Published: Updated:
Alton Locklear returned home from his latest Royal Caribbean cruise with a $16,000 diamond necklace he purchased on the ship. But all was not as it seemed. He says salespeople inside the Effy jewelry shop aboard Utopia of the Seas wildly overinflated the value of that necklace.
When Locklear took his sparkly souvenir to a local jewelry appraiser, he received shocking news. Not only was the total carat weight way off, but the diamonds adorning the necklace were lab-grown. Those details significantly diminished its value.
Now Locklear is hoping that Consumer Rescue can help. He wants to return the jewelry and retrieve his $16,000.
But with his receipt indicating a final sale purchase, will that be possible? Or will Locklear’s case be just one more tale of post-vacation buyer’s remorse?
Let’s find out.
A Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas
Back in October, Locklear set off on the four-night cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas. The closed-loop journey began and ended at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
There is no shortage of shopping opportunities for cruise ship passengers aboard the Utopia of the Seas. From high-end clothing and jewelry to general souvenirs, the vessel is virtually a floating mall.
During the sea days, Locklear says he and his partner explored the shops. Throughout the cruise, they had their eyes on the diamond necklace at the Effy shop.
They were just window shopping… that is, until the final evening of the cruise.
Buying a diamond necklace at the Effy shop aboard Utopia of the Seas
On the last night of the cruise, just 30 minutes before all the retail shops closed, the couple went from browsers to buyers. That decision was based on a sudden $6,800 reduction in the cost of the diamond necklace.
“The day before, when we were looking at the necklace, which the salesperson said was 12 carats total weight, had a $22,000 price tag,” Locklear told me. “I knew from our research that it wasn’t worth that amount, so we took a pass.”
However, as the couple was heading back to their cabin on that last night, they passed the Effy shop and took one more peek.
“We saw the slash in price and decided to buy it,” Locklear recalled. “The salesperson told me that the Certificate of Authenticity would be delivered to our cabin shortly.”
The Certificate of Authenticity is the official description of the piece of jewelry. For diamond purchases, the all-important four Cs (Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat weight) will be detailed.
Additionally, that certificate will indicate whether the diamonds are natural or lab-grown.
But Effy never delivered that crucial document before the couple left the ship the next day. They disembarked with the diamond necklace and a simple receipt, which oddly noted a $16,000 “special order” and nothing more.
An unpleasant surprise for these cruise ship passengers
A few days after the cruise, Locklear took the necklace to a local jeweler for an official appraisal so he could insure it. That’s when he learned the truth.
“He [the jewelry appraiser] said the diamonds are lab-grown,” Locklear explained.
Even worse, Locklear learned that the necklace’s total carat weight was nowhere near the 12 carats the Effy employee had represented.
“The necklace has about 5 carats of lab-grown diamonds,” Locklear told me. “Everything about what they told me at the Effy shop about this necklace is false.”
Locklear suddenly realized he had a big problem. He had absolutely nothing in writing to prove what the Effy agents had portrayed the necklace as.
All he had to document the purchase was that $16,000 general receipt that indicated a “special order.”
And special orders are final sales.
Why a credit card dispute won’t help reverse high-ticket onboard ship purchases
When Locklear contacted Consumer Rescue, he was understandably frustrated. He believed he had done everything right and still ended up with a giant shopping fiasco on his hands.
“I didn’t buy the necklace when it was full price specifically because we didn’t believe it was worth $22,000,” Locklear explained. ” We went on the internet and did our research. Had the piece of jewelry actually been what the Effy salesperson said it was, then the $16,000 would have been an okay price.”
Locklear went on to tell me that he had asked American Express to put a “hold” on the purchase.
It was unclear what the credit card company had done in response to that request, but I knew a chargeback was unlikely to go in Locklear’s favor. The Fair Credit Billing Act allows consumers to dispute credit card charges for billing errors and fraud. However, it is up to the credit card holder to prove their complaint to be valid.
Locklear had neither a detailed receipt nor a Certificate of Authenticity. As a result, he had no way to prove that the Effy shop salespeople had misled him.
However, if it were true that Locklear’s yellow gold diamond tennis necklace was set with approximately 5 carats of lab-grown diamonds, a quick internet search showed that he had been bamboozled at the Effy shop on the last night of his cruise.
Before we went any further, I recommended that Locklear get a copy of the Certificate of Authenticity. We needed to know whether that showed the diamonds’ origin was natural or lab-grown.
📰 Real stories. Real rescues. Real advice.
Join thousands of smart travelers and savvy consumers who already subscribe to Tales from Consumer Advocacy Land — the friendly weekly newsletter from Consumer Rescue. It's filled with helpful consumer guidance, insider tips, and links to all of our latest articles.
Join today!
Asking Royal Caribbean to send the Certificate of Authenticity
Locklear told me that neither Effy nor Royal Caribbean had assisted him in obtaining a copy of the Certificate of Authenticity so far. But he agreed to give it one more try.
This time, he sent a message to Royal Caribbean explaining exactly what he believed he was buying for $16,000 onboard the ship that night. He was sure that the salesperson told him that the necklace contained 12 carats (total weight) in natural diamonds.
Locklear mentioned one other thing in this message to Royal Caribbean: that he was working with Consumer Rescue. He ended by requesting that the cruise line allow him to return the misrepresented jewelry to Effy — and get his money back.
And this time, the response was a bit different.
Related: What happened to the diamond earrings I bought on my Royal Caribbean cruise? Help!
The good news from Royal Caribbean
Very shortly after sending his email to the head of Royal Caribbean’s customer service, Locklear received encouraging news.
First, Royal Caribbean confirmed that the necklace has only 5 carats (total weight) in diamonds. The little summary the cruise line included, which was not a Certificate of Authenticity, suggested that the diamonds are natural. But that is a fact that Locklear’s local jeweler disputes. However, even if the diamonds are natural, the $16,000 price for the piece is still highly inflated.
However, it wouldn’t make a difference in the end whether the diamonds were lab-grown or natural…
Because of the wild miscommunication over the carat weight, Royal Caribbean agreed to take back the diamond necklace. The cruise line sent Locklear a pre-paid Federal Express shipping label and promised a full refund as soon as the jewelry was returned.
Within a week, Royal Caribbean confirmed receipt of the diamond necklace and subsequently returned Locklear’s $16,000.
He’s thrilled.
Michelle,
Even if those are natural diamonds, this necklace sells for $8,000 at most jewelry stores. I’m happy to say I returned the necklace, and Royal Caribbean sent back my money.
Seriously, [this problem got fixed] because I mentioned your company’s name. Thank you for all that you do. I would love to write a glowing review of Consumer Rescue somewhere!
Alton Locklear
You’re very welcome, Alton, and I think you just did! 😛
Cruise passengers beware: navigating jewelry purchases on your ship
It isn’t uncommon for travelers to get caught up in the moment and make purchases they regret later.
Who hasn’t returned home from a trip, looked at a newly purchased souvenir, and asked themselves, “Why did I buy that thing?”
I call those “vacation brain” souvenirs, and I think most of us have probably returned from a trip or two with one. (In case you are wondering, I may or may not have dragged a heavy stone faux Moai head home from Easter Island.)
Luckily for most travelers, impulsive vacation brain souvenir purchases don’t break the bank. Instead, they serve as funny little conversation pieces long after the trip is over.
Related: You should not buy jewelry on your cruise. This is why
Unfortunately, though, for many of the cruise passengers who contact me, their spontaneous purchases have crossed into the stratosphere, and there is nothing funny about them.
Related: These cruise passengers say they were scammed out of $30,000 in Nassau
Here are some things to keep in mind to help keep your shopping in check during your cruise.
Do your research before you board the ship
Most cruise passengers who come home with unwanted jewelry or other unplanned souvenirs do so on the spur of the moment. In fact, many I’ve spoken to aren’t sure exactly what they’ve purchased or what its actual value is.
Before you make any substantial purchases while traveling, do your research.
Understand what you’re buying and what you should expect to pay. Never impulsively agree to buy something based on what the salesperson tells you is the value of the item. You can be sure that the figure they’re giving you is inflated, since that is the core foundation of an effective salesperson.
Never buy a high-ticket item on the last night of your cruise
Most buyer’s remorse settles in fairly quickly — typically within 24 hours. By limiting your souvenir shopping onboard the ship to the early days of your cruise, you’ll give yourself a window of opportunity to reverse the decision if needed.
Buying an expensive piece of jewelry 30 minutes before the shop closes and on the last night of the cruise virtually guarantees you’ll be permanently stuck with the item.
Related: Was this Royal Caribbean passenger tricked into buying a lab-grown diamond?
Never walk out of the shop without a detailed receipt
The receipt that Locklear received at the Effy shop was shockingly nondescript. If you’re spending $16,000 on a diamond tennis necklace, your receipt should be detailed. It should show exactly what you’ve purchased and the jewelry’s return policy.
Do not leave the ship without a Certificate of Authenticity
Whether by sloppiness or design, my case files show that cruise-ship-based jewelry shops frequently fail to deliver the Certificate of Authenticity before passengers disembark.
Many travelers have claimed that they found out critical information about their jewelry purchase only after it was too late to return it.
Remember, working out “misunderstandings” about what you’ve actually purchased is much easier while still on the ship. It’s crucial that you receive and review the Certificate of Authenticity before disembarking.
The bottom line
The truth is, buying jewelry on board your cruise ship will rarely be a good deal for you.
Those marked-down, slashed prices toward the end of your cruise are only meant to lure you into the shops. The prices will return to normal when the next round of passengers arrives on the ship. And the tried-and-true sales tactics will begin again. Unless you’ve got your heart set on a specific piece of jewelry that you can only purchase on the ship, it’s best to steer clear of these onboard shops altogether. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Chief Fiasco Fixer and founder of Consumer Rescue)
