Fink's Jewelers, Inc.

Review: oh my goodness!!! how disgusted I was and still am! I entered your tysonsgalleria in mclean, va store on saturday january 26, 2013 and appalled by theafrican american salesman wearing a suit behind counter. I was with [redacted]., dds and we both agreed he was beyond nasty to us. who does your$6/hour sales clerk think he is?! I entered finks in hopes of getting my movadowatch battery changed but he was so rude, vulgar, and nasty, oh andunprofessional I didn't want to extend my $45 towards your company! please takeaction & get back to me. thanks!Desired Settlement: gift card or certificate

Business

Response:

Our store manager [redacted] responded to this gentleman via e-mail on April 29th stating that he would be happy to replace another battery for himat any time and that he would take care of him personally. He stated that since there was no purchase made we would not be able to issue a gift card. Below is the e-mail sent to him. We stand by this offer. From: [redacted]Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 11:43 AMTo:[redacted]Subject: RE: complaint! Hi there, I want to let you know that I took care of this situation and addressed it with sales associate. I am offering you one time free of charge battery change at any time you come to the store. I will not be able to issue a gift card for the cost of it since it is against company policy to issue a gift card for something the customer did not pay for. You can use this email as an offer from Fink's at Tyson's. looking forward to meeting you. Best, [redacted] Store Manager

Review: Thank you for taking the time to review my case. I purchased a custom made engagement ring from Finks jewelers, which turned out perfect. This ring had a centerpiece stone made of coral. I purchased a wedding band, with the provisions that it both matched the engagement ring in color (This is clearly stated on the purchase order) and had the stones 'set in'. This purchase was made on 3-21-15, and we were told that the order would be complete in 2-3 weeks (which was ample time for our 5-23-15 wedding). When we finally received confirmation that the rings were done, which was the day that we had to leave for our wedding, the coral stone did not match in color, as requested in the original purchase order. Therefore, my wife was forced to purchase an additional wedding band to use on our wedding day.

Finks has stated that they would not refund this purchase because it is a 'custom order'. They also stated that we were informed that our stone would 'fade'. Although this is a custom order, it did not meet our requirements in the purchase order, as it did not ‘match’ the original ring. In regards to the stones ‘fading’, I took preventative action when I purchased the original engagement stone & purchased a back-up stone to be replaced near our wedding day. Hence, the back-up stone had no wear and tear, was protected and would be the desired color. Finks’ argument that these stones do not match due to fading is an attempt to excuse the fact that the stones simply did not match.

When we arrived from our honeymoon, I returned the flawed wedding band to Finks with the following note:

“Dear Finks,

I purchased a custom made wedding band several months ago (3-21-15). This was more than two month prior to our wedding and we were assured that this was ample time for completion. This band was to match the engagement ring's coral centerpiece, which I also purchased at Finks. There were many issues with this wedding band's stones. This band was unusable and we were forced to purchase an additional band, which added stress, money spent, and effected our wedding planning. As a result, I am returning this flawed band and I am a requesting a full refund.

This band had a flawed design, in relation to my wife's engagement ring and what we ordered. As described in the purchase order, her wedding band's stones were to 'match' her engagement ring's color. Yet, her wedding band's stones are clearly a different color than the engagement ring, which renders the band useless (see picture). Additionally, as described in the purchase order, the band was to have the stones match the engagement ring by having a 'Set in mounting'. The band's mountings are not set in, which clashes with the ring.

After the wedding and honeymoon, my wife tried to return this unused band, as it looks horrible next to her original engagement ring. Finks, however, would not accept this return stating that this was over the time allowed. This is unacceptable, as we had the ring for merely a week, which was the week of our destination wedding. In addition, since the ring was not ready until the day we left for our wedding, we had no time to return it. We also had to purchase an additional ring for our wedding.

On 6/11/15, I returned this flawed wedding band, along with a copy of the original purchase order. I am hoping that Finks hold to professional standards and realizes that an error was made. I would like a full refund of the original wedding band, as we should not be required to pay for a faulty band.

I can be reached via phone with questions or concerns at ###-###-####.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Date___________

[redacted] Date__6/11/15___”

At this time, I was told that Finks would not refund the ring, as it was a custom job. Finks offered to refund the additional plane wedding band which was purchased on the day we left, in addition to fixing the flawed band in a 2 week time-frame. After over a month of not having it fixed, and going on over 4 months with my wife wearing her wedding band (which was blessed by our priest, and carried religious importance to us), we told Finks to hold the ring and cease the purchase order, as we were going to file a complaint. We then made a formal complaint with the credit agency ([redacted] Bank), who ruled in favor of Finks. This is a flawed system, however, because the credit agency has no incentive to overturn this ruling, as they would not get paid in result.

Additionally, I made a complaint to get a refund on wedding bracelets, which my wife had purchased as wedding favors for her bridesmaids. In all, nearly $300 was spent on these gifts, and every bracelet had broken before the end of our wedding night.

I am hoping the Revdex.com examines this case with a more impartial perspective than our initial complaints. I am seeking a refund of my wedding band for being flawed, which added much stress to our wedding time, and for the bracelets which broke. This is nearly $900 in refund. Finks is in current possession of the wedding band.

Please call with any questions or concerns. I can be reached via phone at [redacted].

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

[redacted]Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of both the wedding band, which is currently in Finks possession (Appx. $650) and wedding bracelets, which all broke on the wedding night (Appx $270). I can obtain receipts, if more accurate amounts are needed

Thank you.

Business

Response:

On January 16, 2015 [redacted], Mr. [redacted]'s fiancée brought her engagement ring, which has a coral stone mounted as the center stone into the store and requested us to order 18 coral stones to match so we could make a wedding band. We sent her ring to a company that supplies us with coral. They sent the ring back along with 18 coral stones for them to look at. On March 21, 2015 both Mr. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] came into the store to look at the stones. After examining the stones they both approved them and had us mount them into the style wedding band Ms. [redacted] selected. His signature is on the repair card that approved the stones to be set on that date. If the Revdex.com would like we can provide a copy of this repair card. We set 13 of the stones in the wedding band and the other five were extra for them to keep due to the fact that coral is a delicate stone and can damage very easily. On May 20, 2015 Ms. [redacted] picked up the coral wedding band. A month later on June 20th Ms. [redacted] came into the store and told us she did not like the color of the coral in the wedding band nor did she like the shape of the stones which she approved back on March 20th. At this point she was told that since she had approved everything and the ring was already made we can't remake it with different shape stones. They both selected the stones they wanted in the band and we had it custom made for them. A month later Ms. [redacted] decides she does not like the color or the shape of the stones that they selected. To accommodate these changes a completely new ring would have to be made. Since Ms. [redacted] changed her mind on what she wanted after we made the ring with the stones they selected we are not willing to give them a refund on the ring. It was customer made to their specifications. As far as the bracelets are concerned this is the first we are hearing anything about them having some type of problem. They have had ample time to bring this to our attention since they are stating it happened at their wedding. We are willing to take a look at the bracelets to see what can be done.Mr. or Mrs. [redacted] can give [redacted], their salesperson a call to move forward with getting this situation resolved.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.There were differences between Finks' report and our perspective. First, [redacted] had informed our salesperson, approximately 3 weeks prior to our wedding, that she did not approve the stones, as they did not match her engagement ring. At this time, she was told that we would have to wait until after the wedding to get it fixed (and pay $200 for a plain band for our wedding day). Second, when we matched the stones on the March date provided by Finks, they were a direct match in color. The stones that were used in the band were not the same stones we approved as, per phone conversation with our salesperson on June 25, 2015, it was reported that Finks' vendor was unable to match the colors. It was not our fault the vendor did not match the stones' colors. In conclusion, we gave Finks ample time to create our ring. Finks failed to match our ring in color, or style as it was not 'set in'. Custom made, or not, a business should be obligated to fulfill their end of a purchase order. Specifically, the original purchase order clearly stated that the stones match, and they did not.

In regards to the charm bracelets, My wife verbally complained about them breaking during the wedding on June 20, 2015. I followed up with an official complaint with [redacted] Bank, about a month ago. I disagree with Finks stating that this was the first time that they heard of this issue.

Regards,[redacted]