What to do about this horrible experience with a jeweler?

[mela lu]

I just had my center stone upgraded by WF (hooray! love you!) and then took it to a local high-end "fine" jeweler here in Toronto. My FI had bought from her before and he felt that she would be able to do the job.

She said that 3 days (mon-thursday) would be adequate to reset the new stone...

WELL...I picked it up last week, and not only had she lost a melee (presumably in the ultrasonic), but she had also set the center stone crooked! One of the prongs were clearly "off"; higher and slightly thicker than the other 3.

I took it back on Monday and asked that they fix it by EOD Thursday (today) so that I could have it for my appraisal appt tomorrow (Harold Weinstein).

So when I phoned today to make sure it was done - it wasn''t. I asked her why, and that I had an appraisal appt the next day (blah blah) and she accused me rushing and that this was my fault.

here was the conversation:

me: Uh...but you''re the one who said 3 days in the first place...

her: Well, quite frankly, there was nothing "wrong" with the workmanship in the first place.
me: REALLY? because I thought it was horrible! You shouldn''t allow that kind of workmanship to walk out of the store with your name on it!!! AND I''m not even talking about the melee....that''s a separate issue.
her: my associate and I thought there was nothing wrong.
me: well then, maybe you''re in the wrong business. If I don''t think it''s perfect and I''m not happy with it; neither should you be.

her: what, you want me to say there was something wrong with my setters work...fine. I''ll say that BUT I still don''t think that...
me: No buts! I am a paying customer. If I''m not satisfied, then the only thing I should hear you saying is ''what can I do to fix it for you''!

Oh my goodness. Is this kind of mediocre work generally accepted by the public; and is this why jewelers are getting lazy, arrogant and self-righteous?! WOW. I was shocked at her total lack of customer service.

In retrospect, when my girlfriend and I picked it up, she didn’t even apologize or seem embarrassed that they''d lost a melee. She just brushed it off like it happened everyday. That should have been my first clue as to her indifference to the trade, her own business (which bares her own name), not to mention her lack of respect for those people who are keeping her in business.

I have to go pick it up tomorrow (if it''s even ready). Any advice? Has anyone else dealt with such a unprofessional jeweler?

Thanks for letting me rant!

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 6/21/2007 7:58:18 PM
Author:mela lu

Any advice?

Coordinate w/ FI, who decided to use her, to take over from here.

 

[mela lu]

mmm. Thanks I''ll suggest that to FI.

Also - the conversation was a little bit more civilzed than that...I was rushing while typing. I just needed to get it off my chest and get some feedback on how to handle this total witch lady.

 

[Finding_Neverland]

I understand you're upset. You have every right to be. But life is just too short to waste it arguing with people like that "Lady". Your comments are falling on deaf ears anyway. No matter what you say, she is not gonna see the situation as being in any way her fault.

Sometimes you're just best off to get your money back (if you can) and move on. Find another jeweler who can replace the lost melee. repair your ring, and set your new stone correctly.

 

[iheartscience]

If it was me, I would find a new jeweler. And I definitely wouldn''t pay for the terrible job they did setting your stone and damaging your ring.

 

[mela lu]

Thanks for your responses. I appreciate it. The most important thing at this time is to get the ring back into my possession and avoid any further confrontation with her.

I have to breathe. keep my composure. and walk away.

I''m not even worried about getting it re-done (in necessary) ...that is easy. I just hate dealing with stupidity and unprofessional people.

It''s such a waste of energy. phew.

According to PS rules, am I allowed to post this jewelers name to ''warn'' other Torontonians about her?

 

[Love in Bloom]

Hi Melalu! I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience. I think you should definitely get your

back and be moving on...

What metal is your setting? I tried looking in your old posts but couldn't find out what it was. My old ering was platinum with milgrain edges and bead set stones on all three sides. The melees fell out constantly (probably b/c it wasn't made very well and I was very hard on it as far as wear and cleaning, totally N/A in your case as your stone fell out because of reapair). I had one melee replaced by a jeweler who didn't use a laser, and it messed up the stones and the milgrain around the diamond that was replaced.The best place that I found to get my ring repaired was a jewelry store that had a laser welding machine. I'm not completely sure how it works, but it allowed them to fix my setting very precisely without disrupting the design and the other stones. And fast too! I had my ring back the next day. So my suggestion is that you find a jeweler with a laser welder to fix your ring; I think if you do you will have the best chance of getting your ring fixed precisely and without further gllitches.

Good luck!

 

[Finding_Neverland]

Love makes a good suggestion.

Look for a shop with Laser capabilities on site. You''ll probably find higher qualified technicians and benchmen there.

If it weren''t for the ridiculous tax Canada charges, I''d suggest you send your ring to WF to have them perform the repair. They have a fabulous staff of artisans working for them.

 

[mela lu]

Thank you Love and Neverland. I WOULD sent it to WF in a heartbeat if it weren''t for the borders. I had a dream last night that I went to WF for a consultation, but they were in the process of getting new offices, so all the consultations were being done in a gym lockeroom. And I asked my girl if I could become a WF sales consultant, and she told me...YAH! there is a welcome seminar happening downstairs...

anyways. I digress.

To answer your question, my setting is made from white gold.

I am going to pick it up this afternoon (wish me luck) and send me "keep your cool" vibes!

xo

 

[Cehrabehra]

Mela lu, she was wrong, but after reading your convo I must remind you - you get more flies with HONEY - not degradation.

 

[mela lu]

No for sure you''re absolutely right!! And my ''re-enactment'' wasn''t really a good representation of the conversation...I was just so appalled that she was standing behind the shotty workmanship and acting like I was being unreasonable. I''ve just never been treated so poorly by a retailer, and spoken down-to so blatantly...I was truly caught off guard by her!

I''m going to go in there all honey''ed up, take my ring, and leave her and this whole experience behind me.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 6/22/2007 12:10:25 PM
Author: mela lu
No for sure you''re absolutely right!! And my ''re-enactment'' wasn''t really a good representation of the conversation...I was just so appalled that she was standing behind the shotty workmanship and acting like I was being unreasonable. I''ve just never been treated so poorly by a retailer, and spoken down-to so blatantly...I was truly caught off guard by her!

I''m going to go in there all honey''ed up, take my ring, and leave her and this whole experience behind me.

Take it to your appraiser and see what he thinks about it - if it''s horrible he''ll say so, put it in writing, then you can return and say.... it''s not just my opinion.

 

[mela lu]

Thanks Cehra. Good plan. I just re-scheduled my meeting with the appraiser *again* until next week.

I phoned him last week and told him about the missing melee and the tilted center stone and he advised me to have her re-do it before bringing it to him. So that''s what I did...

Not that I should worry too much, but I hate the though of my ring being *out there* in the world un-insured.

Also, thinking back - I think my response during our phone conversation was as a result of total shock from what I was hearing on the other end.

 

[surfgirl]

Shouldn''t she be reimbursed for the cost of replacing one melee piece?

 

[mela lu]

I''m confused. She lost the melee.

Sorry, I''m not sure I understand your question

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 6/22/2007 12:46:28 PM
Author: mela lu
I''m confused. She lost the melee.

Was the setting originally made/sold to you by that jeweler or was it bought elsewhere? I''m not sure a jeweler who simply cleans the ring in an ultrasonic is responsible for replacing stones that pop out. Does that make sense?

 

[mela lu]

REALLY? Wow. I didn''t know that! *thank goodness for y''all!*

I did not purchase the setting from there...FI has purchased other rings for me from her...but not this one.

So if I have to pay for the stone, is this covered under either a) the maintanance and protection plan that came with my setting or b) my insurance?

thanks for this info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MidwestDiamondHunter]

In my opinion, WITHOUT DOUBT, the jeweler is responsible for the lost stone. How could you possibly think otherwise? If you take your brand new car in for some maintenence and something else happens to go wrong as a result of the repair they did, it would be the same story. It wasn''t broke when you brought it in but it was when you picked it up. I think you would be backed up legally as well (not that the price of the stone is worth it).

Maybe you can contact other jewelers and see what their policy is in this situation.

 

[mrssalvo]

I wouldn't submit a lost melee to your insurance. they should only be around $20 buck to replace. One of the big downsides to pave rings is the possibility of stones to pop out. It does happen and that could be part of the reason the sales folks didn't ask surprised. If you have a warranty on the setting by the vendor you bought it from or the designer, they would probably fix it free of charge, but most warranty's will become void if someone else messes with the ring. If you had a warranty, it may have already been voided at this point. If that's the case, I'd find a jeweler you trust, pay them to fix the melee and set the stone straight.

midwestdiamondhunter: I disagree. Many times stones that are loose end up popping out in an ultrasonic. Not the jewelers fault at all and it may be due to poorly done pave or a bead got knocked by the wearer and caused the stone to come loose. All in all it really doesn't matter who or why, they are cheap enough to replace and IMO not worth the huge deal being made.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 6/22/2007 1:06:04 PM
Author: MidwestDiamondHunter
If you take your brand new car in for some maintenence and something else happens to go wrong as a result of the repair they did, it would be the same story.

What if you took your car to a CAR WASH and your bumper fell off while it was going through a normal wash cycle? Whose fault is that?

It's not at all clear that the missing melee stone is a result of SETTING a center stone? A company who is doing a $50-$100 repair is now liable for the whole ring?? NOT LIKELY. Which is why OWNERS carry insurence on their rings (and their cars).

ETA: Rings are supposed to be inspected every 6 months for loose stones etc ... what jeweler in their RIGHT MIND would conduct such "inspections" if during the process they become responsible for stones popping out? They tell you what's wrong & you pay them to fix it.

 

[mela lu]

Date: 6/22/2007 1:07:53 PM
Author: mrssalvo
I wouldn't submit a lost melee to your insurance. they should only be around $20 buck to replace. One of the big downsides to pave rings is the possibility of stones to pop out. It does happen and that could be part of the reason the sales folks didn't ask surprised. If you have a warranty on the setting by the vendor you bought it from or the designer, they would probably fix it free of charge, but most warranty's will become void if someone else messes with the ring. If you had a warranty, it may have already been voided at this point. If that's the case, I'd find a jeweler you trust, pay them to fix the melee and set the stone straight.

midwestdiamondhunter: I disagree. Many times stones that are loose end up popping out in an ultrasonic. Not the jewelers fault at all and it may be do to poorly done pave or a bead got knocked by the wearer and caused the stone to come loose. All in all it really doesn't matter who or why, they are cheap enough to replace and IMO not worth the huge deal being made.

Totally agree re: pave downside. Even I wasn't upset by this...

I just spoke to a totally different B&M store for thier take on it: She said they would assess every situation differently, and base their decision on the age and condition of the ring etc. She did bring up a good point, which is, they always inspect the ring thouroughly before putting it in the ultrasonic (thereby identifying the risk of losing a stone).

This is on par with what I imagine most jeweler would do (especially when the setting was not purchased through them). I guess I'll have to wait and see!
Something tells me I'll be paying for it...going back to Cehra's point...use honey honey honey!!

 

[MidwestDiamondHunter]

Date: 6/22/2007 1:13:04 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 6/22/2007 1:06:04 PM
Author: MidwestDiamondHunter
If you take your brand new car in for some maintenence and something else happens to go wrong as a result of the repair they did, it would be the same story.

What if you took your car to a CAR WASH and your bumper fell off while it was going through a normal wash cycle? Whose fault is that?

It''s not at all clear that the missing melee stone is a result of SETTING a center stone? A company who is doing a $50-$100 repair is now liable for the whole ring?? NOT LIKELY. Which is why OWNERS carry insurence on their rings (and their cars).

ETA: Rings are supposed to be inspected every 6 months for loose stones etc ... what jeweler in their RIGHT MIND would conduct such ''inspections'' if during the process they become responsible for stones popping out? They tell you what''s wrong & you pay them to fix it.

If your bumper falls off in a carwash as a direct result of an action that the carwash took, then the carwash owner is responsible. If you''re bumper is dangling by a thread in the first place then common sense kicks in. As for the ring, it is the responsibility of the jeweler to inspect the ring BEFORE they perform any services and warn the consumer if there is a high risk factor at which point the consumer has the option of taking full responsibility. Otherwise, they screw it up, they are responsible. All of this is assuming that you don''t sign anything that states otherwise etc...

And remember, jewelers have insurance too to cover things like this... I think of it as malpractice insurance.

 

[Love in Bloom]

Date: 6/22/2007 4:18:44 PM
Author: MidwestDiamondHunter

If your bumper falls off in a carwash as a direct result of an action that the carwash took, then the carwash owner is responsible. If you're bumper is dangling by a thread in the first place then common sense kicks in. As for the ring, it is the responsibility of the jeweler to inspect the ring BEFORE they perform any services and warn the consumer if there is a high risk factor at which point the consumer has the option of taking full responsibility. Otherwise, they screw it up, they are responsible. All of this is assuming that you don't sign anything that states otherwise etc...

And remember, jewelers have insurance too to cover things like this... I think of it as malpractice insurance.

I agree. In my quest to find a regular jeweler I can trust with whatever repairs, inspections, etc., I expect him or her to tell me if a repair is out of his or her range. In fact, I even asked my jeweler if the repair would be distiguishable from the original work. Boy was I a difficult customer; he had to convince me to let him do the repair work. I don't think he would have done this if he wasn't confident in his abilities. He reassured me he had apprenticed with his dad since he was 9 years old, and was actually excited about doing my repair. If a jeweler isn't willing to accept responsibility for what work he or she has done, I would move on to the next one. You should be able find one who is experienced and cares enough to make it right for you.

Oh and I like that malpractice analogy. What do you call the person who graduates last his/her class in med school? Doctor

.

 

[mela lu]

*************************************************************

Hello again to everyone who was following this thread and offering their input.

Here is the update:
FI and I picked up the ring from Jasmine''s fine jewelers, and surprise surprise, Jasmine, the owner with whom I''d had the disagreement with was no where to be found. A nice sales lady was the only one there and she gave me my ring back and did not charge me for the melee they''d lost. So that part was good.

What was indescribable was what they did to "straighten" the crooked diamond. They had removed all the prongs, counter-sunk the diamond into the halo all the way to the girdle (instead of the medium height setting I''d requested and preferred). But the best part was...

...wait for it...

they''d attached the prongs ON TOP OF THE MELEE on the halo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like, a blob of white gold ON TOP of the wee diamond!! We couldn''t believe it - but didn''t even care because we were more interested in getting out of that hack shop and over to a true professional.

Currently, my e-ring is in the VERY safe and VERY capable hands of our out of town jewler who made my technically PERFECTwedding band (which I will post later). He sort of laughed, but was sincere in saying that he would take it all apart, fix the melee and reset the center stone properly. PHEW.

The moral of the story is - by trying to save a dollar, or some communting time really doesn''t save you anything in the end if it''s not done properly. I learned my lesson, and will not make the same mistake in the future.

Here are some pics of the prong-ON-melee fiasco:
(not the best pics...but in real life it was something else....)

 

[mela lu]

hopefully you can see what i''m talking about...

 

[mela lu]

In the previous pic you can see how the bottom left prong was no longer attached to the ''airline'' rim as it used to be...but rather on top of the halo...

 

[Love in Bloom]

I''m sorry Mela Lu. Yup, ITA. It is a shame it is so hard to find a good jeweler. I''m glad you have one that is willing to fix the bang up job on those prongs. It makes me think, just what was that other jeweler thinking?? Aye yaye yaye.

 

[pricescope]

I would not risk wearing that ring even for taking pictures

before fixing it Mela, look at the top prong on your last picture - it's not even touching a crown, or is it a photo issue?

look at those previous prongs - the are flat on your old diamond

 

[partgypsy]

That''s ... pretty bad.

 

[teetee]

I just wanted to say that is a beautiful ring. Sorry you had to go through all that hassle but glad to hear that you have another jeweler that can fix it for you.