Bloomingdales pulls gold bracelet promotion after probe
When Zanna Santanna of Seattle spotted a certain gold and diamond bangle on the Bloomingdales website last month, she knew it was what she wanted -- .65 total carat weight of tiny diamonds set in a band of 18 karat gold. As of December 13, the website special was offered at $2,000, but since Santanna snagged it in the early morning hours of Black Friday, she only paid $1,200.
Her excitement was quickly tarnished when she opened the box and inspected the bracelet once it arrived. While the invoice and price tag read 18kt gold, just like the website ad, the manufacture's stamp inside the band revealed the bangle was 4 karats short of what she paid for.
"And it's clear here that it says 14 karats. 14 K-T," Santanna pointed out.
A complaint to Bloomingdales customer service got an apology and a replacement bracelet that turned out to be identical to the bracelet she'd complained about the first time. The price tag indicated 18kt. The stamp inside the band said 14kt.
By the time she contacted me Monday, Santanna said she'd spent hours on the phone trying to alert Bloomingdales to an apparent advertising and labeling problem, but got nowhere. A second call netted a offer for yet another replacement, along with the promise to investigate and get back to her the next day. Days later, she was still waiting.
"I want other people to know that this is happening," Santanna said. "It is not only a simple website. This is Bloomingdales. It's supposedly a very responsible business. So they need to do something. They need to do right to everyone who bought this particular bracelet."
I left emails and numerous voice mail messages with multiple media relations managers at Bloomingdales corporate offices in Manhattan. I also took Santanna and her bracelets to long time Seattle jeweler and gemologist Ed Rosen, of Reibman & Rosen, just to make sure.
"It is stamped 14 karat gold," Rosen confirmed with his jewelry loupe.
Rosen also used special alloy testing equipment to confirm the gold content. The bracelets absolutely did not match the label nor the ads. But Rosen strongly doubts the discrepancy was intentional.
"My gut feeling in this is, it's a human error. Someone simply keyed it in wrong, and put the wrong tag on it," Rosen offered.
As I was wrapping up my interview with Santanna, she got a phone call from the Bloomingdales customer service rep who had promised to follow up. Based on Santanna's reaction to the rep's information -- it appears our suspicions were confirmed.
"So all of them are 14 karat gold?" she asked the rep on the phone.
Late Tuesday afternoon Bloomingdales rep Marissa Vitagliano finally called me to fill in some of the missing pieces with an official response:
"The incorrect item was shipped from the manufacturer, and customers who bought the item will be contacted to offer a full refund or 18 karat replacement," she explained. "We offer our sincere apologies for this error, and are looking to rectify this problem as soon as possible."
Vitagliano couldn't say how many bracelets have been shipped and told me the retailer was still working out the details. She assured me the ad was being pulled from the website and every customer who purchased the bangle will be notified about the mix-up.
Her excitement was quickly tarnished when she opened the box and inspected the bracelet once it arrived. While the invoice and price tag read 18kt gold, just like the website ad, the manufacture's stamp inside the band revealed the bangle was 4 karats short of what she paid for.
"And it's clear here that it says 14 karats. 14 K-T," Santanna pointed out.
A complaint to Bloomingdales customer service got an apology and a replacement bracelet that turned out to be identical to the bracelet she'd complained about the first time. The price tag indicated 18kt. The stamp inside the band said 14kt.
By the time she contacted me Monday, Santanna said she'd spent hours on the phone trying to alert Bloomingdales to an apparent advertising and labeling problem, but got nowhere. A second call netted a offer for yet another replacement, along with the promise to investigate and get back to her the next day. Days later, she was still waiting.
"I want other people to know that this is happening," Santanna said. "It is not only a simple website. This is Bloomingdales. It's supposedly a very responsible business. So they need to do something. They need to do right to everyone who bought this particular bracelet."
I left emails and numerous voice mail messages with multiple media relations managers at Bloomingdales corporate offices in Manhattan. I also took Santanna and her bracelets to long time Seattle jeweler and gemologist Ed Rosen, of Reibman & Rosen, just to make sure.
"It is stamped 14 karat gold," Rosen confirmed with his jewelry loupe.
Rosen also used special alloy testing equipment to confirm the gold content. The bracelets absolutely did not match the label nor the ads. But Rosen strongly doubts the discrepancy was intentional.
"My gut feeling in this is, it's a human error. Someone simply keyed it in wrong, and put the wrong tag on it," Rosen offered.
As I was wrapping up my interview with Santanna, she got a phone call from the Bloomingdales customer service rep who had promised to follow up. Based on Santanna's reaction to the rep's information -- it appears our suspicions were confirmed.
"So all of them are 14 karat gold?" she asked the rep on the phone.
Late Tuesday afternoon Bloomingdales rep Marissa Vitagliano finally called me to fill in some of the missing pieces with an official response:
"The incorrect item was shipped from the manufacturer, and customers who bought the item will be contacted to offer a full refund or 18 karat replacement," she explained. "We offer our sincere apologies for this error, and are looking to rectify this problem as soon as possible."
Vitagliano couldn't say how many bracelets have been shipped and told me the retailer was still working out the details. She assured me the ad was being pulled from the website and every customer who purchased the bangle will be notified about the mix-up.
More to Explore
Learn about changes coming to commenting