Complaint Review: Reeds Jewelers

Purchasing wedding rings for the first time is a very exciting, emotional and sometimes intimidating task to undertake.  After visiting many local Charlotte jewelry stores, I decided to purchase two white gold 1 1/4 karat princess cut channel set wedding rings from Reeds Jewelers at Carolina Place Mall in May, 2010.  Both rings were purchased during May but on different dates.  During my search, I had visited a couple of custom jewelry manufacturers in Charlotte but found comfort in being able to actually see and hold the rings in person versus using my imagination of what the rings would look like if they were custom made.  Having a very specific style and design in mind, I was overall pleased when I found the rings at Reeds.  During my research, I had actually visited Reeds at Concord Mills as well as their location at Carolina Place Mall.  During these visits I was given the retail price ($3350) as well as current sales price ($2199.95) of the rings which were the same at each store.  During the next couple of days after visiting the Concord Mills location, the sales representatives that assisted me during my visit called to follow-up and see if I was ready to make a purchase.  At this time I explained how I had also visited the Carolina Place Mall Reeds location and liked how it was located closer to my home in Matthews if I ever needed to take the ring to be polished or worked on.  For me, developing a relationship with the store that I purchased from was a very important aspect of such a very important purchase in my life.  During the course of my phone conversations with Reeds, I found my self being bounced back and fourth between the Concord Mills and Carolina Place Mall locations each time receiving a lower price for the rings, sometimes from different store associates.  One store would beat the other by $50.  Then the other store would hear of the new lower price and after contacting their manager, would then beat it by another $50 until the store manager, Amanda Symonds at Carolina Place Mall, contacted me for the first time saying she wouldnt go any lower and that $1750 was the final price.  Amanda even provided a reduction in price for the difference between the tax rate at Concord Mills (which was lower) and the tax rate at Carolina Place Mall ($8.10).  Even with the competition for business/price wars between stores, it was interesting that Amanda commented that its not Reeds company policy to be in competition with other Reeds stores in the same region (Keep this broken store policy in mind).

Armed with some previous knowledge of how sizing a channel set diamond ring can impact the channel and diamonds, I was very upfront from day one with Carolina Place Mall store manager Amanda Symonds.  She indicated that the rings come from a manufacturer overseas in a standard size 10.  Knowing that the rings would have to be sized to a 9 and 8, I expressed my concern.  I let her know that I did not want the diamonds to be affected in the channel and that I absolutely did not want to be able to tell that the ring had been resized (I made certain to say this because Ive seen less than satisfactory sizing jobs in the past with this style ring and its not pretty).  Amanda made every effort to assure me that this would be a typical ring sizing and that she was comfortable with sizing a ring like this 2 sizes smaller with no problems at all (Ive since been told by other jewelers that they would not size a channel set ring 2 sizes smaller because of how it impacts the channel and causes diamonds shift.  The rings are made with the diamonds and channel calibrated per the size that the ring is cast in).  She also said that she would personally oversee the entire process and would make sure to send the rings to her most preferred trusted Master Jeweler.  HmmMaster Jewelermakes you think they know what theyre doing, right?  A true Master of their craft. trained with knowledge of only the best techniques of working with jewelry?  Well, never having purchased diamond jewelry before, I put all of my trust and confidence in Amandas words.why wouldnt I?  Up to this point, I had absolutely no reason not to trust her.  I was excited to find the rings that I wanted and wanted to get them sized so that they could be worn!  Unfortunately at the time, I didnt realize the significant difference of purchasing jewelry from a store like Reeds that lacks an in-house jeweler versus one that does.absolute lack of quality control!  I assumed that paying $100 every three years for a third party Service Plan would take care of any issues that arise and bring peace of mind to this investment in emotion, time and money.  This combined with the confidence from Amanda and promise that the rings would be absolutely perfect and that I wouldnt be able to tell that the rings were ever sized, I moved forward with the purchase.  (Another side noteit had been mentioned to me from day one from sales associates at Amandas store that these rings could be ordered from the manufacturer overseas cast in the correct size BUT they would cost more and Reeds would not extend the $1750 price for them.  Despite my great concerns with sizing complications and not ordering the rings in the correct size from the manufacturer, Amanda pressed on).  After purchase, the rings were sent off to the Master Jeweler for sizing.  After a couple of weeks passed (a small annoyance) the rings were ready to be picked-up.  During a phone conversation before I picked-up the rings, Amanda let me know that after inspecting one of the rings, she detected a fracture in one of the end diamonds.  She indicated that it was most likely caused from the heat applied to the ring during the sizing process.  Rather than replace the fractured diamond, she offered to replace the entire ring and have the new one sized.  My preference was to only have the diamond replaced because the quality, color and overall clarity of the stones in that ring were beautiful.  When I selected it, Amanda let me use the loop to view the diamonds under 10x magnification as well as the microscope that is around 40x magnification.  I appreciated the ability to really inspect the diamonds and know what it was that I was purchasing.  Based on her recommendation to replace the entire ring because she did not want to have the channel taken apart to fit a new diamond in and cause more problems, I proceeded to select a new ring.  At the same time, I discovered that the other ring that was sized from 10 to 9 was still too large and also needed to be a size 8.  Upon further inspection of both rings, I pointed out to Amanda that it was clearly noticeable where the band had been cut in half and melded back togetherone side of the band was smooth and the other side had a wave to it.  Overall, the bands were uneven on the bottom and absolutely not the level of work that Amanda promised her Master Jeweler would provide with wavy bands and a fractured diamond!  In addition, one of the bands had always been wider in width than the other (not detected at time of original selection) and one of the rings had diamonds that were uneven in size.  Fortunately, she offered to replace both rings with two new ones.  Here we go for round two..

Because Reeds only kept one ring of this style in stock in the store, she had her corporate office send four new rings that I would be able to select from.  Finding two identical rings was and has always been a very important aspect of this process that I made clear to communicate to Amanda.  These rings represent a lot more than a purchase at a local store and because of this, spending the time to inspect the rings and diamonds was a must.  Unfortunately in what was probably an attempt to speed this process along for a second time, Amanda mentioned to me during one conversation at the store that she wouldnt let me use the microscope to look at the diamonds and probably wouldnt let me use the 10x magnification loop either when selecting new rings so I wouldnt find any flaws and not be happy with the rings.  At this point, I was becoming worn out of the entire process of selecting rings, being disappointed with the level of quality of merchandise and service that the Master Jewelers were providing, and frustration with what Amanda was promising not coming to fruition that I only inspected the new rings by eye.  I was tired of being disappointed and having my confidence drop every time there was a broken promise by Reeds.  Of the four rings that Amanda had to select from, it was easy to eliminate two right from the start.  The color tone of the diamonds was clearly yellow compared to the brighter white of the other two (not the level of quality in selection I had expected).  Left with only two, I had no other options to select from.  Of the two that remained, one of the bands was wider than the other (7.5mm compared to about 7mm) and one of the rings had diamonds that tapered down in size from the top (the other ring had all evenly sized diamonds). Unfortunately at the time, I did not realize either of these problems and that the wider ring was actually lopsided in that it had more gold on one side of the channel set diamonds than the other side.  The bright halogen lighting in the store did a great job of making everything look great and it wasnt until it was returned from being sized that I detected this issue.  Wanting nothing more than to finally have two rings in my possession to celebrate such an important and special occasion in my life, I moved forward with the only two that remained.  This time, Amanda made sure to select another Master Jeweler since the last one she spoke so highly of did not do the job she promised me with the ring sizing and damaged a stone in the process. She indicated that this was going to be the first time that she used this new Master Jeweler for the second ring sizing.  Regardless of this, she sent the rings off on July 1, 2010.

At this point in the process I felt like a burden to Reeds.for several reason.that I was having to choose from 4 rings that none of which were identical.  I believe this is due to feeling intimidated and belittled by Amanda by her not letting me use the loop or scope to view the diamonds.  I felt like I was taking too much of her time and the time of her associates.  I was made to feel that I was being too selective and looking at the diamonds that I was purchasing was not an important part of the transaction. I now know that I should have never felt this way because none of the issues that I experienced were ever my fault.  I also believe that I should have never been placed in a position with a company that I was doing business with to feel this way regardless of how big or small that transaction was.

After another couple weeks at the Master Jewelers to be sized, the new rings finally arrived to the store.  Being thrilled to finally be done with this entire fiasco (so I thought), I went to the store to pick-up the rings.  I was at the store no more than 10 minutesjust long enough for Amanda to take the rings out of the bag from the service center and for me to sign the documents acknowledging that I picked them up.  My brief glance at the rings in the glimmering halogen ceiling lights looked stunning and I left the store.  (Its interesting to note that there is a big difference in how the rings can look outside of the bright halogen lights of the storeof course.Reeds want everything to look perfect and shinny which is absolutely not the case).

With one of the rings on the same day after having left the store, I noticed the top center diamond was darker than all the rest.  It did not shimmer or reflect the light like all the others and just looked dead. At the same time, I also noticed that this diamond looked smaller compared to the rest and that three diamonds were set lower in the channel than the rest. Issues that I did not notice when I originally selected it with Amanda in the bright halogen lighting of the store with no magnification made available to me to use.  I do believe, however, that the diamonds were all set properly in the channel when I originally selected it and were now affected because of the second ring sizing.  So, for a second time in a row, these so-called Master Jewelers have taken a ring and completely destroyed them.  Unfortunately, all I wanted was to enjoy a ring that I had waited so very long to receive, not only all my life but during the entire process of purchasing it with Reeds.  Over the next two months I tried to convince myself that I could live with the defective ring but I had a constant reminder of its flaws every day I looked at it and the brilliance of the center stone just looked dead surround by crooked stones set lower than the others.  The thought of returning it to Reeds for a third time just to have it sent off to another supposed Master Jeweler at a third party service center for several weeks was upsetting and daunting.  In retrospect, I resent waiting so long but I inevitably returned to the store to report the problems with it.  This time Amanda was off so another store associate Diane assisted me with writing a report to send the ring off to be worked on (September, 26, 2010).  Diane was able to see the darker center stone and acknowledged that several of the other stones were set lower in the channel and that there was also a space between the gold and one of the end diamonds.  Unfortunately, the brief report that she typed up to send along with the ring did not indicate that the stone was darker or mention the unevenness of the other diamonds in the channel which I did not realize until later.  Instead, it said:  Please check center stone, it appears to be either smaller or crooked.  Straighten or replace, polish and rhodium.  Also the diamond on the end has a little gap before the gold starts.  I also expressed my hesitation to Diane for bringing the ring back into the store based on my most recent experiences and desire to not have the ring gone for an extended period of time.  She seemed to understand and she promised to rush the ring and said it would only take a couple of weeks.  After constantly calling the store to check on its status and with a lack of store associates ever seeming to know how long it was going to take or have an actual update on it (apparently updates are not made available unless the associate calls the service center), the ring finally made its way back to the Reeds store on October 21, 2010, nearly one month later (I finally knew it had come in from calling to check on it.otherwise, I dont know when I would have found out based on Reeds lackadaisical approach to communications).  With reserved excitement, I went to the store to pick-up the ring from yet another one of the store associates Glenn.  Glenn took the ring out of the bag from the service center and I immediately saw the same dead looking diamond in the middle that was darker than all the rest.  The number one most obviously noticeable problem that I wanted addressed with the ring wasnt even resolved.  At this point I told Glenn that both rings came as a pair and despite most of the troubles that I had with this one particular ring, I was finished with Reeds trying to constantly fix the rings and wanted a refund.  He said that since he was not the manager that he would leave a note for Amanda to give me a call when she returned to the store the next day.  This was a Thursday.  It wasnt until Monday, October 25, 2010 that I decided to give the store a call and was able to talk to Amanda since I had never heard from her the previous week.  She said that she had seen the ring when she returned back to the store and immediately sent it back off to the service center.  I asked her about receiving a note from Glenn to call me and she said that she did not receive a note.  She said that the day I talked to Glenn was his last day with the company and that sometimes employees on their last day dont do everything they should like leaving a note in the store communications log.  WHAT?  You mean to tell me that I am now supposed to be concerned about your companies poor lack of management and selection of personnel?  At this point I reiterated my dismay with Reeds and the entire experience with them and my desire to return the rings for a refund.  I was also frustrated that she never called me to let me know that the ring was in but instead made the decision without me knowing to send the ring right back to the service center.  A complete lack of communication and another demonstration of many of the inconsistencies demonstrated by Reeds.

Letting Amanda know that Diane was supposed to specifically have the center stone situation address and was supposed to rush it, she told me that if she would have been in the store the day I dropped it off she would have overseen the entire process and would have made sure that the service center knew exactly what to do.  GREAT!  So now I cant trust anyone in the store to be able to do their job!  Referring to the instructions provided to the service center for repairing the ring, Amanda said that they sometimes, dont know how to read.  With this said, how am I supposed to have any confidence in anything that Reeds and their employees say and do?  How am I supposed to feel comfortable having made a very important purchase in my life when I, per the extended service agreement, have to bring the rings to Reeds every six months for them to inspect and send to the service center to be rhodium plated and polished?  I cant!  At this point, I lost ALL confidence in everything that Reeds stands for and promised me.  My relationship with Reeds was now strained and I did not envision a future having to constantly deal with them every time the rings needed maintained and sent off to untrustworthy service centers that just make the issues at hand worse than they should be.  This is supposed to be a very simple, straight-forward process and it is anything but.  Since the original time of purchase in May, 2010, my ring has spent more time being serviced than it has on my finger.

In an effort to resolve my complaint with Reeds, I have asked to return and have Reeds fully refund the cost of the two rings due to a complete lack of faith in their product and services provided and for receiving products and services that were sold under false pretenses.  I have explained to them that at this point, it is better for all parties involved to end our relationship given the extended timeframe of the circumstances involved.  Amanda was unable and unwilling to process a refund.  She argued with me that she never would have let the ring leave the store in the condition that I brought it back in with the stones out of alignment and the center stone darker than the rest.  She also argued that we all looked at the rings with the 10x magnification loop when I came to pick-them up.  I reminded her that we never did any such thing and that the condition of the ring with its issues was the same during the entire time I had it for two months before again returning it to Reeds for more work.  I finally asked to speak to her supervisor.  Amanda did not provide me with her supervisors number but instead said that she would have the supervisor call me.  Eventually, the supervisor Susan Taylor (Assistant to the VP of Operations for REEDS Jewelers at Reeds Corporate office in Wilmington, NC) called to discuss everything with me.  From the first conversation, I made it clear to Susan that I wanted to talk with someone that held the authority to make a final decision in this matter because I did not want this to be prolonged longer than it already had been.  Susan assured me that she had the authority so I began to describe everything to her from the start.  Little did I know that this process would take a total of three weeks!  Susan would communicate with me in a very understanding tone.  After our conversations she would let me know that she would get back with me.  A day or sometimes two would pass and I would typically have to leave a voicemail for her to call me back.  When she would call me back, her seemingly understanding tone to my side of the story would change to that of Amandas side of the story.refusing to do anything about the situation.  During these conversations I explained to her the reasoning behind my desire to return both rings.  She did not agree that both rings should be refunded and she indicated that she would understand the return and refund of the ring that had the majority of the issues.  I struggled to explain the hardship and frustration that this has caused me as a consumer of Reeds and that it was in everyones best interest to simply end our relationship so that we could part ways and I could start over.  I explained that I did not envision being tied to Reeds as a customer given the negative experiences I had endured.  Becoming frustrated and simply looking for a resolve, I indicated to Susan during a conversation that I would be willing to simply return and refund the one ring with the majority of the problems.  I did this in hopes that Reeds would finally make a decision and we could all move on.  In only requesting the refund of one ring, I told Susan that I am ultimately the one that is out the most.  I would have to sell the ring at a loss especially given the holiday time of year and competition in the marketplace just to make some money to purchase new custom made rings to avoid any of the problems that I had encountered with sizing.  Susan offered the option of exchanging the ring for a new one which I declined and told her that an exchange for a third new ring did not solve any of the problems that I had encountered or would continue to encounter by prolonging my relationship with Reeds (Is she even listening to me?!?!?).  Going back and forth for a couple of weeks like this she finally indicated on Tuesday, November 9, 2010, that she was going to let Amanda know of her recommendation to refund the one ring with the majority of the problems.   Expecting to hear from either Susan or Amanda the next day, I waited.  It wasnt until I called Susan and immediately received her voicemail on Wednesday and Thursday without hearing back from her that I placed a call to Amanda on Thursday, November 11, 2010.  Of course, one of the store associates answered the phone and surely knowing the situation that I was involved in, was short with me on the phone as he took a message to have Amanda call me.  This was around 1:00pm in the afternoon and Amanda never returned my call that day.  I called Amanda the next day with no apologies from her for not returning my call (typical practice) and indicated that Susan was out of the office for a family emergency.  She indicated that she had also last talked with Susan on Tuesday, November 9, 2010 as I did but that Susan did not indicate any form of refund like Susan told me she was going to do.  On Monday, November 15, 2010 I again left Susan a message and called Amanda to see if she had heard from her.  Amanda indicated that Susan was supposed to be back in the office and the last time that she had talked to Susan was Tuesday, November 11, 2010the last time that I also talked to Susan when she indicated that she was going to recommend to Amanda that the ring be refunded.  Unfortunately, this was never the case.  I finally got a hold of Susan on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 after nearly three weeks of trying to resolve these issues with her.  I indicated my frustration and desire to work these issues out professionally with her and to find a resolve by returning and refunding the ring.  As always, Susan seemed to agree and understand and thanked me for my patience.  She said that she would continue to review everything and would call me back the next day.  On Wednesday, November 17, 2010, Susan did call me back and indicated that her VP of Operations had the idea of issuing me an exchange for another ring.  Susan seemed to think this was a great idea that wasnt explored before because they didnt want to lose me as a customer.  Unfortunately, I had to remind Susan that she had indeed already offered this option to me over a week prior and that I declined as this was not a solution that was solve anything.  She seemed to understand without acknowledging that she had already offered this solution once! (At this point Im losing my mind).  Susan then indicated that she was going to place a conference call with Amanda and Amandas regional manager on Thursday, November 18, 2010 to bring everybody up-to-date and would contact me after that.  She was unable to do this Wednesday because Amanda was off that day.a constant issue of slow and/or lack of communication throughout this entire experience that continued to plague the efficiency in which this manner could have been handled.  The same day I called Susan back and left her a voicemail indicating my renewed desire to have both rings returned and refunded because of the absolute insanity of this situation and how it is not fair that I as the customer get stuck with a ring that I do not want because Reeds has clearly demonstrated that it will be serviced by persons and companies unable to conduct their jobs.  Reeds did not sell me the product that I was under the impression I was receiving from day one and because of that, both rings should be returned.

Finally on Thursday, November 19, 2010, Susan and Amanda conference called me.  Susan indicated that she received my voicemail and due to company policy was unable to do anything.  She wanted to know when I would be available to go to the store to pick-up my ring that came back from being repaired for the fourth time on October, 29, 2010 (after over one month of being serviced twice).  I asked for clarification on what Company Policy they were basing their decision off of and Susan indicated that I was outside of my 10-day return period and outside of my 30-day exchange period and because of this, they were unable to do anything about my situation.  I then asked Susan if it was outside of Company Policy when I was bounced back and forth between Reeds stores with different prices multiple times which had already been establish by Amanda when I first purchased the rings that it is NOT within company policy to do this..yet they did just this!  So, if they already broke company policy once, I dont understand why they are playing such hardball and using store policy as an excuse.  I also understand the implications of a 10 and 30 day refund/exchange period but at some point in time, these policies have to be lifted in order to deal with situations such as this.  Furthermore, if I was limited to a 10 day return policy when I got the rings, I would never have had the chance to return them because they had been sent off to the Master Jewelers to be sized.  Even the second replacement rings would fall under this predicamentthey were purchased and immediately sent off to be sized which took a couple of week.  So where does that leave me?  Absolutely helpless all the way around!

Based on the answers that Reeds provided during my last call with them on Thursday, November 18, 2010, I indicated that I would now be in touch will all local media sources to make sure that the public was aware during the holiday shopping season of how Reeds conducts their business.  Of course, Susan and Amanda said nothing other than again asking when I could go to the store to pick-up my ring.  Amanda said that they will only keep it in the store for 30 days before sending it to me.  I let her know that I had more important issues with reporting them the consumer advocacy groups and would be in touch. 

Since 11/22, my complaint filed with the BBB of Charlotte has unfortunately not produced any further resolution to this matter.  Reeds continues to claim false allegations against me as a consumer and refuses to refund the rings.  In their most recent response to the BBB, Reeds claims they want to maintain positive relationships with their customers yet they have unfortunately done everything in their power to make me resent doing business with them.  They also claim that only one repair was ever made to the rings when two repairs (not including the exchange of the initial two rings) actually occurred.

Reeds continues to make false statements regarding the poor level of service their jewelers have made in the various sizings and repairs. Their allegations that only one repair has been made is incorrect as I have documented the replacement of the original rings as well as two additional repairs made to one of the replacement rings. Reeds should also have the ability to provide evidence of the number of repairs that have been made but after reading other reports on Ripoff Report, I am concerned that Reeds will falsify this information to side with their story.

Reeds says they desire to foster a positive relationship while all they have managed to produce is one of negativity and animosity for how they have represented themselves throughout this regrettable transaction. No consumer should be subject to false representation of services and goods. Furthermore, no consumer should be led to believe that by purchasing an extended service contract they are protected with accurate, timely and satisfactory repairs. I am highly disturbed that after spending hard earned money and countless hours trying to resolve this matter that Reeds has the audacity to tell me as a customer of their business that I have the ability to use any jeweler in America. It is with this very statement that I wish to remind Reeds of the very nature of my dispute with them. I selected Reeds based on what I was promised and since I have not received what I was promised after numerous attempts to allow Reeds to rectify the situation, I wish to end my relationship with them with a return/refund.

I have already paid for an extended service contract to maintain the jewelry and according to the service contract, I am required to have Reeds inspect the rings every six months. It was also the expectation set by Reeds that the rings should be sent to their service centers to be polished and plated every six months. Because of this service agreement and its associated requirements, I am subject to maintain a strained relationship with Reeds which I no longer desire to have in order to have the jewelry covered under warranty. It is simply not worth the headache for both parties involved.

In their response to my BBB complaint, Reeds expresses concern of future litigation with other customers which is simply not my problem. If you misrepresent goods and services and can not accurately follow through in a timely manner then the blame is on you. If Reeds true desire is to maintain positive relationships then the only way for them to achieve this is by a positive, consumer focused approach to this situation which they have continually failed to provide.