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MMK
·Omega boutique in Vancouver, Canada sent my deceased father’s Seamaster to the authorized Omega service centre in Toronto.
I inherited this watch from my Dad 16 years ago and wanted to get the watch in top condition before passing it onto my 21 year old son.
After retrieving the watch back from the local boutique, we noticed that the crystal of the watch was not flush. It was raised on one side. Immediately it was returned to the boutique so it could be sent back to Toronto to fix the issue.
After one month I reached out to Omega. I received an absolutely devastating email from Jo-Anne Wilson,
Omega/Prestige customer care team lead. In a very nonchalant and insensitive manner, she told me that, “During the servicing, the bezel of your watch accidentally was damaged.” She went on to tell me that, “the bezel will be replaced free of charge” and that “Omega will also provide a brand new sapphire crystal free of charge.” Wow!!! Isn’t that nice of her!!!! Written as though she is doing ME a favour!
I responded to Jo-Anne saying that, This absolutely breaks my heart. I wanted to give my son the watch in its original condition that my father wore every single day for many years. Now, I cannot do it.
Joanne sincerely apologized and at my request set up a telephone call with her and Hazem Sbayteh, Country Manager & Omega Brand Manager, Swatch Group Canada.
A few days later Jo-Anne called me and told me that Hazem was very busy and that he wouldn’t be taking part in the phone call. I was very disappointed considering the circumstances. This was my first hint as to how Omega values and treats its customers.
During our conversation, Jo-Anne offered me a golf hat or a pen as compensation for the damage. I politely declined and told her that I could get a complementary pen at my Dentist’s office. I have actually never been so insulted in my life. She then offered to extend the service warranty by one year. She also told me my service fee would be refunded. What a complete joke! This should absolutely be done, not as compensation, but just should be done because of the amateur that was working on my Dad’s watch, not once but twice. Did they send me the damaged bezel with the crooked crystal hoping I wouldn’t notice? This is probably the case or their standards are extremely low and have zero quality control.
Then she offered me a free service. Telling me in the future I can send the watch for service to her attention and then she would oversee service rather than the watch, “just being another watch in the queue.” If this is truly how Omega views their customer’s timepieces, just as another watch in the queue, it is an absolute travesty. It is unfathomable that Jo-Anne could even say this out loud to a customer.
I spoke to a couple of ADs of other watch brands and to some friends who are avid watch collectors and they were absolutely horrified by my experience.
I told Jo-Anne that I wanted to speak with Hazem. A few days later, Hazem called me. Things went from bad to worse!
During our first conversation, Hazem made the obligatory apology and told me that he would have a serious conversation with Jo-Anne. After spending many minutes with me on the phone telling me how great their service department is and how sorry he is and how they could reinstall the damaged bezel because the watch would be waterproof even with the crooked crystal, which I declined, he asked me what fair compensation would be. My watch collecting friends told me that fair and reasonable compensation for damaging such an important family heirloom would be for Omega to give my son a watch, that had not been damaged, so he could start his own legacy/tradition. I relayed this to Hazem. Hazem wanted to think about this and told me that he would call me back the following week.
When I never heard from him, I emailed him and he finally called me back. He told me that he could not offer me a watch. He said that he could send the watch to Switzerland and have the original bezel fixed. This was never offered to me and he has no intention of doing it as the watch had already been sent back to Vancouver. Then he repeated several times what they did for me, refunded my service fee, adding one year to the warranty and replaced the bezel that they damaged free of charge. This is exactly what they should do. This is not compensation for all the inconvenience and the sadness that me and my family have endured over them damaging my dad’s timepiece. He did not understand the difference between what Omega should do and compensation.
He also tried to say that they did not damage the time piece! I have it in writing from Jo-Anne that they absolutely did!! The crystal was completely flush, and the damage was not there when we sent it in for service. Again Hazem not taking responsibility, even though I already had it in writing from Jo-Anne.
In summary, please be very wary and have your local boutique do a full aesthetic inspection of your watch before sending it to the Omega Toronto service centre. Your valued watch will be treated, as Jo-Anne said, “just another watch in the queue.”
I inherited this watch from my Dad 16 years ago and wanted to get the watch in top condition before passing it onto my 21 year old son.
After retrieving the watch back from the local boutique, we noticed that the crystal of the watch was not flush. It was raised on one side. Immediately it was returned to the boutique so it could be sent back to Toronto to fix the issue.
After one month I reached out to Omega. I received an absolutely devastating email from Jo-Anne Wilson,
Omega/Prestige customer care team lead. In a very nonchalant and insensitive manner, she told me that, “During the servicing, the bezel of your watch accidentally was damaged.” She went on to tell me that, “the bezel will be replaced free of charge” and that “Omega will also provide a brand new sapphire crystal free of charge.” Wow!!! Isn’t that nice of her!!!! Written as though she is doing ME a favour!
I responded to Jo-Anne saying that, This absolutely breaks my heart. I wanted to give my son the watch in its original condition that my father wore every single day for many years. Now, I cannot do it.
Joanne sincerely apologized and at my request set up a telephone call with her and Hazem Sbayteh, Country Manager & Omega Brand Manager, Swatch Group Canada.
A few days later Jo-Anne called me and told me that Hazem was very busy and that he wouldn’t be taking part in the phone call. I was very disappointed considering the circumstances. This was my first hint as to how Omega values and treats its customers.
During our conversation, Jo-Anne offered me a golf hat or a pen as compensation for the damage. I politely declined and told her that I could get a complementary pen at my Dentist’s office. I have actually never been so insulted in my life. She then offered to extend the service warranty by one year. She also told me my service fee would be refunded. What a complete joke! This should absolutely be done, not as compensation, but just should be done because of the amateur that was working on my Dad’s watch, not once but twice. Did they send me the damaged bezel with the crooked crystal hoping I wouldn’t notice? This is probably the case or their standards are extremely low and have zero quality control.
Then she offered me a free service. Telling me in the future I can send the watch for service to her attention and then she would oversee service rather than the watch, “just being another watch in the queue.” If this is truly how Omega views their customer’s timepieces, just as another watch in the queue, it is an absolute travesty. It is unfathomable that Jo-Anne could even say this out loud to a customer.
I spoke to a couple of ADs of other watch brands and to some friends who are avid watch collectors and they were absolutely horrified by my experience.
I told Jo-Anne that I wanted to speak with Hazem. A few days later, Hazem called me. Things went from bad to worse!
During our first conversation, Hazem made the obligatory apology and told me that he would have a serious conversation with Jo-Anne. After spending many minutes with me on the phone telling me how great their service department is and how sorry he is and how they could reinstall the damaged bezel because the watch would be waterproof even with the crooked crystal, which I declined, he asked me what fair compensation would be. My watch collecting friends told me that fair and reasonable compensation for damaging such an important family heirloom would be for Omega to give my son a watch, that had not been damaged, so he could start his own legacy/tradition. I relayed this to Hazem. Hazem wanted to think about this and told me that he would call me back the following week.
When I never heard from him, I emailed him and he finally called me back. He told me that he could not offer me a watch. He said that he could send the watch to Switzerland and have the original bezel fixed. This was never offered to me and he has no intention of doing it as the watch had already been sent back to Vancouver. Then he repeated several times what they did for me, refunded my service fee, adding one year to the warranty and replaced the bezel that they damaged free of charge. This is exactly what they should do. This is not compensation for all the inconvenience and the sadness that me and my family have endured over them damaging my dad’s timepiece. He did not understand the difference between what Omega should do and compensation.
He also tried to say that they did not damage the time piece! I have it in writing from Jo-Anne that they absolutely did!! The crystal was completely flush, and the damage was not there when we sent it in for service. Again Hazem not taking responsibility, even though I already had it in writing from Jo-Anne.
In summary, please be very wary and have your local boutique do a full aesthetic inspection of your watch before sending it to the Omega Toronto service centre. Your valued watch will be treated, as Jo-Anne said, “just another watch in the queue.”
Edited by a mod:
