To demand a refund?

[BirthdayStress]

I bought a ring for 2.5 K at the weekend. I only wore it straight after buying it to get a coffee and then put it back in the box until last night. I looked at it with my phone light to look at the sparkles and I noticed it’s got a scratch on the band. I’ve emailed the company and they are basically saying that I must’ve done the damage and they can only offer a polish and the 18 carat gold is known to be fragile. I am saying that I would like a refund under the consumer rights act 2015 as I was made unaware that it was this fragile, although I’m pretty certain the damage was not done by me they are offering to polish et cetera but I am saying that if it is causes damage by this light use then I do not want the ring as I was made unaware that I wouldn’t be able to wear it for three hours or less without damage see photos they are claiming it was not damaged when it left the shop but surely it is my word against theirs and I myself did not notice the damage until actually my light on it. Does anyone here know that consumer rights please and could advise me on where I actually stand as obviously I don’t always trust AI thank you.

You strolled in, spent £2.5k and did not carefully inspect it? You say the light was poor (strange for a jewellery shop), so you didn’t ask for a lit magnifier? Or at least move to a spot with better light?

Whatever the answer…. No you don’t have any right I’m afraid.

I havnt spent £2.5k in total on all my lifetime jewellery….if I was spending that much on one item I’d make bloody sure it was in perfect nick begore I left the shop! Was it an Elizabeth Anthony at Argos? Does that still exist?

Very highly reviewed and regarded

Elizabeth duke 😂 no don’t think so

Especially if it was your engagement ring!

All this is doing is pretty much confirming you scratched it after you left the shop.

Unless you pointed to it in the window, said that’s the one, did zero inspection and strolled out then it might have already been there.

But the polishing they have offered will get the scuff out so I'm not sure what the problem is?

Yes, it will get scuffed again because gold is a soft metal. Like a PP said, saying you didn't know gold scuffs is like saying you didn't know water would be wet. If not-scuffing was the main priority we'd all be wearing stainless steel jewellry.

Saying you want a non-gold band on what looks to be a gorgeous stone is just cutting your nose off as any other metal band will be cheaper and fully shiny unbashed bands are a sure sign of cheap knockoffs. Don't do that to your lovely ring.

I would just get it polished or ask if you can trade it for a different ring. I don't think you would be able to prove fault legally.

I don't know what you mean by 'not up to standard'. 18 carat gold is 18 carat gold is 18 carat gold. It will scratch and scuff whoever makes it. There is nothing they can do to that material to make it unscuffable.

OP my DH bought me an 18ct ring from Beaverbrooks by mail order. I took it out of the box and wore it for about half an hour and we both decided it wasn’t what we thought it was so sent it back. About a week later the ring was returned with a letter saying it had been examined and was deemed to have been worn because it wasn’t in its pristine boxed condition. They knew it had been worn because from the minute it’s out of the box, the gold is being marked by everything you do.

We contacted them and told them it had only been tried on briefly but no matter what we said they wouldn’t budge. With jewellery it’s on you to inspect it before you take it out of the store - once you get it home it’s your word against theirs. I would take them up on the polish.

YANBU I had my wedding band on for years and have probably scratched it several times but it looks pristine. Are you sure it's gold?

Aside from the fact I’m confused why you’d buy your own engagement ring, and why you’d then put it in a box for three days without looking at or wearing it…. what I’m getting from your posts is that basically you regret spending that much and are looking for a way out!!!
As others have said you have no right to a refund, that would only apply if you’d bought online/mail order as you wouldn’t have been able to inspect the item before purchasing….. you did have the opportunity to inspect it when you were in the store looking at and trying it on!!!

That looks really bad.

For comparison my mother's 18ct gold engagement ring which she has worn constantly for over 50 years along with two other 18ct gold rings on the same and next to finger show no damage like that.

You would have had to do something very extreme to cause that damage it looks like more than a scratch it looks like the gold has been scraped off.

If they are saying that can happen after 3 hours wear then the product is not suitable for the intended use.

I’m guessing you and fiance have had a barmy and the wedding is off!! The ring was scratched in brawl of some sort!

I obviously didn’t buy it - my DP did but it was easier to just say I bought it in my OP as I didn’t think it mattered who actually paid or whether it was my engagement ring etc but here you go. I bought it on Sunday, wore it as I said just to go home pretty much - I was at work for 3 days where I’m not allowed rings or even nail polish, so it was put back in the box and left there. I got it out again last night as I wanted to look at it. I don’t regret spending that much at all. I’m wishing we spent more to be honest and didn’t go for this ring given all the bother.

If you bought, say, a dress though - took the tag off and discovered it had a hole in it, they would let you return. What is the difference in terms of consumer rights?

@SadOrWickedFairy my point exactly! Unfit for purpose!

@Coffeeathovima you would think so by looking at it wouldn’t you 😅 better hide all the scratch marks on his face when he goes in!

If it’s a brand new ring then any scuff will show up on it. Once it’s more ‘worn’ it looks more even. (Hence people saying they have an xxx year old ring and not scuffed)

Have you tried popping in to an independent jeweller and asking their opinion? Unless you proper dinged it against something I would struggle to see how you may have made that scratch? I guess that would be part of the issue, is that you can’t prove you didn’t make it.

Out of curiosity I just looked at my 18ct ring and while mine has fine scratches, there is nothing like yours and I’ve definitely worn it rain or shine! The only time I take it off is for showering. Feels like they are trying to fob you off personally.

@ThreadGuardDog Bastards! DP works near the store anyway so he’s going to go in person tomorrow, he’s slightly less argumentative than me so we shall see what the outcome is!

Just get it re-polished by them. It’s a tiny scuff. All gold and platinum marks or scuffs, it’s inevitable. I would have done some research on different gold types and their durability before I went as the hardest gold is 9ct. Just wear it and enjoy it, it looks beautiful. Get it polished every so often and if it bothers you when after years it is scratched more, get it reset.
You don’t have a leg to stand on getting a refund and tbh you sound as if you have buyers remorse more than unhappiness with the scuff that they can fix!

The difference is that you have worn the ring for a few hours and then found the scratch.

If I wore a dress for three hours and then found a hole, I wouldn't expect to be able to take it back.

It's entirely reasonable for the shop to believe you scratched it while wearing it and so refuse to refund it. Have the polish they very kindly offered and move on.

Again I'm not sure what you mean by unsuitable. 18 carat gold is a single material. It doesn't matter how it's cast or who the jeweler is, that's the material.

If there's an accusation that it's not 18 carat gold and being sold as such (ie: if it's just gold plated), the OP should take it to another jeweler to have checked out as that would be pretty major fraud, the jeweler could go to prison for that.

But assuming it is what it says it is, and if it was not scratched on leaving the shop, it literally cannot be faulty or unfit for purpose. It's a cast band of metal. Not a toaster.

Another alternative is if your mum's 18 carat ring still looks pristine, it may not in fact be 18 carat gold. It could be a cheaper composite metal that doesn't or wouldn't scuff.

Are you sure yours is gold? Cheap not-gold is likely to be stronger and less likely to scuff. The more gold it is, the more prone to scratches it will be.

My platinum wedding is covered in dents and scratches - but I knew that’d be the case when I bought a ring in a soft precious metal.

Both my rings are 18ct gold, I’ve worn them for ten years, never take them off, have horses, sheep etc., barely a scratch on them.

So I agree, I think this was scratched before you bought it if your account is accurate.