Sterling Jewelers Inc- Division: Kay Jewelers Kay Jewelers Defective Merchandise, Horrendous Customer Service Akron, Ohio

I purchased a Movado Sapphire watch from the Kay Jewelers store in King of Prussia Mall on 06/26/11. I gave the watch to my husband on 07/29/11 as a gift for our first wedding anniversary. During the time in between, the watch remained in its original packaging and was never worn. In fact, also on 07/29/11, we went to the Kay store in Willow Grove Mall to have the watch sized by the store manager. We gave her the watch inside the box and told her to place in back in the box.

Later that night after attempting to set the time, we discovered that the watch was not working. So, the watch's battery was completely dead or the watch itself was defective at the time when it was sold to me. I'm leaning toward the latter since my husband's current Movado watch is over three years old and has yet to receive a battery replacement.

After going back to Willow Grove with the watch in its original packaging as well as with the receipt, we were originally told that we would receive a new watch through an exchange. The store representative actually pointed out that they had another Movado Sapphire available in the stores front showcase. However, the assistant manager appeared saying that an exchange was out of the question because it was 3 days outside of the exchange period.

I then called Kay's 1-800 customer service line and was treated and spoken to as someone suspected of fraudulence. To make matters worse, the rep from the outline notated our account as such stating that the watch has several scratches proving that it was worn on more than one occasion (FALSE), that the watch was worn outside of the Kay store on 07/29/11 (FALSE), and that the customer must pay any/all repairs because a warranty was not purchased (FALSE).

My husband and I have been loyal Kay customers since 2009. This may at first seem like a short time, however, we have receipts documenting purchases well over $10,000. We attend numerous VIP events and utilize many earned discount coupons and certificates. Also, with every piece of merchandise we've purchased the lifetime warranty including the ultimate watch warranty for the Movado Sapphire.

But is it really reasonable to tell me to send a new watch out for repair that my husband never even had the luxury of using at all? At this point, I'm not asking for a refund. I'm only asking for what I intended to purchase and what I was told I received: a functioning new watch. Instead of assassinating my character and insulting my intelligence by blurting out the store "policy", why not look at the individual situation and make a smart and fair business decision?

Instead I've been given the run around from multiple stores, been transferred to several departments and extensions, and left more than one unanswered message with "this person's manager" and "that person's supervisor'. I'm left with nothing more than an expensive paper weight and a harsh and painful memory of an occasion that should have been unforgettable, but instead it's one that I desperately wish I that can forget. I can't get back my first wedding anniversary. However, I'm hoping that someone will help me salvage my relationship with Kay.