I purchased a ring in Juneau, AK on 9/24/2019. I was told by the sales associate that I would be able to return the ring - for any reason - to any Milano store.I decided I wanted to return the ring when I was in Ketchikan, AK on 9/27/2019.
The first sales associate in Ketchikan told me he could do the return but it would take 30-45 days for the refund to hit my card and that it would be better to call the New York headquarters, where they would do it instantly. I said ok and walked away. I tried calling the New York number but kept getting a strange message and a beep. I did leave a message but was nervous about this. So I went back to the Ketchikan store and said I wanted to make the return there. A different associate said that they could not do the return in their store due to different sales systems. She also said that New York would be able to do it without a problem.
I noted that the customer service number did not seem to go anywhere. In the store, they tried calling three times. All three times, they received a busy signal. The manager then insisted that the New York office would handle the return without any problem. I asked if I would incur any fees for shipping or insurance on the ring and I was told no - it would all be handled for me. I asked about the no refund policy on the invoice and was told that it wouldn't be a problem.
I left the Ketchikan store and then called the Juneau store. The manager informed me that their store was closed for the season, but the New York office would issue a refund. She also assured me that shipping would be paid by headquarters. After a lengthy phone call with her - on another jeweler's phone - I truly believed that I would be able to get a refund. She also told me to wait to email headquarters as she would be out of pocket for a week and that she would help navigate the return.
When I emailed the headquarters - since I have still not been able to get through to their call center - I was told that no refunds would be issued. I was also told, "If the store Manager did offer a refund they would write that on the receipt. This needs to be approved by our Upper Management in NYC before proceeding, there are no signatures, nor has the Management been informed of the same." I also emailed the Juneau manager, who answered once and refused to answer again.
I was told on several different occasions that the ring could be returned. I was also given several different answers regarding how the ring could be returned but was always assured that New York would handle the return without issue. I was told by every person that I would not incur any fees and everything would be easy to do. They all stated they were an honorable company who puts the customer first so a return would not be a problem. However, the headquarters is telling a completely different story and is unwilling to let me return the ring. read more