Zale Jewelers / Zales.com

***********this letter was sent by certified mail I have not yet hear from mr smith in regards to this situation*********** I have sent a complaint to the better business bureau of mobile, al and dallas, tx where the corporation resides. I will also send this letter to as many news and tv people as I possibly can due to the fact of how kelly bowman treated us after the earrings where returned she is very prejudice and she is psycho ###! Don't buy anything from this store or this woman!She is rip-off - artist!

august 21, 2010

mr. Randy smith
Customer service executive
Zales corporation
901 west walnut hill lane
Irving, tx 75038

dear mr. Smith:

I am writing you this letter because I have a complaint that I would like you to be aware of. On 8/15/2010 at 3:10 pm I went to the zales store in colonial bell air mall in mobile, al to payout my layaway with a balance of $68.90 for a pair of solitaire diamond (Sku # 011-[protected]). From 4:10 to 4:48pm I waited to pay for the earrings, almost a whole hour to be waited on to be & ldquo;approved” to pay out the layaway that was too long of a time to take a payment from a customer and pay my layaway out.

On 6/19/2010 I paid an installment of $50.00 which left a balance of $68.90 and was prepared to pay it off that day due to the fact that I was given a call a couple of days prior by phone by one of your sales associates stating that & ldquo;if I came in and paid off my layaway I would receive an additional percentage off of the earrings”. A couple of days later while in the store to receive the percentage off of the merchandise and pay the layaway out I was told by the sales clerk I could not have an additional percentage off of because & ldquo;i had already had a percentage taken off for the earrings and no other percentage will be applied and someone made the call by mistake!”

Mr. Smith, I received approximately 3 calls from your store at bellaire mall in mobile, al from sales associates during the duration of the layaway. The latest was one week ago on the 10% additional sales if I & ldquo;paid out the layaway. & rdquo; so I don’t understand why would I would be told in the store that the calls where a & ldquo;mistake?”

On 8/5/2010 I called the zale’s store to find out about any sales going on and if the august sale was still in effect. I spoke with a sales clerk and he pulled my layaway and gave me a price of the balance and he also advised me that zales would be having a 10% off sale through august 15, 2010. And if I paid out the layaway during the sale I would receive the additional 10%. He also told me that I was only given one percentage off of the regular price and he stated that the company policy on the layaway agreement that a customer could receive up to two discounts during the duration of the layaway. And he stated it would be no problem to make the adjustment when I come in. So sunday, 8/15/2010 at 3:10 pm to pay the balance of $68.90 and to receive my 2nd discount applied to my layaway which would have been 10% off.

The gentlemen that I spoke with on the phone pulled my layaway so that I could be waited on. It seemed to have been a problem with me paying the last installment of $68.90 and held me up for approximately 1 hour while he and the manager, kelly bollman, along with my layaway receipt in his hand & ldquo;discuss” my layaway in another part of the store. When the sales clerk came back to me, the he says: & ldquo;someone else paid your layaway out” I told him, & ldquo;no! Who would pay my layaway out? And are the earrings here?” and I then told him, & ldquo;if I paid them out I would have the earrings!” he then says, & rdquo; the store has the earrings. & rdquo; he then walked away from. However I was still waiting to pay the last installment of $68.90 of the layaway out.

The salesmen came back to me with a zale’s bag I then told him, & ldquo;may I see the earrings?” he proceeded to take the earrings out the zales box. I examined the earrings and it appeared to me that the earrings that I put on layaway to purchase at the store were not the earrings! I then asked the sales associate had he cleaned them. The sales associate says, & ldquo;yes, I did clean them. & rdquo; he then proceeded to tell me, & ldquo;they had paid the $68.90” and I said to him, & ldquo;who?” he then changed his statement and said, & ldquo;we paid the layaway off!” he then took the earrings and placed the earrings back in the zales bag and told me & ldquo;thank you” and sent me on my way!

That same night at home I noticed the receipt that the store gave me along with the protection plan was dated 7/24/2010. I never came into the store on 7/23/2010 or the whole month of july 2010. I was in the store on 8/15/2010. The last time I was in the zales store was 7/19/2010 at 12:29 pm. I have the receipt showing the balance that I owed of $68.90. I was in the store on 8/15/2010 but kelly bollman and the sales associate gives me a receipt that shows 7/24/2010. Why was that done?
I thought the protocol was for any purchase would have the correct date on the receipt?

The reason why I am going to return the earrings I know that kelly bowman backed dated the receipt to keep me from receiving the full 10% discount which I was told I could receive when I paid the earrings out. I know that the original price of the earrings were $1173.90. 10% of that would have been approximately $117.39 that is a $48.49 difference from the $68.90 that I originally owed for my last payment.

If the manager, kelly and the sales associate has to tell me those types of lies in my face as a customer, I will no longer be a customer of zales any longer! So even thought I am one person, I am going to tell everyone I know what type of treatment I received from your employees and your manager which is representing the zales corporation! And selling & ldquo;so called” fine jewelry to the public. I don’t trust anything the store manager or the sales associates says or do so therefore I am returning the earrings to get my money back I will take my money elsewhere preferably your local competitors that I have dealt with for years: goldsteins, david’s jewerlers, or ware’s. I assure you they would not try to do a & ldquo;bait and switch” or treat me like I want something for nothing and appreciate my money as a customer! And I am 100% positive that I will be treated better than kelly treated me in your store.

cordially,

mrs. Verlie h. Carroll