Hi guys, long time lurker but first time poster here.
I was just hoping for some advice on a difficult vendor I’ve been dealing with in regards to a sapphire engagement ring that was bought off the shelf.
I purchased a sapphire engagement ring from a small store in Sydney on Thu 13 June 2019, and after getting it back from resizing noticed what appeared to be superglue all over the centre stone and setting. I took it to two independent jewellers for their opinion on whether that was normal, and they told me that it was poor workmanship and I should take it back for a refund.
On Tue 18 June I returned to the store to request a refund, but was told that a complete remake of the setting would resolve the issues, and the remade ring would meet expectations, and could be changed to a bezel setting in rose gold instead of white gold. I picked up the remade ring on Sat 29 June. After noticing some issues with the remade ring and visiting a bench jeweller for an expert opinion, I was told that there appeared (again) to be superglue beneath some of the stones, and that the setting was off centre and badly made with visible asymmetry and flaws:
After hearing nothing back from the owner I returned on Thursday 4 July to follow up and was told that the owner refused to issue a refund, and wanted to have the ring ‘fixed’ again by the same jeweller as it had already cost them money to fix it the first time.
I called Fair Trade NSW for advide and was told to issue the vendor with a ‘Letter of Demand’, requesting a refund in writing. After trying multiple times to contact them via their listed phone number and email address, and having my letter bounce back three times, I went to Centre Management and asked for them to deliver my letter to the owner.
On Fri 5 July at 1:17pm, the store owner called me from a blocked caller ID, and proceeded to shout at me, saying that he would see me in court, nobody had “forced” me to buy the ring, and that he refused to provide a refund on the grounds that I had gotten Centre Management involved.
On the advice of friends and colleagues, I went back to Centre Management to let them know that one of their tenants had just called my personal number to shout at me aggressively. It was super awkward because I was crying like an absolute freak and struggled to explain very well.
Centre Management called me back later and said that during their phone call the owner had been unrelenting in his decision to not issue a refund, and that I should lodge a complaint with the Dept. of Fair Trading. Interestingly the Centre Manager said that the owner had admitted that the ring was glued, but that was because it had been “made in a rush”.
Unfortunately I only have one photo of the original ring, and no photos of the issues with the remade setting as I honestly didn’t think this would be happening or that I would need to. In the photo you can see how the prongs dont cover the stone at all, and the ring head appears jagged and uneven. Since the image quality is low you can’t quite make out the superglue, but it was all around the centre stone prongs and beneath the halo stones.
While the remade ring had been made to a better standard than this it still looks rough and uneven, and I can’t trust any piece of ‘fine’ jewellery that had any superglue stuck to the underside of any of the stones.
I am at a loss for what to do, as at present I have neither my money nor the ring.
I was just hoping for some advice on a difficult vendor I’ve been dealing with in regards to a sapphire engagement ring that was bought off the shelf.
I purchased a sapphire engagement ring from a small store in Sydney on Thu 13 June 2019, and after getting it back from resizing noticed what appeared to be superglue all over the centre stone and setting. I took it to two independent jewellers for their opinion on whether that was normal, and they told me that it was poor workmanship and I should take it back for a refund.
On Tue 18 June I returned to the store to request a refund, but was told that a complete remake of the setting would resolve the issues, and the remade ring would meet expectations, and could be changed to a bezel setting in rose gold instead of white gold. I picked up the remade ring on Sat 29 June. After noticing some issues with the remade ring and visiting a bench jeweller for an expert opinion, I was told that there appeared (again) to be superglue beneath some of the stones, and that the setting was off centre and badly made with visible asymmetry and flaws:
- Uneven gaps between the edge of the bezel setting and halo, which are evident to the naked eye
- A distinct downwards slant in the halo
- Unevenness in the basket of the setting – one side more rounded than the other
- A blob of what appeared to (again) be superglue beneath one of the halo stones
- A pave’ diamond in the ring shank had been drilled down too deep
After hearing nothing back from the owner I returned on Thursday 4 July to follow up and was told that the owner refused to issue a refund, and wanted to have the ring ‘fixed’ again by the same jeweller as it had already cost them money to fix it the first time.
I called Fair Trade NSW for advide and was told to issue the vendor with a ‘Letter of Demand’, requesting a refund in writing. After trying multiple times to contact them via their listed phone number and email address, and having my letter bounce back three times, I went to Centre Management and asked for them to deliver my letter to the owner.
On Fri 5 July at 1:17pm, the store owner called me from a blocked caller ID, and proceeded to shout at me, saying that he would see me in court, nobody had “forced” me to buy the ring, and that he refused to provide a refund on the grounds that I had gotten Centre Management involved.
On the advice of friends and colleagues, I went back to Centre Management to let them know that one of their tenants had just called my personal number to shout at me aggressively. It was super awkward because I was crying like an absolute freak and struggled to explain very well.
Centre Management called me back later and said that during their phone call the owner had been unrelenting in his decision to not issue a refund, and that I should lodge a complaint with the Dept. of Fair Trading. Interestingly the Centre Manager said that the owner had admitted that the ring was glued, but that was because it had been “made in a rush”.
Unfortunately I only have one photo of the original ring, and no photos of the issues with the remade setting as I honestly didn’t think this would be happening or that I would need to. In the photo you can see how the prongs dont cover the stone at all, and the ring head appears jagged and uneven. Since the image quality is low you can’t quite make out the superglue, but it was all around the centre stone prongs and beneath the halo stones.
While the remade ring had been made to a better standard than this it still looks rough and uneven, and I can’t trust any piece of ‘fine’ jewellery that had any superglue stuck to the underside of any of the stones.
I am at a loss for what to do, as at present I have neither my money nor the ring.