On October 23rd of 1998 my life partner & I were visiting Washington, D.C. & decided to look for committment rings for a ceremony we expected to have sometime in the near future. We bought the rings from the owner of what appeared to be a reputable jewelry store in Georgetown.
The name of the store is J. Royal Jewelers in Georgetown Park Mall on "M" St. N.W. At the time of the sale I asked if she could size my ring as it was too small & she said ok knowing we were leaving town the next day to fly home to Key West, Florida. After the sizing which took only a half hour, I tried the ring on & it was still a bit snug but Kim assured me that was the way a wedding ring should fit. I paid Kim $20 cash & put the rest of the balance ($600) on my Citibank Card. So we left the store feeling we had made a good purchase.
We had our ceremony a few months later as we had informed the merchant at the time of purchase. Our ceremony was on Valentine's Day of 1999. Eight days after the ceremony my ring fell apart.
I called Kim & told her what had happened. I also asked her to size the ring a little bigger as I really felt it was still too small. She said to send it back & she would fix it. Twelve days after I received the repaired ring it too fell apart. She had requested I send her $29 for repair & postage (which shocked me) the first time & I had refused as I felt a merchant should stand behind his merchandise. I had already paid for shipping & insurance when I sent it to her to be repaired.
Now I felt there must be a flaw in the design for it to break again so soon. I notified her of the problem & she said to send it back again. At this time I was starting to feel uneasy about the whole situation. This time she refused to accept it as I had not paid her the first time. I told her I wanted a credit to my Citibank Card & she laughingly said I would never get my money back. We argued on the phone & she hung-up on me! I disputed the $600 charge with Citibank & after many months of paperwork they ruled in favor of the merchant. They said it took too much time from the time of purchase until I sent the ring back the second time. A flimsy excuse if you ask me. I had followed their instructions of the disputing process to the LETTER! Anyway, to date I have neither the rings nor my money. I had sent both rings back telling her I would take care of the situation (not telling her I would pay her however).
I have since talked with Dan Shields, the assistant to the President of Citibank. He says Kim sent the rings to the Chargeback Office. They claim not to have them but to have sent them back to Kim. He said to call Kim to see if she indeed does have them. Well, I called & not only does she have them but she wants $30 for her to send them to me! Somehow that doesn't surprise me.
I have plenty of documentation including a copy of a so-called receipt that I believe was tampered with by Kim. There were no signs posted stating store policy of any kind at the time of purchase. I never would do business with anyone or sign anything stating "No Refunds"on the receipt. I believe she forged the "No Refunds" on the receipt after the trouble started. She has lied about many aspects of the situation, including that we had not told her we had not yet set a date for the ceremony.in any case, a ring should just not fall apart so easily. It's not like I use a jackhammer at work everyday. I work for a major hotel chain as a server.
I feel that Kim just wanted to make a quick sale knowing we were from out of town & didn't care what happened after we bought from her. I only wish I had used the American Express Card as I have heard they take better care of their customers.
It has come to mean more to me than the money now as I don't want someone else to get ripped off by this woman. That's why I decided to tell my story after I heard about this service. I hope in some small way I can help someone else avoid the trouble I've gone through with this woman & her store.
I had given up hope after getting no help from the BBB, Florida Dept. Of Agriculture & Consumer Services, or the Federal Trade Commission. Then I saw a story about your organization on TV this morning & thought maybe you could help. I thought there was an automatic implied warranty of 1 year with purchases made on credit cards which is why I used one. Please help me get my money back! This whole situation has dragged on long enough. Further details of my problem can be furnished. The news story said you answer about 6 out of every 10 letters. I pray mine will be one of the six.in any case, please let me know one way or the other so I can try other avenues if there are any left.
Anyone living in the D.C. Area or planning to visit there, please be aware of this woman & her business practices. Don't let what happened to me happen to you! Remember, J. Royal Jewelers in Georgetown Park Mall in Georgetown. Shop at your own risk!
My name is Joseph Swenarton and my phone number is 305-295-9280.
Thank you.
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