ComplaintsforSpence Diamonds Ltd.

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I placed on order on their website on 01/24/2024, I was a previous customer but did not recall my login information do I tried to proceed as a guest but it was not processed. Later I noticed there was a pre-authorization on my credit card for $224.87. I contacted their customer service via email as they dont have a phone number. No reply, the following business day I forwarded the email to their orders ***** I received a response the following day from their customer service stating the order had not gone through and that it was a pre-authorization and it would fall off within a few business days. Its been now 5 business days and the hold is still on my card. I want the pre-authorization taken off my card.

  Business response

  02/02/2024

  This has now been resolved. We contacted our payment provider (*******) to see if they could rectify this issue. The provider confirmed that this should typically be auto cleared by the user's bank or credit card institution and is not something usually completed from the end of the payment provider.

  Customer response

  02/02/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  24/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received a gift on Christmas day that I requested a refund for on January 23rd I was told I had only until December 19 for a refund. I was not allowed the 30 day period as they knew when it was bought that it was a Christmas gift.

  Business response

  25/01/2023

  Client came in January 23rd to return item and requested a money refund as the recipient of a gift. The account was located and it was shown that the return was requested past our 30 day period as the item was purchased December 19th. This was explained to client and an exchange of equal or greater value was extended. Attached is the signed invoice from the date of client originally purchasing the item, which has our return policy outlined. Client purchasing the gift was made aware of the 30 day policy and signed the necessary documentation before leaving the store.
  
  After Christmas Day, the client would have had until January 18th to initiate a return and request a refund within policy. Given that we are only closed December 25th and January 1st, this still gives the client ********************************************************** inquire about a return, after receiving the gift.

  Customer response

  25/01/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the clerk was made aware of this being a gift and that the time limit to return would be as of Christmas day. Further they cannot count days were they are closed. Return date is the 24th of January and I went in on the 23rd.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  01/02/2023

  On the signed document provided, the return policy clearly states If you are not completely satisfied with your SPENCE DIAMONDS order, simply return the merchandise within ********************************************************************************* refund your money. The original order date on the signed invoice is December 19th, 2022, which is the day from which the 30 day guarantee begins. This information is also available online for clients to review at their convenience. Though we are unable to process a refund past the guarantee date, an option to exchange the item was extended to client outside of our policy in order for the client to find a more suitable gift.

  Customer response

  03/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Holiday gift giving us unclear as I stated

   

  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  06/02/2023

  Our 30-day satisfaction guarantee applies all throughout the year and is clearly communicated at the time of purchase. This policy is not modified during holiday gift-giving, and we have offered to exchange the item outside the 30-days.

• Initial Complaint

  13/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I put a deposit down on a earrings that needed to be brought into their Calgary store in October 2021. The earrings were never picked up and the order cancelled in January 2022. The deposit was around $1590. It was my understanding that the deposit would be refunded in the same manner that it was paid, via credit card. It just came to my attention that the deposit was never actually refunded to my credit card and when I contacted Spence Diamonds they told me I had to come into the store within 30 days of the deposit being paid to have it processed back onto my credit card or it is their policy it becomes a store credit. This was not explained anywhere nor was it part of their return policy which is 30 days after receipt of good returning it. As I never received the goods, I had nothing to return within 30 days. Had I physically picked up the item and returned it in January I would have gotten a full refund under their return and refund policy so would have expected to just get a refund as I never took possession. I have sought a refund to my credit card but the company refuses and claims it will only provide store credit.

  Business response

  15/12/2022

  Client came in to place a deposit on a pair of stud earrings to be brought into the store October 15th, 2021, which is when the attached invoice was presented for client to sign. The invoice, emailed to the client at the address provided, states that “*** ***** **** ** ***** **** *** *** ****** ** ****** ** ***** *** ****** *** ********* ****** ** **** **** ** ********** ******** ******** ** *** ****** ********* ***** ** **** *** *************** ******** *** ******* *** ** **** ** ** ******** ****** ******* ****** *********.”. The studs arrived to the store in five days, which is when the client was contacted via email to advise that they were ready to be picked up (October 21st, 2021). As we do follow a strict process to ensure items are not stored for extended periods of time and clients are aware of the approaching timeline, client was emailed twice more (November 29th, 2021, December 23rd, 2021) to remind him of the item to be picked up. We were unable to get into contact with the client at this point and on January 13th, 2022, the order was cancelled. Our standard timeline to hold an item is 60 days, which was extended as a courtesy during the holiday season as we were unable to reach the client. The client next reached out to the store in December 2022, which is when the client was informed that the refund process was not automatic upon a 60 day order cancellation as we do not store credit card information.

  Customer response

  19/12/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The fine print referenced was never highlighted or discussed, the only statement made with regards to the policy was that I would have 30 days to return the item once I fully paid for it and picked it up.  The fine print referenced would appear to apply more to custom orders which this was not, it was an item brought in from another store.  The only policy they mentioned when initiating the transaction was the 30 day return policy once I picked up the items.  I originally planned on purchasing the earrings for my wife's birthday which they said they would arrive for but ended up coming in later so ended up purchasing another item for her.  It appears they tried to reach me by email which I never received and finally called me on January 13th to inform me they had the items and asked if I wanted to cancel the order.  They had never even called to tell me they were in and according to Spence that was done via email, as well as any other correspondence prior to the January 13th phone call, which I did not receive and they only followed up by phone on January 13th.  When they finally did call I told them I did wish to cancel the order which I assumed would result in a refund to my payment method, as this is how they do it with their online store.  There was no mention at that time that no refund would be provided nor that my partial payment would become a credit, so believed it would just be a full refund on my card when I told them to cancel the order.  When I started my year end accounting I noticed that no refund was given and this is when I followed up and was told I had to come into the store because they do not keep credit cards on file.  When I came to the store they informed me of their 60 day policy and refused the refund.   Had any of their practices been made clear to me at the time I would have ensured that the proper processes was followed for the refund and taken the action of following up with them to see if the items came in.  As I never picked up the items and was only made aware of the 30 day return policy once the items left the store I did not think I needed to take further action on my part to initiate a refund upon cancellation of an order, nor did I know that my payment would not be refunded due to contact being made with me significantly after the 30 day refundable window they reference.  This appears to be a common practice by Spence based on other complaints I have seen that result in them not highlighting their store credit policy on partial payment and utilizing it to their advantage to refuse refunds. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Craig Crooks

  Business response

  28/12/2022

  With the three emails sent (including the original invoice, sent to the same email address on file), a call log from the Diamond Consultant showed the client was also contacted via telephone on October 21st, 2021 to also notify them that the earrings had arrived in store. The Diamond Consultant noted that this was well in advance of when the client had mentioned needing the item. Two of these four attempts to contact the client were within the 30 day period, just as the item had arrived, giving the client time to either connect with us via telephone or email to make arrangements, or pick the item up. The invoice sent to the client also had contact information listed for the Calgary location, should there be any questions or concerns. On January 13th, 2022, the order was cancelled, following our policy and procedures in order to allow the item to be placed back into our inventory.

  Customer response

  12/01/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  With regards to the call log, I have no record of that call and the date the earrings were needed was October 18th as discussed when the order was made, so the 21st would not have been well before they were required.  I have no record of the invoice being sent to me until this issue was raised with Spence Diamonds recently.  The order was only cancelled after we actually connect via phone on January 13th at which time I told the representative that they did not arrive in time and I had to seek an alternative gift.  I was under the impression that the amount would be refunded to my original payment method (credit card) and no mention of a store credit or their policy was made.  Regardless of the disagreement over contact and timeline the issue here is Spence Diamonds practice of ********** consumers using their small print, which appears to be a common practice of theirs as most complaints to the BBB are of the same nature.  Even after reading the small print when they sent me a copy of the invoice from their records, which I do not have my copy to compare, their store credit policy is still unclear and **********. The store credit aspect is associated with language regarding custom made orders.  It is unclear whether it applies to something that is not a custom made order such as the order in dispute which was bringing in an item from another store.  I reject Spence Diamonds response as their practice of turning a partial payment for an item to be brought in from another store into a credit using unclear small print is a poor practice taking advantage of consumers on significant purchases such as diamond jewelry. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Craig Crooks

• Initial Complaint

  22/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My husband purchased an anniversary ring for me at Spence, after visiting the Burrard location multiple times. Each time the sales associate Mercedes was very pushy, trying to make him purchase the ring that day, but he continued to communicate that he wanted to be sure, and if I didn't like it, he wanted to have options. Each time he was in, it was reiterated that he would have 30 days from the date of purchase to return the ring or exchange it. He eventually put down a deposit on the diamond, as he was told that they needed time to put it together before he could actually come back and buy the ring. Then two weeks later he went in and purchased the ring. We both went in two weeks after that, to look at some options incase we wanted to exchange the ring. We met with the same sales associate, who tried to convince us we should put down a deposit on a bigger diamond that was completely out of our budget, so we declined. I asked the sales associate directly - if we did not keep the ring, and we exchanged it to do something new, if there would be any cost associated with that. She said that we would lose the $100 design fee, which I was fine with as that had been communicated to us from the start. We came in again 1 week later, and after sitting down with a new sales associate she apologized, telling us that they could not refund the ring, because the date of purchase started when my husband put down the deposit, which was just over 30 days now. She also told us that if we wanted a different diamond, we would have to spend 50% MORE than the current ring I had, in order for them to be able to do that. So A LOT more than just the $100 that was told to us. My husband went in the next day to speak to the manager. The manager was extremely rude and told my husband there was nothing that could be done and they would not give us a refund. There is nothing on any of our receipts that says the 30 days begins when a deposit is made, nor is it anywhere on the website.

  Business response

  23/11/2022

  The client placed an order on September 15th, 2022 and was advised of our 30-day satisfaction guarantee from the original order date. The order was manufactured to the customer's specifications and picked up by the customer on October 5th, 2022 – attached is the signed client invoice showing the original order date, with our 30-day satisfaction guarantee outlined below signed off by the customer at the time of pick up. The customer came into the store looking to exchange/refund the item on October 25th. As mentioned to the client, the refund period expired on October 15th, 2022. Due to the client being unhappy with the design of the ring, we have extended the option outside of policy to offer an exchange for equal or greater value until January 21, 2023. We have also expressed that we will waive our standard $100 design fee on this order and not charge for manufacturing costs incurred. Being that we clearly advised and have a signature on our outlined policies we are unable to provide a refund.

  Customer response

  23/11/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Spence needs to be a lot more clear about the 30 day refund policy. The sales person we spoke to was pushy and was not upfront about the purchase date starting from the day the deposit was placed. It's unfortunate that this company is hiding behind the small print instead of offering a apology for such a disappointing experience.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

  Business response

  25/11/2022

  Prior to initiating the order process, the client was advised of our Spence Guarantee. As part of our Spence Experience, a presentation is completed for each client to provide education on diamonds, the diamond grading process and what Spence offers. Attached is a copy of slide 12 in our Diamond Presentation, viewed by clients at the time we go to the vault to get a diamond. The customer typically has 5 - 10 minutes to review this information at their own pace. This outlines the Spence Guarantee, noting the 30-day satisfaction guarantee and that it starts from the order date.
  

  This presentation is completed by each Spence Diamond Consultant in the same manner; all consultants are trained to present this verbatim. Attached is an excerpt from the presentation script mentioning the satisfaction guarantee of what is verbally advised to the customer.

  This presentation is done prior to starting the process of selecting a diamond to ensure that the client is prepared to make the best possible decision for their desired piece and specifications. As we do provide the same experience for all clients, we uphold all clients to the same policies to maintain fairness. The resolution provided to offer an exchange into the new year is well beyond our standard policy to ensure the client can select an item that is more to their liking.

  Customer response

  01/12/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I think it's unfortunate that this is the best you can do, as this entire experience has been very disappointing, and incredibly negative. I don't want to work with the team at the Vancouver Spence as I obviously can't trust them after being **** to straight to my face. Which means I would have to get out to Langley BC in order to find a ring, which isn't something I will be able to do within the next few weeks. 
  
  I expected so much more from the Spence team, and am really surprised at how unpleasant this has all been.

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩