So I'm new here, thought I would join given the recent events regarding my Omega Speedmaster, seeking some words of wisdom. On Oct 1st I dropped my Omega Speedmaster at the local Omega boutique (Houston Galleria) to get serviced.

After quite a bit of brainstorming and discussion with my brother I decided that going directly to Omega would be the safest option for servicing my precious watch. This speedmaster was bought in 2009 and was a gift from my father to me, it meant a LOT to me. Unfortunately, my father passed away recently and it was one of the last gifts he gave me.

When dropping my watch off I made it clear to the sales person that the watch meant more to me than just a Speedmaster; and that I would expect that they would take good care of it while in their possession. I even asked them what would happen if they lost it. The sales person stated that in all his years with the Omega Boutique it has only happened once and after the incident that client was able to pick "ANY watch in the entire store". The sales person reassured me that my watch would be returned in like "new" condition. After all, they were charging me $710 to get the watch serviced.

On Oct 27th I received a phone call from the Omega Boutique that they had lost my watch in transit to the service center. They were still figuring out details about the loss and they would be in touch with me as to what would happen next. I was informed about the loss almost a month after I had dropped the watch off! (the package was sent out on Oct 3rd) I've been pretty upset about this loss, but I've also learned that there are worse things that can happen to a man.

During the past week or two I have been in contact with the store manager as to restitution. Quite frankly, my original Speedmaster can not be replaced, it meant more to me than a "Speedmaster". It should also be noted that the particular model has been discontinued. Regardless, the statement that the sales person made when I dropped off my watch was that if my watch was lost I would be able to pick ANY watch in the store. Big surprise, Omega is not keeping their end of this statement. I have also learned that my watch was not the only one in the package that was "stolen", there was another person's watch that was in the box as well. Omega will not release their name to me (obviously). So what's my recourse? Has this happened to anyone else? I have some pretty solid contacts at several news stations in Houston and have been seriously thinking about calling them. I was thinking about going to litigation route, but I'm sure Omega's legal team is larger than mine. I just want what they promised me when I dropped off the watch. After all, they lost MY watch. What they have offered me will not even buy a new speedmaster, it's a bit of an insult.

Any words of advice would be appreciated.

 

Wow. That really sucks. I'm very sorry to hear that a watch with so much sentimental value is (apparently) gone for good.

I'd say that the person in the Botique was overstepping their authority in promising you 'any watch in the shop' should yours be lost. There are gold-cased model/diamond-embellished models in the shop that probably retail for more than $50k. If this had happened to me I'd expect the Botique to replace the lost watch with its closest equivalent in the Omega catalogue, plus another watch -- maybe not as valuable -- like a Seamaster 300M.

 

Sorry to hear about the loss of your watch.

I don't see where you were promised a pick of ANY watch in the store; I read what you wrote as the salesperson telling you a story, and not making you a promise. Besides, they were only a sales person and presumably not the manager.

If the watch were lost/ stolen in transit, then why all the anger at the Boutique? There is not much they can do about the parcel delivery service personnel.

I could see them offering you nothing less then a new Speedmaster (but a comparable one -- not a pick from the full range including models that may be far more expensive). Unfortunately the specialness of your missing watch cannot be compensated for, as no other watch will be from your dad. I know it sucks, but I am not sure they would really be obligated to provide anything that is much over-and-above the watch that is missing.

 

Sorry to hear that your watch got disappeared. First thing I would go online to Omega Web site and would bring your story to the Omega's customer service.
Sometime it would give a little boost in some cases.
Also, I would send letter to Omega USA.

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Very sad. Sorry for your watch loss friend. The memories will always be with you though

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I really appreciate the comments so far. To clarify, i'm not expecting them to give me a $50k-100k watch in the store. But what they offered me would not even buy an equivalent stainless Speedmaster like the one that was lost.

 

Without a written document from Omega which specifically states that you can choose from ANY watch in the store should yours become lost, the litigation route is not likely to result is such largesse from Omega, IMO! It sounds to me as though they may have offered you a settlement "that will not even buy a new Speedmaster". What specifically have they offered you? I wonder if they expect you to pay the $710.00 (repair estimate for the lost watch) before they will replace the watch with a new equivalent? If the watch was lost in transit, the OB is probably covered by insurance. If you have the watch insured privately, you might talk to your insurance company for advice as to what to do.

 

They should be able to replace your watch with the same or very similar piece given it was made in 2009. What watch model was it that you lost?

 

Is what they offered enough to buy a used 2009 era speedy?

 

Go for what's fair - which is a new replacement Speedmaster. No one will side with you if you insist that the sales guy promised you "any watch in the store".

Also, look at the fine print in what you signed for when you dropped off your watch - that is what is legally binding. I bet it will have some text about it being the "complete agreement" - which means its the only contract that binds regardless of any other stated or written promise. Anything over and above that Omega will provide you is generosity and PR on their part.

 

I truly feel your pain. What you are entitled to legally is one thing, What Omega MAY do morally and ethically is something completely different. Omega must make you "whole" again. That generally means replacing your lost watch with a watch of similar kind and quality. So you should expect no less than a Speedmaster, more or less identical to the one that was lost. The sentimental value is of no concern to them. Hopefully they will offer you something as a good will / customer service gesture, but they are not legally bound to do this. Omega did not lose your watch, the carrier they hired to ship and deliver it to their service center did. Going to the media will probably accomplish nothing. UPS and FedEx ship millions of packages a day and have a loss ratio of less than 0.5%. It sucks to be the 0.5% guy.
I would hope Omega would replace your Speedy and give you a substantial discount on another watch of your choice.
Again, really sorry this happened.

 

Sorry to read this. Can I ask what paperwork you received / signed when you left your watch with the boutique? Was there anything in there addressing their liability?

 

Very sorry this happened. Nothing can replace that specific watch, but a similar watch that's the same model would still be a good reminder of your father's generosity.

My expectation would be that litigation would at most get you the depreciated value of your watch as it was when you dropped it off, that is value of a used 2009 watch with service being due.

As a matter of good will, I'd hope they would give you a replacement comparable to your 2009 Speedmaster. That shouldn't be all that much more out of pocket for them to pay, and I trust that the insurance on the package will pay for most of it. Since you were about to pay $700 to have it serviced, I can see them asking you to pay that much towards a brand new watch that shouldn't need service for a few years.

Then think about having it serviced by an independent watchmaker who does the work in-house. There must be a good one in a city the size of Houston.

 

Fantastic feedback, I really appreciate all of you taking some time to respond to my situation. I hope I can answer some of the questions that you all have brought up.

1. Believe it or not, the form that I signed to authorize the service (intake form), did NOT have ANY fine print addressing liability. Yes, I was shocked about this as well. Every time I have had any jewelry serviced in the past, the jeweler usually assigns a value on the form at which the item will be insured in case of a loss. This is actually what prompted me to bring up the "what if you all lose my watch?" scenario to the salesperson that was checking in my timepiece.

2. The Omega boutique is not offering me cash, but rather credit towards another purchase in THEIR store. I would rather not mention the amount on this public forum, but it is not enough for a stainless speedmaster in their store (no discounts) - not even close.

3. There is a good reason I chose to have Omega service my watch instead of an independent watchmaker. I thought that if things don't go well, Omega will make it right; they are a large company that takes pride on excellent quality and service. If my original post came off as if I'm being greedy, I apologize as I do not believe that this is the case. I do find it unreasonable that as of now they are not prepared to give me the equivalent credit of a stainless Speedmaster (let alone the sentimental value of the timepiece - which Omega may or may not consider)...yet at the time I dropped off my watch I was told not to worry as the "last guy was able to pick out any watch in the store".

Thanks again for everyone's input. I'll keep you all updated as to what ends up happening.

 

Gee... Sorry to hear about what happened. I take all of my Omrga watches to my local OB for services. So your story is very disturbing to me. Hopefully they will show enough decency to at least give you a new current production of Speedmaster closest to your watch....

 

Random thoughts...... some of them might not be so nice, but I'll relay some experiences from a few decades in retail.

- The customer that makes a big deal about having their delivery in a specified time window and demands that the window be strictly adhered to will be the customer that gets the late delivery. Every other customer who just chilled ends up just fine. For some reason, there's some cosmic force that causes this to happen. In other words, the bigger the stink you make, the more likely something is going to go wrong.

- Your watch is somewhere, they just either don't want to tell you where because it got damaged or they don't really know what happened to it. Either way, unless you have a recording of the Ω Boutique employee guaranteeing you "any watch in the store", all you're entitled to is the value of a pre-owned 2009 Speedmaster. Look, I know that sucks, but to anyone outside your family that's all it is - a used Speedmaster. You can choose to go ballistic or not. Unfortunately, losing it in the Ω Boutique won't help you despite the store deserving it.

- Shit happens, and this time it happened to you. Bursting a capillary or two because of being insanely pissed off would be understandable. Won't change the situation though, even if you go all John Q Public / Dog Day Afternoon on everyone involved.

Where you go from here depends on you. Good luck recovering your watch!

 

In this instance, could you report the watch as stolen? You've got the serial#, so reporting it to the police might get you somewhere... someday. Pawn shops do check serials against what police have reported, so unless the serial is polished off the case it might just finds its way back to you in the future.

From this thread here (https://omegaforums.net/threads/lost-stolen-omegas-and-confiscation-questions.45085/), it seems that Omega makes no effort to confiscate known stolen watches in for servicing... which is a shame, since Rolex does it.