| Tresors Jewellers |
| Tresors Jewellers Owner: Alain Filion compromised ethics, lies, pretense, lack of accountability Kingston, Ontario |
| 22nd of Jun, 2011 by User390260 |
BOTTOM LINE: I don't recommend shopping here. SUMMARY: I bought a matching engagement ring and wedding band set in 2006 from Tres Ors owner Alain Filion. The receipt clearly indicated the designer's product number for the ring I specified, however the ring I received was not made by the designer, and did not bear the designer's imprint. I had no experience with designer jewellery, and I have been played for a fool. THE STORY (2006): I showed Mr. Filion photos of the engagement ring as depicted on the web site of award-winning Montreal designer, Claude Thibaudeau, and told him that I wanted to buy the ring that was pictured. I also purchased a Polar Bear diamond to be set in this Canadian designed setting. (I am both proud to be Canadian, and to serve my country.) Mr. Filion and I discussed pricing, and narrowing the setting to accommodate a diamond smaller than 1.25 carats, which Mr. Fillion cautioned could detract from the overall look. I was willing to accept the aesthetic difference, and asked him to proceed. As he had a good relationship with the designer, Mr. Filion told me he would talk with him to "see what he could do." The ring was eventually delivered; I proposed and was soon married. After the dust settled, we questioned Mr. Filion on the authenticity of the ring because we noticed that an inscription that was present on the ring pictured on the Creations Thibaudeau web site was not on the ring I received. Mr. Filion stated that the inscription was for marketing purposes only and does not appear on the delivered product. Mr. Filion should have indicated that we should NOT expect to see any Claude Thibaudeau mark, as the ring he delivered was not a genuine Claude Thibaudeau! Neither my wife nor I knew enough to expect the designer's mark -- for all we knew, Creations Thibaudeau designs jewellery and contracts out the manufacture? This is NOT the case. With our suspicion temporarily quelled, over the next five years we routinely submitted the ring to Tres Ors for cleaning, buffing, and yearly setting adjustment as the stone would loosen over time. A credible source has informed me that an authentic Claude Thibaudeau ring would not exhibit this defect. Each time either my wife or I entered the store, the ring was referred to by Mr. Filion and his staff as "The Claude Thibaudeau" -- which further reinforced the misconception that we possessed a genuine Claude Thibaudeau design. We were typically treated very well -- not only a good business practice, but perhaps also to the further perpetuate the lie? THE STORY CONTINUES (2011): Recently, after being complimented on her ring, my wife spoke further with the woman who was familiar with jewellery design and Creations Thibaudeau. The woman exclaimed that there was no way that the ring was genuine. We also called Creations Thibaudeau and told them our story. I confronted Mr. Filion with the new information during an hour or so of personal and telephone conversation over two days. Aside from admitting his conduct was unethical, the results are as follows: the ring is not a genuine Claude Thibaudeau, but one that "looks like it",
although Mr. Filion never offered me a replica at a lesser price than the genuine design during negotiation that I should have somehow derived by my discounted purchase price that I was not in receipt of a Thibaudeau design, (recall Mr. Filion's relationship with the designer and talking to him "to see what he could do" about alteration and price?)
the Creations Thibaudeau product number on my receipt did NOT necessarily refer to the genuine ring, but a ring "that resembled" the original Thibaudeau design;
even though I am disappointed to know now that I did not get what I specified then, I should nonetheless be pleased simply by having a platinum ring, and;
after I requested that Mr. Filion provide a replacement made by Creations Thibaudeau, I was going to have to pay for it. Mr. Filion's expected me to be liable for his unethical choice! Since the erosion of our relationship, I reminded him that all he had left was his reputation and his integrity. As of Wednesday 22 June 2011, Creations Thibaudeau has removed Tres Ors from their list of distributors. |
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