I'm not sure, you may be correct. It was a malachite bracelet, she brought it back after wearing it for a while, returned and got the guilloche instead. They didn't want to do it but she insisted and she can be very persuasive.
Necklace doesn't suit me - advice
- Thread starter oxfordgem
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
D
Deleted member 444702
That really stinks. I don't see what the big difference is wearing it out of the store vs having many people try on a piece in the store daily. If it shows no wear then it is still sellable IMO. I will be sure to never wear a piece walking out of a store.
I agree with you, I don’t think I’d mind this situation especially for hammered gold where there likely isn’t any wear at all. But I suppose it really depends on the circumstance; if the OP wore it out of the store and then it had been a week or more before starting the conversation again then I understand them not wanting to risk it. If it was the day after purchase or something I think they could’ve examined and accepted if it showed no wear. Maybe this is where being a longtime customer gets you the benefit of the doubt.
I have purchased earrings and been told to try wearing them and if they were too heavy I could return for credit or exchange. To me It seems wearing it from the store does not make it unsellable. Being scratched up and worn with signs of wear makes it unwearable, which the SAs can tell when they examine the piece under a loupe. Every time I’ve returned a piece the SAs take it to the back to give it a thorough examination and I would assume that if a piece looks worn they may refuse to allow exchange or credit. If it isn’t I can’t see a reason why they won’t accept it provided it is in the return period.
@oxfordgem, I’m sorry they did not provide you the correct (and in my mind truthful) policy in advance of your purchase. If you had known maybe you would not have worn it from the store. If both your SA and the store manager have not examined the piece in detail after you brought it back for return to confirm that they saw wear on the piece and are just giving you a blanket reply (which changed), I feel you have been treated unfairly and not in compliance with their own policies. If different countries implement and enforce their policies differently I have no advice in this situation. I would say in the future use a different store and obtain fully accurate information before purchasing a piece and deciding how to wear it.
I don’t understand how they could have told you when you initially purchased that it was not returnable or exchangeable simply because they needed to order it. Any ring I buy would need to be ordered because they would not have the size at the boutique. That does not mean I can’t exchange it, at least not here in the U.S.
I’m sorry. I hope this does not turn you off from VCA. I’ve always had reasonable, honest and competent SAs who have acted with integrity. There are more out there.
@oxfordgem, I’m sorry they did not provide you the correct (and in my mind truthful) policy in advance of your purchase. If you had known maybe you would not have worn it from the store. If both your SA and the store manager have not examined the piece in detail after you brought it back for return to confirm that they saw wear on the piece and are just giving you a blanket reply (which changed), I feel you have been treated unfairly and not in compliance with their own policies. If different countries implement and enforce their policies differently I have no advice in this situation. I would say in the future use a different store and obtain fully accurate information before purchasing a piece and deciding how to wear it.
I don’t understand how they could have told you when you initially purchased that it was not returnable or exchangeable simply because they needed to order it. Any ring I buy would need to be ordered because they would not have the size at the boutique. That does not mean I can’t exchange it, at least not here in the U.S.
I’m sorry. I hope this does not turn you off from VCA. I’ve always had reasonable, honest and competent SAs who have acted with integrity. There are more out there.
Last edited:
I agree with you @marbella8. I am a person that follows rules that are accurate and complete when provided to me. If I think there is anything unclear, unfair or unreasonable with the rule I will ask until it is resolved to my satisfaction or I will not make the purchase because the complete and correct information affects what I will or will not do with the piece. In this case I feel like the OP was not provided the correct information at the outset, which makes me distrust the SA at the very least and the whole brand at worst. This actually makes me angry and sad for the OP.
But the OP states "The SA said they could order the all rose gold but there would be no returns or exchanges, I agreed to the order anyway." then admits to wearing it after purchase and changing her mind. It's likely they'd have been more flexible, despite the agreement, if she'd chosen not to leave with the item.
Unfortunately if you wore it, it is considered used. I'm sorry for your experience but I hope it's a lesson learned to be absolutely sure next time. I'm sure you wouldn't want to be buying inventory that had been worn by others.
I think clients have a right to expect that merchandise that they are purchasing is considered
"unworn". Try-ons are expected, but a client wearing a piece out of the store & then
thinking they have the option to return the item, seems inappropriate, JMO
In spite of this being a disappointment for you, a lesson has been learned for all of us
including your experience as well with ordering an item.
I definitely don’t want VCA to sell me an item that was returned after being worn out of the store by another client. Remote clients returning item is different but to take possession in store and wear outside then have buyer’s remorse isn’t the SAs fault.
I agree try on items are fine but to take back obviously used item and sell as new would be wrong on VCAs part.
The fact that she wore it from the store and then had essentially buyers remorse is not on SA. My expectation when purchasing from boutique is that it’s a piece that hasn’t been worn and returned. That’s a used item imo. My motto is when unsure buy nothing because mistakes at VCA are expensive.
I am trying to say that is not VCA’s official policy, as also confirmed per her receipt, and many experiences of US buyers that replied here. That’s where my issue with what the SA lies. The SA cannot just say something is not returnable for credit when VCA’s official policy says that it is. The SA needs to abide by corporate rules, at least in the U.S.
I guess then my definition of worn and yours differs. And she wasn’t told the correct information to start with. I don’t wear my pieces from the store but I do try them on at home and where do they define worn? Trying on at home, looking at yourself and then deciding no? Is that worn? If they told her that it could be returnable if not worn then maybe she would not have worn it out. She was not told that. She was told it was a final sale which means that wearing would not make any difference, which could be why she wore it. That information would affect how I would behave.
I agree that SA message should be align with the official corporate policy. Trying on item at home and deciding to return is different in my opinion than wearing item from store and then deciding I don’t want it. I agree that if OP was told if your wearing from store it’s yours then she might have acted differently.
I understand lots of people would not want a piece that has been returned. I have not input about that because it is VCA’s job to decide what is sellable and what is not. And lots of people require new, even never displayed items when they make a purchase. That’s fair too. That is VCA’s responsibility to meet the expectation of each client, which might be different. In the OPs case I get that other buyers may not want to buy the piece she returned. But she wasn’t given the correct information to start with. And in reality if potential buyers don’t specifically ask for a new piece VCA at their discretion will sell whatever they deem sellable. That is never clearly defined for a client. I mean as in if you examine it under a loupe, how many scratches = sellable? Diamonds are a lot easier in this regard. lol.
And @missie1 to your point, it’s a great reminder that buyers should specify to VCA when they want a brand new need-to-unwrap-from-plastic piece when they buy if that’s a priority. It’s probably not a good idea to assume VCA is displaying or sending you a never been worn piece. TBH, I’ve bought my share of display pieces, but there are plenty of people who avoid those.