Very Very Upset!

[couturequeen17]

As you may know, my boyfriend and I have been looking for a promise ring. Well, we ended up going to Tiffany & Co and bought a .42 G, VVS1 diamond. The setting was the classic 950 platinum setting. When he finally gave it to me on Christmas morning I was so happy.

The diamond itself was perfect, and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful stone. It was cut so perfectly that it appeared to be half a ct, which is the weight of my Mom's stone. No matter what lighting, I could see so many beautiful colors and sparkle. I was in love.

During the day as I was looking at it, unfortunately I started noticing flaws in the setting. The prongs on the one side were shorter than the other making the diamond appear a bit lopsided. I thought that maybe it was just my eyes, but the angle of the prongs was slightly smaller on one side parallel to the band. Also, the band was slightly thicker on one side.

We brought it back to Tiffany the day after. At first, customer service didn't understand what I was talking about, then they saw and brought over a jeweler who seemed completely disgusted with the way it was mounted.

The ring was scanned and I gave a lot of info to customer service. Then, I was told that it would be sent to NY and most likely be remounted. This will take "probably a week and a half." So, I can't even admire my beautiful ring after Christmas. I knew it had to be resized (it hadn't been since it was purchased), but they said that would have only taken a few days.

While the problems may not have been too obvious, I expect much higher quality. The ring was supposed to be perfect. It was a $3800 ring for God's sake. He was paying for the comfort, prestige, security that supposedly comes with a Tiffany ring.

I've never been disappointed with any other piece I've bought from Tiffany, so how could they slip up with something that is supposed to be an engagement ring (promise ring for us)? Is this just a fluke or has anyone else had problems with Tiffany.

Needless to say, if this problem is not fixed and the ring is not perfect when I get it back, it will be "returned to Tiffany."

 

[Jypsie]

I''m sorry you did not have a better experience with receiving the ring - I mean "better" as in still glowing in the happiness of it''s beauty and perfection. It''s hard when you have your hopes high to be let down.

I really hope that it is fixed, though it shouldn''t be necessary in the first place, very quickly and you will have all the time in the world to admire its beauty... until it gets upgraded.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Aw, I am sorry to hear that your promise ring was not up to par. I hope that they can get it right this time...I liked your "Returned to Tiffany" comment, lol.

 

[Kaleigh]

First I am sorry. But am sure they'll make it right. No jeweler is perfect. Sizing always takes time, so not sure why you were told it would be a few days. Most rings are sent to New York for sizing. My ering is from Tiff's.. They don't have bench jewelers in their stores. Plus add to the fact that it's Christmas time, such a busy time for them.... I can't wait to see it once you get it back. Congrats and best wishes to you both.

 

[Deelight]

Sorry to hear about your ring

Can''t wait to see your PRing when you get it back I am sure it will 100% perfection

.

 

[diamondfan]

Tiffany''s will stand by it. My e ring is also from Tiffany''s. I just took my ring back as I am swelling a lot and it was tight. I brought it in the 24th and will have it back, due to the holiday, on January 2nd. I live in Philly and it had to go to NY, they were Brink''s it up so it would arrive the 26th or 27th. No one is perfect, QC should not allow that to get out of their hands, but it did. This is fixable, it is not a chipped stone or a lost ring. Please do not worry as it will all be fine shortly.

 

[snuggles1]

Date: 12/29/2007 12:39:21 AM
Author:couturequeen17
During the day as I was looking at it, unfortunately I started noticing flaws in the setting. The prongs on the one side were shorter than the other making the diamond appear a bit lopsided. I thought that maybe it was just my eyes, but the angle of the prongs was slightly smaller on one side parallel to the band. Also, the band was slightly thicker on one side.

I''m sorry to hear about your experience.

Funny you posted this. I was at Tiffany yesterday and as a now converted PS''er I took my engagement ring to Tiffany to stare it under the lights and see if it really compared. My cover was to look at wedding bands, which I really am shopping for now. While I was there, I stared at a few of the Tiffany settings and noticed that ALL of the ones on display had flaws in the prongs, mounting and settings. They were very tiny problems but now that I have a discerning eye, very obvious. I noticed some of the prongs were bent, others had mountings that were crooked, some had stones that were smaller than the prongs and they looked like they were bent to make them fit.

I enjoyed looking at Wink''s bad craftsmanship page on his site and now I look at every piece of jewelry to make sure it is free of these problems. I''m sure Tiffany will take care of the problem, but remember just because you pay for a name, doesn''t mean quality (I learned this when the pocket of my BRAND NEW Joe''s Jeans fell off after one washing and a friend had the same problem with her "JJ" falling off after one washing; same thing happened to the True Religions).

 

[bee*]

I think as Kaleigh said, every jeweler messes up. It does take a little while for them to size and hopefully you will have it back asap. My ring is also from there and thankfully it has been perfect. Hopefully you will have it back in your possession soon!

 

[HEPennypacker]

Date: 12/29/2007 3:17:20 AM
Author: snuggles1
I enjoyed looking at Wink''s bad craftsmanship page on his site

Do you have a link? Thanks!

 

[tberube]

Well that's angering. Nobody ever wants to hear the sad truth that even paying extra for the Tiffany "craftmanship," you can still get poor quality, and still may have paid all that money only for the name.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think even at Tiffany, items need to be looked at with a loupe before closing the sale. That way you discover the problems before you leave with the item. Hopefully they will fix the problems for you!

 

[crown1]

sorry about the problem. did you want a repair or were you offered a new ring?

 

[mrssalvo]

honestly, we rarely here of tiffany workmanship issues here, so although i''m sure they are not perfert, their track record is pretty good and they do have a pretty strict quality control dept. No jeweler is perfect and there are threads with all of them and folks having issues. How vendors handle the issue is what makes them great IMO. I agree I would be very upset if I opened my ring Christmas morning and it wasn''t perfect, especially for what you paid. The good news is, I''m sure they will make it right for you and you''ll have it back and perfect asap. I received a gift from tiffany''s for christmas and had to take it back for resizing and was told 2 weeks b/c it does have to go to NY and it is a very busy time.

 

[snuggles1]

Date: 12/29/2007 8:42:00 AM
Author: HEPennypacker

Date: 12/29/2007 3:17:20 AM

Author: snuggles1

I enjoyed looking at Wink''s bad craftsmanship page on his site

Do you have a link? Thanks!

http://www.winkjones.com/gold/index.php

scroll down to the bottom half of the page

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 12/29/2007 1:14:28 PM
Author: snuggles1

Date: 12/29/2007 8:42:00 AM

Author: HEPennypacker

Date: 12/29/2007 3:17:20 AM


Author: snuggles1


I enjoyed looking at Wink''s bad craftsmanship page on his site

Do you have a link? Thanks!

http://www.winkjones.com/gold/index.php


scroll down to the bottom half of the page

Thank you for your kind words. We see a lot of both good and bad jewelry and it always amazes me when I see obviously bad jewelry actually shown on some websites and especially on the home shopping networks. I thought that by doing an informational page on our site that we might make it easier for someone to know some of the more obvious things to look for.

Wink

 

[surfgirl]

Actually Wink, I looked at that page on your site yesterday, and on the photos where you''ve circles the problems in RED? There are so many red marks that I cant make out what the actual problems really are. It might be good to magnify those photos so people can see the actual flaws more easily. I know I couldn''t see them and I was curious to know what they were!

 

[spike13]

I had a problem with Tiffany''s quality once. I bought one of their silver heart tag necklaces and wanted the heart engraved with my initials. I chose the hand engraving (which is supposed to be higher quality). When I got it back, it looked terrible. The letters were poorly spaced and the engraving looked uneven in depth. When I brought it in to complain, the guy actually argued with me. Finally I convinced him to just send it back and put the blank tag back on. I was pretty disgusted with their workmanship.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 12/30/2007 1:33:33 PM
Author: surfgirl
Actually Wink, I looked at that page on your site yesterday, and on the photos where you''ve circles the problems in RED? There are so many red marks that I cant make out what the actual problems really are. It might be good to magnify those photos so people can see the actual flaws more easily. I know I couldn''t see them and I was curious to know what they were!

surfgirl, if you click on the actual photo in enlarges and then you can easily see what is circled.

 

[gailrmv]

I agree with CoutureQueen. On Tiffany's website they emphasize the perfect quality OF THE SETTING and give a tutorial on common mistakes from elsewhere (at least they used to, I haven't looked recently). I thought that part of buying from Tiffany's meant you didn't have to be as nitpicky as buying from your average store. You would just expect it to be right - that's what you are paying for. If this isn't true, (even if they make it right by fixing it), then doesn't it erode some of the "value" of the brand?

Maybe I am just becoming a more picky and more educated consumer, but I see this with a lot of things lately in the retail world. (I'm referring especially to furniture and home decor, which I've been shopping for lately.) Brands that are known as top quality seem to be using lower quality materials and less consistent QC than in the past. Again, maybe it's just me, but it hardly makes you want to pay more for the better brand when it's not actually better. Just my rant!

CoutureQueen I hope when you get your ring back that you will post pictures. I am sure it will be beautiful!

 

[couturequeen17]

I went back yesterday, and the ring was in the same condition, just a size 8 instead! At this point I am so mad I tell them that maybe we''ll just return it.

Then, a trained gemologist and our original sales associate come over. She sees the problems right away and makes a sketch of the problem (crooked head and uneven shoulders). She also used a millimeter gauge or something and did a few calculations.

Then they told me that there was a lot of rush from Christmas time in NY (where it was sent to be serviced), so they probably didn''t give my ring a lot of attention.

Also, the customer service person had only wrote "ring uneven, needs to be a size 8" on the form to be sent to NYC. But, the jeweler who was sizing the ring should have noticed the crooked head and uneven shoulders, right?

Several people came over to apologize and said, "This isn''t how Tiffany handles things." .. but it really makes me wonder.

The gemologist and our original sales associate promised me that it would be "perfect this time." I really hope so. It''s kind of intimidating being there as I am only seventeen and my boyfriend is nineteen.

 

[EricaR]

I''m so sorry you are having problems with them. What a headache!

Could you ask that they totally swap out the setting for a new one? Knowing their customer service I am surprised they didn''t already offer that to you.

 

[supersash]

Ugh what a pain!! Although I''ve never heard many good stories about Tiffany''s customer service. I''m sure it will work itself out, but I''d think for that kind of money, I''d want to recieve better treatment! I guess thats why many small privately owned companies still thrive, good service

 

[Miranda]

I''m sorry to hear this. What a pain. The good news is that it will soon be water under the bridge and you will have a beautiful and perfect ring.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Date: 1/5/2008 10:46:50 PM
Author: couturequeen17


Several people came over to apologize and said, ''This isn''t how Tiffany handles things.'' .. but it really makes me wonder.


The gemologist and our original sales associate promised me that it would be ''perfect this time.'' I really hope so. It''s kind of intimidating being there as I am only seventeen and my boyfriend is nineteen.

Well, clearly, that is how Tiffany''s "handles things" sometimes because that''s how they handled it for you!! When I was 17, I probably would have been very intimidated too. I''m 34 now, and I would not have left that store quietly!! What about your time and your bf''s time in having to trek back to that store several times now and the time you have to spend worrying about this when you should be enjoying your ring! If it were me, I would call them, tell them that this is not working for you, that you want a new setting and you expect 20% of your purchase price back for your inconvenience. When (if) they say no, I''d ask to speak to the manager of the store and then whoever he or she reports too. If this is not how Tiffany''s handles things, then they should prove it by giving you the service you deserve!