Jeweler

[chappellkm]

My now fiancee and myself came across a great Tacori setting while on vacation and immediately looked into finding a jeweler in our city to purchase the setting and diamond. Much to our disappointment we could not find a store that had the particular setting, but one was more than willing to order the ring in on memo. We were quickly able to see the ring again and made the decision to purcahse both the engagement and wedding band. We picked a diamond and were told the process would probably take eight weeks due to us purchasing during the Christmas holiday. We patiently waited and the ring came in before Valentines day, but unfortunately the jeweler called our joint home and left a message to both of us knowing full well she was supposed to call then boyfriend at work so as not to ruin the proposal surprise. As if this weren''t enough when he proposed later that week, I noticed within fifteen minutes that the engagement ring was missing a side stone. Now, I know diamonds can fall out after time, but I also know you should be at least able to put the ring on. We immediately returned to the store to report the problem and were told the ring would have to be returned to Tacori for repair which would take another three weeks. At this point I am livid because we spent quite a chunk of money to get this ring and I expected to receive a quality ring with no troubles. The jeweler has now offended us further by offering to attune for this problem by offering us a $100 gift certificate to the store which amounts to less than 1.5% of the total cost of the rings. Please advise to what we should expect to receive from either Tacori or the jeweler as we are quite inexperienced in this type of transaction.

Thanks in advance

 

[EdSkinner]

Obviously the jeweler did not carry the Tacori line in his store. He wanted your business, so he got it for you. That is one plus for the jeweler. He called your joint home to tell you the ring was there. If you had instruced him not to do that, they shouldn't have. That is a minus. One thing I don't understand is that, you jointly ordered the ring? you knew it was comming. You knew he was going to propose, I if that is all correct, how did he spoil the proposal? Granted, it is a new ring and the stones should stay in the mounting. But since he is not a dealer with this line, he was probally forbiden to reset anything. Even if it had to get sized he may have had to send it back to the manufacturer. It may void any guarentee from the manufacturer. As for being insulted by the jeweler offering you $100 to appease you for your inconvience, that is better than what alot of others would give you, zilch. Also the jeweler got this on memo. Usually these items are priced very high, and there is a much lower profit margin to be made with these sales. I wouldn't be offended, he is trying to correct the situation and make ammends for the inconvience.

 

[chappellkm]

Actually in this case the jeweler is a Tacori dealer but did not happen to have the particular setting we were interested in. Secondly, they set the main stone. Although we did purchase the ring together with the eight week waiting time on the ring we had hoped that I would be unaware of when the ring came in and we would be able to have the actual proposal as a surprise. Since we purchased the diamond from the jeweler we are well aware that quite a lot of money was actually made on this transaction. Also, the setting is supposed to have 32 side stones, and the appraisal which was written before the main stone was set by the local jeweler read 31. I find this very questionable, but it was explained that all of this is downloaded from the computer. In that case, what is the point of the appraisal, its basically at that point a receipt. In addition, the jeweler wanted his craftsman to replace the diamond, but I suggested that Tacori be contacted to determine what the best line of action would be and they agreed the ring should be sent back to them. The first posting was quite lenghthy and I tried to keep some of the details out, but maybe this will help you all understand the situation further.

Again thanks for any information.

 

[EdSkinner]

Well we both have a different opinion on what is a "SUPRIZE". That out of the way. All Tacori suppied was the semi-mount. I pulled up Tacori's web site. Very pretty mountings, very intricate. It is quite possible the setter for the store may not have been able to replace the stone. There may have not been enough metal to set it or maybe he found a defect in the shank that nobody picked upbefore, and it had to be sent back to Tacori to be repared or replaced. The discription of the ring was probally a boiler plate, produced by Tacori. It is more than a receipt. It should have a description of the quality of the stones in the mounting and the weight. And if the sale was over $500 most insurnace companies require a appraisal and a ryder on your homeowners. A question: Did the ring have to get sized down? I don't know what model you got from Tocori, but alot of them look like they have diamonds all the way around the shank. If so they may have had to take a stone out. As for the 8 week wait, alot of shops close down after the holiday for acouple of weeks, hence the delay. Notice it is only three weeks this time. If your not satisfied with his olive branch ask him for more, everything in this business is negoitable. But then he might get insulted, migth not,who knows.

 

[strmrdr]

As for the diamond falling out well stuff happens yea it sux but its fixable.
You are complaining about the 3 week wait yet he offered to have his people fix it and it would have taken a lot less time?!?
OK
He offered a $100 gift cert. and your insulted?
Frankly I dont think he owed you one and it was a nice gesture.
It sounds like he is better than average a lot of shops would have just said we will send it in and you will get it in 4 weeks.
Dont call we will call you.

All he owed you was fixing your ring which he is having done anything beyond that is icing on the cake.

Im all for slamming people when they deserve it but it sounds like he is doing his best to do right by you.
Stuff is going to happen from time to time and how they handle it is what seperates the good from the bad.
Sounds like you have found a keeper even if you are a little upset right now.

Congrats on the engagement!!!
Kick back and relaxe and enjoy what is important, each other.

 

[Mara]

I can feel your pain. You paid alot of money for something and it arrived and it was not what was expected. I am running into the same issues with some of our vendors for our new furniture. Late or missing items, or I get half the couch and not the whole. Very frustrating.




My bottom line as a customer is simple. I give you money, you give me what I paid for. Everyone is happy. However, so many companies nowadays seem to have a problem filling this deceptively simple requirement. It's so unfortunate!! Spending alot of money doesn't even seem to get you very good service anymore either. What is the recourse?




I agree that the jeweler sounds to be doing right you. Unfortunately he ruined the surprise. And unfortunately, Tacori sent the setting without a stone (maybe) or it fell our or or or...who really knows. I agree you should have Tacori service ring, their 'warranty' may be voided if you have the local jeweler modify it (Vatche has this caveat...not sure if Tacori does as well). It's very unfortunate that the proposal and ring is not what you expected, and I do understand your frustration. But at least your jeweler is trying to work with you to get things fixed and still keep your business by offering the make-good of $100. If you are not satified with that, ask for more. They can only say no.




Stick to your guns and get what you want...but as long as the jeweler is forthcoming with assistance, you are ahead....trust me..after dealing with some of our vendors recently...you are getting more 'customer service' than we were able to with some of these well-known large companies!! Hang in there and don't be discouraged.

 

[pqcollectibles]

It has been my experience that some of the best things in life tend be a whole series of misadventures along the way to the finish line.

You are having a terrible time with your e-ring. Mara is experiencing similar events with her first new home. Many of us have similar stories surrounding huge events in our lives.

The jeweler seems to be fully aware of your disappointment. Jewelers help create life memories, and your jeweler knows this has not been great for you to this point. Your jeweler is trying to be helpful the only way he/she knows how. Can you get more than a $100 store certificate?? Maybe. It never hurts to ask. All they can say is no.

I know you cannot see it now, but this will probably become one of your great stories as a couple. Rather than detract from the ring, the trials and tribulations will add to the ring and your life together. You'll have a great provenance to pass on to your kids along with the ring. When times become rough, at some point in your lives, you'll look at your ring, and remember this experience. It will give you strength to endure and conquer what ever is thown your way together.

 

[chappellkm]

The ring did not have to be sized as it was custom made for me. The jeweler sends the ring to Tacori with sizing and diamond dimensions and they custom make the ring to these specifications. As I'm reading these replies I get the sense that customer service has gone downhill so significantly that people do not even expect things to be right anymore. My parents owned a retail business for over 20 years and growing up in that environment, I watched errors happen from time to time and was able to witness the effort my parents made to make things right for their customers. Many times at their own loss. In this situation the only party I see as losing is my fiancee and I.

 

[EdSkinner]

what is your ring size?

 

[pqcollectibles]

----------------
On 2/22/2004 2:24:49 PM chappellkm wrote:

The ring did not have to be sized as it was custom made for me. The jeweler sends the ring to Tacori with sizing and diamond dimensions and they custom make the ring to these specifications. As I'm reading these replies I get the sense that customer service has gone downhill so significantly that people do not even expect things to be right anymore. My parents owned a retail business for over 20 years and growing up in that environment, I watched errors happen from time to time and was able to witness the effort my parents made to make things right for their customers. Many times at their own loss. In this situation the only party I see as losing is my fiancee and I. ----------------

Not true at all, Chappellkm! I expect great customer service any time I spend money. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Something as simple as going thru the drive thru at a fast food restaurant drives me crazy. I can't tell you the number of times I've been shorted, gotten home, and somebody didn't have food.

Now, we always verify the order before we leave the parking lot.

As Bassett pointed out, a huge part of the Diamond/Jewelry Industry took a lengthy break during the Christmas Holiday. The break happens every year. Your jeweler may not have thought about the timing and failed to inform you. That is part of the initial delay you experienced. After that break, lots of diamond and jewelry orders are backlogged and it does take some time to catch up. The rush to catch up may be the reason for your missing stone. Humans do the work and the quality checks. Humans make mistakes. There was no intent on any one person's part to cause you strife. It's just been a series of unfortunate events.

I didn't mean to belittle your stress with this situation at all. Just sometimes in life, things like this happen. Please don't feel alone. We've all been there and it's not fun. Just hang in there a bit longer. You will get your beautiful ring and this will all be behind you.

 

[chappellkm]

My ring size is 5 1/4. I'm not troubled by the fact that the ring took 8 weeks. That was all part of the bargain in buying a designer ring. We realized it would cost more money and take more time. It's the additional time to repair the ring that troubles me. Don't get me wrong, the ring is absolutely gorgeous and I love it to death. My point in joining this forum was to get advice on how to procede with the jeweler. I don't want to be uninformed and unfortunately the internet does not provide what I can always think of as reliable information. I may have ommitted the good parts of this story like: Hey I'm engaged!!! and My fiancee is great!!! Many sites out there are saying the jewelers markup on diamonds and jewelery is almost over 100%. If this is the case I feel differently than if it were 15-20% which we've been told in other areas. I just want to be knowledgeable before I make any demands to the jeweler. I also feel for the human error item. We all make errors in our jobs, but this is a several person error as Tacori personnel, and the local jeweler personnel could have deducted that there might be a problem. I think the other issue I have is, is that I work as an auditor and work with several kinds of firms. Losses incurred by these firms for errors is significant, and great measure are taken to ensure quality products are the only ones shipped. Are jewelers not responsible for providing a faulty product. I know I'm starting to sound very angry with this whole situation, but it is very frustrating to tell people they can't see your new engagement ring because it had to be sent in for repairs.

 

[chappellkm]

Also the Tacori setting I chose was not one with diamonds around the entire band. In fact if anyone is interested, it is in the Panda collection on their website (www.tacori.com) style BA 4190. Although it is not pictured we also purchased the matching wedding band.

 

[tessa]

Well, if you plan to be married a long time and with this ring a long time, then I think you should try to have a non-antagonistic relationship with this jeweler.

If you ever need service or ring checkups wouldn't you want to be treated as a desirable customer rather than a dreaded complainer?

He made a peace offering and is taking care of the problem.
Some matters were out of his control.
Holding a grudge won't help you.

 

[EdSkinner]

The jeweler is responsible for defects in the ring. It seems that he is trying to rectify that. Your impatient for your ring. Did you buy it on a credit card. If so you have the credit company backing you.

 

[strmrdr]

Good points tessa.
The jeweler sounds like an ok dealer as I said above.

He has a loss also he has an unhappy customer and it is odvious he cares about it or he wouldnt have offered the $100.
If you accept the $100 he has a further loss but hopefully it will offset the first loss somewhat.
Cut him some slack he is trying to do right by you take the $100 and chill out a little.
That is rare in any industry these days and very rare in the jewelery business in my experence.
That is my advice.

 

[chappellkm]

This jeweler has not lost one dime in this situation. Not one!!! As I mentioned, businesses should have to attune for their problems and not cause more. The last I knew FedEx took one day to deliver packages, and I would think a company who put a faulty item in a customer's hand would rush that item through the system for repair. So in this situation I do have a problem waiting three weeks for something that should not take this long. As far as being antagonistic this jeweler is responsible to take care of semi-annual inspections and cleaning and also holds the warranty on all repairs to the settings regardless of what type of customer I am. If he does not take this responsibility seriously he will be reported to the BBB. It has become obvious to me that this was probably not the right place to come for advice. You can tell the people who are not in the jewelery business as they see the point of spending money and not receiving proper service. If you all run businesses I would recommend that customers beware as you are obviously unaware of the impact one unhappy customer can have on your business. For every one unhappy customer you have, 101 other potential customers will not shop at your business. It takes very little to appease customers. Apologies work, commitment to quick remedies, and sincere feelings of regret are the first step. All of which have not happened during any of this transaciton.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I'm not a jeweler or a diamond seller. I'm just a regular person like you trying to offer some perspective. Not to stress yourself out so when the situation will soon rectify itself. I've also learned a lot on Price Scope about the cost of doing business for the Local B&M's.

Saavy B&M jewelers know the internet exists, local competition is stiff, and typically don't mark up the sale price of diamonds 100%. The range is realistically more like the 15-20% you noted. Maybe, and I mean MAYBE, 30% tops. The jeweler is out money to this point that you don't know about. The jeweler paid for the diamond to be brought in initially. If the jeweler owned the diamond, not on memo, the jeweler accrued interest (most likely), until you purchased it. If the jeweler requested the diamond off one of the "Lists", the jeweler paid to have the diamond shipped in. The jeweler probably paided to have the setting shipped in for you to preview. The jeweler paid to ship your ring and the diamond to Tacori for setting. The jeweler is paying to ship your ring back to Tacori for repair.

Your ring might well have been THE BIG sale of the entire month for that local jeweler. Any additional cost that eats into the profit margin is a hit in their pocketbook in more ways than you can begin to imagine. Shipping costs alone to this point could easily be a month's phone bill for that jeweler. The inventory you see when you walk in the store probably carries hefty interest that must be paid. Does that jeweler have employees? Don't they expect a paycheck for their time? Does the jeweler own the building or rent the space?

The jeweler made a very nice overature. You were offered a $100 store certificate. That's a nice chain, or pair of earrings, or cuff links. You can give someone a nice gift for a birthday or Christmas and not even be out a penny.

 

[Mara]

chappell...coming to a forum like this and taking out your angst on unsuspecting forum members doesn't really do you much good.




Your original question was asking for help. help with what, please clarify. I am confused as to what you are looking for. You got the ring you paid for 2 weeks early. It has a missing diamond. The jeweler offered to send it back for repairs. You are unhappy with the timeframe for the repair. Is that the jist of the situation, MINUS all the drama? If so...what is the real problem? Shipping the ring back to tacori and having them make the repairs may very well be TACORI holding up the line. Sure it takes a day or two to ship something, but once it is received by Tacori, who knows what happens. Maybe you should take up this issue with Tacori? They DO have a phone number.




By the way, I am solely a consumer and as I noted I am unhappy with how many companies deal with their customers in terms of customer service these days. But let me just note that maybe 1 out of 5 vendors offered us any sort of discount or $$ restitution for the mistakes they made. In the end I was just so happy to get what we bought, even though it was 2 or 3 weeks late, that I just shut up. And I can be quite the raging bitch when it comes to customer service. I just got tired. At least you got $100!

In no way am I advising that you just lay down and take it. However, try to stop and think for a minute. Your only problem at this point seems to be that the repair may take 3 weeks. Did you ask the jeweler why it would take so long? What was his answer? Was it reasonable? Sometimes we may not like the answer we get but if it's reasonable...what is your recourse? Also, have you even considered that the original estimate was 8 weeks to get the ring and it was 2 weeks early. So maybe this estimated 3 weeks is really more like 2 weeks? Would that be as horrible?




To be honest, it seems to me like your emotions are working overtime on this 'problem'. I understand you are upset you can't wear your ring, but that is just the way the cards fall, which is very unfortunate, YES. Not happy with the jeweler? Don't use him again. We are not using our local jeweler again after the 2nd time that he screwed up with us. Yes it sucks we will have to find someone else local, but que sera sera. Life will not end.




Just get your ring repaired by Tacori, try to see if you can get the timing expedited directly with Tacori, and move on! Good luck.

 

[caratgirl]

Also, what you may not realize is that the jeweler may not have any clout with Tacori. They are a large manufacturer of jewelry and have 'x' number of jobs ahead of yours. Don't feel so slighted that the jeweler is not able to get the matter expedited. Verragio and DVatche also are fairly slow in returning repaired or custom goods. This has nothing to do with using Fedex or not. I think that the jeweler has tried to keep you happy. Attempting to get more $ in return for your inconvenience may only create bad feelings. What did you have in mind for an equitable 'settlement' for your anger over the situation?