Milano Diamond Gallery

Review: We purchased a diamond ring, worth $7,280, from Milano Diamond Gallery in St. Thomas on 11/**/2015 while we were cruising with Royal Caribbean. When we looked at the ring, we saw the diamond was crooked so we asked our salesperson, Hemant M[redacted], if it was something they could fix. He assured us they would fix it while resizing the ring. We then proceeded and paid for the ring, then left. The ring was later delivered to Jenna W[redacted], a personal shopper from Royal Caribbean.

Two days later, on 11/**/2015, Ashley who works with Jenna, delivered the ring to our stateroom. We looked at the ring and saw the diamond is still crooked. Ashley also saw the crooked diamond. We were extremely disappointed and frustrated with the whole situation. We felt scammed by Hemant at Milano St. Thomas who promised to fix the crooked diamond but they never did. No note or anything was left to notify us that they were unable to fix the ring. They simply lied to our face that the ring was easily fixable so that we would go ahead and make the purchase.

On 11/**/2015, we filed a complaint form regarding the crooked diamond to Milano via Royal Caribbean (with Ashley). Long story short, a complaint file was opened and Elizabeth from Milano responded. On 12/*/2015, they asked us to send the ring back to Milano NY and insure it at our own expense. We called Elizabeth and asked Milano to send us prepaid shipping. She responded and said Milano does not do that. We are baffled by Milano's business ethics. First, their St. Thomas store did not deliver their promise to fix the ring. And, their headquarter does not feel responsible to own and fix their mistake by taking care of all the costs, including shipping and insurance, to repair the ring. Again, this is a $7,280 diamond ring. Yet, they argued about shipping cost. What a ridiculous business ethics and customer service!

On 12/*/2015, we took the ring to two local reputable jewelers in Columbus, Ohio - Worthington Jewelers and Diamond Cellar. Both persons who looked at the ring spotted the crooked diamond right away. One of them kept saying that it was very very crooked. We asked for the estimated cost to repair. They said the ring had to be re-made. It was very interesting that Hemant at Milano St. Thomas told us that the crooked diamond was something they could easily fix. It was clearly a scam to get us buy the ring by falsely giving us confidence that we would receive a perfect merchandise. Furthermore, if both jewelers could spot the crooked diamond right away, and even us not a jewelry expert can see it to, we refused to believe that Milano St. Thomas did not see it when they wrapped up the ring. They knew that they sold us a defective ring at the end.

At this point, we are so disgusted by the whole experience, starting from the selling scam to get us buy the ring knowing we would have been on our cruise ship by the time we realized the ring was never fixed. Then, the argument over shipping/insurance cost while Milano was at fault. They did not bother to make the customer have a better experience after all the bad one. We, the customer, are still stuck with a defective ring that cost $7,280.Desired Settlement: We want Milano to take the ring back by sending us a prepaid shipping label with insurance. We do not want to deal with Milano (at any locations) anymore and just want our money refunded. The ring is in brand new condition with all the paperwork.

Vanessa T[redacted] / Sandi W[redacted]

Business

Response:

This began when I was contacted by Hortencia with Royal Media regarding [redacted]s complaint. She initially had contacted saying that she would like to have her ring re-set and polished by one her own personal jewelers and be reimbursed by Milano Diamond Gallery or Royal Media. Unfortunately our policy does not cover something like this, however we offered to fix the ring for her and if there was an issue with the ring itself, we would replace it. As [redacted] agreed she then asked for a label that was promised to her. However, this was not in any agreement, and was actually told to her by someone that does not work for Milano Diamond Gallery. We do not provide labels at all, as we cover all repairs and replacements and return shipping ourselves. I had expressed this to Hortencia with Royal Media and [redacted] that the sales guide had misrepresented us. Regardless at the end of this matter I did offer [redacted] a prepaid shipping l abel so we could fix her ring. Something as silly should not prevent a customer from receiving the right service and being happy with her purchase, regardless of how large or small the purchase was. However, she responded with a dispute which then makes it a legal matter and becomes harder for me to assist her. I have all the emails offering to assist her and send her the shipping label to fix the ring for her. I still am happy to help her fix her ring, send her a shipping label and make sure it is perfect for her.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

We would like to clarify a few things stated by Milano's response above. The original Royal Media Claim form was filled out by Ashley, the personal shopper, after she saw the crooked diamond (We were still on the ship). She is not a jewelry expert by any means so she took her best guess that the ring needs to be re-set. She also explained that the whole process would be very smooth. We could either take the ring to the local jeweler and have Milano reimburse the cost, or Milano would ship the ring back to their ** office at their own cost. Apparently, as Milano mentioned above, none of this was true. When we filled out this Revdex.com complaint on 12/*/15, we had not seen any response from Milano regarding the prepaid label despite our attempts to contact Milano via emails through Royal Media. There was no communication from Milano - It was dead silence after 12/*/2015. We also attempted to ask for a refund but it was denied by Royal Media. It is extremely frustrating to have spent $7,280 on a defective ring and the merchant does not want to take it back. Therefore, we exercised our right as a customer to dispute the charge on a merchandise that is defective. We made several attempts to ask for a shipping label to send the ring back but the requests were denied. This issue has cost us money, time, and emotions.We also called the original salesperson whom we bought the ring from in St Thomas (Hemant M[redacted]). He flat out denied that he promised to fix the crooked diamond before we paid for it. He said the ring was perfect when we signed the receipt. We were hoping for an honest response from him but that attempt was a complete waste of time. The bottom line is the ring is still defective - The diamond is still crooked. The defect can be seen by naked eyes.On 12/**/15, we made another attempt to contact Milano to request an exchange our defective ring with GIA certified/inscribed Loose Diamond (and offered to travel to NY to see the diamond choices in person) to avoid any potential repair needs and shpping/insurance back and forth. We followed up with a phone call to Hortencia to ensure the message was passed on to Milano. Elizabeth from Milano responded with four different options to resolve the issue and offered a prepaid shipping label. This was the first time we received the communication regarding the prepaid shipping label. Let's get the historical timelines straight here - The dispute and Revdex.com complaint were filed BEFORE we received any communication from Milano regarding prepaid shipping label and four options to resolve the issue.On 12/**/2015 and 12/**/2015, we sent emails to Elizabeth to ask for clarifications of Option 2 (new ring replacement) and Option 3 (exchange with GIA-certified loose diamond) but we have not got any response from her. On 12/**/2015, we sent another email to her with a decision to go with Option 3. We found a GIA-certified/inscribed loose diamond that falls within our specifications and very close in retail price, which is fair for both parties. The diamond is listed at $7,290. We sent her the link where they can obtain the diamond and have them mail the diamond directly to our home address. The website offers no shipping and no tax to Ohio. We also offered to reimburse Milano $110 for the price difference and the prepaid shipping label to ship the defective ring back. This will be additional cost coming out of our own pocket but we are willing to spend it to get the dispute resolved. While we appreciate Milano's good intention to wanting resolve the issue, we are still waiting for the actual resolution before closing the Revdex.com case. Therefore we are rejecting the response for now. We are asking Milano to accept our proposal in our 12/**/2015 and resolve this issue as soon as possible since it has been more than a month since the ring was purchased on 11/**/2015. No one wants to go through this issue, especially during holidays, but unfortunately it happened to us.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: I purchased a necklace from the company as a birthday gift for my mother while my boyfriend and I were on vacation. I gave the gift to my mother on her birthday October **, 2014 and wore the necklace the following day, October **, 2014 and the chain broke. I contacted the retailer who asked for an invoice and pictures that I had submitted to them. They then asked me to ship the necklace to them so it could be repaired. I paid for the shipping costs. They received the chain on November * and then contacted me on November * telling me the chain can not be repaired and that they would be happy to SELL me a replacement. The chain cost $20 when I purchased. They refused to replace the defective chain. The product should not have broke after being used 1 time by an adult. I have owned a lot of jewelry and I have never had a chain break after being used once time.Desired Settlement: All I want is the company to replace the defective chain so my mother can enjoy her birthday gift.

Business

Response:

My name is [redacted], and I have been in touch with [redacted] regarding her purchase made on September [redacted], at our store (Milano Diamond Gallery). Our first contact was through e-mail on October [redacted], where she mentioned the chain she bought broke. I sent her shipping instructions to ship the piece to us so we can have it repaired. We received her chain on November [redacted], 2014. I submitted the chain to our repair department who confirmed within 3 days that the chain was broken and it was also broken from a point which is not repairable. I instantly informed the customer of the same and explained the entire situation regarding her chain. Please find attached our sales invoice signed by [redacted] which states that she inspected the piece along with information on our sales, refunds and exchanges. When she contacted us it had already been more than 40 days since her purchase and we have courtesy exchanges depending on the situation with 30 days. It was over the 30 day period and I am unable to provide her with a replacement. Our company’s service warranty (stated at the back of the invoice) does not include wear and tear/ physical or accidental abuse. As I mentioned earlier, the chain broke and did not have a manufacturing defect like a broken lock or discoloration. I confirmed with my upper management and offered to sell her a new chain for the price she paid earlier which was $20. We even told her we would cover the shipping and handling on our end but the customer refused the offer. Please find attached a word documents with the e-mail conversation between the customer and myself starting from the day of contact which is October [redacted], 2014. Thank you With Regards, [redacted] Milano Diamond Gallery [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

My mother received this necklace as a gift on October **, wore the chain on October ** and it broke, contacted the company on October **. This chain was used one time, there was not abuse or wear and tear. This chain was not inspected by me, it was placed in the gift box by the sales associate (please review the cameras from the store and you will see that I never inspected the item). The company charged me mail them the chain to repair it after receiving the attached pictures of the broken chain. Once they received it they told me they could not repair, but they would replace the chain for the same price that I purchased it at....WOW! Why would I pay the same price for a chain that lasted only a could of hours? All I would like them to do is replace the defective chain. I have attached pictures of the broken chain, just to show that there is no wear and tear or abuse. This chain was used by an adult. I will also include the final email that was sent to [redacted], which she failed to include in her email chain. All I want is for the company to replace their defective chain so my mother can enjoy her birthday gift.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Dear Sir/Madam at Dispute Resolution

Services,

The final decision by our upper

management for Revdex.com complaint ID # [redacted]

As promised, our upper

management has responded and finally come to a decision in the same of [redacted]’s complaint. Please find all the documents attached. The last attachment

is the e-mail sent to [redacted] on Jan [redacted], 2015.

If you have any questions,

please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you

With Regards,

Milano Diamond Gallery

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved. I would like to close this case.

Sincerely,