TACORI BUYER BEWARE

[cma117]

Hi Everyone,
This is my first post (although I've been reading about all the beautiful rings on here for a while). I just wanted to share my recent, very negative experience dealing with Tacori, and its authorized retailers in hopes that other buyers are forewarned. While I thought I had found the ring of my dreams (the Tacori 2535), our experience dealing with Tacori and its authorized retailers over the past month quickly brought me (and my boyfriend) back down to earth.

First, let me say Tacori products are obviously beautiful. HOWEVER, what Tacori and its retailers did not tell us (and we inadvertently learned upon questioning a retailer) was that if any Tacori retailer sets a ring with a stone that is larger than the size of stone recommended for that particular setting, the TACORI WARRANTY IS VOID. Neither Icing on The Ring, nor Robbins' Brothers alerted us to this fact (and in fact, were perfectly happy to set the ring with a stone that was far larger than the size recommended by Tacori, WITHOUT TELLING US they were about to void the warranty, or even that there WAS a recommended size).

Thank god my boyfriend had the foresight to call a third retailer, who happened to mention this fact when my boyfriend told the retailer the size of the stone. Anyway, after learning about this, I located the number of Tacori's headquarters in Los Angeles. Surely, Tacori must be interested that its authorized retailers are misleading customers, right? WRONG. Tacori and its staff could not have been more rude or more disinterested.

The first woman we spoke with (Ceclia) took our name, and said she would have somebody call us back. Nobody did. Then, when we called back and spoke with a so-called "consumer excellence specialist," Gabe, he laughed, and then dismissively stated, "I don't know what to tell you.." HUH? We are about to make a 10k purchase ($3100 of that purchase on the Tacori setting), we are being misled by your authorized retailers, and you don't know what to tell us??

Nevertheless, I persisted. I asked the customer excellence specialist how much he estimated it would cost to customize the setting so that it could hold a bigger diamond. Shockingly, he just referred us right back to the authorized retailers who were going to void our warranty in the first place! He would not ask anybody at Tacori to help us, so we could estimate the price of a customized setting, would not tell us how much thicker the band would have to be to accommodate a larger stone (or ask his manager to help us make this determination), and did not care that Tacori's authorized retailers would be so dishonest and misleading to potential Tacori customers. When I asked to speak to his manager, he said "oh we don't do that."

Suffice it to say, as beautiful as the setting is, we will not be buying a Tacori. If the customer service at Tacori, and incompetence of its authorized retailers is this bad now, I can only imagine what might happen in the future if there is a problem. Searching the web, it appears others feel similarly: 1) http://tacori.pissedconsumer.com/tacori-not-up-holding-their-warranty-20100701187982.html, 2) http://tacori.pissedconsumer.com/stay-away-from-tacori-20120316305353.html, 3) http://tacori.pissedconsumer.com/3-mo-old-engagement-ring-a-stone-gone-a-month-disappointed-w-tacori-20120226300379.html

There are too many beautiful rings out there to put up with this type of service!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have warned people many times not to buy a stock Tacori setting (or any other designer for that matter) and let the jeweler set the stone! The ring needs to be custom ordered for the specific diamond and in your specific size. So were these jewelers sending your stone to Tacori for them to make you a setting? Because if not, that was going to create lots of potential problems.

As far as the customer service goes, I think you spoke to people too low on the totem pole to even know what you were talking about. That certainly does make Tacori look bad, but they do try to keep all customer communication with the authorized retailers. I would probably send a letter in hopes someone higher up might read the complaints.

We have seen bad and good Tacori stories here, and often it is when the jewelers are not doing things the right way. The jeweler who told you about the problem is a good jeweler to buy from!!!

I am so sorry this happened but you were SO fortunate to find out BEFORE you made the mistake of buying the ring that was the wrong size for your stone. It is the head of the ring (part with the prongs) that is designed for certain size stones. It doesn't really have anything to do with the size of the band/shank. This is going to apply to any ring that you buy. You want the ring made specifically for the size of your stone.

I hope you can find something else you love as much! We have many gorgeous settings on this site and we can help you search if you'd like. (I just looked up that setting and I believe you could have something similar custom made that would be equal or better quality. I'd recommend victorcanera.com.)

 

[Karl_K]

The dealer was clearly out of line.
But there was one dealer who told you the truth so they are not all bad.

The the rep you talked to didn't seem to care, that stinks.
There was likely nothing he could have done about it but take a report and send it up the chain of command.
He should have done so.

As far as pricing they will not sell directly to you, only through a dealer so the comment to contact an authorized dealer was the only response the person could give you.
That is the only way to get a price.

I agree with the above post, never let anyone but the designer set the diamond.

 

[Niel]

Well I am sorry this happened.
What was the setting, what did it look like? Im sure we can find you one similar in your budget with one of these PS vendors that will treat you with more respect.

 

[Rhino]

Hi cma,

I'm sorry to hear about this too. I am an authorized Tacori distributor and we do let our clients know up front if there are any potential issues whatsoever. Once made aware of however I will go on record to tell you that over the years we have done business with Tacori they literally do jump through hoops for us to ensure our clients are 110% satisfied, not only with their product but after the sale as well. We recently dropped a designer company because we have seen a decrease in service and quality of product and I am particular about customer service in our company as well (I handle most public relations) so how a manufacturer treats its distributors as well as its end users is very important to us. I can't tell you what to buy of course but I think there *might* be a way to keep the warranty as well as accommodating the size of diamond you want to set. If interested at all drop us an email and we can investigate this for you. If not, good luck on the setting hunt. There are many good people here to help you.

Kind regards,
Rhino

 

[04diamond<3]

Nielseel,

Hi Everyone,
This is my first post (although I've been reading about all the beautiful rings on here for a while). I just wanted to share my recent, very negative experience dealing with Tacori, and its authorized retailers in hopes that other buyers are forewarned. While I thought I had found the ring of my dreams (the Tacori 2535), our experience dealing with Tacori and its authorized retailers over the past month quickly brought me (and my boyfriend) back down to earth.

CMA117 - I'm also sorry about your experience. However, I don't think you should write off the brand. Making such a big purchase should require a lot of work because it's a big investment. I agree it should be an easier process, but if you want to find a good deal, it's going to take some extra looking. I wish you had started here because we have awesome vendors that go above and beyond. Hopefully this will hope. Good luck with getting this resolved and getting your dream ring! Please come back with pictures!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I have had only good experiences with Tacori. Tacori created the head on my e-ring custom to fit my center stone. It is not even shown with an EC. They did not charge me extra. I lost a melee in my u/s and damaged one of my sapphires. Again, both were fixed free of charge. I am curious, what does the warranty give you? I have no idea if I have one but have never had an issue getting my ring repaired.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I will agree that if that is your dream ring, buy it from someone who will do it the right way. Good Old Gold can call Tacori and see if they can make the ring with your size diamond. What size is your diamond?