Thursday, February 27, 2014

Rosenberg & Cooper – not as black as I painted them, perhaps...

Some time ago now, I was less than entirely complimentary about a cold call I received from Rosenberg & Cooper. It was, in truth, written because the person who called me was far more persistent than I was happy to deal with, and because the concept of being cold-called with an offer of coloured diamonds seemed, how can I put this, rather unlikely.

Subsequently, I received a telephone call from them, seeking some feedback, which I was happy to give. They were also a little unhappy with the comments that I had made in my blog post, so I offered them an opportunity to guest post a response, which never happened, for reasons only they can supply. Needless to say, I assumed that the matter was at a close.

And then, one day, I got a telephone call from a very polite, possibly youngish man, noting that my blog post was impacting negatively on their business – it is just about the first thing you encounter if you Google their name. Apparently, my comments put people off, which is understandable, I guess. And I did rather suggest that I might write something to mitigate my earlier comments.

But you know how it is, you get distracted, stuff doesn't get done and, to cut a long story short, I didn't do anything about it.

And I do feel vaguely guilty. They did tell me that they had taken action to rectify some of the failings that I had perceived, not necessarily the action of a company with something to hide, and the gentleman did seem genuinely keen to make amends. Also, as a reputable blogger, one should occasionally remind oneself that cynicism is not always based on fact, and that people can be perfectly credible and have the right to trade as they see fit.

So, if you've read my earlier piece on the unfortunate exchange between me and a member of their staff whom, I am told, no longer does customer contact, I have some advice. If you have been called by them, and you are minded to consider them seriously, do some research about the investment, satisfy yourself that it is right for you, and if you are content that Rosenberg & Cooper offer a reputable service that is in your interest, then go ahead and invest. This is, admittedly, the advice that I would give to any friend thinking of making an investment of a type that you wouldn't find on the high street, but there is no reason why coloured diamonds might not work for you.

A quick Google does not uncover any obvious dissatisfaction with their public dealings, which in this era of instant outrage augurs well, so my initial suspicions are assuaged, although not so much that I'm tempted to invest myself – I'm a rather conservative investor normally.

And accordingly, if they are the sort of business my caller claims that they are, I wish them the very best.

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