Tiffany''s has made me so angry

[britboy]

I can't believe this. I've been searching for an e-ring for sometime now (it's actually for our 10th anniversary) and finally bought one from Tiffany's. The reason I with Tiffany's was because - they have a reputation for great service, they are local to me, and i wanted to buy my wife at least one piece of jewelary that came in a little blue box. And yes, I knew that i would be paying over the odds for it - but i was ok with that.

Well our anniversary isn't until August 5th and I finally settled on a ring last week. I went through their interest free financing -- but before I filled out the form I asked that if I would be receiving anything in the mail, as i did not want to jepordize the surprise. I was reassurred that I would not receive anything from them - no bills (until Sept) no cert, nothing. I confirmed this several times because the element of surprise was very very important.Tiffany's agreed to keep the ring for me until then.


Well you can guess what happened. Monday, in the mail, were two letters: one with TIFFANY'S AND CO. in gerat big letters, the other in a plain white envelope contining a tiffany's store card. Well my wife happened to be working at home that day and of course saw the letter. My anniversary surprise is now ruined and i'm left feeling livid with Tiffany's. After I asked several times about not sending anything to my house or calling me, I was reassured that no contact would take place.

I should have gone with Blue Nile or another on-line vendor..Heck, even a cheap mall shop could have been more discreet!!

Aggghhh - I will be paying Tiffany's a visit at lunch time. Not sure what I'm gonna do about the ring though.

Sorry about the long winded rant though.

 

[MissAva]

Call the manager of the store they typically refer to them as the VP or Pres of that location. It will get taken care of.

 

[diamondlil]

I don''t blame you for being furious!!!!!!! I would definitely pay them a visit and let them know how they blew it!

 

[widget]

Hi, Britboy...

I'm SO SORRY the initial surprise has been spoiled! I'd be furious, too.

I don't know what Tiffany or you can do to put the "genie back in the (blue) box" (am I mixing metaphors here?) but at least you can take comfort that your wife must now be WILD with excitement and anticipation!

Perhaps you can make the timing and manner of presentation of the ring a big surprise...

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[britboy]

Yes - that''s just it, I don''t think the genie can be put back in the box (bottle/lamp?? - good metaphor though). I''m trying to get over my anger - and then i will decide on how to proceed with the anniversary... I was thinking of going with another jeweler and maybe spend a little less on the e-ring and surprising my wife with a ring and a vacation to the south of france or italy or somewhere.

I will see what tiffany''s can come up with to make ammends - but they have left such a bad taste in my mouth.

I will let you know what happens this afternoon.

 

[belle]

why am i not surprised.

your frustration is understandable britboy, i hope you can find a suitable solution.
best of luck to you.

 

[Kaleigh]

I would talk to the manager. I am so sorry this happened. They should''ve held up all letters until after your anniversary. Let us know what the manager says.

 

[Lunch@Tiffany]

that is so frustrating! but all is not lost. remember...
1) your wife DOES NOT know what she is getting. she could be getting other jewelry from tiffany''s, and even if she does suspect that it''s an engagement ring (which i can''t imagine, unless you''ve spoken to her about it), she still won''t truly know what it looks like...
2) ...but you can be sure that those hints that came in the mail are making her positivitely INSANE for something from tiffany''s! if you get her something elsewhere, she will be nothing but disappointed, because she thought for sure that she was getting that little blue box. you can''t switch that around on her now.

seriously, stick with your original purchase -- she''ll be thrilled. i agree with widget that it''s all in the presentation at this point. perhaps to make amends, a tiffany''s salesperson can even help you out -- a scavenger hunt for the wife, ending up at tiffany''s, at one particular counter, where there''s a little blue box waiting just for her!

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Every store makes mistakes like this. It could be something with their computer--once the transaction goes in, the computer might automatically send mail to the customer. The sales person might not be able to stop it from going out. (They always send me an acknowledgement and a full computer statement within a week after I buy anything there.) I would still speak to the manager, though.

 

[widget]

Author: Madam Bijoux
Every store makes mistakes like this. It could be something with their computer--once the transaction goes in, the computer might automatically send mail to the customer.

I''m sure you''re right, MB...but at a place like Tiffanys...the salesperson should have known this!!!

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[phoenixgirl]

EDITED: Hmmm, I think I thought I was replying to some other post before. ???

Sorry to hear about your disappointment. That would piss me off too. Hopefully all it has done is endear you to your wife without ruining the surprise of knowing exactly what she is getting.

 

[MissAva]

I agree if you get her something from somewhere else she will be let down. However the poeple at Tiffanys are great and they have done some pretty amazing things for my father in the past in order to help surprise my mother. I cannot imaggine them not being willing to help you, they have always been so friendly to me. And when I called our personal shopper and let her know that a woman in NYC looked down her nose at myself BG and FFF she was quite distraught and took care of it for me. Let us know how it goes.

 

[ame]

I dunno Id be pissed enough to return it to the moron who ruined the surprise so they don''t get the sale or commission and when you return it be positively LOUD about WHY you returned it.

Then order from Tiffanys online and have it sent to your office.

 

[aljdewey]

If you haven''t already tipped the hand to your wife, I''d play it off that they must have gotten your name/address from a marketing company......no reason for them to be sending you anything.

 

[Mara]

Tough call. Some women would be freaking out with happiness wondering what they are getting from Tiffany, but I am not one of them.

I'd instead be like..PLEASE tell me you didn't overspend at Tiffany?!?!

I like the idea of getting her something small from Tiffany aka a diamond necklace or bracelet and the e-ring from elsewhere AND do the trip. Gosh that'd be fab. Three happinesses and money spent well IMO!

Sucky story but it could have happened to anyone, I recall a similar story with a Blue Nile or something where someone bought something and they called to thank them or something and the GF picked up the phone. It is probably a rare occurrence but YES in an ideal world when you double and triple confirm something with any vendor, it would be what they said. Good luck!

 

[glitterata]

Or get her some little piece of silver jewelry from there and make a big fuss about how you were planning to surprise her with it but now the surprise is ruined so you might just as well give it to her now.

 

[finerthings]

Date: 7/27/2005 12:50:12 PM
Author: glitterata
Or get her some little piece of silver jewelry from there and make a big fuss about how you were planning to surprise her with it but now the surprise is ruined so you might just as well give it to her now.

Ditto. She will be so surprised and love the T&Co ring when you do give it to her in August. Maybe the manager of the store could actually go as far as to give you the small piece of jewelry out of courtesy.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 7/27/2005 11:52:43 AM
Author: aljdewey
If you haven''t already tipped the hand to your wife, I''d play it off that they must have gotten your name/address from a marketing company......no reason for them to be sending you anything.

If T&C sent the credit card out, then the wife might have felt it through the envelope.

What I think you should do is return the T&C ring since it''s already left a bad taste in your mouth, purchase a silver trinket to explain the T&C mailings, and get your wife a better priced ring elsewhere and take the trip to France or Italy. Talk about an amazingly romantic trip (something that the brand name of Tiffany CANNOT compete with

). Give her the silver necklace along with plane tickets to abroad and then later surprise her, when least expected, with the new ring you have picked out.

I''m in the boat that Mara is in, that although I''d be thrilled to get a jewelry piece, I''d be appaulled that my husband overspent so much when instead he could have gotten me a ring AND a trip.

 

[bar01]

I know how you feel...

Last year my gal was patiently (okay maybe not so patiently) waiting for me to propose. There was a lot of teasing going back and forth – with me hinting that I was “working on it”

Although we did not live together – she had keys to my home and was free to come and go when I was not around. While the ring was being made I had the insurance company get me temporarily covered for the sapphire and diamonds. I specifically told the insurance agency– if you call me - don’t give any details on the answering machine about why you are calling.
Well, you guessed it - they called when my gal was over at my home with her mom (I was at work) – and she over hears (although not clearly) on the answering machine – “Bertand, just wanted to let you know you are insured for $$$$ for your sapphire and……”


Rats!

My gal told me later (after I proposed) that she was in my home when they left the message. She said she could not clearly hear the details (she was in another room) and did not know what kind of ring or when I might propose - but she now had confirmation I was indeed "working on it"!

I know you must be mad with Tiffany’s – I was with my insurance company – but now we just look back and laugh about it

.

Also I found out later that we all (me, my gal, her mom) use the same insurance agent!

 

[ame]

Date: 7/27/2005 1:17:30 PM
Author: MichelleCarmen

Date: 7/27/2005 11:52:43 AM

Author: aljdewey

If you haven''t already tipped the hand to your wife, I''d play it off that they must have gotten your name/address from a marketing company......no reason for them to be sending you anything.

If T&C sent the credit card out, then the wife might have felt it through the envelope.


What I think you should do is return the T&C ring since it''s already left a bad taste in your mouth, purchase a silver trinket to explain the T&C mailings, and get your wife a better priced ring elsewhere and take the trip to France or Italy. Talk about an amazingly romantic trip (something that the brand name of Tiffany CANNOT compete with

). Give her the silver necklace along with plane tickets to abroad and then later surprise her, when least expected, with the new ring you have picked out.


I''m in the boat that Mara is in, that although I''d be thrilled to get a jewelry piece, I''d be appaulled that my husband overspent so much when instead he could have gotten me a ring AND a trip.

Totally agreed.

 

[MissAva]

Of course if you get her something from other vendor you may leave her wondering who the other thing was for. If you change your mind spill the whole story.

 

[finerthings]

I guess the big question is... would your wife just fall over in love with a T&Co ring? If you feel that she is the kind of lady that would adore the piece from the little blue box (I''m not ashamed to say I own a Lucida!), then why not go ahead with your plans. Why "punish" her when the store is to blame with the goof up. I think if you do some fancy footwork here you can go ahead with your original plan in August, and work out some sort of coverup jewelry piece to give now. Lucky girl. Don''t get mad, life''s too short.

 

[EZ]

I am in the camp that thinks you should talk to the Manager (VP whatever). Explain the loss of surprise. Let the Mgr come up with a plan and if you don''t like it steer the Mgr toward a plan of your own.

Personally, I like the idea of a free item like a silver bracelet or necklace that you can give to her "since the cat is already out of the bag." Then give her the ring as she won''t be expecting it anymore.

If the store cannot help you out with that cancell the order and make sure the manager knows there will be no more large orders from you. Let them know that family and friends will also hear of your dissapointment.
Then buy something small to explain away the letter from Tiff. Finally, buy a killer gemstone or two from a fine jewler and present her with it/them. There will still be time to get stones in the mail. When you give them to her let her know that you don''t have the setting yet because she should have a hand in designing something so special. Work with a local or on-line jewler and you will still probably spend less than you would have.

(To be fair - and more convincing let the Mgr know how pleased a solution would make you and how you will, of course, pass that on.)

Just another opinion....

 

[icekid]

Date: 7/27/2005 12:45:20 PM
Author: Mara


I like the idea of getting her something small from Tiffany aka a diamond necklace or bracelet and the e-ring from elsewhere AND do the trip. Gosh that''d be fab. Three happinesses and money spent well IMO!

oooh that sounds perfect to me, Mara! or else, you could still get the e-ring from tiff''s, but as has been mentioned, see if they''ll give you a necklace or something for free- and then she won''t be expecting the ring later.

but me personally, i would want the ring from somewhere else and the trip!

 

[bscpu1972]

(I got the charge card bill for my ring before I got the ring. Took him 3 weeks to give it to me too. Talk about anxiety... almost thought he was cheating!)

Yes, go to the manager. Of course, "we women" do expect something wonderful from our men on a 10th anniversary. Just remembering means a lot! Now for her it''s like Christmas. The gifts are under the tree. She can see the size, shake the box, but what did he get me? All you have left is the presentation. You lost only the element of surprise. All is not lost. She doesn''t know when during the day you''re going to give it to her, how and what you are going to say. Her personality will give you the perfect answer. My hubby stuck it in the ice cream, knowing after a fight that''s where I would go. The note attached said "110 or 150, I love you anyway". That was the 3rd time he had ever said he loved me. I laughed as much as I cried. Gals love that kind of emotion.

Does she have a ritual before she goes to bed? All day, no ring. Here she is getting ready for bed and there''s the box (your own box bought from Walmart painted with finger paints) with a valentine (like those from elementary school) stuck to it that says "thought I forgot didn''t you?".

Maybe you need the manager of Tiffany''s present it to her.

Like I said.... her personality will be the key!

Good luck! We expect a post on August 6th!!

 

[AsscherGirl]

Apparently I am in the minority because I would absolutely, positively want that freakin ring from Tiffany''s! And I would personally be incredibly sad receiving a silver necklace or something and later finding out I could have had a diamond ring poking out of that little blue box. Now that I made myself look incredibly selfish & silly...

I do agree that you should call the manager and see what they will do to rectify the situation. You never know what you can get until you ask.

There is a reason that Tiffany''s has a reputation for such a great service; find out for yourself!

Good luck, I hope everything works out!

 

[cutes814]

Date: 7/27/2005 12:45:20 PM
Author: Mara

I like the idea of getting her something small from Tiffany aka a diamond necklace or bracelet and the e-ring from elsewhere AND do the trip. Gosh that''d be fab. Three happinesses and money spent well IMO!

I totally agree with Mara on this one. I would rather have the ring and a vacation.

Buy her something small from Tiffany and present it with the plane tickets. She''ll think that is the presents she is getting for the 10th anniversary. And then surprise her with the ring on the trip when she no longer expects it. Women love it when you''re able to outsmart them and plan such a sweet and wonderful surprise!

 

[dtnyc]

I had a friend who bought a charm bracelet from T&Co, and wore it on a trip, it "fell" off because the clasp was faulty- she had had a link removed from it in the store the day she bought it, so they knew she was concerned about it''s security from the get-go. She either called or wrote tiffany about her disappointment that the clasp had failed and she had lost the bracelet and they sent her a new one.
T&Co does have good service if you ask for it nicely. I would think that they would compensate you in some way- but I know that they don''t really "haggle" over their diamonds (correct me if I am wrong here.)

That being said- as much as I love the blue box, I feel that an e-ring is something that should really rise above a store or box or brand. I have some Tiffany silver stuff, because I like some of their designs, but call me greedy- but I would rather have a larger stone, than have an e-ring from T&Co.

I don''t know what your budget is, but I know you could get a lot more for your money elsewhere.

 

[britboy]

I certainly apreciate the all the advice and opinions - some of you have made some very interesting suggestions.

Anyway I went into Tiffany's at lunch time and asked to speak to the sales rep that I was working with. She was not working at the time so asked to speak to the store manager. I stated straight away that I was upset and very angry at Tiffany's. She listened to my complaint and I described how very important this occasion was to me and how I so wanted this to be a surprise more than anything else. I said that I was livid that after all my explicit requests not to have anything mailed to my house only to later find out my wife discovers a tiffany's envelope in the mail box (she didn't open it by the way).

Well I have to say that the manager was very professional and courteous. She apologised upfront without any reservations or excuses. She also recognized straight away that this is not something that can be undone or reimbursed. She explained that the store has been open a year and this type of situation had not happened before. She did ask details on how I planned to present the ring (I told her i was presenting it at our favourite restaurant and planning a weekend away). I was also relieved that she didn't jump to offering some kind of discount on the ring or some other financial compensation, as clearly this is not about money or value.

I mentioned that I did not know how to proceed at this moment. At the end of hearing my complaint she said that she will offer some kind or redress but didn't know what form that would take (which i think is a fair statement). And will be getting back to me shortly.

After leaving Tiffany's I felt like some of the bad taste had left my mouth (still angry though) - as they seemed to take my complaint very seriously and strongly indicated they understood the gravity of my situation. I would have to say they probably handled the situation the best way possible given the circumstances. Let's see how they follow through.

I'll keep you posted on what happens.

 

[Maxine]

Sounds like you could be "in the driver''s seat" now....What would you consider to be fair compensation?
By the way, has your wife questioned this????? Do you think she knows????
Good luck!