that is above and beyond for sure, and is above and beyond what most companies can do if they plan on staying in business. I'm looking to buy some diamond earing for my girlfriend, and now I think I will go with them.

I once ordered a $100 replacement earring for my girlfriend from the Tiffany's in Chicago on Michigan Ave. When I went to pick it up and pay, their computer system was down. They gave it to me for free, rather than making me wait until the system rebooted.

It just seems a little weird to me that this story is now just coming to light, and that the same item happens to be on the valentines day selection of "gifts for her".

I highly doubt a company like tiffany would fabricate such a thing to drum up sales, but hey i clicked the link and checked out what they had to offer.

With a slump in consumer spending I'm sure jewelry sales are down, and a tactic like this could certainly increase sales/confidence in this company. The fact that this happened a month ago is probably the weirdest part though.

@Rawkus: You're right to be skeptical, but the post did note that the proof lay in the credit card statement, which makes the timing plausible.

Another weird thing is that when i clicked the link 30 min ago it went to the valentines day version of it. Which would explain how i knew it was on that listing. Now it goes to the generic version of it in the bracelets category.

Holy sh**! That is impressive!

@Rawkus: I can definitely understand everyone's skepticism (and I probably would be skeptical too). However, it was my grandfather who got the free bracelet, and it was supposed to have been shipped to my house. I promise you that this is not a ploy from anyone to drum up business (actually... I almost wish it was, because then I'd be getting paid).

Oh yeah, and the bracelet pictured above is the exact one that my grandfather had ordered (and the link that I sent with the story originally went directly to that bracelet)

Too bad he didn't order the $210,000 one...

This is great and all, but doesn't everyone know this about Tiffany already? This is really normal behavior for them and always has been. They look at customers like customers for life, even before they get money.

@Rawkus: There's a fine line between being a skeptic and being a conspiracy theorist. One makes you smart, the other makes you crazy.

My experiences with Tiffany make me think that this is totally believable.

@zingbot: I didnt know this about them, and because of this story, they have a new customer.

Service like that isn't free -- it's built into the price of every single thing they sell. That's why you get service like that at Saks, Coach, Neiman and Nordstrom. You're paying for it.

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The secret to the Tiffany magic is that those $255 Sterling Silver bracelets actually cost less than $40 to manufacture and engrave. If they sell a thousand of them and give a few away WOOO-HOOO.

A CONSUMERIST
WOULD NEVER SHOP AT TIFFANY IN THE FIRST PLACE!

did you ever wonder why their stuff costs so much? Now you have the answer.

@chandler in lasvegas: why not? I am willing to pay for great service. I also tip huge amounts when service is really good. A "consumerist" should spend money on things of value, and good service is a great value.

@chandler in lasvegas:

"a consumerist would never shop at tiffany in the first place!"

-what WOULD a consumerist do, then? Buy a cheap, fake piece of jewelry that will tarnish or break within a month of use?

Sure, Tiffany is expensive but with that name you also get quality and customer service. If you have a Tiffany piece and it happens to break 10 years down the line, you can return to any location and have it repaired.

If a person spends 300.00 on a Tiffany necklace that will last them for the rest of their lives, I'd say there's alot more value behind that than spending 40.00 on a necklace that won't last 6 months before it needs to be replaced.

It's like buying a Hundai or a Honda...

I don't think it matters if the bracelet cost the company $40 or $40,000. The point at hand is that Tiffany takes steps to ensure customer satisfaction instead of waiting for the customer to make demands.

@chandler in lasvegas: Cheap much? Should we feel bad for your wife and/or girlfriend? I have always LOVED finding that signature blue box waiting for me at christmas, birthdays or whenever! Always beautiful and timeless. And I make sure to reward the giver, if ya know what I mean *wink wink*.

I'll sum up this article...

Basically, you get what you pay for.

If you go to somewhere like Tiffany's or even Nordstrom you get better service than Target or Wal-Mart.

@chandler in lasvegas:
I think a consumerist's woman might though

wow, I will go there from now on. Nice to read this post.

hundreds of people were affected by this. I purchased a $400 ring and received $110 in refunds/extra gifts. This sounds like a better deal (clearly) but if anyone else was in this situation, it's worth pushing!

I would think that most of us don't think that we are the Tiffany clientele. At least I'm not. I'm not big into jewelery to begin with, but my Mom and my daughter are. So with that kind of customer service and with a great name value - I'd consider seeing if I could bring myself to part with the money it takes to buy from them. I just wish that more retailers would take the customer's needs and regard this highly.

Wow, what people we have here today. If someone had bad service from Target, someone would inevitably say "well thats why you shouldn't shop at cheap places." Now that someone has had a good dealing with an "expensive" company, we see "well why would you want to shop at a place that costs so much."

How things are skewed from one extreme to the other.

Way to go Tiffany. Thats how you keep customers, and make new ones! I've never been into jewelry (and haven't dated anyone who was) but if I have the occasion to need something, I'll be looking in that direction.

Tiffany's really is great. I have always gotten great service from them, despite not yet being a customer. I'm pretty young (20s) and anytime I walk in, dressed casually, I never get the kind of condescending look I get when I walk into Zales at the mall, as if their $130 (on sale!) generic strand of squiggly diamonds necklace is too good for me.

@STOPNGOBEAU

By far most people here have basically said 'Price be damned' the service is worth it.

This must be why Holly Golightly loves Tiffany's so much.

This is the same as any other "above and beyond", whether it's lousy TV/cable service, faulty cars that need to be recalled, or tainted food.

A business only gives exemplary customer service because of one reason: a cost/benefit analysis of keeping or losing customers.

People who buy $2000 items from Sears get the shaft, and people who buy $20000 cars barely get a fair deal.

How much you pay is a sign of how much you are worth to them.

Yup. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Take that, Sam Walton.

Damn. I guess I know where to go when my mother's birthday rolls around.

But yeah, it's amusing to read the comments. Buy cheap? "Of course you get no service". Buy expensive? "Why would ANYBODY want to pay for service?"

I miss the days when commenters were axed for being idiots.

This is the definition of "you get what you pay for". I've been a long time customer of Tiffany's, and have never had anything but top-line professional service. Phone calls from sales-people to confirm that my shipment made it and that it was all acceptable, free overnight shipping to replace something that *I* ordered wrong. etc.

Yes, their products are pricey, but they've been around for a long, long time, and have many, many dedicated customers.

I bet Tiffany's margin on the bracelet was 90%. It probably only cost them a fraction of the retail price.

Of all my ONLINE shopping experiences I can say without reservation, Tiffany's has alway's come through. I've been using them for year's and they've never let me down. They're not the fastest...but if there is an issue. They'll make it right.

I only wish my in person shopping expeditions to Tiffany stores (San Francisco, Union Square) were as successful. I've alway's found their in-store sale associates to be Disingenuous at best. Be warned if you've not shopped there before. They're hawkishly commission oriented. While introducing my step-daughter to Tiffany's on a shopping expedition they treated her with disdainful rudeness because she only bought some silver pearl earrings. They were obviously on the lower end of the Tiffany spectrum but tastefully respectable for a first time buyer. She has nothing good to say about Tiffany's.

@PICKLES_IN_MY_TUNA:

You're missing the point: the offerings at Tiffany are cheap junk, but with an extra 500% markup slapped on. Tiffany isn't high end, regardless of how many housewives are willing to fuck for the little blue box.

Cartier is high end.

@descend: Apparently you're in a totally different income bracket than most of America because most of America can't afford Cartier. Tiffany's might not be the most high-end out there, but why get a BMW when you can aim for a Ferrari? Most people can't afford that either. Tiffany's is not cheap, not compared to the jewelry section of JC Penney. Just like Tiffany's is cheap, compared to Cartier. It's relative to income. You saying "it's cheap junk" doesn't make it cheap, it just makes it cheap in your opinion. For a lot of people, it's been a good place where a lot of people have found good gifts.

I freaking hate that bracelet and the matching choker. Every skank stripper in every city has one of those & thinks they're 'classy'.

They make it up in their diamond prices.

I ordered a bracelet from them for my girlfriend a few years ago and needed Saturday delivery ($40 extra). I was told it would be there by 12:00 on Saturday, garunteed. UPS scanned the package at 11:59 as delivered, 2 towns away. I still didnt have it at 12:00 but it was shoping delivered. I called them up and the guy, without hesitating put me on hold and called UPS to figure it out. Five minutes later he told me he was issuing a full refund for shipping and told me UPS will be there within 2 hours. at 1:45 on Saturday I had the bracelet and didnt have to pay a dime for shipping.

@descend: Um...perhaps you're missing the point, completely. Last year for Valentines day my children gave me a beautiful silver heart lock charm engraved with MOM. It probably wasn't more than $200.00 but, they pooled their money and their dad took them down to Tiffany's to pick something out. It was fantastic, they were so proud. Everyone got lots of hugs and kisses and mom treated them all to something special in the form of a homemade hot lava cake for dessert. As with other gifts from other stores, I've always been a gracious recipient. Even when it wasn't from Tiffany's; I was just as thrilled with the Cartier watch I received for an anniversary and hell yeah, I fucked him that night. BTW, that Cartier watch doesn't work any better than my Rolex or my Mickey Mouse watch from Disneyland.

You come off a bit douchey in your response to my post, good luck to you and all that money you have to spend.

@descend:

Watch this, I'm going to out-snob you.

Most of the offerings at Cartier, especially their watches, are cheap junk. You're paying 5k for a $20 quartz movement that was put into a $1000 case. When it comes to the quality of the watch, Wal-Mart is just is good. But, people like you and me don't buy Wal-Mart watches because we like the status of the Cartier, just like people buy Tiffany necklaces because they like the status. Cartier isn't high end, at least not in quality.

Patek Philippe is high end.

So Tiffany completely screwed up someone's order--they couldn't handle their Xmas rush (how many Xmases has Tiffany's been in business?), their customer service reps were unreachable, and they ruined a surprise--but they are getting kudos here. I suppose it's nice they they comp'ed the bracelet (never would have happened with a pricier piece), but given their ridiculously overpriced merchandise, I think the least you can expect is that they won't screw up everything in the first place. I've always found their sales staff to be snotty and overbearing if you are just looking at their low-end (for them) silver pieces, and the blue box doesn't make up for the poor value. Lousy service on top of that is really outrageous.

@chandler in lasvegas: Word. Everyone and their momma has those bracelets, thus devaluing their status in my opinion.

@MommaJ: I think you're right, though the OP said that Tiffany's message stated they didn't anticipate their Christmas rush. If that is true, I would understand (but still be ticked) that they didn't expect to have so much business. They probably wouldn't have given him the bracelet for free if it was more expensive, but the fact that they valued the customer over the $200 they would've gotten shows a lot about a company, or at least a store and its staff.

@scoli83:

Eh, we're making the same point, we just disagree on the threshold. One should buy quality products. I'd rather see someone buy from Target than from Tiffany, because either way they're getting the same shoddy product but at Target they're not paying a packaging surcharge.

30 or 40 years ago it was normal to expect this kind of customer service from an American company (yep, including Sears, airlines and utilities). I don't know when it all started to go to hell.

@UpsetPanda: Sadly, though I do love Tiffany, I have been treated like that when I walk into the store.. while employees always seem to jump at the chance to ask older, presumably more wealthy patrons if they would like some help, whenever my boyfriend and I have visited to browse, it takes a while before anyone even approaches us.

When he bought me my first Tiffany pendant, he went up to the counter where a sales rep was standing, only to be pretty much ignored.. a younger rep finally came by and asked him if he needed any help, to which my boyfriend replied by pointing at the pendant and saying, "I'll take that one." The original sales rep, from what he told me, looked pretty pissed that she didn't get any commision.. but that's what you get for discriminating!

I had a similar experience with Godiva chocolates. I ordered a huge box for my girlfriend for Valentines Day one year. A few days before, there was a landslide a few miles past her house, so there was a 'road out ahead' sign near her driveway. The FedEx guy seem to think this was a chance to not have to do some deliveries. I didn't know this, so I e-mailed Godiva when I found out that nothing arrived at her house on the 14th (Luckily I flowers!). To make it short Godiva didn't charge me for the chocolates, they were delivered the next day, and they overnighted me another box!

I am usually the first to say that brand loyalty is a foolish endeavor, but this won me over.

@FCAlive: The margin they make on sliver is probably closer to 99%, they make sooo much money on it. That said, I shop there often, and it has always been a pleasure, no matter how little I spend, or how long I browse or how poorly I'm dressed. I do miss the days when they would polish your silver jewelry for free.

When I was 21 years old I was engaged to be married. My fiance and I registered at Tiffany. When I called off my wedding, our engagement party had already happened, and I had 12 place settings of Tiffany china I needed to return to the guests. I was young, and mortified, and didn't know where to begin. I talked to Tiffany, they told to me bring back everything, and they went through all of the gifts, figured out who had given us what, and contacted the guests to explain that the wedding had been cancelled, and would they like credit or a refund for the gift? Tiffany was AMAZING. Absolutely amazing. I buy every gift I can there.

Long story short-I wanted the black titanium ring when it first came out and my boyfriend tried to get it for my birthday in the beginning of December. There was a snafu but I got it in mid-December only to realize that I had asked for the wrong size. I waited until I went to visit my parents for the holidays where there was a Tiffany's nearby. I returned the ring to the store only to find out that there were TWO in the entire country left at an actual store in the size I needed. I gave the girl my address and hoped for the best. The system wasn't real time so there was a chance those rings could have been gone.

I got my ring a couple of days later and I am pretty sure she called me to let me know it was going out. I was very impressed by the customer service.

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MANICPANIC AT 07:14 PM
This is exactly what I am talking about. Titanium is one of the most abundant metals on earth. You can get it for $3 an ounce. It has wonderful properties but when Tiffany can put the Tiffany logo on a product and sell it for $350 (a casua