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Zales Faces Suit over Jewelry Repair Plan
Dec 11, 2018 7:46 AM
By Leah Meirovich
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RAPAPORT... Zales Jewelers is embroiled in a dispute with a customer
over whether the repair program that came with his diamond ring covered the
setting, or just the stone.
Gordon Henry Lovette has sued the Signet Jewelers-owned retailer,
claiming it failed to honor a lifetime-repair plan. Zales refused
to fix a loose stone in Lovette’s ring earlier this year, even though he had
brought it in for twice-annual servicing in line with the program’s stipulations,
according to a December 3 filing in a California court. The jeweler claims the plan he was on — the Lifetime Diamond Commitment — didn’t cover that type of work.
The company never specified that the deal only covered the
diamond, Lovette alleged. He felt “ripped off and cheated,” and claimed Zales
had “duped” him into purchasing the service, according to his complaint. He has
filed the suit as a proposed class action, believing thousands of people have suffered
because of the jeweler’s service plan.
Zales disputes Lovette’s claim that he bought a jewelry-repair
service. According to the retailer, the customer’s ring carried the Lifetime
Diamond Commitment, which comes free with qualifying purchases, and covers
repairs to chipped, broken or lost diamonds. It explicitly excludes settings, or
stones that are coming loose, David Bouffard, Signet’s vice president of
corporate affairs, told Rapaport News Monday. Lovette would have been
able to get the prongs tightened under the plan if he had bought the company’s additional
Lifetime Jewelry Protection Plan, Bouffard added.
Lovette’s attorney, Todd Friedman, had not responded to a
request for comment at press time.
Image: Zales store, Massachusetts. (Shutterstock)
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Tags:
david bouffard, Gordon Henry Lovette, Leah Meirovich, Lifetime Diamond Commitment, Rapaport News, Signet Jewelers, Todd Friedman, zales, Zales Jewelers
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