In light of the recent feedback on this forum towards certain italian dealers I thought I'd share my own, somewhat negative experience of a forum favourite - iconic watches.
I was in the market for a watch as a special Christmas present for my wife. On the 1st of December I contacted iconic and was assured they could source the model she wanted (a Rolex non-date on oyster with blue batton dial) by Christmas. I ordered the watch and paid a sizeable deposit on the 2nd of December. Two weeks later, on the 16th, I phoned to enquire as to the status of the order but was told they'd email me back. No communication was forthcoming so on the 17th I phoned again, and after a wait I eventually spoke to the person dealing with my order. I was informed they could not source the watch for Christmas after all and the last Rolex delivery was that day. When I enquired as to what had changed since the 2nd I was fobbed off. I was then offered the possibility of iconic sourcing the same model watch with a different colour scheme. I requested a refund and two days later the monies arrived back in my account.
What I find disappointing and surprising is at no point did the representitive offer an apology. I appreciate suppliers do occasionally let dealers down, it does happen however I was assured the watch could be sourced by Christmas and they've let me down.
Last edited by rasputin; 19th December 2014 at 09:01.
They have indeed let you down, as you say probably through no fault of their own but they should have been on to immediately and profuse apologies should have been forthcoming.
I would imagine they are pretty flat out at this time if year, but it's a poor excuse to miss out basic customer service. Hope you get something sorted!!
Accept this isn't good, but if you set out to save money, you always run the risk of a let down. I'd wager the model is available through a Rolex AD, albeit at RRP.
Our six month old Dyson vacuum cleaner has stopped working.
I called Dyson yesterday and they are going to send a courier to get it, fix it and send it back.
The courier is coming on January 13th.
Service in this country is crap.
They shouldn't say they can get it if they might not be able to. And they certainly should let you know if they are not going to be able to get it. poor
Yup - an excuse for a day out over the weekend I think.Originally Posted by burnsey66
Not ideal but they returned money in a reasonable time. Comms were poor though which is usually the way most of these problems are amplified.
Good luck finding a replacement.
to be honest its a bit unfair to them, I understand they weren't great in communicating out to you but as others have said they're probably processing 100's of orders this time of year and to be honest, getting round ordering an expensive watch which has to be sourced from abroad (i.e. not in stock) on 2nd of December with an expectation to receive it in time for Christmas was a bit late on your side as well. If you had done it in November I'm sure you wouldn't have had a problem now. When I was buying my watch from them last year I wanted it for 1st Dec and ordered it in October just to make sure it arrives on time.
A pity bit it doesn't came as a surprise I hope?
When dealing with grey market dealers always make sure they have the watch you want already in stock, because they are depending on third parties for their models, and they cannot simply order a specific model you want. Now, clearly they didn't had the luck to get the watch you want, but that's the risk in dealing with grey market dealers... OTOH, they shouldn't have promised you to be able to deliver.
Chaps
I am an ex Purchasing Manager and had to chase suppliers every day of the week.
Nothing is ever guaranteed to be delivered on time but if a suppliers keeps you posted about late deliveries rather than you having to chase him, then it sweetens the pill and shows an element of pro active involvement.
The main problem here was the Christmas deadline, under normal circumstances you can live with a delivery say a week behind schedule but on a special occasion such as Christmas, it becomes very important.
To be fair, Iconic are honest in how they work and sourcing a watch is a bit of a lottery and it is impossible to give a firm date. They did refund the deposit and the lesson is simple, allow them as much time as possible, especially before Christmas.
Regards
Mick
I don't see how you can say that. I inquired into whether the watch would be available for Christmas and I was assured that it would be. When they became aware that they could not fulfill the order they should have informed me - instead I had to chase them. Finally, when I was eventually informed the watch would not be available I did not receive any sort of apology. In my book that is lousy customer service.
Like this >>
I agree, they were happy to take your money on a promise they could not deliver, it would have been much better to have not raised your expectations and have been honest about any potential sourcing problems. The fact you had to chase and then not even get an apology is very poor customer service and will put off a lot of people dealing with them. Being a busy time of the year does not excuse the situation.
9.7 out of 10 so must be doing something right.Don't forget to leave your negative feedback.
https://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/iconicwatches.co.uk
I enquired about a watch with them abut the same time. To be fair they did make clear that they couldn't guarantee delivery before Christmas and I made a decision on that basis.
I agree it could've been better handled, but a post entitled "Iconicwatches - poor" implies they're poor overall, which seems to fly in the face of most people's experiences with them.
I bought a watch from them in 2013 and it arrived exactly the day they promised (on my birthday) and service and comms was excellent throughout.
I can sympathise with the OP and they should have communicated the problem sooner, rather than the OP having to chase, but overall they're a good company to deal with and the saving you're making is a factor of them having to source watches from ADs willing to sell to them, so if time is tight and critical, you (people in general) need to decide if guaranteed delivery is worth paying extra for.
A bit of glitch (and a cautionary tale) rather than the general state of affairs the thread title suggests.
M
Is this what you were after for her?
http://www.miltonaires.com/product/1581
Or was it the 177200 (31mm) version?
Last edited by PJ S; 19th December 2014 at 13:06.
Close! - the silver dialed version.
Thanks
You pays your money and so on, however nothing excuses poor communication these days, not even a grumbling acceptance that
Service in this country is crap.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Don't advertise watches you don't have!
That's the solution. Quite a few of the online dealers do this but they are not alone companies like sportshoe direct used to offer cheap trainers and all they do is take orders and when they have enough interest they can negotiate a better rate but it often backfires.
RIAC
Iconic openly state which watches are in stock and which will be ordered.
They are not a used dealer, they are a grey dealer who sell the odd used watch.
They managed to get my mrs watch to me in time for Christmas , but then I ordered it with plenty of time to spare.
This misses the point. The OP asked iconic if they could source the watch in time and they a) said they could and b) took a deposit which shows intent and confidence on their part.
Everything after that is unacceptable from iconic.
The OP had a poor experience with Iconic watches and has reported his experience - seems fair to me and is normally how reviews work. Should an Amazon reviewer (for example) not rate a product poor because everyone else gave it 5 stars?
Plenty of positive reviews elsewhere on TZ for balance.
Poor service and all that would have been needed was better communication.
The fact that they would have saved you money and/or it's Christmas is no excuse.
They can expect little sympathy from me for that kind of service, while I can understand it if it was a low value product.
If I ordered a book or a £20 product, sure I can understand that a small value order gets forgotten or that the communication is poor. But this is a £xxxx product here, grey or not. If they are unable to properly handle the amount of business offered to them they should either hire more staff or don't accept the orders in the first place. They were only to keen to accept a down payment. Taking money is the easy part of running a business.
Sometimes consumers have too many demands/rights, but failing to keep a customer up to date, especially on a multi thousand pound watch that's supposed to be a Christmas gift is just poor in my book. It baffles me that some people think it's okay, normal or reasonable service. Yes OP could have placed the order earlier, but wasn't the seller supposed to warn him if it would be tricky to manage before Christmas? He could have gone to a different seller or decided on a different watch with time to spare.
I have never dealt with Iconic but in all industries there is a grey market which is never as reliable as the official channel - otherwise there wouldn't be an official channel.
I think the problem is one of expectations - the OP has an important date in mind they need the watch by but for the supplier they just arrive when they arrive.
I think the OP may have been a little optimistic in his expectations - however given he made it clear it was needed by a certain date Iconic could have been more proactive as I would imagine Christmas is a key date for them as well as the OP. I do wonder if it is poor service or just the nature of the beast however?
I don't think anyone has said that?
It's a shame, but the nature of the business, they are also reliant on other suppliers - imagine they order it from say an Italian or Greek AD who then finds a buyer at retail and Iconic don't get their discounted watch.
Their communication however was very poor.
I agree with OP.
That is poor communication, and to then not even apologise properly let's Iconic down further.
To their credit though, they refunded OP without quibbling.
Why do they deserve credit for refunding the cash they took when they failed to fulfil the contract?
The difference is that on Amazon you'd see all the positive and negative reviews together, here you're just seeing that "Iconicwatches are Poor". You'd have to search to find another thread related to Iconic to see that the experience of others was positive.
Of course that IS this person's experience, but it's not the majority's. I'm not saying for a second that the OP doesn't have the full right to consider them poor on his experience or to pass that opinion on.
M.
This is at the heart of that matter.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
So what are you actually saying then?
That it's a hassle for anyone doing their due diligence of any reseller, to use the site's or Google's 'site' search?
Maybe we should just have Ed make the first page a list of sticky threads, to save everyone the need to bother searching for any subject matter.
God forbid anyone should have to venture onto page 2, or even page 3........can you imagine the chaos of lost souls not knowing how to get back?
Would certainly be easier if this sort of thread was in H&V.
I'm sure it would, but are we going to sticky every reseller that every member has used/uses or just certain ones like Iconic and Watchfinder, for example?
Personally, I don't see any point – if you're going to buy from any commercial reseller, then it's up to you to put in the necessary research.
In this context, how would all the positive feedback about Iconic have helped the OP's situation?
He'd have been buoyed up with all the comments, but still ended up as empty-handed and without any meaningful apology – so for all the positivity they've garnered from members here, they've completely undone it in the OP's eyes.
Maybe it needs a standalone thread like this one, which they may see or have brought to their attention, so that they can address the lack of communication, especially at this particular time of year.
It's all well and good to say had they been given more time.....but that assumes the OP's wife knew before the order was placed, what she actually wanted.
Not everyone plans or thinks about their Christmas present a month or more before hand.
I mean that the initial impression of the title suggested (to me) a "problem retailer". Reading the details explained that yes Iconic were at fault for some things, but were not a "bad retailer" i.e. refund right away without any problems for OP.
Is this in reply to my thread?
If so, I didn't suggest we should have a sticky for every reseller/member (why sticky anyway?) just that H&V would be a better place:-
"Forum: Heroes and Villains
Good deals, bad deals, request dealer testimonials"
Almost every other comment about iconic is positive. I really don't think that one (genuine) complaint is going to unduly harm their reputation.
IMHO the OP is absolutely right to highlight his problem and Iconic should have communicated with the OP when they knew that they wouldn't be able to complete his order.
It is just a one off at the present time but, should more issues arise, then it may become a reflection of how Iconic are performing.
An unreliable retailer then?
ouch, that's a long wait
out of interest what exactly did OP expect as an apology? Did they not even say "I'm sorry we couldn't get that watch in time so we're just going to refund you the money unless you want to wait?"
How did exactly this conversation go as saying they offered no apologies imply that they said <no sorry here> "just couldn't get the watch you ordered, he's your money"...
Just to be clear - they did not say "sorry", "I apologise", "we regret", or any approximation of that.
A simple "I'm awfuly sorry but our supplier let us down" would have sufficed. Ideally they would have informed me sooner and preferably I would not have needed to chase them, but the lack of any sort of apology is what miffed me.
Last edited by rasputin; 21st December 2014 at 01:16.
If someone offers you a service and fails to deliver it is only right and proper it is highlighted! This is an expensive purchase not a 50 quid watch!
Why is the cost relevant? Surely service is service?
If not, bear in mind they aren't making a lot on this kind of deal either, they aren't the AD or the manufacturer, just a middle-man making a tiny cut.
So what did they say? 'Get stuffed'?
I ordered a vintage Aquatimer with them in 2012 and after a month they said they couldn't get it after all. Can't remember how they phrase the news but i was more disappointed to not get the watch than annoyed with them.
Thanks for the info., it's important to share good and bad experiences.
They said they'd do something but didn't.
To the others I'd still absolutely buy from iconic, they've had far more positive reviews than negative.
All the op has done is factually report a situation which in my opinion is exactly what he should do.
I'll then look at lots of reviews and opinions and make my own mind up
What difference does it make? They should have apologised but didn't. That combined with the lack of communication when they couldn't fulfil their promise is poor. Nothing further needed really is there?
Or does it only constitute poor service if they throw in an insult as well?
As they say in your part of the world; calm down.
The OP seems more concern with what wasn't said. I'd like to know what was said. Why are you so concerned what questions I ask the OP anyway?
I'm very calm thanks although I must say the the 'calm down' reference is not only original but also hilarious. Always makes me chuckle.
Not concerned, just commenting as people do. Just seemed odd that you'd asked if they said "get stuffed". That doesn't appear to me to be a post enquiring what was said, that indicates to me that you feel the lack of an apology alone wasn't justification for the OP's dissatisfaction. Or maybe I read too much into it?
Last edited by GMC41; 22nd December 2014 at 01:10.
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