My Robbins Bros experience

I went in the Torrence RB store and ended up with a platinum tension setting with a 0.91 cwt diamond and 5 year extended warranty this past March. For those that have not been in the store, you are greeted at the door, introduced to a sales person, offered drinks, pick a setting, and then they get a diamond for the setting, you get to look at it under a microscope, and it''s even weighed on a diamond scale in front of you. All-in-all, a great shopping experience for an engagement ring. He mentioned subtly that the setting has a limit of 3/4 cwt (red flag) and would check with the jeweler about the mounting. He left to speak with the jeweler and came back and stated that it could be done. So I paid by CC and had the ring shipped to me. Later on, I proposed and she accepted. Two days later the stone fell out of the setting (red flag). I called the salesman because he said to call him if I had any problems, which he was confident I wouldn''t. He never returned my calls. I ended up speaking with the General Manager and shipped the ring back to them, I live in an another state. They ended up reimbursing the shipping. The General Manager stated that the Master Jeweler did the repair and the stone should not fall out again. It takes 95 lbs of pressure to pop the diamond out of the setting. I was debating with fiancee about returning the whole thing since we were within 30 day return policy. Needless to say, we kept with the ring when the GM stated that it shouldn''t happen again.

In first week of August, we went to the store for cleaning and inspection, required under the warranty while in LA area and even bought wedding bands, from a different sales person. Three weeks later, the stone was loose in the setting. After that, Fiancee had lost confidence in wearing the ring. She works as a nurse and cannot wear the ring while working, so she wore it infrequently. Called the salesperson, because she said to if we had any problems, she never returned the call. Called to speak to General Manager, different one, and stated that the sales manager would check with us since she would be out of the store that week. We drove there from Phoenix and had the sales manager look at the ring. She came back and said that there is not enough material to hold the stone in place because the setting was designed to take a 0.75 cwt or smaller stone. They made a mistake and should not have sold the ring to us that way. Fiancee did not like any other setting there and we could get a refund back on the setting only but not the diamond????? We drove back and ended up returning the wedding bands since her band was to match the setting.

Then we went ring shopping for that diamond and it''s hard to shop that way. I emailed the "Robbin Bros" through there website about my experience and requested a refund for the stone since it was their mistake, and received a call from the store''s sales manager. She said that I could have picked an another settng but I explained that I went to RB for that tension setting only. That they "the experts" could not match the setting and stone, technically. She stated that she told me that I could have gotten an exact setting and I explain to her that the stone would be loose again because the salesman went to the vault and picked the stone, after I picked the setting. The GM countered, that they could have gotten a larger setting as the same one as she stated to me by phone (red flag) and I reiterated that the we did not know of the problem until we came back and the sales manager looked at the ring to determine the problem and since the jeweler/master jeweler had ample opportunities to look at the ring and checked off on it. We did not want that setting. I recounted that their sales routine was: I went in and looked at the setting and picked one and then the salesman picked a diamond for the setting based on my budget instead of the technical limits of the setting. The ring was a lemon from day one and I believe that we should be entitled to a refund because it was their fault. She again stated she couldn''t, no specific reason, and that she would be happy to resolve this with us getting an another setting. She again mentioned telling in a previous phone conversation before the last time we came out about that we could get a larger setting... and this time I cut her off and called her a liar because we did not know what the problem was until the sales manager looked at the ring, and I am reporting this to the BBB and hung up.

I just hate dealing with liars. The other tidbit is, I paid off the CC balance right away and am carrying a positive balance on the CC. after the refund. Shopping for a ring with the stone already is a PITA, since other jewelry stores charge to mount a stone that is not their''s. The princess cut diamond is squarish, so it looks odd with certain types of setting. Am I realistic in my resolution for a refund?

Literally, stuck between a rock and a diamond.