Warranty Woes and the Value of On-Site Repairs
Why it pays to shop with a jeweler who can stand behind their product
Chalk this one up to the “It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad” category.
We recently had a customer visit the shop to get some repairs done on a piece of jewelry she had purchased at a certain big box store that shall remain nameless. This is a fairly regular occurrence at our shop for two main reasons:
- We are known locally for having one of the largest and most well-equipped jewelry repair facility in Sacramento, CA. We have invested thousands of dollars in high-end equipment like our laser welder, so that we can do complicated repairs in-house. And, we have a team of highly experienced and skilled jewelers.
- Many big-box and chain jewelers outsource their repairs. This leads to a situation where they can’t always serve the needs of their customers, if there is a tight deadline or other extenuating circumstances.
The thing that was different about this particular situation was the turnaround time. Our customer said that the piece was covered by a “lifetime” warranty from the company that she bought it from. So far so good. However, when she brought it in to be repaired under warranty, she was told that they send out repairs to an overseas facility once a year and that they had just sent off a batch.
Needless to say, the warranty didn’t do our client much good. I would say that we can learn two lessons from this cautionary tale: 1) understand the terms of your warranty, and 2) shop with a jeweler who has the facilities to stand behind their product.
My husband bought my wedding ring at samuels and the diamonds have fallen out multiple times.. we did purchase the lifetime warranty and I need it fixed again because another diamond has fallen out but all the stores are closed. What can I do about getting my ring fixed?
Hi Krissy, thanks for commenting. My first recommendation would be to check your warranty paperwork. We have heard that some Samuels warranties were through third party companies and may still be valid (see our blog here). Either way, we are offering 50% off on your first repair to all former Samuels clients. Please feel free to contact us to learn how to take advantage of this offer.