I recently had heard that Zales was closing a large number of stores, reportedly as a result of a decrease in sales due to the economy. However due to the ridiculous service I have recently received from one such store, I have no doubt their deficiency in customer service must be why all the closures have occurred. Had I heard such news prior to my purchase I would have taken my business elsewhere and though this was my first purchase from Zales it will certainly be my last.

On July 27th I purchased a ring from the Zales store in The Woodlands Mall in The Woodlands Texas. I will have to say at that time the staff was very helpful. When I purchased the ring I bought the additional warranty (which has proven to be the only saving grace with this store). I gave the ring to my fiancé on Thursday July 30th and she loved it, well for the little time she has had it. She took it in on Saturday morning, August 1st, to have it sized and the staff member who helped her advised her that the jeweler only picked up on Saturday, Tuesday & Thursday. They advised her that while she had gotten the ring there prior to pick up for that Saturday it would not be back to the store until late Tuesday evening and would not be available for pick-up until Wednesday August 5th. Furthermore she was given a receipt with a printed promise date of 8-05-2009. I contacted the store on the morning of Wednesday August 5th to confirm that the ring was in fact ready, only to be told that it was not picked up until Tuesday August 4th. Concerned I explained to the staff that it had been dropped off for sizing on Saturday August 1st and that she had been assured that it would be ready only to be told that they were sorry and didnt know what else to say but that it would not be back in the store until Thursday August 6th. On Thursday August 6th we returned to pick up the ring, surprised that it was actually at the store. Unfortunately that was not the end of this customer service nightmare. Upon receiving the ring it was notice that one of the diamonds on the side of the ring was missing!!! Of course the staff blamed it on the jeweler, which apparently Zales misrepresents themselves to be, saying that there was nothing they would be able to do and that it would have to again be sent to the jeweler. Despite their inability to accept responsibility and consistent with the staffs overwhelming talent for dodging customer satisfaction they assured that it would not be sent to the same jeweler and that they would not be using that particular jeweler anymore. It is good to know that this wont be the cause of the next customers issues with this store but I highly doubt it will be a significant enough contribution to allow for even mediocre service. They did however allow us to keep the ring and this point and told us we could just bring it in on Saturday because again they dont send jewelry that they sell and claim to service to the jeweler except on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. While it was nice enough to allow us to take additional time to bring the ring in a day later to send off, neither of us was going to be able to due to work commitments. The staffs solution? We could either leave it at the store at that time, during which time they went out of their way to point out that they would not accept responsibility for it while it was in their possession, or we could bring it in next Tuesday. Well the only prudent option to any intelligent person would be to bring it in on Tuesday since it was apparent they would not be able to guarantee that it would not be damaged seeing as it was while it was in for service. The ring was again returned to the store on the afternoon of Monday August 10th, a day earlier than requested since they had been unable to send it out on time the first time it was taken in. At that time they again falsely promised that it would be in the next Thursday, August 13th. All I can say at this point is that at least the staff had the decency to call on Thursday August 13th to say that it would not be in, again blaming a supposedly different jeweler. This time it was supposedly delayed because the jeweler had to order the diamond and it had not arrived yet. The consolation they provided was to exchange the ring or allow it to be returned, once it came back to the store!!! I did at this point become very upset with the women on the phone and was again given the standard Zales customer service line ofWell I dont know what else to tell you. On Saturday August 15, 14 days after it had initially been brought in just to be sized, I took a few minutes to call the store and again make sure that it would be in. I was absolutely shocked to learn that it again had not and would not be delivered, and would not be in until possibly next Tuesday, August 18th. Though I am filing this complaint with you (as well as the appropriate consumer assistance/advocacy providers) I hope that you can resolve this issue, ensuring that it is delivered on the 3rd date promised. While I doubt there is anything that can be done to keep my business and prevent me from actively recommending against purchasing from any Zales establishment, I would also like to ask that you do everything possible to ensure that this type of service is not the standard with your company and to investigate the possibility of implementing customer service training with your sales staff, at least at this particular store.