Finally, my 1895 Cartier Engagement Ring

[blondie23]

So many of you might remember my very first post. In summary, I posted this incredibly long story about how I was quoted around $17K for a 1.54 G VS2 ring from Cartier and I was beyond excited so I decided to post my story here on PS. Well come to find out that Cartier misquoted me and the cost of my ring was actually supposed to be $24K, but my FI and I had already put down a $5k deposit on it (which they weren''t going to refund after we decided that $24K was too high) and we wanted them to honor the price they originally quoted us. so after SEVERAL phone calls and many hours Cartier agreed and 5 months later I finally got my ring. So, without further ado, here is my ering:

 

[blondie23]

.

 

[blondie23]

please excuse my missing nail

 

[blondie23]

that is all i have for now

 

[Beacon]

Awesome! It''s so beautiful - I live the simplicity of it.

What happened in the end? Did they honor your original price quote? How on earth did they end up taking a 5K deposit from you and giving you a faulty quote? Good for you for staying with it! Fill us in ok?

 

[mamalala]

It''s really beautiful, blondie! Love the setting -- looks very sturdy/strong while still being elegant and feminine! CONGRATS!!!!

 

[Jypsie]

Absolutely beautiful!! Sounds like you got a hell of a deal!! Good for you two!

 

[mercoledi]

Gorgeous! I love the Cartier 1895 line!

And you have a story to go with it about the deal of the century. Best wishes to you and the FI.

 

[Kaleigh]

It''s gorgeous, love the setting. Such a classic.

 

[Jenn5504]

THAT beauty was SO worth the wait! It''s just perfect~ congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jenn5504]

Please post some profile shots of that beauty when you get a chance, I''m LOVING that setting! Needless to say, the stone is stunning as well!

 

[blondie23]

Thank you all so much!

beacon, to answer your question, Cartier did honor the original quoted price of $17K BUT ONLY AFTER my FI and I called every Cartier customer service number available and spoke with countless managers, etc. We were finally put in touch with a man over in Paris and we explained our situation and he finally agreed. My FI did hours of research about Cartier and found numerous articles about how Cartier''s customer service "is world class" etc and we said that this situation is not an example of the values the company holds and that if they a) ever want our business again they need to be more understanding b) want bad press then they should be accommodating. The man in Paris agreed. He apologized and he also gave us a $1000 credit toward our next Cartier purchase. It was a mess but at least it did work out in the end.

 

[brgirl]

That ring is BEAUTIFUL!!! I love the simple elegance!!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

$1000? Hmmmm might a Cartier rolling ring be in your future?

 

[Maisie]

Congratulations on standing your ground! Its a beautiful ring!!

 

[blondie23]

HH yes I thought about the rolling ring but my FI and I decided that getting a wedding band would be a better investment so we''re going to put the money towards that.

Thanks everyone!

 

[sunnyd]

i''m glad it worked out... a happy customer only tells 1 person about good customer service, an unhappy one tells 10!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

LOL well if you want to be PRACTICAL then I guess a wedding band is a good choice...

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

LOL well if you want to be PRACTICAL then I guess a wedding band is a good choice...Fi is the practical one in our relationship. I call him my Mallow (as in marsh) Squasher.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 11/27/2007 1:48:49 PM
Author: brgirl
That ring is BEAUTIFUL!!! I love the simple elegance!!

Dittoes!

And now that I hear the story again, I vaguely remember it. Hopefully they don''t do that again!

Congrats blondie, it''s a real beauty.

 

[nebe]

BAH, stupid internet. I lost my post!

ANYWAY, Isn''t there a law about misquoted prices? Don''t you automatically get the marked price and if it''s lower you only have to pay the sticker price? That''s how I always understood it anyway

Either way, it''s a gorgeous ring and lucky LUCKY you for getting such a great ring at a great price!

 

[sunnyd]

nebe, there probably isn't. sadly...it's all about customer service and how much the customer's business means to the salesperson/manager/company in general, in relation to how much money they're losing on the deal.

anyone down to march on washington and proclaim that this should be a law?

 

[FireGoddess]

Congrats on your ring! I will say that it was very nice of them to honor the original quote they gave you when it was so far off the mark. I would not have expected them to be held to that much of a difference thought it''s shocking the mistake was not caught before you made the deposit and that alone would have made me considerably wary. However, the comment about them also balking at returning your $5K deposit when you were told the real price is absolutely ludicrous. So I''m glad it worked out!

 

[Beacon]

How brilliant that you got this good deal and a 1K credit. That was so nice of them, even if you did have to push it to make it happen.

Actually I am not totally sure of the law, but if they took a 5K deposit, I figure they had to "write it up" and give you that quote. If they then came back and said, oops, we goofed, you owe us 7K more and sorry, we won''t refund the deposit....well, that might sound like consumer fraud to a judge in court. So, I think you had them between a rock and a hard place. But it was gracious indeed of them to give you the extra 1K credit. That makes me feel good about Cartier.

Way to go! I remember your story from way back and I glad it would out so well.

 

[Skippy123]

Totally gorgeous!!!! I have been wondering about this ring; glad you posted it!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 11/27/2007 2:44:57 PM
Author: FireGoddess
Congrats on your ring! I will say that it was very nice of them to honor the original quote they gave you when it was so far off the mark. I would not have expected them to be held to that much of a difference thought it''s shocking the mistake was not caught before you made the deposit and that alone would have made me considerably wary. However, the comment about them also balking at returning your $5K deposit when you were told the real price is absolutely ludicrous. So I''m glad it worked out!

I totally remember all the nuttiness that ensued after your post! I can''t believe Cartier was going to hold on to your deposit after their mistake too! But happy you have your ring, and it''s a GORGEOUS one to be sure.

 

[Kay]

Gorgeous ring! Good job making them honor the quote and give you a $1,000 credit for the hassle. You had to work for it, but you got one hell of a deal.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 11/27/2007 2:44:57 PM
Author: FireGoddess
Congrats on your ring! I will say that it was very nice of them to honor the original quote they gave you when it was so far off the mark. I would not have expected them to be held to that much of a difference thought it''s shocking the mistake was not caught before you made the deposit and that alone would have made me considerably wary. However, the comment about them also balking at returning your $5K deposit when you were told the real price is absolutely ludicrous. So I''m glad it worked out!

HI:

Ditto!!!

Glad it worked out also--as it should have!! Your ring is stunning.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Kay]

Date: 11/27/2007 2:54:09 PM
Author: Beacon
How brilliant that you got this good deal and a 1K credit. That was so nice of them, even if you did have to push it to make it happen.

Actually I am not totally sure of the law, but if they took a 5K deposit, I figure they had to ''write it up'' and give you that quote. If they then came back and said, oops, we goofed, you owe us 7K more and sorry, we won''t refund the deposit....well, that might sound like consumer fraud to a judge in court. So, I think you had them between a rock and a hard place. But it was gracious indeed of them to give you the extra 1K credit. That makes me feel good about Cartier.

Way to go! I remember your story from way back and I glad it would out so well.

I am not sure a court would have made Cartier sell the ring at the quoted price (the contract may have been voidable under the doctrine of mutual mistake), but no court would have allowed Cartier to keep the deposit if they were not going to honor the price that was quoted when the deposit was made. Cartier may not unilaterally change one term of the contract (price) and then expect to enforce another contract term (non-refundable deposit) against the other party.

 

[UCLABelle]

I am so happy for you that it FINALLY worked out!

CONGRATS ON A CLASSIC, CARTIER RING!