I got snubbed at Bailey, Banks & Biddle!!!

[diamondlil]

I went to the mall while my car was being serviced today, and can you believe I got snubbed in Bailey, Banks & Biddle!!!!!! I know this sort of thing has happened to a lot of you folks out there. Actually, it used to happen to me a lot more when I was younger, but I''m now 40 years old, and I am just so ticked off!

The sales woman was helping another lady when I walked in. We made eye contact, but she did not say anything. I proceeded to the diamond rings to look at settings. About 2 minutes went buy, and a man in a suit about 50-ish walked in. The saleswoman looks up and says, "Sir, I''ll be with you in just a moment." I spun around so fast, gave the woman the evil eye (as best I could) and walked out. Can you believe that?

Well, I''m playing cards with a bunch of my girlfriends tonight, and they will all hear about this. My friends all know I''m a jewelry nut, so for me to get the brush-off in a jewelry store is just sooooooooo wrong. I''ll definitely advise my friends never to shop there.

Just had to vent. I feel better now . . .

DiamondLil

 

[FireGoddess]

Ugh...that is so freaking rude. I wonder if she thought a man right before Valentine''s day is more apt to buy something than a woman? Which is just freaking inexcusable, and I would have walked out too! Except I would''ve wanted to say something like Julia Roberts does in Pretty Woman when she goes into the couture (sp?!) clothing stores after she''s got her sugar daddy and has bought a ton of stuff at other stores and says, "Big mistake. HUGE."

Snooty woman. I hope nobody buys anything from her.

 

[Mara]

Haha hell hath no fury like a diamond-lover scorned!!

Beware BBB!!!

Definitely take your biz elsewhere DL!

 

[dobie]

I''m very sorry to hear about this. As a man, I''ve never noticed this happening to me - serviced before the ladies and others in the store. If I do notice, I would probably insist other customers (man or woman) get serviced first.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I''ve been treated like that before a the jewelry counter in an upscale department store. I was really just browsing. Dressed in jeans with minimal make-up on, wearing nothing but a wedding band and earrings for jewelry. I stepped up next to a lady the clerk was helping, on the left of the customer. There was another customer on the right. A minute or so later, an older lady stepped up to the counter on my left. The clerk got finished with the first customer, looked at me as she stepped beyond me, then asked the older lady to my left (who had stepped up to the counter after me) if she could be of assistance. She was so overtly rude it really twerked me off. I also looked at the sales clerk with the "evil eye" and left.

I haven''t purchased a thing from that Dept store since.

 

[noobie]

Gee diamondlil, sorry to hear that.

Actually, BB&B is the one store that I consistently get good service at even though most of their reps are less than knowledgable. Other stores, it''s variable. Although, I''d rather be ignored than get the condescending once over with the eyes and the "can I help you" in a tone that really means, why are you here, are you lost?

 

[MelissaSue]

oh yeah.. they''ll totally snub ya in favor of a man this time of year. .They figure you''re not buying for yourself around valentines day. They think maybe you''re getting "ideas" so it won''t be an immediate sale for them..

Salespeople irritate me so I actually LIKE going to jewelery stores alone because they''ll leave me the heck alone and I can just look. If I have a question, I''ll ask.

 

[Blue824]

BB&B was so rude to my brother and I this summer when I shopped with him for an anniversary gift for his GF. We weren't looking at diamonds, but some white gold w/semi-precious stones and the lady rolled her eyes at us when we explained that our budget was $600. Which I don't even care if that is low, but he's 20, what does she expect? Even so, you treat your customers with respect. We liked something, and acted like we were going to buy it, then walked out. We went to another really sweet store, Christian something? I think they have a few locations...got her a beautiful bracelet though. Sales staff was so helpful and sweet to us.

Anyway, I'm really sorry that they treated you so poorly, I hate HATE poor customer service. Good customer service creates customers for life.

 

[Kamuelamom]

Date: 2/4/2005 11:33:46 PM
Author: noobie
Although, I'd rather be ignored than get the condescending once over with the eyes and the 'can I help you' in a tone that really means, why are you here, are you lost?

Oooooh, I had a similar experience at Ben Bridges (?) once, and after one guy who was wearing a suit forced himself to ask me if he could help me, (and did make a minute effort to) I knew right away that i knew more about cut than he did.

I politely left with a grin on my face which translated to "you can ki$$ my fanny ya dumba$$ cuz I'm buying *my* stone on the net.

 

[strmrdr]

I run into the same thaing at times and im a guy.
I tend to dress down computer geek style :}

I either get jumped all over or ignored by sales clerks no matter what im buying.
Both annoy me.
I want to look and if I see something I like I will ask to see it.
Id like to get left alone until I find what im looking for or have a question then get great service from that point on.
It never happens that way however.
Id rather buy online and not have to deal with sales people at all.

 

[Carolynw]

I just made a mistake of purchasing a Tacori Band from Baily Banks and Biddle.
I purchased a thinner band to go with my Tacori e-ring, and realized the next
day I didn''t want it, but another Tacori Band that matched perfectly. So.
I returned it the next day, mind you the receipt says 30 days return policy.
Plus the sales lady said, don''t worry if you don''t like it, bring it back,etc..etc..etc..
So, i did, and was told i had to wait two 2 weeks to get the 2000 I paid back.
No problem I said, and as she was putting it in the computer, I noticed a check
box to have the refund mailed to customer. I asked that she mail it since I live
30 minutes away. She insisted the store policy was to have the check sent to the
store and that I had to come pick it up. I thought that was alittle strange, since
it had the option to mail it. But, i agreed. Still it bugs me that they are insisting
I go back and pick it up. I callled the main company in Texas, and they said that
was strange too, so they called the store, and got back on the line to tell me, well
that is just their store policy. I am interested in another ring there, but I feel like
they are just making me drive back so that I purchase the other ring, I may do it,
but not sure now. I''m still waiting for the refund, 1 more week. Just FYI, if you
use credit card to pay at that store, you get immediate refund. But, I also agree
the sales ladies at this store are extremely rude.

 

[diamondlil]

It is probably true that this time of year, a man in a suit is more likely a paying customer in a jewelry store than a woman in jeans. But that''s definitely no excuse for being ignored. If she had come to me first, I would have told her, I''m looking at settings to get some ideas, and she could have moved on to the gentleman in the suit. Common courtesy goes a long way. Word of mouth goes even further!

I told my friends about what happened, and they were very surprised. My girlfriends know I buy all my own jewelry (my husband helps me pick and choose but knows I''d rather not be surprised) and I have helped them and their husbands when they buy things. I am a jewelry enthusiast, and it''s fun. That sales woman''s actions will not only influence me in the future, but all my friends who come to me for advice oin where to buy this or that.

There is another upscale jeweler in the same mall that I have purchased 3 very nice watches from over a 12 year period. They are always attentive, and I appreciate it. You never know when I''ll be ready to buy another, and they will get my business without giving it another thought.

DiamondLil

 

[Iceman]

She was on commission. Way back about 25 years ago when I was a young kid working at a jewelry store. We had a guy like that. He had a great eye for who was buying. I remembered one day, I worked my A$$ off selling about 40 pieces of Sowarski Crystal and a few items of jewelry that didnt add up to much more then $1,000. This guy is in the back room most of the day eating , joking and playing around. He comes out every so often and hits two big sales. He is the hero and gets all the paise. But it all paid off all the people that I treated like they were the only ones in the store remembered that and followed me to my current business. That other store, well it went out of business and that guy is selling vending machines.

I had a clerk take the ring she was showing out of the customers hand and put the ring back in the case , turned and walked away , when they mentioned they were going to see me next


You just dont buy fromt them. I dont buy from Walmart and Im sure they dont care eaither. Its piece of mind that they will never get one crying dime from you

 

[solange]

Most stores do not encourage the policy of favoring one customer over another. Often it is the person who looks least likely to buy who is serious and others who look more affluent are just looking.
When this has happened to me, I state that I am next and if I do not get satisfaction, I ask to see a manager.

I had an experience similar to this at Sotheby''s. The head of a department said he would be right with us and then waited on several people who came after us. Then when I approached him again, he said he was sorry but he would not have time to wait on us. I announced in a very loud voice that we have an account there and that he was terribly rude and had wasted our time. My husband was terribly embarrassed when I did this but we had made a special trip to see a specific item and needed more information. I was furious.

I then wrote a letter to him and to the company president and I received a hand delivered letter of apology from him. I ws even invited to a special private event and started to receive free catalogs from his department which usually cost $35 to $50.

There are some customers who obviously do not know what they want and can waste a lot of time when the salesperson can be making other sales and this is unfair. There is a polite way of dismissing them if this is obviously the case but not before they have even been waited on.This is very bad publicity for BBB. There are many prospective buyers who would be reluctant to go there after this report.

 

[didiamond]

I too am sorry to hear about this but there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for behavior like that from a store (ANY store for that matter)! Actually now that I think about it, I had a bad experience in BB&B last year with a sales person. She decided that because she wasn''t the one that sold it to me that she wasn''t going to give me the time of day. So I asked when the manager would be available and went in to see him the following day. Short of being rude myself about the whole incident, I explained that nobody should ever be treated in such a manner. He apologized profusely, said he would speak to her about this, and made sure that my jewelry problem was fixed ASAP.

I don''t have the patience for service like that and I will make as big of a stink about it as I can even if it means going all the way to the top!

 

[aeli]

I used to house-sit for a lovely couple that was incredibly wealthy. The wife had style and knew how to dress, but for day to day errands or shopping, she would go around town in sweats and sneakers, no notable jewelry (plain gold band). Imagine the sales that were lost because of all the salespeople who decided whether or not to help her based on the way she looked...

 

[Kamuelamom]

Date: 2/5/2005 2:14:16 PM
Author: didiamond
I too am sorry to hear about this but there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for behavior like that from a store (ANY store for that matter)! Actually now that I think about it, I had a bad experience in BB&B last year with a sales person. She decided that because she wasn''t the one that sold it to me that she wasn''t going to give me the time of day. So I asked when the manager would be available and went in to see him the following day. Short of being rude myself about the whole incident, I explained that nobody should ever be treated in such a manner. He apologized profusely, said he would speak to her about this, and made sure that my jewelry problem was fixed ASAP.

DD, for someone who buys as many sparklies as you do, I''d say there just isn''t any excuse. They have *no idea* who they are dealing with, do they?

For the kind of money you are able to put into your jewelry, I wouldn''t even bother with the management, I''d simply take my purchase elsewhere.

But the truth is, no one should be treated like that.

 

[Nihiladrem]

I my gf and her future MoH were out looking at dresses the other day and stopped by a jewlery store (I know no dresses there but we were drawn in what can I say).

Anyway niether my gf or I was interested in buying we were just looking, the friend who was with us through was sorta thinking if the right thing was there, well maybe. It being the week before valentines day though she couln''t have paid one of the three attendents clustered around "the couple" to help her. They saw no ring on my gf fingered and decided that we were much better targets than a single women in jeans and a hoodie.

 

[njc]

I have experienced plenty of rude sales people in maul jewelry stores, even uppper scale ones like Tiffany. There''s a family owned jewelry store in my hometown that 95% of my jewelry is from, that is one of the top stores there. My parents are really good friends with the owners and all us kids went to school together, and i have gone in there before by myself and been totally snubbed, only to have one of the owners come out and give me a hug or something... then everyone is all over me.

As for Bailey, Banks & Biddle, I have to say that the FI and I have only gotten great service there (but i agree, its hit or miss on the staff and their jewelry knowledge). He has bought me several pieces of jewelry from there, including my e-ring. I tried to get him to buy online, but he felt uncomfortable about it, and so went to the place he does feel most comfortable. Ive been back in the store a couple times with the ering, some by myself, and the service has been fine. But i am also one of those people that until i find what i want, id rather be left alone, although i do appreciate the "can i help you with anything today" when i walk in. I also search out the salesperson not doing anything and walk right up to them when im ready.

 

[jnybrk]

Me and my bf had the same problem where i live. The saleslady had no idea what ritani offered, she said that they only made
the ring in princess cut. I almost agreed to that ring because i didn''t know they made the asscher. She also lied about several of the policies of discounting rings and watches, that is what i am getting for graduation. We found another BBB in Atlanta that was very helpful and are purchasing through them. I was very disappointed with the service i got in AL. I believe she was rude to us because of age. Just because i look 16 doesn''t mean that i am. I completely understand your frustration.
jen

 

[Ponybear]

Upper managment is just as bad as the store. My wife & I went to the BBB store in our local upscale mall. This was at 11am on a Monday-the week b/4 Valentine''s day. We had shopped at this store b/4. The issue we had with store is not the reason for the post, so I will not "drag this story on too long". Needless to say, I called their main office to complain and was told i would get a call back the next day. Of couse ..no call". Sent an email to the main office, still no call or response to the email. What the heck it''s only been 2 weeks. I just don''t think they really care. But that just my opinion.

 

[glamgirl]

A small brick and morter store, which is owner run, I think would even be better than any mall chain jewelry store... ie Zales, Bailey Banks Biddle etc I think these chain types have suceeded because there are many many more people who would buy a diamond, without never questioning the cut and quality. Aside from the fact, that all this jewelry is in ideal condition lighting, especially in a shopping mall. Tiffany sells it''s name, and therefore, that makes people feel better about spending obscene amounts of money, and a ton of people want to "buy" the Tiffany name. The Tiffany name is pricey, the Cost? a much smaller rock, of equal or less than quality of what you could buy on pricescope!