ALL that glitters is not necessarily gold, as a shopper has learned.
Supervisor Nazira Jamien, 44, said she would be more wary about buying from jewellery shops advertising gold at very low prices on social media.
Nazira shows the broken gold bracelet which was not repaired to her satisfaction by the jewellery shop.
“Whatever you see on the social media platforms, is not what you might get,” she said outside the Johor Baru Consumer Claims Tribunal.
She bought a 23.29g Heart Charm gold bracelet from a jewellery shop in Tampoi, Johor Baru on Dec 8, 2023.
The claimant said she paid RM4,874 for the charm bracelet which was part of the a ‘375 gold collection package’ offered by the outlet.
Nazira said she paid RM7,000 for the collection, comprising the bracelet, a gold chain, locket and ring.
“This was my first time coming across 375 gold jewellery, since it is usually 916,” she said.
Nazira brought her mother to the shop to buy the 375 gold jewellery.
A week later, on Dec 15, while at her mother’s house in Bandar Penawar, Desaru, Kota Tinggi, the bracelet suddenly broke.
Nazira, who is from Skudai, Johor Baru, went back to the shop two days later with the broken bracelet to ask for a replacement.
She said that instead of replacing the bracelet, the staff just welded it, making the bracelet look ugly due to poor workmanship.
“They insisted the bracelet broke due to my carelessness but I refused to accept this excuse as I had only been wearing it for seven days,” she said.
As the shop was only willing to buy back the bracelet for RM2,010, the claimant filed a case with the Tribunal.
“It did not make sense that the bracelet’s value had depreciated by more than 50% within a week since I made the purchase,” said Nazira.
During the hearing, the respondent represented by its 42-year-old director, told the tribunal that the one-off 375 gold collection package was introduced to allow more women to buy gold jewellery at “affordable prices”.
She said that unlike 916 or 999 gold, 375 gold was of lower purity and thus cheaper.
“Most of the 375 gold jewellery is hollow so wearers have to be extra careful when wearing them,” she said.
The respondent said this was the first time the shop had received such a complaint since it started business in 2016.
Instead of a full refund, the director proposed sending the broken bracelet to its supplier for repair or buying back the item for RM2,010.
The claimant refused the offer and insisted on a refund since the shop had failed to deliver quality gold jewellery.
Tribunal president Lee Chee Thim ordered the respondent to return RM4,874 to the claimant within two weeks, and for Nazira to return the bracelet to the respondent within 14 days.
The tribunal can be reached at 07-227 1755/1766.
