Gemporia - ASA 'final warning' - AT LAST!

Ant7t said:

Yup you win a prize. It's not a jade bangle though, it's a jade necklace, with additional rope in case it doesn't fit and a jade scarf ring, that comes with a spider silk spun scarf for free. More if you multi-win

Click to expand...

Oh, be still my beating heart - I'm underwhelmed (sorry, should have said 'overwhelmed'). I hope the scarf is genuine silk and they don't try to palm me off with polyester?

historymystery said:

Oh, be still my beating heart - I'm underwhelmed (sorry, should have said 'overwhelmed'). I hope the scarf is genuine silk and they don't try to palm me off with polyester?

Click to expand...

Yes, it's real, made by very professional spiders who have been weaving most of their lives. Now, joking aside, and just because.

He is too big-headed and totally going on how legit his Quartzite stones are whether Quartzite Jade or Dulong Jadeite another Quartzite stone.

Ant7t said:

Yup you win a prize. It's not a jade bangle though, it's a jade necklace, with additional rope in case it doesn't fit and a jade scarf ring, that comes with a spider silk spun scarf for free. More if you multi-win

Click to expand...

Did you buy any Quartzite Or Dulong? it's just a Quartzite is a member of the Quartz species

gems said:

Did you buy any Quartzite Or Dulong? it's just a Quartzite is a member of the Quartz species

Click to expand...

Nanhong and Sakura. Had to check I don't think I have any quartzite.

Ant7t said:

Nanhong and Sakura. Had to check I don't think I have any quartzite.

Click to expand...

Quartzite jade?

gems said:

Quartzite jade?

Click to expand...

Both are agates.

As some people here know I reported them to The ASA for the imo highly misleading way Adina sold a dyed blue agate necklace.

It was on pre-order, so her sales pitch for it continued off & on for literally hours before it went to air in a full presentation.

I submitted a very thorough report to ASA. Including screenshots of the TV presentation to substantiate my complaint. I made sure Adina was quoted exactly with exact times provided. All references to this dyed blue agate as being "rare" , "auction house worthy", even the imo implication that it was natural blue agate etc, etc.

I waited weeks for a reply back from The ASA & eventually got this. They'll advise them yet again. Can't say I'm not disappointed with their conclusion.

Oh well, at least I put the work in & tried.


"Dear .......... ,

Thank you for contacting the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and for your patience whilst we consider the issues.

I understand that you have raised concerns regarding the use of the term “pariba grade” to describe a necklace. We have reviewed the ad in light of your concerns and considered all the issues raised.

On this occasion, having taken our prioritisation principles into account, we have decided to resolve your complaint through the provision of advice. Therefore, we have explained your concerns to the advertiser and provided them with guidance on how to ensure that their advertising complies with the Codes.

Thank you once again for taking the time to raise your concerns with us. Comments such as yours help us to understand the issues that matter to consumers and we will keep a record of your complaint on file for use in future monitoring. If you would like more information about the work we’re currently involved with, please visit our website here."

Pebbles said:

As some people here know I reported them to The ASA for the imo highly misleading way Adina sold a dyed blue agate necklace.

It was on pre-order, so her sales pitch for it continued off & on for literally hours before it went to air in a full presentation.

I submitted a very thorough report to ASA. Including screenshots of the TV presentation to substantiate my complaint. I made sure Adina was quoted exactly with exact times provided. All references to this dyed blue agate as being "rare" , "auction house worthy", even the imo implication that it was natural blue agate etc, etc.

I waited weeks for a reply back from The ASA & eventually got this. They'll advise them yet again. Can't say I'm not disappointed with their conclusion.

Oh well, at least I put the work in & tried.


"Dear .......... ,

Thank you for contacting the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and for your patience whilst we consider the issues.

I understand that you have raised concerns regarding the use of the term “pariba grade” to describe a necklace. We have reviewed the ad in light of your concerns and considered all the issues raised.

On this occasion, having taken our prioritisation principles into account, we have decided to resolve your complaint through the provision of advice. Therefore, we have explained your concerns to the advertiser and provided them with guidance on how to ensure that their advertising complies with the Codes.

Thank you once again for taking the time to raise your concerns with us. Comments such as yours help us to understand the issues that matter to consumers and we will keep a record of your complaint on file for use in future monitoring. If you would like more information about the work we’re currently involved with, please visit our website here."

Click to expand...

It probably makes you wonder why you bothered. In other words they can't be bothered to enforce any type of advertising standards. I bet they'd be on it like a shot if the complaint was about a person being 'offended' by something or if it affected their 'mental health' or someone was 'mis-gendered' etc etc

LV73 said:

It probably makes you wonder why you bothered. In other words they can't be bothered to enforce any type of advertising standards. I bet they'd be on it like a shot if the complaint was about a person being 'offended' by something or if it affected their 'mental health' or someone was 'mis-gendered' etc etc

Click to expand...

Yes, that is exactly how I feel LV.
I did a comprehensive & accurate complaint. I thought it deserved no less, the sales pitch imo was that bad & misleading. It took me hours to do.

I waited ages for a reply, only to be told that ASA will "advise them". I think it's an absolute joke in which all parties, including ASA, don't seem bothered people are being mislead & ripped off.

Pebbles said:

As some people here know I reported them to The ASA for the imo highly misleading way Adina sold a dyed blue agate necklace.

It was on pre-order, so her sales pitch for it continued off & on for literally hours before it went to air in a full presentation.

I submitted a very thorough report to ASA. Including screenshots of the TV presentation to substantiate my complaint. I made sure Adina was quoted exactly with exact times provided. All references to this dyed blue agate as being "rare" , "auction house worthy", even the imo implication that it was natural blue agate etc, etc.

I waited weeks for a reply back from The ASA & eventually got this. They'll advise them yet again. Can't say I'm not disappointed with their conclusion.

Oh well, at least I put the work in & tried.


"Dear .......... ,

Thank you for contacting the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and for your patience whilst we consider the issues.

I understand that you have raised concerns regarding the use of the term “pariba grade” to describe a necklace. We have reviewed the ad in light of your concerns and considered all the issues raised.

On this occasion, having taken our prioritisation principles into account, we have decided to resolve your complaint through the provision of advice. Therefore, we have explained your concerns to the advertiser and provided them with guidance on how to ensure that their advertising complies with the Codes.

Thank you once again for taking the time to raise your concerns with us. Comments such as yours help us to understand the issues that matter to consumers and we will keep a record of your complaint on file for use in future monitoring. If you would like more information about the work we’re currently involved with, please visit our website here.

Click to expand...

Pebbles said:

As some people here know I reported them to The ASA for the imo highly misleading way Adina sold a dyed blue agate necklace.

It was on pre-order, so her sales pitch for it continued off & on for literally hours before it went to air in a full presentation.

I submitted a very thorough report to ASA. Including screenshots of the TV presentation to substantiate my complaint. I made sure Adina was quoted exactly with exact times provided. All references to this dyed blue agate as being "rare" , "auction house worthy", even the imo implication that it was natural blue agate etc, etc.

I waited weeks for a reply back from The ASA & eventually got this. They'll advise them yet again. Can't say I'm not disappointed with their conclusion.

Oh well, at least I put the work in & tried.


"Dear .......... ,

Thank you for contacting the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and for your patience whilst we consider the issues.

I understand that you have raised concerns regarding the use of the term “pariba grade” to describe a necklace. We have reviewed the ad in light of your concerns and considered all the issues raised.

On this occasion, having taken our prioritisation principles into account, we have decided to resolve your complaint through the provision of advice. Therefore, we have explained your concerns to the advertiser and provided them with guidance on how to ensure that their advertising complies with the Codes.

Thank you once again for taking the time to raise your concerns with us. Comments such as yours help us to understand the issues that matter to consumers and we will keep a record of your complaint on file for use in future monitoring. If you would like more information about the work we’re currently involved with, please visit our website here."

Click to expand...

Toothless response. Makes you wonder what the point in complaining is. At least you tried, just a shame that the ASA are useless.

Pebbles said:

Yes, that is exactly how I feel LV.
I did a comprehensive & accurate complaint. I thought it deserved no less, the sales pitch imo was that bad & misleading. It took me hours to do.

I waited ages for a reply, only to be told that ASA will "advise them". I think it's an absolute joke in which all parties, including ASA, don't seem bothered people are being mislead & ripped off.

Click to expand...

For all the good the ASA are, can anyone see any point in them continuing to be in operation? All they do is to send the same old replies, just standard template responses probably done by one person sitting at a computer. Whatever the complaint is about, same old same old in reply. And do they ever actually reprimand the channel in question - I doubt it. They are the biggest waste of space since certain members of the government, past and present, and that's saying something, because we're spoilt for choice there.

I wonder if any TV producer has ever considered doing an expose of how useless the ASA are? How exactly do they "assist" the consumer to get a fair deal and what "customer protection" do they offer?

I am also of the opinion that the ASA are not fit for purpose and need a radical overhaul.

You are correct in that the responses do seem to be templates that are tweaked slightly each time to reference the issue that has been complained about.

You are also onto something when you say "probably done by one person sitting at a computer". Anyone that has had a response from the ASA will notice that it tends to be one of two members of staff that email with the complaint conclusion (for the purposes of Data Protection, I will mention just their surnames - one being Howarth, the other being Martin).

That would suggest that the ASA doesn't have a huge workforce of hundreds of staff dealing with these issues - it seems to be limited to the same two members of staff.

That kind of makes the ASA's lack of action even more annoying because these two members of staff, particularly the one with the surname Howarth, who seems to respond to most of the complaints I've raised, will be VERY aware of the amount of complaints that have been made about Gemporia.

I've made numerous ASA complaints over the past 12-18 months. Others on here have made numerous complaints that I'm aware of in the year or so I've been on this forum, and I've seen people on Facebook in various groups also commenting that they're reported Gemporia to the ASA.

Yet nothing changes. Gemporia seem to be getting worse, rather than better, yet they continually get away with misleading on a regular basis and blatantly use dodgy price comparisons, etc - yet nothing is being done.

The whole organisation needs winding up and replacing with a new organisation that actually has the willingness to get tough against these misleading companies.

The ASA are not fit for purpose. They backed this up earlier in the year when they stated that Gemporia would face tougher action over the 'Ruby Quartz' stone if they continued to sell it under that name. Gemporia DID continue selling it under that name - and they were subsequently reported again. What did the ASA do? They backtracked on their threat of more drastic action - and yet again, just gave another slap on the wrist 'warning' not to do it again.

Toothless.

I have reported a few things to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and note they take an internal investigation approach and do not engage with you further unless it is serious and you are considering litigation/ media. These govt bodies have limited resources and also focus on product recalls- where there is a clear public danger.

An example of my complaint was related to Doll10 cosmetics, which is on tv shopping. The founder was a chiropractor and decided to create a perception about her brand that she has formulated her make up brand as a Doctor. What kind of doctor? Never disclosed, leading to misleading health benefit claims and competitive advantage through deceit. Most people in Australia assume she is a medical doctor if she stated her formulas are doctor developed and she stands around in a lab coat, relating to her story as a cancer survivor seeking clean beauty. I understand America is full of crazy wellness con artists and regulations there seem to be lacking. She’s nothing but a back cracker sheister who knows that the title of doctor is not protected. I reported it to the Chiropractic Board of Pennsylvania, the ACCC and USA equivalent. I got a nice letter from the US to say they were looking into it, but no final outcome. Recently she was introduced as a chiropractor on our version of qvc, which i assume was due to some intervention.

I’d say that you should record the Gemporia presentation you have concerns with, if what is being said/ claimed is questionable/ misleading / deceitful for the consumer, as first hand evidence makes the case stronger with your MP, regulator or media outlet. Gemporia use their 30 day money back guarantee, state treatments on their websites and heavily promote valuations which is a way they can put the onus on the consumer to do their research. Some misleading things, outright, should not be claimed, though.

You might get some traction with the GIA, as Gemporia likes to affiliate themselves with this body.

Jojo1 said:

You might get some traction with the GIA, as Gemporia likes to affiliate themselves with this body.

Click to expand...

From memory, I believe I contacted them. No response

Jojo1 said:

heavily promote valuations which is a way they can put the onus on the consumer to do their research.

Click to expand...

Two things. One. I worked with a Dr, who (not that Dr ) taught as a Professor. I actually think he and his family are in NZ, at least that's the last I heard. Anyhoo, I asked him, was he a Dr of Medicine, No, a Dr of Science. He used to program computers. But as you say, there are unscrupulous people around, and he wasn't / isn't one of them.

And Two, relating to the bit I quote. I never thought of that. 'YOU' do the research and if you don't get what you think you should, or find out whatever, 'they' can't be blamed. WE told you so.... kind of thing.

TheManWithNoName said:

From memory, I believe I contacted them. No response

Click to expand...

I hate not getting responses from people I've had dealings with (unrelated to this), but related in the way that just because you didn't get a response, doesn't mean they didn't act upon it behind the scenes?

Ant7t said:

Two things. One. I worked with a Dr, who (not that Dr ) taught as a Professor. I actually think he and his family are in NZ, at least that's the last I heard. Anyhoo, I asked him, was he a Dr of Medicine, No, a Dr of Science. He used to program computers. But as you say, there are unscrupulous people around, and he wasn't / isn't one of them.

Click to expand...

Yep, as a Prof with a PhD that works in a university and has many acronyms behind their name, there is nothing to hide. But it’s the alternative medicine shysters, like Chinese medicine, Chiropractic, Osteopaths, Naturopaths etc that use the unprotected title of Dr to mislead people. They don’t even have post graduate training and their degrees can be questionable as they are run through dodgy private colleges. The majority of them love to introduce themselves as a doctor but never fess up to what of. There are no shortcuts in life to becoming an intellect, sadly.

Jojo1 said:

Yep, as a Prof with a PhD that works in a university and has many acronyms behind their name, there is nothing to hide. But it’s the alternative medicine shysters, like Chinese medicine, Chiropractic, Osteopaths, Naturopaths etc that use the unprotected title of Dr to mislead people. They don’t even have post graduate training and their degrees can be questionable as they are run through dodgy private colleges. The majority of them love to introduce themselves as a doctor but never fess up to what of. There are no shortcuts in life to becoming an intellect, sadly.

Click to expand...

Again, an aside, but if you don't know already, or have gathered, my mind wanders and is 'sparked' by a comment which is related to the comment I'm commenting on, but not directly Ramble much?

Anyhoo. You being someone from t'other side of the world, you probably know this, but I didn't. I follow a YouTube channel called 'Are you dying to know?' May or may not be up your street, (it's about a mortician and her side kick, 'not' a mortician, who is 'dying to know'). In a recent video, they were saying that (at least in Queensland, as that's where they are based, but probably the whole country), the industry is not regulated, and with relatively minimal effort, anyone can join the funeral industry. The mortician used to be a hair dresser from the UK. They also said they are trying to get it regulated so it has laws etc to stop such things and make it more standardised, I suppose.

And to bring it back. Regulating an industry like that is important, so how 'anyone' can appear to be a Dr with very little corroboration is down right ridiculous. (See, it is related to the initial comment )

Ant7t said:

Again, an aside, but if you don't know already, or have gathered, my mind wanders and is 'sparked' by a comment which is related to the comment I'm commenting on, but not directly Ramble much?

Anyhoo. You being someone from t'other side of the world, you probably know this, but I didn't. I follow a YouTube channel called 'Are you dying to know?' May or may not be up your street, (it's about a mortician and her side kick, 'not' a mortician, who is 'dying to know'). In a recent video, they were saying that (at least in Queensland, as that's where they are based, but probably the whole country), the industry is not regulated, and with relatively minimal effort, anyone can join the funeral industry. The mortician used to be a hair dresser from the UK. They also said they are trying to get it regulated so it has laws etc to stop such things and make it more standardised, I suppose.

And to bring it back. Regulating an industry like that is important, so how 'anyone' can appear to be a Dr with very little corroboration is down right ridiculous. (See, it is related to the initial comment )

Click to expand...

I think I saw that series if it was on ABC. The closest to regulation of Dr shysters we have is the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Pretty useless.