wholesale jewelry . Heidi gives advice ! But never answers the emails ...

By KEITH ROYSDON found at thestarpress.com

MUNCIE -- The Better Business Bureau is warning that a Muncie jewelry maker was not filling orders placed through her Web site.

Heidi J. Hale says she was overwhelmed by the number of orders she received.

The BBB says small businesses -- and consumers -- can learn a lesson from the increasingly common problem.

Indianapolis resident Bob Harper might be typical of consumers who ordered jewelry from Hale but didn't get what he paid for.

Harper paid $153 for two bracelets and a pair of earrings from Hale, an artist and jewelry maker who has been profiled in The Star Press and whose designs have been featured in numerous magazines.

"I placed the order the first few days of September," Harper told The Star Press. "She hasn't responded to any of my e-mails. I have heard nothing from those people at all."

Linda Carmody of the Central Indiana Better Business Bureau said her office has received five complaints from customers who paid for jewelry but did not receive it. Among the complaints were people who sent Hale $315, $269 and $52 for jewelry and never received their merchandise.

"I think it happens on a regular basis," Carmody says. "A small business puts up a Website and people buy from them and they just can't keep up. I don't know if that's the situation here, but it happens."

Hale said she was overwhelmed by Internet orders.

"We did over 1,000 pieces over the holidays," Hale said. "We never expected 1,000 units in two months.

"The Internet has been a blessing for me, but I could write a book on having an Internet site."

Hale -- who cited other difficulties as well -- said she's trying to make good on customer orders.

"I have been in contact with a few of those people," she said.

Harper said the experience did not make him less likely to order over the Internet.

"I just bought something yesterday," he said.

Carmody said Hale also improperly advertised as a wholesale jeweler. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Carmody said, true wholesalers must make most of their sales to retailers and Hale was not doing that.

Comments

On 10/18/07 by Lisa Brown

Hi Danny,

I would like to post a comment in response to an article on your website.

The article is:
"Jewelry maker not fulfilling orders, Better Business Bureau says about Heidi J. Hale"

My comments are:
"I have had a horrible experience ordering from Heidi Hale. I would strongly deter anyone from ordering from her site as the response rate is extremely slow, if at all. I order two necklaces from the site and both arrive about 1 month later after much emailing. The length was too short on both and I asked if I could exchange them. I got a reply that I could, so I sent them back. Bad mistake. I never heard from her again. It's been over two months now. I am under the impression that she either died or else relocated to Tibet. I have called and emailed her multiple times to get any sign of an order status with no avail. Her jewerly is nice and she seems like a nice person from the emails I have received. I just cannot understand how she can IGNORE her customers for months at a time. She's lost my business completely. Chris from TX."


Thanks,
--chris Wu (email known by danny diamonds) march 20, 2007

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