Reply With QuoteNo concept of service at all. Most looking for fast big bucks. Otherwise it's shrug of the shoulders.
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Pick up a Longines Hydroconquest from sales corner recently..
Long story short, i now know there is a fit issue with the bracelet, so decided i'd go to the nearest branch of where the watch was purchased and look for the AD to get me the rubber strap and deployment
Ernest Jones in Peterborough... they have 2 shops in the shipping centre... first one says we (the local shop) don't have an account with Longines and can't help.. maybe try upstairs or Frazer Hart ??
(Why try upstairs if you don't have an account... and how can you not help if the watch was bought from a EJ dealer ??)
Up i go, and left standing for 20 minutes... Fect it, i'll try FH
Go to Frazer, and after 10 minutes told, we'd need to call Longines with the watch serial number (which is fine), but today is Sunday, and you'd be as well talking to them directly...
So what a waste of time... easier to go online.... and a better result (based on a previous thread)... lesson learnt... and rant over !
No concept of service at all. Most looking for fast big bucks. Otherwise it's shrug of the shoulders.
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They pay peanuts for frontline members of staff who unsurprisingly have no interest in the products they are selling. Genius!
Yikes. Lots of businesses have forgotten that their advantage over online is the service proposition. And only that.Originally Posted by Dakar
I m disappointed for you. Plus side, you’ll ring them yourself and get a straight answer and be a lot less frustrated.
Nice watch, incidentally. A lot of watch for a very reasonable price IMHO.
Good customer service is a dying art in many places sadly.
Good customer service goes a long way with me and if necessary I’d pay that little bit more somewhere you feel looked after
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Im a big fan of Longines and always pop in to my Local Frazer Hart Chelmsford branch. They are always very helpful , so may just be the staff member at that branch.
It is difficult if they dont have stock but im sure they could source a strap for you through the group, if you went back or phoned on Monday.
I visited a town recently (except London which is a weekly) and felt it was just full of people and pushchairs, Im not convinced they actually need anything I think its an habitual or social occasion. As a result it doesn’t surprise me that the retail staff are deflated with the job.
RIAC
Reminds me of the time I went into a longines AD for an 18mm strap for a newly acquired 70's conquest.They insisted on seeing the watch and taking the serial number only to tell me later that they could not supply a new strap and could not supply a leather 18mm longines strap.Internet and cousins delivered.Lesson learnt.
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I'll get in touch with longines directly... really like the watch, but will happily deal on line moving forward..
In saying that, when you find a good AD, they can be very helpful.. so not taring all with the same brush..
Bit of a rant, I know, but annoying..
Why is the high street loosing business.. well..
Looks like they need to tighten things up....
The main reason I prefer shopping online is so I don't have to put up with poor, indifferent service.
Tbh your last few sentences are what I'd have done anyway.Id have also placed a wtb for what your after too.
This..and cheaper!!!
The sooner the High Street is killed off - or at least reinvents itself - the better!
Why would I want to drag myself (during limited opening hours - most of them during working hours) to a dirty, noisy, crowded place where I have to pay stupid amounts to park my car, in order to get a reduced range of products at top prices? I then have to lug them back to my car - and when I get home if I find that I don't like the product, I have no right of return.
Instead I buy just about everything online, where I can do it at a time that suits me, can comparison shop (both on suitability and on price), can get it delivered next day if I really need it that quickly, and have 14 days in which to decide whether or not to keep it.
Much the same. I mainly use the high street to “try” before I buy online.
Which, unless you buy from the same retailer, just hastens the demise of the High Street.
The thing that really drives me crazy when i go into a shop is to be told oh we don't carry that in stock (common item mind) you can order it online from us. Noooooooo I have driven into town, paid money on parking, come to your store, i want to hand over money to walk out with an item - you're a shop not an ad for an online service.
Correct - by all means shop online, but using the High Street to browse is what is killing it.
I recently bought an LG OLED TV - read the reviews and owner comments (online) and subsequently bought (online).
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
I did the opposite.
Decided on my top 2 TVs and then went in to store too see them in the flesh and haggle.
Time was an issue in this case - but I agree.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
I was wandering around town a couple of months ago, and while it is proba ly something I could have googled, I wandered into goldsmiths and enquired whether the bracelet on the current speedy would fit my 90s model I was wearing as I fancied an alternative style bracelet . The young chap took all the details from the two watches, took my contact details... And despite telling me 48 hours never got back to me. A new speedy bracelet is hardly pocket change! I visited again a few weeks ago, the same chap didn't recognise me, fawmed over a differed speedy I was wearing, offered me drinks, and hoped to convince me to buy a planet ocean. Even if I was in the mood for the planet ocean, I'd have gone elsewhere purely because of the "AD experience" I got. They don't give a damn about the customer, which is no surprise.
IIronically, a lot of retailers offer cheaper deals online, so go figure.
Personally, I prefer to spend my money wisely and don’t feel the need to be pressured by some misplaced loyalty, especially when the staff serving me clearly don’t care either way.
A lot will price match.
I doubt you would be pressured.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
something similar for me with my mother's in law Cartier. It had to have its battery replaced and we went to the Goldsmiths at Newcastle city Centre.. the guy there made things so complicated that it was in the end easier to go back to China (where my parents in law are from) rather than send it from here (although they plan to stay way more than the 6 weeks which is the max waiting time for the replacement).
Long story short, for anything that does not require waiting list is no worth buying from the UK high street (my opinion) since support is non existent. Obviously these guys think they are way too 'high' for us the pleb.
In an open worldwide market and a recession almost here this has already started backfiring though.
It’s service or the lack of.
SWMBO wanted a smaller watch and found a gold Omega which was reduced to 8k online. Nearest outlet was in Milton Keynes so we went there to try on a similar steel watch to see if it was the size and style she was looking for. All good so asked if they would get the one she wanted from Manchester as agreed on the phone. Yes would take a week. Week later we get a call saying it’s ready to collect. Drive 25 miles to collect it only to be told it’s not working and they suspect the battery so it has to go back to Omega as it’s under warranty being new stock. Takes 2 weeks to finally be able to collect it.
Now I knew it would be a slow mover so had probably been in stock ages, but it was what she wanted.
What was poor was nobody checked it was actually working or cared before we went to collect it, wasting a morning. Mind you they did ask if we wanted them to pay for the parking! Like a quid would impress!
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
I’ve got to admit that I’m one of the weird folk who actually likes shopping in real, bricks and mortar, or more likely steel and glass, buildings. I’m happy enough to buy online too but nothing beats touchy-feely-tryie-ony sometimes. I have started phoning ahead now though, just to make sure what I want is actually in stock, to save wasted journeys.
Generally that works well but there are exceptions. Such as a couple of months ago when I was particularly keen on a Seiko Grey Dawn:
“Yes sir, we do indeed have one of those in stock.”
“Great, could you put it to one side for me please? I’ll be over in a couple of hours to pick it up.”
“Absolutely fine sir. See you shortly.”
They sold it before I got there.... My fault I suppose for not being sensible enough to ask them to ask me to put a deposit on it. What a fool I am. Lesson learned.
So, even a high street lover can feel let down at times.
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I agree that service is generally poor (there are exceptions) and when you're spending multiple hundreds (or more) on a luxury item you don't really need, then the quality of service is critical (unless you're happy to buy into the BS from Rolex).
It's true, equally, that shop staff are pitifully paid and poorly trained, so it's little wonder that they don't offer great service and, if you visit on the weekend, this only worsens with casual staff who are only earning pocket money in many cases.
However, trying before you buy in your high street retailer is delusional - You're effectively killing the high street retailer and, soon, you won't be able to try before you buy, because the only option will be online.
I tend to only buy clothes and shoes on the high street (I did buy a watch recently!), but I don't waste retailers time going in to have a look when I have no intention of buying from them and simply buying the item cheaper online anyway.
To a degree, a bit of respect should cut both ways.
The town I live in used to be a popular shopping destination in the area, with lots of individual shops, but now it's either coffee shops, bars or charity shops in the main, with more than a few empty shops.
A lot of this, though, is down to the short-sighted policy of limiting free parking on the roads near the town centre (and there are stories that what little is left is soon to be pay to park), meaning you have to pay (and queue often) for the car parks, even if you just want something quick and simple to buy, or just to browse.
It was only the need to pay a cheque into my bank that led to me spotting the watch in the jeweller's window, otherwise it's doubtful I would have passed by in 6 months...
M
Last edited by snowman; 9th September 2019 at 09:49.
Yup, but if B&M cannot compete on service or price then there seems to be no reason not to use it for try-before-buy while we still can. In other words, the death of B&M (in certain categories at least, it's certainly not everything) is an acceptable outcome.
But here's the irony. Just as B&M dies out, it seems likely that vendors like Amazon will open new try-before-buy shops. If the business is big enough then it can make sense.
The thing is, though, that TBB shops won't be everywhere. Not every high street will get one. And that is the issue with the high street right now: The decline is uneven. People worry that the high street is dying but some high street are booming. My local high street in NW London really is booming. However, the most common products being sold are food (in either restaurant/cafe form or grocer/fishmonger/butcher/supermarket form); white goods, clothing, and luxury goods disappeared from here decades ago.
I recognise that other locales have different problems: Some high streets are dying entirely as even food shops migrate to larger conurbations or out of town stores.
Notably, my local high street benefits from a massive local population so that no high street-related local parking is needed.
Absolutely. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that retailers' worst enemies in some towns are their local councils! What are the councils thinking... knowingly destroying local businesses and town centres so as to generate short term enhanced revenue.
It’s a s much down to the staff as the store..
Years ago I had a pretty poor experience in my local Chrisholm Hunter store.
But my recent purchase of my new Zenith from that store was the exact opposite. Why you may ask.
All down to the sales lady, she was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and helpful.
I explained to her that I could buy this watch on line for ££££, but if they could come close I’d rather buy locally.
She immediately made a call to head office, but couldn’t give me an answer as there was nobody available to make a decision.
She promised to get an answer and phone me the next day.
She did, and they were close enough for me to want to go ahead.
I then asked if she could also supply, a genuine Zenith croc strap and deployant, again not only did she sort it, but there was additional unasked for small discount on those items.
The watch arrived, and was missing the warranty card, and although I knew it would get sorted and said don’t worry about it she was upset, and promised it would be with me the following week. It was
And finally I realised on fitting the strap that the ends were curved, and I needed curved spring bars, she also sourced those..
In fact I was so impressed with this young ladies service, I made a point of contacting head office and telling them.
Amazon, online (cheaper) shopping, recession, poorly paid shop staff and as previously mentioned, County Council's lack of provision and vision for their High St shops combined, will ensure most High St shops as we know them will decline.
TBB is merely a symptom of the causes. Why would anyone want to pay more for an item whilst being treated indifferently by a poorly paid member of staff boggles the mind. Having already incurred travel costs, fought for limited parking space, lugged their shopping around and more than likely spent more than they should on things they most probably didn't really need.
People are more savvy with their spending these days, and quite rightly so.
Most High Steets will become pedestrianised social food, drink and entertainment areas over the next 10 years, with supermarkets and household stores already on the fringes of every town.
Many of them but it depends on location. If my own local high street was not also a trunk route in and out of London, it would do well as a pedestrianised primarily food and drink area. But that's because it has a massive local population who can get to it on foot.
But this isn't going to work for high streets in locales with lesser population density. Many smaller towns just don't have the population density to support this kind of metamorphosis (and for the same reason will not attract a new generation of big-corp-owned TBB shops). Their high streets are more likely to die entirely. Handing them over to residential use may make more sense. In time, a new commercial need will arise for high streets and this will compete with residential use, but it won't come soon enough to save most current shops.
As an aside, a partial use that a few high street locations might benefit from is a possible semi-revolution in 3D printing. Whilst we'd all like super-capable 3D printers at home so as to be able to print whatever we need, there are all sorts of technological/ cost, and practical difficulties with that for the foreseeable future. What is more plausible, however, is a well-equipped local 3D printing service and putting this on local(ish) high streets could make commercial sense. People would order their 3D printed household item and go and collect it from their local 3D shop. This might actually happen, but it won't save the high street as a whole.
Last edited by markrlondon; 9th September 2019 at 18:01.
I can't really see why you'd put these 3D Printing Shops on the High Street.
Surely it would be just as easy to order from them online (perhaps sending them a definition file for the item required) and then get the item posted/couriered? Or, if there's a compelling reason to collect the item, then for most it would be more sensible to do so from an out-of-town location where access and parking are easier.
You do know you can get a half link for these? It’s not from the hydro conquest but the normal conquest if I remember correctly, think difference is centre not polished.
Think that’s what the majority of people do nowadays, do their research online then pop into a shop and try it out or have a look then go home and order it.
I don’t buy the opinion that just because sales staff get paid a low wage that they are bound to be uninterested and not very knowable, I think it just depends on their attitude to work. A few weeks a go I sat in Market Cross and had a chat to the sales lad for about 45 mins about watches. He was knowable, interested and even talked me out of flipping my ETA Black Bay for a blue Pelagos in his window.
Quite the opposite from the time I visited Gold Smiths and asked to try on a Speedmaster… the sales lady couldn’t work out why the second hand wasn’t moving and concluded the battery must need changing, after that she suggested I have a look for something in a different colour as the watch I’d just taken off was ‘a black one too’.
Yes, thanks.. hoping to get both the half link and the rubber strap.. versatility and all that..
The high street is not ‘loosing’ business because of poor service but due to online shopping realities.
Good and bad service has always been part of high street shopping.
People don’t want to support high street shops which is understandable but the whole shopping experience has changed.
High street shops don’t find it viable to maintain stocks as well.
The thing that is really not helping, is parking charges!! my local (small market) town charges for what amounts to a dozen shops, small wonder every one orders online
Scottie
About three years ago - there was a Goldsmith's at Cheshire Oaks that used to "discount " watches and they had a Bell and Ross Demineur at a price that I fancied.
The salesperson was dumbfounded and very confused when I asked if it came with Box and papers - What ?
I also asked a question about another watch which couldn't be answered but I was informed that it had a bombay sapphire glass - Cheers !
I didn't buy at the time and never will with that poor standard of training.
B
Well, a decent wage tends to result in a better attitude, either because there's more demand for the job or people feel more motivated.
I wouldn't say they are 'bound to be', but it can't help. My son works in retail and people make a point of visiting his shop because of his knowledge and enthusiasm for (wait for it) Lego!
That said, he's poorly paid and many of his colleagues are students or part time workers, just earning a few quid with casual work.
My wife couldn't understand why I wanted a blue Longines Hydroconquest when I already had a Tissot PRC200 (in black), because 'they look the same' - turns out they both had bracelets! Luckily she doesn't work for a watch retailer!
M
"My wife couldn't understand why I wanted a blue Longines Hydroconquest when I already had a Tissot PRC200 (in black), because 'they look the same' - turns out they both had bracelets! Luckily she doesn't work for a watch retailer"
Amusing..made me laugh
Quite possibly. However, in some locations and for some people, a local delivery/collection point with (obviously) guaranteed availability could be worth having.
I can accept, however, as you say, that out of town or online delivery could work better for many people.
About the only thing I don’t buy online is clothes. I’m much the same otherwise. The faff of going into town is bad for the soul. Driving in is hassle, parking is a massive liberty - the high street needs me there to survive, yet I have to pay to go there. It’s not good business.
I have no idea what reinvention looks like in the long term but I’ve noticed recently that retail business seem to be being replaced with service businesses - restaurants, experiences that sort of thing. The high street is dying -mthemonly question is how long it will take for it to die.
Another Peterborough native here and I have to say I’ve only ever had good service from Fraser Hart in Queensgate. I own a Hydroconquest myself and wanted to source the OEM rubber strap + deployant for it so off I popped to FH who contacted Longines for me, only to be told they couldn’t supply the rubber strap as it was only available as a replacement/spare for a chronograph model.
Ended up sourcing one in SC here and so glad I did!
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Different day, different people maybe..
On the hydro, the model I have is 22 lugs..and as per Longines, there is no half links, or replacement strap..however, they have asked me to send them the watch, but to be honest not sure what differences that will make.. overall going direct to Longines was more satisfactory than going in store..
What model/year is your HC? I bought mine in 2015 and lug spacing is 21mm. A 22mm isofrane squeezes in well enough and wears well enough for the summer, although the OEM rubber definitely looks the business.
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Hi
It's new, 2019, 44 case, and 22 lugs
Model HydroConquest L38404566
Plan is to get a non longines rubber or nato strap..seems the easy fix...(only fix)
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