Rolex warranty dilemma

[lambs]

Last year I bought a new GMT 2 from an authorised dealer after being on a waiting list for a while. The dealer told me they would keep the warranty card for a year and then send it to me (apparently this is a policy to prevent people selling watches for a profit as soon as they get them). The year expired, so i asked for my warranty card and I was told it has been lost. Apparently Rolex refused to replace the warranty card so the dealer has given me 2 options, but I'm not sure which one to accept.

option a:
return the watch for a full refund.

option b:
keep the watch and the dealer will give me a 10 year warranty instead of the standard 5 (but the warranty will be with them not Rolex and there will be no warranty card) and the first service will be free.


As I regularly sell my watches to buy others, I will almost certainly want to sell this at some point, so should I take option a or b?
will the dealer 10 year warranty be worth more or less than the rolex warranty when I try to sell it?

[Danpd]

Warranty cards can be replaced. I would just push harder.

[Danstone]

I would be surprised if Rolex would refuse to replace the card if the dealer has admitted to them that they lost it. If you return for a refund you can be sure that the dealer will then be selling it as preowned for a tidy profit.
I’d push harder or say that you will happily return it but for a replacement only.

[lambs]

I would be surprised if Rolex would refuse to replace the card if the dealer has admitted to them that they lost it. If you return for a refund you can be sure that the dealer will then be selling it as preowned for a tidy profit.
I’d push harder or say that you will happily return it but for a replacement only.

Do you think a one year old watch is worth more than it's purchase price? and if it is, would an official Rolex dealer try to sell a used one for more than they are selling a new watch? the worlds gone mad!

[Kingstepper]

Do you think a one year old watch is worth more than it's purchase price? and if it is, would an official Rolex dealer try to sell a used one for more than they are selling a new watch? the worlds gone mad!

Mad to think that a warranty card itself has any value.

[inthered]

'Option b:
keep the watch and the dealer will give me a 10 year warranty instead of the standard 5 (but the warranty will be with them not Rolex and there will be no warranty card) and the first service will be free.'

You should confirm with the dealer that the service and 10yr warranty is transfereable if you decide to take up this option, if not, and you move the watch on it could be worthless.,

[RJM25R]

Do you think a one year old watch is worth more than it's purchase price? and if it is, would an official Rolex dealer try to sell a used one for more than they are selling a new watch? the worlds gone mad!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha



You’re 7 months late for April Fools buddy........

[Onelasttime]

Contact Rolex head office and explain what the AD is telling you. Sounds like BS to me.

[Haywood_Milton]

There are set rates for main agents who need to replace cards under different circumstances.

If this story is true and not just bait for the forum, one might indeed wonder whether the main agent wanted to have the watch back for his own ends...

What model is it?

Which main agent is it?

[lambs]

There are set rates for main agents who need to replace cards under different circumstances.

If this story is true and not just bait for the forum, then, one might indeed wonder whether the main agent wanted to have the watch back for his own ends...

What model is it?

Which main agent is it?

this is the email I received, the dealer is Pragnells in stratford on avon. the model is a GMT Master II 116710LN .

I hope you are well, apologies for my late response.

Unfortunately the guarantee has been mislaid and we are having trouble locating it. I realise this is not what you want to hear and I can only apologise, as it is a mystery as to its whereabouts. A full investigation has been carried out and no light has been shed on its whereabouts.

As Rolex has a five year guarantee, we will extend this to ten years which we will give you in writing. The Guarantee will cover the same as a Rolex guarantee and any work required will be completed at Rolex at our expense. Effectively we will also do your first service free of charge as this may need to be done between the six to ten year period from purchase.

As an alternative, as Rolex will not issue a duplicate guarantee, the only other option is for us to refund the watch to you at the price you paid.

Once again my apologies for this situation. Please advise how you wish me to proceed.

Yours sincerely.

Martin Cowen


Martin Cowen
Digital Sales Manager

[Haywood_Milton]

"I believe that Rolex will supply a replacement warranty card under certain circumstances, albeit at a fee which the retailer must bear.

Under these circumstances, I believe that it is reasonable to ask that you approach Rolex UK in writing for a replacement card and copy me in to all correspondence.

I look forward to hearing from you presently.

Yours etc..."

.

By the way, why is the supply of this Rolex falling under their "Digital Sales Manager," I wonder?

[spuds]

I recently bought a bi-metal Sub' from Goldsmiths and it came complete with the warranty card and a ten year guarantee as standard.

I'd contact Rolex directly to be honest.

[Buster73]

this is the email I received, the dealer is Pragnells in stratford on avon. the model is a GMT Master II 116710LN .

I hope you are well, apologies for my late response.

Unfortunately the guarantee has been mislaid and we are having trouble locating it. I realise this is not what you want to hear and I can only apologise, as it is a mystery as to its whereabouts. A full investigation has been carried out and no light has been shed on its whereabouts.

As Rolex has a five year guarantee, we will extend this to ten years which we will give you in writing. The Guarantee will cover the same as a Rolex guarantee and any work required will be completed at Rolex at our expense. Effectively we will also do your first service free of charge as this may need to be done between the six to ten year period from purchase.

As an alternative, as Rolex will not issue a duplicate guarantee, the only other option is for us to refund the watch to you at the price you paid.

Once again my apologies for this situation. Please advise how you wish me to proceed.

Yours sincerely.

Martin Cowen


Martin Cowen
Digital Sales Manager

A bit out of order posting that on here , as others have posted the contract is with the retailer and that’s who will sort it out at their expense, it’s hardly an insurmountable problem for them.

No need for anything else , in fact I’m surprised that you’ve had to come on here for advice.

[Der Amf]

Unfortunately the guarantee has been mislaid and we are having trouble locating it. I realise this is not what you want to hear and I can only apologise, as it is a mystery as to its whereabouts. A full investigation has been carried out and no light has been shed on its whereabouts.

Either they need to look harder or they've got an issue with one of their members of staff. I don't know how someone working in retail could bring themselves to take out their shrinkage on a customer.

Here's a third option they could do: acquire a mint watch with full B+P of the same age, and swap it for your watch. They would then sell your watch, at a loss, and have to suck it up as an expensive bit of education.

[Mark020]

There are set rates for main agents who need to replace cards under different circumstances.

If this story is true and not just bait for the forum, one might indeed wonder whether the main agent wanted to have the watch back for his own ends...

What model is it?

Which main agent is it?

My idea as well. I'd like to buy it back at face value if I was an AD ;-)

[reggie747]

Sue the dealer for being a group of bell ends and losing it for you.

[GOAT]

Contact Rolex head office and explain what the AD is telling you. Sounds like BS to me.

This.
Give it back to the dealer and it will be up for sale at a large markup
The Rolex AD in Chichester has a standard black GMT2 in the front window next to the new display at £12.5k
Was looking at it with paskinner yesterday

[g40steve]

Contact Rolex head office and explain what the AD is telling you. Sounds like BS to me.

This.

[oldoakknives]

Contact Rolex head office and explain what the AD is telling you. Sounds like BS to me.

This. Contact Rolex direct.

[thegreatdogwood]

Contact Rolex

They are NOT saying they will perform a free service either, simply making the point that if warranty work is required after 5 years, Rolex has a policy of generally requiring a service at the time of dealing with issues (for a watch out of their warranty) so will tell the dealer it has to be serviced too. NOT the same as offering to service as a matter of course.

I also agree with others in saying you cannot trust any High Street retailer will be in business in a number of years time, I'd want the balance of the 5 years from Rolex every time. It also makes the point to Rolex that by pushing retailers to adopt this practice, they are indirectly responsible for it being lost.

[lambs]

Contact Rolex

They are NOT saying they will perform a free service either, simply making the point that if warranty work is required after 5 years, Rolex has a policy of generally requiring a service at the time of dealing with issues (for a watch out of their warranty) so will tell the dealer it has to be serviced too. NOT the same as offering to service as a matter of course.

I also agree with others in saying you cannot trust any High Street retailer will be in business in a number of years time, I'd want the balance of the 5 years from Rolex every time. It also makes the point to Rolex that by pushing retailers to adopt this practice, they are indirectly responsible for it being lost.

Good points. The consensus seems to be that the warranty they are offering is not as good as the original rolex warranty, and giving the watch back would be crazy since it's worth more than I paid for it and I can't get another one in exchange. So I will try and contact Rolex directly and get the warranty replaced. Thanks for the help.

[LondonNeil]

i tend to agree, is the AD trying it on?

I'd say return for new replacement, if they refuse, try rolex uk and see what they say. however, you have the purchase receipt i assume, or the AD can reproduce one, that plus a rolex service paper is as good as the original warranty, so the AD offer of free service, so long as its with rolex, plus a 10 year warranty from the AD is a decent offer which i'd not be upset with. in all reality though its just the service they are paying for....chances of a fault appearing are low.

[lambs]

i tend to agree, is the AD trying it on?

I'd say return for new replacement, if they refuse, try rolex uk and see what they say. however, you have the purchase receipt i assume, or the AD can reproduce one, that plus a rolex service paper is as good as the original warranty, so the AD offer of free service, so long as its with rolex, plus a 10 year warranty from the AD is a decent offer which i'd not be upset with. in all reality though its just the service they are paying for....chances of a fault appearing are low.

I believe this model has been discontinued (the all-black bezel GMT II) and I doubt they would replace it with a Pepsi or Batman (if they even have one), so I think replacement is a non-starter. I agree that a 10 year warranty is a good deal if I intended to keep the watch for a long time, but I would probably sell in the next 4-5 years so I wouldn't really benefit from it. What I am wondering is, at that point would a buyer accept the remainder of the dealer warranty (if it's transferable) as adequate compensation for the lack of a warranty card (some buyers are very fussy about these things even when the warranty has expired) The lack of a warranty card may make potential buyers suspicious.

[Bonzodog]

Or,suggest the dealer supplies you a new watch exactly the same as the present one ,complete with warranty card.

[JonRA]

I suggest you follow Hayward's advice. You can always contact Rolex direct at a later time if that doesn't produce the desired outcome.

Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

[fraz101]

I had a quick look on the Rolex site and noted this in their FAQs section

[alanm_3]

I rather think these restrictions are limited to retail customers only. I’m sure ADs have slightly more latitude with such things.

[RajLondon]

You're not in any rush are you? I'd follow what Haywood is recommending and see how it pans out.

[owais01]

Option A
losing the warranty card is just not acceptable. Might be some more backdrop to this.

[33JS]

I always though warranty cards were kept in the safe - until I picked up my Pepsi wc. It was produced from a cardboard box full of cards under one of the display cabinets.

[RAJEN]

OP- that is a good email and hopefully it will bring forth a positive response.
Not that I am a judge of anything but your original post is fine and valid IMO.
Not all Rolex related posts are unwelcome, only pointless repetitive ones. Yours cannot be classified as such,IMO.

[Pagan]

As an aside, can they even do that - retain your paperwork for 12 months?

I understand why they're doing it, but I'm just not sure where they'd stand if someone demanded they hand it over.

[number2]

As an aside, can they even do that - retain your paperwork for 12 months?

I understand why they're doing it, but I'm just not sure where they'd stand if someone demanded they hand it over.

Back to page one.

[Progressive]

To echo what others are saying, I received an additional five year warranty from a UK AD on a new Rolex a couple of weeks ago without asking. Obviously a Rolex warranty and a retailer's warranty are two very different instruments.

Push for a replacement warranty card. If they are indeed available, I don't think anything else is acceptable.

[Christian]

If you are keeping it for 5 years, the original Rolex warranty will have expired. As a second hand buyer at that point, rather than a useless plastic card, I’d prefer the extra five years of warranty even if it is through the shop.

[964boy]

If the watch is a keeper

Option "B" for me

[bokbok]

wow just had a read through that my head hurts

[PeterT]

When Ernest Jones in the Birmingham Bullring sold me a Rolex before they lost the dealership, I had a replacement card as the assistant spelt my address wrongly then crossed it out. No problem getting that sorted out but that was some years ago.
If I buy another high end watch, I would go to Pragnells as my AD of choice. Never bought a watch there before but spent a decent amount on jewellery for my wife and the service has always been excellent.

[Der Amf]

option a:
return the watch for a full refund.

"Hi we've either lost or stolen your belongings. Fortunately we've thought of a way of profiting from this situation"

[Rob s]

What is the difference in value between the watch with warranty card and one without on the 2nd hand market? That is the compensation i would be looking for in cash + a 5 (or 10 if they would do it) year warranty with the AD.

That assumes they are telling the truth and the card cant be replaced but I would also be talking directly to Rolex first.

[Haywood_Milton]

What is the difference in value between the watch with warranty card and one without on the 2nd hand market? That is the compensation i would be looking for in cash + a 5 (or 10 if they would do it) year warranty with the AD.

That assumes they are telling the truth and the card cant be replaced but I would also be talking directly to Rolex first.

Impossible to answer with an exact figure, especially when comparing watches from different sellers is so misleading. It is much simpler for the OP to push for the solution which leaves no room for argument : a replacement card at the retailer's cost.

If approached directly as you suggest, expect Rolex simply to refer the OP back to the retailer.

[markrlondon]

"Hi we've either lost or stolen your belongings. Fortunately we've thought of a way of profiting from this situation"

This, very plausibly.

Keeping warranty cards or other parts of the package is, in my view, fundamentally dishonest. It is treating the customer with disrespect. It is poor customer service. I seem to recall from previous threads here on TZ-UK that Pragnells was one of the first ADs carrying out this disreputable practice. Losing warranty cards hardly improves the reputation of ADs who pull this trick.

Note that I am aware of their excuses for doing this sort of thing but I do not consider them valid. Their possible problems with their supplier should not, under any circumstances, be inflicted on the customer.

[learningtofly]

This, very plausibly.

Keeping warranty cards, or other parts of the package is, in my view, fundamentally dishonest. It is treating the customer with disrespect. It is poor customer service. I seem to recall from previous threads here on TZ-UK that Pragnells was one of the first ADs carrying out this disreputable practice. Losing warranty cards hardly improves the reputation of ADs who pull this trick.

Note that I am aware of their excuses for doing this sort of thing but I do not consider them valid. Their possible problems with their supplier should not, under any circumstances, be inflicted on the customer.

100%!

[GOAT]

100%!

Indeed ,having seen exactly this watch in the used window of Austins(3 feet away from the new stock)in Chichester at £12.5k I'm sure they'd love to take it off your hands at list.

[Jeremy67]

This, very plausibly.

Keeping warranty cards or other parts of the package is, in my view, fundamentally dishonest. It is treating the customer with disrespect. It is poor customer service. I seem to recall from previous threads here on TZ-UK that Pragnells was one of the first ADs carrying out this disreputable practice. Losing warranty cards hardly improves the reputation of ADs who pull this trick.

Note that I am aware of their excuses for doing this sort of thing but I do not consider them valid. Their possible problems with their supplier should not, under any circumstances, be inflicted on the customer.

And yet, bewilderingly, people keep coming back for more.

[markrlondon]

And yet, bewilderingly, people keep coming back for more.

As I often say, each to their own. It seems that enough people are either not bothered by it or are willing to put up with it to get the watch they want.

[RAJEN]

As I often say, each to their own. It seems that enough people are either not bothered by it or are willing to put up with it to get the watch they want.

It is more a case of people not looking to/willing to/wanting to buy it getting bent out of shape over it while those looking to buy it accept it as a part of a less than perfect process of buying a watch they covet.

[Billy4389]

Personally wouldn’t be happy with either option, returning the watch you probably waited years for , or keeping it without its original warranty card, I think either option there getting off lightly


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thestore]

The card is important to collectors for the ‘full set’ even if it has no intrinsic value. I would want the card. The other option could be that they stick it in the window for £9k and give the whole £9k to you when it sells, that is the fair equivalent to option one.

[Haywood_Milton]

Lambs, can you give us any update as to what you've now done / any response received ?