Reply With QuoteAnd the morale of the story is .....use a UK Grey Dealer! Sorry to be blunt but often a few quid cheaper is expensive in hassle
We often see threads asking about sellers on C24, well I'd like to share my experience so far....
I found an omega AT in blue at a fair price... The seller is according to Chrono 24 a "trusted premium seller" with a physical store, and no outstanding disputes.... So you'd think fairly safe.... They also have their own website, and list literally hundreds of high end expensive brands....
Below is a copy of our correspondance to date.. It all started on July 18th
Me: Fri 18th July
Hi there.... I'm interested in the omega watch, but you're shipping charges seem quite high....
Can you do anything with that??
Regards
Enoch
Reply:
I make you €3000 euro all included.
You can pay directly on my website.
The delivery time is 3 days.
Best regards
Me
Ok... Thanks
Can you send me all bank details, and I will do a direct transfer of €3000
Regards
Enoch
Reply
Ok thanks. In attachment my bank details.
Best regards
Me
Hi again.
I now have you set up as an international account... So I can pay direct to you.....
I will be making payment of €3000 on Monday. 21st July. And I will contact you to confirm...
Just a reminder.. The watch I'd like to buy is the 39.5mm BLUE dial Omega aqua terra with bracelet...
Ref. No.
231.10.39.21.03.001
Code
1030
Movement
Automatic
Case Material
Steel
Bracelet Material
Steel
Year
2014
Condition
0 (unworn)
New
With Box
With Papers
Location
Italy,
Price
€ 2,910 (= £ 2,303)
Availability
Available in 6-10 working days
My full name and address is
Enoch
*******
High Street
*********
********
Shropshire
S*** 7R*
United Kingdom....
I shall be in touch on Monday
Have a good weekend
Many thanks
Enoch
Reply
Ok! I ship you tuesday. 22nd July
Best regards
Me 21st July
Just to confirm..... I have transferred €3000 to your bank account.... It may take a few hours to show up, but it seems to have gone through without a problem.....
Regards
Enoch
Me Wed 23
Hi
Did you receive the money ok??
Me Thurs 24
Hi
I sent you €3000 euros on Monday.... Could you at least let me know that you have the money...
Reply
Hi Enoch
I have see your payment today in my account. In this moment I have only a
42mm blue. For the 39mm you have to wait 7 days. Do you want a refund or
waiting for?
Let me know please.
Best regards
Me. 24th July
Hi.
Thanks for the reply.... It's the first time I've sent money to Italy so I wanted to know that it arrived ok.....
As for the watch... I'm happy to wait for 39mm please....... 7 days is fine, no problem...
Just mail me when you post so I know its on its way....
Many thanks
Enoch
Me 1st August
Hi
Any update??
Reply 3rd August
Enoch
I do not have any news yet. I ordered the watch and are waiting. during the
summer holidays waits are longer.
Thank you
Me 10 August
Almost 3 weeks now, and still no watch....... Can you update me please
Reply 13 August
in the coming days we will send the watch
sorry for the delay
Me
But Your website now says this watch is available IMMEDIATELY.... But I'm still waiting
Me 19th August
Ok. How much longer must I wait.??... I paid €3000 on 23rd July...... Now its19th August.... Not good
Me 20th August
Available immediately... So why am I still waiting???
Please send me my watch....
Me ...20th August
Terrible terrible service..
You say on your website watch in stock... So why not send it to me????? I paid€3000 euros weeks ago...
NOT good
Reply 20th August
My supplier is closed. I try to call.
Will be available in 15 days
My shop is closed
Best regards
And that's how it stands..... No watch, poor communications... Once the order was placed, they only seem to reply when contacted through C24..... Direct emails seem to be mostly ignored...
Will I get my watch?? I suspect I will, but I've learnt a lesson along the way.....
Last edited by Enoch; 23rd September 2014 at 14:55.
And the morale of the story is .....use a UK Grey Dealer! Sorry to be blunt but often a few quid cheaper is expensive in hassle
RIAC
This thread is useless without the name of the company.
Sounds like really bad service - but he could have foreseen the August holiday period being difficult and organised
things with you differently, but no he wanted your money on deposit whilst he waited along with you. It appears he has
now buggered off on hols too! I would not worry too much, very frustrating I agree but think your money is safe. what I would do is when you get your
mitts on the watch is launch an all out complaints barrage about him to C24....it won't accomplish much but will make you feel better!
Your watch will probably be delivered 1st or 2nd week of September....most of Italy and France for that matter seem to be on holiday here just now.
Hang on in there!.
David
Is it VIRTUOSO??????
David
It looks very frustrating but I would not worry too much.
Based on my limited experience with Italian grey market dealers, this is indeed how they work...
Very very bad.
I've only got Italian E-bay experience, a faulty OS300 that Oriënt Japan kindly repaired for a minimal fee.
No wonder a lot of USA based E-bay sellers do no business with Italy!
Daddel.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
I know it looks bad but all the Italian dealer are shut for August (or most of it).
I'm sure you will get it... just will be September!
Sorry to here this.
but this ^^^^^^Originally Posted by EJL25
I've only use il Segnatempo in Italy via Chrono24 and the deal was perfectly completed.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Be as blunt as you like.... But the nearest UK based grey dealer was almost £500 more... Which might be a "few quid" to some, but to me it was a worthwhile saving...
Like others have said, I'm sure I'll get my watch, eventually... The reason for the post was to pass on my experience, so that others can go in with more info, if that's what they decide to do..
I'm not going to name the seller yet, as it looks at the moment, as though I'm just a victim of the Italian Holiday season..
Which if I'd known, I'd probably would have held off until after Sept....
The main point was that way back in July, the watch was advertised with a 3 to 5 day delivery, then I was told it would be posted the day after the seller received, my payment, then it was to be within the next 7 days...
In the meantime, his listing changed to "IN stock" when obviously it wasn't....
My A level in hindsight is in the post...
Sorry to hear about the delay, there is nothing more frustrating than to see something in stock when it's not and there is no excuse for it: The broad statements you normally hear in posts about buying from Italy are negative, but my experience of Italy sellers through eBay and a web based shop has been very positive.
^^^^ yes... As I say I'm not to worried, and have to accept, that if I'd wanted great service, I'd probably have been better off dealing elsewhere...
It is what it is, but I'd have been far happier, if the seller had just said up front... "Look there's going to be a long delay because..... Etc etc..
I'd made the decision at the outset, that I wasn't in a rush, but in saying that, the seller has been economical with the truth, and the was no need to be.... I'm a reasonable person, and I'd have accepted that at the price I'd paid there could be a delay..
Me too, my experiences have been positive. That said, my latest purchase from Italy has been held up because everyone seems to have gone on holiday until the beginning of September, however, given that I'm saving about £850 over the cheapest of the UK grey dealers, and maybe a couple of thousand over UK RRP, I'll suck it up.
You pays your money, etc etc.
It's not just Italy though. I had a similar problem with a highly respected UK dealer. I bought an "in stock" watch winder only to find that I had to wait until his supplier opened again after the Christmas holidays.
OP, I feel your frustration but hope you'll not be disappointed come September!
I think you will be fine, Dom Hackett is getting delays now as well so it is def a real issue, but there are some dealers who will tell you what you want to hear. Also if they have a large chrono24 presence they get 100s of emails a day so they can be very sloppy in their accuracy over stock etc, Watchfinder are another here that are too big to give any decent service unless you go to see them in person and get the right salesman, ie Michael.
Let us know the dealer when this is resolved please.
Thats the way businesses (Especially retail) work though, is it not?
I'd imagine any other time of the year it would have been a 24/48 hour turn around...Your order - They order it - It arrives next day - Its with you the day after? At the end of the day If they'd have said to you its out of stock would you of ordered it?
No it's not. Some internet businesses do work on a drop shipment basis for larger items.
If it says "in stock" then you don't expect to have to wait over a month for the item, it should be in stock. If not, the anticipated delivery should be indicated. Especially when selling through an eBay shop.
Had a delivery period of 3-4 weeks been advised, I would still have ordered the item and been happy to wait.
Honesty is worth a lot..... Yes I'd still have ordered..:-)
At the outset The item I was after clearly said "6 to 10 working days"
Later on I was sent an email saying "watch will be sent on Tuesday 24th July"
Then I was told "I will send the watch in 7 days"
In the meantime the listing on C24 changes from 6 to 10..... To "in stock"
The seller has put more effort into giving me the runaround, than if he'd been up front at the beginning...:)
I'm sorry to hear this but thanks for sharing your experience over here as from now on, others would have known to avoid ordering during this season.
This is one reason why I avoid Italian sales and buys, the other one is the poor shipping from and to Italy, missing items etc.
I'd very much like a particular watch from Seiyajapan.com, but it's experiences such as this that are holding me back.
The watch in question is only £300.
I looked at good deals form some sites on Chrono24, and not just Italian ones, but came to the opinion that I would not buy if they only displayed a stock photo on their website. I hope your dealings end up okay but for anyone else thinking of buying from an overseas, or indeed UK based grey dealer, perhaps asking for a photo and watch manufacture ref to prove it's in stock before handing over any money would be prudent
Having single-handedly ran a home furnishing online business, I can tell you thats the way we ran, turnaround from suppliers was quick enough to not need to stock anything, although we held huge stocks.
I guess financing is the key, however we're talking about christmas periods etc which as stated completely messes everything around.
I can't see the point in your suggestion. If you are buying a new watch, it's going to look just like any other new watch. The way some of these Italian grey dealers seem to work is that they have an extremely close relationship with the local AD's. You order the watch from the grey dealer, they go to the AD, and the AD puts your name on the paperwork and the watch gets sent to you. The grey dealer may never actually have the watch in stock - which is a good business model, as he doesn't want huge amounts of money tied up in inventory. Having to finance lots of inventory would mean he couldn't offer such low prices.
This is where you can get caught out, because if the AD sells the watch that you think you've ordered from the grey dealer, he (the grey dealer) either needs to source the watch from somewhere else, or wait until the AD gets another delivery. Which means that you the customer needs to wait.
At this time of year, it all gets a bit complicated in Italy, as AD's and Grey dealers all disappear on holiday. I'm waiting for a watch that I ordered at the end of July (which someone else bought five minutes before I sent my payment) and which I won't now see until the middle of September. But as I said in a previous post, at the price it's being offered, it's worth the wait.
As I stated, some businesses do work that way, particularly with larger items. Not all businesses do.
I wouldn't expect an eBay seller to not carry an item in stock which is listed as such without stating the fact that delivery may be delayed.
The fact is I was annoyed that an item I bought and paid for as being in stock wasn't and also wasn't available for another four weeks.
Not watch related, but the firm I work for has an 'arm' in Italy. We've learnt never to expect anything from them for pretty much the whole of August - they just drop off the radar completely. The rest of the year they're very proactive and are a pleasure to work with - seems pretty much a cultural thing that August is holiday time and as far as they are concerned everyone should know that (without being told) and happily accept the lack of responses.
Dave - I've not ordered from an Italian dealer before, but have bought two watches from Seiya. Comms were good, and both arrived quickly and as promised.
You do need to consider the customs/handling charges though.
All my experiences with shipments from Italy are flawless. I don't know this seller and I will surely not stick up for him. But, as mentioned, in August in Italy almost nothing happens, so I can imagine his story is true.
Seiya is a completely different person entirely, and above reproach.
In answer to being asked, "Should I buy from him?", my simple reply would be "Is the Pope Catholic?"
I feel for you buddy, had one terrible experience with an Italian seller on Chrono24 as well, although after 3 weeks of agony I did eventually get the watch (and to my pleasant surprise, was exactly as described) - so stay optimistic! :P
[QUOTE=Incredible Sulk;3246178]
The suggestion was the physical confirmation of the watch genuinely being in stock- the point to which I understood to be the main gripe of the OP. You've been told you'll have to wait so you're cool with that. The OP was told he can have his watch now. There's a difference
Sorry to hear about this. Always awful when you encounter such bad service. Hope it works out in the end.
So how is it going now? I will be hopefully ordering from an oversea company too, Monaco Watch Company, as are newbie I would love to hear your experiences. Thanks
As expected. No change or contact since last message on 20th Aug.....
my experience is two times bad. two times i was ordering the watch from them, never again. Rather 300€ more to spend than buy from Italian. Maybe someone has nice experience but I dont.
I have bought 3 watches from Italy from different dealers (not new ones however). Comms were sometime slow, but aren't all dealers sometimes. But deals were done, and they sent the watches quickly on receipt of wire transfer. They arrived as described and without issue.
Was this bank transfer or by Credit Card?
Are there any dealers willing to accept payment by Paypal?
Wire transfer = bank transfer which is what is did far all 3. Between £5k and £12k for the different watches
And yet you are happy to name Chrono24 in the thread title, despite them having nothing whatsoever to do with the transaction (other than running an advertising website where anybody in the world can advertise any watch).
Think you need to read the OP's first couple of sentences – there's more than one reason for why he's mentioning where the Italian seller advertises.
Last edited by PJ S; 12th September 2014 at 11:10.
Any change? We're well into September now.
You should be fine with the above, I have not personally dealt but a good friend has with no problems. He lives in France.
Gosh I thought as time passed international trade might help reduce the price a watches and other goods in blighty, but
seems I was wrong! Just to say I just sold a high ticket watch to Italy, the postal service took forever, and on reflection
would avoid the month of August. Rather like here everybody is on the beach!
Be good to hear some news OP.
David
It would be good to know who the seller is now, so we can all avoid them.
update.... Following a message I sent last Monday..... I will name the dealer once I receive my watch, as I don't want him googling his name, and finding this thread as it may scupper my deal....
Up to now, the only thing he's done wrong is be a bit slow to respond (once he had my money) & stretch the truth regarding stock and delivery times..... If it all turns out ok I may even use them again, but next time I'll be better prepared...
I suppose the lesson I've learnt from all this, is that some of our European friends, don't put the same emphasis on service, time keeping and communication, that we've come to expect in the UK...
I'm kicking myself a little bit, as we used to have Italian machinery at work, and when I remember back, August and September were a nightmare if we needed parts....
The bottom line is, there is no getting away from the excellent purchase price for the watch I've bought... Almost £500 less than a popular grey dealer here in the UK....
Me:
Hi
We are now 8th September..... How long now for my watch please.??
Regards
Reply 12th Sept
I have receive the watch and I ship you tuesday.
Best regards
Do you have a point??
The thread title is "MY chrono24 Experience"......
I found the seller through CHRONO24, I looked at the CHRONO24 Rating for the seller. I based my buying decision On the CHRONO24 Rating, I took note of the feedback for this seller on CHRONO24..
CHRONO24 keep bombarding me with feedback requests for my dealings with this seller, and despite completing them, they've shown no interest...
CHRONO24 is just an advertising website....but their ratings, feedback and recommendation systems should actually mean something....
Given that well priced watches appear frequently from Italian sellers on Chrono24, recording one's experiences on forums is hugely beneficial. I recently purchased a piece from an Italian seller and prior to doing sought opinions on this forum from others who may have dealt previously withe the seller. On this occasion, none were forthcoming but I proceeded with the purchase which went smoothly and detailed the account of the transaction after the watch arrived for others to see. I would always view a seller with positive reviews in good light and would steer clear of sellers with negative comments, even if bricks and mortar existed.
And that sir is exactly why I started the thread.... The reviews for this seller gave no cause for concern, which is why I went ahead...
To be fair, I'm sure he's legit, and not in anyway a crook, but if I'd read reviews of long delays, items not in stock, despite being advertised as such, I may have looked elsewhere, I'd certainly have been better armed..
As I said above, the reviews on Chrono24 should bear some weight, otherwise there's no point in having them...
Good article, was looking at (0) or (1) Rolex.
Who are the grey dealers?
Fellows have some nice items in their sales, choices, choices?
Although from what I have seen prices are not so good when the buyer's premium is taken into consideration (and I think they've started charging an online bidding fee too!).
Last edited by markrlondon; 16th September 2014 at 21:38.
Any news on the watch? I think you've been really lenient, although there isn't a great deal you can do to be fair...
Hope the watch turns up, but the service is terrible and you should be happy to name and shame... Are they on twitter? Always good for a complaint and to warn potential consumers.
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