Rolex AD charging for warranty return

[huytonman]

I recently returned an 18 month old Sd43 for regulation under warranty - running up to 30 secs/day slow. The watch came from an AD in Liverpool, I live in Reading so took it into Goldsmiths who charged me £30 for the privilege of sending it to Rolex (because it wasn't sourced from them originally). The last time I sent a watch into Rolex under similar conditions was around 5 years ago and there was no charge (that one was bought in the States) - is this now standard practice from AD's who don't sell the watch originally?
It came back within a month running spot on btw.
Keith

[dickdutch]

It wouldn’t surprise me if all ADs do this, and I can sort of sympathise, they don’t get anything from Rolex for returning it, but have the admin of doing it, so £30 seems fair.

Another way of looking at it is, £30 to return a £10k watch, not a lot of money really, is it??? 😀

[ENES]

Another way of looking at it is, £30 to return a £10k watch, not a lot of money really, is it??? 😀

Or £30 postage is not a lot of money for Rolex to cover on a watch purchased for £10k!

I previously returned a Longines watch back under warranty, they sent me a service case + pre-paid post/packaging so that I could return at their cost - that was a £1.5k watch!

[bally796]

Or £30 postage is not a lot of money for Rolex to cover on a watch purchased for £10k!

I previously returned a Longines watch back under warranty, they sent me a service case + pre-paid post/packaging so that I could return at their cost - that was a £1.5k watch!

for what we pay that's what I
would expect

[nick67]

Another reason not to buy into this BS brand

A number of high end car makers will offer a free collection and return of your car for a service, loaded onto a transport vehicle

Why Rolex think they are so special is beyond me

Arrogance springs to mind

[ctafield]

My Rolex went back under warranty, and I never paid a penny. Rolex should definitely be picking up the cost here. Who knows eh, perhaps they are, and the dealer is making a quick profit?

[Buster73]

Can’t understand why you expect another retailer to pay for postage unless you think Rolex would reimburse them ?

By charging you, I’m assuming they won’t get a penny back off Rolex and if that’s the case , it’s fair enough.

[bally796]

Can’t understand why you expect another retailer to pay for postage unless you think Rolex would reimburse them ?

By charging you, I’m assuming they won’t get a penny back off Rolex and if that’s the case , it’s fair enough.

for the price we are paying yes I would expect it free under warranty

[Chris_in_the_UK]

for the price we are paying yes I would expect it free under warranty

Via a different dealer?

[bally796]

Via a different dealer?

who cares what dealer it is? its rolex who should pay return cost

[JeremyO]

for the price we are paying yes I would expect it free under warranty

So would I.

The cost involved should be picked up by Rolex as it is under warranty and I would take this up with both the AD and Rolex.

It is not the customers fault that the watch needed warranty work so why should they have to pay in such a situation?

[744ER]

So would I.

The cost involved should be picked up by Rolex as it is under warranty and I would take this up with both the AD and Rolex.

It is not the customers fault that the watch needed warranty work so why should they have to pay in such a situation?

Because they didnt go to the original AD. Makes perfect sense, 30 pounds is nothing anyway so why even care.

[Buster73]

So would I.

The cost involved should be picked up by Rolex as it is under warranty and I would take this up with both the AD and Rolex.

It is not the customers fault that the watch needed warranty work so why should they have to pay in such a situation?

Because Rolex don’t reimburse the AD that can only be the answer surely ?

[huytonman]

Can’t understand why you expect another retailer to pay for postage unless you think Rolex would reimburse them ?


By charging you, I’m assuming they won’t get a penny back off Rolex and if that’s the case , it’s fair enough.

Did I say anything about expectation? No, I asked a simple question.

[wileeeeeey]

I would expect it to be free as it should be. If your BMW had an issue under warranty you would imagine you could take it to any UK BMW to have it fixed, for free, within warranty.

I wouldn't want or expect to hear "yes it's a BMW and yes we're a BMW franchise/dealer but you bought it from Sytner BMW, not Stephen James BMW".

[Sweepinghand]

I would expect it to be free as it should be. If your BMW had an issue under warranty you would imagine you could take it to any UK BMW to have it fixed, for free, within warranty.

I wouldn't want or expect to hear "yes it's a BMW and yes we're a BMW franchise/dealer but you bought it from Sytner BMW, not Stephen James BMW".

Would you expect BMW to cover your fuel there and back?

[wileeeeeey]

Would you expect BMW to cover your fuel there and back?

Probably a better example is if you'd expect that BMW to cover any shipping charges for new parts ordered? Closest example I can think of.

If there is money to be claimed back from Rolex by the AD that's their business, not the customers.

[wileeeeeey]

Would you expect BMW to cover your fuel there and back?

Actually I've just been reminded by another comment. I had a BMW company car supplied by Specialist Cars who are a BMW franchise in Stevenage, funded by Lex Autolease. During the time I had it I had about 8 warranty issues, none of which were fixed by the original dealer or even dealer group. All done by a mix of Sytner BMW or Stephen James BMW. Each time the car was collected, fixed, washed, and returned, under warranty and free of charge. They even supplied a loan car or the offer of one on all occasions.

Remind me of your point again?

[Chris_in_the_UK]

Actually I've just been reminded by another comment. I had a BMW company car supplied by Specialist Cars who are a BMW franchise in Stevenage, funded by Lex Autolease. During the time I had it I had about 8 warranty issues, none of which were fixed by the original dealer or even dealer group. All done by a mix of Sytner BMW or Stephen James BMW. Each time the car was collected, fixed, washed, and returned, under warranty and free of charge. They even supplied a loan car or the offer of one on all occasions.

Remind me of your point again?

But it never physically went back to BMW.

[wileeeeeey]

But it never physically went back to BMW.

It did. Every time they collected it.

What costs more here - postage for a £10k watch to London/Kent or paying a driver to come and collect my car, have it washed and drive it back to me? They didn't sell the car all they did was maintain it for the warranty issues.

Point here is they will have a set fee they charge back to BMW for this and warranty work will count towards workshop hours which is then charged back to BMW also.

End result is a seamless experience for the customer with the so called and advertised worldwide warranty. You're meant to be able to walk into any Rolex AD in the world with your watch and card and be taken care of. No asking for £30 for postage. How petty after spending £10k on a watch that's within warranty.

[Nairn1980]

I recently returned an 18 month old Sd43 for regulation under warranty - running up to 30 secs/day slow. The watch came from an AD in Liverpool, I live in Reading so took it into Goldsmiths who charged me £30 for the privilege of sending it to Rolex (because it wasn't sourced from them originally). The last time I sent a watch into Rolex under similar conditions was around 5 years ago and there was no charge (that one was bought in the States) - is this now standard practice from AD's who don't sell the watch originally?
It came back within a month running spot on btw.
Keith

You could have sent it yourself with associated hassle and costs.
£30 all insured etc is pretty good considering you didn’t buy it from them.

[adg31]

Coincidentally I asked Omega UK about regulating one of my watches and they said if I wanted it regulated they would send a postage paid pouch out for me to return it in, regulate it and send it back - all FOC and with no need to drive over to the AD.
All of which left me very impressed - especially after my last experience of dealing with the UK Rolex Service Centre.


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[Omegamanic]

Coincidentally I asked Omega UK about regulating one of my watches and they said if I wanted it regulated they would send a postage paid pouch out for me to return it in, regulate it and send it back - all FOC and with no need to drive over to the AD.
All of which left me very impressed - especially after my last experience of dealing with the UK Rolex Service Centre.


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& I’m sure if you contacted Rolex UK directly they might advise similarly.

I don’t see what the issue of dealing with a different AD has to do with it - why should they end up paying in time and expense. I wouldn’t expect it from any dealer for any product if I hadn’t purchased from them.

[Chris_in_the_UK]

& I’m sure if you contacted Rolex UK directly they might advise similarly.

I don’t see what the issue of dealing with a different AD has to do with it - why should they end up paying in time and expense. I wouldn’t expect it from any dealer for any product if I hadn’t purchased from them.

I agree.

[adg31]

& I’m sure if you contacted Rolex UK directly they might advise similarly.

I’’d suggest the OP tries contacting their RSC in that case to see if they do?
However my point was more that if the manufacturer will arrange FOC collections for private individuals why wouldn’’’’t they do that for their AD’s?




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[JeremyO]

Coincidentally I asked Omega UK about regulating one of my watches and they said if I wanted it regulated they would send a postage paid pouch out for me to return it in, regulate it and send it back - all FOC and with no need to drive over to the AD.
All of which left me very impressed - especially after my last experience of dealing with the UK Rolex Service Centre.


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Contrary to Omegamanics post, Rolex will not send out a service pack as Omega do.

I asked this specific question in November when my Submariner service was due and RSC advised that they would not do this and my only option was to take my watch to an AD.

This I did which involved a50 mile round trip and another 50 mile round trip to pick it up again.

It is much easier to deal with Omega than Rolex when service time comes around.

[adg31]

It is much easier to deal with Omega than Rolex when service time comes around.

Thank you for clarifying this point

However based on my experience you could have finished your last sentence right after the word ‘Rolex’!



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[KingKitega]

Guess you can always sell the service pouch to recoup your costs.

For me it was £25 to send my watch to Rolex via the AD. They said this was the cost to them for sending the watch (not bought via them) in, so fair enough for me.

[joe narvey]

Mappin Webb regent street wanted £50 to post a Breitling Emergency for service. If you cross the road to the boutique or when they had the workshop on regent street they post it for free.

[David_D]

It's a Rolex warranty so either they or the original AD would, I would have thought, be responsible.

As others have said, not sure why another AD should incur an expense. I can't see there's a huge (if any) profit for them. How much do jewellers pay to send £10,000 watches fully insured?

[steptoe]

As others have said, not sure why another AD should incur an expense. I can't see there's a huge (if any) profit for them. How much do jewellers pay to send £10,000 watches fully insured?

Plus the grief if it goes missing in transit. All on a watch they didn't supply or sell.

[klunk]

I recall having to pay £30 carriage for my Sea Dweller to be sent
to Rolex for service. I didn’t have a problem with that, but as it’s warranty
work I think Rolex should reimburse you for that.

[Kingstepper]

I recall having to pay £30 carriage for my Sea Dweller to be sent
to Rolex for service. I didn’t have a problem with that, but as it’s warranty
work I think Rolex should reimburse you for that.

Terms of warranty could be you have to send it in.

[stuie-t]

Seems reasonable for the AD to charge if they didn’t supply the watch originally.
It’s like buying a TV from curry’s, and then taking it to Richer Sounds and expecting them to deal with the return to manufacturer under warranty for free.
It’s perhaps worth a call to RSC to see if they will reimburse you the cost though?



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[wileeeeeey]

If you have an out of warranty watch that then may be a different story. If you send it off and then reject a repair then yes, charge your set admin fee or postage etc. If you do go forward for a full service then the cost of the service should include any AD getting it back to Rolex and back again. Like most other things if it's been serviced and is now back in warranty... Same again...

[wileeeeeey]

Btw I should point out this was only for a 1 series not exactly top of the line but I always got the same treatment and service, didn't matter that it was the cheapest one or the most expensive. A customer is a customer.

[Chris_in_the_UK]

Btw I should point out this was only for a 1 series not exactly top of the line but I always got the same treatment and service, didn't matter that it was the cheapest one or the most expensive. A customer is a customer.

Correct - the whole warranty card issue is indicative I think.

[Andyp1973]

I personally think it’s down to the AD’s preference.

When my Pam590 went back the first time when it had become magnetised I took it into WOS in Birmingham. While they were sorting out the paperwork for it’s return they were adamant that there would be a £50 fee that would was to cover the costs to send it. It was sorted under warranty.

The second time it went back for a timing issue after a full wind I took it into Berry’s in Nottingham. They couldn’t be more helpful, coffee, try I couple of watches on why your here, that sort of thing. While sorting out the paperwork for its return I asked if there was a fee to pay for which I got “oh no sir all the costs will be covered under it’s warranty.

Looking back I felt that WOS in Birmingham were just making a quick £50.

It’s got to go back a third time because it’s new issue is the watch stops after four days, it’s an eight day movement. I’ll be going to Berry’s in Nottingham.


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[walkerwek1958]

I think the analogy with car manufacturers/ dealers definitely has some mileage in it

The more you think about it, the more wrong it seems. It shouldn’t matter one jot where the watch was bought from, the Rolex AD is the point of contact for the customer, they should all be wearing the shirt and playing for the team.

Watch manufacturers have a nasty habit of trying to blame customers for faults, claiming the watch has been dropped or mistreated. Maybe it’s all part of the Swiss arrogance thing?..........I don’t know but it makes me wonder.

Rolex have created a situation where you’re expected to beg for the privilege of being allowed to pay an extortionate price for one of their watches, then if you have the cheek to suggest it might have a problem you’re expected to pay £30 to have it investigated. There’s really no excuse for this, it’s poor.

There’s absolutely no reason why all ADs shouldn’t have trained staff who can investigate and partially diagnose faults, it isn’t rocket science, and it would at least confirm what the customer was claiming. By keeping a watch for 2-3 days the AD could test for most faults and confirm whether the watch was indeed faulty. Once that’s been established the watch should be sent away to be sorted out without any quibbling.

Trust me, you can learn a lot about how a watch is running without taking the back off. Timegraphers and cyclotesters are easy to use and interpret!

[th6252]

Not all ADs do this, rather just ship it directly to RSC yourself and save yourself the stress.

[walkerwek1958]

Not all ADs do this, rather just ship it directly to RSC yourself and save yourself the stress.

Cost of postage with adequate insurance cover is expensive in the UK, it’s not that simple.

[Pitfitter]

I needed to send a watch back for warranty work last year, Chisholm Hunter in Stirling wanted £50 because I didn’t buy it from them, yet, the Edinburgh branch did it for free, strange, £50 for the office party.

[Rking]

Funnily enough I was also in Goldsmiths Reading today also just after 1pm. Anyway might be a Goldsmiths (watches of Switzerland) policy.
I've used the AD in Swindon before (Deacons) who are very professional when I had a watch serviced by them last May. I doubt they would charge if I needed to return it out of warranty, saying that they have their own workshop.

[jukeboxs]

I sent my Hulk in for warranty repair through my local AD in Scotland, whereas watch was purchased in Sweden, and the warranty repair cost me nothing. I would have complained if it had.

[scooby]

My two pence worth
Dealer sends watch back to rolex charges £30
He is merely covering his cost there will be no payment to him from rolex
Regarding bmw dealers doing warranty work for cars that were not purchased from them
Of course they will each warranty job has a set rate of payment to the repairing dealer
As a last point i took a panerai to the london boutique for a repair (the watch came from an italian dealer)
They did not charge to send and sent it back to me free of charge,mind you whilst at the boutique dropping the watch of i did buy two others
So i suppose a lot goes down to the dealer swallowing the cost to build a relationship or charging and potentially upsetting a customer


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[Kingstepper]

My two pence worth
Dealer sends watch back to rolex charges £30
He is merely covering his cost there will be no payment to him from rolex
Regarding bmw dealers doing warranty work for cars that were not purchased from them
Of course they will each warranty job has a set rate of payment to the repairing dealer
As a last point i took a panerai to the london boutique for a repair (the watch came from an italian dealer)
They did not charge to send and sent it back to me free of charge,mind you whilst at the boutique dropping the watch of i did buy two others
So i suppose a lot goes down to the dealer swallowing the cost to build a relationship or charging and potentially upsetting a customer


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And ADs don’t need to build a relationship with a sports Rolex buying customer who will buy one from wherever available.

[Robsmck]

I had a similar experience with Panerai. I had to send my 422 back for regulation under warranty. Nearest AD without a flight or ferry ride was in Dublin, I had bought the watch from Berry's. No mention of any charge, Weir's in Grafton street were most helpful, and Panerai carried out a full service foc.

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[MartynJC (UK)]

Oh dear. I’m moving to a different country and the nearest AD is probably a 5hr drive away - probably cheaper to fly back to UK tbh than drive that with tolls. Not sure how reliable the postal service is yet. Time will tell.

[Saint-Just]

If you fly back to the UK you'll have to take public transport. Dearer than even the Normandy motorway

[Saint-Just]

Paying to have another dealer than the original seller send a watch for a service: mean spirited but acceptable.
Paying anyone to send a watch under guarantee because it is faulty: out of the question.
Among all the shit ADs have to swallow to keep their Rolex authorisation, I would think this is small beer.
I would however make it a point of principle.