Case Study: Customer Service Experience Made All The Difference When We Chose Our Engagement Ring

Retailer “T”

There were quite a number of people at the engagement ring counter when we entered the store, however, when we arrived at the counter an older lady greeted us and asked what we were looking for. I explained we were looking for engagement rings and that I had seen some on their website that I liked.

She took out the rings I was after and put them on a tray for us to look at. She then explained that their engagement ring sizes on display were only “J” size and that they had no larger sizes for me to try on, so I could only try the rings I liked most on my pinkie finger.

To her credit, she did offer me a ring of a different style that fit my correct ring finger perfectly which she used for the sizing listed below. There was no actual measurement of my finger though; she just took the size off the paper tag attached to the ring. I thought that kind of took the ‘ceremony’ out of the process and was a little disappointing.

She was quite friendly and helpful. She gave us details about the “4 Cs of Diamonds,” and she allowed me to try on some plain as well as diamond wedding bands. Some of the rings fit my correct ring finger, so the statement she had made earlier about only having their display rings in the “J” size was conflicting and somewhat annoyed me as a client. She wrote down all details for us on a card with the ring type, diamond details and prices).

Chantel’s size - 6 1/2 or M 1/2 22690027 Platinum 1.16, G, VVS2 - $25,800 23663643 Princess-Square Platinum, 1.18, F, VS1 - no price written down 1/2 Circle Diamond Band - no price written down 23925222 3mm Plain Band - no price written down

I have to admit - this was quite a disappointing start to the process.

Retailer “H”

We walked past this store on the way to “T” and decided to have a look at the rings they had available.

We walked in, after being buzzed through the door. There were only two other couples in the store. One couple was sitting down trying rings on and the other was at the counter taking a look at different designs. Simon and I walked around the store a couple of times without being approached or spoken to. There were only two salespeople available, who were tied up with the other two couples. Since they made no effort or mention of “we’ll be with you in a moment” we left.

Retailer “C”

We visited “C” on the same day as the two previous retailers. We took a look in the storefront display window and saw a few that we liked, so we decided to go inside.

We were buzzed through and we were the only people in the store. A lady approached us with a so-so demeanour, asked us what we were looking for. After I mentioned we wanted to take a look at engagement rings, she stood there blankly and in quite a sharp tone of voice asked “well, what would you like to look at? What design are you after

I explained that I’d like to see some princess cut solitaire diamond rings. She asked us to take a seat and produced a tray of approximately 10 to 15 rings.

While I tried a few on, she was quiet and didn’t ask us any questions, did not explain the “4 Cs of diamonds” or anything else. In fact, she was quite cold.

I actually liked what they had and asked if I could try on some wedding bands. We requested she write a few details down, which she proceeded to do. One had the SKU code, but no ring or diamond details, and simply the price.

She then asked if we would like her to source some diamonds for us. We said we were just looking at this stage - we simply weren’t in any kind of buying mood. No ring size was even determined in this store.

Retailer “K”

We visited this store about 2 weeks after the initial three above. We were buzzed through and approached by a middle-aged woman who was quite friendly and welcoming.

She asked what ring styles we were after.

After I explained what we were after, we took a seat and she retrieved a few different diamond / ring styles to suit my request.

When trying the rings on, she asked us what was important as far as the ring style and diamond were concerned. Wow - this was the first time we were actually involved in a dialogue with someone. We explained we were after 1 Carat or more, Colour anywhere from D to H and Clarity to be Flawless to VS2.

She explained all the features of the ring I liked the most and proceeded to produce some wedding bands for me to try on with the engagement ring. Now this was starting to be more fun.

I explained that I prefer a thicker style wedding band to suit my fingers and hands. She then explained “you don’t want to go too thick as it will detract from the size of the diamond.”

Hmm… I hadn’t really thought about that.

She had a sheet detailing the selection of diamonds they had within the store and walked away to find another ring with a diamond more suited to our needs. She brought it over and it was a completely different style to the one I had chosen, but she said they could take the diamond from the ring setting I didn’t like and transfer it to the setting that I did like. She added that the ring would take up to 4 - 6 weeks to make. But if we liked the diamond in the other setting, it would be done straight away which doesn’t make sense to me - I’m not going to buy a ring just because it’s available - this is my engagement ring…

Simon asked where the diamonds were sourced from and her response was a little unnerving when she said either South Africa or America! She wrote down our details as well as the ring details onto a carbon copy pad, which I thought was a great idea.

She then said she would give Simon and call in a week to see how he was going with the decision.

We left the store with me feeling the ring styles and diamonds were not suited to what we were after and that “K” didn’t have a wide selection of princess cut solitaire diamonds on offer.

I was surprised when she called Simon the next day to ask if he had any questions in regard to our visit, to which replied Simon there weren’t any and that he would call her later in the week.

This is what was written down by the sales lady at “K”

18 carat white gold ‘Reverse Taper’ engagement ring, featuring claw set (square), Princess Cut Diamond 1.01 Carat, G, VS2 $11,000 Band $2,200 Total $13,200 515744 - Pave wedding band $1,900 Chantel’s size - L