The Barsky Jewelers Experience

[Nurse Lolo]

My fiance bought my engagment ring at Barsky''s which I love. However, when we went back to get our wedding bands... we did not receive the same friendly service from the guy "waiting" on us that day, to picking up my wedding band which I don''t even look forward to wearing when we get married next year.

The experience with getting my engagment ring was very pleasant. We went in and looked for over an hour with Chris who was very helpful. We left with no purchase, but not to my knowledge, my fiance went back soon after and bought my customized ring. This is also looking at 2 other stores on Jeweler''s Row, who let me try on matching wedding bands with my ring (Barsky''s doesn''t let you try on bands with the rings, maybe this is why).

Then... after we had been engaged a few months, we went to look at wedding bands. Unfortunately Chris was with another customer and we got stuck with someone who was not very patient with us in picking out our wedding bands to wear for eternity. He was always distracted, or jumped up to help the next new customer who came in. After a lil while of searching the large selections, we each settled on rings that we loved. However, I use the term love loosely. Once my wedding band came back from the shop, I was quite disappointed and remain disappointed today. My wedding band will not sit flush with my engagement ring, even after taking it back to the shop to be adjusted twice. The service men and women in the shop each time simply tell me, unless it is sodered together, they will never sit flush. Quite disappointing to someone who spent thousands on a custom engagment ring, and no small penny on the wedding band that was supposed to match and be flush ( I was told this would be not be a problem upon purchasing my wedding band). So now, I am stuck with a wedding band with a great sentiment behind it, that I do not long to wear when I get married soon because of the poor craftmanship behind it and the inability to wear it with my engagement ring. On the same day we bought my wedding band, we bought my soon to be husbands wedding band as well. The band was perfect except for the scratches running through the band that we didn''t see until we got home. We took his ring back on our next trip there, and they said the scratches were from normal wear and tear and that they could nothing about that. And then we told them, he hadn''t even worn it yet because we weren''t married yet. They then eagerly buffed out the scratches and his ring is fine.

Be careful buying a custom engagment ring that isn''t a perfect circle around because you may never find a wedding band to sit in harmony or flush with it.

After being told twice that unless my rings are sodered together, they will not sit flush, I dont know if I believe that. I don''t think sodering them together will even make them flush since they aren''t flush together to begin with. I remain on the hunt for a jeweler who is willing to take on the challenge of fixing my wedding band that I wish I wanted to wear when I get married in under a year. I would hate to have to purchase a new wedding band simply because this one turned out so poorly.

However, I will have to probably work overtime this year, to purchase a new wedding band from a different jeweler and melt my $500 wedding band from Barsky''s down because the shop feels its my fault my bands do not sit flush or something. I don''t think you should have to see Barsky himself in order to get your problems solved, so I give up.

On the plus side, whenever I need my engagment ring cleaned, Barsky''s is eager to help... I guess thats a small plus in turn for a sad wedding bad. And while we did get a very reasonable price on my engagment ring, the wedding band fiasco still does not sit well with me. I say, go with the straight and narrow, don''t go for customized with Barskys.

 

[oldminer]

I have heard rumors that competing retailers in my area have come on Pricescope to specifically bring up Barsky Jewelers from time to time in order to cast some sort of cloud over these guys. Of course, a consumer may not be totally thrilled with any store. With thousands of customers and over 100 years in business, no firm has perfection in reality, but only as a goal. I know the Barksy's care a whole lot about their customers and would not want anyone to be less than pleased. Here is just one tale of a poor experience, but there are thousands of folks who have gotten good service, price and quality in Barsky's and other competing retailers in my immediate area for many, many years.

I always wonder why the comments seem to pop up about Barsky's rather than other retailers. It isn't because Barsky is a special case, or bad, but they are very hard competitors and have created some enemies in the retail community. I wonder if it might be a competitor bad mouthing a firm instead of a consumer. Its so very difficult to know, so please keep this other opinion in mind. Personally, I have nothing to gain from questioning the authenticity of this message except that the forum remain fair to participants, and not denigrate the honesty of the vast majority of the jewelry trade.

 

[Nurse Lolo]

I certainly am not in the market to sell diamonds. I was gifted an engagement ring from there, which I love, but on both of our wedding bands received par work. His wedding band was salvagable, mine has not been thus far. I remain quite disappointed on the work of my wedding band, so much so, that I am taking a $500 loss that should not be the case at all. I gave Barsky''s 2 chances to fix their work which I know they stand proudly behind, but they CHOSE not fix their errors, losing a customer. I needed space to vent, and the forum has allowed me to do so. Granted, I love my engagement ring, but remain extremely disappointed by my wedding band.

I am a Nurse, and no, I do not wear my ring to work (I''m on a jewelry free unit), and therefore am not a competitor what so ever for Barsky.

I am merely expressing my story, to educate consumers, future consumers mostly, to the buyer beware with custom work. I do not feel it is in a business'' best interest to stand behind their work online, for satisfied customers or for certain customers rather than all customers, including the dissatisfied. The craftmanship on my engagment ring was excellent, however, my wedding band is unusable at this point. I can no longer put money into fixing something that their shop protests has no error when the are the ones who don''t look at it everyday wishing it would sit flush with their engagment ring. But wait, they didn''t pay the thousands to wear the engagment ring, nor the hundreds to have a wedding band to match. My fiance did, and now I have to shell more momey to find a wedding band to match.

RN

 

[surfgirl]

Nurse, I''m sorry to hear you are not happy with your wbands...However, reading your account, I dont see that you made extreme efforts to get the situation rectified to your satisfaction other than talking to the bench jewelers there, who are probably in no position to make any returns other than attempting to fix something if it is fixable. Did you speak directly with the store manager/owner, or with your original salesperson? If not, I think it''s more appropriate to discuss this with them before lynching this store on a public site. Not that I dont empathize with your situation, but I''m not reading that you tried to get the issues resolved completely to your satisfaction. For example, if you are that unhappy, why not simply return both rings and go elsewhere for your bands? It''s not like they were made to fit your ring specifically so they should take them back and refund your money, right? If it bothers you this much, you should just return the rings and go to another vendor for your bands. No sense if having bad vibes on your ring.

 

[Nathan Barsky]

Please come in and ask for me. I will fix or remake your wedding band for you. I want to make you happy.

Nathan Barsky

 

[oldminer]

 

[Dogmom]

Date: 6/8/2007 2:10:21 PM
Author:Nurse Lolo

This is also looking at 2 other stores on Jeweler's Row, who let me try on matching wedding bands with my ring (Barsky's doesn't let you try on bands with the rings, maybe this is why).

I don't understand this. Kudos to Nathan for his offer!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/8/2007 4:10:19 PM
Author: Nathan Barsky

Please come in and ask for me. I will fix or remake your wedding band for you. I want to make you happy.


Nathan Barsky

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Date: 6/8/2007 4:10:19 PM
Author: Nathan Barsky


Please come in and ask for me. I will fix or remake your wedding band for you. I want to make you happy.



Nathan Barsky

and that, my friends, is what this industry is all about

ALL OF US working hard everyday to make you happy

www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[oshinbreez]

Date: 6/8/2007 4:10:19 PM
Author: Nathan Barsky
Please come in and ask for me. I will fix or remake your wedding band for you. I want to make you happy.



Nathan Barsky

Nurse Lolo,

Be sure to keep us updated on the progress. I''m interested to see how it all pans out. I, for one, like to hear both sides of the story.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I am sorry that you are unhappy with your w-band, but that is great that Nathan wants to fix this for you...how awesome is that! Good luck and keep us posted.