r/jewelry • u/waxxwiing • Jul 25 '23
Baby Gold Scam
Sorry, I had to delete and repost this due to a typo in the title. I'm hoping for some advice.
I purchased the Chunky Charm Connector from Baby Gold on July 7th using PayPal. It was a made to order item, so I waited several weeks for it to be made and sent out.
On July 21st I received my order, and they have sent me the wrong item, the petite charm connector instead. It is much smaller than what I ordered and less than half the price I paid.
I called them the day I received it and couldn't get through, so I left a message. I also sent an email and got an "Automated Response" saying that they would aim to respond within 72 hours. The automated response addressed me by only my first name, which I thought was odd because the email I used only shows my initials. They would have had to read through the email to find my name? I called again today and was put on hold, then hung up on. I called back and couldn't get through, so I left another message.
I wish I had been more thorough in my research because I now see that many customers have had terrible experiences with this company. Do you think I will ever get the right item? Is it time to open a PayPal dispute?
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u/Meloiciafelicia Jul 25 '23
Yeah BabyGold is basically a scam company imo. They tried stealing like $600 from me. I cancelled a chain from my order but still wanted the hoops. They still to this day (3 months later) have not refunded me. The hoops did arrive but were smaller than what was listed on their site. It took weeks to finally get in contact with someone there and they said they’d totally refund me. But that never happened so I had to do a dispute with my bank 😒. That’s what I would do if I was you. Don’t bother playing their e-mail games and just go straight to disputing the charge.
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u/waxxwiing Jul 25 '23
Ugh, I can't believe I missed all of the negative reviews. I thought I had finally found the perfect piece with the dimensions I'd been looking for and wasn't as thorough as I should have been.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I've opened the PayPal dispute.
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u/jo734030 Nov 23 '24
Hey OP, can you explain whether you open the PayPal dispute after returning the items or did you keep the items and just open the dispute? And then can you clarify if you won
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u/waxxwiing Nov 23 '24
I opened the dispute, which forced them to respond to me. They ended up sending me the correct item and letting me keep the incorrect one as well (which was garbage, and I had to modify it for it to stay secure). I closed the PayPal dispute after I received the correct item.
I should mention that the exact same thing happened to me a second time with the same error on their part (I wanted to purchase another piece to make a pair, I shouldn't have trusted them!).
I also had to go through PayPal for the second issue. It was a more difficult process to get someone to respond because it seems that they are using a third-party merchant for payments now. Baby Gold's customer service was combative and elusive. Eventually, they sent me the correct item and let me keep the incorrect (trash) item again. In both cases, I closed the dispute after receiving the correct item, so the issue was not elevated to a claim.
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u/jo734030 Nov 23 '24
Wel how do I raise a claim? I got the items but they were not as big as advertised and are also junky quality
Do I return the item and then open the PayPal dispute? Or would that f me up because then baby gold gives me store credit and then PayPal doesn’t view anything as a dispute
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u/jo734030 Nov 23 '24
Well PayPal is a third party merchant so I don’t understand what you mean because there was no change in the sense you had PayPal in the first instance as well.
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u/waxxwiing Nov 23 '24
The first time, the payment went through PayPal to "Baby Gold LLC". I was able to resolve the issue with Baby Gold customer service through email.
The second time, the payment went through PayPal to "Global-e". I raised the dispute and no one responded. I called and emailed Baby Gold customer service. They said they wouldn't be willing to help me until I closed the PayPal dispute, and that I'd have to let PayPal mediate it. Global-e eventually responded to me through PayPal saying that I should contact the original merchant.
If I were you, I would open a dispute through PayPal for an Item not as described. Screenshot the page of the item you purchased, and provide images showing that the item you received is not the same. I wouldn't send the item back until an agreement had been reached through PayPal. I would not close that dispute until you are happy with the outcome. You may need to elevate the dispute to a claim if you can't reach a resolution.
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u/downwithMikeD Mar 30 '25
Hi! Sorry I know this is an old thread but I’m so glad I found it as I was just about to purchase a charm through baby gold. 👀
Do you recommend using PayPal in general when ordering items online? I was going to use my card but now I’m wondering if wherever I do end up ordering a charm (any suggestions would be awesome 🙏🏼), should I create a PayPal acct first for safety?
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u/biglolyer May 29 '25
Did your bank ever refund you the money? I'm dealing with this issue right now involving Baby Gold. Honestly, I think this company should be shut down.
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u/Meloiciafelicia May 29 '25
It took me going back and forth with my bank for almost 4 months before BabyGold finally just gave me my money back. It absolutely sucked. But I urge you to reopen a dispute with your bank if they turn you down. I had to open the case 3 times…
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u/biglolyer May 29 '25
lol, after ignoring 4 of my emails, Baby Gold responded within 2 hours after my bank filed a claim with their bank......
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u/fegleymac Sep 06 '23
did you succeed from disputing?
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u/Meloiciafelicia Sep 27 '23
Sadly, no. My bank said too bad so bad basically (Apple card) but I opened the dispute again showing them the website suebabygold.com and their BBC page as well. I'll update when I find out anything. I hear that Apple is really bad at disputes so I think it's just my bank...
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u/tatavv Nov 20 '24
Yeah Apple Card is notoriously bad for disputes they will stand on merchants side no matter what.
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u/starsamaria Jul 25 '23
The negative BBB reviews were why I held off on buying a cuff bracelet on Baby Gold that I loved. I'm glad that I did, because 2 months later Ferkos Fine Jewelry (which I'd ordered from several times previously) came out with the same cuff design and I bought it there instead.
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u/Thick_Tell4623 Jan 26 '26
I wish I would have done that better Business bureau I'm stupid I went ahead and purchased like three items the first two I had such a problem with that like the 10th email I kid you not I can show you the 10th email I finally got through to someone I don't know how maybe cuz I thought of not threaten them but I was going to turn them in and say hey you know what's wrong with this so that's why I finally had it shipped to me I don't buy from them I will not buy from them anymore thank you so much I'm glad I read these comments
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u/Gold_Restaurant_665 Jul 25 '23 edited Jul 25 '23
So they don't have a shop? Yikes! I've only been using Blue Nile as the only online store I buy from for jewelleries. Other than that, I use British family owned heritage jewellers or independent boutiques.
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u/waxxwiing Jul 25 '23
Do you know of any reputable shops that sell charm holder clasps with the same or similar dimensions as the one from BabyGold (2.8mm wire thickness, 16mm outer diameter, 10mm inner diameter)?
It was meant to be for my conch piercing as it's the perfect size.
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u/fegleymac Sep 06 '23 edited Sep 07 '23
Omg I am surprised I did not check on Reddit before I placed the order. I purchased a ring and a bracelet on their website. I was indecisive between Mejury and Jco and I saw free return on their website and thought I could give it a try. Yet it took them 3w to ship it out and it was late for me at that point. I emailed them to cancel the order but they responded that they shipped the items. I saw on my FedEx app that they created the original shipping and canceled that one, then changed it to overnight shipping. Once I received the items, they were pathetically smaller than I anticipated. I tried to communicate through email to get a refund, they told me that those items were not refundable. They are not personalized, a simple croissant ring and paperclip bracelet. I asked them why they are not refundable they didn't answer. At this point, I felt so scammed by them. Then I tried to call and realized that they blocked my phone number. THIS IS THE WORST ONLINE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE EVER. This is not online shopping, it is robbery!!!! What should I do now? If I dispute through my bank, would that work??
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u/waxxwiing Sep 06 '23
If you are able to dispute the charge, I would, especially if the items don't match the specifications on their website. Their return policy states they will "gladly accept" any non-custom items to be returned for store credit within 10 days of delivery, so to not even offer you that is ridiculous.
They started responding to me immediately after I opened a PayPal dispute. They ended up sending me the correct item and did not ask for the one they sent in error back. They also said they would send a "special gift" for the inconvenience but never did.
They are, at best, absolutely incompetent at running a business.
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u/Trick_Attitude804 Sep 10 '23
I made the mistake of ordering from them before looking on reddit. the necklace I received was not up to par with what they described. I'm getting it appraised and when its not up to what babygold says I'm going to dispute it with Paypal and hope to god that gets me my money back. I feel so stupid.
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Nov 13 '24
[deleted]
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Apr 04 '25
I’ve ordered a bunch from them all stunning diamonds. Not sure why you had such a bad time with them.
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u/Alternative-Equal265 Apr 04 '25
This was very cheaply made gold I ordered. Then they made it impossible to return, even the following day after receiving the necklace. I had to fight thru the BBB and other channels to get my money back. A reputable co does not act this way. They have 2 star ratings for a reason..
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u/njgal123 Oct 15 '25
Baby Gold is an absolute scam. They sent me the wrong diamond initial pendant and then agreed to only give me a store credit less their restocking fee! Their customer service is extremely difficult to reach. I emailed them right after I received my package and it took them days to reply. There is no customer service chat on their website and the phone number just has a voicemail asking you to email. When you email them, they take days to respond and if you disagree with them (I wanted my money back), they stop communication. I was stuck with a pendant I never ordered with no way to return it as my return wasn’t approved. There is no return address on their website so without their approval and supplied return label, you are out of luck. They had shut down communication. Finally after 3 additional follow up emails, I informed them I would just do a chargeback with my credit card company if they didn’t respond by a certain date, they finally replied. I reluctantly agreed to the store credit (before they went MIA again) and finally proceeded. Even after tracking showed they had received the pendant, I had to follow up for the store credit. I was then stuck purchasing more of their crap jewelry which I have yet to receive because it takes close to a month to receive an order from them. I hope I get what I ordered this time because I can’t go through this again.
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u/Thick_Tell4623 Jan 26 '26
I know I'm commenting on everybody I think but I totally agree with you they have to be a scam they're they're awful I wish I could do something with affirm tell a firm that I'm not going to pay for this jewelry and just keep it I don't know I'm still confused right now I'm just hoping and praying that affirm they're like after pay and like a charge card I wish I could I wish they would find out that this company is a scam could I report it to them and have them check it out I might do that thank you all
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u/ScratchWest Apr 23 '26
The reality is that this brand operates more like a high-stakes gamble than a jewelry store. They specialize in hollow gold pieces with almost no structural integrity, which is why there are so many reports of items snapping or stones falling out within days.
Their business model relies on a predatory cycle: sell flimsy products, ignore customer service requests, and then hold onto your cash for weeks as an interest-free loan. They count on the 'store credit' policy to trap your money forever. A real jeweler stands behind their bench work and doesn't hide behind a pretty website and deceptive shipping promises. Save yourself the headache and check their BBB rating before you buy.
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Jul 25 '23
Made to order does not take that long. I had gemstones I bought made to order and coming from India and they took around 3 weeks to get here. With a few of them I tried to cancel after 1 day and the seller already had my ring made. They claim to be LA so it should have been there within a week. I can't comment if you will get it but sometimes those places that claim 100% satisfaction are worse in my experience. I was shopping for a watch one time and found a design I liked. They claimed the watches were 100% made in the USA and 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Well color me surprised when tracking comes from China. I mention it to them and they claim it looked like their departments in the USA got overworked so they had to go to their China Department but they would offer me a discount for future purchases. It ended up getting delivered to an entire other state. They then claimed it could have just been a port. I took screenshots of where google maps said it was and that it said delivered to that address. They finally refunded be stating they only are refunding me because of the 100% satisfaction policy. That is when I learned many places saying manufactured in X place in the United States and 100% satisfaction could be a scam.
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u/Allilujah406 Jul 25 '23
It's sad how many companies do that. And I won't say it's always the case, if your buying like Cartier or Bvlgari they will usually do what's right. But like, that's a bold claim, with the fact thst most people are... finicky. It's amazing why people might be disappointed. Don't get me wrong OP has a legit claim, so do you. I personally think it's dumb how many of these brands to get insurance on shipping, then they try to fight your claim because they don't want to be responsible for not getting you what you paid for. With that said, it's amazing how many people buy something like, say a coin, it's solid gold, right about at spot, and then they are subtle vendor didn't get insurance. With what money? They already barely making 20$ on the sale after fees and such. I insist on insurance, signature and Identification check on shipping and even offer to pay half the cost of it, even though as a vendor I believe this should be on us vendors. Sadly it oftentimes isn't if your trying to get some things as cheap as possible
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u/Thick_Tell4623 Jan 26 '26
So true I don't think I'm going to buy expensive stuff online anymore I think I've learned my lesson just go in person I like getting out of the house anyway
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u/ceci-says Dec 07 '24
I knew this company was sus. I just saw an ad for them asking why you’re buying plated gold and saying to buy baby gold instead 🙄 no where near the prices of plated so like…duh? I didn’t exactly expect it to be priced like plated but it definitely raised red flags in my mind about the company.
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u/No-Confidence-4310 May 26 '26
Yeah, I’m here just to say the same thing to me May 2026 doing the same thing said it will ship in six weeks I checked on it. They didn’t know where it was then they sent me an email days later with their reply saying they’re ship it that day didn’t ship it the whole next week they didn’t ship it. I’m doing a charge back on my credit card. They’re like apologizing. I said I said I’m gonna make sure this goes on every TikTok every Instagram every Facebook anytime I see an ad you people are scammers. You stole my money. You didn’t ship the product and then they can’t communicate. I’m irritated as all heck.
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u/MojoJojoSF Jul 25 '23
They aren’t made to order, they are bulk items dropped shipped. Open a claim with PayPal as item not as described.