Kay''s Jewelry Needs to Learn Their ABC''s!

[Venice]

I was at the mall a few days ago with my sister for a day of Christmas shopping. We were passing Kay''s when my sister stopped to look at their new Jane Seymour line. I spotted a pair of earrings in a rather dingy brown color (obviously NOT Ideal cut like the beauties we see here!). The elderly gentleman took them out of the case and told me that they were an L-M color. And then he told me that, "This pair of earrings are, what we call a Fancy Yellow." I told him that "Fancy Yellows" do not have a letter color on the D through Z color chart. They are listed in their own category for Fancy. I just walked away...

I am very sad that this is allowed to happen today. The next person to ask him just might believe him.

 

[neatfreak]

Unfortunately it happens daily in maul jewelry stores across America...

 

[btrflygrl23]

OMGosh your story made me want to tell my own recent experience at Kay''s

Different than yours of course but down the same path...maul stores are misinformed!
I too was in the mall shopping with FI and I had seen the commercials for Jane Seymour''s line and I liked the concept and thought why not just take a look at them. BTW I just want to say too bad she didn''t work with a PS vendor then they would have been AWESOME!

So we go in...

Right away we are pounced on by a man, another man and then a young girl in the span of like a minute. So I told her what I told the other TWO men who asked me the same question I am just here to browse the Jane Seymour collection she says fine but just stands there right in front of the case with the open hearts and just sits there watching me look at everything which was very uncomfortable and then she tells me we ONLY HAVE ONE of each item, we are open till 9pm today and I can''t guarantee that anything you may want will be here if you don''t pick it up NOW and her name is so and so, what is my name, here is a card AND I am lucky that they are having a jewelry cleaning event at the store and if I get anything from the collection THEY are happy to clean my other jewelry and make it look as nice as the new piece I get from them?????????

So I thanked her and said I really only came to look at the collection and that it was fine if any of the pieces sold by 9pm and that I would rather not leave my name as I was just browsing and thank you for the offer to clean my other jewelry but that my e-ring and other pieces came from WF and they ALWAYS look shiny and nice.

TO which she goes WF? Who are they I''ve never heard of them we are America''s number one jeweler AND most other places sell stones that THEY at Kay''s REJECT???!!!!!

AND no one else carries the LEO diamond a certified diamond that is guaranteed to outshine and out sparkle ANY other diamond

OK so I told her that I''d rather not get into a long discussion with her about cut and quality of diamonds as I am in a hurry and that I am over the moon happy with my e-ring even if it isn''t a LEO diamond and left.

FI was surprised that I didn''t lay into her but really what is the point and I think I would have really lost my temper and not been too nice if she had kept giving me inaccurate info about pretty much anything diamond related.

Sorry to thread jack but just an example to say you are SO right and I totally agree with you maul stores...what a headache they can be at times!

 

[Mrs W]

OMG, how sad

 

[kcoursolle]

yeah...this is why I never set foot into mall jewelry stores anymore!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:57:28 AM
Author: kcoursolle
yeah...this is why I never set foot into mall jewelry stores anymore!

I have always wanted to make a BS bingo card for diamonds and go to a chain store but I haven''t been that bored yet.

http://www.bullshitbingo.net/cards/bullshit/

 

[stone-cold11]

Storm, sound like a great idea.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/8/2008 4:25:10 AM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 12/8/2008 12:57:28 AM
Author: kcoursolle
yeah...this is why I never set foot into mall jewelry stores anymore!

I have always wanted to make a BS bingo card for diamonds and go to a chain store but I haven''t been that bored yet.

http://www.bullshitbingo.net/cards/bullshit/

Works great for board meetings apparently!

 

[Moh 10]

Karl, that link is hilarious!

 

[genki]

I''ve been lurking on this board for the last few months, but when I read these stories I just had to register so I could share my own.

I''ve been looking for engagement rings for the last 3 months or so. I actually found a setting design that really liked at Kay''s and was debating on purchasing it from them but the sales people were so pushy and uninformed that instead I went to a local jeweler with pictures of the setting I liked and had them recreate it for me.

The thing that turned me off to Kay''s is when I went into the store to look at their loose diamonds because the diamond that came set in the ring I liked was smaller than what I wanted. I thought their prices were a little high and the quality was for the most part lacking. Additionally, most of the stones they had were not certified.

The salesperson tried to defend Kay''s by saying that:
1. The certification companies couldn''t be trusted to give accurate ratings because ratings for things like color and inclusions are so subjective, but I could trust Kay''s because they have experts that look at every diamond they sell and ensure the quality. He promised me that Kay''s had their customers best interests in mind because they wanted to establish a long-term relationship with their customers.
2. The size was by far the most important part of a diamond so the certification isn''t important since they can easily measure and show me the diamond weight at the store if I wanted.
3. Any diamond that had fewer inclusions than a VS2 was a bad choice because (I''m not making this up) "having inclusions in the stone is a good thing." He argued that the inclusions in the stone were like a unique fingerprint for the diamond that will allow us to easily identify it to make sure that when we take in the ring to get it cleaned, we are getting our diamond back.

Anyway, I was rather disgusted with their sales tactics and will probably never make a purchase from Kay''s because of this experience. Thank goodness for reliable sources of information like pricescope.

 

[vintagelover229]

Date: 12/8/2008 1:45:46 PM
Author: genki
I''ve been lurking on this board for the last few months, but when I read these stories I just had to register so I could share my own.

I''ve been looking for engagement rings for the last 3 months or so. I actually found a setting design that really liked at Kay''s and was debating on purchasing it from them but the sales people were so pushy and uninformed that instead I went to a local jeweler with pictures of the setting I liked and had them recreate it for me.

The thing that turned me off to Kay''s is when I went into the store to look at their loose diamonds because the diamond that came set in the ring I liked was smaller than what I wanted. I thought their prices were a little high and the quality was for the most part lacking. Additionally, most of the stones they had were not certified.

The salesperson tried to defend Kay''s by saying that:
1. The certification companies couldn''t be trusted to give accurate ratings because ratings for things like color and inclusions are so subjective, but I could trust Kay''s because they have experts that look at every diamond they sell and ensure the quality. He promised me that Kay''s had their customers best interests in mind because they wanted to establish a long-term relationship with their customers.
2. The size was by far the most important part of a diamond so the certification isn''t important since they can easily measure and show me the diamond weight at the store if I wanted.
3. Any diamond that had fewer inclusions than a VS2 was a bad choice because (I''m not making this up) ''having inclusions in the stone is a good thing.'' He argued that the inclusions in the stone were like a unique fingerprint for the diamond that will allow us to easily identify it to make sure that when we take in the ring to get it cleaned, we are getting our diamond back.

Anyway, I was rather disgusted with their sales tactics and will probably never make a purchase from Kay''s because of this experience. Thank goodness for reliable sources of information like pricescope.

OMG...really? My Kay''s story goes as follows:

I already had my e-ring, and walked by to get at the food court and noticed they were having a restyle event. I decided not to go into the store, but to look on the outside ones that had the settings. Sure enough, 3 guys came up and asked me if I was planning on resetting my diamond. I responded, no thanks. I''m looking for a friend.

I then asked "do you have any GIA or AGS graded stones?" the reply was "no we don''t carry that. We have EGL which follows the same strict guidelines that GIA put out". I said "really...so how come when an EGL stone is graded by the GIA it comes back 1-2 colors and claity''s different in grading?"

No kidding...the guy told me that "grading is a matter of opinion". I flat out looked at him and said..."Um...hm". I wasn''t even going to argue anymore. I rolled my eyes and walked away.

Another one is: My husband bought a really nice 500.00 watch from them when he was in college. Something broke on the band, and it was only a yr later. He took it to Kays and asked to get it fixed. The saleman told him "I''m sorry we can''t fix this...but I can give you a really great deal on...and he pulls out anoterh watch". My husband took his watch and left. He couldn''t beileve it.

One day a month down the road, he had the watch with him just because, and decided to walk into a random little jewlery/watch store. he wasn''t at home (out of town) and he asked the guy if he could fix his watch. They guy said, yes, it''s not even a big deal. He took my husbands address, and fixed the watched and shipped it back to him...
for 15.00!!!

Hmmm?

 

[Venice]

I have another story to share, albeit not about Kay''s. My mother''s gentleman friend bought my mother a .84 ct. solitaire ring from a jewelry store in my area. He has four stores in the state. It did not come with a certificate, but he told them that it was a J, SI2. I told my mom that he should have at least supplied a little more information about it, so I took her to the store to ask the owner if he could supply the depth and table percentages, and any other data such as fluorescence. He started to YELL at me saying he was friends with the local police (I don''t know what brought that about!). And he really lost his temper when I said that maybe we should send it in to GIA.

My mother''s diamond looks horrendous when I look at it through the loupe. I am so tempted to get it appraised, but my mom doesn''t care.

 

[Venice]

I have another one to add from today. My sister and I were shopping (again), this time at JC Penney. My sister was looking at the jewelry boxes, so I drifted off to the diamond showcase just to the right. As I was looking at all of their diamonds I noticed that they were all graded I1-I2. The sales assistant asked me If I needed any help. I asked her if they carried any diamonds besides I1 & I2 clarity. She said, "Yes we do! Over here are E-F clarity. D is the highest you can go in clarity, so these have really high clarity!" I told her that was not the clarity, that was the color. And then she repeated her statement again! Unbelievable! Again, I just walked away...

 

[Dreamer1116]

Date: 12/9/2008 12:53:50 AM
Author: Venice
I have another one to add from today. My sister and I were shopping (again), this time at JC Penney. My sister was looking at the jewelry boxes, so I drifted off to the diamond showcase just to the right. As I was looking at all of their diamonds I noticed that they were all graded I1-I2. The sales assistant asked me If I needed any help. I asked her if they carried any diamonds besides I1 & I2 clarity. She said, ''Yes we do! Over here are E-F clarity. D is the highest you can go in clarity, so these have really high clarity!'' I told her that was not the clarity, that was the color. And then she repeated her statement again! Unbelievable! Again, I just walked away...

HAHAHA!!!--That is hilarious--terrible, but hilarious!!!

 

[oldmancoyote]

Do you go looking for them (nutcases), or to they come find you?

 

[Venice]

Date: 12/9/2008 5:09:35 AM
Author: oldmancoyote
Do you go looking for them (nutcases), or to they come find you?

You are so funny! Actually, I HATE maul jeweler''s, and I stay away from them because of their lack of knowledge about the product they sell. As a diamond lover I just naturally gravitate towards them if there are any nearby!

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

Date: 12/9/2008 5:09:35 AM
Author: oldmancoyote
Do you go looking for them (nutcases), or to they come find you?

Sometimes it''s hard to resist when we are bored and need a good belly laugh!

 

[SandraPaneczko]

I had a really bad experience with kays to. It goes something like this...

In July of this year my husband purchased me a wedding set from kay jewelers. The Leo diamond. I was very happy with it at first but the more research I did, the more I was regretting his decision. He paid a total of just under 7,000 with lifetime dipping service. I came to relize all about IGI reports and how they are worthless. I also came to realize the premium he paid was through the roof. example... my Leo E ring .69 I SI1 4,000!!!! way over priced. I wanted VS clarity and G color, of course Kays mostly carries SI-I. The sales rep informed my husband that we could upgrade any time, leaving out the major details and conditions of their upgrade policy and men never read the fine print.

He gave me the rings in July, we were in Hawaii because my husband is TDY there. Well in August, I came back to Guam for a month(where we are stationed) and there is NO Kay''s here, when I went back to Hawaii in September, it wasn''t until then that I actually saw a black spec in my enhancer diamond with my naked eye so.. One day I went to the store to talk to the manger because I was not happy with my Leos and I wanted to see what we could do. She went on about how I just have good eyes so I preceded to ask them to get a quote for VS stones like we originally planned. She told me LEO would take 2 days to get back to her. Then..she asked me when I bought the rings, she went into my husbands account looking for the date... Then told me Leo sometimes takes 4 or 5 days and to call or come back then.

okay... everything seemed fine until....
The following week I went back to the store. I spoke with someone else. This is when I learned about their ungrade policy. I was very upset. I was stuck with the SI that I didn''t want. The new sales rep went into my account and told me I was 2 days past my 90 day return policy. Needless to say I was LIVID. The manger of the store actually pushed me away on purpas so that I would miss my return date while knowing that I still had a few days to return the rings. HOW DIRTY!!

Any good store would have still let me return them only 2 days after. The lady felt so bad after I explained what happened. She was going to be sneeky and let me do a trade in. Well I ate lunch and came back. She acted like we never had a conversation. I waited as 3 sales reps were whispering together. Then another girl came over to tell me that they wanted to help me but they couldn''t.The system would not allow them to do anything and there was no over ride code WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP

The same thing happened to another couple my husband works with on his boat. In my eyes, kay jewelers is the biggest scammers I have ever come across!!! and I was not about to give them what they wanted by spending anymore on their poor quality stones. So this is what I did. I took my Great great grandmothers .82 G VS1(2) that got passed down to me and put in in a PLT Tiffany knife edge. I traded in the Leos for a 1.50 eternity band. I posted pictures a couple days ago in SHOW ME THE RING.
Now I am truly happy!!!

Sorry for the long post

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

Sandra, That is so typical! I am happy that you had a good outcome, though. Your new wedding set is beautiful and it is so cool that you have your GGGM''s diamond! Congrats!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Oh wow there are some horrific Kays stories out there. We have a Kays in my hometown, and my mom got her upgrade from there about 4-5 years ago (this was for her and my dad''s 20th wedding anniversary). She got a little over 1ct (not a Leo), but got the wedding bands from a different, local jewelery store. We didn''t know any better at the time (this was way before I discovered PS), and she did a trade-in of a diamond RHR she had, so it worked out. I have the certs, which say that it is a 1.09 I I1 -it sparkles like mad, but she takes very good care of it. Plus the people at our store are SUPER nice.

But I havent seen the ring in a year, so who knows what it''ll look like now that I''ve had my eyes opened by PS - of course I definitely won''t say anything to my mom. She loves her ring, doesn''t see anything wrong in it, and if she enjoys it, not my place! But BF and I will NEVER go to Kay''s after reading all the terrible reviews ...