Menu
CB Jewelry and Watches Glencara Irish Jewelry Buyer beware! Get what you pay for? Not!
Glencara Irish Jewelry

Glencara Irish Jewelry review: Buyer beware! Get what you pay for? Not! 21

F
Author of the review
4:25 am EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Replied
The company left an official comment on this complaint.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

Glencara.com

Buyer Beware! Get what you pay for? Not!

I saw a beautiful ring- advertised as diamond and gold- on the Glencara website. Some of the stones were described as "high quality natural diamonds" with specific color and clarity information, while another was described as a diamond, white in color. It also included an appraisal showing a value higher than the retail price. I sent an email asking for more details. No reply. I called Glencara, and was told that all of the stones "should be of the same quality". Based on that conversation, I ordered the ring. My receipt listed the word "diamond" four times.

The ring arrived loose in a bag, sans fine jewelry box and promised appraisal. They also had not purchased any additional insurance to cover any loss or damage. I thought that was odd. Why would such a valuable ring be shipped like costume jewelry? That was the first clue that the ring was not what it claimed to be.

I brought the ring to a jeweler who used a diamond tester and also examined it under magnification, and he told me that the stones were CZ, not diamonds. The ring was worth about $500 less than what I had paid for it, according to the jeweler.

When I told Glencara that the ring advertised on their website, and described by a sales rep, as "high quality diamonds", was not what I had received, Glencara said that the larger stone was CZ, but that the other stones "should be" diamonds. This was the first time the term "CZ" was used.

I said that I would send the ring back since the ring sent to me was not what I had ordered. They wanted me to send it back without insurance to save on shipping costs. Of course, if it was lost or damaged in transit, I would be out of luck. I was unwilling to take the risk, so I paid for both tracking and proper insurance. Glencara also told me not to list the value of the ring on the customs' form- that was to "save on customs' fees". You can read between the lines to figure out what they meant by that request. Meanwhile, the United States post office requires you to list the value on the form.

I did get a refund on the ring, but only a little over 1/3 of the shipping cost was refunded despite the fact that I was sent the wrong item through no fault of my own. Bait-and-switch, anyone? I guess I should be grateful that I lost less than $50 on this transaction. I am also glad that I used a credit card.

Bottom line, learn from my mistake. DO NOT buy jewelry over the internet, and DO NOT buy anything from this less-than-candid company.

May 27, 2012 9:11 pm EDT
Glencara Irish Jewelry customer support contacts
Address

Galway, IE

File a complaint Write a review
to ensure cases like this are kept to a minimum but unfortunately they can happen. See below our policy statement and response to this particular case.
* We keep a stock of all our items so that they can be shipped within 24 hours
* Items generally take 3-5 days to the US & Canada. We test delivery times throughout the year and over 95% are received within this time frame.
* You can reach us toll free on the phone 1.00pm-9.00pm EST (8am-4pm irish time). Mon-Fri, outside of these hours you can leave a voicemail or send us an e-mail and we will respond within 24 hours.
* We guarantee delivery of all orders, in this instance we re-sent the order at no extra cost to the customer to ensure delivery. The cause of the problem was USPS. The order was placed 24th January and we shipped on the 25th January. We see a small number of orders that get delayed with USPS. In those cases we may re-ship the order to ensure a quicker delivery.

If you have any questions or concerns, we would love to hear from you, please e-mail us at sales@glencara.com or call us toll free on 1866 567 7451 1.00pm-9.00pm EST or you can leave a voicemail if calling outside that time.
Nov 27, 2012 8:36 pm EST
Glencara Irish Jewelry customer support contacts
Address

Galway, IE

File a complaint Write a review
We apologise, our first response was not accurate, it was meant for another customer.
In this case the item received by the customer was not as advertised. We go to great lengths to ensure that orders are sent per our advert. In this case a 3rd party manufacturer made this item, one who we no longer do business with. We confirm they made this ring with CZ's instead of Diamonds. This case is one of the reasons why we stopped doing business with them. We can confirm that all our jewelry is diamond set if the advert says they are diamond set in the description.
Our policy is to refund customers for return shipping if we did not send as advertised. In this instance the customer initially got a partial refund on shipping as our return policy states that we authorise a charge on return shipping of $10.00 and for them to contact us. The customer spent more than this to return which we refunded as a jesture of goodwill since we were originally in the wrong. We ask that customers don't put a nil value and mark as "return to sender" on returns as otherwise we get billed taxes for the return of our own merchadise!
* We have completed over 200, 000 online transactions since 2005. Over 99% of our customers are satisfied with our products and the service provided. The testing of our customer satisfaction is done by a 3rd party and we can verify above to any customer who wishes to enquire about this
Jan 07, 2013 9:56 am EST
Glencara Irish Jewelry customer support contacts
Address

Galway, IE

File a complaint Write a review
We are sorry to hear of the negative experience received by this customer. We try to ensure cases like this are kept to a minimum but unfortunately they can happen. See below our policy statement and response to this particular case. To see genuine stories of people’s experiences with Glencara, see our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glencara-Irish-Collection/284705344282?sk=app_2373072738

We have an unusual back log in processing returns & e-mails at this time of year (after Christmas). If the customer e-mails with "Urgent" in the subject of the e-mail as instructed by our auto-reply, we can expedite the processing of the return, but rest assured all returns will be processed in due time. You will be emailed as soon as your return is processed. We are very sorry for the delay.
You can reach us toll free on the phone 3.00am-11.00am EST (8am-4pm irish time). Mon-Fri, outside of these hours you can leave a voicemail or send us an e-mail and we will respond within 24 hours.

If you have any questions or concerns, we would love to hear from you, please e-mail us at sales@glencara.com or call us toll free on 1866 567 7451 3.00am-11.00am EST or you can leave a voicemail if calling outside that time
Jan 07, 2013 10:01 am EST
Glencara Irish Jewelry customer support contacts
Address

Galway, IE

File a complaint Write a review
Hello,
We are sorry to hear of the negative experience received by this customer. We try to ensure cases like this are kept to a minimum but unfortunately they can happen. See below our policy statement and response to this particular case. To see genuine stories of people’s experiences with Glencara, see our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glencara-Irish-Collection/284705344282?sk=app_2373072738
We have an unusual back log in processing returns & e-mails at this time (after christmas). If a customer e-mails with "Urgent" in the subject of the e-mail as instructed by our auto-reply, we would expedite the processing of the return.
Rest assured all returns will be processed in due time. You will be emailed as soon as your return is processed. We are very sorry for the delay.
If you have any questions or concerns, we would love to hear from you, please e-mail us at sales@glencara.com or call us toll free on 1866 567 7451 3.00am-11.00am EST or you can leave a voicemail if calling outside that time
Jan 22, 2013 10:17 am EST
Glencara Irish Jewelry customer support contacts
Address

Galway, IE

File a complaint Write a review
Hello, thank you for confirming you have received the order, again our apologies for the delays you experienced, it is not the norm, but as Christmas things get hectic here, again our apologies. If you would like to the return the rings please let us know that would not be a problem.
Apr 12, 2016 7:59 am EDT
Glencara Irish Jewelry customer support contacts
Address

Galway, IE

File a complaint Write a review
This is Glencara.com .

* We have completed over 400, 000 online transactions since 2005.
* Over 98% are of customers are happy with the quality of our Jewellery and shipping times, please see 88, 000 positive feedback from one of our seller accounts on ebay: http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=irecrafts&ftab=AllFeedback .
* We guarantee safe delivery of all orders.
* All of our Jewelry has to pass a quality control check before it is shipped to our
customers.
* We offer a 60 day returns policy on all our Jewellery and will re-size rings without charge.
* We aim to respond to e-mails within 1 business day but occasionally we fall behind that 1 business day target which causes customers to vent their anger publicly such as here.

The issues written here would not exist if each customer had the 1 business day response time to their e-mail. We go above and beyond the average Jewellery business in satisfying any customers reported issues.
The individual comments here are not an accurate reflection on how customers are treated when shopping with us nor an accurate indication to the quality of our Jewelry. If a customer has a problem with an item or it has not arrived and they do not get a timely reply to their e-mail, they can become very frustrated and vent their justified anger. We work to deal with communication backlogs as quickly as possible to minimize such occurrences as we love our customers. Providing a great experience is what we exist for.
If a customer is reading this who has not got a response within 1 business day please send an e-mail to vipersevice@glencara.com and you should receive a reply in 1 business day or less.
Apr 14, 2016 11:17 am EDT
Glencara Irish Jewelry customer support contacts
Address

Galway, IE

File a complaint Write a review
Correction to our previous post, the e-mail is: vipersevice@glencara.com
Jun 15, 2016 2:01 pm EDT
Glencara Irish Jewelry customer support contacts
Address

Galway, IE

File a complaint Write a review
Over 98% of our customers are happy with our Jewellery and Service.
See 88, 000 positive reviews here: http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=irecrafts&ftab=AllFeedback
and here: http://www.shopperapproved.com/reviews/glencara.com/page-0.html
and here: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/Irishjewelry/reviews?ref=seller_platform_hdr
and here: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Glencara_com
* We have completed over 400, 000 online transactions since 2005.
* Over 98% are of customers are happy with the quality of our Jewellery and shipping times.
* We guarantee safe delivery of all orders.
* All of our Jewelry has to pass a quality control check before it is shipped to our
customers.
* We offer a 60 day returns policy on all our Jewellery and will re-size rings without charge.
* We aim to respond to e-mails within 1 business day but occasionally we fall behind that 1 business day target which causes customers to vent their anger publicly such as here.

The issues written here would not exist if each customer had the 1 business day response time to their e-mail. We go above and beyond the average Jewellery business in satisfying any customers reported issues.
The individual comments here are not an accurate reflection on how customers are treated when shopping with us nor an accurate indication to the quality of our Jewelry. If a customer has a problem with an item or it has not arrived and they do not get a timely reply to their e-mail, they can become very frustrated and vent their justified anger. We work to deal with communication backlogs as quickly as possible to minimize such occurrences as we love our customers. Providing a great experience is what we exist for.
If a customer is reading this who has not got a response within 1 business day please send an e-mail to vipservice@glencara.com and you should receive a reply in 1 business day or less.
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer's satisfaction.

21 comments
Add a comment
A
A
Ann W
Huddersfield, GB
Jun 15, 2016 8:18 am EDT

They take your order, take your money and no rings arrive! WE have tried for over a month for follow up via email and phoning. Automated email replies and answering bogus message...Do not have anything to do with this company. I have reported them to trading standards.. and to our bank. KEEP CLEAR !

T
T
Ticked off in CA
, US
Jun 03, 2016 8:04 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I ordered a gold ring from these crooks two weeks ago. they have lied to me ever since. I ordered the ring as a gift for my mother with 2 day shipping. Plenty of time to spare to get it to me by her birthday on June 3rd. WRONG. They are not even offering me a shipping date anymore. They just took my money plain and simple. These people should be out of business and in JAIL

L
L
-Lisa-
, CA
Aug 21, 2015 10:03 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I still have not received my ring, there are no responses to my emails even when they say URGENT in the subject line (which in their voice mail message says they will return in 24 hours), when you call there is a message saying email them, they do not answer the phone.
I ordered a ring for my husbands birthday and it is not here, leaving me nothing for my husband on his birthday.
I placed my order 15 days ago, the website says it will be here within 3 to 7 days...
NOT IMPRESSED...I WILL BE TELLING EVERYONE I KNOW NOT TO ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY!
If I do not receive my ring in the next few days I will be expecting a refund but at this point have no idea how to do that since nobody will answer emails or phone calls...THIS IS PURE CRAP!
-Lisa-

D
D
Dakota M
ggg, CA
Jun 03, 2015 10:18 pm EDT

I ordered two bracelets on april 24th for my friend as she wanted me to buy her them for her and her boyfriends anniversary.
It's june 3rd.
I'll start sending emails everyday if I have to.

C
C
crhewitt91
Reynoldsburg, US
Dec 19, 2013 12:32 pm EST

I received shipping confirmation on the 9th of December, it is now the 19th and i still do not have my necklace i ordered for my girlfriend for Christmas. If it is not in by Saturday the 21st i will send it back for a full refund and would encourage others to use another Irish jewelry company.

T
T
tekiyah smith
Rochester, US
May 17, 2015 6:26 pm EDT

I'm wondering now if I will receive my husbands wedding band I ordered on Tuesday there is so much negative comments about this company after I place my order

A
A
Anna George
Reedsville, US
Apr 10, 2015 9:00 am EDT

My husband ordered a ring for me for our anniversary. His order did arrive in a timely fashion, however, it was the wrong size. As per Glencara's exchange policy, we sent the first ring back (to the US address) for a full refund and in the meantime ordered a new ring in the correct size. That was over 20 days ago. I have yet to receive the second ring ordered. I have attempted phone calls as well as emails to both sales@glencara.com and service@glencara.com with no response to either. We have not received any refund to date for the returned ring. So essentially, we have now paid for two rings and have none. Their auto-response email states that if items are not received 9 days past the date of shipment to let them know and they will remedy the situation ASAP. This has not been the case. I have not received any help from Glencara at all. They do not respond to emails within 24 hours as stated, in fact, you will be lucky if you get any email reply at all from them. Currently working with my bank to dispute the charges and get my money back.

Very unhappy customer,
Anna George

L
L
liveclive
altrincham, GB
May 28, 2014 9:09 am EDT

I have been trying to contact them for two weeks - no answer on telephone no reply to emails

J
J
Joe oneill
Manchester, GB
May 01, 2014 12:20 pm EDT

I have received a wedding ring on the 17th April 2014, on opening the parcel i noticed the ring had imperfections and did not match the quality that Glencara stated. It does not match the picture that was shown on the website. The cost of the ring was a few pennies under £300 . On the same day of receiving this parcel we emailed the company straight back and also phoned on several numbers they provide on there website. Still no joy we have rung the iIrish number and the UK number. After reading the reviews i have found whilst searching for contact details i am now beginning to worry that this wedding ring will not be exchanged for a full refund. I have now emailed them and told them they have 24 hours before i make contact with the bank for VISA FRAUD. This is very disheartening when your wedding day is suppose to be a special day. The only good thing is my partner chose a ring in good time as we get married in October and as it is a don't tell the bride type wedding i cannot even see this ring however i will fight to get a full refund for my intended husband.
I will not wait more than the 24 hours i have give them as we have tried for 15 days to make contact I will also be making contact with consumer protection in Ireland to close this matter.
I would never recommended this jewellers to any buyer SO BEWARE AND DO NOT PURCHASE... The invoice alone looks dodgy so be aware you will be scammed if you buy...

D
D
David Mccarthy 28
Skegness, GB
Jan 22, 2014 9:00 am EST

I got a ring of glencara at Christmas but wrong size which was my fault so I returned it to them and to save time I ordered another one and asked for a refund for the other one which I never got no response to email and as for calling them all I got was a voice message saying call between 8 &4 Monday to Friday yet I was calling at 9.30 10.00 12.00 and no joy luckily I paid though pay pal this is a cowboy company avoid at all costs as for there face book page they dont allow bad posts to go on it only good reviews are allowed avoid this company

T
T
ThereseMentor
Mentor, US
Dec 20, 2013 2:49 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I ordered a necklace and earring set for my daughter for a Christmas present. The web page stated I would have the order within 3-5 days, after being shipped out within 24 hours. It is December 20-I placed the order on December 8-and I still have nothing! I have attempted to contact someone through both e-mail and phone calls, to no avail! I received a format e-mail in return staing that I was to give them 9 business days-which I have done.
At this point I am going to be contacting the Irish equivalent of our American Better Business Bureau, in addition to the Fraud Unit of the local government in Galway.
After reading the reviews and complaints from all of these poor people who were taken in by this "business", I find it appalling that they are able to stay in "business". Absolutely shameful!

J
J
jmf 1
, ES
Aug 04, 2013 7:48 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I recived the ring for my girlfriend after few months ago. Of course after the event and with the wrong size and not really like the pics in the webside. A lot of problems to contact them. Glencara are not seriously people. Never again.

P
P
PaulaKay
Fountain Hills, US
Jul 06, 2013 5:11 am EDT

I purchased a Claddagh wedding band for my husband for our 40th wedding anniversary on April 18, 2013. It was to be delivered in 2 weeks. After more emails than I can count and calling in the middle of the night AZ time to Ireland and having no one answer I was about to go crazy! I didn't have a ring for our celebration! They finally said they would send a substitute ring to use for our event and then they would trade me when mine was finally ready. I agreed and sent the address of the hotel in CA where we were going to be and EVERYONE was watching for my ring! They never even sent it, I was left empty handed. I threatened to notify VISA of bad business practice and I finally received the ring on June 28, 2013! They offered me $15. for my trouble. I'm not one to turn down cash but I knew I would never see it anyway so I told them that $15 was insulting! They sent a 10% off coupon in with the ring. I wouldn't buy a piece of jewelry from them if I never bought a piece of jewelry again the rest of my life!

T
T
T A 13
Fort Myers, US
Jul 01, 2013 4:07 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I ordered a Claddagh My Soul Mate Ring Set from Glencara.com. The website advertised the retail value as $259.00, and I paid 139.99 plus the inscription. The website also claimed that the rings were “Crafted from solid sterling silver and thickly coated in 14K white and yellow gold…” and were “individually handcrafted by a Silversmith in Ireland. Well, the “thickly coated” gold plating on my ring was gone within a week! I wish I knew the name of the “Silversmith in Ireland” who made my ring, because I’d include that here. The ladies’ ring held up a bit better.
The website also mentions a “dedication to customer satisfaction.” That is a total crock. We have emailed and called multiple time without being able to reach anyone and without getting a response. This has been one of the most disappointing online shopping experiences I have ever had! Ordered another ring from a different vendor today.

S
S
ssm711
West Chester, US
Apr 16, 2013 2:32 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My husband ordered a ring from Glencara back in March. When it arrived it was the wrong ring and it wasn't the correct size. It certainly was not what he had ordered. The quality of the ring is horrible. With that being said we decided to send it back. I called Glencara and no one answered due to the time difference. I didn't leave a message at that time. I called back the next day when during their business hours and no one answered and the voicemail never pick up. I then decided that I would email them... I have email the company 3 times to ask what their policy was on returns . I have yet to get a reply And now that I have seen all the complaints about the company I just want a full refund for the ring.

D
D
dawa1949
Everett, US
Feb 28, 2013 1:28 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I ordered two rings from this company for my wedding. The rings I received were NOT the ones we ordered...the Claddagh design on the band is so flat you can't tell that it's a Claddagh at all much less which way the crown is pointing. They are also the wrong size. We had our fingers sized three times and bought rings slightly bigger than that. Both rings are too tight. Online it stated that these rings were "IN STOCK" but when we received them we were told they were custom made. That means $120 per ring to return them for replacement. Our wedding is in one week. We do not have time to return them and we do not want to pay an extra $120 per ring plus postage. This company is a rip off and I want to shout it from the roof tops. I want to know how to make this right without getting legal. I complained to the company and was told they would pass my feedback on to management. I have heard nothing. I saw there was a class action suit. How do I add my name?

T
T
Tracy Wright
Fort McMurray, CA
Jan 15, 2013 7:32 pm EST

So I actually received the two rings I ordered, but separate deliveries. The rings came as ordered with the exception that one was sized too small. Beautiful design and looks like they are good quality. Inscriptions were off center, but I can live with that. I will take care of the sizing where I live rather than return to Glencara. Best piece of advice I can give to this vendor is to answer your customer inquiries in the timeframes set. If you say you will return an email or phone call in 24 hours on business days, do so. It will prevent consumers from going to websites such as this this. I think I am representative of the typical consumer and understand when items may be back ordered or have to be manufactured from scratch. The communication piece is key to keeping me engaged and returning to your business for additional orders. Willing to give Glencara another chance, but hoping I don't have to call 10 times during business hours or send multiple emails to receive a response to an inquiry. Delight the customer and they will come back!

S
S
Stephanie Oda
Stratford, US
Jan 02, 2013 1:40 pm EST

Well, I guess I can forget ever getting the ring I sent back to be exchanged, We ordered a set of rwedding rings. One was the incorrect size. I returned it, on instructions from Glencara, explaining we needed a 1/2 size larger. I also enclosed postage and a very detailed letter. Of all places, I was instructed to return the ring to somewhere in the Channel Islands. Fortunately, the ring was not a very expensive one, about $100. Still I have lost all hope of receiving the exchange. Whenever I call Glencara, I get a recording telling me to call during Irish business hours. This is at any time of the day. I too received the rings I ordered in a little padded envelope--no box--no insurance--nothing. When I returned the ring I had to fill out a cusotms form,
Do not buy from this company. The pair of wedding rings in silver and "gold" meaning gold plate. I can't imagine how I would feel had I bought the rings in white ane yellow gold, which we contemplated. They would have cost $1, 500. I will never buy from this company again. I have no hope of receiving the exchange. I have left several emails and received only a form reply. This is very disheartening, since the rings were meant for a very special commitment.
Neil O'brien
Stratford, CT

T
T
Tracy Wright
Fort McMurray, CA
Dec 19, 2012 7:49 pm EST

I think I may agree with the complaint. I ordered a wedding set on Dec 7th and have yet to receive rings. Thought delivery to Canada was 3-5 days as stated above. Have emailed a couple of times for tracking number and/or shipping status and have received an auto reply stating I would have a response in 2-4 days...doubtful. I'm ok with slow delivery as long as I know when its coming and can track as well receiving what I ordered. Hopefully I will.

Tracy Wright

P
P
Poppi G
Simi Valley, US
Jul 05, 2012 11:52 am EDT

UPDATE:

Glencara.com finally issued a full refund for the return shipping costs for the incorrect item that was sent and needed to be returned. I did suffer a small loss due to the fees charged by PayPal which was the service Glencara.com used to issue the refund. I also, of course, wasted hours of my time sending the wrong item back to Glencara.com, tracking it, discussing options with the post office, asking the post office why it was stuck in Irish customs ( I was told by the USPS this was due to the fact that the information given to customs when it was sent was different than the information I was providing upon its return), etc. This is the price I paid for being stupid enough to buy jewelry over the internet. I have since learned my lesson and will now only shop at my local department store, or from a trusted online site like Amazon.

P
P
Poppi G
Simi Valley, US
Jun 09, 2012 10:25 pm EDT

Glencara is not responding to the above listed complaint. In the case listed above, nothing was resent. The wrong item was sent by Glencara, and the wrong item was sent back at the customers' expense. Only part of the shipping cost was refunded, representing a loss to the customer who had done nothing wrong. The USPS delivered the returned item to Ireland within 48 hours as promised. The January dates are also not correct and has nothing to do with the above complaint.
Glencara refuses to take responsibility for sending the wrong item and then refusing to pay in full for return shipping. Instead, they blame others in an attempt to look like they have done nothing wrong.
Don't buy it. Shop in your local neighborhoods instead or buy from a well-known company you can trust.