![\"Champion](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_289286892-247b.jpg\")
\n\t\tGeorgia Romain said she saved up for years before treating herself to the \u2018Love\u2019 bracelet for her birthday (Picture: Champion News)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tGeorgia Romain said she saved up for years before treating herself to the \u2018Love\u2019 bracelet for her birthday (Picture: Champion News)<\/p>\n
A mum has won a David versus Goliath court fight against Harrods after the luxury store refused to give her a refund for a \u00a34,550 Cartier gold bracelet that was too small to fit on her wrist.<\/p>\n
Georgia Romain said she saved up for years before treating herself to the \u2018Love\u2019 bracelet for her birthday, only to end up having to send it back when it didn\u2019t fit.<\/p>\n
But the customer service team at Harrods \u2018rejected\u2019 the return and accused her of damaging the jewellery, saying it would instead be sent to lost property unless she reclaimed it within 30 days.<\/p>\n
Ms Romain, a hypnotherapist from Kingston upon Thames, decided to sue the iconic department store without any legal help \u2013 and has now been awarded \u00a35,131 in compensation.<\/p>\n
A judge at London<\/a>\u2019s Mayors and City County Court said Harrods had \u2018failed on the balance of probabilities\u2019 to prove the item was returned by Ms Romain with scratches on it.<\/p>\n Deputy District Judge Elaine Vignoli also refused to accept that the 18-carat gold bangle was now worthless because of the \u2018minor scuffs and scratches\u2019 on its surface.<\/p>\n \u2018Harrods said that the bracelet is worth nothing to us because we can\u2019t resell it, but I\u2019m not quite sure I can agree with that \u2013 if it is genuinely worthless, I would happily take it home with me,\u2019 she added.<\/p>\n Ms Romain had dreamt of treating herself to the 18-carat bracelet for many years, which the trial judge herself described as a \u2018rather pretty, luxurious item\u2019.<\/p>\n But having bought it online, she found it was \u2018too small and didn\u2019t fit right\u2019 and so arranged for it to be returned in its box to Harrods in July last year.<\/p>\n Ms Romain, who is in her 50s, sued Harrods at Mayor\u2019s and City County Court, claiming she was due a refund or replacement of goods under the Consumer Contracts Regulations.<\/p>\n Judge Vignoli said Harrods\u2019 customer service had taken a \u2018pre-inspection video\u2019 of the bracelet after it was returned and examined, when they pinpointed alleged scratches and defects on the \u2018soft\u2019 metal of the bracelet.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t \t\t\t\tLatest London news\t\t\t<\/p>\n To get the latest news from the capital, visit Metro’s London news hub<\/a>.<\/p>\n The dispute between Ms Romain and the megastore ultimately hinged around her claims that Harrods had presented insufficient evidence that the bracelet they exhibited in the \u2018pre-inspection video\u2019 was the one sent back by Mrs Romain.<\/p>\n Soon after seeing this video last August, Ms Romain emailed Harrods\u2019 customer service team.<\/p>\n She asked, \u201chow can I be sure this is the same item because it doesn\u2019t show its unique serial number?\u201d, and suggested \u2018the bracelet you\u2019re holding in the pre-inspection video appears thicker than the one I ordered\u2019.<\/p>\n But the subsequent reply to her from Harrods made no mention of the video or missing serial number, simply advising Ms Romain that her return had been \u2018formally rejected\u2019 and that the bracelet \u2018is legally now your property\u2019.<\/p>\n Ruling in her favour, the judge explained: \u2018In order for Harrods\u2019 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.<\/p>\n \u2018But I am afraid there was a lack of evidence from the defendants before me today to satisfy me on that point.<\/p>\n \u2018I find their position in the emails to be frankly staggering.<\/p>\n \u2018Ms 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 \u2013 and that was flatly refused for reasons beyond me.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Lawyers for Harrods insisted that the bracelet would have been \u2018secured safely and handled carefully along the way\u2019, but the judge said she had seen \u2018absolutely no evidence of this\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018So, 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,\u2019 she added.<\/p>\n On top of that, Harrods had failed to produce solid evidence about the impact on value caused by the alleged defects, the court heard.<\/p>\n Harrods was ordered to pay out \u00a34,550 for the returned bracelet, which, with accumulated interest and court fees, means Ms Romain will walk away with \u00a35,131 in total.<\/p>\n A smiling Ms Romain declared herself \u2018very relieved\u2019 by the outcome outside court afterwards.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m never buying from Harrods again,\u2019 she added, explaining that she had saved for years to buy the Cartier bracelet, which she had set her heart on getting for her own birthday.<\/p>\n \u2018I was saving for years, I wanted to treat myself,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m going back to saving now. No more spending like this.\u2019<\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more stories like this, check our news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_289290840-401d.jpg\")
\n\t\tMs Romain had dreamt of treating herself to the 18-carat bracelet for many years, which the trial judge herself described as a \u2018rather pretty, luxurious item\u2019 (Picture: Harrods)<\/p>\n![\"Champion](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_289160213-17a5.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Cartier gold braclet that led to a court fight between Georgia Romain and Harrods
(Picture: Champion News)<\/p>\n![\"Champion](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SEI_289160216-41a9.jpg\")
\n\t\tGeorgia Romain pictured outside London Mayors and City County Court (Picture: Champion News)<\/p>\n
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