Woman Asks If She’s Wrong For Refusing To Accept A $38 Temu Engagement Ring From Her Fiancé Who Makes Six Figures
She claimed she would've preferred if he'd purchased a ring from a reputable seller.
Dragana Gordic | Shutterstock A woman is questioning if she made the right decision after rejecting an engagement ring from her fiancé because the price didn't match up to the amount of money that he makes at his job.
Posting to the subreddit r/AITAH, the 27-year-old claimed that she was disappointed with the engagement ring she'd been given because of its poor quality and decided to tell her fiancé that she didn't want it at all.
A woman refused to accept a $38 Temu engagement ring from her fiancé because he could afford something much nicer.
My fiancé proposed to me a few weeks ago. It caught me completely by surprise, but we’ve been together for 3 years, and things have been going great. So I was really excited and said yes!" she began in her Reddit post.
She explained that she thought the ring was fine when she first looked at it, and most of her friends were complimenting how "stunning" it was as well.
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She described it as being an oval cut with "diamonds" across the back.
When the woman initially asked her fiancé where he'd gotten the ring, he seemed reluctant to tell her. But, he promised that he'd gotten a good deal on it.
She assumed he'd gotten it from a jeweler who'd given him a sizeable discount. However, one night, while they were lying in bed, she asked him if the stone on the ring was a diamond or moissanite, mainly out of curiosity.
He claimed that he didn't know but would look it up, and when she glanced at his phone to see, she was shocked to learn that he was looking at the Temu app.
Temu is an online marketplace similar to eBay and Etsy, offering steep discounts on many products. However, the company has received numerous criticisms from consumers complaining about undelivered packages, mysterious charges, incorrect orders, and lackluster customer service.
Additionally, many of their products aren't always the best quality, and buying an engagement ring from the site might not have been the best idea.
When the woman confronted her fiancé about buying the ring from Temu, he got upset that she was bothered by it.
"I asked him if he got it from there and he didn’t respond. So I asked again and he responded with something like, 'Does it matter?' and left the room [to] sleep on the couch," she continued.
"I spent all night so confused. Today decided to download the app and look up my ring and I found one that looked identical."
Upon finding the ring, she noticed that the price was only $38, which just made her even more mad and confused about why her fiancé would think to buy something as monumental as an engagement ring from somewhere like Temu.
She pointed out that money had nothing to do with his decision, considering he makes six figures at his job and could've shelled out just a bit more for such an important gift.
While nearly everything about buying an engagement ring is subjective, according to a 2023 study by theknot, the average cost of an engagement ring for couples buying in the U.S. is $5,500. That's certainly more than what this woman's fiancé spent, but what's more concerning than the price tag was the fact that her husband-to-be didn't take her preferences into account when making such an important purchase.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock
Of course, it's easy to argue that money shouldn't really be a factor when it comes to something like an engagement ring. There's nothing wrong with spending $38 on it or going to a thrift store, vintage store, or even consignment shop to find the perfect ring.
His primary concern should have been a ring that reflected his fiancée's style and would stand the test of time — much like the lifelong commitment the two were making.
He didn't have to spend thousands of dollars on it, but given the significance of the occasion, he could've chosen something more durable from a reputable seller.
If he was buying his partner costume jewelry, that's one thing, but a piece of jewelry as important as an engagement ring should have a bit more thought behind it.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.