My to be husband and I purchased a mens wedding ring on 16th December 2010 from Sears jewelery department. The ring had to be re-sized and we explained to the sales assistant (Tammy) that we were going home to Australia on the 6th January 2011 and would need the ring before we left. Tammy explained that re-sizing normally took anywhere from 2-3 weeks but assured us that she would put a rush on the re-sizing and even noted on our receipt that she would request that the ring be back in 10 days. From about the 3rd January 2011 we started to call the store to find out whether the ring was ready for pickup. We were constantly told that the ring hadn't arrived back in the store. On the morning of the 6th January 2011, we went to the store on the way to the airport and again inquired whether the ring had come back from being re-sized and was told that it hadn't. We requested to speak with a Manager at which time we met April Morgan (Assistant Manager). We explained the situation and again let her know that we had be patient and even if it was 3 weeks maximum that it too, then the ring should have been back in the store. April gave us two options, 1 that she would refund the money, 2 she would send it to us when it got back to the store. As April said that it should be back soon and we needed the ring not long after we arrived back into Australia and we wouldn't have much time to get another one resized once we got back into the country, we opted to have the ring sent as soon as it arrived back into the store. On the 24th January, I wrote an email to April Morgan to find out what had happened to the ring as we still hadn't received the ring. The reply I got from April was " I was informed by my operations manager that the ring has been refunded and a check has been mailed to you. Thank you." Can you please tell me how this is acceptable, and to make matters worse I emailed her back on the 24th January 2011 to ask when the check had been sent and today is the 31st January 2011 and I am yet to hear back from her. How can a large organisation have people that promise you one thing and then not honor that, do not give any reason for the delay and then without discussing with us, change doing what they promised and then not even return emails? I am pretty sure that something went amiss but I am a reasonable person and common courtesy would have been appreciated because we might have been able to buy another ring while we where there even if from another organisation if people had been truthful. In the end we had to make do with something cheap until we could afford to buy another ring, all because your people couldn't do the right thing. I would think in todays economy that service would have been paramount. I have been to America many times and never before had such bad service, especially when it was important.
I would like to know several things 1. What happened, 2. When was the check sent if it even was 3. I've never been one to ask but I want some form of compensation - this was unthinkable that customers had to waste so much time and effort to get service.

DETAILS
tem: Gents ring
Purchase Date: 16th December 2010
Price: $161.42
Sales Assistant: Tammy
Follow-up date: 6th January 2011
Contact: April Morgan
Receipt Number: The only number I can read now is OTT691446057
Jewelry Repair Ticket No: 1419660

I do hope you can assist me with my complaint.

Thank you

Kathy OTT (nee Kitchener)