Tiffany experience= Give me a break

[arobert22]

So went to tiffany''s over this weekend to window shop for an engagment ring with my girlfriend. I had no intention of buying one but it is always fun to seem like you are. So I get to the counter where the solitaires were and ask the lady what they have for 1.5 rounds. So she shows me a diamond..It look really good but then again those lights seem really optimal for this sort of thing

. So I ask who certifies this diamond....She says tiffany''s (in a way that basically sounded like "who else would certify them). I was like thats it? Again with a look that made me feel stupid. Ok I realize that tiffany''s is a reputable company and as such I am sure you can trust them but I did not know that they certified thier diamonds and I really dont think it was a dumb question. Continuing.....Well can I see the certificate that you have? She showed me this whole booklet that had all the stuff that I would get like where the inclusions are and whatnot. Then she brings me in a room and shows me on a computer the specs ( all while saying how its not the specs but how she feels about the diamond, which is fine with me but I''m only seeing this diamond under one light and its a damn good one too). The computer read out didnt even have a diagram of the inclusions (so I get to see the inclusions after I buy the diamond?). So I asked can i have a print out of the info. Another look and I had to vow that I really was interested in the ring....are you serious! So i did

and she gave me the print out(for the HCA when I get home). So now price comes into play. I ask. She says 16,000. I say WOW thats a really good deal. My girlfriend smiles. The lady says look at that smile she is so happy (lady...shes smiling because I''m punking you right now). So I say I''ll call her tomorow with the verdict...I didnt but it was fun. (oh btw when you buy a tiffany''s diamond you get to have cocktail hour with champagne in the store....I hate champagne). So I get home. Throw in the numbers in the HCA....Very Goods right down the board with a 2.2 (buy if the price is right

) ACA got a 1.2 and i will be taking it there when we get it just to see the sparkle in thier optimal lights. Morale of the story....Tiffany is a joke, thier sales people dont know squat about diamonds, and price wise...give me a break. Not gona lie the diamond was very nice but im sure the ACA with be just as good if not better. Oh and what is the Tiffany cut? I asked if it was H/A and I was almost laughed at because tiffany does not do that. Oh they dont well they should.

-Andrew

 

[MissGotRocks]

I hear all that you are saying but remember they have been in business since 1853. They have done something right for a long time. Their name alone carries alot of weight in the jewelry business.

Most of us here wouldn''t dream of paying their markup for a diamond and feel pretty confident that we could get a far superior cut stone for far less money. However, the world at large isn''t here at PS - pity for them! - and there are lots of folks that would take a Tiffany diamond any day of the week and obviously they do take them!

Congrats to you on your new diamond and I''m glad you had a chance to compare at Tiff''s. It''s that ability to compare that makes the diamond world go round!

 

[arobert22]

Yes I do agree that they are a reputable company and understand that marketing is a powerful tool. I think it bugged me the most that the sales lady made acted like she owned the company. She also made it out that tiffany is the holy grail....now I''m not too familar with famous jewerly shops but their has to be others out their that are the same caliber.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Are you Scrooge? Sorry you felt the need to behave like this then gloat on a public forum. Have a little rum and egg nog.

cheers--Sharon

 

[stone-cold11]

Actually, tiffany''s proportion can work. If you look at the lower half numbers, they are usually in the 80s, that would compensate for the larger pavilion angles preventing leakage.

 

[arobert22]

No I am not scrooge just dont appreciate snobby people...and not gloating just a experience....last time i checked thats what forums were for

 

[arobert22]

Btw should have mentioned that I know HCA is just a way of weeding out bad stones but just wanted to add what came up.....Thanks stone I didnt know that. I had the report last night but I have thrown it out. I would have been interesting to see if was the lower half% was

 

[tonyc2387]

yeah i had a laughable experience at tiffany''s too. they''re there to sell you the name & the little blue box... their diamonds are OK, but of course, overpriced and will without question be outperformed by an ACA. let us know what you think when you take your ACA back... it would be especially funny if she plays it off as "he got one on the internet and i just want to see what else is out there"

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Ha. When BF and I went in to Tiffs a few months ago we had pretty much the exact same experience (except it was a young guy helping us). I especially loved it when he gave me the booklet when I was asking about certification. And I really loved it when he actually wouldn''t let let us copy down the specs that he looked up on the computer because, "People often go and copy our specs and find a diamond elsewhere." Yeah...

 

[arobert22]

haha she was giving me the same crap...I finally got her to print the specs after begging her, it was crazy.

 

[HVVS]

Date: 12/13/2009 8:45:12 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

Are you Scrooge? Sorry you felt the need to behave like this then gloat on a public forum. Have a little rum and egg nog.


cheers--Sharon

Agree. The salespeople at Tiffany's have a job to do, per their employer's rules. That does not justify your "punking" them.

Tiffany's salespeople are probably saying: Tirekicking punks = Give me a break.

 

[arobert22]

HVVS,

Yes their employees have a job to do but no need for the looks and disrespect. And if they were straightforward and just gave me the info like any respectable company i would not have to be so devious but they did not so I did what I had to do. BTW some posters are really touchy about this subject. Lighten up its not like I robbed the lady

 

[bgray]

Date: 12/13/2009 10:55:45 PM
Author: arobert22
HVVS,


Yes their employees have a job to do but no need for the looks and disrespect. And if they were straightforward and just gave me the info like any respectable company i would not have to be so devious but they did not so I did what I had to do. BTW some posters are really touchy about this subject. Lighten up its not like I robbed the lady

you appear to have a rather large chip on your shoulder about T&Co and maybe it came across to the salesperson...

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 12/13/2009 11:08:22 PM
Author: bgray

Date: 12/13/2009 10:55:45 PM
Author: arobert22
HVVS,


Yes their employees have a job to do but no need for the looks and disrespect. And if they were straightforward and just gave me the info like any respectable company i would not have to be so devious but they did not so I did what I had to do. BTW some posters are really touchy about this subject. Lighten up its not like I robbed the lady

you appear to have a rather large chip on your shoulder about T&Co and maybe it came across to the salesperson...

I think the salesperson picked up on what you were doing. Look they get people like you every day. You think she didn''t know the act? I worked in fine jewelry, I could spot someone like you a mile away.. But on my behalf, if it wasn''t busy I''d play around back at you...

And I love my Tiffany ering.

 

[arobert22]

idk I was quite courteous to the salesperson and went along with all her tiffany praise.....whatever its just a story I thought I would tell....didnt think i''d get so much animosity

 

[bgray]

Date: 12/13/2009 11:36:37 PM
Author: arobert22
idk I was quite courteous to the salesperson and went along with all her tiffany praise.....whatever its just a story I thought I would tell....didnt think i'd get so much animosity

look we arent here to hate T&CO or Harry Winston--we are here to learn and make wise, prudent buying decisions when purchasing diamonds and other jewelry items. Its not black and white: as a matter of fact despite the criticism of the high prices charged for their goods, much of the signed jewelry from Tiffany, Van Cleef and Cartier commands a much higher resale premium in general......... than "generic" stones and pieces. Its all what we value and what we want. Places like Tiffany are a museum for me. I couldnt ever afford to buy what I want from T&Co................That being said I bought my engagement ring from whiteflash as I wanted a larger (and better) stone than i could afford from such a place.

 

[searchingforemeraldcut]

I agree with you about T&Co. Their rings are way overpriced, and I am too prudent a shopper to spend an excessive amount of money on a brand name.

Personally, though, if I DID have that kind of money I would totally buy one just to say I have a tiffany ring LOL And i would still buy the ACA too...

Thanks for sharing your experience there

 

[megumic]

LOL. We had a similar experience at Tiffany''s, not that I''d ever get a ring there for a variety of reasons. And while the "punking" might seem a bit rude to some, I personally think it''s entirely acceptable. More than anything, I dislike when sales people judge me and accordingly provide assistance, or lack-thereof should I say.

 

[risingsun]

Date: 12/13/2009 11:29:38 PM
Author: Kaleigh

Date: 12/13/2009 11:08:22 PM
Author: bgray

Date: 12/13/2009 10:55:45 PM
Author: arobert22
HVVS,


Yes their employees have a job to do but no need for the looks and disrespect. And if they were straightforward and just gave me the info like any respectable company i would not have to be so devious but they did not so I did what I had to do. BTW some posters are really touchy about this subject. Lighten up its not like I robbed the lady

you appear to have a rather large chip on your shoulder about T&Co and maybe it came across to the salesperson...

I think the salesperson picked up on what you were doing. Look they get people like you every day. You think she didn't know the act? I worked in fine jewelry, I could spot someone like you a mile away.. But on my behalf, if it wasn't busy I'd play around back at you...

And I love my Tiffany ering.

I absolutely agree with Kaleigh and bgray. The SA can pick up "the attitude" as soon as it walks in the door. If you don't like Tiffiany, then by all means don't shop there. You were wasting her time and she probably knew it

 

[hrose]

i think it really depends on the sales person you get, as with any type store, i used to work at a jewelry store and always talked to people like they were real people, not like I was trying to sell something to them, I viewed it as I work at this store so its my job to show them something if they want to see it and answer their questions, also never judge anyone because you never know who''s going to buy what.... anyway we recently got my ring at Tiffany (waiting for it to be resized) and the guy who helped us was very polite and treated us like real people, he wasn''t pressing us to buy or trying to claim that Tiffany diamonds are the best, he gave us the info we asked for and searched their data base for diamonds within our specifications and had them sent to the store, he even went out of his way to get a ring out of customs for us to see, i was able to go outside with the ring and see it in sunlight and shade, and i was never offered champange!
I went with the Tiffany Lucida because years ago I fell in love with the cut and setting and although I know I could get a similar cut and setting, the square cut corner brilliant diamonds are harder to find and are a bit more expensive so going with Tiffany I had a lot more to choose from, the price wasn''t too much more and we were able to use their financing with no interest, otherwise we would have needed to get a loan and pay interest, though to be fair, when it comes to round brilliants, I would not go with Tiffany because they are certainly not hard to find and there''s a ton to choose from

 

[Cehrabehra]

well others may be judging you harshly, but I took it in the light spirit of the thing and I thought it was funny I've seen them do the same thing... I took my diamond and a comparable sized tiff diamond into the back room and twiddled them back and forth for 15 minutes under the guise of am I going to return this internet diamond? I just wanted to see if mine was as sparkly, and it was

They take themselves too seriously. Reminds me of back in the day when I wouldn't wear any jeans that didn't have a triangle on my butt.

 

[Liane]

Date: 12/14/2009 1:09:52 AM
Author: risingsun

I absolutely agree with Kaleigh and bgray. The SA can pick up 'the attitude' as soon as it walks in the door. If you don't like Tiffiany, then by all means don't shop there. You were wasting her time and she probably knew it

x4.

Legitimate comparison shopping is one thing, and I personally would not buy at Tiffany's because to me the blue box is not worth the mark-up, but I'm not sure what you were trying to prove here. It seems like a lot of the saleswoman giving you "a look that made [you] feel stupid" is/was in your head. There are plenty of stories about snobby SAs, but it sounds like this lady wasn't doing that at all.

Just really not sure why you'd even bother going to Tiffany if the only point was being able to say "I hate champagne." Okay then, don't go to the place that offers it. But why is it worth bragging about that?

 

[junebug17]

I agree that the salesperson probably knew what you were doing, and that''s why she wasn''t as cordial as you would have liked. Frankly, I don''t really see anything "snobby" in her attitude, you sound like you might have had an attitude yourself and she picked up on it. She probably could tell you weren''t a serious customer. I don''t think it''s nice to punk people, and to waste the salesperson''s time when she could have been assisting someone who was actually interested in making a purchase. And I think the champagne is a nice touch.

 

[Laila619]

Hi there,

I don't like how Tiffany certifies their own diamonds. I would never buy one, way overpriced IMO. Be sure to post pics of your ACA!

 

[mariel]

I like Tiffany''s however will never buy a diamond from them (nor can I afford to) because I don''t think their markup is worth it. Now if I ever win the lotto and only cared about the brand, then I''ll probably change my tune I think the OP wrote this Tongue-in-cheek, I don''t think he meant any harm.

 

[junebug17]

Date: 12/14/2009 9:40:44 AM
Author: maikeru
I like Tiffany's however will never buy a diamond from them (nor can I afford to) because I don't think their markup is worth it. Now if I ever win the lotto and only cared about the brand, then I'll probably change my tune I think the OP wrote this Tongue-in-cheek, I don't think he meant any harm.

I respectfully disagree with that, I think he was completely sincere and gets a big kick out of leading people on and then bragging about it.

 

[arobert22]

Wow. Didnt think this post would get such a response. I have certainly taken all of your posts into consideration. Quite a heated battle has started since I went to bed last night. This post was certainly not intended to cause this but was just a story related to diamonds that I thought I would share. I do acknowledge that this experience could have been because of the particular salesperson I got. I acknowledge that T&Co is a reputable company However, I would not buy from them even if I had the money (I''m sure my GF would though just for the name, which is fine). Never have been big on overpriced name brands. Just to note....I have found many posts on this site putting down many B&M shops and have never seen this much debate about it especially). Note #2 I worked in retail(not jewelry) and have had many people "window shop" and have been aware of this. That does not mean I dont give them all the info I could about the product. The sales person at Tiffany only perked up when I mentioned that I was interested in buying soon. W/E my grain of salt.

 

[TheDoctor]

Tiffany''s pricing structure allows for what must be the enormous cost of paying salespeople to entertain all of the tirekickers.
They have never been everyman''s jewellery retailer, nor will they ever be. Any firm that can survive as long as they have deserve the respect of the masses, but they owe the masses nothing beyond courtesy. It sounds as if the salesperson was more than courteous in spite of the transparency of the intentions of the shopper..er...tirekicker.

 

[Laila619]

arobert22, I too find it interesting that people mercilessly pick apart "maul" (

) stores and make fun of the merchandise and sales associates, but now everyone is up in arms about this Tiffany post. Hmm.

 

[bgray]

Date: 12/14/2009 10:21:14 AM
Author: Laila619
arobert22, I too find it interesting that people mercilessly pick apart 'maul' (

) stores and make fun of the merchandise and sales associates, but now everyone is up in arms about this Tiffany post. Hmm.

Well I dont mercilessly pick apart maul stores. Tiffany is hardly a mall store-in the vein of Kays or Zales. I found the post aggressively hostile and distasteful. The saleslady may or may not have been rude but she has a job to do and that is to sell her company's products not entertain someone's superiority complex. I think pricescope is wondeful in many ways but it does sometimes seem to engender this attitude by some that if one buys from a brick and mortar store you are getting taken and that all of the stores (and the people who work in them) are ignorant, arrogant, defensive crooks.