Nov 29, 2006 09:26 PM
4898 Views
I wont write anything about Damas that has already been written in the previous review. They may be an excellent chain of store outside of India, but within India they are a bunch of cheats. Beware when you go there to shop....
I am now telling you my personal experience.......
After hearing a lot about Damas's repute in Dubai, I went to the store on Commesariat Road, Bangalore just before Dhanteras. I bought myself a ring and a bangle( after going thru their collection and contemplating a lot. They have hardly any range of all the jewelry houses mentioned in the review!!!!!!!!!!!........ They have loads of Calcutta style jewelry and nothing is up to date or upmarket. Every thing is quite run of the mill, usual designs). There was nothing special about the collection.... No south indian designs, jaipuri meenakari or kundan work . Polki diamonds were not there too.
After much searching I settled down to a dailywear ring(suggested by the salesman)
which they claimed to be from Singapore.
I came back home and wore the ring only for 3-4 days when the ring broke and the top part came off the base. The joint was very delicate, hence the ring was not meant for daily wear.
According to their rules, ornaments can be returned within a stipulated pd. without any charges if there is any manufacturing defect. We did exactly that and went there to return the ring.
To our shock, we were treated quite shabbily by the staff when they came to know that we had come to return a piece of jewelry. They refused to honor their own regulation and insisted that the piece can only be xchanged and not returned, even though the mistake was from Damas(wrong suggestion and faulty workmanship).When we asked for the manager to come and meet us, they said that he was busy in a meeting. Then they came up with the idea of deducting making charges on the returned piece and returning money ,equal to the value of gold calculated on the rate on the day of purchase.After much cajoling they agreed to adjust the whole amount if we decided to buy something else from them.
Then we decide to buy some thing from them so that we could exchange the ring. When we spoke to them about how the calculation would be done, the sales man said that the amount of gold xchanged would be valued at the price at which it was purchased and not on the price prevailing on the day of exchange!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(obviously the rate on the day of xchange was more).
After much talking and explaination, persuasion that it was not a mistake from our side and the piece was being returned within the stipulated time, the staff agreed to charge the rate of gold as per that day.
Their gold is not hallmark, neither it is BIS marked. They source indian jewelry from other jewelry makers and just pass it off as their own collection ( be careful and see the seal at the back and enquire about it). When I asked about the hallmark seal, the manager told me a tall story that since they are only 1 year old in this country, they had yet to apply for the authentication seal.
The making charges are steep!!!!!!!!! Even for indian jewelry, the making charges are to the tune of 310 Rs. per gram in some pieces, which is ridiculous. One can bargain with them only on the making charges as they dont charge any wastage. They are not open much to bargaining but anyone who is persuasive and diligent will definitely reap benefits.
On the whole, dont go by their international image. Looks are deceptive in this case. Read between the lines and expect the unexpected with them. Be ready to get fleeced and cheated if you ever think of buying from them. One should be a pro at understanding the nuances of buying gold and understand where they can fool you. You should also be ready to haggle and put your point across and not get fooled by them and their tactics
