What a whirlwind in the worst way imaginable. My partner and I are glad to be free of In Bloom after barely making it through the first few stages designing an engagement ring. We originally opted for In Bloom because we're nature enthusiasts and loved what appeared to be a thoughtful process and a desire to learn our story. I'm writing this honest review to warn others that our experience was everything contrary to that.
Here's what happened:
1.) Scheduled an intro Discovery Call. 5 mins go by with no call, so we call them. Spoke to Andie, who was nice, but didn't seem to know we were on the books. Still, we schedule the 1 hour in-store consult.
2.) When we walk in for the Design Consult, we are met with confused looks. For a second time, nobody seemed to know about our appointment. No info from our call was passed along, so we start from scratch.
3.) We sat down with a new person, Jess. We talk about the vision for the ring, which I feel okay about, but before we leave, we feel pressured to put down a $400 deposit for the design fee (which we didn't know to expect).
4.) We left feeling off, but liked the quality of the product, so we decided to see how the next step goes with the Design Review.
5.) A few days later, some design questions came to mind. I called to ask how to get in touch with Jess and was told to text her on the text line, which I never knew existed.
6.) After I get started with the text line, Mary the Manager, asks me to call about the project, but when we talk, instead of trying to connect or problem solve (much less acknowledge some of the issues so far), she is defensive and says, "Well I can't say whether or not that happened because I wasn't there."
7.) Despite being unhappy with the communication, we still want to see if the project can be recovered, so Jess and I set up a Zoom call for 4pm. I was running a few minutes behind and logged on, but noticed the meeting hadn't started. I called the shop and I'm told that Jess is running late from another apt. Totally understandable, but still, why didn't anyone let us know?
8.) Jess finally logs in at 4:38 and says nothing about being 40 mins late! This time, it's not just the lack of professionalism or consideration for my time that is abundantly present, but I'm also met with coldness about the project itself. She made me feel dumb for asking the questions I did. When I sought clarification on something I didn't understand (I'm a jewelry novice), I'd get a flat "Ok" or blank look. It was honestly just sad.
9.) I fill my partner in on the Zoom meet and we're both upset. Adam calls Mary the next morning to share the timeline of concerns. Again, she deflects and offers empty responses: "Well, what do you want me to do?"
10.) I ask over email if this is still a good fit and if they can ensure we are treated with more care moving forward. Mary replies and admits that "after much discussion" they realize they can't help us. She refunds our deposit and also mails us a $50 check to reimburse for "gas" (for our in-person consult), which, in her words, was an attempt to "end the relationship on the best of terms." Here's the kicker: We WALKED to the consult since we are downtown locals! We told Jess this while there and mentioned it on calls as well.
What really gets me is how easy it would have been to repair the situation, especially given how many chances we gave them. They could have met their mistakes and our feedback with warmth and understanding. They could have said something like, "Hey, I get why you'd be frustrated that your appointments haven't gone according to plan. It's clear we fell short and we're sorry we were late for the calls and weren't prepared for your in person visit either. We want to make it right and we're excited about your project." Instead, we were treated with rudeness and a lack of accountability at every turn.
While it was disappointing to say the least, we know that we're on a better track now and the ring we build will be alongside partners with more integrity and sincerity than those at In Bloom Jewelry. read more