A family is offering a warning after a "free" jewelry appraisal led not just to a miniscule offer, but ultimately a fight over possession of the precious heirlooms.
Many of these types of businesses are now popping up online, offering a quick payday for old jewelry.
You might be wondering- why would anyone send jewelry off to somebody they don’t know? But for people who live in rural areas, or have limited transportation- this is a real option. But it can often turn out badly.
According to the Better Business Bureau, dozens of complaints have rolled in about online appraisal companies. However, the companies shut down their websites after a period of time and are very difficult to trace.
Ann Marie Maslan from Buena Park wanted her heirloom family jewelry appraised because, she says, she needed the money and she was also just curious to know the value.
She found a site called WorthyFew.com that appeared to have a nice web page and good reviews listed there. They sent her a pre-paid package for shipping. A few weeks later, they told her they didn’t want to buy her jewelry. But getting it back, would cost her.
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“They said ‘If you don't respond, within three days, we'll destroy your jewelry. So click the link to proceed’. So I clicked the link. And they asked me for $50 to return the jewelry. Now, all throughout their website, they say there's no charge whatsoever for the service,” said Maslan.
Maslan says she panicked at the thought of her grandmother’s jewelry being destroyed. She paid the $50 and got her jewelry back, but now regrets the whole experience.
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According to the Better Business Bureau, she may have been one of the lucky ones.
“What a lot of the complaints were alleging would they be sending their jewelry and expecting to get an appraisal, and that at that time, they could make a decision. But what really happened is [the company] would send them a check. And for far less than the value of the jewelry. In some cases, dramatically less. And then they've had real problems trying to reach back to the company,” said Tom Johnson with the Better Business Bureau.
Reviews we found for Worthyfew show customers getting checks as low as $21 after sending in jewelry that appraised for thousands of dollars in the past.
“Part of the problem is people have become so comfortable with online shopping that they don’t think it out sometimes. People look at the website, it looks impressive and they just want to get an appraisal so they just do it in the easy way,” said Johnson.
Maslan cautions others to do better research than she did before sending off jewelry.
“[Find] a site that's accredited by the Better Business Bureau, or walk into a store,” said Maslan.
That website WorthyFew.com has since vanished from the internet. It’s important to note that business had a very similar name to a legitimate online jewelry appraisal company called Worth.com which specializes in buying engagement and wedding rings.
The BBB says it’s not unusual for scammers to choose names similar to legitimate companies, and even buy ads on social media to target consumers. After enough complaints pile up, the scam companies disappear and pop up again under a new name.
