I can't believe a watch dealer tried to sell me a fake!

Yes as it says! A long standing dealer and watch repairer in Nottingham had a go at selling me a fake Omega Seamaster 300m full size automatic.

I'd popped in to his shop in the morning to get a battery for a g10 and he briefly showed me a few watches he had up for sale one of them being a Seamaster 300m I asked how much he was after he Said to me £600 but he was looking for £800 I said it was cheap and he said there was no box and papers.
I've just got back off my holidays and didnt have much cash so I said thanks but no thanks.

Later on I got thinking £600 is bloody good so I popped to the bank and got the cash with a view to snapping his hand off.

I got to the jewellers and his assistant said he gone out and would be back shortly and I could look at the watch while I was waiting.
At first glance I was excited but I was struggling to find any serial numbers, omega markings on the case back etc but it still looked OK (bearing in mind I'm not an expert on this model) so I gave it back to his assistant and said I'd wait until his boss came back.

On his return I said I'd come about the omega he said great and looked ready to do a deal, I said would you mind popping the back off just so I could see the movement and he said " I'm sorry the watch has been sold and it had already gone" to which the assistant replied no it hasn't its hear! The boss started giving him evil stares. I said let me have a look at the movement he then claimed he hadn't got the tool, to which his bumbling assistant held up the tool and said you have!

He did take the back off and it was an obvious fake and he claimed he was as shocked as me... Yeah right.

I can't believe that he had attempted to sell me a long standing customer a fake! I know he knew as soon as he said he'd sold it. He's a watch repairer and he claims he's Rolex and Omega certified! Well I'm going to take that with a pinch of salt! Luckily I only ever use him as my battery man.
TBH the stuff he does sell is overpriced and I should have seen the signs when he wanted £600 for a watch he could have got more for.

I think his assistant either didnt like him too much and wanted to drop him in it or honestly believed it was genuine.

But all in all I'm gob smacked!

The jewellers is in Westbridgeford in Nottingham and I'm not going to name and shame him directly if you PM me and live my way I will give you a good heads up where to avoid!

Wow, what a story! :-O

Thats outrageous. Bet that assistant isn't there long!

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Originally Posted by Baden H

Yes as it says! A long standing dealer and watch repairer in Nottingham had a go at selling me a fake Omega Seamaster 300m full size automatic.

I'd popped in to his shop in the morning to get a battery for a g10 and he briefly showed me a few watches he had up for sale one of them being a Seamaster 300m I asked how much he was after he Said to me £600 but he was looking for £800 I said it was cheap and he said there was no box and papers.
I've just got back off my holidays and didnt have much cash so I said thanks but no thanks.

Later on I got thinking £600 is bloody good so I popped to the bank and got the cash with a view to snapping his hand off.

I got to the jewellers and his assistant said he gone out and would be back shortly and I could look at the watch while I was waiting.
At first glance I was excited but I was struggling to find any serial numbers, omega markings on the case back etc but it still looked OK (bearing in mind I'm not an expert on this model) so I gave it back to his assistant and said I'd wait until his boss came back.

On his return I said I'd come about the omega he said great and looked ready to do a deal, I said would you mind popping the back off just so I could see the movement and he said " I'm sorry the watch has been sold and it had already gone" to which the assistant replied no it hasn't its hear! The boss started giving him evil stares. I said let me have a look at the movement he then claimed he hadn't got the tool, to which his bumbling assistant held up the tool and said you have!

He did take the back off and it was an obvious fake and he claimed he was as shocked as me... Yeah right.

I can't believe that he had attempted to sell me a long standing customer a fake! I know he knew as soon as he said he'd sold it. He's a watch repairer and he claims he's Rolex and Omega certified! Well I'm going to take that with a pinch of salt! Luckily I only ever use him as my battery man.
TBH the stuff he does sell is overpriced and I should have seen the signs when he wanted £600 for a watch he could have got more for.

I think his assistant either didnt like him too much and wanted to drop him in it or honestly believed it was genuine.

But all in all I'm gob smacked!

The jewellers is in Westbridgeford in Nottingham and I'm not going to name and shame him directly if you PM me and live my way I will give you a good heads up where to avoid!

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Good Greif ...doesnt give us much hope or a chance really if a dealer is doing this !! :omg:

Just my two pennies worth but IMHO you'd be doing the TZ-UK community, not to mention WIS' at large, a great disservice if you don't name & shame publicly in this instance...

Shocking. Presumably a polite nod to Omega to let them know about someone selling a copy might be in order?

That is truly shocking.

Absolute disgrace.

If you do inform Rolex or Omega, go back and get the assistants' details as a witness (if he still has his job!)

Absolutely shocking. And as a dealer I would definitely say he needs naming so people know about him and this doesn't happen again!

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Originally Posted by chicaneuk

Shocking. Presumably a polite nod to Omega to let them know about someone selling a copy might be in order?

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Agree 100%.

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Originally Posted by MST

Just my two pennies worth but IMHO you'd be doing the TZ-UK community, not to mention WIS' at large, a great disservice if you don't name & shame publicly in this instance...

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Agreed,name and shame. This sort of practice need not go on.

It was too cheap for SC, let alone a dealer, so there was enough evidence to say that it wasn't genuine. To look on the bright side, you escaped unharmed, and you know with certainty that he can't be trusted. Trust, a long time to earn, a second to destroy.

David

Not a huge surprise.

The industry is rife with this sort of thing and has been forever. It is a little easier with a watch. Such things , even to the less knowledgeable, as serial numbers and the obvious movement are an immediate give away. You actually need to be a bit daft to end up buying a fake watch F2F.
Imagine what the Ruby, Sapphire, etc you are buying is really like. Diamonds are less of a problem now, due to anyone sensible demanding certification. I regularly see Glass filled stones in jewellers, as well as synthetic Sapphires. All on sale as the real thing. Often the jeweller himself wouldn't know the difference.
Caveat Emptor

Name removed after advice from other members, feel free to contact me though if advice s needed.

Shocking...

he's probably been stung for it himself so he'll be stuck with it too. no excuse for trying to palm it off on you though.

The no good peace of sxxt................

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Originally Posted by java

Not a huge surprise.

The industry is rife with this sort of thing and has been forever. It is a little easier with a watch. Such things , even to the less knowledgeable, as serial numbers and the obvious movement are an immediate give away. You actually need to be a bit daft to end up buying a fake watch F2F.
Imagine what the Ruby, Sapphire, etc you are buying is really like. Diamonds are less of a problem now, due to anyone sensible demanding certification. I regularly see Glass filled stones in jewellers, as well as synthetic Sapphires. All on sale as the real thing. Often the jeweller himself wouldn't know the difference.
Caveat Emptor

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Quite literally a minefield. Then you have jewellers advertising used stones as new for double the price to contend with. Many of the well known high street jewellers do a fabulous trade with massive profit margins simply because they are generally trusted by the majority of the public and when buying diamonds trust is of paramount importance.

I would say if you are going to contact Onega you probably need to document the assistants actions to avoid him getting the sack as a result of getting the dealer into trouble.

That's jawdropping, especially as he clearly knew what he was doing.
I had always (mistakenly it seems) believed that the higher price of buying through a bricks and mortar dealer was in effect 'insurance' against this sort of thing.

Forget naming and shaming. That's a given. The guy should be reported. Not sure who to, but he shouldn't get away with it.

Wow, what a worrying story. There's plenty of people who'd have fallen for that- especially as the OP himself thought it looked ok on first inspection.

Name and shame, I reckon

*ignites pitchfork*

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Originally Posted by o u t a t i m e

Forget naming and shaming. That's a given. The guy should be reported. Not sure who to, but he shouldn't get away with it.

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Trading Standards, no?

:omg:
That interplay between the dealer and his assistant could be a scene between Father Ted and Dougal..... :rolleyes:

I've named it in a thread above but sadly my business is local and known to him as well as he has my contact details, I don't fancy the repercussions from dopping him in :-( he's a bit of a wide boy too (yes I know!) he would know its me, all a bit too close to home for me.

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Originally Posted by AlexM

Agreed,name and shame. This sort of practice need not go on.

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For once I disagree. Whilst I believe the OP, he has no evidence should the shop take issue with him naming them, and take legal action.
If he had bought the watch, it would be a different story.

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Originally Posted by mikiejack

For once I disagree. Whilst I believe the OP, he has no evidence should the shop take issue with him naming them, and take legal action.
If he had bought the watch, it would be a different story.

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It is indeed a thin line but in reality it is just a case of a prospective buyer realising that an item that he was close to purchasing was far from genuine,walking away,and simply recounting an event that occurred.

Get in touch with trading standards.

What I find a worry is that you may take your Omega (or what ever) in for a new battery and walk out with your watch but a different movement. Inside
You may not even notice until you come to sell (if you do, or if the new buyer notices).

As for the legal side if it; it is also deception by the seller which is a criminal offence.
He will just plead ignorance though.

Absolutely disgusting behaviour from a dealer.

Not what you expect from a (supposedly) reputable trader.

I work on the principle that all jewellers are crooked to a greater or lesser extent, and that includes watch traders. I was told this many years ago....by a jeweller! Traditionally, the watch trade has been rife with sharp practice, including the sale of fakes or (more common) watches that aren`t what they seem (ie marriages, watch and case put together) or watches from a dubious source . Repairers are often no better, carrying out bodged 'repairs' to fix their own damage in some cases. I see this on vintage watches, never ceases to amaze me.

In this case, it's incredible that a trader should try selling something fake to a guy who's a regular!

Paul

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Originally Posted by spaceslug

:omg:
That interplay between the dealer and his assistant could be a scene between Father Ted and Dougal..... :rolleyes:

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Ha ha - Yes

"Ah, you want to see inside that watch?... Well you sees I sold it this morning to old Mrs Miggins"
"No you didn't Ted, it's right here. look!"
"Oh, thanks Dougal... Trouble is I don't have the right tool fer it"
"Sure you do, Ted, here it is, see?"

Classic.

M

Truly shocking.

Desperate people do desperate things... sounds like business not going too well for him - this sort of thing is enough to wreck a business where trust and quality is everything.

This doesn't surprise me at all TBH.

If you look around any watch fair you will see plenty of fakes/marriages/bodge ups etc etc.

Plenty of people buy this stuff, are happy with it and probably never find out unless a nosy WIS sticks his oar in. :black_eyed:

If a dealer gets stiffed he will try and pass it on.

It's shocking stuff but nothing new.

Does this scumbag use the internet to trade in any way?

This guy deserves to be run out of business if you ask me

We should collectively post on every review site about this, I'm tempted to call them and ask if they have anymore fake Omega watches for sale ?

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Originally Posted by MST

Trading Standards, no?

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That's what I'd have thought.

Nothing new there - the BP is not an open forum. Go name him there so we can get the pitchforks out :twistedskull:

Trading Standards are in the main a completely impotent organisation, they will do nothing over one watch, he'd need to be selling 10 a day for them to do anything

Name and shame.

Shame on him, No trustat all these days
I am intensively shocked
G

Og my good ness that is indeed shocking news. I would contact trading standards and drop a polite phone call to Omega UK HQ.

He had the perfect cover :)
I have heard about people buying genuine watches and after a few hours returning fakes. I can see this happen in a watch shop but to a repairer..... Good thing you noticed.

Definitely contact trading standards, my son had cause to use them prior to taking a trader to court and with their help secured a £30k payout. Even if it is the first complaint they will start building up a file and it could help with any further complaints, they can only act with what information they have.

Selling a counterfeit watch as the genuine item is fraud (attempted). I know the Police are unlikely to be able to do much with out proof etc, but it's a bit more than a trading issue. I'd report it tbh.

A sad state of affairs, I would consider reporting him to TS.

Cheers Martin

The more I think about this the more I am convinced you need to just name him.
Nothing wrong with your story, assuming it's accurate. It is corroborated by the assistant and, most importantly of all, the dealer claims he didn't realise and was apologetic.
I can't see a reason not to name him.

Shocking. I would let Omega know about it.

That's outrageous, to say the least. As has previously been said, I definitely think that you should bring this issue up to Omega.