anyone on here from canada ever try purchasing an item from ofrei?!? the only shipping option they offer at checkout seems to be the EMS for $45. ive emailed bob and he keeps telling me to just read the international shipping options and it tells you how you can get shipping for 12.95. no where on his site does it say that, nor is there an option at checkout to get that standard shipping. any advice?

 

Welcome to the horrible customer service that Otto Frei provides!

For this reason (and others) they are my absolute last resort only to be used when every other option has failed...

Most other US based parts suppliers will use whatever shipping option you ask them to. Not sure what you are trying to buy, but have you tried H. & W. Perrin in Toronto? I would not say they have stellar customer service either, but if you ask a question via email they will answer.

Cheers, Al

 

Hey Al,

thanks for the response! just looking to buy a omega buckle. 36 on ofrei and they charging me 43 for shipping... will definatly use perrin instead. within canada too

 

I tried to buy a deployment buckle and rubber strap for my Planet Ocean from Ofrei, could not get a straight answer about shipping to Canada. I ended up contacting Omega Canada (Swatch) direct and they had stock and shipped it within one day, yes I paid a tad more but the customer service was excellent and my old PO now looks like new.

 

exactly my experience with ofrei....couldnt get a straight answer from them. will try out swatch. thanks

 

Ofrei is by far the worse company I have ever dealt with, ever.

In two instances "Bob" contacted me to chastise me, once via an email, where his message was completely incoherent and rambling on and on about how he hates and will not allow email for ordering watch parts (this after I had already gotten all my order sorted out with one of the cust reps) and then I had the distinctive priveledge of having Bob call me at home, to again teach me a lesson or two about watch parts ordering etc, and as in the email message he went on and on about everything and anything.

Added to those experiences they were charging me much more for shipping than the actual costs and I finally gave up. Never used them since and don't regret it at all.

For a good chuckle it's worth watching their "Youtube" video's, very professionally done and a true reflection on the company. Ole Otto must be rolling in his grave...

 

Just watched the video.
Over 7 minutes of my life I'll never get back...
Being "local" (44 miles away, which takes 1.5 hours in traffic), I guess my face-to-face experience is much different. To be frank, I'm rarely looking for parts that exceed my amateur capability (crystal, hands, stem and crown is about as "capable" as I get).
The few mail orders I made were processed and shipped quickly and correctly (not far to travel). But I only use it when I have over $100 worth of stuff to order since their shipping cost is high.
I have bought tools and many many straps over the years (since the 80's when they were Frei & Borel). Bob has good and bad days. When I showed interest in a "Jaguar" chronograph (a disassembled watch I believe was originally offered as a complete watch to Jaguar car aficionados through a lifestyle catalogue), Bob was over-the-top helpful. He offered a Top-grade 7750 movement, my choice of dials, and assembly of the whole watch for a very reasonable price. He even told me the story of how they came to have the watches in the first place (long story short they bought the watches to have the movements during a period when ordering parts from Switzerland was tough).
The staff is friendly and helpful. Most of the faces in the 11-year old video are still there.
So as an amateur tinkerer who has more need for watch bands than watch parts, Otto Frei is a great resource!

 

I've purchased Alot of parts from Ofrei.
When you select shipping on the online form, it is EMS shipping $46. If the package is under a certain value, they automatically recalculate, and refund the shipping difference and send it registured mail to save the customer money. I personally had to call them several times, request and confirm EMS shipping because I wanted it fast. To Eastren Canada, their EMS box arrives 4-5 days from shipping date everytime. I personally have not had any issues with Ofrei and have found their customer service to be quite good. Order today, package shipps tomorrow and they have always had my items in stock.


Brandon

 

That must be something new, because I've always been charged the full amount no matter how big the order has been.

I agree the people you speak with on the phone are fairly pleasant. Bob on the other hand, well let's just say I have never experienced one of the "good days" that people talk about. When he promised me a refund over the phone for defective parts they shipped me and never actually gave it, that was the last straw.

Does anyone remember the rant he had on his web site about not taking part searches by email? Going on and on about how much he wanted to make each year, and how much he would charge for such requests when broken down minute by minute? I think he finally took enough heat for it that they took it down, but it was entertaining to say the least. A bit unstable would be my decidedly non-professional opinion...

Maybe if people have never experienced the truly great customer service given by places like Casker, Jules Borel, or McCaw, you don't have much to compare it to I guess. In my view those places are head and shoulders above Otto Frei, which is why I give them my business when I can't get something here in Canada. I want a place that has the parts I need, answers my requests by email, is efficient and getting the orders out, and most of all, no drama attached.

Cheers, Al

 

Hahahaha

You would think a rant like that would put a business under!

Thanks for the list of buying options Al

I will look into those for future.

Brandon

 

I have just checked the website for shipping to Europe and will definitely avoid to...
If you have any recommandation of a good website that can ship to Europe for a reasonable amount I am looking for end links 676 for 1171 bracelet (Perrin does not look to have some...)
Thanks

 

Perrin does not list all their parts on their web site - you would have to contact them directly. Not saying they will have them, but they have been around for 85+ years so they have a lot in stock they don't list on their site. They only created that site in the last 3 years or so...

For Europe, I would try Cousins in the UK.

Cheers, Al

 

I sure do remember the rant it went on and on about how emails were a complete waste of time. Better to call, wait on hold for ever and get your parts that way, much more efficient. I remember that Ofrei had a structured "Parts lookup" pricing per minute for email inquiries, 5 minutes of searching for $15, 15 minutes for $30 etc, yet if you "called" the same person would do the same work for no fee's at all, makes no sense but in Bob's mind. Imagine any other supplier who is in the business of supplying parts actually charging for the time it takes to see if the part is in stock.

I always ordered via email at Perrins and never had any issues and they sold me thousands of dollars worth of parts, so it must have been worth their time...

His email rant to me was all about the waste of time that email was, yet in the time it took him to write his long email to me, he could have simply placed my order and sold me the parts.

Unstable? after you watch the Youtube video's there is little doubt.