Should be careful when you order on Future Fashionista!!

[Cavalier Girl]

I've only bought pearls from FF, and as I said, my very experienced local jeweler assured me they were an excellent value. In fact, she was interested in using Elana as a supplier, but I never got them together.

After reading all the post on the web about FF, I started to be a little worried about my pearls again. Today, I took the more expensive strand to another good local jeweler and told him I was interested in buying a strand like it for my DDIL. He quoted me almost three times what I'd paid FF. Doing this is an easy, cheap way to find out what your jewelry is worth on the retail market today.

At this point, I'm more than comfortable with the value of my pearls.

Gga, have you had a chance to have your things valued?

 

[Stophle]

other than one member with pearls has anyone had anything appraised at a higher value? i bought 2 things from her at a very high cost and am now panicking

I wouldn't panic about this. If you were comfortable/happy with the price you paid and you were happy with the items you received, why worry now?

As for the other posters who have had issues, I am so sorry to hear about this. I was really hoping to save up and, one day, purchase one of Elana's strands. I'm very saddened to read about these issues. Hopefully she will come forward and respond to these questions/issues, because as of right now, there is absolutely no valid excuse for this behavior.

 

[habanerita]

I cannot see one of Elana's diamond earrings appraising at only a couple of hundred dollars, when bought at $1,700.00. Perhaps its wise to get a second appraisal, and let us know what happens.
I am absolutely certain. after consulting with my jeweler, that the purchases I have made from her are worth their price and more.

Regarding Elana, I was able to speak to her on Sunday, do not know why she has not responded to the claims made about her not shipping, charging and not producing, etc. I asked her to come forward and confront the issues. Unfortunately, I sincerely believe and got the feeling that there is something very wrong going on with Elana, otherwise she would not just abandon a business she worked so hard at and built up, and would just stop creating her items. When asked, she told me she has not charged any CC's on her website since August, As all things on the internet/web, we must be careful not to believe everything we read and see without questioning the sources, and validating the facts. As far as I can see, one poster on another website did finally, albeit late, get her merchandise. If anyone else has not, it is indeed an incomprehensible situation.
I, for one, wish Elana well, cannot believe anyone can change this way, this fast, and hope that whatever it is that she is confronting right now, will pass and she will be able to get her reputation back on track.

 

[gga]

I've only bought pearls from FF, and as I said, my very experienced local jeweler assured me they were an excellent value. In fact, she was interested in using Elana as a supplier, but I never got them together.

After reading all the post on the web about FF, I started to be a little worried about my pearls again. Today, I took the more expensive strand to another good local jeweler and told him I was interested in buying a strand like it for my DDIL. He quoted me almost three times what I'd paid FF. Doing this is an easy, cheap way to find out what your jewelry is worth on the retail market today.

At this point, I'm more than comfortable with the value of my pearls.

Gga, have you had a chance to have your things valued?

Thanks for asking, CG. I have an appointment later this week with a specialist, but I just now spoke on the phone with a generalist vintage jeweler friend who has seen my pearls and my diamond hoops before, although not with an eye toward valuing them. She said I could bring them by her office later if I wanted a second opinion apart from the appraiser's, but from what she could remember, she simply couldn't imagine they wouldn't be valued around the neighborhood of what I paid (and this person is very clear on what kind of appraisal I'm looking for here. She understands we're talking about the price a jeweler would pay to get them in to sell, since I was told I was buying at, near, or even below cost, that I'm not looking for what it would cost me to buy them or what it would cost an insurance company to replace them with little or no notice).

My friend said she'd noticed me wearing the pearl strands before and thought they were very nice. She and I both are clear that the strands I bought are not THE best out there, but she said they're very fine and she wouldn't be embarrassed to wear them or have them for sale.

Bottom line, as of an hour ago, I am greatly comforted and am not nearly so worried about the outcome. I expect now that my appraiser will confirm that the pearls are more or less what Elana said they were, and that I will NOT be left with the disappointment of feeling deceived.

I do realize that this doesn't fix the problems that the OP or lovely64 were reporting, but for me, I'm far less anxious than I was yesterday.

Habanerita, like you, I hope that whatever is going on with her passes and she can get her reputation back on track.

 

[pie]

I cannot see one of Elana's diamond earrings appraising at only a couple of hundred dollars, when bought at $1,700.00. Perhaps its wise to get a second appraisal, and let us know what happens.
I am absolutely certain. after consulting with my jeweler, that the purchases I have made from her are worth their price and more.

Regarding Elana, I was able to speak to her on Sunday, do not know why she has not responded to the claims made about her not shipping, charging and not producing, etc. I asked her to come forward and confront the issues. Unfortunately, I sincerely believe and got the feeling that there is something very wrong going on with Elana, otherwise she would not just abandon a business she worked so hard at and built up, and would just stop creating her items. When asked, she told me she has not charged any CC's on her website since August, As all things on the internet/web, we must be careful not to believe everything we read and see without questioning the sources, and validating the facts. As far as I can see, one poster on another website did finally, albeit late, get her merchandise. If anyone else has not, it is indeed an incomprehensible situation.
I, for one, wish Elana well, cannot believe anyone can change this way, this fast, and hope that whatever it is that she is confronting right now, will pass and she will be able to get her reputation back on track.

habanerita- Did she seem ill- mentally or physically- when you spoke with her? What gave you this impression?

 

[Roo]

Isn't she friendly with a lot of the ladies in Hermes? I wonder if any of the ladies there have had contact with her? If she is ill she may not want to post her personal medical stuff online. Can't really blame her there if that is the case.

 

[mistikat]

I took three pairs of earrings to my jeweller today and watched as she looked at them under high magnification. Everything checked out in terms of the specs I was given and the jeweller complimented the high quality of the stones and settings.

I am waiting for a formal, written appraisal, which they do not do in house, so that will be a different set of eyes looking at these pieces.

Again, I am hopeful Elana will step forward and make things right with people waiting for refunds or merchandise.

 

[kat99]

She was always very nice in my correspondence to her so I hope she gets better and isn't so scheming as the data is showing her to be. However her site is still taking orders so I don't see how that'd correspond to her not taking credit card orders since August since it is clearly still taking PayPal. I wish the best for her recovery and hope this all clears up soon for everybody involved, including those with outstanding orders.

 

[chloehandbags]

If she is ill she may not want to post her personal medical stuff online. Can't really blame her there if that is the case.

Well, she's already posted some medical stuff about herself, on facebook, so I don't think she can be that shy(?):


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Future-Fashionista-Jewelry/67522935798?v=wall

 

[chloehandbags]

Agreed Risingsun.

And I don't know Elena from Adam, but I will say that as a medical professional, someone who is truly, legitimately ILL would NOT be sitting by a PC documenting their illness.

Facebook would be the LAST thing on my mind if I was ill.

I would have to, respectfully, disagree with this.

Recently, a guy who worked on sound on British Big Brother died of cancer (I'm afraid I can't rememebr his name, now, but they dedicated the last eposode of the program to him) and all the time he was seriously ill in hospital, he was tweeting about his illness and other things.

He appeared to only stop a week, or two, before he finally passed away.

Also, there are other people with cancer and other serious illnesses who regularly tweet and/or blog about it.

I, obviously, have no idea whether that could be the case here, or not(?) and it certainly doesn't explain the other discrepancies, I know, but it can and does happen.

 

[Contessa]

I would have to, respectfully, disagree with this.

Recently, a guy who worked on sound on British Big Brother died of cancer (I'm afraid I can't rememebr his name, now, but they dedicated the last eposode of the program to him) and all the time he was seriously ill in hospital, he was tweeting about his illness and other things.

He appeared to only stop a week, or two, before he finally passed away.

Also, there are other people with cancer and other serious illnesses who regularly tweet and/or blog about it.

I, obviously, have no idea whether that could be the case here, or not(?) and it certainly doesn't explain the other discrepancies, I know, but it can and does happen.

Of course I believe that there are people out there who blog/twit/FB whatever.

Case in point here, if she has time to do that, then why not respond to her clients?

 

[littlerock]

I *believe* what Contessa meant was that someone who is too ill to tend to business (refunding money and/ or sending out merchandise) wouldn't be sitting by the computer documenting their illness. Because that would mean they were healthy enough to either click "refund" on their paypal accounts or to hire someone to send out the merchandise.

If she is posting on facebook she is is healthy enough to tend to these matters, IMO. There is no excuse!

 

[slang]

OP - Any update from your credit card company?

I just read through the whole thread and hopefully you have gotten your money back... as fas as I am concerned the issue isn't if this person is sick or not sick, if she is posting on FB or not - but why she is taking your money for an order and not providing the product...I hope it all worked out for you!!

 

[K.Z.]

Her avoidance is a form of scamming. She knows people are trying to reach her about fulfillment of orders and is not respondng. Yet she certainly has time to take care of other business.

She's had plenty of time to rectify problems or appoint someone else to do it for her. Unless she is dying and unable to physically function, there is no excuse.

Of course I believe that there are people out there who blog/twit/FB whatever.

Case in point here, if she has time to do that, then why not respond to her clients?

I think if she was ill, she should've closed her website . . . it's still open for business yet so many people on the internet are complaining about never receiving their goods{?}

I *believe* what Contessa meant was that someone who is too ill to tend to business (refunding money and/ or sending out merchandise) wouldn't be sitting by the computer documenting their illness. Because that would mean they were healthy enough to either click "refund" on their paypal accounts or to hire someone to send out the merchandise.

If she is posting on facebook she is is healthy enough to tend to these matters, IMO. There is no excuse!

 

[dusty paws]

op i'm rootin for ya.

its too bad - i had been eying a pendant on her site, too.