Isla Cozumel Travel Forum

Just wanted to share with all of the wonderful travelers out there my absolutely horrible experience purchasing a watch from a supposedly "reputable" international jeweler. I purchased a watch at Dimonds international in Cozumel and despite the fact that I spent 500 US dollars on it, I got treated like dirt. I asked the sales person whether the watch was available in the US, and that person was very clear about that fact that the watch was NOT available in the states. I made a foolish decision after being lied to and purchased the watch thinking that I probably won't be in cozumel again for who knows how long. When I got back to the states, I found that the watch was being sold at many places. Not only that, Dimond's international claimed that they will save you money due the the whole duty free claim, only to find out that I can get the watch cheaper in the US. I was so angry at myself for purchasing this watch on impuls and tried to return it. Boy was I in for a treat. DI doesn't return or exchange watches. I was treated like absolute dirt by customer service, my calles weren't returned (and I kept having to call back), and I've never had a worse purchase experience in my life. Please beware of this terrible jeweler.

Major rule of thumb when traveling Mexico, the islands, etc. NEVER BUY JEWLERLY!!! I can't stress this enuf. You are right, these jewelers make all kinds of claims to get you to buy becasue 1) they know you won't be back and 2)they dont accept returns (they say they do but read the fine print). I got burned 15 years ago buying a diamond tennis bracelet (big $$) from a jeweler in St. Martin. They lied about the color/clarity of the diamonds and the value, and when I called them to return it (my friend was taking a cruise to that island the next month) they refused to even disucss it. She even tried to return it in person with no luck. I tried to go back to American Express, the credit card I used, since at the time they had a purchase guarantee but their fine print reads the purchases have to be made in the US! So BUYER BEWARE! If you are not a gold/diamond/gemstone specialist and you don't have your loupe with you and you haven't priced it in the US before leaving home, don't get caught up in the moment and make the mistake many of us have made. Step away from the counter!!! I'm now certified in gemstones/diamonds and my recent trip to Cozumel revealed major problems with all the jewelers I visited. Those types of jewelers are a rip off and they have no interest in changing. When they found out that I knew what I was talking about (and many times I knew more than their sales staff) they backed off very quickly knowing they couldn't con me. You'd be better off doing your homework at home on the intenet and if you want to save some bucks, purchae your piece from a reputable online jeweler or privately owned local jeweler - NOT A CHAIN STORE/MALL STORE - THEY ARE JUST AS BAD AS THE "ISLAND CHAINS"!!!

I wish I would have read this before a recent cruise where Royal Carribean endorsed Diamonds International! I spent $22,000 on an diamond ring. When I I got home the appraisal was conveinently missing so I took it to a jewler to have it appraised for insurance purposes. The first appraisal was $9,000, the second was $11,500 and the third was 14,500. I even took the certificate provided with the EGL appraisal and called them, they said the stone was worth $17,100 - the Diamonds International sales rep said that they sell all stones at 30% below the EGL appraised value. After many many many calls to DI (often not returned) they are willing to give me a store credit to start this process all over - of course I need to take another trip to even get to a store. I feel like I was a victim of fraud and this company seriously needs to be exposed by one of the national news outlets.