I ordered a 0.9ct princess cut, GIA certified, G-VS2 from Blue Nile. $2,840. When it arrived I immediately noticed a small chip on one of the lower corners. Not a feather inclusion on the cert — a physical chip on the physical corner of the stone. You could feel it with your fingernail.
What followed:
- Email 1: No response after 4 days
- Email 2: "We've escalated your case" — no follow-up
- Chat session 1: Agent said someone would contact me within 48 hours. Nobody did.
- Chat session 2: Different agent, started the whole case from scratch, promised the same thing.
- 18 days after delivery: I disputed the charge with American Express
- 3 days after the dispute: Blue Nile emailed me a prepaid return label
Only the credit card dispute worked. In 18 days of trying I could not get a human being at Blue Nile to acknowledge that a chipped diamond is not an acceptable delivery.
I've seen a lot of positive reviews of Blue Nile's customer service. My experience was that they are excellent at marketing and nonexistent at resolution.
Credit card dispute is the nuclear option that always works with online retailers. I'm sorry you had to go there, but you did the right thing. The instant turnaround after the Amex dispute is infuriating but not surprising — chargebacks cost them significantly more than a return label.