Insurance and lifetime warranties

[plahen]

Could someone please give me their personal reasons why they bought on-line instead of buying at a "B&M" store and getting a lifetime warranty.Most online sites offer 7 - 30 days moneyback. But what happens on the 31st day. What swayed you to buy online vs at your local store.

T.I.A.

Plahen

 

[Mara]

Since I am bored at work today (short week=short attention span), I will tell you why we bought B&M as opposed to online. I was very much set on purchasing online, esp when I saw how great the deals could be for those who knew enough to weed out the duds. However, we had a connection with a local jeweler through a friend who we trusted, and he showed us some stones we liked. We ended up purchasing from him because of these reasons:

--We had history in purchasing a set of diamond earrings from him in the past
--We could see the stones in person, many online sites were great with images and diagrams but nothing beats seeing the diamond shine in person.
--He matched the online price of the diamond I was set on buying with comparable color (still near colorless range) and 2 bumps up on clarity (vs1)
--He will make the setting for us for about 1/2 of what it would cost at any other jeweler
--We continue to build a lasting relationship with him and his wife, meaning that he will be sure to take care of us in the future for any other purchases. He also is my best friend's family jeweler and her mother buys MANY jewels from him per year, so I know he will take care of us like he does for her family
--A few other things such as diamond cleaning, future setting repairs/additional work, etc came into the picture, I believe he also has a 'trade-in' policy meaning if we want to upgrade the stone in 10 years he would give us the original value towards a new stone.

All of this was worth the buying offline and paying the extra $600 or so in sales tax. Plus while I am in online marketing and feverishly think everything should be purchased online in other to further e-commerce integration into our lives, my boyfriend is a bit of a Luddite (regardless of the fact he works in software and has a few computer/technology degrees under his belt!) so he was way more into the purchase offline than online.

Also the trade-in was somewhat of a perk..as when you are spending a few thousand or more..you'd like to be able to use that towards something else in the future if you are so inclined.

Hope that helps! Really it was a struggle for us too, the online prices are GREAT and some sites are very helpful because they know its a hard decision to make. We lucked out in finding a great stone, and a great price, which give us all these side benefits as well.

Best of luck.

 

[luckyguy]

I'd like to add a comment about some of the lifetime warranties offered by mall stores.

Some of the "lifetime" warranties are like 80,000 mile warranties for certain car tires. Sure, if you remember to rotate them at exactly 3,000 miles EVERY TIME with proper written documentation from an authorized dealer, and never ding the tire's sidewall against the curb or other obeject, they will warranty the tires will last 80,000 miles. If you miss the 3,000 tire rotation by even 1 mile or get your tires rotated at a gas station rather than an authorized location, they have the right to void your warranty.

One of the last mall jewelry stores I visited had a similar warranty where they gave your ring a lifetime warranty provided that you came in twice a year (every 6 months) and allowed them to clean the diamond and check the prongs and make notations in your paperwork. Good luck not missing one of those appointments in the next 10 years.

Heck, if you're worried, just get some good insurance, which will cover theft, loss, and damage.

Regards...

 

[sylvesterii]

and the insurance will probably be cheaper than the mark-up! (well not really, but it is something to consider)