Help - My jeweller did a terrible job

[LadyBlue]

I was wondering if there is any place in Toronto where you can take the ring to be polish. Maybe someone that actually know how to do the job, the ring can be end up being very pretty.

 

[jmiranda]

Just wanted to let everyone know why I designed the ring the way I did since I hav''nt explained it before. I had the centre stone as low as possible because she has never liked any of her other rings to protrude out too far. I chose six smaller stones on the side to represent the 6 years that we have been together and the centre stone to represent the 7th year so she remembers the moment. She also likes the finer details in regards to anything that involves craftsmanship so thats why I designed it the way I did. Overall she loves the design and says its better than what she expected so I am totally happy about that. I just hav''nt found anyone who is able to finish the ring properly as everyone says that they don''t have tools that would reach into areas so small. This is a long shot but is there anyone who has an intricate one peice ring made in platinum and had it polished? Also does anyone know anybody that would be willing to fix this in Toronto?

 

[jmiranda]

So I got a call from the jeweler. Here is the situation: I already reported the case to the BBB and told him my intensions to get the media involed (newspaper, flyers etc.) and if not take it to court. I paid $1100 dollars for his work with about $500 being the cost of materials, which is what he had initially told me. He called me and offered to buy back the ring for $500 and give me my diamond back. I thought that was ridiculous as I would have pretty much paid him $600 dollars for nothing. After I refused his offer and said I either want the work redone properly or I want a full refund, he got really mad and said that if I take this to court, I will most likely lose and I would have to pay his lawyers fees as well. He also made a comment about suing me which I thought was quite funny as well. I beleive he has until July 6th to respond to the BBB (which coincidently is my birthday) so I will not respond to him until that date and then take furthur actions. What do you guys think of the situation now?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

It would make a lot more sense for him to refund you the cost of his labor..since he obviously did a bad job, which you shouldnt have to pay for.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 6/26/2009 9:24:32 AM
Author: jmiranda
So I got a call from the jeweler. Here is the situation: I already reported the case to the BBB and told him my intensions to get the media involed (newspaper, flyers etc.) and if not take it to court. I paid $1100 dollars for his work with about $500 being the cost of materials, which is what he had initially told me. He called me and offered to buy back the ring for $500 and give me my diamond back. I thought that was ridiculous as I would have pretty much paid him $600 dollars for nothing. After I refused his offer and said I either want the work redone properly or I want a full refund, he got really mad and said that if I take this to court, I will most likely lose and I would have to pay his lawyers fees as well. He also made a comment about suing me which I thought was quite funny as well. I beleive he has until July 6th to respond to the BBB (which coincidently is my birthday) so I will not respond to him until that date and then take furthur actions. What do you guys think of the situation now?

I don''t really know, I''d ask a lawyer.

Intricate Plat settings being polished can definitely be done, it''s just a metter of finding one around you. Or, would you be willing to send it off to someone in the states? That is, if someone were willing to do it.... it may be hard to find a jeweler who wants to work on someone elses piece.

 

[jet2ks]

I think he knows he will lose any court battle, as well as the dispute with the BBB, so is trying to scare you into dropping everything.

You agreed to pay $1100 for the setting to be made and finished correctly, which he didn''t do. He either needs to present you with an acceptable product or refund all that you paid, and it is obvious he is unable to do the first.

Good luck.

 

[arjunajane]

Wow, what a bully.

I wonder if what someone said earlier is the case, perhaps his business is going under as he
sure doesn''t sound he gives a damn at this stage.

He will lose in court, not you. You had a contract (even if it was just verbal), which he failed to meet his
obligation.

The only reason for him to to offer you the $500 is a cheap-o shot at trying to get out of paying the lot, as he knows that''s what will happen if it goes to the courts.
I''m not sure if you want to pursue this through court, but if you plan to, I would recommend (if you haven''t already), writing done everything that has gone on in detail - log the dates, times, method of communication, what was discussed, what was the outcome. Collect all sketches and other ppwk and make copies/back them up, etc etc.
I''m sure you have already thought of this, but it''d really be a good plan, as it may be a while before you
get your day, and memory fails us sometimes...best to have your ducks in a row if you plan to sue.

I''m sorry you are having to deal with such a loser.


If I were you, I would start a new thread with his store name in the title, and a link to this original thread with a short synopsis - therefore any other potential customers who may do research, this will pop up on google for them, and hopefully encourage them to avoid the same problems you are facing.

I would also follow through with at least one of your material threats, such as local news coverage/flyers/boycott - anything. Just so he knows you are not playing at this.

I know some may think my views extreme, but blatant scams of customers'' rights and expectations are a huge pet peeve of mine !

 

[CravingDiamonds]

First, Congrats on the enagagement. They way you designed the ring is really beautiful, too bad you and your fiance have to go through this. This guy seems like a tough one. I think he is just trying to scare you so he can take some of the money he owes you. I would say stand your ground and wait it out!

 

[Sharon101]

My opinion is that he is definately in the wrong and his work is shoddy. I would hope that you can encourage him to give you your money back due to pressure etc.

I personally dont think that getting lawyers involved, (let alone going to court) will be the answer as no doubt you will end up out of pocket (as well as him). You see just because someone `wins` a legal battle doesnt mean they are put back to where they were before the insident occured. eg. the judge might not rule for him to pay your court costs, sometimes if they deem the case trivial or wishy washy they let each party pay their own costs. Or even if the court rules for him to pay your costs, it may not be all the costs you have incurred. Plus no doubt your time is worth money and going to court can take up lots of your time.

My other thoughts are that you should not let him handle the ring again. Sure you lucked out on a setting. But it could have been worse if he had damaged your diamond. At the end of the day its your diamond that has the value and you can count yourself lucky that this crazy unskilled stranger who you trusted with your diamond didnt damage it.

So to summerise....try to bluff and blow some smoke around to get your money back. Enlist any help possible from consumer groups etc that you can report him to. Perhaps get legal advice and persue him with a letter or two. Try to pressure him with adverse publicity etc. But, I wouldnt be so gung ho about persuing this in court as the amount of the setting is too low to justify the real costs involved. If the jeweller makes a better offer you might think about taking it and just cutting your losses.

Good luck!

 

[ckrickett]

Date: 6/26/2009 4:07:53 PM
Author: arjunajane
Wow, what a bully.

I wonder if what someone said earlier is the case, perhaps his business is going under as he
sure doesn''t sound he gives a damn at this stage.

He will lose in court, not you. You had a contract (even if it was just verbal), which he failed to meet his
obligation.

The only reason for him to to offer you the $500 is a cheap-o shot at trying to get out of paying the lot, as he knows that''s what will happen if it goes to the courts.
I''m not sure if you want to pursue this through court, but if you plan to, I would recommend (if you haven''t already), writing done everything that has gone on in detail - log the dates, times, method of communication, what was discussed, what was the outcome. Collect all sketches and other ppwk and make copies/back them up, etc etc.
I''m sure you have already thought of this, but it''d really be a good plan, as it may be a while before you
get your day, and memory fails us sometimes...best to have your ducks in a row if you plan to sue.

I''m sorry you are having to deal with such a loser.


If I were you, I would start a new thread with his store name in the title, and a link to this original thread with a short synopsis - therefore any other potential customers who may do research, this will pop up on google for them, and hopefully encourage them to avoid the same problems you are facing.

I would also follow through with at least one of your material threats, such as local news coverage/flyers/boycott - anything. Just so he knows you are not playing at this.

I know some may think my views extreme, but blatant scams of customers'' rights and expectations are a huge pet peeve of mine !

yes and yes....

 

[Dreamer_D]

I don't think laywers would get involved in this as the sum is less than $5000, it would go to small claims where both parties represent themselves a la Judge Judy

! Look into that before you proceed.

You can buy rings like the one you designed made properly at places like Green Lake Jewelry Works (http://www.greenlakejewelry.com/) but you know how much a setting like that *really* costs when done right? About $3500 dollars. Yes, that's right, three times what you paid. So you can try contracting them and see if they will refinish it, but I imagine they will charge you the fair market value of such work, which is probably another $2000 bucks or more since labour is the lions share of the cost. But you really do get what you pay for.

ETA You can also try Linda Penwarden in TO (google her). She makes rings intricately designed like that and her prices are reasonable. But she will most likely want to re-make the ring rather than work with your casting.

But really, if it were me, I would take the $500 and consider the $600 a lesson learned. The hassel of dealing with this for another few months is NOT worth $600 in my opinion. Time is money, effort and emotions are money. Saving those is worth taking a hit.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 6/26/2009 4:07:53 PM
Author: arjunajane
I know some may think my views extreme, but blatant scams of customers'' rights and expectations are a huge pet peeve of mine !

I totally agree with you AJ, it completely ticks me off and I have dealt with similar issues myself in the past. But on the other hand, some people might consider that workmanship acceptable *for the price*. When you look to purchase something at 1/3 the price it is provided elsewhere, surely one must expect compromises? For goodness sakes, a simple plat solitaire costs $1100, never mind an intricate ring with 3x the metal! We also have no idea what level of quality was demonstrated in the other pieces the OP saw in the vendor''s shop before entering into this business transaction -- is this representative? Shouldn''t a consumer be leery of someone willing to accept cash only and not pay any taxes? Surely we consumers must sometimes accept some responsibility for our own actions, even when they cost us.

Just my thoughts! I feel for the guy, I really do having been there myself, but I''m not totally sure it is criminal to provide discount goods of discount quality. I''m willing to bet that some people would be perfectly happy with the finish on that ring... haven''t you seen the terrible pieces that many people wear?

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 6/29/2009 9:39:16 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
I don''t think laywers would get involved in this as the sum is less than $5000, it would go to small claims where both parties represent themselves a la Judge Judy

! Look into that before you proceed.

You can buy rings like the one you designed made properly at places like Green Lake Jewelry Works (http://www.greenlakejewelry.com/) but you know how much a setting like that *really* costs when done right? About $3500 dollars. Yes, that''s right, three times what you paid. So you can try contracting them and see if they will refinish it, but I imagine they will charge you the fair market value of such work, which is probably another $2000 bucks or more since labour is the lions share of the cost. But you really do get what you pay for.

ETA You can also try Linda Penwarden in TO (google her). She makes rings intricately designed like that and her prices are reasonable. But she will most likely want to re-make the ring rather than work with your casting.

But really, if it were me, I would take the $500 and consider the $600 a lesson learned. The hassel of dealing with this for another few months is NOT worth $600 in my opinion. Time is money, effort and emotions are money. Saving those is worth taking a hit.

Well said. It crossed my mind that the price paid for this custom made ring was very low and that is a relevant factor that cant be ignored in this `case`.

Anyway, these lessons happen to the best of us. I have a very badly made ring sitting in my drawer as we speak.....and that was a lesson that really hurts!!!!

 

[Lula]

Date: 6/21/2009 9:15:03 AM
Author: Maplecustom
This is my first post! YAY!

This situation concerns me though. Honestly if you cannot get out there everyday to picket or tell prospective customers of your situation, what I would suggest is that you type your story/situation out and create flyers. That way you can go there when you have time, hand them out to anyone going in or coming out of that jewelers store, and even post your flyers around the area and in nearby shopping centers. I would even recommend writing to your local paper or a paper local to the jewelers and let them know of your situation. Maybe they would be interested in a buyer beware article to stir up some dirt and give them a good review piece. If you are persisitent, and it seems you are, then I do not see why some negative attention to the jeweler would not help him to change his mind. Especially if the local papers are interested, they would probably want an interview and names, but anything to help you out would be great. Good luck in your situation. Please update us because you have all of our support and we would like to see you come out on top.

I''d be careful with this type of an approach; the OP could be sued by the jeweler for slander/libel. The BBB may ask the two parties to compromise to avoid a costly court option in a case with very little money damages (relatively speaking; I know it''s a lot of money to the OP).

As far as the tax fraud implications, if the jeweler can show that the OP knew that the cash option would allow the OP to avoid paying sales tax, the OP is not in a great position either. The government doesn''t like tax cheats, no matter who''s idea it was. The OP may be seen as complicit.

IMO, it might be best to chalk this up to a bad experience/lesson learned and move on. Have the diamond reset in a temporary setting and save up the $$$ to have it set in a properly designed and finished custom setting by one of the designers suggested by previous posters.

Just some things to consider - from my experience as a consumer who''s filed a BBB complaint and a former retail manager who''s fielded BBB complaints from customers, the BBB tends to see compromise as the most desired outcome.

 

[ms.halo]

Date: 6/29/2009 9:39:16 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

But really, if it were me, I would take the $500 and consider the $600 a lesson learned. The hassel of dealing with this for another few months is NOT worth $600 in my opinion. Time is money, effort and emotions are money. Saving those is worth taking a hit.

I agree with this 100%. I personally wouldn''t want to have a lawsuit to think about if I was recently engaged. Most of us have made a few mistakes with jewelry that have cost us much more than $600. Sometimes it''s worth it to just move on.

 

[Ryon]

Date: 6/26/2009 9:24:32 AM
Author: jmiranda
So I got a call from the jeweler. Here is the situation: I already reported the case to the BBB and told him my intensions to get the media involed (newspaper, flyers etc.) and if not take it to court. I paid $1100 dollars for his work with about $500 being the cost of materials, which is what he had initially told me. He called me and offered to buy back the ring for $500 and give me my diamond back. I thought that was ridiculous as I would have pretty much paid him $600 dollars for nothing. After I refused his offer and said I either want the work redone properly or I want a full refund, he got really mad and said that if I take this to court, I will most likely lose and I would have to pay his lawyers fees as well. He also made a comment about suing me which I thought was quite funny as well. I beleive he has until July 6th to respond to the BBB (which coincidently is my birthday) so I will not respond to him until that date and then take furthur actions. What do you guys think of the situation now?

To sum this up real quick. You should have known before purchasing what his policy was on the setting and refunds. You never asked so he has a lot of leverage on this situation! We purchase from online vendors because it is so secure, we are so informed and they have great policies that we understand before buying.

I think your making a big mistake. I know it is really unfair, but the majority of people on here are only saying what is right. Just because your innocent and this situation is unfair dosen''t mean you will win. The big things it will come down to is (do you have any quote from him in writing of the price), and how much can you really take from the guy? You just got engaged and i''m sure the last thing you need to be doing now is arguing with a jeweler for a long period of time on how it is not perfect. I wish I would have caught this thread earlier! By giving her the ring, she will be happy no matter what. However, the problems and what you see in it will never go away.

He will most likely win the court battle because I don''t see enough evidence and he did offer a refund. It wasn''t the most considerate refund, but it was a refund and about as good as he could do for all the work he put in it. On top of all of this, he will probly get a killer lawyer or if you have to represent yourself, expect him to come well enough prepared to easily win. (he can make up his policy, because you never asked)

I''m sorry about the situation, but like someone else said time=money... Just talk to her about what she really wants
I have not worked with WF or BGD but they both seem very good. I would also look into GOG because they carry so many designer rings!
Take this as a lesson learned (things like this happen all the time, I have had so much money stolen from me, wallet stolen etc.) Don''t trust anyone unless they are backed by BBB or JVC.

 

[makemepretty]

You did absolutely nothing wrong. I think it''s insulting for him to offer you only about a 50% refund yet want the ring back. You can sue him in small claims court or hire a lawyer. I would post on rip off report.com as well as follow up with the BBB. He did horrible work.

Word of mouth can be a powerful thing, if he loses even one customer-and you save that customer the heartache you went through-then it will have been worth it. Do not accept anything other than a full refund if you return the ring. Keep your diamond and set it in a new setting or find someone who may be able to fix yours. I don''t think you got a really great deal either. It''s not like he was doing you a favor. Good luck and congratulations anyway, your heart was in the right place and that''s all that matters.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 6/29/2009 6:24:08 PM
Author: makemepretty
You did absolutely nothing wrong. I think it''s insulting for him to offer you only about a 50% refund yet want the ring back. You can sue him in small claims court or hire a lawyer. I would post on rip off report.com as well as follow up with the BBB. He did horrible work.

Word of mouth can be a powerful thing, if he loses even one customer-and you save that customer the heartache you went through-then it will have been worth it. Do not accept anything other than a full refund if you return the ring. Keep your diamond and set it in a new setting or find someone who may be able to fix yours. I don''t think you got a really great deal either. It''s not like he was doing you a favor. Good luck and congratulations anyway, your heart was in the right place and that''s all that matters.

Well, he actually did make a couple of errors. He apparently did not see a similar ring made by this jeweler before purchasing. If I wanted a James Meyer style ring (or Greenlake or Leon Mege, etc.), I wouldn''t just expect that any ol'' jeweler down the street couuld replicate one of his designs well. And secondly, paying cash was a big red flag and almost guaranteed no refund.

I''d take the $500 and be very thankful I didn''t lose all my money. As dreamer said, that price was really too low for a quality piece of jewelry in the first place. I paid about $1600 for a plain platinum solitaire by Leon Mege. But we all learn by our mistakes and getting almost half the money back is certainly better than nothing.

 

[Ryon]

Date: 6/29/2009 6:36:43 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Date: 6/29/2009 6:24:08 PM
Author: makemepretty
You did absolutely nothing wrong. I think it''s insulting for him to offer you only about a 50% refund yet want the ring back. You can sue him in small claims court or hire a lawyer. I would post on rip off report.com as well as follow up with the BBB. He did horrible work.

Word of mouth can be a powerful thing, if he loses even one customer-and you save that customer the heartache you went through-then it will have been worth it. Do not accept anything other than a full refund if you return the ring. Keep your diamond and set it in a new setting or find someone who may be able to fix yours. I don''t think you got a really great deal either. It''s not like he was doing you a favor. Good luck and congratulations anyway, your heart was in the right place and that''s all that matters.

Well, he actually did make a couple of errors. He apparently did not see a similar ring made by this jeweler before purchasing. If I wanted a James Meyer style ring (or Greenlake or Leon Mege, etc.), I wouldn''t just expect that any ol'' jeweler down the street couuld replicate one of his designs well. And secondly, paying cash was a big red flag and almost guaranteed no refund.

I''d take the $500 and be very thankful I didn''t lose all my money. As dreamer said, that price was really too low for a quality piece of jewelry in the first place. I paid about $1600 for a plain platinum solitaire by Leon Mege. But we all learn by our mistakes and getting almost half the money back is certainly better than nothing.

I agree

 

[LilyKat]

I''m so sorry you''re having to deal with this. If I were you, I''d take the $500 and start afresh with a new setting untarnished by all the negativity.

Ditto those who have pointed out that you''re likely to be seen as just as involved in the tax evasion if you accepted a cash deal. You might end up in even more trouble as well as losing more money and having your engagement overshadowed by a messy court battle. I''d take the money, give him honest reviews to warn others, and consider it a lesson learned.

 

[Stone Hunter]

I just wanted to say that I''m sorry you are going thru this. It would really pain me. The ring isn''t right but don''t let that shadow your engagement.

Good Luck!

 

[Jelly]

I''m sorry you have to go through this. I would cut my losses and move on...you''ve got a wedding to plan, you don''t need the added stress of this.

Do you have more pictures of the ring? Perhaps you can upgrade the setting later down the road...it''s a nice ring with a lot of sentimental value, I''m sure your fiancee doesn''t like taking the ring off!

 

[makemepretty]

It is NOT his fault the jeweler did a crap job! Why should someone have to pay for faulty work and take a loss? I had some quality issues with two vendors that get raves on here. It happens even if they have lots of great reviews. I just kept the item and had it repaired locally, eating the cost, which I shouldn't have had to do. I'm sick of bad quality being sent out and vendors "hoping" they'll get away with it. Facets, Whiteflash and many others have had posts on here with people complaining about crooked prongs, stones falling out, the stone set weird, etc. Is it EVER the buyers fault?

I paid $1500 for a custom setting so I don't think his $1100 is that great of a bargain. It really depends on the area you live in. A consumer never deserves to be ripped off IMHO.

 

[steph72276]

I''d take the $500 and run as I don''t think $600 would be worth the time, money, emotion, effort, etc. of a court case that you may/may not win. I would just chalk it up as a lesson learned.

 

[jmiranda]

Ok, So now I''m all mixed up on what to actually do based on eveyones comments here. Here is all the information I have. I have an initial reciept stating the quote with a slightly higher price of $1250 for platinum and he told me it would go up or down depending on the price at the time it is cast. I also have an e-mail he sent me with the price I paid stated by the jeweler himself. I have pictures of the type of finish I wanted on the ring which coincidently is the greenlake design posted above. The only change I wanted was a half bezel instead of a full and exactly six diamonds on the sides. He, at no point in time mentioned that the finish would look the way it is. I had all the CAD work sent to me by e-mail and have a paper trail of most of the transactions. Does this not give me enough of a case to take it to court? I personally don''t mind spending time on this so thats not a big issue at all. About the cash deal, I personally only paid cash because I never wanted to put it on my mastercard because my now fiance had access to my Mastercard account. I even had a story set up that I put some of my money in a savings account so she would''nt find out. I have her as proof of that. Do you guys still think it''s not worth fighting. I am currently extremely confused on where I should go from here.

. I''m currently waiting on the BBB before I even go any furthur.

So now with the information I provided above, Is this worth a fight?

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 6/30/2009 7:27:47 AM
Author: jmiranda
Ok, So now I''m all mixed up on what to actually do based on eveyones comments here. Here is all the information I have. I have an initial reciept stating the quote with a slightly higher price of $1250 for platinum and he told me it would go up or down depending on the price at the time it is cast. I also have an e-mail he sent me with the price I paid stated by the jeweler himself. I have pictures of the type of finish I wanted on the ring which coincidently is the greenlake design posted above. The only change I wanted was a half bezel instead of a full and exactly six diamonds on the sides. He, at no point in time mentioned that the finish would look the way it is. I had all the CAD work sent to me by e-mail and have a paper trail of most of the transactions. Does this not give me enough of a case to take it to court? I personally don''t mind spending time on this so thats not a big issue at all. About the cash deal, I personally only paid cash because I never wanted to put it on my mastercard because my now fiance had access to my Mastercard account. I even had a story set up that I put some of my money in a savings account so she would''nt find out. I have her as proof of that. Do you guys still think it''s not worth fighting. I am currently extremely confused on where I should go from here.

. I''m currently waiting on the BBB before I even go any furthur.

So now with the information I provided above, Is this worth a fight?

The fact still remains that your design is a much more expensive ring. You have to ask yourself if you could get another jeweller to back up your story if he knew what the job cost you. At the end of the day there is a going market price. The price includes intangibles that you might not be aware of. eg rent, purpose built expensive machinery, the jewellers specialised skill from years of study and practice. Plus be aware that polishing is a very time consuming manual job. The difference between a high end finish and a low end finish isnt always just the materials but the extra time that goes into polishing and buffing the piece. Plus your setting includes diamonds which are usually expensive to get set.

I would consider keeping the ring but seeing if someone else with the right equipment could finish it off a bit better. At the very least you need to get some opinions from jewellers in your area about how much the job is really worth and if the piece is fixable.

Perhaps if that option doesnt work out, see if your jeweller would offer you an extra $100 so you loose half the money. ie $500 meet him halfway.