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.

This is wrong.

If you purchase something and it turns out to be faulty you have the right to return it and receive a full refund provided you do so within 30 days. After 30 days you have the right to a repair or replacement and the retailer can choose which to provide. If the repair or replacement fails you have the right to a refund.

It’s not faulty!

In this case they should be good with customer care so I'd be even more inclined to go back and ask for at least a repair to the surface of the band..I think if OP really expressed her dissatisfaction and confusion as to how it's so scratched with so little wear they will probably do that.

It’s not a polish with a cloth. It will be a proper buffing machine that the jeweller uses. I have had older rings polished that look like new afterwards. It will remove that scratch. No repair is necessary. Maybe OP has buyer’s remorse?

I suspect it’s OPs attitude that’s the problem.

they have already offered her a repair.

Contact Citizen's Advice Consumer Service

I think your argument about unsatisfactory durability is nonsense tbh, rings will get marks on them especially 18ct gold, it doesn't mean they aren't still performing their function. If you went in and asked for something really hardwearing, then maybe you were misadvised, but its not their job to tell you about the properties of 18ct gold.
Their offer to Polish it out is perfectly reasonable as it will then look brand new. If it marks again, you're in no different a position than if you'd left the store with a brand new one and marked it - just a sign to do your research before buying expensive jewellery in future.

Thats what polishing gold does. Its like buffing a car to refinish it. Its not like they are going to use brasso on the ring. It will look perfect once polished. White gold is soft. I was told when buying my wedding band it had to be the same gold as my engagment or they would damage each other. Its really easy to damage a bang on a table or grabbing a door handle would do it

I see, I wasn't sure if the polish would involve repairing the scratch. I wonder if OP also doesn't see this and that's why she is refusing the polish..
OP if you really love the ring, maybe get the polish?

If you want something less likely to scratch buy platinum.

Adding a picture of my 126 year old ring that was my great grandmother's wedding ring, it is 18 karat and I have worn it on my non dominant thumb 24/7 for months now I'm sure. Light hazing all over but no scratches like yours. The camera though unclear makes it look worse too. You have 30 days to return/ get a fix or money off something that doesnt meet a description or isn't of satisfactory quality.

What you need to tell the shop is that ring was not of merchantable quality. Therefore you are entitled to a full refund. Otherwise you will take them to County Court.

Use Consumer legislation.

Under UK law, the 30-day return rule applies strictly to faulty goods. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you have the short-term right to reject an item that is broken, not as described, or unfit for purpose and claim a full refund within 30 days

You can surely argue that it is not fit for purpose as it couldn’t be worn for three hours without getting scratched.

You don’t have to accept a repair so just repeat that you want a full refund. We did that with a £11k lawn mower which broke in the first 30 days. The company thought we were very unreasonable not to give them the opportunity to repair it but we just repeated that we wanted a full refund or a replacement. They refused a replacement but gave us the refund.

If you bought a dress, removed the tags and wore it and also admitted to them you had worn it, and it was a week later and there were signs of wear that could have happened while you’d be wearing it all week, then I think the attitude of the shop would be the same.

You’re saying you only wore it for a short period of time, but you’d had it for days before raising the issue. If everything you have said is true, there’s no way of proving it, and you probably shouldn’t have admitted to wearing the ring as it does make it look like you have scratched it - if you didn’t notice it before, can you actually be sure that you didn’t scratch it?

I’ve had an 18 ct gold diamond ring for 40 years and it hasn’t scratched so that’s a bullshit excuse. Ring Citizens Advice consumer service , they’ll explain your legal rights and if necessary help you to persue your complaint .

I'd take it elsewhere for a valuation. Is it definitely the ring your dp paid for ??

My wedding ring is 90 years old - its 22ct gold.
My grandma wore it for 55+ years and I've worn it for 25.
Its not as scratched as your ring.
Take it back and get them to polish/mend it.
You should have inspected carefully before spending 2.5k on it. I expect it could have been damaged when you bought it but you've got absolutely no proof.
Good Luck.

They have CCTV, everything will have been captured. They will be able to prove they showed it to OP fully before she tried it on.

I think the scratch may actually be the w
real white gold showing through a scratch in the plating? White gold items are usually plated with palladium which is a different colour and it wears off. I have a solid 18ct white gold (unplated) ring which I have worn on my right hand for 8+ years. It’s a bit scratched up, but it’s not noticeable because the metal is the same all the way through. I think that’s why it’s noticeable on the OPs ring.

Gold gets damaged really easily

You could bump it against your laptop and scratch it

edit - not heard of this Jewellery shop but the name did make me giggle sorry

Why can’t you get it re polished? They are offering to help? I would just let them re-polish it for you.

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.

My mother's rings are definitely 18ct gold, I didn't say they looked pristine however NONE of them have anywhere remotely near the kind of damage on them that the OP's ring has.

I know. Very highly regarded.

and as for the crap about poor lighting from @BirthdayStress …. Pure fiction

Be honest, you have second thoughts about the design, shape etc. and want a different one now. 😊

I was sympathetic to the OP but now think that she is taking the mick. She would have examined at every angle in the shop as choosing an engagement ring is a big decision