Tiffany & Co. — Local services in Coral Gables

My Tiffany watch needed a new battery. So, I headed over to Merrick Park.

I had to wait for a clerk after ringing the service department bell. Pavlov must have been conducting experiments in the other room.

Finally, the service clerk reared her head. I told her my watch required a new battery. She placed my watch on a velvet tray, gave me a receipt, and told me to return in an hour.

An hour!?

I browsed the mall.

When I arrived back at Tiffany's service department, I rang the bell, but nothing happened. I rang again. Finally, on the third ring, a woman with an irritated look came through the door. Explaining why I was there and handed her my "ticket."

Without a word, she turned around and went inside where nobody could see her, presumably to fetch my watch, which should have now been working perfectly.

I waited, waited, and waited longer. Finally, I pressed the service bell again, the woman peeked out and said she'd be another minute.

She finally came out with my watch on a tray and some paperwork. I took my watch and put it on my wrist and hurriedly asked what I owed.

"Thirty-six dollars." I knew that was a lot for a watch battery but, after all, this was Tiffany. I was certain I now had the finest battery ever manufactured, and that a certified Tiffany technician performed a cursory inspection of the watch to ensure there were no looming problems inside.

I handed the less-than-eager clerk my credit card, signed the chit, and walked briskly out of the store toward the parking lot [where I paid an additional amount for the privilege of buying my $36 battery]

But as I walked to my car, I looked at the watch to see how much time I had to get to my meeting.

The time on the watch was fixed on the exact time it read when I brought it in. And the second hand wasn't moving.

Something went wrong with my expert Tiffany battery installation.

I marched back, rang the bell, and waited for the Queen of Tiffany Service. I explained the watch still wasn't working and asked if anybody looked at it after the battery was changed.

"If you'd like, sir, I can send it to our expert repair facility in New Jersey to determine what's wrong with the watch. We can have it repaired there".

I repeated, "Did anybody look at the after the battery was changed to ensure the watch was working?"

Again, the watch was offered a trip to New Jersey.

I explained I'd lost confidence in Tiffany and had no assurance a trip to New Jersey would result in my watch working properly.

I chanted my recurring mantra, "Did anybody look after the battery was changed to ensure the watch was working?

"Sir," I was told, "the battery in your battery is brand new. I can bring you the empty package to show you."

"I'm sure you can," I replied. "But I simply want to know if anybody saw the watch operating correctly after the battery was changed".

I was teeming with anger but didn't let it show. You know the old adage about attracting more flies with honey than you can with vinegar? I desperately wanted to attract some honey because I was swimming in flies and vinegar.

The clerk offered to get the manager for me.

Another minute or two passed--and my honey appeared! An attractive, well-dressed, competent-sounding woman asked me to tell her what had happened.

I explained.

She offered my watch a trip to New Jersey at my expense and highly recommended it. "No, thank you," I told the honey. I've lost confidence in Tiffany and would prefer to take the watch someplace local.

She told me she'd process a full refund and that I could keep the new battery in my watch.

"Thank you," I replied. She asked for the receipt I was given, pressed a few buttons on the register, and told me she reversed the charge.

I thanked her and drove speedily to my meeting. It was postponed to next week.

The next day I took the watch to a small local family jeweler where I was treated informally by a husband and wife team who tested the “new” battery [it was dead] and replaced it with a new battery--for $6.00. SIX DOLLARS!

The watch has been working...

My fiance and I went to this store for convenience as it is located in our neighborhood. He initially purchased a promise ring there but we needed a size adjustment and when we went back to pick up the new order, service was terrible from everyone, the guy who greeted us sat us in the back room as if he was bothered we were there. The lady that brought out our bagged order didn't even sit down, just handed the ring over as if she was in a hurry and didn't even ask us to check if everything was right out of courtesy. We initially had received the ring in a Tiffany blue box and this new order was in a black box and when we asked why our boxed was changed, she responded that blue box was only for engagement in a very rude and judgemental tone as if a purchase of $2000 wasn't worth her time. We then went back for a third time to purchase our engagement rings, and they got worse with time, always in a hurry, we asked questions about the upgrade program, financing, etc, and they didn't even sit down with us, trying rings on was done briefly as if they were doing us a favor, this time we are spending considerably more and apparently that is also not worth their time. We definitely do not feel comfortable making such an important decision and handing over our money to purchase something we can't even get answers to. We decided to leave to a different store and we went to Mayors and Tiffany Design district store. Both incredibly nice people, the Mayors guy was both, passionate and knowledgeable about diamonds and even told us to go to Tiffany's because they didn't carry the style of diamond on the specs I wanted. We then found a lovely lady at the Tiffany store in the Design District. The entire staff greeted us nicely, they offered something to drink and patiently answered all of our questions while pulling out a few styles we wanted to try out. They did not have a particular size and style we wanted so they ordered it to be transferred to the store for a later date try-on. She even gave us a Tiffany mini book that talks about diamond quality and the 4C's and gave us homework to do. We did not feel rushed to make a decision but we will definitely be buying from her. She even apologized from the experience at the Coral gables store and tried justifying their behavior saying they might be currently under-staffed but she understands that also doesn't justify the service we received. Well done for her trying to defend the name she stands behind without being rude or defensive and making us feel heard and well attended to. Shame on Tiffany for not staffing their stores properly, tainting their name and the image of Luxury with such bad service and not knowledgeable associates at the Merrick Park Coral...

I recently visited the Tiffany & Co. location at Merrick Park while shopping for a housewarming gift for my sister—specifically something from their high-end kitchenware collection. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t reflect the level of service I’ve come to associate with the Tiffany brand. I had just come from the gym upstairs, so I was dressed casually. As a younger adult, I couldn't help but feel that I was being judged based on my appearance and age. Right after I walked in, a sales associate approached me. I explained what I was looking for, but was quickly told to “just order online,” without any effort to assist or show me options in-store. The interaction felt dismissive, as if I didn’t belong there. I tried to express some concerns about ordering online—mainly that I wanted to see the item in person, especially since it was a gift—but the response I got was, “It’s packaged and wrapped,” as if that should have been enough to settle the conversation. There was no attempt to address my concerns or offer any real help. Later, I spotted the Wisteria set on display and wanted to show it to my sister, who was with me—she’s particular about what she likes, and I wanted her input. But when I pointed it out, the associate bluntly said, “That’s just a display,” with a tone and body language that made it clear we weren’t really welcome to browse or engage any further. It’s disappointing to walk into a store known for luxury and hospitality and leave feeling dismissed and unwelcome. I came in genuinely looking to make a purchase, but based on how I was treated, I wouldn’t recommend...