San Francisco Provident Loan Association

11/16/07

Historical Landmark with outstanding deals and service that can't be beat

by nanunanu at Citysearch

We bought 2 watches and my engagement ring over the past year and half. No where else can you find a staff that is so knowledgeable and helpful as well as FAIR!!! A rare thing to find in this industry. I won't shop anywhere else for my jewelry again as these guys know their stuff and their prices AND quality cant be beat!!!Not to mention their shop is as cool in appearance as they come, its something to see. I now realize that retail is NOT the way to go.

• Pros: Service is outstanding, deals are unbeatable
• Cons: parking was a little challenging until I found the mission st garage

09/14/07

Best appraisal price in San Francisco!

by rnitro1 at Citysearch

My Wife and I had an excellent experience doing business with the San Francisco Provident Loan company. We needed to get an appraisal for my wife's engagement ring for insurance purposes and have checked out several local jewelry appraisers. All of their estimates were at least 3 times the cost of SF Provident Loan's estimate.

The service that we received was outstanding. We have never done this before so he explained everything very thoroughly. He took the time to show us what was involved with appraisals which made us feel really comfortable with our decision to go with SFPL.

My Wife and I highly recommend speaking to SFPL first before going to any other jewelry appraiser.

08/06/07

Best Kept Secret in San Francisco

by srg415 at Citysearch

The person who gave this place one star is obviously a competitor, who most likely, cannot compete. Provident Loan has taken care of my family for years, and we wouldn't use anyone else. They are experts in jewelry and always give me prices well below any of their competitors. Joey is a great guy and absolute pro. I've bought watches from him a couple of times and a diamond ring for my wife. All great deals and terrific merchandise. When putting together a down payment on my first home, I brought in some jewelry to use as collateral and got a great loan. I don't know of anyone else in the city who is doing what they are over at Provident. And even if I did, I wouldn't go anywhere else. A true San Francisco gem!

• Pros: Great Deals, Terrific Service. Ask for the owner, Joey.
• Cons: The neighborhood didn't used to be the best, with Bloomingdales down the street, it is ever improving.

08/03/07

better off some where else

by roccoso33 at Citysearch

I dont recommend. They dont have state of the art equipment. Becareful with the owner he is sneaky like most pawn brokers. the photos of the shop online is not the way it is when you go, it is a run down dump. They must be writing their own reviews. Go to a legit appraiser. Good luck

• Pros: none
• Cons: bogus

07/19/07

The Pawn Shop next door

by jennifers305 at Citysearch

I never thought I would need a pawn shop and everything I'd ever seen or heard of them had me thinking they were sleazy places that would just rip me off. However... recently I found myself in the unusual position of needing to sell a piece of jewelry I had for some extra cash. I searched the internet and the first place I came across was San Francisco Provident Loan. I read some reviews online and decided to check it out. From my very first phone call this was a completely pleasant experience. I was helped by a man named Ben, who was not only helpful but also relaxed and definitely not sleazy. He checked out my piece of jewelry, told me all about what he was looking for and then made me an offer. He then gave me the names of several other places that also buy jewelry and told me to check them out first, that his offer would be good for a month but he actually encouraged me to get second opinions. Well I did and his was the best offer. I went back, and true to his word his offer was still good. He was so nice and the experience was so pleasant I can hardly believe it. He even walked me to the bank to deposit my cash because I felt weird walking down the street with that much cash on me. I HIGHLY recommend this place. Check it out if you find yourself in need of selling some Jewelry." Make sure you ask for Ben, he is great!