Rocks and Co - no more!!

[Bristol]

Wow!! Suddenly the family of channels get consolidated.

'Now One Channel – More Unique Gemstones, More Special Shows
We have combined our UK and European jewellery channels into one so we can offer you an even greater variety of our fine jewels and jewellery.'

As much as some of the presenters used to annoy me it looks like Birmingham studio has closed overnight. Not a happy Christmas for everyone there, I do feel sorry for all involved in Birmingham.
Ruthless!
The new channel is presented in German with an English translation. Ring sizes given in European sizes prices are confusing too as the website shows a Euro and sterling price though the sterling price is approx!

 

[Oathy]

wow turned over to the channel 1st time in ages. what a mess
if they really think that's going to work for them the voice over in very cheap looking studio
good luck with that..

Looks like John did the right thing getting away from them when he did. the speed that happened is just shocking

 

[Bunnytown]

An absolute mess - seems the only presenters to survive are Cherry Cavill and Hannah Clemmow. They are selling tacky-looking multigemstone pieces for a blanket price of £62 each. The voiceover method is appalling. I do feel sorry for the presenters who have been suddenly left in the lurch. As for saying they are offering us more special shows and more choice - er, I don't think so!

 

[Oathy]

An absolute mess - seems the only presenters to survive are Cherry Cavill and Hannah Clemmow. They are selling tacky-looking multigemstone pieces for a blanket price of £62 each. The voiceover method is appalling. I do feel sorry for the presenters who have been suddenly left in the lurch. As for saying they are offering us more special shows and more choice - er, I don't think so!

totally agree.
if they really think this format is going to work.
it should be about enjoyable viewing along with items being sold. the crossed voices sounds like two radios on at the same time.
if they actually think that's an acceptable standard, suspect Gemporia's sales and viewing numbers are about to rise greatly.

 

[Bristol]

I could be wrong but on the first day they were showing a Euro price on screen and on the web there was an approx sterling price so there were two prices. Tonight, Wednesday, high end (!) Zultanite are being sold at 1999 Euro according to the presenters and that translates to £1999 according to the web site. I can't see this lasting!

 

[Bunnytown]

I could be wrong but on the first day they were showing a Euro price on screen and on the web there was an approx sterling price so there were two prices. Tonight, Wednesday, high end (!) Zultanite are being sold at 1999 Euro according to the presenters and that translates to £1999 according to the web site. I can't see this lasting!

No that is exactly what they were doing. I know the £ is weak at the moment but it is still worth slightly more than one euro. The idea is obviously to save costs and make more money by ignoring the exchange rate. If the UK is such a worthless market I'm not sure why they're even bothering with the English voiceover. Plus the screen kept going black for seconds at a time as the connection was lost. It is all really desperate and unsavoury.

 

[Oathy]

No that is exactly what they were doing. I know the £ is weak at the moment but it is still worth slightly more than one euro. The idea is obviously to save costs and make more money by ignoring the exchange rate. If the UK is such a worthless market I'm not sure why they're even bothering with the English voiceover. Plus the screen kept going black for seconds at a time as the connection was lost. It is all really desperate and unsavoury.

Truly cant see how this is going to work.
all that's missing is a giant score board and a few Nul points.
so the hyped move to Birmingham after various other moves was for nothing.
Just feel so sorry for all the workers and other presenters.

 

[marino5549]

A total shambles of a channel now. I switched it on last night and got nothing but Rocks & Co adverts on a never ending loop. I let it run for about 15 minutes to see if a presenter would kick in but it never happened. Turned it on this afternoon and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The female presenter was speaking in English, her male companion (Sebastian) was speaking in German (with an English language voice over whenever he was speaking). The English presenter was chatting to Sebastian in English and he was replying to her in German (and vice versa). They could understand each other's languages but replied in their own languages! The English voice over had a German accent, the prices quoted by both presenters were in Euros and the prices quoted ON SCREEN were in pounds!! The whole thing was an utter shambles. There's no way I want to tune into this rubbish.

 

[gem crazy]

I checked out R&C earlier in the week and thought there was a technical glitch! Now I realise that this is their new format. It's terrible for all the reasons set out above. They pretty much abandoned their UK operation when they started up the outlet and sold only odds and ends - it started to look shaky then, and as soon as the Diniz brothers jumped ship. But I really feel sorry for all the R&C staff who were sacked the week before Christmas. It says all there is to say about this morally bankrupt company.

 

[AndyW]

Totally agree with the sentiments on this thread. For all their faults, R&Co did sell some beautiful pieces. It's subjective of course but you could easily pick one or two presenters with whom you could live and keep watching.

Unfortunately, I bought two items online (not auction) about two days before the change and they're still not received. Feel a bit sick...

 

[historymystery]

How do they think in their wildest dreams that anyone in the UK will want to purchase from them? This is a channel that has gone through umpteen different incantations over the years, firstly selling expensive stuff, then moving into a mixture of cheaper and dear, then getting rid of several of the presenters and gemstone experts, such as the Diniz brothers (who knew what they were talking about, so had to go!). Naturally, Cherry Cavill (who I find intensely dislikeable) is salvaged from the wreckage and others get the push. But I have to say that the presenters who joined this outfit must have known what the outcome was going to be? Any presenter who had worked for them for more than a year must have seen this coming - as John Scott obviously did. The channel is a complete and utter mess now, laughable in fact, and has been getting worse for years, in spite of a brief period where it seemed to have gone halfway to sorting itself out. I have no sympathy for certain people connected with the channel, only for a few of the presenters. Years ago, Rocks had some very good and knowledgeable male presenters (Mark Rigby and Alan Miller), but they left or were pushed and the shouty blondes took over, including the rather aggressive and arrogant Cherry Cavill (daughter of one of the bigwigs, Debby Cavill).

As someone who was diddled out of being able to redeem a so-called money-off voucher a few years back, and kept my vow never to purchase from these snake oil salespeople again, I can't say I'm at all surprised at what's happened. Bye, bye Rocks - I'm sorry for most of the presenters and backroom staff who find themselves out of a job (as far as the Cavills are concerned:mysmilie_17

No that is exactly what they were doing. I know the £ is weak at the moment but it is still worth slightly more than one euro. The idea is obviously to save costs and make more money by ignoring the exchange rate. If the UK is such a worthless market I'm not sure why they're even bothering with the English voiceover. Plus the screen kept going black for seconds at a time as the connection was lost. It is all really desperate and unsavoury.

 

[Bristol]

So the company consolidated x many channels across Europe leaving them with the German operation and 'America'! The Amayani presentation is more like a jumble sale. Every item is on and gone, probably to the internet buyers as they will get the opportunity that a phone customer just can't compete with especially since there is mostly one of each item due to the nature of the 'collection'. A purchase is probably good value by comparison with a high street jeweller prices but the purchase is based on very little information by which I mean none from the presenters and hardly time to read it on the web site. Not a nice shopping environment but they are shifting product with minimal costs, assuming that they have been able to lay off staff across the continent and dispose of their premises which are surplus to requirements.
Also, and this might just be me but, have the female presenters changed their on screen makeup since the consolidation? Debbie, Cherry and Georgie all look different in a way that I can't quite put my finger on!

 

[Bunnytown]

I find it incredible that they are putting up on screen that they have 300-plus callers for maybe 2 rings. Who would bother to dial in with those odds? Also, it would be easier to buy online to beat the callers. I see that they have started being very careful about the camera angles for the silver jewellery - and the presenters (in translation) seem awful - just a lot of guff about "isn't this wonderful"? It is a disastrous format and just displays total disinterest for any UK audience. I would never buy from them again on principle, I don't care if they have a 9-star platinum tanzanite for a tenner. I wouldn't trust their customer service either. I noticed that the last ring I bought from them before the change arrived in an unbranded box. Coincidence? No doubt DK wanted to get out of the UK because of the Brexit effect and the falling pound - he is American after all and a businessman.

 

[historymystery]

I don't believe a word of it about the number of customers ringing up - even with a free phone line it would be totally pointless with such small numbers (or are they fibbing about the numbers of items, in the hope of getting people to panic buy? Who knows what's going on?). The whole thing is disjointed and boring, the Rocks presenters were never well known for their gemstone knowledge, and the ones they have on now are just spouting guff as well. Have Hannah Clemmow and Liv Edmonds both gone? I haven't seen either of them over the Christmas period, although have only flipped over for a minute or so during the day. Bye bye, Rocks - I think it's all over bar the shouting for this lot in their present format.

I find it incredible that they are putting up on screen that they have 300-plus callers for maybe 2 rings. Who would bother to dial in with those odds? Also, it would be easier to buy online to beat the callers. I see that they have started being very careful about the camera angles for the silver jewellery - and the presenters (in translation) seem awful - just a lot of guff about "isn't this wonderful"? It is a disastrous format and just displays total disinterest for any UK audience. I would never buy from them again on principle, I don't care if they have a 9-star platinum tanzanite for a tenner. I wouldn't trust their customer service either. I noticed that the last ring I bought from them before the change arrived in an unbranded box. Coincidence? No doubt DK wanted to get out of the UK because of the Brexit effect and the falling pound - he is American after all and a businessman.

 

[LambChop]

Crikey! Took a look after reading this thread and was confronted by a male presenter with a heavily accented, thoroughly boring female voice over. Unwatchable.

 

[Oathy]

http://www.elumeo.com/ir/latest-notifications/?file=Corporate_News_18_12_2017_EN.pdf

Explains everything... Feel really sorry for all the staff who have lost jobs etc

 

[Bristol]

FYI the 'company' has responded to some posts on the Trustpilot site stating that although the Euro sign on screen has been replaced by the £ sign 'Unfortunately you have misunderstood our UK customers do not pay 10% more. On screen if the price says £699 you will actually pay 10% less than the £699. We changed the Euro sign to Pound on screen to prevent confusion after listening to customers feedback. You will always pay 10% less than the £ price on screen'. I would be interested to know if anyone has experience of this being the case. The concern shown on the Trustpilot site of what hallmarks the German company is using on their items has not been addressed. If the items are not marked with the UK Hallmarks could it be that customers trying to sell their pieces on whatever basis or platform could have problems in a UK market because of this. The question could be asked of the live sales but also the web site sales which are priced in £ sterling on the website which appears just as it always did. I wonder where a website sale is actually transacted, where the stock is and how the previously uncertain returns process is to be handled under the new incarnation.

 

[Bunnytown]

It is all very unsatisfactory and inspires no confidence at all. I would be very wary of using this company from the UK, especially for returns and refunds. I'm not sure why they are even bothering to keep the UK part going as it is apparently so unprofitable. Debbie and Cherry could just spend their time selling overpriced tat on the cruise ships - why bother to broadcast in English? As the for the euro/£ business, they could have put a sign on screen if UK prices are 10% lower - nowhere is this indicated, either on screen or by the presenter. Obviously I haven't bought anything so I don't know if the reduction magically appears at checkout. I expect the whole channel to disappear from UK screens very soon.

 

[Phill]

Total Rubbish- I can’t watch for more than 10 seconds
Completely frustrating and irritating trying to listen to a translator talking over a German, when they don’t even tell you half the details the UK presenters did.

I’m not watching or buying from Rocks & Co anymore, if they want to sell to the UK market, do not use a German studio with German presenters.
Back to Gems TV and TJC we go.

And what amazes me is they have kept their Italian channel, which opened way way way after Rocks & Co did here in 2008!!

https://www.juwelo.it/acquisto-in-diretta

 

[Bristol]

So much of this tells us how many 'tales' we have been spun by the designers, gem hunters and presenters on Rocks over recent years and months. The UK was closed as it was unprofitable but we were told that by the 'Outlet' format times of the channel when 'this is below our cost' was the mantra from memory. Today, Saturday, at 14:30 channel 40 on Freeview shows that the next show is Molloy Gems tomorrow from 7am. I dont know when it stopped broadcasting today but clearly the UK is not being sold to just now. Of course the Rocks & Co web site is hosting the German feed but no English language though the details are in English and the ring sizes are given using the letters that UK buyers are used to. Looking at the schedule published on the web site there actually are no details given for today at all.... Its all bizarre and messy. Its the return procedure which worries me, a contributor on Trustpilot stated that the paperwork with a recent purchase gave a return address in German, which the associated increased cost, but in the statement from elumeo as linked to above states: 'only parts of the distribution and returns handling stay on site in the UK', so that seems to me that returns remain local. But do I trust them?
The current on-screen presentations are just like a jumble sale. There is no opportunity to understand the item, the metal weight, the carat weight of the gems, it is absolutely on and gone. Still prices seem to be 'you can't even replace the gold at that price - the stones are free' so how this model is profitable remains to be seen. I bet Steve Bennett is smiling at the retreat of a competitor too.