All we hear everyday is how no one trusts the Jewelers. Jewelers Lie.
Jewelers Scam.
Jewelers rip people off. I want to take a moment and turn the tables for a change. I want to talk about "
Customers that lie!"
Now I'm not saying that all Customers lie. That's like saying all Jewelers lie. Don't get me wrong here. Some Jewelers do stretch the truth. But that happens in every industry. Customers may be shocked to be called liars, but I'm here to show you why you should be up front and honest...
Let me explain myself by means of a couple of examples:
A Customer comes into the Jewelry Store with a bag in her hand. She says she just got a pair of Diamond and Gemstone Earrings for her Birthday and wants to return them. I ask her "What's wrong with them?" She says "They're broken!" She pulls the Earring box out of the bag and opens it. Earring Posts, Gemstones, Pieces of the Earring fall everywhere.
I look at them. It's clearly been stepped on and busted into six pieces and parts. "How did they break?" I ask her.
The Customer's response floored me. "They were like that when I opened the box!"
"What?" I reply shocked!
"Yes! I unwrapped the box, opened the lid and it was already in pieces. I just want to return it!"
Next Customer. Another Day. Woman brings in a Gold Chain that's been caught and stretched 3" longer than what it should be. The chain is snapped in two and the Customer says to me "It just fell off my neck!"
A Man comes in with a Watch. He wants to return it. He knows our return policy on Watches is 30 days and that's only if it's never been worn. We tell people that if there are any signs of scratches whatsoever, then it can't be returned, we can't resell them. They have to be new. We tell them if they don't like the Watch, don't wear it. Needless to say, the Man's Watch had tons of scratches, nicks, dents and abrasions on it. The bottom of the Watch literally looked like it was rubbed across sandpaper. The Customer insists that "It's New and never been worn!" "Heck," he says "It's not even been outta the bag!"
A Couple comes into the store looking at a Ring. They ask the price. We give them a deal. Then they proceed to pull out a business card from last week with a different Salesperson saying "We got a better Deal last week! What a rip off!"
What's the purpose of that? It's only a rip off because the price wasn't lower than last week? If they were forward with us, chances are they'd get even a BETTER deal! But not now!
Customers say this is the first store they've shopped in, but the Credit Report shows they've been all over town trying to buy Jewelry.
Customers say they've never had their ring sized, and want the "Free Sizing!" But the Ring is a size 4 and the shank has clearly been sized and soldered before.
Customers tell us that the Watch Crystal didn't have a scratch on it when they brought it in for a new Battery!
Customers say their Lobster Clasp wasn't broken... Or their Prongs weren't low... Or their Chain was 18" long and not 16... And the list goes on and on...
Customers say the Cubic Zirconia in their Synthetic Mothers Ring was "A Real Diamond!" Come on, we all know it wasn't. Let me get this straight, you spent $300 for a "Real Diamond", yet only $2 for that Fake Garnet next to it??? Right...
Why do you now expect us to replace it for Free? That's what I want to know! Customers think that all Repairs should be Free! "Don't you honor your merchandise?"
Is it because Customers feel that the Jeweler is always screwing them? Is that a fair trade? Justifiable? Have a couple of unscrupulous Jewelers just ruined it for everyone? Trust goes both ways! How can you trust the Jewelers, when the Jewelers can't even trust you?
My advice: Be Honest! If you break things, fess up. If you can't remember if your Watch Crystal was scratched, then say so. Don't hide it and make us pick up the tab. That's not cool.
So what will being Honest get you? An honest person can accomplish so much more in a Jewelry Store than a fibber can. We go out of our way to help a person that's up front with us. A couple who bought their Rings from us, wanted to get them Soldered together after the Wedding. Normally it's a $50 Charge! (They would have got the Repair for Free if they had bought an Extended Service Plan on the Rings at the time of purchase.) So what did I do?
I ended up selling them a Service Plan and covered the cost of the Repairs for them at no charge. Why? Because they admitted they declined the Service Plan. They said they thought all Service Plans were a scam and didn't see any real benefit. They were honest and so I went out of my way to work with them. I knew they could use the Extended Service Plan in the future, and it would help solve the problem we faced now. We still got money for the Service Plan, ($25) and they ended up saving money after all! It was that simple! Everyone ended up happy.
The truth is, there is no reason to lie to Jewelers. We've seen it all! A little bit of honesty could be the difference in a Jeweler taking back a Necklace that's past the Return Policy... Or throwing in a Gift Certificate if you Exchange your Gift and not return it... They could knock an extra 10% off if it helps cover the cost of shipping... They can do lots of things to help you, if you are sincere and honest with them. Honesty is always the best policy! You'd be amazed how great it works, and how it benefits you. And if I hear one more person come into the store and say "I picked my Ring up from Repair and you gave it to me with a Stone Missing..." I'm going to take a deep breath, count to ten, and figure out how to turn an ugly situation into a positive one!
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