Hypnotherapist wins ‘David and Goliath’ court docket combat in opposition to Harrods after luxurious division retailer refused to refund £4,500 Cartier bracelet

A hypnotherapist has won a ‘David and Goliath’ court battle against Harrods after it refused to refund her for a Cartier ‘LOVE’ bracelet she said was too small for her wrist.

Georgia Romain, in her 50s, successfully sued the luxury department store in Knightsbridge, London, after it dismissed her attempts to refund the gold bracelet – worth £4,500 – which she bought online last year.

She found the piece of jewellery was ‘too small and didn’t fit right’, causing her to return it after coveting and saving up for the bracelet for years.

The case, where Ms Romain won a payout of £5,131, arose after Harrods refused to accept the bracelet’s return over claims it was damaged with scratches, adding it would be kept in the store’s lost property department unless it was reclaimed within 30 days.

The high-end store sent a ‘pre-inspection video’ of the bracelet to Ms Romain after it was returned, pinpointing alleged scratches and damage on the ‘soft’ metal of the bracelet.

However Ms Romain challenged whether the video she received was of the exact bracelet she had returned, questioning if it had the same unique serial code and stating ‘the bracelet you’re holding in the pre-inspection video appears thicker than the one I ordered’.

Harrods ‘formally rejected’ her return request and said the bracelet was ‘legally now [Ms Romain’s] property’.

Ms Romain, from Kingston upon Thames, London, subsequently sued Harrods at Mayor’s and City County Court, London, on claims she was entitled to a refund or replacement of goods under the Consumer Contracts Regulations.

Georgia Romain, in her 50s, successfully sued Harrods after it declined to refund a gold bracelet which she bought online last year

Ms Romain found the Cartier LOVE bracelet – worth £4,500 – was ‘too small and didn’t fit right’, causing her to return it after coveting and saving up for the bracelet for years

Harrods ‘failed on the balance of probabilities’ to prove Ms Romain returned the bracelet with scratches, the court heard on Monday.

While the store’s claim the 18-carat gold bangle was made worthless because of ‘minor scuffs and scratches’ was rejected by the judge.

Deputy District Judge Elaine Vignoli said: ‘Harrods said that the bracelet is worth nothing to us because we can’t resell it, but I’m not quite sure I can agree with that – if it is genuinely worthless I would happily take it home with me.’

The judge said there was no evidence the bracelet was ‘secured safely and handled carefully along the way’, despite an insistence by lawyers representing Harrods.

Judge Vignoli added: ‘In order for Harrods’s defence to succeed, I must be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that when they received the bracelet from Ms Romain it contained the same damage and the same scratches.

‘But I am afraid there was a lack of evidence from the defendants before me today to satisfy me on that point.’

The judge described the department store’s stance within its email exchange with Ms Romain as ‘frankly staggering’.

She continued: ‘Ms Romain made a very reasonable request in respect of an item of not insignificant value, she made a very reasonable request to be sent a video with some evidence showing the unique serial number on the item she had bought with scratches – and that was flatly refused for reasons beyond me.

‘So I have determined that Harrods have failed on the balance of probabilities to prove that it was returned by Ms Romain with scratches on it.’

Harrods had additionally failed to produce solid evidence that the bracelet’s value had reduced as a result of the alleged damage, the court heard.

Judge Vignoli said: ‘This is a case which has turned very much on the evidence before the court and I am afraid to say that the defendants have been found wanting in this respect.’

Harrods was ordered to pay Ms Romain £5,131, covering the cost of the bracelet in addition to court fees and accumulated interest.

Ms Romain said she was ‘very relieved’ by the outcome, and added she is ‘never buying from Harrods again’.

She explained she had saved for years to buy the Cartier bracelet, which she had set her heart on to get for her own birthday.

She added: ‘I was saving for years, I wanted to treat myself.

‘I’m going back to saving now. No more spending like this.’

Cartier launched their LOVE bracelet designed by jeweller Aldo Cipullo in 1969, which can only be put on or removed with the help of another person. 

They range from £4,550 to £59,500, complete with a white gold and diamond setting, and come in five different sizes, from 15cm to 20cm.

The design has been favoured by celebrities including Taylor Swift and Jennifer Aniston.