An Email To Valley Gold Mine, ABC15, and Craig Lynch

To get to the bottom of the suspicions the ABC15 report on “How to get the most cash when selling your gold in Arizona” I have sent the following email to all parties involved:

Hello,

I am writing this email to clear up a cloud of suspicion regarding an ABC15 video segment on “How to Get The Most Cash For Your Gold in Arizona” that originally aired on 3/5/09. It was failed to disclose to viewers that the Gemologist Expert used (Craig Lynch) has a business arrangement with Valley Gold Mine, clearly visible on valleygoldmine.com’s site (http://www.valleygoldmine.com/wholesale-diamonds.php). In addition, as Valley Gold Mine was an advertiser on abc15, serious ethical questions plague this piece of reporting.

My question is - who duped who, or were you all complicit?

Awaiting your reply,

Not signing with my name so I don’t have ABC15 trying to slander me with some bullshit “investigative reporting”.

Calling Bullshit on The ABC15 - ValleyGoldMine “Investigative” Report

I frequently watch ABC15 news for local news, sports and flavor, but was disheartened by an investigative report there that smells like a commercial wrapped in bullshit.  The piece in question is an investigative report featuring Joe Ducey offering valley residents free advice on how to get the most money for selling their unwanted gold. In this video segment Ducey compares the values offered by Cash4Gold.com, GoldStashforCash.com, some random guy on craigslist (DANGER!), CR Jewelers in a valley mall and ValleyGoldMine.com. I am a regular viewer of abc15 and *think* I saw ValleyGoldMine.com advertising on the station - not positive - but it certainly raised an alarm. As i was browsing through the abc15 page and read a comment pointing out some discrepancies I turned to Google for the answers.

I did a google search of Craig Lynch, the jewelry appraisal expert abc15 used to provide them with expert guidance. The first result I came up with was this page on ouellet-lynch.com detailing his credentials and experience as a gemologist. Fair enough. Then I googled “ouellet lynch valley gold mine” and lo and behold right after the abc15 “investigative report” was this page on ValleyGoldMine.com’s site.

Stones must be at least 1 carat in size. Stones should be certified. If stones are uncertified, we will consider stones on a stone by stone basis. If uncertified, we will arrange an appointment with you to meet with us and our GIA Graduate Gemologist. We work with the top Gemologist in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Due to this, your diamond will be graded fairly with an unbiased opinion. Be careful of individuals that will buy your diamonds without having them graded by a Graduate Gemologist. Since they are purchasing your stone, their opinion of the grading may be biased. Prior to your appointment please fax a copy of the certificate to us.

To read more about the Gemologist we use visit http://www.ouellet-lynch.com/

So my question for Joe Ducey is - did you get duped or were you a knowing accomplice in selling us this bullshit bill of goods posing as a hard hitting “Investigative Report”? If you wonder too please email Joe at jducey@abc15.com