stilltravelingat62

Please be aware if you make a purchase at H Stern, you cannot get a refund for ANY reason.
My husband toured the H Stern factory in Rio in March, 2014. He bought a beautiful citrine ring for me. I wore it only a few times when in June, 2014 the stone flew out of the setting. I was in a sidewalk café and clapped my hands at a bug and the stone flew onto the sidewalk. Luckily I was able to retrieve it. Expecting good service from such a respected company, you can imagine my surprise when I was told it would take months to reset the stone. It needed to be sent back to Brazil. I objected and requested a refund since they could not offer me anything I liked from the pieces they offered. But H Stern will not refund. So I patiently waited for the repair for months. Upon its return in September, 2014 the stone fell out and I patiently again waited for repair. When the ring was returned in January, 2015, the stone was loose. Again months! When it returned in May, 2015, the stone was loose. The ring was finally returned to me in November, 2015 but still I am nervous and constantly checking the ring when I wear it. To summarize, the stone fell out of the setting twice and arrived twice with a loose stone in the setting. From March, 2014 until December, 2015 I wore the ring just a few times. It took months for the repair to be done in Brazil. What kind of return policy is this? The problem here is not that I did not like the ring, the problem was poor workmanship.

Scarlett

Well H Stern is not a shoddy business and for whatever reason, the stone was loose and came out. You found it and fixed it. The amount of time they took could have to do with how busy they were .. take it to a jeweler at home, doesn't have to be H Stern and have the stone made super secure.
Also, I have never heard of a store that would give a refund on something bought in another store,another country ! regardless of being the same "chain".
Just find a good jeweler and get it fixed, enjoy it and get over the anger.

SambaChula

The no refund policy is standard operating procedure for any item, small or large, in any store in Brazil, from the mom-and-pop on the corner to the mall to high end like this. No Brazilian would expect different. Any gringo/a who chooses not to inform her/himself about the culture s/he is traveling in, and who does not bother to ask (H. Stern staff speak English) specifics when purchasing, particularly an expensive item, is making him/ herself vulnerable to such cultural misunderstandings. That they agreed to repair the ring indicates the level of service a high end establishment in Brazil provides. Not all shops might do so.

Dianedancer

I think the fact that H Stern can't even fix their own jewelry properly is what is annoying. Aren't they experts? I don't think that the fact that they said they would repair it "indicates the level of service a high end establishment in Brazil provides". They sold a shoddy item. The SHOULD fix it.

Scarlett

Who knows what happened when the ring was sent back to be repaired.
Take it to a US store and get it repaired, even if it costs something at least you have the ring .
People who run a store and sell things are not the experts.
If their policy is not to refund, they are not unlike many many stores in the US and the rest of the world.

Scarlett

Did you even try to google them ?



How do I send an item to be serviced?

· In any Retail Store: Please visit the location nearest you and bring us the item that needs service. Please bring your original receipt, if the item is still under warranty. It will be a pleasure to serve you.

· Mailing your item to the New York Service Center: You must call our Service Center at 212-688-0300 to receive a Service Order Number prior to mailing your package. Then send your piece by registered, insured mail to:
H.S., Inc.
U.S.A. Service Center
Olympic Towers
645 Fifth Avenue
C-1 Level (Suite D)
New York, NY 10022

Please include in your package a copy of your original receipt (if the item is still under warranty), the service order number you were given by the Service Center, and a brief note of explanation describing the service you are requesting, along with your current home address and telephone number.
A customer service representative will contact you within 48 hours.

You may also contact us or call 800-7HStern (In New York, please dial 212-688-0300).

· There are no H.Stern Retail Stores where I am currently residing. How can I have my H.Stern piece serviced?

By visiting the "Stores and Service Agents" section of this Website, you will see a list of all countries where skilled service agents can perform the service you need.
You may contact the one most convenient for you.

In case you still have any questions, please contact us.

SambaChula

IMO you should never have set foot in Brazil without understanding the culture. Customer service of the kind you may demand in the US as "normal" is not part of that culture on any level. Even dealing for a month with the Brazilian representatives of an international airline is not anything like what one phone call in the US brings in terms of service (from personal experience over damaged luggage, for example). You could try to file a claim with Procon I suppose, but it would be a lot of time and effort from the US.

If you don't like the work they've done and do like the ring, stop banging your head against a brick wall, find someone you do like near home to fix the ring (any "art" jeweler should be able to do it) and MOVE ON. You are unlikely to find the satisfaction you seek from any Brazilian entity, and cetsinly won't here on this forum.

stilltravelingat62

Thanks everyone for the bashing.
Rather than to vent anger, I was posting to warn others who, like me, are ignorant.
H Stern is a large, worldwide respected jeweler. I own a ring from them in Brazil that I've worn for years. I never expected that their policy is No Refund EVER.
I merely thought to warn others of their policy.
But hey, thanks for telling me off!