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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Pissed off but can't decide AIBU

27 replies

msmorgan · 25/11/2013 19:34

I am so fed up with this situation an it has dragged on so long I can't decide AIBU?

I will try and condense things a bit.

I noticed 2 stones missing from my engagement ring which I'd had for 3 months. I had not to my knowledge damaged the ring in any way. I returned the ring to the store who said it would have to be sent off to be assessed. This process took approx 4 weeks, I was annoyed it took so long, then even more annoyed when they deemed the damage to be my fault and I had to pay for the repair (£89). I was going to go through my insurance but was informed this would extend the time I would be without my ring for another 4 weeks as it had been sent abroad to the manufacturers and apparently would take this long to get back to me.

I gave the go ahead for the repair work and was told 4 weeks max. It has now been around 6 weeks. I have had to chase this along the entire time and by the time I hopefully receive my ring back on Saturday I will have been without my ring for 13 weeks.

After contacting the company a week after I should have had my ring back they eventually got back to me and have apologised for the delay, thanked me for my patience and offered me a £100 gift card for the store.

I am so angry about the whole situation, I have basically been without my ring for longer than I have had use of it and all I have been offered is essentially the cost of the repair refunded and £10. AIBU to find this unsatisfactory?

I will happily name the store if anyone is interested.

Sorry it's so long!

OP posts:
StrawberryMojito · 25/11/2013 19:39

In my opinion you shouldn't have had to pay for the repair in the first place. Stones shouldn't fall out of rings especially not after such a short time.

Name the store.

Oodmaiden · 25/11/2013 19:40

I don't know. I guess I can see it is irritating, but essentially they have repaired it for free. Even though they think it is your fault. Since they are not able to turn back time and get it back to you quicker, what do you want to have happen?

Famzilla · 25/11/2013 19:40

I dunno really, I think £100 for things taking a bit longer than expected is reasonable. Don't really get the issue over being without it for a while either, it's not like it makes any difference to your life (like being without a car for example).

However, how they could blame you for their poorly made item falling apart is beyond me, I would be refusing to pay for the repair!

OrangePixie · 25/11/2013 19:42

Meh, it's a piece of jewellery. It's not like being without hot water or heating is it?

I'd ask for cash rather than the voucher.

Heartbrokenmum73 · 25/11/2013 19:42

Everything else aside, it's pretty bad form to name the store. I wouldn't do that because that will just get the thread deleted.

MortifiedAnyFuckerAdams · 25/11/2013 19:46

Hijacking here, sorry, My engagement ring is 4 years old. Its blue sapphire in the middle and a diamond each side. A month ago, one of the diamonds fell.out (I dont know when or how). I took it to a local jewellers for advice (the one I bought it from is a treck away), who said the second diamond was rotating in the fixing and the clasps were too small.for the size of the diamond.

I dont have insurance. Any chance the origoonal shop would help?

Original poster
msmorgan · 25/11/2013 21:20

I suppose the reason I'm so annoyed is that I dispute I caused the damage in the first place. They sent the ring back to the manufacturer, who is abroad, before discussing with me the timescales this would entail. I was then told this week that they could have sent it to a local Goldsmith but chose to send it back to the manufacturer.

I think 13 weeks to repair or replace a ring seems excessive but having never had any rings repaired previously I have nothing to compare to. It's pissed me off that we have paid for something and then not had the use of it for so long. I know it's a ring so you don't actually use it but if it was a car or tv or something you do use and had paid for, to me 13 weeks is a long time to be without the item.

I do appreciate the £100 gift card offer but tbh would have preferred if they offered to refund the repair cost, in cash.

I know this is all very trivial I was really just wanting other peoples opinions if this is normal procedure and timescale with jewellery repairs?

OP posts:
MammaTJ · 25/11/2013 21:25

I would have involved Trading Standards before agreeing to pay for the work.

WooWooOwl · 25/11/2013 21:26

Name and shame.

Although if there is a fault with the ring or the design if the ring, I can understand why they wanted to send it back to the manufacturer. But if they think they are at fault enough to offer you a gift card, then the repair should be free on top of a good will gift card. Otherwise they are effectively profiting from selling something that wasn't fit for purpose.

phantomnamechanger · 25/11/2013 21:31

how exactly do they think you have caused the damage in such a short time - you're not bricklayer or anything, I assume? LOL. these things should not just fall to pieces! I would be kicking up a stink in front of all their christmas shoppers TBH!

Original poster
msmorgan · 25/11/2013 21:31

Mortified, I would take the ring to the shop you bought it from for them to assess it. From what the other jeweller said it sound like they should repair it for free if the setting is not right. If they disagree you could get a third opinion.

I was surprised that the repair cost for mine was quite low considering they are saying it needed extensive work so even if you do have to pay for the repair it might not be very expensive. I wish I had taken mine to an independent jeweller first.

OP posts:
NoComet · 25/11/2013 21:37

It's not of merchantable quality. I would demand a full refund and buy a new ring elsewhere.

Original poster
msmorgan · 25/11/2013 21:40

I was surprised when they said I had caused the damage and that the ring was misshapen as I had been really careful with it. I work part time in an office so definitely not doing anything that would cause damage to a ring.

I just wish I'd taken it to an independent jeweller before I took it back to the shop. I honestly thought the shop would apologise and replace the ring.

I'll probably not dare wear the bloody ring when I do eventually have it back in case it gets damaged again.

OP posts:
cassgate · 25/11/2013 21:55

Its not a princess cut diamond is it. I have been told they are very difficult to repair and have to be sent back to the manufacturer and it can take months. No jewler would touch mine. I ended up having the 8 remaining stones removed and i had them set in a different ring instead. My ring was older though and i had no proof of purchase but was told that it probably originated from China.

Original poster
msmorgan · 25/11/2013 22:01

It was 2 of the side stones that came out, they are tiny round diamonds. I was told the ring would have to be recast, not sure if that is what they have done.

I'm going have it independently assessed when I get it back to make sure it has been repaired ok.

OP posts:
travailtotravel · 25/11/2013 22:52

This wasn't a jeweller with a common welsh surname in it's title was it?

LongStripedScarfWearer · 25/11/2013 23:00

Goldsmiths?

Years ago when DH and I got engaged, ring came from there and had to be adjusted.

They ballsed up the first attempt completely. It took weeks and the ring was a botched job.

We refused it and the ring had to be rebuilt, again it took weeks.

The ring I now wear is only about 5% of the original ring DH proposed with.

Awful.

Original poster
msmorgan · 25/11/2013 23:22

Not either of those, someone said the thread would be deleted if I named it. I'd never heard of the jewellers, I just happened to see the ring in the window and it was exactly what I'd been looking for.

I'm just hoping I get my ring back on Saturday and that nothing else goes wrong with it. If it does I'll go straight through my insurance company.

OP posts:
SorrelForbes · 25/11/2013 23:41

Last month I lost one of the small round shoulder diamonds from my 2.5 yr old engagement ring. I posted it back to the jewellers in Birmingham last Tuesday afternoon and it was returned on Friday. The diamond was replaced, all the settings checked and renting was cleaned. All this was free of charge.

I would definitely be very unhappy with the service you're receiving.

judytheobscure · 26/11/2013 07:38

Was the ring the correct size for you when you bought it as resizing a ring can sometimes affect the stone settings.

Joysmum · 26/11/2013 07:50

They've offered fair compensation for the delay imo

WaitMonkey · 26/11/2013 09:07

I don't think the thread would be deleted if you name the shop. There are threads on here everyday complaining about shops, Asda, Tesco, John Lewis and the like. I think they do deserve to be named, they sound awful. They should repay you in cash for the repair, you shouldn't have paid in the first place, diamonds should not fall out after 12 weeks. They should also compensate you for the length of time with the £100 gift card.

Thatisall · 26/11/2013 09:14

They haven't even given you £100 have they? It's a bloody voucher! So they still get your money. Name and shame!

StatelyAsAGalleon · 26/11/2013 09:20

A similar thing happened to me. Not long after DH proposed, I noticed a stone had dropped out of the ring. I returned it to the independent jeweller that it was bought from and they replaced it free of charge. They did say to DH at the time that it "...was not intended as an engagement ring and as such should not be worn daily...".

This happened on four separate occasions before they offered to replace or re-set it. I opted to have it re-set and is actually a much nicer ring now.

Could you request a refund, based on the fact that it was sold as an engagement ring and does not seem to be able to stand up to constant wear?

Tee2072 · 26/11/2013 09:24

The thread will not be deleted for naming the shop.

Company names have been in thread titles with much more nasty stuff than you are posting and they have remained.

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