appletini
Ideal_Rock
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MAJOR problems with Ritani (guidance requested)
- Thread starter GeoAtl
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Snooper
Brilliant_Rock
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FireGoddess
Super_Ideal_Rock
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belle
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Gypsy
Super_Ideal_Rock
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Sorry to bring this thread back but I did some investigation into this today. We carry Ritani and the principals are personal friends and felt there was probably two sides to this story. The gentleman who purchased this ring was NOT at fault and Ritani acknowledged that a mistake was made when the order was faxed in and marked yellow rather than the requested white gold. The PO said hold for confirmation , confirmed May 14. And set diamond high. Which means for Ritani to set the diamond high. The order sat for two weeks waiting for the confirm and diamond. Both at fault. One admits it.
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aljdewey
Ideal_Rock
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Bill, thanks for the diligence you put into finding out more details.
While it''s good to hear the other side, I have to confess that I feel more peeved by Ritani''s response to GeoAtl than by the initial error.
When it became evident that there was a problem, Geo''s response from Ritani seemed totally blase and dismissive. A customer shouldn''t have to pull teeth like that to get response, and he shouldn''t get attitude from the rep or have to bitch all the way up the chain to get at least *some* compromise. I don''t see that here from what has been relayed by Geo.
It also occurs to me that it''s Ritani who selects their exclusive distributors. Seeing that they select those distributors, they should be more partnership minded and willing to help their distributors out of a jam when needed. After all, this customer didn''t say "Oh, I want to buy a ring from SB.....let''s see what he has." Nope....he said "I want a RITANI setting, who carries it." In his mind, it''s a Ritani transaction.
When you select someone to be your dealer/distributor/some form of representative, there should be an expectation of certain standards. Believe me, it wouldn''t fly with me if Toyota wouldn''t back up my warranty on my car because of an administrative mistake made by my local dealer---who Toyota agreed to allow a franchise to.
Anyone can make a mistake......it''s what they (dealer/manufacturer, etc) DO about that mistake that is telling, and from the one side of the story that has been told, it really seems like Ritani dropped the ball. I''d be curious to hear their version.....from them, firsthand.
It''s almost as though the "big names" know that they can treat customers poorly because the desire for the product overrides their outrage at such treatment.
Gypsy
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Honestly the thing that bothered me the most about all of this was the fact that Ritani asked SB whether or not this was a 'good customer' before they expended the effort. They are a customer. Who ordered your product. It doesn't matter whose fault the mistake was. It WASN'T the customer's fault. It's your product name that's on the line. Climb down off your freaking pedestal and come up with a solution.
So what?? If he were a bad customer (what makes a bad customer anyway? One that doesn't pay their bill-- um... I assume he paid for it in part at least when he ordered it. So what exactly is a bad customer) they'd say, "screw you we don't care?"
And as for Steve being from a foriegn country and not trained in customer service. As someone whose family is from another country and deals with customer service (when in the 'old country' the thought is laughable)... TOUGH. That's absolute crap if you ask me. He's in the customer service business, albiet one step removed. Being foriegn isn't an excuse for being stupid and rude. And frankly while I respect you greatly Bill, I'm offended at the implication.
So what?? If he were a bad customer (what makes a bad customer anyway? One that doesn't pay their bill-- um... I assume he paid for it in part at least when he ordered it. So what exactly is a bad customer) they'd say, "screw you we don't care?"
And as for Steve being from a foriegn country and not trained in customer service. As someone whose family is from another country and deals with customer service (when in the 'old country' the thought is laughable)... TOUGH. That's absolute crap if you ask me. He's in the customer service business, albiet one step removed. Being foriegn isn't an excuse for being stupid and rude. And frankly while I respect you greatly Bill, I'm offended at the implication.
Mara
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I had actually forgotten that Kayla had some problems with her Ritani rings too...I found her old thread earlier when trying to show a friend her setting. Something about a crooked basket and then a runaround on getting things fixed. Seems like Ritani needs to ensure better communication with their chosen retailers AND be ready to get involved directly with the customer to make sure that things happen on an appropriate timeframe. I think their settings are stunning and I also like that they are a more affordable designer who still seems to have good quality....but seems like they have kinks to work out for sure. Sometimes there is a downside to having a middleman retailer as your liasion. I always prefer to work directly with a manufacturer...it's just how I am...there's no miscommunications or confusion then unless it's flat out MINE or THEIRS.
Wonder if there's any sort of repucussion for someone like SB who dropped the ball? Do they get any sort of ding for this from Ritani?
Wonder if there's any sort of repucussion for someone like SB who dropped the ball? Do they get any sort of ding for this from Ritani?
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With all do respect Al and G I understand where your coming from and I make no excuses for how a company handles CS but the time line here bears somes understanding. 6/2 was a Friday and was a time where a Hasidim Jew was to be home before sundown. Steve''s question to SB was if he needed to come in on a Saturday to make the piece he would make it happen which is highly unusual for Steve had a wedding to attend that day. Steve made it happen. They would have made the piece in platinum but platinum and gold fabrication are two different bed fellows. The work order was predicated on SB''s time frame. Ritani had the incorrect info, their fault and they admit it, but would bend over backwards to satisfy their and SB''s customer. They understand the importance of the presentation as well as anyone believe me. Things got messed up and they did their best to correct the situation and Atlanta , although late still got a product he can be proud of and she can wear forever. I am a dealer of their product but more importantly a friend of theirs. These are very ethical people. They are not net people and feel horrible for the mistake, period.... I understand the problem and SB should have stepped to the plate as the reps here and not put the entire blame on Ritani.
You will and have never seen me back someone who is wrong but in this case SB''s passed the buck. Steve is a good man. CS is a position he is not best suited and many other details are omitted from what really took place in this transaction.
You will and have never seen me back someone who is wrong but in this case SB''s passed the buck. Steve is a good man. CS is a position he is not best suited and many other details are omitted from what really took place in this transaction.
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Bill, first, I find the fact that Ritani has finally decided to respond after the fact rather intriguing. From where I stand, they made absolutely no effort to rectify the problem (I had to force them to do it) and apologize (in fact, I STILL have not heard an apology even though they know how to contact me) while the problem was ongoing, so I am afraid that I find these post factum excuses issued through you rather pathetic. Further, I find the suggestion that Steve is a foreigner and is not suited for customer service incredibly offensive -- your national origin, your religion or your customer service "suitability" does not in any way affect your ability to apologize and/or your willingness to rectify the problem. I am Jewish myself and am quite mystified by your apparent suggestion that Steve's religious beliefs provide an excuse/justification for his attitude or his actions.
As for platinum, I can categorically tell you that Steve stated to me in no uncertain terms that he/Ritani would only be willing to make the setting in platinum if I paid the difference between it and the original order for white gold, which I refused to do. Is Ritani now claiming that this did not take place?
As for Steve coming in on Saturday to cast the setting, while his efforts in that respect are appreciated, none of it would have been necessary if he/Ritani had done its job in the first place and used the right metal while adhering to the timeline. If it wasn't for me pushing Ritani quite hard to rectify the mistake, to contact the CFO and to finally meet the deadline, as Steve himself told me, he would never have volunteered to do anything about the problem.
I would now like to hear about the "many details" that you allege have been omitted from the transaction that in some way excuse or justify Ritani's behavior. I have absolutely no idea whether SB is partially to blame for the mishap, but creating an innuendo that "there is more than meets the eye" while passing the buck after the fact certainly does not speak very highly for Ritani.
P.S.
As others have pointed out rather appropriately, it's not the fact that mistakes get made but people's responses to such mistakes that really set the tone for me. Even if SB is/was partially to blame (I'd be curious to find it out), as soon as the problem was discovered they bent over backwards to rectify it. They stayed in constant contact with Ritani, offered to set the stone in a temporary setting of my choice, offered to deliver the finished setting to the engagement site, etc... Contrast this with Ritani's blaze attitude towards the problem, failure to apologize, failure to offer a solution (until they were really pushed), telling me "mistakes happen, so what?" and you will understand why I feel the way that I do about Ritani.
Bill, by the way, I don't know what went on there with the purchase order (SB tells me that it was released on May 1 or so and that they have a confirmation of it; Ritani was to manufacture the setting (SB set the diamond) and the dimensions of the stone were provided to Ritani so they could make the right head) but I can tell you that Ritani has previously attempted to deflect the blame for using the wrong metal (Steve initially claimed that SB's purchase order referenced yellow gold but then admitted that his statement was false and that Ritani was "confused") and for getting the size of the setting wrong. So, at least as far as I am concerned, Ritani has established a pattern of blaming others for its own mistakes.
The size was to be 4 1/2 and Ritani claimed that the yellow gold setting they had initially delivered was the right size but that SB's ring sizers were off. I asked Steve whether he had ever had these issues with SB complaining about the size and he emphatically told me "no." I then explained to him that if he had never had a disrepancy between SB's and Ritani's ring sizers and that SB was using the same sizers that had been used in the past (SB told me that they checked the size with five (5) different sizers and they all showed that the size was wrong), then the problem was most likely on Ritani's end. Further, even if Ritani and SB were using different sizers, SB's ring sizer was obviously used to measure my now fiance's finger, so Ritani needed to conform the setting to SB's sizer. Steve simply ignored my explanation above and continued to tell me how none of it was a big deal.
The size was to be 4 1/2 and Ritani claimed that the yellow gold setting they had initially delivered was the right size but that SB's ring sizers were off. I asked Steve whether he had ever had these issues with SB complaining about the size and he emphatically told me "no." I then explained to him that if he had never had a disrepancy between SB's and Ritani's ring sizers and that SB was using the same sizers that had been used in the past (SB told me that they checked the size with five (5) different sizers and they all showed that the size was wrong), then the problem was most likely on Ritani's end. Further, even if Ritani and SB were using different sizers, SB's ring sizer was obviously used to measure my now fiance's finger, so Ritani needed to conform the setting to SB's sizer. Steve simply ignored my explanation above and continued to tell me how none of it was a big deal.
butterfly 17
Ideal_Rock
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Whoa, did I miss this thread or what?
Well, I have a Ritani set and there were mistakes with my e-ring setting as well (the wedding rings were perfect, though) and the number of pave was messed up (more on one side than on the other). There was a runaround (as Mara puts it), but not with Ritani, with the retailer I purchased from. I eventually had to contact Ritani myself just as you did, but I actually spoke with the manager there, Ken Sato and he was so unbelievably nice and apologetic.
Last June I contacted him again about adding diamonds to all three of my rings to close the sizing area and again he was so nice and did it for me as well. In fact, just last month, I dropped off my ring to get the prongs checked and the pave checked and he had no problem with it either.
You should have spoken Ken
.
I am glad at least you got your ring! It took them three tries before I finally got mine and I had to wait two months to finally get it.
Honestly though, if the same thing had happened to me and Ritani treated me so badly, I would have asked for a refund and taken my business elsewhere.
Lastly, while it''s nice that Bill was thoughtful enough to inquire about your situation and Ritani''s side, I would kind of be upset that they are sharing all the detailed information with him, since he really had nothing to do with your whole ordeal.
Well, I have a Ritani set and there were mistakes with my e-ring setting as well (the wedding rings were perfect, though) and the number of pave was messed up (more on one side than on the other). There was a runaround (as Mara puts it), but not with Ritani, with the retailer I purchased from. I eventually had to contact Ritani myself just as you did, but I actually spoke with the manager there, Ken Sato and he was so unbelievably nice and apologetic.
Last June I contacted him again about adding diamonds to all three of my rings to close the sizing area and again he was so nice and did it for me as well. In fact, just last month, I dropped off my ring to get the prongs checked and the pave checked and he had no problem with it either.
You should have spoken Ken
I am glad at least you got your ring! It took them three tries before I finally got mine and I had to wait two months to finally get it.
Honestly though, if the same thing had happened to me and Ritani treated me so badly, I would have asked for a refund and taken my business elsewhere.
Lastly, while it''s nice that Bill was thoughtful enough to inquire about your situation and Ritani''s side, I would kind of be upset that they are sharing all the detailed information with him, since he really had nothing to do with your whole ordeal.
aljdewey
Ideal_Rock
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That''s a reasonable explanation for why they might have resisted accommodating a Saturday request. It is not a reasonable explanation (in my personal opinion) for the response GeoAtl says he was given initially, which was "it will take another two weeks to remake a setting". Whether he intended it or not, that reply sets the tone for "well, we aren''t going to go out of our way to rectify this situation."
Bill, with regard the the comments highlighted in yellow........I''m sure he IS a good man, and didn''t imply that he isn''t. Good, ethical people can still make poor decisions or have lapses in judgment. For my part, I''m not impugning his character. My critique is strictly limited to how he handled this situation, and not to him as an individual. It mystifies me that it''s so difficult on this forum for folks to separate issues from individuals.
As far as the pink highlighted above......I''d go back again to my previous comment: it''s of less significance to me who is to blame or who made the mistake, and of much more importance to me what the response was to make it right. Mistakes happen; I don''t care who''s fault it is. What I do care about is how they are handled.
Final thought: with all due respect, "they are not net people" and "CS isn''t the position he''s best suited for" don''t hold much water with me. Saying "well, I''m not good at that" is a cop-out. You''re in an industry that satisfies customers, so if you''re not good at it, GET good at it.
I understand he''s a manufacturer and not a retailer, but his business is (largely) engagement rings......one of the most emotional purchases one can make, and one with a lot of expectations riding on it. Customer service comes with that territory, so if he''s unable to improve his skills, he alternately can hire someone who *is* CS-minded.
Saying "oh, well I''m not good at that so don''t expect it from me" isn''t a defensible posture in my opinion.
aljdewey
Ideal_Rock
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Mara
Super_Ideal_Rock
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Thanks for clearing it up about your rings Kayla, I just had skimmed the threads again yesterday and went HMM since I did remember this Ritani thread from a few days ago. I wonder if Ken is the same person that Geo dealt with at first who did not really take his problem seriously? Oh wait maybe that''s Steve.
Anyway...I do agree with you also about it being kind of odd that Ritani is sharing all these details with Bill while trying to clear up mistunderstandings or whatever...especially while it''s being said that we don''t have all the facts like there are all these secret things we missed. To me the whole thing is even more confusing now that Bill is saying SB was the ball-dropper...I still think Ritani could have handled things a little better with the *customer* directly. However, hopefully this is a wake up call for them and they can improve a few things and continue on as before!
Anyway...I do agree with you also about it being kind of odd that Ritani is sharing all these details with Bill while trying to clear up mistunderstandings or whatever...especially while it''s being said that we don''t have all the facts like there are all these secret things we missed. To me the whole thing is even more confusing now that Bill is saying SB was the ball-dropper...I still think Ritani could have handled things a little better with the *customer* directly. However, hopefully this is a wake up call for them and they can improve a few things and continue on as before!
strmrdr
Super_Ideal_Rock
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Who is Steve at Ritani?
Sounds like the customer relations people were at the Vagas show?
With most small companies there is 1 or 2 people who are trained customer reps at most and 1 who can make major decisions if these people were in Vagas it could explain part of it and also why Steve isnt used to deaing with customers.
Sounds like he may be in production and you cant really expect someone in production to be a trained CS rep.
It isnt their job.
Sounds like the customer relations people were at the Vagas show?
With most small companies there is 1 or 2 people who are trained customer reps at most and 1 who can make major decisions if these people were in Vagas it could explain part of it and also why Steve isnt used to deaing with customers.
Sounds like he may be in production and you cant really expect someone in production to be a trained CS rep.
It isnt their job.
Gypsy
Super_Ideal_Rock
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This pretty much sums it up for me. Despite what Storm just pointed out... if all the people are at the Vegas show and this guy is left holding the bag... Steve could have easily called Ken (or whoever) and asked his advice on how to handle the situation. Don''t much care about Steve talking to Bill. There''s no confideniality implied in any of the relationships... so there is no breach of ethics from my point of view.
But Bill, and this is directed at you. I have not, nor has anyone else from what I''ve read, ever attacked Steve as a man, so frankly it''s irrelevant that he is a good, religious, foriegn born man. We are critizing his actions, his way of handling this situation, not his character or his morality. Please understand the difference. Because there is one, and it''s crucial.
It''s all well and good for you to defend Steve, the man as a good honest guy. But Steve acting in his capacity as Ritani''s representative screwed up-- and his attitude about the whole thing sucked, and IMO was inexcusable. Does this make him a less moral guy? No, it makes him human and capable of failure. Religious faith is not a shield against human stupidity.
Although Steve has a lot to do with my anger and my frustration, I certainly am not trying to make him the scapegoat here. Out of curiosity though, now that all the "customer service minded" Ritani people are back in town, are they too busy trying to deflect responsibility for the incident to issue a formal apology directly to the customer and to at least make an effort to retain my future business?
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Gypsy
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Shame on me? For what? There is nothing I posted above that I am ashamed of. It's the truth, you are treating this as a personal attack on the man's morality. And it's not.
Call you? Excuse me?
Bill, I'm not going to engage in this. If I we are missing facts, then post them here... or better yet have Steve post them. And we'll be glad to listen. You know something... post it.
I generally have a lot of respect for you, despite the fact that you qouted me one price for Beverly K settings in writing, then one day someone else that works for you qoutes me another significantly higher price with no explanation or apology. (I still have the emails from your store that proves this. I believed at the time that it was honest error and did not pursue this because I had was fairly sure I was going to go custom at that point and the higher price qouted me by your employee confirmed my decision.) But there will be no phone calls. Certainly not about this. Frankly, it's not worth my time. I don't have anything invested in this. I've never planned to get a Ritani... and don't see myself doing so in the future.
There's no confidenitality to be breached, you have accusations or information, this is the forum for them....
Call you? Excuse me?
Bill, I'm not going to engage in this. If I we are missing facts, then post them here... or better yet have Steve post them. And we'll be glad to listen. You know something... post it.
I generally have a lot of respect for you, despite the fact that you qouted me one price for Beverly K settings in writing, then one day someone else that works for you qoutes me another significantly higher price with no explanation or apology. (I still have the emails from your store that proves this. I believed at the time that it was honest error and did not pursue this because I had was fairly sure I was going to go custom at that point and the higher price qouted me by your employee confirmed my decision.) But there will be no phone calls. Certainly not about this. Frankly, it's not worth my time. I don't have anything invested in this. I've never planned to get a Ritani... and don't see myself doing so in the future.
There's no confidenitality to be breached, you have accusations or information, this is the forum for them....
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Past, Present, Future: The Meaning of Three-Stone Engagement Rings
Past, Present, Future: The Meaning of Three-Stone Engagement Rings - 04/14
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