ShopNBC And Renato WatchesShopNBC And Renato Watches THE DIAMONDS IN RENATO DIAMOND WATCHES ARE BEING MISREPRESENTED ON SHOP NBC EDEN PRAIRIEeden Prairie Minnesota

Hi,

I'm the Bobbi who wrote about my concern regarding the quality of diamonds in my Renato Wildebeast watch (see the link below). To Howard....if you're reading this, can you please reply back. Here's the link to what has been written about this situation: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/ShopNBC-And-Renato-Watches/nationwide/ShopNBC-And-Renato-WatchesShopNBC-And-Renato-Watches-THE-DIAMONDS-IN-RENATO-DIAMOND-WATCHE-316043

I had totally forgotten about this posting until today--so many years later, when I googled Renato because I need a replacement pin for my Renato Wildebeast since one came lose. I googled Renato and there was the comment thread written so many years ago.

I'm disheartened to read that Renato has since removed any reference about the diamond quality from the engraving that used to be on their case backs. Now I don't know if perhaps the quality of the diamonds in my watch are also not as advertised.

Howard, if you are reading this, please contact me back.

Thanks,

Bobbi

Beginning in early 2008, I posted many critical statements about the color and quality of diamonds in Renato Watches Inc's. diamond watches. Renato Watches Inc. disputed the veracity of my statements and provided information regarding their use of decorative pointer diamonds. Recently, Renato Watches Inc., and I have come to a mutual understanding and have mutually decided to resolve our matter. As a result, I request that my earlier statements be removed. As a result of this mutual understanding I will soon be adding to my existing collection of six Renato Watches.

Beginning in early 2008, I posted many critical statements about the color and quality of diamonds in Renato Watches Inc's. diamond watches. Renato Watches Inc. disputed the veracity of my statements and provided information regarding their use of decorative pointer diamonds. Recently, Renato Watches Inc., and I have come to a mutual understanding and have mutually decided to resolve our matter. As a result, I request that my earlier statements be removed. As a result of this mutual understanding I will soon be adding to my existing collection of six Renato Watches.

As I previously stated I would like to assist you with your issue. However, I understand that you might not want to post your email addy on line so I have another suggestion.

Contact my lawyer, Sal Ferlazzo, at Girvin and Ferlazzo Attorneys at Law
20 Corporate Woods Blvd Albany, NY 12211 phone #518-462-0300.

You can leave your contact info with him and then I will call you or email you, your choice. There is a lot going on in this case which I will tell you about when we speak.

I would be happy to assist you and perhaps even meet up with you so that I can see your watch and tell you exactly what you have.

Regards,

Howard

I would love to speak with you on this matter. I can give you all the info you need to learn about what you have. If you care to leave me your email addy I will respond to it immediately.

My name is Howard and not David. If you read this I will be happy to help you and you might be able to help me as well.

Today, 3/4/09 I read Diamond David's report on here about his unfortunate experience with Diamond Wildebeast Renato Watch and am now worried about whether the quality of my diamonds are as advertised and as engraved in the back of the watch case. I own the Women's version of the same watch and spent over $2000.00 for it. If the diamonds are NOT as advertised and as engraved in the watch, I too want my money back.

I found it interesting that when I called Shop NBC a couple of weeks ago to ask when the next Renato show would be airing, I was told that they are no longer selling Renato. When I asked why, the Customer Service representative could not tell me why.

Renato was sold exclusively on Shop NBC and am not privy as to why Shop NBC is no longer selling this brand of watch. Could it possibly have anything to do with this diamond fiasco?

Diamond David---if you are reading this, can you please tell me how one goes about having her diamonds checked out for quality? I live in NYC but there are diamonds on the face of the watch which is encased in glass. To check out the quality, would this watch need to be taken apart or can one tell the quality by looking directly through the glass casing through a loop. As you know since you also own this watch but in the Men's version, there are diamonds around the outside face of the watch in addition to diamonds along the bracelet closest to the watch face which I'm sure can be examined under a loop without a problem.

I'm at a loss for words since now I'm unsure as to the quality of the diamonds in my Wildebeast. It's a great looking watch but if the quality of diamonds are not as advertised on tv and as engraved in the back of my watch case, then I too want a refund from ShopNBC for false advertising if my diamonds are found to be of lesser quality than advertised. For now I will have to hope that they are as advertised.

I will wait to have my diamonds examined before making any judgements as to whether they are or are not in fact as advertised.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention Mr. Diamond David. I don't understand why Renato would have sued you when all you did was report how the diamonds in your particular watch were not the quality advertised and engraved in your watch face.

If Renato is reading this, I think you manufacture beautfiul watches and would like to know why ShopNBC no longer sells your watches. I am also hoping that the quality of the diamonds in my Wildebeast are as advertised.

Sincerely,

A very concerned wearer of a Renato Watch

Jurisdiction: Federal Question Disposition:
County: Broward Terminated:
Origin: 1 Reopened:

Lead Case: None
Related Case: None Other Court Case: None
Def Custody Status:
Flags: BSS, REF_DISCOV

Plaintiff: Renato Watches, Inc. represented by JanPaul Guzman Phone: 954-522-3456
Fax: 527-8663
Email: guzmanj@gtlaw.com

Plaintiff: Renato Watches, Inc. represented by Frank Herrera Phone: 954-522-3456
Fax: 954-527-8663
Email: fherrera@rra-law.com

Plaintiff: Renato Watches, Inc. represented by Scott Walter Rothstein Phone: 954-522-3456
Fax: 527-8663
Email: srothstein@rra-law.com

Plaintiff: Renato Watches, Inc. represented by Gustavo Sardina Phone: 954-522-3456
Fax: 954-527-8663
Email: gsardina@rra-law.com

Defendant: Howard
Defendant: DOES 1-10



I guess the diamond expert opened a can of worms he cannot handle. Woe is he! And I wonder how the blogs that posted his claims, including this one will fare since Renato is loaded for bear and looking for scalps.

Your comments made here are totally ludicrous.

As I stated in my original report I am a GIA Diamond Graduate which includes taking a course at the GIA office in NYC and taking the home study course and passing the exam. Then I worked with loose diamonds for 30 years before retiring. I was a buyer, a grader, and a sorter. You shouldn't pick and choose with facts. That does not serve you well at all.

As for your nonsense acqusations about "threatening to sue Renato or ShopNBC" tell me where you got that trash from?? The only thing I wanted from either company was to receive the watch that I thought I was buying. Not to much to expect now is it??

And as for my knowledge of diamonds I can assure you I have all the knowledge that I need to know the differences between color and clarity in the watches that I received and what I was told I was buying.

When you post information on me the least that you should do is TELL THE TRUTH as I have in this entire situation. Had you had any truth in you at all you would have posted the EXACT email that I sent to you which would not go along with your outrageous claims.

You called my bluff?? There is no bluffing here...the situation with these 2 companies is EXACTLY as I have written about...no filler, no bluffing...just the staight truth which is obviously something that you know very little about.

The fact remains that Shop NBC and Renato Watches have done the RIGHT THING by no longer mentioning specific color and clarity if neither company was certain that is exactly what was to be received by their customers. For that they deserve credit and kudos.

Your post has been made to discredit me and that could only happen if I cannot back up every claim that I have made. I can do exactly that. You on the other hand are entitled to your opinion which is just that..YOUR OPINION, and isNOT BASED ON ANY FACTS but rather nonsense that you have made up to suit your claims.

I posted my claims about the 2 companies to insure that fellow consumers would get what they were told they were buying and for NO OTHER REASON. NO PERSONAL GAIN, NO 15 MINUTES OF FAME...just to be certain that consumers were being treated fairly.

If you have an issue with that than there is nothing else that I can say to you. Your obvious unfounded comments deserve no more attention and shall receive such. So post away, say what you will, and remember that I can back up every word that I have said with my knowledge and experience. What you choose to do with that information is your call...END OF STORY.

Gee howard, a diamond expert eh! So are you a certified gemologist? No you are not and you admitted that in an email to me after I called your bluff in a watch forum. You have been making lots of claims in watch forums but the fact is, you are not a gemologist. You are NOT an expert in diamonds. You took an online course in Diamonds. That is like taking a physics course and claiming to be a rocket scientist.

Did you ever try to threaten Renato or shopnbc with a lawsuit to keep your mouth shut? Did they turn you down and then you posted this claim here? Were you asked by them to provide proof of your claims, such as an appraisel or your credentials? Yes you were, and you refused.

All smoke and mirrors Howard. I will be posting your grades etc on the WWW in the next week. Your 15 minutes of fame are over.

Renato can state whatever they wish. I have no reason to lie about this issue as all the money I spent has been refunded by SHOPNBC.

If you believe Renatos claims about their diamonds...it's your money...and you can do what you wish.

As for my comments...they were hardly vague. They were totally direct as to the shortcomings of the diamonds that I received in the four, 4, diamond watches that I had attempted to purchase. Had the diamonds BEEN AS RENATO REPRESENTED there would have been no reason to return any of these watches. My goal was to purchase diamond watches for myself as well as for my wife. And as for my credentials, I am a GIA Diamond Graduate with 30 years experience in buying, sorting and grading diamonds. I have traveled to Israel, and Antwerp to buy now retired. Certainly enough knowledge to allow me to distinguish the diamonds that were set into the four, 4, diamond Renato Watches that I attempted to buy. Enough knowledge to know for certain that ALL THE DIAMONDS in the Renato Watches that were claimed to be G color and VS clarity were not of that quality. Had several diamonds, been lacking in the aforementioned color and clarity I would have never said a word. However in the first watch received at least 40 diamonds were worse in clarity than VS, and 20 had a yellowish tint which could never be G color. I informed Mr. Mink of these exact numbers when I first spoke with him.

Had the owner of Renato Watches, with whom I spoke, made good to me on his claim of diamond quality, and provided me with the watch that I thought I was buying I would have never pursued this matter. But since he did not make good on his claims of color and clarity in the watches I received I felt compelled to let the consumers of his watches know exactly what they were buying. That is not said as a threat. It is said in the interest of doing business the right way...honestly and ethically.

The fact that these watches have been reviewed favorably by others is not my concern. I have no way of knowing the reviewers credentials. However, I do know mine. My concern was that the watches that I received were not even close to the quality that was claimed by Renato watches. I know enough about diamonds to feel comfortable in the claims that I have made and I challenge Renato Watches to provide me with the quality that they claimed to use in their watches. If they cannot do that then I submit to all consumers why would they refuse to do that?? Because they truly don't care about my issues. They make so much money on their watches to unsuspecting consumers that they can afford to dismiss my justifiable claims as being unimportant and thought I would go away. Seems like ShopNBC did feel my concerns were important enough to halt the claims made by Renato Watches....it's really too bad for me that Renato did not feel my claims had merit as they could have made the situation right by me by making me the watch they claimed they had made. I even offered to send them my own diamonds to set for me and they never responded to that fair offer either. But they care about their customers??....Hmmmm.

One other point. I own 5 non-diamond Renato watches and I am pleased with them. That is said to dismiss any question of whether I am trying to do a hatchet job on Renato Watches. I only want to buy what they promised me that I was buying. That shouldn't be too much to expect from such a reputable company, should it??

Renato states that they stand by their quality. What quality is that exactly Renato?? Is it your version of G color and VS clarity?/ I submit that you should provide to your customers an individual diamond grading certificate from the GIA or the AGS,that states the exact color and clarity of the diamonds that you use in your watches. There are other labs, such as EGL and IGI, but the GIA is more credible. Sure it would cost your company more money to do this but aren't your customers worth it?? This way there would never be a person like me that could ever doubt the truthfulness of your diamond claims. You could submit all the loose diamond melee to the GIA and have them grade the stones before being set. Then with every diamond watch you sell you can include, not a nonsense appraisal, but an actual GIA report that states the exact color and clarity of all the diamonds you are using. The diamonds can be bagged, per watch, and those diamonds would then be set by your setters. Diamonds can be sorted as exactly as you require, I know, I did exactly that. You can actually hire a GIA Graduate Gemologist to do this for your company. Then when you submit the diamonds to the GIA if this person is competent you would have done a true service for your loyal customers. Your customers can be assured that a credible 3rd party, the GIA, has viewed your diamonds, and is signing off on them. Just as they do with thousands of larger diamonds that are sold all over the world. Keep in mind..you might have to call your diamonds G-H-I color and VS2, SI1-SI2...but at least your grading would be exact...and that is what you are trying to achieve is it not??? You can have a strict or a loose assortment of diamonds to achieve the quality that you desire. That would be up to you.

Your exacting color and clarity grading has been a selling feature for your diamond watches. What I have proposed is exactly how you can achieve your stated goal of quality for your loyal and trusting customers. If you do what I have suggested you would really prove to your customers what you have stated...that you stand behind your quality. Anything short of that, when you are being specific about color and clarity, would fall short of your claims. How about that Mr. Mink?? Instead of making worthless claims, prove to your customers that you really are giving them what you advertise. Not too much to ask for, is it??

Finally, if the diamonds in the Renato Watches really been as they had claimed G color VS clarity why would I have gone to all this trouble?? The answer is the diamonds were not as claimed. I have nothing to gain by stating my experience. There has been no settlement, and I still do not have a diamond watch.

To all consumers, ask yourselves, why would I lie? The answer is I am telling the total truth in this matter. I am not profiting in any way. I am just attempting to right a wrong that has been committed in this situation and I have offered a solution to the problem.

After reading Renatos response....which adds absolutely nothing constructive to this matter..I will just leave it to the consumers good judgment as to whom to believe. Renato who is making millions on their watches or Howard who is gaining nothing except self satisfaction for trying to correct a wrong. End of subject....

Renato Watches takes this opportunity to thank all of its customers for the wide-spread success of Renato Watches over the past several years. The success of the brand is directly attributable to the quality of the products offered by Renato which is a result of listening to its customers.

Recently, Renato has become aware of concerns and comments about the quality of diamonds found on some Renato watches and the removal of our diamond information from the watch case backs. Renato welcomes the opportunity to address this issue just as Renato conducts all of its business, head on.

Approximately one year ago, Renato Watches decided to take the initiative to state our diamond quality on the case backs of our watches due to the fact that we are very confident and proud of the quality diamonds we utilize in our watches. Being the only watch company in the entire industry to do this, only recently did it draw some attention by the folks at Shop NBC as a potential issue. As a result, Shop NBC requested that no diamond information be stated on our watch case backs, at least temporarily, until this issue is fully reviewed and confirmed to be in compliance with the advertising guidelines of the FTC and industry practices.

We at Renato stand behind our diamond quality and any other quality factors we mention about our watches. The diamonds used in Renato Watches have always been and will always be the color and clarity we have stated and promised. Recently, there have been some very vague comments made about our diamond quality by a certain individual with no evidence of credentials to make such statements with the apparent intention of trying to negatively impact our company. We would like to advise our customers that this is not an issue of significant concern. Renato has been built on the foundation of delivering to its customers what it promises and offering the finest in quality. In fact, don't just take our word for it, you will find that the independent reviews with regards to Renato Watches throughout the World Wide Web are always extremely positive and consistent.

We at Renato hope this letter will offer to you a sufficient explanation with regards to these recent issues. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our offices at anytime for further explanation.

Renato Watches takes this opportunity to thank all of its customers for the wide-spread success of Renato Watches over the past several years. The success of the brand is directly attributable to the quality of the products offered by Renato which is a result of listening to its customers.

Recently, Renato has become aware of concerns and comments about the quality of diamonds found on some Renato watches and the removal of our diamond information from the watch case backs. Renato welcomes the opportunity to address this issue just as Renato conducts all of its business, head on.

Approximately one year ago, Renato Watches decided to take the initiative to state our diamond quality on the case backs of our watches due to the fact that we are very confident and proud of the quality diamonds we utilize in our watches. Being the only watch company in the entire industry to do this, only recently did it draw some attention by the folks at Shop NBC as a potential issue. As a result, Shop NBC requested that no diamond information be stated on our watch case backs, at least temporarily, until this issue is fully reviewed and confirmed to be in compliance with the advertising guidelines of the FTC and industry practices.

We at Renato stand behind our diamond quality and any other quality factors we mention about our watches. The diamonds used in Renato Watches have always been and will always be the color and clarity we have stated and promised. Recently, there have been some very vague comments made about our diamond quality by a certain individual with no evidence of credentials to make such statements with the apparent intention of trying to negatively impact our company. We would like to advise our customers that this is not an issue of significant concern. Renato has been built on the foundation of delivering to its customers what it promises and offering the finest in quality. In fact, don't just take our word for it, you will find that the independent reviews with regards to Renato Watches throughout the World Wide Web are always extremely positive and consistent.

We at Renato hope this letter will offer to you a sufficient explanation with regards to these recent issues. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our offices at anytime for further explanation.

Renato Watches takes this opportunity to thank all of its customers for the wide-spread success of Renato Watches over the past several years. The success of the brand is directly attributable to the quality of the products offered by Renato which is a result of listening to its customers.

Recently, Renato has become aware of concerns and comments about the quality of diamonds found on some Renato watches and the removal of our diamond information from the watch case backs. Renato welcomes the opportunity to address this issue just as Renato conducts all of its business, head on.

Approximately one year ago, Renato Watches decided to take the initiative to state our diamond quality on the case backs of our watches due to the fact that we are very confident and proud of the quality diamonds we utilize in our watches. Being the only watch company in the entire industry to do this, only recently did it draw some attention by the folks at Shop NBC as a potential issue. As a result, Shop NBC requested that no diamond information be stated on our watch case backs, at least temporarily, until this issue is fully reviewed and confirmed to be in compliance with the advertising guidelines of the FTC and industry practices.

We at Renato stand behind our diamond quality and any other quality factors we mention about our watches. The diamonds used in Renato Watches have always been and will always be the color and clarity we have stated and promised. Recently, there have been some very vague comments made about our diamond quality by a certain individual with no evidence of credentials to make such statements with the apparent intention of trying to negatively impact our company. We would like to advise our customers that this is not an issue of significant concern. Renato has been built on the foundation of delivering to its customers what it promises and offering the finest in quality. In fact, don't just take our word for it, you will find that the independent reviews with regards to Renato Watches throughout the World Wide Web are always extremely positive and consistent.

We at Renato hope this letter will offer to you a sufficient explanation with regards to these recent issues. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our offices at anytime for further explanation.

Renato Watches takes this opportunity to thank all of its customers for the wide-spread success of Renato Watches over the past several years. The success of the brand is directly attributable to the quality of the products offered by Renato which is a result of listening to its customers.

Recently, Renato has become aware of concerns and comments about the quality of diamonds found on some Renato watches and the removal of our diamond information from the watch case backs. Renato welcomes the opportunity to address this issue just as Renato conducts all of its business, head on.

Approximately one year ago, Renato Watches decided to take the initiative to state our diamond quality on the case backs of our watches due to the fact that we are very confident and proud of the quality diamonds we utilize in our watches. Being the only watch company in the entire industry to do this, only recently did it draw some attention by the folks at Shop NBC as a potential issue. As a result, Shop NBC requested that no diamond information be stated on our watch case backs, at least temporarily, until this issue is fully reviewed and confirmed to be in compliance with the advertising guidelines of the FTC and industry practices.

We at Renato stand behind our diamond quality and any other quality factors we mention about our watches. The diamonds used in Renato Watches have always been and will always be the color and clarity we have stated and promised. Recently, there have been some very vague comments made about our diamond quality by a certain individual with no evidence of credentials to make such statements with the apparent intention of trying to negatively impact our company. We would like to advise our customers that this is not an issue of significant concern. Renato has been built on the foundation of delivering to its customers what it promises and offering the finest in quality. In fact, don't just take our word for it, you will find that the independent reviews with regards to Renato Watches throughout the World Wide Web are always extremely positive and consistent.

We at Renato hope this letter will offer to you a sufficient explanation with regards to these recent issues. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our offices at anytime for further explanation.

...As represented I knew what the diamonds would cost me, I liked the style, I didn't care if anyone made profit...which based on the diamond quality represented was not an absurd amount.

I hadn't seen a diamond watch that I liked that was "affordable" to what I wanted to spend. 5K plus was not what I had in mind....and so I thought there was value for money in the watch.

Lesson learned. End of story.

Will go the other way now....find a watch, buy an empty bezel, buy my own diamonds and have them set. More work for me...but I will get exactly what I want. Which is what I thought I was buying when this odyssey began.

Howard, thanks for the update. However the only thing that puzzles me is that you state that you've been in the "business" for over thirth years. You and I both know we wouldn't be buying off of shopnbc, unless of course you were trying to prove a point to a customer. Which on an off day, I've done so myself

As I stated in my original report I would post an update if these two companies did make the necessary corrections to their selling ways of Renato Watches,

The Renato Watch shows that were aired on ShopNBC at the end of April, beginning of May 2008 NO LONGER MENTIONED SPECIFIC COLOR AND CLARITY OF THE DIAMONDS that are used in their watches. All that was said during these presentations were that the diamonds are white and sparkling. Also it seems that all mention of specific color and clarity on the ShopNBC web site as well as the casebacks of the watches has also been removed.

My congratulations to both companies for removing this erroneous information about these watches. Finally consumers can decide to buy these watches based on the fact they contain white and sparking diamonds. That should serve consumers fairly. Let their eyes dictate what they consider to be white and sparkling without specifics as to the color and clarity which were exaggerated.

One other point. There is a watch chat site that gives information on watches. This site has had posts, made by some of its members, that stated that I was out for personal gain in this situation and that there was a "settlement" of some type between these two companies and myself. Let me state for the record that I was ONLY out to stop the misrepresentations of the diamonds from continuing, and to receive the watch that I thought I was buying originally based on the claims made by the 2 companies. In no way was there any "settlement", nor was there any effort to produce a watch for me that was as originally claimed..2.45cts of G color VS clarity diamonds. Had a replacement watch been offered to me that met the advertised criteria I would have been pleased to buy it for the price that I originally paid..$1,956.00. No offer was EVER made to produce THAT watch for me. And YES, if a company choses to use all quality of a certain grade in color and clarity it can be done. I know this because that is exactly what I was responsible for in my diamond buying, sorting, grading career. For those who think this exact sorting cannot be done just take a look at what Tiffanys produces and sells throughout the world.

It pleases me to know that I was able to stop these misrepresentations from continuing. There was NEVER any GAIN personally intended here. Nor was there any at all. Only to alert consumers to discrepancies in what they were being told they were buying and what they actually received. I received four Renato Diamond watches and none of them were as claimed. I returned them all, received all money back, and am still looking for a diamond watch.

End of story?? That is up to ShopNBC and Renato Watches. As of this writing, May 11, 2008, they have cleaned up their act and consumers benefit from that.

Howard

Good job Howard on pointing out some of the problems with this shopping network. I've posted a couple of times myself about some of these so called great deals here on this site. I've just never been foolish enough to purchase anything from them. I've wondered about the millons of folks who HAVE bought into their lines of crap. I've had a number of people bring their purchases into my shop and have had to give them the bad news that their wonderful purchase isn't the great buy that they were lead to believe. shopnbc will continue to sell the watches, they'll just change their wording. FTC tolerances allow one grade in clarity and two grades in color.