Please help. My friend is upset!!

[jenbuggy85]

Long story made very very short. My friend brought this bracelet in to be reshapen. It was a little mishapen but had NO cracks or deep bends. This is what it looked like when she picked it up. The solder seems to be pink, inside and out?? It wasn't even broken...why the soldering?

What should she do? We took it to another jeweler to have them look at it. He said that whoever worked on it used the wrong tool for the job, cracked it in half and then soldered it back together. He then went and got the right tool and showed her right then and there how it should've been fixed.

She pretty upset because now it's ruined. It looked nothing like this when she brought it in

What kind of advice could I give her? Except NOT to let them work on her stuff anymore..lol.

This is the same jeweler I had a problem with. We dropped our stuff off to be repaired at the same time but she just got back from Vaca to pick it up.

She's going up there today to speak with them.

Thanks everyone!

(BTW, I just picked my ring up from the new jeweler, it is AWESOME!!!

 

[jenbuggy85]

Any advice is welcome. She's planning to speak with them today. Thanks!

 

[iota15]

I'd be pretty furious. However, I would be deadly serious and eerily calmly when I talk to them.

Tell the "jeweler" what you told us (its initial condition, what the real jeweler said should have been done, etc.).

If you have the purchase receipt for the bangle, bring it. Assuming the bangle was used, I'd ask them for the purchase price of the bangle minus, I don't know, 20-30% (?). I would also ask for a refund of the "repair" cost. Calmly.

The "jeweler" gets to keep the mangled bangle.

The two of you should consider whether to send a report to the BBB, along with pictures, because this is ridiculous. If you decide not to, you can use this as a bargaining tool too. (You can also throw in that this arrangement means you won't have to paper the town with flyers. lol).

If your friend wants to keep the mangled bangle, then ask them for a refund of the repair costs and ask them to pay for whatever it'll cost to repair their botched job (if that's even possible)... at another place. It's best if you can obtain a quote for the repair job before speaking to them. Then you may be able to get the store to pay you in cash today.

If you don't know what it'll cost to repair, then put this arrangement in writing (since it'll require the store to pay for some unknown cost in the future).

 

[Andelain]

For starters, how much would the bracelet be worth if it were intact?

 

[iota15]

Is there a crack on one side of the bangle, or two sides?

And yes, how much was it?

 

[jenbuggy85]

Hi everyone!

She said she bought the bracelet for around $70 about 6yrs ago. There is only one break (the one they did) on it. The pics are of the same spot, just dif views.

I don't know much else about it

Thank you everyone!

 

[Mashira]

Oh my heavens, I would be furious!

I very much agree with iota15, being clam is key. I would certainly report this to the BBB regardless of whether they fix it and
return the cost, plus the cost of repairing their shoddy work. Also, it costs about $15 to file a claim in small claims court. If
the cost for the repair is high, if it cannot be repaired, and if the claim is worth it to her, I would highly suggest it. She can sue
for the amount of actually having to file the claim because of them, so the $15 would be returned along with the cost of the
so-called repair, and the cost of having their work fixed.

What you need:

A picture of the bracelet before the damage
Pictures of it after their 'work' (which you have)
Receipt from the 'jeweler'
Quote from reputable jeweler on how much it will cost to fix
and if it cannot be fixed, the receipt showing how much the bracelet cost.
(if she doesn't have this, find a quote on another similar bracelet)

I hope this works out, and I hope no one ever gets their jewelry ruined by him/her again