If you can't afford it - you shouldn't be looking at it!

[Andelain]

Good for you! I'm guessing she got a sound and well-deserved verbal spanking, as I'm sure you weren't the first customer she treated poorly - though hopefully the last!

Thanks Yssie and Marcy. I'm guessing you're right, that she got a healthy chew-out. I never saw her again, so I can hope.....

I'm been treated badly other times and witnessed that sort of thing so many other times and I wish I could say they all ended that way, but they didn't. There was one other time it did though, I walked into a place that bought and resold jewelry. I'd gone in there a few times before but hadn't found anything that wanted to follow me home. This time I stood and waited while the lone salesman finished up with the customer already there who was looking at a half carat solitaire. It was offered to him for $800 and he finally said he'd think about it and likely be back the next day. Before it made it back to the case I asked for it. It was very nicely cut and and had great color and clarity. I knew I wanted it, but asked the salesman to clean it off so I could be sure, because it was covered in fingerprints.

As the salesman went in the back I heard another person say "Don't waste any time on her, she never buys ****!" The salesman brings the ring out to me sans the crud and I really liked what I saw for the money. I asked if he worked on commision. He hesitated for a sec, then said yes. I raised my voice just a little so the guy in back could hear and said "I heard you say $800, I'll take it". Still have it, too....

 

[ksinger]

And do you ever notice that regardless of the general decline in customer service across all areas of retail, you still rarely get the truly severe snottiness anywhere other than jewelry stores? What IS it about jewelry that brings out such yuck in people? Weird.

Well, I have my local designer store that I frequent. I have purchased there, but I also go in to look as often as not, and they treat me like a queen, and I am NOT a big spender. They know me by name, will show me anything, and send handwritten thank you's when you purchase even the smallest thing. They want me BACK. As long as I'm coming in, there is a chance I will buy. Smart retail attitude if you ask me.

So if you're ever in Oklahoma City and want a great browsing (or buying) experience, be sure and visit Valerie Naifeh's. You won't be disappointed. Staff is great, Valerie is lovely to everyone, her designs are gorgeous, and she carries other killer designers.

http://www.naifehfinejewelry.com/index.php

 

[AnneinGA]

Another funny B&M story....
There is a small independent store near me and a friend of mine invited me to their Christmas party late last year. They do all hors d' oeuvres, champagne, drawings, etc. I had purchased a couple of pandora charms there but that was all. I had also checked their diamond inventory (Oh, we don't have diamonds with certificates) and was pretty disappointed.

So back to the Christmas Party. They give away 3 $250 gift cards and a $500 card. Guess who won the $500 card? ME! I was so excited, and the deal I made with my friend was that if I won I'd split it with her. The day we came back to spend it, the owner was there and he was really irritated about helping us; he helped everyone else first and then when we were selecting some more pandora charms, took them back and locked the case to go wait on another customer. It was clear he was annoyed that he had to give us jewelry - and that was HIS idea! I have gone back there for some other pandora stuff, but he ruined a ring of mine when he resized it and colored the metal a gold/silver color so I have to have that fixed.

They keep asking when I'm going to do my ring with them.

Not.

 

[damia]

I'm a long time lurker, read but never post since I don't have much to say but my sister (also a member) told me about this thread and said I should mention my problems here as well!

First, my dh bought me a pair of huggies in 2007 for xmas. The diamonds are pretty dodgy but that is normal for the mall stores here. Within 12 months I noticed one in particular turned black. I figured it cracked or something as mega cleaning did nothing for it. The sales girl was adamant it just needed cleaning and would not listen to me. She put it in the ultrasonic and brought it out saying it was much better. I just looked at her said no it wasn't, it's still black! I even had my receipt ready as they supposedly have a 12 month guarantee. I just gave up..

At another store of the same chain, I got to talking with a sales girl who said they had a really good jeweller and I could get my engagement ring resized through them. BIG MISTAKE! It came back crooked, misshapen and the sapphire had been removed and put back in. One of the prongs wasn't even touching the stone. I told the manager that their jeweller had taken it out and didn't even reset it properly. They couldn't see what I was talking about even with a loupe. Meanwhile I could see it with my naked eye. Eventually they agreed it wasn't touching but that it shouldn't fall out but I wanted it fixed. It was definitely my sapphire btw, I checked for this little dimple and it was in a different spot so I know it was taken out and put back in. I got all sorts of crap said to me like "oh it's only 14k gold" (it's not it's 18k, we don't even have 14k as standard here), then stuff about the sapphire to which I said it's not the created sapphires like you have here and pointed to their rings.. she was in disbelief over how much the ring cost.. I think she didn't realise there were such things as natural sapphires?? Anyway, the ring came back a second time, the jeweller having "fixed" it after denying he removed the stone initially. The ring itself was now crooked and one of the side stone rails was now warped and bowing out but I had enough and said I'm not letting their jeweller touch it any more. She wanted to know what she could do to make me happy and offered to pay another jeweller for repairs but no other jeweller would touch it. She also suggested I take it back to the jeweller we purchased from and basically lie and say it's broken as another solution. I did have another jeweller look at it about a year ago and the ring seems to have been snapped and rejoined and that's why it's all crooked and strange.

I even rang head office but they said they can't do anything, it was between me and the store in question. Each store has their own local jeweller they use. And because I didn't buy my ring from them they basically fobbed me off.

I still haven't told DH about that debacle and no longer wear the ring as it has sharp edges now where the prongs were redone and are sharp intead of rounded. I've cut my older son a few times wearing it and since I had a little bub I don't wear it at all! I love that ring and will one day get it reset so I can wear it again.. but not until I reset my 2ct marquise I now wear (handed down from my mum)..

 

[IceExplorer]

no longer wear the ring as it has sharp edges now where the prongs were redone and are sharp intead of rounded. I've cut my older son a few times wearing it and since I had a little bub I don't wear it at all! I love that ring... .

You cut your son with it? What a terrible ending!

Do you know the jeweler they used who botched it? You should post the store's name, the jewelers name and contact the better business bureau. That is just unacceptable!

 

[damia]

Do you know the jeweler they used who botched it? You should post the store's name, the jewelers name and contact the better business bureau. That is just unacceptable!

Yes it was a Michael Hill Jeweller store and they outsource to other jewellers to do their bench work. No idea who as they don't share the actual jeweller's name but I gleaned it from yet another store and have a suspicion as to who it is and will steer clear of them from now on. I don't want get in trouble for slander since I don't know for sure. But I can say it all started with MHJ for a simple half size resize that went horribly wrong.

So far all my experiences of jewellers in Australia, particularly the Gold Coast, have been terrible. When I first received my marquise I went to a respected family owned jeweller (not a chain) for a resize and redip. The "GIA Trained" gemmologist returned telling me it was a simulant. She kept talking over me and in the end I held my hand out and demanded she return the ring to me as I wasn't leaving it with them now. It is a 30+ year old ring, I'd just had it valued by a well known, often recommended, independent valuer and it was most definitely REAL. Top jewellers on the GC use her for their valuations. This woman hadn't even heard of her which made me even more worried about leaving my ring with them for resizing. Silly woman kept using the diamond tester out back but never let me see her do it. I rang the valuer straight after I left telling her what happened and she told me to come around right away and she'll prove to me it was real. She thinks the shop have their settings wrong and were possibly using it in aircon room. We wondered how many other people were caught out like me and threw their "simulant" in the bin. Every other jeweller on the GC I've been to for quotes on resets have all commented on how beautiful it is and whenever I tell them of the simulant story they're totally shocked. For any Gold Coaster Pricescopers, it was Birkbeck's.

Back in 2008, I was going to post about my Michael Hill experience but figured there weren't enough Aussie's on here to care LOL

I'm often going into our local one (yes, yet another store, they're everywhere!) and looking at their rings. The longterm staff don't serve me anymore as they have realised I'm only a looker.

 

[Amys Bling]

wow it is unbelievable how terribly sales people can treat customers! And I feel like although- it might be true in some ways- if you can't afford it you shouldn't look at it, BUT maybe you can't afford it NOW or you just are looking with no intent to buy TODAY!...jeez way to ruin future business.