Is this crooked or am I crossed eyed?

[slammie]

what the heck??!!?!?!@#$Q!!
Oh kayla, I feel for you!!

It is such a gorgeous ring otherwise; I just cannot believe that they set it with different number of diamonds on either side of the basket.
I can see that the prong is shorter and honestly, it would bother me. Although I understand that there will also be some minor imperfection but to me it''s pretty visible..and of course the the band issue is absolutely unacceptable!!!
I would be tempted to write to the designer (I can''t remember his name) and query the quality control at issue here. At this point, I would be taking this up with Ritani. Please let us know how it all pans out...I really really hope you get it back quickly and painlessly and will be wearing the beautiful ring soon!

 

[Daniela]

Okay, this is just so far beyond acceptable! You absolutely must get your money back. And if this is the jeweller that you''ve been doing business with for so long, they will do right by you.

 

[allycat0303]

Kayla,

HUGS! That is outrageous! I can''t believe they put two less diamonds on one side then the other. I think there is one bright side though, the uneven diamonds is a very obvious and unacceptable problem (unlike the prongs which can somewhat be argued). I can''t see how they wouldn''t refund your money or fix it for free! Let us know what happened.

 

[reena]

kayla, i am so sorry to hear about the problems with your setting!

however:

HOLY COW that is one gorgeous ring!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[canuk-gal]

Hi K:

OH my, what a business. And SUCH a beautiful ring!!!!!!!! Of course you are upset! Hope they do all they should to make it right.

cheers--Sharon

 

[windowshopper]

IT NEEDS TO BE MADE RIGHT NO QUESTIONS--TRUST ME IF YOU TELL THEM YOU WILL CONTEST YOUR CREDIT CARD PAYMENT, FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB, TELL EVERYONE ON PRICESCOPE AND DIAMOND TALK WHO THEY ARE ETC ETC THEY WILL DO IT! I HAD A MAJOR PURCHASE GO AWRY IN THE FORM OF A FUR COAT--I WROTE THE BBB AND LET ME TELL YOU THE DAY THAT NEIMAN MARCUS GOT THE COMPLAINT I GOT MY MONEY BACK................

 

[moremoremore]

Within an acceptable range? Are you kidding me? You must be.

Kayla- first, the ring is amazing. Amazing.
However, it is clear that there is a problem. It was evident in the first shot. I think it is obvious and would be even without looking through the loupe. And what''s with that bs "hand set" excuse? Aren''t all stones hand set? I understand that handmade items are never "perfect"...but that''s clearly a problem. I''m so sorry...

But I love it!

 

[goldengirl]

Oh, Kayla.

I agree that this will probably be a replacement, as I don''t think they can fix the 22 vs. 20 issue.

Call Ritani and COMPLAIN.

 

[ringbling17]

Hi guys,
well, I went to the store this morning and basically told the salesperson that I was unhappy with the way the diamond was set and also told her about the even distribution of diamonds.
She was pretty nice and told me that she would just send my diamond and the setting back to ritani.
She said they could add two extra diamonds to the other side, but I told her I don''t want that because the wedding bands have the same area without diamonds and I didn''t want the smooth part to be different sizes. I wanted that area to measure the same on all three rings.

The owner on the other hand was a complete a**hole and he came to me and started yelling at me saying that no one ever counts the diamonds, only me.
I told him that I didn''t make the setting, so don''t get mad at me for poor quality control on Ritani''s part. Then he told me that it had nothing to do with quality, just someone made a mistake and put one of the diamonds on the wrong side.
I told him it doesn''t matter, it should never have been done that way and they should have had someone inspecting the finished piece.
I was so embarassed that he was yelling at me in front of the customers in the store and so upset that my voice was shaking when I was yelling back at him.
I told him that they messed up the setting and he should not be mad at me for noticing it. The ring should never have been sent that way to begin with. And, he made a mistake when he set the diamond. That had nothing to do with me at all.
After he walked away, I told the salesperson that I don''t even want Ritani to fix it now, I want a new setting instead. She said that she would see about it, but would have to send the ring back to Ritani regardless, so she would let me know by next week what would happen.

She told me they could remove one diamond on one side and place it on the other side, but I might notice the area that was fixed if I louped it.
I told her that if I notice anything wrong with the ring, I won''t accept it, so it would be better if they just redo the ring. I told her that the owner had no right to yell at me, I didn''t do anything wrong!
If anyone else was in my place, I am sure that they would have done the same thing, right?
Not to mention, I paid over $4000, so it''s not like I spent small change at their store. And even if I only spent $10, I should be happy.
I was so upset about the whole incident after I left, I sat in my car and started crying!!!!! I called my friend up about it and was crying on the phone to her.

I hate the way the owner made me feel.
Like I don''t have a right to complain if I find something wrong.

I left all three rings with the store and I put a stop on the check I wrote out for the ring. I told them not to deposit the check until everything is fine.

 

[Daniela]

Kayla, I am so, so, so sorry. Everyone has been in a position where they have been in a store or a restaurant, have been in the right, and all the same have been horribly treated by the person working there. I'm thinking back to a time when I was mistreated and I reacted just like you--went home and cried my eyes out for two hours, trying to understand why a human being would be so mean to another human being.

He had absolutely no right to speak to you that way. And as far as I'm concerned, $400 would be too much for that kind of workmanship, let along $4000.

I understand exactly how you feel, and it's so incredibly wrong of this jeweller to have been so rude to you, and in front of others as well.

One question: is this the same jeweller that you have given so much business to over the years? If so, I find it even more shocking and disappointing.

Hang in there, don't take no for an answer, and get your money back. This is just outrageous. We're all here for you!!!

 

[sevens one]

That son of *&*%$$% a**h*&*%
What the hell was he thinking- yelling at you???????????????????????????
ARrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Oh I hate people like that.
I''m so sorry about this - what a rotten guy. Some customer service.
You poor thing- I would have been bawling too.

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

OMG Kayla!!!!

I can''t believe this crapola!! I can''t believe this guy treated you this way.

1. for $4000 the ring shoud be close to perfect if not PERFECT... the prongs are not a minute issue, and the diamonds on the side are not a minute issue.... Ritani should have noticed it before it was sent out....no matter what your jeweler says, it is a quality control issue! Argh!

2. How dare he speak to you that way! HOW DARE HE! You are a paying customer and you have the right to get what you paid for....

You did the right thing. I am sorry you had to go through that alone dear heart...What an unbelievable ordeal for you!! So sorry.

 

[Patty]

Oh, Kayla, that sounds TERRIBLE! I''m glad at least one person was helpful towards you even though the owner was a jerk. I hate conflict and I would have been crying in the store. Then I would have gotten mad at myself for crying, lol. I''m glad you insisted that they fix the problems!

 

[Morticia]

Kayla,

Sorry that happened to you. The owner is clearly unprofessional and an absolute a-hole to behave that way towards you. Your ring should have been perfect and I would have done exactly the same thing, except I probably would have gone psycho on him once he yelled at me!.

Good luck. I hope it comes back to you the way it should. I think it's great you stopped payment on the check.

If he gives you a hard time again, report him to the Better Business Bureau - Screw him. Jerk.

(By the way, great setting choice! It's beautiful!!!)

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Date: 11/26/2004 8:24

7 PM
Author: Feydakin
I believe it''s time to share the store''s name.. People like this make all of us look bad.. I can''t imagine how many potential customers that were in the store when you were being yelled at will now never shop there again..

Here Here! I wouldn''t want to "inadvertently" give them my business.

 

[Diamonds4Me]

Date: 11/26/2004 4:59

1 PM
Author: kayla17
Hi guys,
well, I went to the store this morning and basically told the salesperson that I was unhappy with the way the diamond was set and also told her about the even distribution of diamonds.
She was pretty nice and told me that she would just send my diamond and the setting back to ritani.
She said they could add two extra diamonds to the other side, but I told her I don''t want that because the wedding bands have the same area without diamonds and I didn''t want the smooth part to be different sizes. I wanted that area to measure the same on all three rings.

The owner on the other hand was a complete a**hole and he came to me and started yelling at me saying that no one ever counts the diamonds, only me.
I told him that I didn''t make the setting, so don''t get mad at me for poor quality control on Ritani''s part. Then he told me that it had nothing to do with quality, just someone made a mistake and put one of the diamonds on the wrong side.
I told him it doesn''t matter, it should never have been done that way and they should have had someone inspecting the finished piece.
I was so embarassed that he was yelling at me in front of the customers in the store and so upset that my voice was shaking when I was yelling back at him.
I told him that they messed up the setting and he should not be mad at me for noticing it. The ring should never have been sent that way to begin with. And, he made a mistake when he set the diamond. That had nothing to do with me at all.
After he walked away, I told the salesperson that I don''t even want Ritani to fix it now, I want a new setting instead. She said that she would see about it, but would have to send the ring back to Ritani regardless, so she would let me know by next week what would happen.

She told me they could remove one diamond on one side and place it on the other side, but I might notice the area that was fixed if I louped it.
I told her that if I notice anything wrong with the ring, I won''t accept it, so it would be better if they just redo the ring. I told her that the owner had no right to yell at me, I didn''t do anything wrong!
If anyone else was in my place, I am sure that they would have done the same thing, right?
Not to mention, I paid over $4000, so it''s not like I spent small change at their store. And even if I only spent $10, I should be happy.
I was so upset about the whole incident after I left, I sat in my car and started crying!!!!! I called my friend up about it and was crying on the phone to her.

I hate the way the owner made me feel.
Like I don''t have a right to complain if I find something wrong.

I left all three rings with the store and I put a stop on the check I wrote out for the ring. I told them not to deposit the check until everything is fine.

Good for you for putting a stop on the check!! However, I think I would be finding a new jeweler. Period. He had absolutely NO right to yell at you for the ring not being right. It is clearly wrong. I noticed that the head was mounted crooked before you pointed it out. What a JERK! Take that beautiful diamond to someone else who will treat you with the respect you deserve

 

[allycat0303]

Kayla,

Oh my God. I can''t believe the owner. I can''t. That is impossible. You did absolutely the right thing by stopping the check. No one counts stones??? Excuse me, but when you pay $4000 for a setting. The LEAST that they can do is assure that there are the same number of stones. And what is it to this guy anyways? He sends it to ritani and they fix it. I can''t see them telling you "No one counts the stones"

. In front of customers too. What is he thinking? I would never buy from that store if I witnessed something like that. Good luck! Hugs! I''m sure it will work out.

 

[goldengirl]

Man, oh man...

I think this even beats the time a store owner told me to "F--- off" after listening to my ligitimate complaint...at least that was over the phone, not in front of other customers. I mean...

!!

If I was another customer in the store you can bet I''d have said something to your defense before I walked out, and never given him a dime of my money! Report him to the BBB and write him a flaming do-not-refer here at PS!!

For that matter, I should think Ritani would be interested to know how their dealers are treating their customers...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Contact Ritani. Before reading all your posts I was thinking you should just bite the bullet (if necessary) and send your ring to Ritani and have them fix it even if this costs you money. Forget the jeweler. But, now that the diamonds aren''t the same on both sides, contact the ring manufacturer directly and demand immediate action!

Sorry for such a stressful experience. FWIW, your ring is GORGEOUS. I love the setting you picked out and how thin the band is.


Michelle

 

[SLH]

Kayla,

I must agree with Diamond4Me. After the owners reaction, I would not want to give him the opportunity to rectify the situation let alone the business. I am sure there are other jewelers who sell Ritani settings that will give you the respect and quality of service you deserve.

It is a beautiful setting. Best of luck to you.

SLH

 

[sciencegeek]

Oh, Kayla I feel terrible for you! Your new setting is so beautiful and it''s awful that you can''t just enjoy it

I have to send my new e-ring back because of bad QC too so I can relate. I hope everything turns out well and Ritani makes you a new ring, no questions asked. Good luck

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 11/26/2004 4:59

1 PM
Author: kayla17

The owner on the other hand was a complete a**hole and he came to me and started yelling at me saying that no one ever counts the diamonds, only me.

Then he told me that it had nothing to do with quality, just someone made a mistake and put one of the diamonds on the wrong side.

There is just no excuse for this.

Let''s pretend for a moment that you ARE the only person on the entire plant that would count them. SO WHAT? How is that relevant at all? You are entitled to do that, and you have a right to expect the ring to be symmetrical. The point of buying a piece like this is for the quality of workmanship, and compromising that in any way defeats the purpose of putting out that cash.

It has EVERYTHING to do with quality.....not fixing a MISTAKE is a breach of quality. "Oh, sorry Mr. Smith.......we forgot to put the pin in the steering column of your car. It''s just a mistake.......but it''s still a quality car." Please.

Why should you have to pay for a mistake that wasn''t yours?

Does he not realize that when other manufacturers have goods with minor "mistakes", as he calls them, they are sold as "seconds"......at a reduced price? There are folks who won''t buy the seconds--even at reduction--because they want it FLAWLESS. You have the right to expect that in buying a new piece.

DO NOT let this jerk tell you otherwise. Stand up for yourself, and once this is resolved, move your business to someone with more respect. Good luck.

 

[finerthings]

So sorry! Man what a nightmare. I think you should go and get your rings back from the jeweller asap...at this point I wouldn''t trust him not to switch your RB diamond for another stone. I would then call Ritani and work directly though them to sort out this mess.

 

[Alice in DiamondLand]

Kayla, First off, lovely choice in rings. I strongly considered that setting and it is gorgeous. Now, I must say that i would be very upset. Ritani has such a reputation of being totally fabulous, and if the guy who set it didn''t set it (and won''t correct it) to be symetrical and even, well then, he probably shouldn''t be distributing for Ritani!!

I am in a bit of a huffy mood tonight, but if it were me, right now, i would tell the guy fix it to Ritani standards, or you''ll continue to spread the word on his workmanship and customer service and would go to Ritani.

Not only is it a drag and upset for you, poor workmanship reflects badly on the industry. We got our ring from Whiteflash. And although people might say a ring can''t be perfect, I disagree. Whiteflash workmanship is excellent.

The mojo around it all would be difficult to deal with. I would have troubles accepting it as is. I wish you luck with resolution.

 

[Todd07]

It feels to me like Ritani let a poor setting get through their quality control. The different lenghts in the prongs is a mistake that your jeweler had to work with. The odd number of stones is another example of poor quality. Instead of blaming your jeweler for screwing up the prongs, his mistake was accepting a poor quality setting from Ritani.

I''d ask the Jeweler to get a replacement setting from Ritani.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Kayla, the way you were treated by the jeweler is just beyond imagination. i really couldn't believe the post as I was reading it... I really don't even know what to say. i can't imagine my jeweler ever saying those things to me.

Stick to yuor guns--wise move with the check hold--and get what you deserve. When you need a pick-me-up, just come here and we'll rally your spirits!

I think you've handled it/them beautifully, BTW.

PS The style you've chosen is just magnificent, if it's any consolation.

 

[orbaya]

Date: 11/27/2004 10:14:32 PM
Author: finerthings
So sorry! Man what a nightmare. I think you should go and get your rings back from the jeweller asap...at this point I wouldn''t trust him not to switch your RB diamond for another stone. I would then call Ritani and work directly though them to sort out this mess.

I agree with this 100%. I would not trust this jeweler with my rings at ALL. Go pick up your rings ASAP and call Ritani. I wouldn''t want him to fix it...he is obviously upset over the issue (and wrongfully so) so I don''t trust him to take any care in fixing it properly. He may compromise the integrity of the ring further.

Let Ritani know how this dealer is treating you...and let them know about the uneven diamonds and ask for a new setting. Send your diamond yourself to Ritani, have them set it. One thing I have done before if I''ve had to call a company about an issue and it''s not resolved talking with a customer service rep, is to request to speak with a manager. That may help, I don''t know. Whatever you do, DON''T use that a--hole to send the ring to Ritani. What if it got "lost"?

Make sure you report him to the BBB as others have said. Oh and about you being the only person to count the diamonds...just looking at the shank it is very obvious that the stones are uneven, even without counting them. I''m so sorry you are going thru this, but do not stop until everything is to your satisfaction.

 

[ringbling17]

I have been at work the past two nights and I go back to work again tonight, so I have been too busy to post an update to all the great advice people have been giving me.

On Friday, I sent an email to Ritani along with pictures to let them know all the problems I am having with this ring.
I have not been contacted by them yet, but it is the weekend, so I don''t expect them to contact me anyway.
I am contemplating calling Ritani on Monday, but according to my salesperson, Ritani prefers you deal with their dealer and does not like to be contacted by customers.

As far as the owner, I called him on Saturday and told him that I was very upset with the way that he spoke to me. He apologized for the way he spoke to me. He said that he did not mean to get so upset, it was just when I said that the quality of the ring was bad, it made him upset because he said he was so picky with the designers he chooses to represent in his store and he picked Ritani because of the quality of their work.
He said he was sorry again and said that he takes great pride in his store and wants to make sure I am completely satisfied. He said if I am not, then he will insist that Ritani remake the ring.
He also said that if he could, he would go to Ritani himself this week and personally drop off the ring to make sure everything is done properly. Unfortunately, this week is his show week at his store, so he can''t.
I didn''t want to beat a dead horse and start arguing with him over the quality issue again, so I accepted his apology.
It is true that he does carry a lot of designers that are hard to find anywhere, so I do believe that he is very picky and did believe that the rings would come out fine.
As far as the rings, they opened up the rings from the packaging while I was there, so they had no idea if there would be anything wrong with the rings or not. Perhaps next time they need to inspect the rings prior to giving them to the customer.

 

[ringbling17]

Date: 11/26/2004 5

5:51 PM
Author: Daniela
Kayla, I am so, so, so sorry. Everyone has been in a position where they have been in a store or a restaurant, have been in the right, and all the same have been horribly treated by the person working there. I''m thinking back to a time when I was mistreated and I reacted just like you--went home and cried my eyes out for two hours, trying to understand why a human being would be so mean to another human being.

He had absolutely no right to speak to you that way. And as far as I''m concerned, $400 would be too much for that kind of workmanship, let along $4000.

I understand exactly how you feel, and it''s so incredibly wrong of this jeweller to have been so rude to you, and in front of others as well.

One question: is this the same jeweller that you have given so much business to over the years? If so, I find it even more shocking and disappointing.

Hang in there, don''t take no for an answer, and get your money back. This is just outrageous. We''re all here for you!!!

Daniela,
this is the first time that I have done business with them.
I actually got their name from NoviceNYC. She said she had purchased the same setting from them and I got their contact information from her.

 

[ringbling17]

Date: 11/28/2004 10

6:19 AM
Author: orbaya

Date: 11/27/2004 10:14:32 PM
Author: finerthings
So sorry! Man what a nightmare. I think you should go and get your rings back from the jeweller asap...at this point I wouldn''t trust him not to switch your RB diamond for another stone. I would then call Ritani and work directly though them to sort out this mess.

I agree with this 100%. I would not trust this jeweler with my rings at ALL. Go pick up your rings ASAP and call Ritani. I wouldn''t want him to fix it...he is obviously upset over the issue (and wrongfully so) so I don''t trust him to take any care in fixing it properly. He may compromise the integrity of the ring further.

Let Ritani know how this dealer is treating you...and let them know about the uneven diamonds and ask for a new setting. Send your diamond yourself to Ritani, have them set it. One thing I have done before if I''ve had to call a company about an issue and it''s not resolved talking with a customer service rep, is to request to speak with a manager. That may help, I don''t know. Whatever you do, DON''T use that a--hole to send the ring to Ritani. What if it got ''lost''?

Orbaya,
I thought about doing what you wrote and just telling them to give me everything back and dealing with Ritani myself.
But from experience, nobody takes criticism well and if I call up Ritani saying all these things, they might be just as offensive with me and screw up everything or hold up the ring for months.

Also, I believe after speaking to the owner that he will try to do everything right.
Everyone deserves a second chance, so I will give him and Ritani the opportunity to try to fix everything first.

For some reason, I do trust this jeweler with my diamond. I don''t think he will do anything purposely to "lose" the ring. Keep your fingers crossed, though. Thank goodness, it''s insured!