ComplaintsforBernard Jewelers

• Initial Complaint

  03/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Bernard Jewelers resized my engagement ring and wedding band they did a great job and I trusted them. I brought my grandmother's ring in to be sized from a 3 1/2 to a size 6 I expressed to them the sentimental value the ring had to me ,they stretched the gold so thin I cannot wear it for fear of bending the band, within a few months it will break because the band is so thin and fragile , I went back to the store not even 24 hours later they dismissed me and refused to either fix the ring or give me a refund ,they told me I could pay $200.00 more to have the band reenforced ,when I brought the ring in, they should have told me the band would be stretched out so thin I NEVER would have agreed to that, it has ruined the integrity of the ring ,I'm not able to wear the ring every day because of the terrible workmanship ! . I hope you can help find a suitable resolution. I also emailed Bernard Jewelers and sent a certified letter with no response to either.Thank you for your assistance.

  Business response

  03/15/2023

  Hello BBB! Thank you for reaching out. This complaint is not an accurate representation of the situation at hand. Firstly, the customer emailed you a much nicer version of what she said to us so I will be copying her email here as well as my response to her that explains, again, the situation to her. Secondly, we never received a registered letter from her. She was treated with kindness after an impeccable repair job given back to her. In no way was she dismissed. 
  
  Her email to us: 
  Good morning ,
  
  Im writing to express how upset I am over the way I was dismissed and treated as your customer .I brought my engagement ring and diamond wedding band to be resized I was pleased with the results .
  
  I again brought my grandmothers ring in to be resized from a 3 1/2size to a 6 I expressed my sentimental value to the ring, the man checked my ring over very carefully because of its age told me it would take about a week .the next day to my delight and my surprise my ring was ready .I picked it up on Thursday3/9 put it on and left the store  after wearing the ring for a short time I realized the band  was VERY THIN I was afraid to continue to wear the ring for fear of bending it .I took it off and not even 24 hours later when the store opened I took the ring back I tried to express my concern with the thin band and your daughter , dismissed me and told me it was fine ,or I could spend over  $200.00 more to have the band thickened ?? it is NOT FINE the band was stretched so much that it has ruined the ring and Im NOT  able to *********** the time for fear of bending it ,in a short time it will break .in your ad you state Bernard takes as much pride in his quality workmanship as ***** takes in assisting customers this is NOT TRUE you have talked to me many times and you stayed in the back like a coward and did NOTHING to assist me or stand behind your so called WORKMANSHIP !feel free to contact me @ ************
  
  ***************************
  
  
  Here is my email back:
  Hi ******! This is ****, I was the one that helped you when you came back in. Im sorry you felt I dismissed you, that is not at all how I intended to make you feel. Im glad you felt pleased with the first repair! We do stand by what we do and we treat every repair that comes through with the same care. The reason it was done ahead of schedule is because we were closing for an extended period of time which was not typical for our normal operating hours. Bernard stayed a few late nights to get everyones repairs back to them in a timely fashion, to make folks happy that they didnt have to wait for us to re-open after the long weekend. As you said, the ring is extremely old and has thinned over time. When you came in I did explain to you we CANNNOT stretch any rings that have stones in them. We did not stretch this ring. It was sized with the some procedure as the first sizing you dropped off, like any other ring we would size. I showed you exactly how big the piece of gold that we added was to bring it to the correct size, showed you that on either side of that, where the original shank (band) of the ring started was thinner than the piece we put in. I even went as far as to measure it for you and showed you the measurements, which proved that the piece we used for the sizing was .20mm thicker than the original band. After spending this time with you and SHOWING you all I could to assure you that we did the best we could do with the old, worn ring that was given to us, I asked you what you would like to happen now. You said you wanted a thicker band, which is understandable because it is in fact a thin band due to normal wear and tear on vintage rings like this. This repair would be replacing a half shank, which I explained to you, and it is not a free repair. I did offer to put the price you paid for the sizing toward the half shank job even though that would have resulted in us doing free work, to try to make amends. That offer is still on the table if youre interested. I asked you if you had any other questions I could answer for you and you simply walked out. Im not sure how I left you feeling dismissed as I truly did try to explain the sizing procedure and show you proof with measurements etc. ***** was not in the room when you came in, it has nothing to do with her being a coward. There is nothing she could have done differently for you even if she was there. We do stand by our workmanship. Your ring was properly sized, fit perfectly, and looked beautiful. The bottom line is that the ring is extremely old and it is not unusual for them to have thin ****** from wear and tear. We are sorry that you feel that this was not communicated to you at drop off. We did receive your complaint from the BBB and will be working with them to address the situation.
  
  Let me know what else you need from me! Thank you.
  
  ****

  Customer response

  03/19/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]

  BBB, 

  Her response to my complaint is NOT an accurate account of what happened. 

     I NEVER  said the ring was extremely old NOR DID I EVER MENTION to the salesman waiting on me that the RING WAS THINNING,that is NO where on the receiopt ( see attached copy of the reciept ).  It was obvious by looking at the ring it's an antigue .  Never did I mention it had thinned over time.  I never wore the ring it was always too small, thats why I was resizing the ring from a 31/2 to a size 6 it NEVER fit me from the time I received the ring it sat in my jewelry box for over 50 years !and I did not want to take it to any jeweler without trusting them.  my BIGGEST mistake was trusting Bernards jewlers ! , it was a male who originally took my ring and spent a long time looking at the stones.  He never said anything about not being able to resize it ,it was stretched because the band is so thin it CAN NOT be worn I can bend it with my bare hands ,in a SHORT amount of time the band will break and I will lose it !  that is not true you thinned the band you never added a thicker piece.  I have attached pictures of the ring to show the thinning. **** never offered to put the ****** I paid towards the resizing she told me it would cost an extra $200.00 dollars to fix what was originally to be done please have Brenards send the original color pictures of my ring he took several pictures that will proof the condition my ring was in and also show how thick the band was when they received it ! 

  she tried to convince me to No avail that a piece was added for the resizing I repeatedly said the ring it too thin she ignored me stated the jeweler did what I asked and resized the ring and said to me" have a nice day totally dismissing me  ! she was done with me and wasn't doing anything to rectify the situation she only replied to my complaint because i contacted  the BBB! please look at all the facts I'm even willing to meet with you in person to show you how bad the ring is ! 

   

   

   
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ******

   

   

  Business response

  03/21/2023

  It is impossible to "stretch" a ring that has stones in it. The correct sizing procedure was done to this piece. It is the correct size and wearable. It is not our fault that it's an old piece that has been worn down over time. There are many incorrect claims in the clients email. Please refer back to my first emailed response.

  Customer response

  03/26/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  There are 3 sides to every story, my side, your side and the ***** to which you are NOT TELLING! your responses continue to change.
  let's face facts how coincidental he only took 1 picture that is an outright LIE, I saw 2 pictures that he took when I dropped the ring off, he only provided me with 1 the picture of just the 3 stones and 1 of the band, that would show the condition of the ring and the band and prove that what I've been saying all along is the truth! 
  
  I showed my ring to my family they all stated the obvious the band is TOO THIN! nor do they remember the band looking like it looks now, a very unprofessional job no quality workmanship was done to my ring! you were able to stretch the band without compromising the integrity of the ring that's why the stones did not bend. 
  
  Why would I not address the thinning band when I brought the ring in to be resized ,it would only be a few more dollars $139 to $200 that would allow me to wear the ring all the time ,now I CAN NOT nor will I EVER be able to wear the ring as I stated  many times it is too thin I can bend it very easily, and so thin it will break in a very short time  !! I do not want to lose the ring as I stated to the salesman the ring HAD a lot of sentimental value not any more it is ruined,
  
  I would never nor would I ever recommend your store to anybody, take responsibility for what you did, you ruined my ring and made up a lot of false statements! send me the 1color picture (he took 2) that was taken at the time I dropped my ring off this is my second request?
  

  
  

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