Ernest Jones Jewellers

I have to say, I think Ernest Jones have one the of the best customer services of any retailer. Maybe that can't be said for all stores but it is certainly true of the Winchester store.

My husband bought me a diamond and white gold engagement ring in January 2004. I absolutely adored the ring, so you can imagine my complete horror when I lost a diamond seven months later and three weeks before my wedding. I went back to the store with my receipt and explained my predicament.

Having closely examined the ring, Ernest Jones agreed that I had not damaged the ring and that the stones could not have been properly set in the first place. I assumed they would repair the ring but they offered me a brand new, replacement ring instead. Amazingly, they had one in stock centrally, so I received my new ring a couple of weeks before the wedding.

Thankfully, when we bought the ring originally on New Year's Eve 2003, the ring had to be ordered. My husband actually proposed with a £6.99 silver ring from Argos! I therefore had no sentimental attachment to the Ernest Jones ring, so was happy with a replacement ring.

Just over three years later, I arrived home, looked down and found a diamond had dropped out again. I knew I had not knocked the ring, so I could not understand how it could have happened. I took it back again to Ernest Jones in Winchester and explained the history to them. Thankfully I still had my original receipt. Once again they closely scrutinised the ring and agreed that I had not damaged it. I fully expected them to repair it. However, having contacted the customer service department at head office by phone, once again I was offered a brand new ring, free of charge. This was despite the fact that the ring was now £50 more than my husband originally paid.

The new ring arrived 6 days later and is back where it belongs on my finger. Having looked at it closely, I can see that the design has been subtly changed making the diamonds more secure. This leads me to surmise that the original two rings had a slight design fault leading to the stones falling out. That aside, I feel the service they offered me, particularly replacing the second ring after 3 years of wear, was astounding. Hopefully this ring will be third time lucky.