Reply With QuoteHow long did all that take to write?
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Last edited by ec00421; 15th May 2016 at 21:24. Reason: Post to be removed
How long did all that take to write?
Sorry to read your story but in general I'm not a big fan of joining a forum just to tell stories like this.
Watchfinder don't seem to have much luck with the 5127 do they?
I’d join a consumer forum and moan about it there.
Members here only respond with photographs.
Do you have any of the fitties who work there?
Haha, I pop in there once a week just to see one girl in particular! Plus a few watches of course.Originally Posted by burnsey66
Yes photos of the fitties please. . . . . . Then we help
Option 1 - unwind the deal surely is a no brainer as you are never going to be happy with the watch now
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
If you are not happy, Watchfinder offer you the facility to reverse the transaction within a given time. Watchfinder are now a fairly major player in dealing with used high end watches so it's reasonable to assume that not all transactions are going to be completed with total satisfaction. They won't have advertised your P/X if your still within your money-back period, so take advantage of this if you're not happy. I have bought from, sold to, and part exchanged with watchfinder in recent times and found them very good to deal with. On the one occasion I had reason to complain (missing links from a bracelet), I was dealt with quickly and professionally, and received BNIP OEM links as soon as they could get them. I feel for you if things haven't gone as expected, but problems can happen, and joining a forum just to bad-mouth a company before they have had proper opportunity to put things right is out of order. (In my opinion of course).
Steve.
You know there's a word for this...
Hi Steve,
My intention was to share my experience so far, NOT to bad mouth them necessarily. That's why I said I'll reserve any conclusive judgements.
But I get that the post may seem a little bit negative.
I'll request the admin to remove this post as I wish not to cause anymore misunderstanding / disruption.
Apologies folks.
Regards,
I like your writing style and taste in watches. But as someone who feels more comfortable with the "factory" service that can only come from Patek, perhaps you should have gone straight to them with your custom.
When presented with your findings from Patek customer service, I imagine watchfinder will be quick to accept a reversal of the trade. Provided they still have your AP
Just read the same thread on TRF.
You inspect the watch, you accept it, you take it home, you then decide that it's damaged. They offer to take it back (lucky you - you'd already accepted it, they don't have to; what if it was you who damaged it?). But you want them to pay for PP to completely service it and weld the case (+/-Ł1500)?
If they haven't polished it, how would they know if anyone else ever has? All they can tell you is whether they did and they confirmed they hadn't.
I look forward to your further participation in the forum.
OP you should be fair and post the outcome. I say that as your post didn't show WF in a good light so if they do resolve your issue, it would be great for you to let the forum know.
It's all gone Euan Begbie.
Probably several years too
Once the situation is concluded, I will definitely post the outcome.
Eh??
Then why title the thread
"Watchfinder.co.uk -> very very bad experience. Beware."
You were here to 'bad mouth' them, nothing more.
I would suggest that the OP blows a tenner and invests in a loupe.
Why am I not surprised about the behaviour of 'Watchfinder.'? . My own experience with them was of an over-reliance on obscure 'terms and conditions' rather than plain, open, dealings. That's how it seemed to me. As for the OP getting his money back...as he bought the Patek from their shop he lost his 14-day exchange rights, and Watchfinder , in my experience, will hold on to his cash like a limpet.
His whole description of how that company works rings true to me. the 'customer service' seems to me designed to protect Watchfinder, not the buyer. I could say a lot more, but I won't.
Pity the OP was criticised for outlining his experiences. He's put his case cogently on another forum and it all rings true to me, given my experiences. Of course TZ functions as a consumer-rights outlet on some occasions...just look at the (very useful) stuff about E-bay purchases and so on.
I have a pretty fair idea how this will work-out; I hope the OP let's us know . At the moment, enthusiasts who want the story have to go to the Rolex forum, which seems a shame.
New or not, I think the Op should re-instate his opening post, and people can then judge for themselves. Whether they accept what he says, as a new-boy, is up to them.
Last edited by paskinner; 16th May 2016 at 08:03.
It's just a shame that people join forums once a deal has turned sour; had he joined earlier, done a search or just asked, he would have been prepared and probably not bought from their shop (or bought elsewhere). He wouldn't then have the issues that he now has.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I was originally contacted by the OP via Patek Philippe forum on TRF.
And hopefully provided him with some useful suggestions on how best to approach the issue.
I must also take partial blame for the OP's first post, as I advised him to look for TZ-UK and as a UK based forum, might find it useful.
Though, I forgot to inform him, that it a great place to be a member with extremely knowledgeable members.
But that he should tread carefully when first becoming a member.
I seem to recall, getting a similar response regarding one of my first threads many years ago :)))
But I have warmed very much to the forum, the members and how it works.
I will end by saying that I wish the outcome for all concerned is the right one. :)
Why am I not surprised about the behaviour of you? Better get your drum out and start beating that 'ADs only' rhythm again... bang, bang, bang.
I and many, many, many others have had good dealings with them, buying and selling. Did you even read the post? He accepted the watch, then once he was home, says he found it damaged. Did he damage it he says not, why should they believe him? They said they didn't polish it, how can they know if it's EVER been polished and by whom?
Whiney post and no surprise to see you supporting him, grinding your usual axe...
Here's the diatribe in full.
Hello TZ members,
It's my first post on TZ but sadly it's not a positive one..
I've recently had a very bad experience with watchfinder.co.uk / watchfinder & co. I've posted a similar thing on TRF but I thought I'd share it on TZ-UK as well, since I presume there are more UK based users here. Below is what I posted on another forum:
================================================== ================================================== =======
To commemorate my birthday and a special moment in my life in April, I was on a quest to find a Patek 5127, which has always been one of my favourites. As the model was discontinued in 2013, pre-owned was the only option, and in searching for one, I found one at Watchfinder & co via their website (watchfinder.co.uk).
Having initiated the transaction on their website, I had the first viewing of the actual piece at their showroom in Royal Exchange in the City, the piece seemed OK at the time. In this light, I decided to go ahead with a part exchange deal for my AP + cash for it (the trade price wasn't great but I understand that they are a business). I handed them over my AP and settled the agreed difference at their Royal Exchange store but I wasn't allowed to take the 5127 there and then, as the deal was subject to them being happy with my AP. So the sales assistant took the 5127 back to the stockroom, and in doing so, she dropped the watch on their table, which is covered with some sort of suedey material, and she was forcing the plastic display frame in under the strap, which later I found caused a slight dent on the edges of the case back and the case.
Without having a new example next to it as a benchmark, it is very hard to determine the exact state of it for non-Patek experts, unless it's a distinctive model like Nautilus or Royal Oak. In this light, I specifically and repeatedly asked sales assistants on its service and polishing history, and I was told that it was NEVER polished and I was even shown their internal page of the product showing all service history etc (according to them), which suggested nothing about polishing or servicing. I have also asked if they use genuine Patek parts for their servicing, in response to which they said they do.
A number of days after with 0 communications (no emails, no nothing. I had to do all the chasing up, and it was almost impossible to get a hold of anyone at the Royal Exchange store via phone), I eventually got a call asking me to collect the watch. When I got home with the piece I noticed the aforementioned damage on the edges of the case back and the case. It was not possible to spot it at the store due to the dim lighting conditions and due to the nature of how white gold cases reflect light. Moreover, I was more concerned about verifying papers, movements numbers etc, and I somewhat foolish assumes the watch would have been in the same condition as in the initial viewing.
Also, I have just rested the piece face up for a few days to test for accuracy and noticed that the watch was gaining about 7 seconds a day on average, well above Patek's tolerance level.
With all these problems, I tried to contact the Royal Exchange store via phone, but it was impossible to speak with anyone - after a few rings, the calls were diverted to their Bluewater store or their Head Office for some reason.
So eventually, I managed to get in touch with Natalie Parchment, the customer services manager at Watchfinder, via email (the time when I raised the issue with her was within 14 days of collecting the watch), detailing these issues, and she suggested I send the watch back to them and they'd refurbish the watch and rectify the time gain problem - from what I had seen from them till this point, I was not feeling confident about them handling the pieces unless I knew exactly what will be done. So, I again asked whether if they'll be using genuine Patek parts, should replacements are deemed necessary, and she confirmed they do use and will be using genuine parts. Also, enquired if they use laser soldering technique for dents, because in my humble opinion regular polishing would remove large amount of material to correct the issue on the edges of the case and the back, the response for which I am yet to hear from them (as of the post date), as their head of service department is on holiday apparently..
Whilst exchanging emails with Natalie Parchment, I have also decided to get an expert opinion from Patek Salon in Bond st. just to reassure the scope of work required, and they confirmed that the watch was indeed gaining time, and more surprisingly the technicians suggested that the watch had been heavily polished previously (and NOT by Patek), quite contrary to what they have told me during the sales process. They also suggested the sustained damages on the edges of case back and the case would probably require laser soldering at minimum to be corrected, the technique which I highly doubt Watchfinder utilise..
Also, the head of Customer Services at Patek Salon London confirmed that they absolutely DO NOT supply Watchfinder with any parts, except maybe straps.
The watch is still with Patek, who will be carrying out a full diagnosis on it and will be getting back to me with list of possible refurbishment options alongside prices.
I have passed on these comments from Patek to Natalie Parchment on Thursday evening but I have not heard anything back yet.
Here are probably the two options I'd push for here on in (with 1. being more of an ideal option at this point):-
1. Unwind the whole transaction - Watchfinder take the PP back, I get my AP + Cash back.
2. They take up the cost of the case replacement + rectifying the time gain issue (done by Patek, of course) - polishing/laser treatement could have be an option IF they had disclosed the information that the watch had been polished previously but in this case, they provided with false information, which induced me to engage in the transaction.
Quite frankly, I've lost all my faith in them and I am just mentally drained (quite a bit of stress to say the least and a few sleepless nights).
They have been extremely opaque throughout the transaction with extremely inefficient communications (when the money changed hands, I received 0 emails, and even after raising the issues, the emails responses have been extremely slow).
This was supposed to be a commemorative piece, and buying items of Patek's calibre and price should never entail this sort of negative experience or stress.
Until the end of the whole process, I'll reserve any conclusive judgements, but the experience I've had so far has been far from positive.
In hindsight, I should have done more due diligence on Watchfinder and be more cynical, or even pull the plug when I saw the assistant mishandling the piece but I believe I was asking right questions to them, the responses for which, unfortunately turning out to be mostly false.
Any advice/experience/inputs from TZ-UK members are welcome.
So, the OP buys / trades up a watch, goes to showroom, looks at it and accepts it.
Shop holds onto watch until the trade watch can be checked over.
This takes time, OP gets antsy, shop calls watch is ready to collect.
OP goes back to shop, looks at it again, accepts it again, leave with watch.
OP keeps watch for a few days then contacts the shop with the issues.
Sorry but, tough doodoo. OP should have rejected the watch on second inspection.
Also don't see how dropping the watch on to a suede padded table would dent it TBH
I would suggest in future the OP resist the urge to write volumes of back story, comms, etc and make the facts as concise as possible [with pics]...
and the 10 hour remix
Last edited by soundood; 16th May 2016 at 11:05.
This situation with Watchfinder is not so easy. I recently sold two nice watches to the company, who paid a good price and sold the watches at a fair mark-up. The customers who bought those watches would, I think, have been delighted. Every-one was happy, including me.
But Watchfinder buys a lot of watches.. Sometimes there will be problems and that's when the real test of any company begins...how well does it deal with unhappy customers? The OP is clearly unhappy, and he offers solid reasons why...he feels misled. I would expect any good company to offer a refund if the customer is unhappy. Keeping customers happy must make long-term sense.
So let's see what happens. It would be a pity if he has to use an American forum because UK members are not receptive to a perfectly well-reasoned first post here. They don't have to agree with him, but it's an open forum and new members are still members.
Being new to a forum is not the same as being stupid or ill-informed. And I , for one, would like to see how this is resolved.
Last edited by paskinner; 16th May 2016 at 10:44.
What sort of post. Fence or lamp?
Sent from the top of a hill using semaphore.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
Who's he?
I'd suggest going in to the Royal exchange and speaking to the manager. He's a very decent chap and helped resolve my recent issues with their services department.
Wouldn't bother talking to the rest of them though, found them generally unhelpful.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Good idea...he might be able to help; if not contact one of the Directors as they seem the only ones with real authority. The OP came onto this forum to seek advice and help, surely he should get it. Kindness to strangers and all that .
And where on the forum rules does it say that new members should not raise consumer issues? This chap came onto TZ through the recommendation of a current member. He wanted advice. A few posts into the thread and he feels he has to withdraw his remarks because of hostility. Great stuff.
OP's a grown-up, I presume, so he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to. Have you progressed from taking offence at any criticism of your own posts to taking offence on behalf of everyone else?
He's at the bottom of Cardiff bay with his feet set into concrete.
My God, having to apologise for daring to criticise a company. The big Sin for some on here is that you didn't do a grovelling hello speech telling them what wonderful experts they all are. I got the same when I joined for dosing to ask a question. One of the replies is from a right card who often says go ask mummy whenever anyone asks a question. Brilliant humour if he were a 12 year old.
You are perfectly within your rights to ask a question and complain about service. Have the idiots slating you would be bitching endlessly if they had an issue.
Don't let it put you off and I hope it gets resolved .
I would suggest go easy on the coffee.
I do not have much of a problem with the post except that he had a very provocative title without giving Watchfinders an oppurtunity to resolve it. I do agree they seem to have been hard to reach.
On a separate note, most people's experience with new members joining multiple fora to post their story of a negative experience is not positive. Hence, some skepticism of the intentions.
I wish OP the best and hope it gets resolved to his satisfaction.
Let's look at this another way;
You're selling a nice watch on SC. a new guy to the forum gets in contact, he wants to buy it. You meet up, he inspects the watch at length, asks if you've ever had it polished; you haven't and you tell him so. He is satisfied after his inspection, under strong artificial lighting and pays you the money.
A day later he calls you; there's a massive dent in te watch now. And he's been to PP who claim it has been polished and not by them. You're gutted, you don't know what has happened but reputation is everything, you offer to sort it out.
But he goes straight to H&V and posts a villain post about how you've lied to him and sold him a damaged watch, he's so stressed he can't sleep, you're even damaging his health. He joins other forums just to bitch and moan posting about how you've lied to him, damaged his watch and to avoid, BEWARE.
How do you feel? Like this guy is still your hero?
C'mon.
- - - Updated - - -
Sounds like you've no reason to stay then..?
Dont let the door hit your arse on the way out.
I guess the moral of the story is this: If you want a PP, buy a new one. You don't want to pass something that has been polished, dented and runs too fast down through the generations, do you?
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