A New Mexico couple tried to return a gold ring priced at $11,000 after trying it on for no more than two minutes.
Thomas Gunderson said his wife had tried on the diamond-encrusted jewelry when it arrived, but quickly realized it was too big.
The couple quickly returned the gold ring to its box and sent the online purchase to the retailer, but were shocked when Saks returned the ring and refused to give them a refund.
‘The ring was too big for my wife. He had it out of the box literally for two minutes. We returned the ring the next day. “Saks received the ring, but then they returned it to us, saying it was damaged,” Gunderson said.
The 18-karat gold band, from the Origami Collection, is adorned with pavé diamonds and was designed by David Yurman, a company founded in 1980 by artists David and Sybil Yurman.
Saks claimed that the couple had damaged the ring after discovering scratches, but Gunderson said his wife had the ring out of the box for only “two minutes.”
The couple, aged between 60 and 70, admitted their eyesight was “not the best” and they had not seen any damage. After all, the ring had only been out of the box briefly before being returned to its packaging.
After taking pictures of the returned ring, they enlarged them to see that the ring was in fact damaged and had scratches.
With just a brief handle on the expensive jewelry, the couple was sure they couldn’t have caused the damage and persisted with Saks for a refund.
“I’ve been back and forth with Saks to get a refund and they refuse. “I can’t prove that I didn’t damage the ring and they can’t prove that they sent us an intact ring,” Gunderson said.
The couple speculated that the scratches appear “shallow” on the gold band and could probably be removed.
The $11,000 18-karat gold ring, covered in pavé diamonds, was designed by David Yurman and sold through Saks.
The State reported that Gunderson’s correspondence with Saks appeared to have “overlooked some things, after Gunderson was referred to a third party who sold the ring through Saks.”
That third-party seller then directed Gunderson back to Saks, who had the opportunity to file a claim with his insurance company or through the shipping company.
Gunderson, however, was simply told she had to accept the ill-fitting ring without a refund.
Saks’ return policy states that they accept returns eligible for a mail-in or in-store refund up to 30 days after delivery.
“Returned items must be presented in the same condition in which they were received: unused, undamaged, unaltered, and with the original tags, packaging (if applicable), and proof of purchase,” reads the company’s return policy. retail.
The company recently added a $9.95 return shipping fee, which will be deducted from the refund amount once confirmed and received.
Thomas Gunderson tried to return the ring after his wife tried it on, but was denied a refund due to “damage”
Unfortunately, a retailer has most of the power in this situation and the best way to protect yourself is to preemptively assume the worst.
The best way to protect yourself from finding yourself in a similar conundrum is to preemptively document your delivery and return process by taking photographic evidence of your items and maintaining any communications related to the returned item.
It is also important to closely follow the return policy. Saks also states in its return policy that gourmet, monogrammed, or personalized items cannot be returned, as well as “final sale” items.
The Gundersons were finally able to get their refund, after the State contacted Saks Fifth Avenue. A corporate escalation specialist contacted the couple and agreed to accept the return, the outlet reported.
DailyMail.com has contacted Saks for comment.