Tiffany's -- the Little Blue Box and the Long Wait
Written: Jul 30 '03
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Let's say you are going to buy a car. There are many different cars on the market, from Kias to Cadillacs. Now, let's say you are going to buy a necklace for a lady. You can buy a necklace at any number of places, from Kmart to Tiffany.
Tiffany is the Cadillac of jewelry stores.
Their products are unsurpassed in their unique beauty and high quality. Other brands will make knock-offs of Tiffany's signature pieces, but, they usually don't come close to the real thing.
Quality
Tiffany's quality is fantastic. I'm not a gemologist, so, I can't really comment on the cut and clarity of their stones. What I mean by quality is that if you want a solid piece of jewelry to last you for years, and year, and years, you want Tiffany.
I have their heart toggle necklace. It is made of Sterling Silver. It is also the heaviest necklace I think I've ever held. This thing is solid. It's also quite beautiful, if I do say so myself.
Prices
With Tiffany, you're paying for the style, the quality, and, also the Tiffany name. The Tiffany logo is prominently stamped on many of their pieces. The prices are far above what you would pay ounce for ounce from other jewelry merchants.
The little blue box that every woman deserves at least once in her lifetime comes with a hefty price tag. For a moderate silver bracelet, expect to pay $150 or more.
The Website -- Finding your Product
Either know the catalogue (and what you are looking for) and use the search function, or prepare to be frustrated. If you don't know the specific name of the piece you are looking for (such as Return to Tiffany Heart Tag Bracelet), then, at least know the style you're looking for (Etoille, Return to Tiffany, etc) so you can narrow your search down.
Without narrow search terms, you will look at page, after page, after page of jewelry, each page showing only five pieces.
My computer craps out before all five pieces load, so, I usually have to refresh each page to boot. I hate navigating the Tiffany website.
Shipping
This is the absolute worst part of the Tiffany online experience. Go ahead and pay the $15 for the expedited shipping, but, don't expect to get it before a week's time has passed. I kid you not. In fact, you'll be watching the mail for days looking for the little blue box, and you'll have no clue where your package is!
My mother placed an order on Saturday morning. Today is Wednesday. She received no shipping confirmation, no tracking information, nothing. She called customer service. The package has just been made available for UPS pickup today. It has not even left their warehouse yet. My mother asked for a tracking number to track her package once it left, and they claimed to have no way of tracking it.
I've dealt with UPS for years now, and Tiffany's should have no trouble getting a tracking number.
Maybe now that the order has been shipped (even if it hasn't left their warehouse yet), it will be "expedited." Their processing, however, certainly was not.
Overall
I give Tiffany's online store two stars, but, based only on their product. If their website or catalogue is the only way you can get to their merchandise, then, it's mediocre. I expect more, but, it's better than nothing.
I would not recommend the online store to anyone who is within driving distance of a Tiffany's store, however. For those people, I strongly recommend that you pick your items up in person.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Great Products, Horrible Service
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