NEVER NEVER NEVER buy a diamond from Zales! These people are CROOKS! I'm in the process of filing a lawsuit against these thieves.
I purchased a $2200 diamond ring in cash from a Zales store and returned it the next day since it looked like a subpar diamond when I got home away from the misleading store lighting. Since the refund was a large amount, they said a refund check would be mailed within 3 weeks. I wasn't happy about the delay, but was willing to wait patiently for the check.
However, Zales made grave errors in sending the check. First, they didn't put down the unit number on the check. I live in a condo community with 160 units. Without a unit number, the mail carrier has no way to know which unit to deliver the check. Error #1.
Second, my name was written backwards on the check with my last name coming first and my first name coming last. There was no comma after my last name (as is the English language rule) to denote that it was my last name appearing first on the check. Since my last name resembles a common first name, the mail carrier has no way knowing that the check was sent to me. Error #2.
Because both errors were committed by Zales, along with being too cheap to use Fedex or something more secure with a tracking number than regular US Postal, the check was delivered to the wrong mailbox. Someone took my check and committed check fraud by depositing it into their account.
I alerted Zales to this issue and their errors, and they had me sign a notarized affidavit of forgery and stated it would be investigated by a third-party company. Zales said investigation would take 4-6 weeks and that as long as I wasn't behind this check fraud, I would receive my refund at the conclusion of the 6 weeks. Ok, no problem, I'm thinking it should be easy to review surveillance video at the bank where the check was deposited, along with handwriting samples, and any other investigative methods, to ascertain that I was indeed the victim and not a customer trying to commit fraud.
During the 6-week investigation, I called periodically to inquire about my claim status. Trying to contact someone in customer service was a nightmare each time. Their automated prompts are very confusing with no clear option that connects one to a customer service rep. It's as though they are intentionally trying to avoid dealing with any customer issues.
These are the options when calling their 1-800 customer service number:
#1- Check the status of internet or telephone order
#2- Zales credit card and to make payment by phone
#3- To be added/removed from mailing list
#4- Find a store location
#5- Merchandise inquiries or provide feedback
As you can see, it's very confusing to know which option to select regarding my claim. After wasting my time with trial & error and finally speaking to someone, I challenged a Zales supervisor to tell me which option(s) I needed to select in order to reach customer service. He put me on hold and it took him 5 minutes (because he was confused and had to perform trial & error too) to figure out which options to press (and after selecting the correct option, one needs to go through a whole another set of confusing options) in order to reach someone. Talk about aggravation and frustration every time you need to contact customer service.
I contacted Zales at the 4-week mark and a rep said, "They will contact you at the end of 6 weeks." I asked whom she meant by "they"...will it be Zales contacting me or the investigation company; I just wanted to know from whom I should be expecting a call. The rep rudely responded that she can't provide that information. Are you kidding me??? Does it make any difference to the process or results of the investigation to tell me who will contact me??? Gees. Instead of treating the customer with some respect and providing helpful info, she treated me like I was some criminal on a need-to-know basis.
At the end of the 6-week mark, I contacted Zales and spoke to the same supervisor (Michael) I have been dealing with who took down my number and promised to call me later with an update. He didn't call me back. I tried calling him the following day and was told he was busy on the phone and would call me back later. Again he didn't call me back. The next day, I tried calling him again and was told that he's in a meeting and will call me back. Of course again, he didn't call me back.
So I called back requesting to speak to his supervisor and then at that point, Michael got on the phone with a bunch of lip service excuses of why he didn't call me back and that I need to still wait and blah blah blah.
I just want my refund. I returned the merchandise. Zales failed to properly deliver my check. Instead of accepting responsibility and doing the right thing for the customer and victim here, they are avoiding me like the plague. I have no choice but to take legal action so I can get back my money they are essentially trying to steal.
Zale Corporation Reviews
NEVER NEVER NEVER buy a diamond from Zales! These people are CROOKS! I'm in the process of filing a lawsuit against these thieves.
I purchased a $2200 diamond ring in cash from a Zales store and returned it the next day since it looked like a subpar diamond when I got home away from the misleading store lighting. Since the refund was a large amount, they said a refund check would be mailed within 3 weeks. I wasn't happy about the delay, but was willing to wait patiently for the check.
However, Zales made grave errors in sending the check. First, they didn't put down the unit number on the check. I live in a condo community with 160 units. Without a unit number, the mail carrier has no way to know which unit to deliver the check. Error #1.
Second, my name was written backwards on the check with my last name coming first and my first name coming last. There was no comma after my last name (as is the English language rule) to denote that it was my last name appearing first on the check. Since my last name resembles a common first name, the mail carrier has no way knowing that the check was sent to me. Error #2.
Because both errors were committed by Zales, along with being too cheap to use Fedex or something more secure with a tracking number than regular US Postal, the check was delivered to the wrong mailbox. Someone took my check and committed check fraud by depositing it into their account.
I alerted Zales to this issue and their errors, and they had me sign a notarized affidavit of forgery and stated it would be investigated by a third-party company. Zales said investigation would take 4-6 weeks and that as long as I wasn't behind this check fraud, I would receive my refund at the conclusion of the 6 weeks. Ok, no problem, I'm thinking it should be easy to review surveillance video at the bank where the check was deposited, along with handwriting samples, and any other investigative methods, to ascertain that I was indeed the victim and not a customer trying to commit fraud.
During the 6-week investigation, I called periodically to inquire about my claim status. Trying to contact someone in customer service was a nightmare each time. Their automated prompts are very confusing with no clear option that connects one to a customer service rep. It's as though they are intentionally trying to avoid dealing with any customer issues.
These are the options when calling their 1-800 customer service number:
#1- Check the status of internet or telephone order
#2- Zales credit card and to make payment by phone
#3- To be added/removed from mailing list
#4- Find a store location
#5- Merchandise inquiries or provide feedback
As you can see, it's very confusing to know which option to select regarding my claim. After wasting my time with trial & error and finally speaking to someone, I challenged a Zales supervisor to tell me which option(s) I needed to select in order to reach customer service. He put me on hold and it took him 5 minutes (because he was confused and had to perform trial & error too) to figure out which options to press (and after selecting the correct option, one needs to go through a whole another set of confusing options) in order to reach someone. Talk about aggravation and frustration every time you need to contact customer service.
I contacted Zales at the 4-week mark and a rep said, "They will contact you at the end of 6 weeks." I asked whom she meant by "they"...will it be Zales contacting me or the investigation company; I just wanted to know from whom I should be expecting a call. The rep rudely responded that she can't provide that information. Are you kidding me??? Does it make any difference to the process or results of the investigation to tell me who will contact me??? Gees. Instead of treating the customer with some respect and providing helpful info, she treated me like I was some criminal on a need-to-know basis.
At the end of the 6-week mark, I contacted Zales and spoke to the same supervisor (Michael) I have been dealing with who took down my number and promised to call me later with an update. He didn't call me back. I tried calling him the following day and was told he was busy on the phone and would call me back later. Again he didn't call me back. The next day, I tried calling him again and was told that he's in a meeting and will call me back. Of course again, he didn't call me back.
So I called back requesting to speak to his supervisor and then at that point, Michael got on the phone with a bunch of lip service excuses of why he didn't call me back and that I need to still wait and blah blah blah.
I just want my refund. I returned the merchandise. Zales failed to properly deliver my check. Instead of accepting responsibility and doing the right thing for the customer and victim here, they are avoiding me like the plague. I have no choice but to take legal action so I can get back my money they are essentially trying to steal.
STAY AWAY FROM ZALES!!!