ISSUES with Kay Jewelers

turktobe

I need to vent. I just recently became enagaged (March to be exact) and within the last 3 months two stones are fallen out of my ring. I took it to the store to have the stones replaced. I went to pick it up Saturday, very excited to get my ring back! The salesman handed it to you and I inspected it...
The stones were replaced, but one stone didn't look big enough to fit in its place, not level with the one right next to it. Whoever did the work also scratched the ring so much that the yellow gold was showing. I remained calm and let the man know. He tried to clean the ring, as if that would make it better. When he handed it to me again, I explained that this was unacceptable and not how my ring looked when I got it. I wanted to inspect it again to see if there was anything that I missed before leaving. While looking at it, ANOTHER stone feel out while he was cleaning it and he didn't even notice it, I did!! He had the nerve to ask me how many times it's been brought in and I tried to stay calm and explain that I just got it in March and I shouldn't even be in the store, let alone having this conversation with him. He then let me know that he would be personally calling whoever to tell them what needs to be done with the ring (I'm thinking to myself, isn't that what the procedure is? Isn't that what you did the first time?)
Apparently not... The man says he will take care of it and that if it isn't fixed, we might be able to "explore other options". I was dumbfounded. My poor fiance spent A LOT of money on the ring and I haven't been able to wear it in over 2 weeks
Any experience with Kay's? Any comments? Feedback? Thanks

saacjw

I've heard about similar problems with Kay's, but never had experience with them. I would take it to a small, local jewler honestly. You might have to pay more to get it fixed than at Kay's but it should last longer. 

Summer2011Bride

We stopped shopping at Kay's a few years ago because we never got that great of service and it would took forEVER to get jewelry back when I needed a repair or even sizing. Because they don't have jewelers in-store, I would literally wait a month or more to get a ring back from just getting sized!

We have since started shopping at a local store with jewelers on site. Their prices are comparable to Kays, they have high quality service, and my e-ring and wedding band only took a matter of hours to get sized in-store.

JoeAnne2013

FI bought my ring from Kay and I have to say, I absolutely hate the customer service. Exactly right after the FI proposed he said "The ring is going to be too big, we need to bring it in for sizing, I know your a six but its a seven." Apparently the sales associate was pushy and told the FI just to bring me in after the proposal and they would fit me and resize my ring, we went to the store right after and had to wait several weeks for my ring to come back. I still don't get why they wouldn't just order my size!

ootmother2

It's not a really great idea to buy diamonds from a "mall retailer"

firsttimersluck

Yeah.. H and I walked out of Kay's laughing when I asked the differences between two particular metals and her response was, "umm.. They're different metals" 

But we already knew we weren't going to buy from them when, at a different Kay's store, the manager tried to tell me that my e-ring's Platinum band will be a PITA to try finding a fitted wedding band to go with it. So I should just give it to him and he can have it reset in one of their white gold settings so that THEN I could have a wedding band from them that would fit properly. 

Umm.. No. I don't think I'm going to swap out my Tiffany & Co platinum band for your white gold.. *shakes head* 

Would anyone honestly fall for that? Seriously? We weren't even looking for me. We were looking for H. 

Idiots. 

sparkellyy

We too have had plenty of problems with Kay's!

FI had bought me a promise ring a few years ago, we had exchanged it for a different ring two times. I had three different promise rings! I wear a size 6 and every sales person kept telling me it's because they had to size it so small so the diamonds kept getting loose. A 6 is not that small! It's practically their sample sizes. I went through three different of Kay's styles, and each one would get loose diamonds.

Anyway, it's a shame because of their buyback program we had remained Kay customers. My engagement ring is from Kay because we already had so much invested there. As only being engaged since April and my ring only coming in about a month and a half ago, I hope to have better luck with the engagement ring...

FI had gotten me open heart earrings for this past Valentine's Day. Before it was March I was already missing a diamond from one! (And they tried to CHARGE me for this repair b/c he did not buy the waranty...On a two week old pair of earrings, I was not paying the $38.00 for a repair! I'd rather have a refund!).

I also have the matching open heart necklace that I have had for about 3 years. I've sent that out for repairs for missing and offset diamonds twice. The chain is now broken and sitting in my jewlery box waiting to be sent out.

Needless to say, our wedding bands will be purchased from somewhere else!

Grits8812

I got my rings from Kay, and I haven't had a problem with them at all.  There are a lot of mixed reviews (that I have heard anyway) regarding their customer service and quality.  

dewingedpixie

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_issues-with-kay-jewelers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:9f10b8ea-aa44-44b9-ac96-960f5a275d02Post:ad6849a5-a3db-4fc6-95d5-7a6760dfed9d">Re: ISSUES with Kay Jewelers</a>:
[QUOTE]In defense of Kays, they do fill a market niche.  Not everyone can afford Tiffany's.  Most brides are happy to get a diamond engagement ring.  Kays has financing programs that the average Joe can afford.  Most people can't tell the difference between a lower grade diamond and a flawless one.  Should they pay high prices for something that they can't afford?  I don't think so.  If you buy a diamond ring at Kays, you can be sure that it is, in fact, a genuine diamond ring.  They will disclose the specifications for you if you are interested.  Most of their customers just want something that looks nice and will make their FI happy.  These new, busy designs are a way of marketing smaller diamonds to look like they are more.  They make lots of ladies very happy.  Unfortunately, they can be high maintenance.  They haven't been around long enough for us to know for sure. If someone asked my advice, I<strong> would suggest buying a single, unmounted stone of good quality.  Size of the stone is not important.   Find a nice solitaire mount and have your local jeweler mount and size it for you.  In 25 years or so, you can add more diamonds and have it reset in a fancier style.</strong>  My son-in-law did ask me, and I helped him find a beautiful stone for dear daughter!
Posted by CMGr[/QUOTE]

I am 100% with this suggestion. I am extremely weary of box chain jewlery dealers. I find their prices are hiked above their actual worth and customer service is horrible.

Most of the settings are made in bulk overseas. They are also designed to take a stone of varying sizes. A local or custom design shop will make a setting that is designed for the stone you bring them which makes it more secure.

We sourced a sapphire and sent it to be set. Though I like halo settings I knew I'd kill a pave setting. We chose a setting with side diamonds that were well secured within the setting by a good jeweler.

I think sourcing your stone can save you money. Knowing your lifestyle is crutial too as it helps determine the best setting option for that stone.

pomundson0

My E-ring came from Kay's as did our wedding bands. We are the aforementioned average Joe's but we did get a real diamond  It may not be flawless, but it's beautiful  We did have to order his in a different size, but I've had nothing but friendly helpful (although a little slow at times) service every time I go in for cleanings or payments. I guess we found a good store  I'll be paying close attention to the wedding band once we get it after reading all these comments though... it was their demo and wasn't resized but still... o.O

HobokensFury

I had a nightmare experience with a diamond bracelet from Kays. I will never buy from them again.

kika787

My Fiance is a diamond wholesaler and he always tells me chain stores is the last place you want to purchase diamonds from. They sell lowest end diamonds.

msuprincess04

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_issues-with-kay-jewelers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:9f10b8ea-aa44-44b9-ac96-960f5a275d02Post:1dbf8fe2-cbb4-4caf-8578-61d5e4e0c2ab">Re: ISSUES with Kay Jewelers</a>:
[QUOTE]My Fiance is a diamond wholesaler and he always tells me chain stores is the last place you want to purchase diamonds from. They sell lowest end diamonds.
Posted by kika787[/QUOTE]

If that's the case, then where should one look for a diamond?

MrsHoward2Be

My fiancé got my ring from Kay's I love it no problems so far. I have had to get my ring sized they did a good job I just don't like how long they take. Its 10 days for us. I usually get them to do a rush job.

LaceyH13

More troubles with Kay here, too. Beware. My original e-ring came from them. After the proposal, we decided to get a different ring elsewhere, mostly because my now husband decided he picked the wrong one for me (and I wasn't picky - I wanted him to be happy with it, too). We returned the ring to Kay well within the allotted return period, but a month later he was still getting billed for the returned ring. Turns out the saleswoman said she returned it and credited his card back, but actually didn't, hoping we wouldn't notice until it was too late. Needless to say she was immediately fired and still to this day they get a negative review every chance he or I get. Beware if you try to return something to them.

firsttimersluck

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_issues-with-kay-jewelers?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:9f10b8ea-aa44-44b9-ac96-960f5a275d02Post:1dbf8fe2-cbb4-4caf-8578-61d5e4e0c2ab">Re: ISSUES with Kay Jewelers</a>:
[QUOTE]My Fiance is a diamond wholesaler and he always tells me chain stores is the last place you want to purchase diamonds from. They sell lowest end diamonds.
Posted by kika787[/QUOTE]

<div>Stats and paperwork don't lie. The biggest mistake that people make is not realizing that "cut" isn't the SHAPE of diamond but the cut QUALITY. (For example Tiffany's and Costco diamonds ONLY buy Excellent cuts. Most other stores get "fair " or "good" cuts). The cut can make a HUGE difference in the sparkle of the ring, even one with many inclusions. This is why one might say such chains sell "lowest end" diamonds, but I still don't think that's true. I'm sure if you demanded Kays to give you a diamond with no inclusions, they could find one to sell you.  </div>

futuremrsbruno

I'm clearly in the minority here but I've been a Kay's customer for years along with my FI and my family and we've never had any major problems.
My e-ring and our bands are from there. I have a solitaire set in a princess cut setting, it's very good as far as the quality of diamond and sparkle I get from it. I teach and waitress and it's been almost 17 months and it still looks like it did when FI opened the little box.

The only problem I've ever had was with the first piece of jewelrty FI got me when we were dating. And even with that, it was the chain in the necklace that broke. After fixing it, the chain was weaker and broke a second time. The store replaced it at no cost, even though FI didn't get a warranty when he bought the necklace.

We always have great customer service and Karen has been working with my family for years. She knows both my dad and grandfather by name and remembers what both I and FI like so when we come in for each other, she can help us. She even pre-sized my finger because we had been talking about getting engaged, so my ring was a perfect fit. When we sent our weddings bands out for sizing, they were back in less than a week, including FI's who got a titanium band.

I think it may depend on the store itself. I live near 2 Kay's, one in a very large mall and one in a smaller mall. We go to the store in the smaller mall because the service is far better. Our saleswoman, Karen transferred there from the large mall so we just went with her! LOL The other associates know us by name and wave whenever we are shopping in the mall, and we don't hit the jewelry store that often. My sister has similar problems to those above with Freeman's. I think that when you work with a chain, there are going to be problems.

turktobe

Still don't have my ring! Unbelievable. I called to see if it was in, the lady said it was. I politely asked her to go inspect it before I came up there. She assured me it looked great! Well when I got there, it didn't look great. For lack of better words, it looked like s**t. My fiance had some other words to describe it The manager said I had a "good eye". Are you kidding me? So we sent it back AGAIN. Salesman called (while eating something and chewing in my eye when he called) to say he was pretty positive I would be happy with it. Well that's reassuring, you're pretty positive? Needless to say, he was pretty wrong about his prediction. The ring is scratched where the diamond was replaced and the ring just looks like it's been worked on. The lady said your ring will need work done to it, and you'll be able to tell when that happens. She compared it to an oil change on a car. I HAVE HAD THE RING SINCE MARCH, I SHOULDN'T BE THERE UNTIL SEPTEMBER TO HAVE IT INSPECTED! I said my mother has had her ring for 42 years and has not had any work done to her ring, EVER. I don't know what to do. I am supposed to go back tonight and talk to the store manager. I don't think it's fair that because the ring looks okay, I should take it. I want it to look perfect, I want it to look like the day I got it, and it doesn't. I don't know how this conversation is going to go with the store manager.

turktobe

chewing in my ear, not my eye lol PRAY FOR ME lol