SCRANTON -- The complaints keep piling up against national jewelry store chain Kay Jewelers.
Customers of Kay Jewelers in several states have complained that their jewelry has either become damaged or lost, and now a couple in Scranton say they have had a similar experience with trying to get rings repaired.
Nancy Baumann and Alethea Cieciorka of Scranton will celebrate their first wedding anniversary next week.
They say their first year of marriage and their engagement were plagued with problems with their rings that they purchased from Kay Jewelers at the Viewmont Mall.
After hearing about the national controversy at Kay, the couple are now even more concerned.
Nancy Baumann and Alethea Cieciorka are as fun and unique as the way they exchanged their vows in their backyard in Scranton -- wearing Renaissance-era costumes.
The rings they have now are a symbol of that day but they say the jewelry has been a complete nightmare.
The diamonds in both of their engagement rings fell out and were replaced. Then, back in March, a stone in Alethea's wedding band fell out twice.
"You think it's kind of like, that's a fluke, but now to have three rings and one that's 10 months old, it's a little odd."
Baumann and Cieciorka bought their rings at Kay Jewelers in the Viewmont Mall in Lackawanna County.
Many others have shared similar stories; the nationwide complaints against Kay Jewelers are piling.
Some Kay customers claim their diamonds were swapped with less valuable or even imitation diamonds.
"Obviously, I'm not alone," said Alethea Cieciorka. "Other people have gone through similar situations, you know, as far as, I feel badly that other people aren't sure if they have their original stones. I don't know."
The couple now plan to have all of the rings appraised.
Their current fight with Kay Jewelers is over a $130 bill to fix Alethea's wedding band a second time. Kay has offered a $40 credit or to replace the band completely.
"This is something that your spouse has put on your finger, you took vows, this ring now means more than just metal. It has a deeper meaning; you don't just replace a wedding band."
We reached out to Kay Jewelers and its parent company Signet Jewelry for comment and they responded with this statement:
"At Kay Jewelers, we take customer concerns very seriously and view even one issue as unacceptable. We are actively reviewing the issues noted in this piece, as we do all concerns brought to our attention. As part of our commitment to customer care and continuous improvement, we are also evaluating our processes to determine if there are any opportunities to further strengthen our practices.
"We understand that every piece of jewelry is much more than an accessory - that it is often a reflection of a deeply personal and meaningful moment. We also take great pride in the trust customers place in us in caring for their jewelry.
"With that in mind, we have rigorous processes in place. When we receive jewelry for repair or service, it is diamond tested before it is sent out and when it is returned. We also plot the diamond and map out each unique characteristic. Our teams review these unique details with the customer both when they drop their jewelry off and when they pick it up following service or repair to ensure their confidence in the safe return of their original piece.
"We are dedicated to providing exceptional customer service at every stage of the shopping experience with us. And when issues arise, we do everything we can to make things right – because that is what our customers deserve. We encourage any customer with an outstanding issue to contact us by following the link below so that we can discuss the matter with you further." www.Kay.com/contact
