone else on here that we're wrong and elana did basically nothing wrong is getting really tiresome. you know i checked a TON of her listings from the "private marketplace" and she DID say SPECIFICALLY that she hand set, hand casted, hand made etc the pieces that she sold. did she say that about everything? no. but a very large portion of it. have YOU read through her threads? also, there's no mention in your short list of what elana did wrong that mentions her selling jewlery as vintage when it was not. i don't think people should be calling her house and telling her children anything but people have called and called and emailed with no answer, no machine, NO RESPONSE and they're getting fustrated. it's great YOU were able to talk to her but you know after you did you still didn't bring anything to the table about what was wrong, how she intended to rectify it or anything. as i said, we get it, she's your friend. but why not try and read this thread and have some empathy for the people who were scammed.

oh and as far as i know her ebay business is alive and well so it seems she's still selling just, potentially, not on her website. and how do you know you can't buy anything with pp or a cc on her site for the past several months?




Not only did I read them, but have tried to find exact descriptions of hand made from members who bought from her, to compare descriptions with items. I have not told anyone here they are wrong, on the contrary, have tried to get concrete details of any wrongdoings.

Regarding your last paragraph, I have posted a couple of times already, but here is the message you get when you try to charge at FF,

Terminal flagged as Inactive in First Data database (code 26

It is impossible to charge either through Paypal or through Credit Cards, I first encountered this when I tried to purchase something on the site in September 2010., if you still do not believe me, its easy to check it yourself. I will try the Ebay site to see if that one is charging.
When I called paypal, I was told FF had disconnected paypal from their site., and I posted it.

 

[K.Z.]

As I have tried in the past on this thread, some facts which are being either ignored or not posted are:...In my personal case, there was no conspiracy to deceive or scamming, again, this is in my personal case....As I stated before on this thread, if someones personal life, (Elana's children have answered phone calls where they have been told their mother is a thief and many more things), business life is trashed, destroyed on the web, responsibility has to be taken to post factually.

This jumped at me when I read it.

Your "personal case" in no way influences or determines the experiences of others. For those who got lied to and/or scammed with inferior product or with no product at all after they paid, the seller is a thief.

IMO to come down on scam victims for blasting their scammer online is a bit like finding fault with victims of a burglary, for example, for pressing charges.

The victims haven't "trashed" Eleana's life; she has done that herself with what so far appear to be questionable business practices. You simply cannot take other people's money (big chunks of money for jewelry), not send the purchased products, not respond to emails, calls, FB messages, and so forth, and expect nothing to come of it.

Furthermore, Eleana's reputation is being flushed down the drain online because FF is/was an online business. For years she profited from selling her products to people anywhere in the world, unrestricted by geographical boundaries. How much do you think her business would have grown had she stuck to selling pearls and diamonds in her home town? She also benefited from the many posts here and elsewhere praising her and her business. Well, it goes both ways. When you mess up, as she reportedly has, all it takes is a few posts for the word to spread. And, yes, unfortunately not everything we read is true because there will always be people who lie, especially online, where they can do it anonymously. In any case, doing business online has its advantages and disadvantages, and you can't have one without the other. Yin and Yang.

 

[habanerita]

Well if hoping that posts remain factual and responsible, both for victims and non victims represents, in your opinion, that I am

IMO to come down on scam victims for blasting their scammer online is a bit like finding fault with victims of a burglary, for example, for pressing charges
then, nothing I could say will change that.

 

[K.Z.]

"The other forum just banned her recently. But they used to share profit made off of that forum's selling by Elana, read from another xxxxxx xxxxx.Of course, all the links and pages related to Elana are now deleted from the forum that she posted as Japster."

I was stating the facts that I read it off from another forum, stating where I read it from. People can read and decide for themselves. It was also stated here by one of the admin that the links related to her were removed....

I'm sorry, but it seems you're contradicting yourself here. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying.

Via a comment posted somewhere else that someone then posted here, you say "But they used to share profit made off that forum's selling by Eleana" as a fact, not as a conjecture or opinion. You're not saying, "But I've heard they used to share profit...or some people are saying they shared...or word is they...". You're saying that's how it is and then pointing out you read it somewhere else. Which one is it? Do you know this or did you just read it?

Then, in your response to the member who posted your post, you say that you're stating "facts" as you read them in another forum. Well, again, which one is it? Do you know this for a fact or not? If you don't, then why do you state it as fact and call it a fact? If you know it as a fact, then why do you attribute it to what you "read off" in another forum?

This is confusing to me. I apologize in advance if I'm misinterpreting what I'm reading.

 

[K.Z.]

Well if hoping that posts remain factual and responsible, both for victims and non victims represents, in your opinion, that I am

IMO to come down on scam victims for blasting their scammer online is a bit like finding fault with victims of a burglary, for example, for pressing charges
then, nothing I could say will change that.

What I'm saying is that just like others being scammed doesn't change your positive experiences with that seller, your positive experiences with her don't change the negative ones others here are having.

I realize that this situation must be very difficult for you because of your friendship with the seller. As a result, you might be letting that friendship cloud your judgment when it comes to what others are experiencing with your friend. That's just the impression I'm getting. I'm sorry if it's way off. I mean no disrespect.

 

[habanerita]

I believe that my posts reflect exactly what you are stating in your first paragraph. The situation is not very difficult for me, and I do not have a close friendship with the seller, I had the same access to the seller as approximately one or two hundred other members had, including her address, telephone number, communications, and certainly less access than some IRL friends of the seller who personally met with her had. My judgment is not clouded in any way, and have tried to stay only factual. No judgement nor downing has been made by me of buyers with problems, only of non-factual, posts. No disrespect felt.

What I'm saying is that just like others being scammed doesn't change your positive experiences with that seller, your positive experiences with her don't change the negative ones others here are having.

I realize that this situation must be very difficult for you because of your friendship with the seller. As a result, you might be letting that friendship cloud your judgment when it comes to what others are experiencing with your friend. That's just the impression I'm getting. I'm sorry if it's way off. I mean no disrespect.

 

[K.Z.]

OK, then.

 

[HHPmom]

"The other forum just banned her recently. But they used to share profit made off of that forum's selling by Elana, read from another xxxxxx xxxxx.Of course, all the links and pages related to Elana are now deleted from the forum that she posted as Japster."



I'm sorry, but it seems you're contradicting yourself here. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying.

Via a comment posted somewhere else that someone then posted here, you say "But they used to share profit made off that forum's selling by Eleana" as a fact, not as a conjecture or opinion. You're not saying, "But I've heard they used to share profit...or some people are saying they shared...or word is they...". You're saying that's how it is and then pointing out you read it somewhere else. Which one is it? Do you know this or did you just read it?

Then, in your response to the member who posted your post, you say that you're stating "facts" as you read them in another forum. Well, again, which one is it? Do you know this for a fact or not? If you don't, then why do you state it as fact and call it a fact? If you know it as a fact, then why do you attribute it to what you "read off" in another forum?

This is confusing to me. I apologize in advance if I'm misinterpreting what I'm reading.

Maybe I wasn't clear when I was in a hurry to type it up. I should have said "I've read it from another forum that the profit....etc. "

The facts are she was banned and the links were removed. The middle sentence should have been worded better to avoid confusion. And I also pointed out that I read it off from somewhere else. That is a fact.

 

[bluejinx]

I find this post very interesting. As far as I know you spoke to her and she said she had not taken any orders in months. You stated that in post 78. Seeing as you have been and continue to stick up for her through all this, I would assume if she had then told you about her kids being harassed you would have mentioned it then. Seeing as you didn't yet you claim to have no more access to her than any of us, and that in fact you know her LESS well then many on here, how is it you keep speaking to her? Because I assume you HAVE spoken to her again as you have new personal info about her kids.

As I have tried in the past on this thread, some facts which are being either ignored or not posted are:

Neither Paypal nor credit card charges are available on Future Fashionista. They have been discontinued by FF for some time, if you don't believe it, try to charge and item and you will see for yourself. Furthermore this has been in effect for a few months now, so there is no danger of anyone buying anything online from Future Fashionista,, again, the danger has not existed for a few months.

There were several items offered by FF on the web and by J in the private market place that were clearly stated as having been made by a friend or by others, or purchased for a good price by FF., several of us received emails regarding the earrings described in this thread, which I own and love, stating that the stones were set by FF, the rest had been bought elsewhere.

There are several members who have received positive appraisals on items bought from Elana. As posted by Winston, her business sense was not on par, especially for the time period starting last May.

I know it has to be horrible for a good client to have received an appraisal much lower and of different specs from what was described to her, and there is no explanation for this.

However, for some of us, the chance to obtain the pearl necklaces, earrings, etc., we were able to purchase for the prices we purchased them for, and with the chance to customize our purchases, and pick from several options, was a great benefit. In my personal case, there was no conspiracy to deceive or scamming, again, this is in my personal case.

As I stated before on this thread, if someones personal life, (Elana's children have answered phone calls where they have been told their mother is a thief and many more things), business life is trashed, destroyed on the web, responsibility has to be taken to post factually.

 

[K.Z.]

It is not necessarily a lost cause. Depending on each person's specific facts and circumstances, as well as the relevant statute of limitations, there may be action that can be taken. Whether a judgment would be paid is yet another story. It is up to those who believe they have been harmed to weigh the costs, benefits and the law.

In addition, each of the 50 states has a Department of Consumer Affairs or similar agency. It is their job to investigate and help resolve customer complaints, and if necessary, refer cases for criminal prosecution.

Whether an appraisal is sufficient proof in a legal action is a question of fact, to be determine by the presiding judge (if no jury) or by the jury.

There has been a lot of useful advice posted and while I cannot provide legal advice to any of you, I hope some of the legal background above will assist those who believe they may have suffered financial harm from their transactions.

Wisconsin's Department of Consumer Protection
1-608-224-4976
http://datcp.state.wi.us/cp/consumerinfo/cp/complaint-form/CPComplaintForm.jsp

Ill, but still traveling around going to chicken shows (as verified by her Rubin Ranch blog which has new pictures from a show last weekend).

Her last post in the chicken forum as "MeettheFlockers" was 4 days ago on Nov. 16

Her chicken website: http://rubinranch.webs.com/

 

[habanerita]

Your assumptions are entirely wrong.

A. I emailed her, and received an email back, that is when
I heard about the kids and the phone calls.

Glad you found my post interesting, but there is no secret here, I had the same access as many members,I did not say than any of us, and less than the close IRL friends she had here.

Regarding the not charging for months statement, I tried to charge something in September and could not, cc's and paypal were disconnected by FF as per my call to paypal. Two days ago I tried again to see if CC's or paypal were on, they are not.

I find this post very interesting. As far as I know you spoke to her and she said she had not taken any orders in months. You stated that in post 78. Seeing as you have been and continue to stick up for her through all this, I would assume if she had then told you about her kids being harassed you would have mentioned it then. Seeing as you didn't yet you claim to have no more access to her than any of us, that in fact you know hand er LESS well then many on here, how is it you keep speaking to her? Because I assume you HAVE spoken to her again as you have new personal info about her kids.