I recently went to Cohasset Jewelers to have a watch band attached to a watch. I was greeted nicely and was told that the band would be attached right away. I returned from an errand and the watch with band attached was ready. I went to put it on and found that the top of the band was put on up-side-down –this was fixed right away. I asked what I owed and the woman told me $16.00. This seemed high, so I asked what was involved with the cost. She said it covers the cost of the two spring pins, and for the professional service. She gave me my change without a receipt. I asked for one and she made one up. It felt like she picked the cost out of a hat. \r
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I noticed that there was a King Jewelers nearby so I decided to stop in and see what they would charge for the same thing. The woman there told me that the pins are $2 each and they would not charge for something like putting on a watchband. I decided to go back to Cohasset Jewelers to ask about the drastic difference in pricing. The woman insisted that the cost was for professional service and that installing a watch band required a qualified technician. I reminded her that it was initially incorrectly installed and that I didn’t feel that something as simple as putting on a standard nylon band warranted quadruple the cost of a nearby competitor. I told her that I think I only owed her $4 and she looked at me blankly and refused any sort of refund.\r
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I can’t speak to the quality or pricing of their jewelry. I do feel a bit discomfited to make a fuss about $12 as well as for spending the time I have to inquire about it, but this experience left me very let down. I always try to support local shops, but it is tough to do so when the local shop decides to not only screw their customer for five grams of metal and an undemanding task, but they defend their right in quadrupling their competitors pricing in the face of a puzzled and upset customer. I will not return to Cohasset Jewelers, at any point, and I will earnestly insist that others think twice about doing so as well. If they are this disingenuous on such a small transaction, I can’t imagine how they are with larger purchases. \r
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