Cartier and Tiffany: customer service

[erasable]

I love the Cartier 1895 Solitaire setting and somewhat like the Tiffany setting, but I worry about the customer service after I buy the ring.

Tiffany stores are ubiquitous in suburbian malls. I''ve bought a few items here and there, and my few experiences with customer service were okay.

Cartier. I love the 1895 Solitaire ring, but erm. I''m not sure if I would feel comfortable going to them for regular maintenance / repairs.

Has anyone experienced the customer service of Cartier and/or Tiffany and would be willing to give feedback on it? Thanks.

 

[sba771]

I am not sure if this will help, but it is a bit of my experience at Cartier. So my FI and I bought a necklace at the 5th Ave store and a few months later we went back to look at e-rings. We had the same salesperson and he was very very helpful. In the end we had a ring custom made based on the 1895 setting because FI wanted to get me a bigger diamond (He could easily afford Cartier, but the stone would have been closer to 1.5 carats and instead I now have 2.35) and I don''t wear the ring box on my finger so unless you are an expert it is hard to tell it isn''t from there. Anyway, I went back to price a LOVE bracelet and my guy was not there and the saleslady was beyond rude to me and would barely help me. This upset me, I was wearing the necklace from them and looked nice, I am young and look it- but that shouldn''t matter as I requested information and she barely helped me. That left a bad taste in my mouth and I would not even take my necklace back there for cleaning. Despite this, I moved to Germany recently and couldn''t help but venture in the Cartier there- It was a completely different world and they were very helpful and nice to me there. My point is it depends on which actual store you go to and what sales associate you get. I am a big fan of cartier and you can afford it I do say go for it, but also don''t limit yourself either because there are lots of great jewelers out there with GREAT customer service. (The Philadelphia Cartier also has very nice sales associates- maybe NY is just snobby)

 

[missy]

Hi,
I went to Cartier on fifth ave recently to get my black opal ring (given to me by my mom) resized to fit my finger. My parents bought the ring in 1972 from Cartier on fifth.
The salesperson helping me was lovely and in fact quoted a time frame of about 3 weeks and instead I got my ring resized within a week so I was pleasantly surprised. Also, the salesperson quoted a price that was actually lower than it should have been but they honored their original quote which made me very happy. It is very expensive getting certain rings resized LOL.

However, I guess it is not a consistent experience given the last poster's experience unfortunately. I do find some of the stores to be a bit intimidating but so far I have only had lovely experiences at all the stores on fifth ave including Cartier, Harry Winston and Bulgari. But I do get giddy around all that gorgeous jewelry!

Best wishes,
Missy

 

[Deelight]

The Tiffany''s near me has okay customer service it is really a hit and miss, The Cartier is so tiny they have one engagement ring to view but they are friendly.

However on my recent travels my FI and I did pop into both in a couple of countries. We went to both the Cartier and Tiff''s stores on 5th ave and found Tiffany''s customer service to be exceptional to that of Cartier''s they were really helpful we had loads of people coming to help us at every counter (they ignored other people who had been there longer to serve us) and when we weren''t at counters even then the service was exceptional essentially we were told any help we needed even it weren''t to do with Tiff''s to just ask.

Cartier wasn''t bad service it just paled to what we experienced at Tiff''s which really was the above and beyond what you would expect of a jewelery store even a high end one.

In London we went to Harrods again the customer service at Tiff''s was far surpassed to that of Cartier, in Cartier we were ignored and in Tiff''s we had the loveliest SA ever, if I do end up getting my wedding band from Tiff''s I would want to deal with her she was a gem.

I think like others have said it is a hit and miss, try and find a SA you feel comfortable with.

I do have to say I really love the 1895 setting as well, beautiful

 

[md74]

My husband and I went to Tiffany''s when we were looking at rings (to get an idea of what I liked before we got engaged - he later picked the ring himself and got the stone by itself elsewhere). They were eh, ok. I have not made a jewelry purchase from Tiffany''s, I don''t think, but I have gotten other items there, and they were fine.

Cartier on 5th avenue, I have to say, has had excellent customer service every time I have been there. I bought cufflinks for my husband once in the rain, wearing jeans and sneakers, and that shopping experience is actually a very special memory for me (I know that sounds kooky), because I was treated SO well, even dressed as I was, and the cufflinks are one of my husband''s favorite gifts.

I also purchased a limited edition pen for my husband for a wedding present, which had to be found at another location, and we were treated very well. My husband and I also wandered in one day and I ended up getting a pair of love earrings (rose gold hoops). I have been treated very well in every instance.

I know another person said that they had a had experience, which is unfortunate. I am sure that at either store someone could have a bad day, and not be a long term employee if that is a recurring tendency of theirs. But, overall, my experience with Cartier has been excellent.

I hope you get whatever you really want, and then you deserve very good service no matter where you went.

 

[crown1]

Date: 11/3/2008 9:55:22 AM
Author: Deelight
The Tiffany''s near me has okay customer service it is really a hit and miss, The Cartier is so tiny they have one engagement ring to view but they are friendly.

However on my recent travels my FI and I did pop into both in a couple of countries. We went to both the Cartier and Tiff''s stores on 5th ave and found Tiffany''s customer service to be exceptional to that of Cartier''s they were really helpful we had loads of people coming to help us at every counter (they ignored other people who had been there longer to serve us) and when we weren''t at counters even then the service was exceptional essentially we were told any help we needed even it weren''t to do with Tiff''s to just ask.

Cartier wasn''t bad service it just paled to what we experienced at Tiff''s which really was the above and beyond what you would expect of a jewelery store even a high end one.

In London we went to Harrods again the customer service at Tiff''s was far surpassed to that of Cartier, in Cartier we were ignored and in Tiff''s we had the loveliest SA ever, if I do end up getting my wedding band from Tiff''s I would want to deal with her she was a gem.

I think like others have said it is a hit and miss, try and find a SA you feel comfortable with.

I do have to say I really love the 1895 setting as well, beautiful

oh my, i think the store that helped you, before others left waiting, offered the worst service of all. it would have embarassed me if i was taken before others left waiting.

 

[Harriet]

Cartier, hands down. 5th and Madison (ask for Keith or John).

 

[Deelight]

Date: 11/3/2008 10:42:04 AM
Author: crown1

Date: 11/3/2008 9:55:22 AM

Author: Deelight

The Tiffany''s near me has okay customer service it is really a hit and miss, The Cartier is so tiny they have one engagement ring to view but they are friendly.


However on my recent travels my FI and I did pop into both in a couple of countries. We went to both the Cartier and Tiff''s stores on 5th ave and found Tiffany''s customer service to be exceptional to that of Cartier''s they were really helpful we had loads of people coming to help us at every counter (they ignored other people who had been there longer to serve us) and when we weren''t at counters even then the service was exceptional essentially we were told any help we needed even it weren''t to do with Tiff''s to just ask.


Cartier wasn''t bad service it just paled to what we experienced at Tiff''s which really was the above and beyond what you would expect of a jewelery store even a high end one.


In London we went to Harrods again the customer service at Tiff''s was far surpassed to that of Cartier, in Cartier we were ignored and in Tiff''s we had the loveliest SA ever, if I do end up getting my wedding band from Tiff''s I would want to deal with her she was a gem.


I think like others have said it is a hit and miss, try and find a SA you feel comfortable with.


I do have to say I really love the 1895 setting as well, beautiful

oh my, i think the store that helped you, before others left waiting, offered the worst service of all. it would have embarassed me if i was taken before others left waiting.

No I wasn''t embarrassed I simply pointed them into the direction of the people that were waiting before and waited my turn.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

My experiences buying jewellery at Tiffany in the States and Canada have all been stellar. Follow up service the same.

cheers--Sharon

 

[grapegravity]

My experience from Tiffany in US and Canada is pretty good.. except I have to wait in line for a SA to help me since it''s always so busy there....

Hven''t been to a Cartier yet.. I''ll find out in my Asia trip in 5 weeks...

 

[bee*]

I''ve only been into Cartier once and I was pretty much ignored, but it may have just been the SA that was working that day. I got my e-ring in Tiffanys and the service was brilliant! We spent hours there, tried on a lot of rings, decided to wait to decide for a few days and they held the ring for me without a problem or a deposit. As we were flying back to Ireland, they did the sizing extremely quickly. I also needed my valuation in euro and with the Irish tax rate included and it was all done quickly. Can''t say enough about how helpful they''ve been.

 

[lakai]

Both are great. Cartier service is a little more on the personal level. Tiffany''s service just as good but you might end up dealing with many people.

 

[tiffanyornot]

Date: 11/2/2008 11:43:05 PM
Author:erasable
I love the Cartier 1895 Solitaire setting and somewhat like the Tiffany setting, but I worry about the customer service after I buy the ring.

Tiffany stores are ubiquitous in suburbian malls. I've bought a few items here and there, and my few experiences with customer service were okay.

Cartier. I love the 1895 Solitaire ring, but erm. I'm not sure if I would feel comfortable going to them for regular maintenance / repairs.

Has anyone experienced the customer service of Cartier and/or Tiffany and would be willing to give feedback on it? Thanks.

My advice is that whether you like the ring should be your first priority. The difference in customer service between the two may or may not be significant and certainly no one can give you an answer definitively one way or another as to who has better customer service. We can only provide our own experience which is of course anecdotal evidence.

What will be certain is the difference in designs and price. I think you should concentrate on what is certain rather than what is uncertain.

If you love the Cartier setting but only somewhat like the Tiffany ring, then it is a no brainer: you should go with Cartier.

 

[UCLABelle]

Perhaps it is my fault for dressing down (jeans and a t-shirt, no makeup) but I am almost NEVER helped at Cartier. Never. And I have been many times, to many different ones. I have on occasion had a nice experience, but in general I now just look from the outside.

I have some pieces from Tiffany and typically LOVE their customer service. With my e-ring they are SO SO KIND AND HELPFUL! Another place pretty nice is HW!

However, while important, I would care more about the services (i.e. Tiffany''s free sizing, cleanings, etc...I am sure Cartier must have the same...) than I would about whether they are "nice"....IMHO-

Good luck!

 

[kcoursolle]

My personal feeling about this is that if you aren''t getting excellent service at a place where you are paying a premium, you should take your business elsewhere.

 

[winternight]

If you''re asking about actual repair and cleaning services then I can comment only on Tiffany. I''ve had a good experience with them. No problem getting my ring and other jewelry cleaned, checked. Once they did a bad repair on a pair of pearl earrings but made up for it by insisting that I just pick out a new pair. Cartier I haven''t bought anything at. I''m sure with either it will be fine, just pick the style you like whether or not someone else can tell what it is.