Odd jewelry payment question....

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echo_23

echo_23

O.G.
Oct 2, 2006
5,003
7
#1
I have an odd jewelry question...

I had a custom diamond ring made nearly a year ago. I paid a deposit for it while it was being made. When I picked it up I paid the remaining balance. I really liked the ring but had to bring it back a day later because a stone fell out. Not a big deal. Then it appraised at .50ct instead of the .76ct it was supposed to be. Not thrilled, but what could I do then, force them to add more diamonds?! Then a month later the same stone fell out again. Greeat. I let it all go though because I didn't figure there was anything that could be done and didn't want to go through the hassle of bringing it back up there to be fixed.

10 months pass....

Yesterday I got an email out of the blue to call the jeweler. Turns out they only have records of me paying a portion of the payment when I picked up my ring. They said they apparently entered the number wrong in the credit card machine and it charged me $105.55 instead of $1055.50 and they just realized this. I don't have any records of payment because in the past 10 months we have moved and changed banks and I didn't think I needed to hold onto anything because I didn't think anything like this would happen. They have provided me with a receipt for my deposit, an invoice for the full amount that says "paid" has a date and is signed by the jeweler, and a receipt stapled to it for a $105.55 cc charge.

I don't know what to think because on one hand there is an invoice signed "paid" and on the other, they only have a credit card charge for $105.55. When I picked my ring up the place was so crowded and I was so focused on the ring, I don't recall how I paid (if there were multiple cards/partial cash). They say they show no records of other payment sources. I can't imagine someone letting me walk out without paying fully or someone not noticing such a big discrepancy within the 10 months. I also can't imagine them making something like this up. Since I don't have any records of payment, I'm planning on going in and paying the remaining balance this week to avoid any complications, but out of curiosity what would you girls make of something like this? I am still baffled and too confused to fully think straight.
 
#2
I wouldn't pay it. Maybe it's just me. Invoice says paid. Maybe you did pay part in cash? 10 months is a ridiculous amount of time to pass for them to contact you now. I mean if they can't keep better records or properly handle paperwork, who's to say you didn't pay part in another payment method and they just don't have record of it? There is just NO way I would pay them if that is a possibility.
I'd probably just say it's an unfortunate situation, but you believe you paid in full and have an invoice stamped paid. You've kept no records on the situation because you felt you had no need to. Perhaps they should contact their insurance company if they believe they have a loss in their system.
I don't think I would associate their workmanship and incorrect grading of the stones with this though. That's just asking for trouble.
If, however, you believe this is something that could have actually happened, then by all means pay it. If your not sure, then don't. Just my opinion though.
 
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#3
Your bank that your CC is from has those records. If I hadn't ben charged in full I'd only feel right about making up that payment. HOWEVER, it HAS been a long time. . .
your issues w/ them are irrelevant IMO. You should've never repeatedly let it slide, they couldn't fix it w/o knowing you had issues.
 
#4
Even if you've changed banks or cancelled credit cards, its only been 10 months. The bank/cc company still has the records. Just call and ask for a copy. I would highly doubt that you would have paid with multiple sources and put 105.55 on one of them. Maybe if it was an even $500 or something but I think its fair to say that if your bank/cc charge shows up as 105.55, you probably only paid 10% and should pay the remaining 90%, even if it has been a while. OR try returning the ring instead if you're unhappy with it anyway.
 
#5
Thanks for the advise. I only mentioned the problems with the ring because they were just symbolic of the problems that were yet to come. I'm not sure if they were just overwhelmed and not keep up to par with their production or record keeping or if they were so overwhelmed they made a clerical error neither of us caught. I certainly don't want to deny them payment, as I clearly thought I already happily paid in full for the ring, I'm just confused by an invoice marked and signed "paid" and the credit card slip. I could look back in my credit card records and did see the charge, but I changed banks several months ago and can't access any records on-line from my old account to find if there was a withdrawal that day.

Just saw the above post- would I just go to the bank in person for those records?
 
#6
echo_23 said:
Thanks for the advise. I only mentioned the problems with the ring because they were just symbolic of the problems that were yet to come. I'm not sure if they were just overwhelmed and not keep up to par with their production or record keeping or if they were so overwhelmed they made a clerical error neither of us caught. I certainly don't want to deny them payment, as I clearly thought I already happily paid in full for the ring, I'm just confused by an invoice marked and signed "paid" and the credit card slip. I could look back in my credit card records and did see the charge, but I changed banks several months ago and can't access any records on-line from my old account to find if there was a withdrawal that day.

Just saw the above post- would I just go to the bank in person for those records?
Click to expand...

Just call the customer service number and have them mailed to you. People do it everyday. In fact, I'm always surprised that "request a copy of an old statement" seems to always be one of the automated choices so they must get the requests all the time. Also, I think they are legally required to hold all statements for either 1 or 2 years. Good luck!
 
#8
Thanks guys, I will try that! This will certainly teach me to keep better records. Too often I walk around with a lot of cash, I never keep bank statements (in fact I make sure I don't get paper statements to save the trees so everything is on-line), and I never keep receipts for insured purchases because I figure the insurance is all that matters. I never thought something like this could happen. Thanks again and sorry for the odd question, I couldn't think of where else to ask it!
 
#10
If it turns out you do owe them the rest of the money, I would first insist that they fix the discrepancy on carat weight; a quarter of a carat difference is huge and why pay for more than what you actually received? I would have been on them like white on rice to fix that immediately, I'm shocked that you just let that go. I can understand not wanting to be confrontational but my gosh, you're just throwing money away that way.

So tell them you'd be happy to pay for the rest, but they need to fix this problem for you first and show them the invoice you have that shows you were supposed to be receiving a .76 ctw ring then show the appraisal showing it's actually only .50 ctw.

Out of curiosity, what kind of ring is it? If more or larger diamonds can't be added, perhaps they could give you a quarter carat pendant or something, to make up that difference. Either that or adjust their price to reflect the lesser carat weight.
 
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#11
1. I have a hard time believing that it took them 10 mos to figure out the payment discrepancy. I work in a family owned jewelry store and all receipts are gone over the very next day. (We only have one gal that is an asst. to the CFO-I'm not talking a big acctg. dept). I would NOT pay this without doing further research on your end.
2. You should have brought up the issues with your ring as you experienced them but I would still mention the discrepancy is diamond wt. That's significant and you could 'call' the jeweler on fraud if it turns out to be the case.

Good luck with sorting it all out!
 
#13
ame said:
Seeing that you are in Houston makes me SUPER curious if it's who I think it is. Criminy.
Click to expand...
oooh Ame...lol.:boxing:
but I do wonder if your right.:thinkin: Naaaah..there's got to be 100's of jewelery stores in Houston. And While I won't speak about craftmanship (I know you have your rightful opinions on that), I can't see who you are thinking, changing ct weight or having mess-ups in paperwork. At least online they are very thorough on invoicing, orders, payment, ect ect.
 
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#15
echo_23:

I would definitely call the jewelry store and tell them you need a few days to go through your records. Don't feel compelled to sort this all in a week, you will be rushed.

In the meantime, ask your old bank to send you statements from the period when you put down the deposit and when you picked it up.

Even the most backwards computer systems in jewelry stores need to keep track of what cash is coming in or else they are at a high risk for tax evasion and auditors keep track of that. I would ask to have a copy of whatever receipt/your account sent to you. Have you bought anything else from them in the past?

It sounds a little fishy to me... 10 months later. I don't trust them on the books so why should you trust them now. I'd want to see everything. Was the agreed upon ring price 1055.50 or more (I ask because you said you already put a deposit - was it contributing to the ring or separate, making your total higher?) If you're not sure then see what happens - what kind of card do you use/did you use? AMEX has a lot of consumer protection for precisely these kinds of issues.
 
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