Kay Jewelers Allow exchange? Not really, Internet

Customer alert: If you buy a gift and want to allow the recipient a possibility to exchange, do NOT go to Kay Jewelers.  Kay Jewelers issues refund only to original credit card - this policy makes gift exchange extremely hard.  Even though the store may tell you differently just to get the sales going, I believed them and I am sorry for the trust I gave them.   I wish I know this company better, and I hope it will not happen to  other customers after reading this review.

I recently went to a Chicago store to exchange my jewelry from a gift, but one of the items I need was not available in the store then.  I could wait till all items in to make the exchange, but the store clerk, after consulting with her manager, called the Kay central office and asked to refund the difference in check (instead of the original credit card) so that I can use the check to pick up the last piece on order.  

My daughter and her fiance purchased the original jewelry gift for me. They registered the jewelry under my name and gave me the gift receipt.  I was assured the refund will be mailed to me under the original name and address they registered during the purchase.  The check refund amount and process was also printed on the receipt as assurance. 

When the last piece of my exchange is ready for pickup, I still did not receive the refund check, I gave them a call. Only to find out that Kay had refunded the difference back to the original credit card.  I am very unhappy about this.  The card belongs to my future-son-in-law, and I really, really do not want to hurt his feelings by return his gift to me.  I was only exchanging to a different style. 

But now the $ went back to him and I will have to purchase the new piece again myself.  All these consequences could be avoid if Kay Jeweler simply deliver what they promised me on the exchange day (a check back to me for the exchange item purchase).  Or, if the company indeed have to stick with the police and ONLY refund to the original credit card, then they should not make the promise for a check to me. I could simply wait till all items arrived to store to make the exchange.  

I am unhappy with what happened, both money- wise ($ is a concern although manageable), and relationship-wise (return a substantial first gift from a future-son-in-law sent such a wrong message; a damage could not makeup with any $).  I called the store, the Kay refund service, and spoke to the supervisor.

 All I was told is Kay ALWAYS refund the difference of exchange to the original credit card. The store and store manager simply misinformed me. Although the store called the central office and received permission to issue check refund  in front of me, the refund was actually sent to the credit card minutes after the call.  Frustrating! 

If you need to buy a gift and want to allow the recipient a possibility to exchange, do NOT go to Kay Jewelers. It simply would not work.  According to what I hear from the following up phone calls, they really do not care the problem and issues this policy cause to customers.  The only sentence they repeat again and again is-  we ALWAYS send refund to the original credit card.