Zale Jewelers / Zales.com review: bad customer service and repair 105

I am responding to the person in the first post who wanted the tax to count on her trade-in. Are you kidding me? What rock did you crawl out from under? Tax is collected to give to a governmental entity, not for the company to keep. I feel really sorry for people in retail to have to deal with some of the nonsense I have read on this site!

Los Angeles, CA

I am glad to know that I am not the only one experiencing that Zales has horrible customer service, and merchandise, there ways of handling a problem with a customer is completely unprofessional. My boyfriend bought me a ring three months ago, and a week after wearing it the diamonds were shifting and sinking far below the prongs. We took it back and they have sent it out three different times for repair, and everytime it came back looking the same as it did the first time that they sent it out. ###. They never call you and inform you what is going on, it is just awful service. Three months have gone by and I am still without my ring.

DON'T BUY YOUR RINGS THERE.

Now I'm really scared. My fiance bought my engagement ring from Zales on April 23rd, 2009. On July 29th, 2009 I was grocery shopping and one of my side stones fell out, then on July 31st ANOTHER ONE FELL OUT! I hadn't had the chance to bring it in at that point but tha tevening I did and ended up in a screaming match because apparently you don't get to purchase the warranty online which is how my fiance purchased my ring. I dealt with a very nice guy on the phone named Danny who works with the online store, he was on the phone with me for about 2 hours and kept calling my store, finally they agreed to fix it. Well it was supposed to be in today and it's not and now I'm not sure I want it to come in cause I'm probably going to throw a fit complete with crying and screaming, but if I send my fiance to get it he won't notice anything on it. Truth be told if I get it back in the same condition as most of you I'm not leaving without a refund or a new ring.

I would like to inform all of you guys that Zales has undergone a change in the repair services over the past couple of years. Repairs used to be done mostly by local wholesale jewelers. The store would then mark up the cost of the repairs by 300%, which would cover the cost of their Service Plan repairs(warrantied jewelry). They now ship all repairs from all stores to New York City to a Mexico based company known as MJJ. Once the repairs are received in New York they are sorted and dispersed to several locations in Mexico. Once the repairs are done in Mexico they then are shipped back to New York to be resorted and shipped back to the stores. You should have noticed that most stores used to offer repairs done in a week or less, now you should expect a minimum of 3-4 weeks for a repair to be done. Repair costs for the company are going out the roof with the big change. The whole thing is basically a money funnelling exercise whilst the company is preparing for a bankruptcy in a couple years.

Now you must ask yourself why would Zales think that customers would be ok with this? Any non-exec with half a brain would realize that the customer will NOT be ok with this. Word is that a select few executives have interest in the company doing the repairs. These are the same execs that made the decision to make the change to repairs. So basically you should expect the company to fizzle into bankruptcy within 2-3 years and in the meantime all the shareholders will loose it all and the crooked execs will end up with it all retired in the Carribbean, or rather hopefully in prison.

Ugh I wish I had found these comments, BEFORE my fiancè and I bought from Zales. I have had more problems and I am so disgusted with the POOR CRAFTMANSHIP of my ring. It makes me sick.

My husband and I have bought numerous pieces of jewelry from Zales, bracelets, rings and many other items.My husband bought me a new wedding set last year. I have lost a diamond out of my set on 6 different occasions. I take it in and it takes them 4 to 8 weeks to get it back to me.

They have had my rings more than I have. I even pull them off at night far fear of losing another diamond. I have a desk job so I am not knocking them out. This is ridiculous. I will not use then again.

Well, I am another unhappy customer who wishes they would have seen these complaints before making my purchase. I live in a very rural community, so after no success at the couple of jewlery stores within driving distance. I decided to order my soon to be husbands wedding band online. He wanted a Tungsten ring. These rings can not be resized. I knew that before buying one. So I have my online order ready, one click away from ordering. I call Zales to find out their return policy in case the ring doesn't fit. I spent 20 minutes on the phone discussing ring sizing and their return policy. I was told if it doesn't fit just send it back and we will send you a new one. Exact words.

As you can guess, the ring doesn't fit, 1/2 size to big. So I call to find out what to do. They tell me to ship the ring back, it will take 2 to 4 weeks to issue a credit. Then I can just order a new ring. It 3 weeks till Christmas and two weeks before the wedding. I can't afford to pay for two rings. I have called customer service twice, and they are just rude and unhelpful. Had they explained their return policy when I asked, I would not have ordered the ring. Because I knew I didn't have that much time.

He bought my engagement ring from Kay jewlers a few years ago. It is wonderful, well made. I should have drove the 45mintues to their store and stuck with them. I will never again have anything to do with Zales and I will make sure that everyone I know doesn't either. Zales is horrible! If you want quality and good customer service EVERY KISS BEGINS WITH KAYS! Every nightmare begins with zales.

Zales sucks. You shouldn't be shopping there anyway. It's crappy cheap jewelry for poor people.

Believe me my experience was the same I was thinking that it was only in south Cali but I found out that when they sell you the "protection plan " they don't tell you how long it take for the merchandise to be in your use. It's ridiculous, ..which means if you need your merchandise for the holidays ...you need...uhmm let's see 2 months to get them back...

I went and bought my wifes anniversary ring at zales my mistake. I also bought it on sale my second mistake. I was a one carrot diamond anniversary ring and a diamond fell out of it seven times we had to drive 80 miles everytime. They said they would exchange it but because i bought it on sale they would only give her a ring of what it cost not what it is worth. After the seventh time we just said give us our money back when they did they said they credited it back to the bank. I got it with a bank card and don't even have a account at that bank anymore so they give us a tracing number. So in my opinion zales really does suck.

Please explain the remounting to me . Are they suppose to take out your diamonds from your old setting and re set them into the new ring you pick out. That is what I thought remounting was.

My husband, who was then my boyfriend, bought our rings from Zales before we found out we were going to have a baby. After the fact, we decided we couldn't afford the expensive rings and returned them. The return of his ring showed up on my credit card statement, but my much more expensive bridal set still hasn't shown up on my statement. The Zales store we purchased from claims that they have no record of us ever even coming in the store, and the manager had the nerve to say that it was my fault that my ring set hasn't shown up on my statement! Zales has horrible customer service and I would love to file a lawsuit against them!

I totally agree! Zales sucks! I got my engagement ring and it was the wrong size so I sent it back to be resized. They took the ring that I sent back and melted it! I was told different stories by all of their customer service reps. They are a terrible company to deal with! They are claiming that they don't re-size rings and that there is nothing that I can do with the ring. James, Courtney, Andrea, Blair, and El all suck! They were all very rude! I will never be able to get my engagement ring back! I have never been so angry with a company in my life! Never do business with Zales and PLEASE spread the word!

OMG! I ordered a ring on FEB 1, 2010 hoping the "Free Express Shipping Saver" would be most helpful, however, I am now not able to get my ring on time for my proposal that I have planned out with my fiance for my MIAMI, FL trip! ZALES said that I would have it by the 11th of Febuary, but then I called them again and they stated that it would arrive until way later than the expected date of arrival! And GET THIS...I planned to have dinner at this really nice resteraunt called BEDS in Miami where my waiter was going to actually put the ring next to the dessert, but now I can't even do that because my damn ring isnt even going to arrive on time! I leave and fly to MIAMI from Vegas on the 11th! I can't tell you how much I hate ZALES with a passion. THEY RUINED MY ENGAGEMENT AND PROPOSAL and i truly hope they get a huge FAT LAW SUITE against them for misinterpreting their policies and misleading innocent people! Michael

I had a ring sized and I was told that the ring would be back in time for my wedding day...unfortunately it wasn't because the store sent it back without notifying me that it had arrived at the store. My wedding day was on a Friday, the ring came into the store on a Wednesday. Then I was told that it would be back on the following Monday…It still wasn’t there. How can you send a ring to a shop to be sized and it arrive to the store with a loose diamond? Maybe I should check to see if it really is the same diamond that was originally was in the set. The customer services sucks at the Moreno Valley location. The staff is rude and has no feel for customer service. They should find another job in elsewhere and not relating to customer service. Maybe we should report then to an agency or bureau to have then investigated for fraudulent acts against Zale’s company.

you guys shoulda went to jared like i did

i ordered a mothers day ring for my wife on 4-22, its now 5-15, and there telling me 3-5 weeks!
Ill never use zales again!

update, i received the ring today. just shy of 1 month. poorly packed and shipped. the box the ring comes in was destroyed, and the ring was just floating around in the fedex bag. no bubble wrap to protect anything. Its like they just trew it in the bag, and sent it off

I want to thank all for those who posted their experience and comments and suggestions for buying at zales. me and my bf has been looking at zales for a while and have even gone to a few different zales and thought we were going to get the best deals and everything, but it turns out that this page of reviews really opened our eyes. also, if you plan to buy the jewelry in the store, the rep. will try to rip you off by saying, "oh this ring is a great one. its one of my favorites. if you are willing to buy, i can use my associate discount and you will get a $50 off coupon as a first time buyer." the total ended up to be about over $600 just for a promise ring for me and a wedding band for my bf. It was a total rip off. we were almost convinced until we decided to wait another day to make sure. we checked online and we tried ordering it. with the $50 coupon and the same two rings, it totaled $350 plus shipping was free because the total was higher than 300. in the store we asked if zales would price match with the online price because it was a little cheaper than in the store. she said " yeah it is but it doesnt include the shipping which will be the same as buying it in store." she LIED to us. right in our face. dont ever try to buy jewelry from zales!

My white gold wedding band ring ( with diamond ) turned into yellow. My wife and I took the ring back yesterday. The store manager wanted to redipp the ring but we disagree about it, so we demand to replace it. But the manager unwilling to do it and we started arguing and got very angry. We asked the phone number of the district manager but she won't give it to us. The store manager even tried to thrown us away from the store saying " YOU CAN GO NOW ", " GO GO GO ", " EDUCATE YOURSELF ", " YOU ARE BAN FROM THIS STORE " !, " YOU CANNOT COME BACK HERE FROM THIS STORE ANYMORE "! And this was happened around the customers too! She treated us like a beggar. She is the manager... would you agree that she is the one that needs to EDUCATE HERSELF ? The quality of their product was not the only problem, customer service as well. WHAT THEY HAVE AT ZALES ARE " BAD QUALITY AND POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. By the way, the name of the manager is Terryl K. Montgomery, Round Rock Premium Outlets, TX. If I were you out there, don't waste your money at that store ( ZALES ). We have learned our lesson and been deceived by their false advertisement. THIS STORE IS DEVIL!

This is in response to the earlier complaint as well. This text was taken directly from the ordering page for personilized birthstone jewelry: SPECIAL ORDER ITEM: Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.
I'm sorry that the item arrived in poor condition, you can go into any Zales, or Gordons Jewelers and return the ring within 100 days. However, it is inexcusable that is arrived in such disarray.

hello this message is for zales jewelers customer service''

I was attempting to apply for your credit card, but only received an error message saying I had already applied and this application would not be processed. Well, I beg to differ. I have never applied for a credit card from Zales. And you just made sure I never will. Henceforth, I will go back o the jewelery store I usually go to. That would be Kay Jewelers.

thought you could use this honnest comment

regards
ronald parker

I too have a tons of problems with my engagement ring. We bought it from an individual who gave us all the paperwork and warranty info. I purchased a warranty in my name. I got this ring on September 19, 2009. Today is June 9, 2010 and I have had FIVE diamonds fall out. After the first 3 times I started blaming myself thinking I was too rough on it. I got in back in March from its 3rd repair. Since then I have taken it off to clean, cook, do dishes, shower, ect and 2 more have fallen out! The people at Zales said that b/c I had to have it sized down from a 6 to a 5 that that is why they fall out. I asked if I could simply exchange my ring for one in a size 5 and they said no, the ring was too old! I'm at the point where I want to get a new ring from another store!

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who is completely regretting buying from Zales!

When I picked it out, it was exactly what I was looking for - I was completely smitten with the bridal set we purchased. But, of course, the love quickly faded. After a few months, my prongs became crooked, but I figured it was because I still wasn't used to the height of it so I chalked it up to my error. We took it to get fixed, but it looked the same as when it was sent in. The lady who took the ring from my fiance said that it was a good thing we brought it in and that it was be quickly fixed, which it was returned in a reasonable time - however, when we got the ring back it looked exactly the same. My fiance inquired to the employee that it looked exactly the same as when he brought it in, and she said that the ring was fine - but let me tell you, it wasn't! We bought the ring at the Zales located in Rockford, Illinois (Cherryvale Mall) but figured that since we went to school near Dubuque, Iowa that we would take it to that Zales. That trip was successful (seemed to take forever though), the prongs were set correctly (on the diamond) but the diamond and prongs are now on a slant.

After my first experience of the prongs, I am very careful with my ring (not showering with it, dishes, etc.) Unfortunately, that hasn't help because just yesterday I was putting in my earrings and noticed that I could hear my diamond loose in the prongs. I am beyond angry, because I don't want to have my ring sent in a third time. My ring has been re-dipped once already, they did that when I sent it through Rockford, I'm not sure as to how that procedure is completed, but my diamonds on the side of my ring are partly covered.

I'm not happy, and regret not doing my homework prior to purchasing. I truly feel as though my fiance wasted his money. It hurts knowing that the "symbol of his love" has caused me this much pain. He is an amazing man, but my ring doesn't show it. Although I did not previously mention this - my center stone is cracked in the middle, but, that was my error for not noticing it. Also, the selling employee lied to us, telling us it was indeed a 2 Carat TW, but it is only 1.5.

I wish I could just return it, get our money back - and go to somewhere more reputable.

I can only hope that if you are considering Zales, you learn from my mistake and do your homework so that you will always have good memories tied to your most important piece of jewelry.

-JoAnne

I agree and sympathize with everyone listed above to a point. First of all, you are dealing with a corporate entity that has set policy for all of its stores to follow. As much as a sales associate would like to help in any way, his or hands are tied to policy. Zales diamond bond policy requires the store to replace a missing diamond of equal or better quality provided you have brought your jewelry in for its regular 6 month inspections AND you have not had the ring altered by any other jeweler. Zales cannot take responsibility once another jeweler has touched it! Also, please remember all jewelry is subject to problems. Just because you buy a piece from one jeweler and have no problems, doesn't mean that other customers haven't had problems with that same jeweler. It all depends on the piece and how hard you are on your jewelry. I know you don't want to hear this, but that's the way it is. I am sure many people have the same negative experiences with any other chain of jewelers. Smaller, independent jewelers have more leeway in their customer service policies and may be able to accomodate you a little better. In the end, buyer beware, always... Make sure you read the fine print. Too many people get upset when they purchase a ring, wear it for 2 years, never have it inspected, and expect Zales to replace the missing diamond. Also, the jewelry protection plans that are sold are not a scam. Like I said, all jewelry needs maintenance at some time unless you keep it locked up in a safe. People don't realize how expensive the repairs are. Not all sales people at Zales are rude. It's just the rude and ignorant ones that get noticed. I have worked for a couple of jewelry retailers, including Gordon's, a Zale sister store and have always done my best to provide great customer service. I am one of the few who actually make sure my clients are aware of our guidelines prior to making that big investment. Even I make sure to purchase a protection plan and have my jewelry regularly inspected. Even I am subject to the same rules.

I have worked for zale for 10 years and i can say without a doubt and without exception that the company is adamant that every complaint be taken seriously and resolved regardless of cost to the firm. our service is the best. returns are 100 days and if u paid cash we dont carry that much cash daily so a home office check takes 3 to 4 days NOT weeks. I have 40 years experience and its a pleasure to work for a firm that i can "make it right for the customer" every time and not even have to ask the home office because i know thats what they want. every day i make people happy and very very very few ever need our unsurpassed warranties. the next time you have a problem feel free to stop in to the galleria mall in ft lauderdale and ask for me---Kevin-- I love making it right the Zale way!

Bought 11ct diamond bracelet, it broke.
They want $300 to sawder a pin.
Zales is a total rip off.
Their jewelry is junk.

Bought 11ct diamond bracelet, it broke.
Zales wants $300 to sawder a pin.
Insulting & a total Rip Off !
DO NOT BUY FM ZALES...
WHERE IS DANIEL GARCIA CEO?

ZALES JEWELERS IS A TOTAL RIP OFF.
Buy wholesale fm Helen Brent Shows...
Ebay is better than Zales !

I used to work at Zales. I was employed there for over 19 Years. The company is doing horrible, they treat everyone like s**t, and it is the worst place to work in the world! They used to be ok, but went through some major management changes last year in 2009. I was fired after being lied to, made to look like I was breaking company policy, and am now working on a lawsuit against them. I hope the company rots in hell for how they treat their people and customers!

From a former jewelry store employee- No, Diamonds don't just fall out! My advise is if you are going to purchase any new Jewelry, check all of the prongs in the store before you make the purchase and check for loose stones. It sometimes happens that the manufacture may have overlooked a stone during the quality check before it was sent to Zales warehouse. Zales does not make the Jewelry, they get it from different manufactures around the world some of which other Jewelry stores use as well. If you do check them, then you know that the stones are secure. Then, if a Diamond falls out, you know that it must have been from something that you did. I would invest in a jewelers loop (very cheap) and use it daily when you are wearing it. Then if you notice any loose stones, report them ASAP before a stone falls out. Prongs made with gold are very soft and can bend easily. Just be careful with your nice stuff and if you go out on the town, or wanna play rough, wear some fake cheap stuff!

I hate zales! I sent a ring to be cleaned and it is taking them 5 weeks to do so! I think they lost my ring and are now [censor]ting me! I am calling the corporate, RIDICULOUS!

my boyfriend got me a ring and a bracelet from zales for christmas and our anniversary. my bracelet has something wrong with the clasp and it does not latch in like a bracelet is supposed to. the only thing holding it on is the safety...but the safety is supposed to be a back up only not the only thing holding it on my wrist. i brought it to the attention of 3 zales employees and all they told me was that since its silver, silver is soft and i just had to be careful with it and then 2 sales women went on trying to tell me how to put a bracelet on like i was an idiot. and my ring is a whole other story. when it was purchased it had to be sent out to be stretched one size and the lady who put in the order apparently messed up the paperwork and it was not returned in time and when my boyfriend called to inquire the snotty sales lady said that she didnt know why the woman who put the order in did it the way she did but she no longer worked there...it was beautiful when i finally got it a week later but now after having it for 8 days the whole silver band is turing colors like its stainless steel that is tarnishing.

They are the worse in customers service. My fiance brought me online an engagement ring and after 5 days the send and email telling the order was canceled. We called to see what other options we had. Until today! after one moth the never call us back. We are the ones that call all the time. They are rude, unprossional good for NOTHIN! We finally got a amazing Ring from Overstock.com! they are the Best of the Best! Please don't waist you time or energy for a "company" that doesn't know how to treat humans! We would NEVER EVER call the or buy anything from them.

I have just had my bad experience with Zales. It is a shame that their customer service treats you as if you are the bad guy. I will never do business with Zales or any of their subsidiaries. You are better off dealing with your local independent jewler.

Last week, I went to a Zales store to purchase a necklace as a birthday gift for my mother. It was a supposed to be a personalized necklace with her grandchildren’s names engraved on it. The sales person rushed the whole sale. She was rude and kept cutting me off while I was explaining what I wanted.

She said that it would be ready in 7 business days and that someone would call me to come pick it up. When no one called me back I called back and they said that they couldn’t find my order and that I would have to come down to the Zales.

I arrived at the store and showed them my copy of the order receipt. They were able to find it and brought it out to me. I was so ready to just get out of there but I looked at the necklace and two of the three names were spelled wrong! The sales person said that it wasn’t their fault and they make sure they don’t make mistakes.

Finally, I asked for a manager and she said that she could get it fixed for me in two days. I just wanted my money back at that point. They were reluctant at first and kept trying to sway to just get it fixed. I was there for an hour!
This experience has been exhausting and I couldn’t believe the customer service.

My boyfriend bought me two rings for our anniversary because I couldn't chose between the two. I had to get both re-sized. I had an emerald and a amethyst, both rings $300 each. When I went to Zales, first the girl couldn't spell my name right after i spelled it out four times. I got a call around 3 weeks later saying my amethyst ring was back, but the manager didn't kindly mention that my emerald ring was not in yet. again 3 weeks passed after i got one ring back. no call. I decided to call them, after two days no one was answering my questions, i was tolled someone will call me back. no call. I finally had enough of this and I called one last time before I went in the store and strangled someone. the computers and down great. the manager said she will call me back. no call. finally i went in the store, the manager had the nerve to give me an attitude telling me that she had a bad day because the computers where down. i told her thats not my problem where is my ring. long story short i ended up telling her off. the next day my ring magically appears in the "wrong place" NEVER GOING TO ZALES AGAIN!

Where can you file a compaint on Zales if you have gone threw all the neccesary steps and they still have no resolved the issue that was there fault to begin with?

I have had my ring for 8 months the diamond fell out 2X before the wedding, we were only engaged for 3 months, and one time after. They replaced the ring made to my ring size. 2 weeks and another diamond has fallen out. This is the first real jewery I have ever had. Such a horrible experience. I so hope tomorrow when I go in they will just give me my money back in full refund so I can go to a real store and get a ring I can wear it seem like its with them as much as me!

i read about peoples problems, well beat this . now keep in mind i have the orginal bill off purchase and the original receipt showing pain in full . for several years now i, ve been harassed by collection agencies . this morning i got another saying the bill was never paid ( KEEP IN MIND NOW I GOT THE ORIGINAL RECEIPTS ) I, VE CALLED ZALES AND THOSE PIGS WOULDN, T EVENGIVE ME THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE NUMBER OR A FAX NUMBER SO I COULD SEND THEM PROOF . PEOPLE DO NOT DEAL WITH THOSE THIEFS THERE CALLED ZALES, PEOPLES AND MAPPINS . IF ANY ONE HAS A IDEAL WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IT TO CLEAR UP THIS MESS .