A friend of mine went to pick up his BLNR last week, Fraser Hart wanted to keep all the paperwork for 12 months. He walked away called Rolex, said this cannot be right. He was told as they are a Franchise and they have no control.. Mmm! He left the watch there.
Hi Lawbreaker
We don't retain guarantee cards but we do remove stickers.
It doesn't cause any particular friction in our neck-of-the-woods. I can see it as more of an issue in the Metropolis.
As an AD I think the onus is on Rolex to make a firm policy on all these issues that seem to upset so many buyers on this Forum, and not leave it up to individual stores or owners. I've heard all sorts of nonsense about watches being engraved etc etc but until Rolex truly dictate a policy then it is just a bit messy.
Removal of the stickers as a policy would not affect buyers who want to wear their purchase but would, for a short time at least, affect the "flippers' buying to cash-in. In time the missing stickers won't become an issue to the grey-market sellers either as long as they can still have watches to sell.
To answer one or two other points raised on this monthly thread (!) Someone mentions about being stuffed if the watch goes wrong under the warranty if the AD has kept the card (incidentally I personally think that is an awful policy by AD's if they are doing that - in my view the card leaves with the watch) Simple solution - IF in the unlikely event their watch goes wrong in that time they only have to take it back to that AD and get it sent back to Rolex with their warranty card. It's not difficult. And IF the AD is careless and loses the warranty card then the AD simply has to pay Rolex £100 +vat to get a replacement. Again not a problem and it serves them right for being careless!
The other point that I can remember is where somebody says that AD's shouldn't worry about who buys the watches (we are only really discussing steel Professionals here aren't we?)
On the contrary we should.
For example: Steel Daytona.
We get 3 per annum split between black and white. If two of those turned up on the grey market fully stickered up WE would be stuffed by Rolex. Simples. And the same applies to all the obvious popular models. At best we would receive even fewer for our genuine buy-to-wear clients and at worst we could lose the Rolex agency. That is not a good business model!!
I cannot criticise people for buying-to-flip as an idea - let's face it as human beings we all want to make money. It's the buy-to-wear guys I feel sorry for who are waiting and waiting and waiting to get the watch of their dreams on their wrist without paying inflated grey-market prices. Rolex will not make more Professional watches at the expense of the Day-Dates, Datejusts and Perpetuals that are such a huge part of their overall sales and that rarely get discussed on this Forum. They have a finite number of highly skilled watchmakers producing these watches by hand (I've been fortunate enough to visit all their factories in Switzerland and it is amazing to see!!). They will still only be capable of making X,000 watches per annum. Of course they could just make just sports models, undermine the value of all the Professionals they have made previously, and rebrand themselves as Breitling!!
It's all good fun.
Also that's the first time I knew about the warranty card being able to be replaced if the AD lost it.
Last edited by Lawbreaker5000; 1st March 2018 at 17:47.
We’re always being told on here it can’t replaced.
Probably - and damaging Rolex's reputation.
I would only be really interested in an Explorer or Milgauss anyway, but such dealer practices, and this lax response from the brand, makes it clear to me that I should put my money elsewhere.
Which I did, by the way ... just ordered a Speedy :-D You can say a lot about the Swatch group, but they don't allow such idiotic dealer practices (yet), AFAIK.
What you have to remember is that neither Rolex nor the dealer have to sell you the watch. When you walk in everything is negotiable and they have the right to stipulate terms. You also have the right to negotiate and if you cannot come to an agreement, you can walk out and the dealer can refuse to sell.
If they insist in holding onto the warranty, you can then decide what to do, either accept it or walk out, your choice.
Although correct, it’s moot.
The AD offers to sell to customer A with conditions, customer A either agrees or disagrees. If customer A disagrees the AD withdraws the offer to sell to customer A, and holds out about 10s and sells to customer B who agreed to the terms
Stickers who cares !
But the warranty card I would not be happy.
I am not a flipper trying to make money but it would still annoy me.
However I wouldn't miss the watch over it.
All the indignation.................
Gotta be good for another 3 pages, at least.
Yes they can, the paperwork is part of the product. Between you and the dealer you agree the price and the specification of the item you are buying. That can include the watch, boxes and paperwork. Nobody forces you to buy and nobody forces them to sell. Rolex are sitting on a back burner on this and leaving it do the dealers to decide. Personally I would allow the buyer to take the warranty with him but the point is that the dealer has the right to withhold it as long as he makes it clear that he intends to do so before the deal is agreed.
This seems fair, but I do wonder if there is an episode of a consumer rights programme on TV that would help with all this :)
More seriously, do Rolex fans not find this whole thing rather embarrassing? Are Rolex so lacking in confidence of their product that they have to protect it's 'value' by working so hard to prevent a grey market. FFS, this are watches made mostly on machines in their millions a year. If I knew someone who bought a Rolex, but didn't get the warranty card, I'd just think they were a mug who were putting a label over quality. I mean, I thought when you bought something that 'high end' you got better service not worse!
It seems to me Rolex has become such am irrational cult now that basic norms of customer service get thrown out in the name of a mass produced watch. It has moved so far from the "save a few months wages and get myself one watch to cherish" that I find the whole thing a bit sad.
Last edited by redsox78; 2nd March 2018 at 14:46.
What’s happens if say 10months after buying the watch. You lose your job and need to sell it to pay the mortgage essential stuff etc and the buyer demands the card ?
700-800k per year I believe.
Assembled by hand but mass produced by machines.
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I insisted on a replacement warranty card when buying a Hulk some years ago.
The girl filling in my details made a spelling mistake with my address. She just then crossed it out making a real mess. After a chat with the manager a replacement card was requested. It arrived a couple of weeks later.
I don't see what the big deal is with the AD temporarily retaining the warranty card if you intend keeping the watch. I would happily purchase a ceramic daytona at list and allow the AD to remove the stickers and keep everything other than the watch and box until it's first service.
I don't see what the big deal is with the AD temporarily retaining the warranty card if you intend keeping the watch. I would happily purchase a ceramic daytona at list and allow the AD to remove the stickers and keep everything other than the watch and box until it's first service.
Rubbish BS sponsored by UK Rolex dealers.
No I certainly would not but with regards to the watch all I'm really interested in is the watch itself and the box to store it in when not on my wrist. If ADs were able to reduce people buying hard to get pieces by I introducing this policy it would certainly benefit people like me and I'm all for that.
It kind of is but it kind of isn't. Who the hell knows what's going to happen tomorrow not to say in 12 months time. What if you need to sell the watch because of unforeseen circumstances? What if you find after a week that you don't like it that much and would like to liquidate your asset the way you want to? How are you going to get that warranty card without which the watch is worth much less?
Each to their own but I'm just replying to the thread with regards to my own circumstances. I only own 4 watches and the only one that I would consider selling is my seiko which is my beater. The other 3 were bought after lots of consideration and are keepers and consequently the warranty card is of no use to me other than if the watch played up during the warranty period.
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Each to their own but I'm just replying to the thread with regards to my own circumstances. I only own 4 watches and the only one that I would consider selling is my seiko which is my beater. The other 3 were bought after lots of consideration and are keepers and consequently the warranty card is of no use to me other than if the watch played up during the warranty period.
What if I drop dead and the AD has my card?
How will my family know?
I think 12 months is a bit strong. Maybe 8 weeks or something but if someone is going to flip it they will flip it, and the mark-up after a year would probably be greater anyway.
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Because you've stopped breathing????
Seriously I would do as suggested and put a note in the box with your receipt.
Better still don't drop dead until you've got your card back!
As I said earlier I really don't agree with warranty cards being kept. I've been selling Rolex watches for nearly 40 years now and there has never been an issue like this until the last year or two.
Perhaps this is the present day effect of the internet and watch forums like this - the demand for these watches has been hyped out of all proportion, and of course the Grey Market has the advantage of being able to sell online.
Gone are the days when a client could come into the shop and choose from a full selection of steel Professional watches and leave happy with their watch on their wrist, and for an old chap like me that's a great pity.
My only disagreement with Oracle's post above might be the claim that this is a recent phenomenon.
I remember trying to source a simple 16610 steel Date Submariner in the early 1990s when there was a couple of months' wait. The Sea-Dweller 16600 was often similiarly hard to find or worse, while the steel Daytona was already facing years of waiting (albeit often accelerated if also making major diamond purchases).
H
If you want to sell it then sell it, I don’t agree with the withholding card phenomenon one little bit, but it’s been widely reported as happening, it doesn’t prevent you selling it, you and the buyer can go to the dealer together to verify they hold it, or maybe ask the AD to confirm in writing they are holding the card, after the 12 months forward it on, of course there are situations where this might be awkward to do but it would be good to demonstrate to the AD the tactic can be worked around.
Cheers..
Jase
I think the sticker issue could be a non-problem, but I still have some sports/professional models fully stickered up from around 10 years ago - in that sense I’m a collector and don’t see why I should be affected. I’ve probably influenced a huge number of Rolex (and Omega) purchases over the last twenty years, on top of buying 100’s of thousands of pounds worth of watches/jewellery from AD’s when all totaled up. But... it would be easy to dictate that stickers were simply the transportation covers for the watches and should be removed prior to purchase - that’s what used to happen.
I think the Panerai phenomenon had some little part to do with it - as everyone now wants the cardboard delivery boxes, plus all the outer and inner watch boxes. Similarly people now ask for the Rolex coffin cases, and go crazy for bezel protectors and seals and tags. Don’t get me wrong I want a full set as anyone.
To top off the issue, I can say that I haven’t bought a new Rolex in the last year. Since my local AD closed, while I was waiting for a Daytona and a Sub Date, I just don’t have any relationships with stores in Australia or the UK anymore, and no dealership left on the Isle of Man at present. Although, I don’t think Rolex is hurting from my current lack of purchases - but longer term they might, if enough former mass buyers like me decide to move away.
It's just a matter of time...