Hi all

I am looking for some advice or if anyone has had a similar experience before.

I completed the online form to reserve a Speedy Tuesday 2 Ultraman last year and have received a call this week from Omega shop in London informing me the watch I reserved is in stock.

I live in the north of England and am unable to get to London until 1st March. I asked the boutique what options are available to either reserve and pick up when I can or collect from a more local shop.

Omega advised the watch can’t be reserved until I get to store as there is a waiting list and I can’t pay a deposit to reserve either.

It turns out some Omega shops are franchise and some are part of the Swatch group so cannot transfer between stores.

After a few phone calls with Omega in London and to local stores it seems I have these options

1 – Pay in full by bank transfer and collect when I can. Omega will hold on until I can collect

2 – Pay in full by bank transfer and have the watch delivered to my address

3 – Pay in full by bank transfer and I can arrange for somebody else to collect

I am worried about paying the full retail amount to an account I’ve just received details of in email from a person who just called out of the blue, for a watch I haven’t seen in person. The phone number I’ve received calls from is the same as the Omega shop in London and I have had an email from what looks like a swatch email account with a couple of pictures of the watch

My questions are

1 – Is paying the full amount with no refund/return (only credit note) normal when not paying in store?

2 – Am I being too over cautious about sending the money to the account number? Any suggestions to help verify the details I have received are correct?

Thanks

 

Why can't you pay with a debit card or a credit card?

 

But you mentioned you've been called from Omega Boutique and received mail from Swatch group...why you are afraid to send bank transfer? You can write to Omega HQ to confirm the number...

 

Yep they usually will hold for 24 hours then next on the list no deposits

 

My experience is that once you pay in full the boutique will hold the watch indefinitely till you can arrange to collect it.
They will stamp the warranty card with the date the watch is collected.
Your payment will need to be to SwatchgroupUK.

 

But if you are scared you can always pass and next on the list will be very happy

 

Im being cautious due to the amount of money really. Most I’ve spent on anything apart from house and cars. Just running through my head is cold call scam and spoofed email and phone. Credit card payment would make me more reassured than bank transfer tbh

 

Did you make the payment in the same way? I.e. bank transfer as opposed credit card?

 

Call the OB and give them the credit card info over the phone. If you call them, using the phone number listed on Omega's web site, then you can be sure you are talking to someone at the boutique.

 

I didn't ask about credit card, but I can understand their reasons for not accepting that payment method.

 

Ahhhhh yes this happened to me last year when Regent St OB rang me saying that the last ST1 is available and I'm next on the list. I was gob smacked .They said I would have to find a way to London , make payment etc and they couldn't move the watch. Three seconds after that phone call I rang my local OB to double check their story and they said give them five minutes and rang me back saying it's on its way to them. Panic over. I picked up at paid when it suited me. Thou I may have helped that they knew my name from previous visits this may be worth trying out. Hope it all works out for you

 

I just had to do this with my Harrods Tudor.

I called and discussed over the phone with my sales associate. I had to add an international phone plan, as I live in the states and I had to call London.

Once she confirmed the email, and information? I wired the money over and had a friend collect since they can’t ship.

 

This is so dammed strange. Verify who you are dealing with ... get offer in writing and do the deal. Use a credit card.

 

Which local OB did you use out of interest? The two local to me are franchises and not swatch group OB so can’t transfer the watch to these

 

What's so strange about it?
Op gets a call from the boutique saying his allocated watch has arrived, please call in and pay for and take the watch, or pay by bank transfer and collect at your leisure. That's exactly what happened to me.
The OP has already said he has spoken to the boutique involved so I think he already knows who he is dealing with.
With a LE like this the boutiques are reluctant to ship them around because they can't be replaced if lost or stolen in transit.

 

Perhaps but I'm getting a foggy trust and transparency vibe here from the OP. I don't blame him for being suspicious. The lack of documentation from the shop would bother me too.

 

I did it with both speedytuesday and the ultraman. Paid in full collected the watches when I was in the country. My speedytuesday was in the shop for many months before it was collected. No problems at all.

 

That would be my concern as well: except for small payments here and there, when I am paying serious money for something--say, £1,000 or more--I want to see an invoice first--they can email it--. Even when I buy something from a private seller, I require an invoice as confirmation of the amount due. I wouldn't trust someone on the phone saying "We've charged your card £6,250."

 

I used beaverbrooks OB IN Trafford centre Manchester. Ask for Ian if it suits your location he's a good one.

 

I had no idea an Omega Boutique can be a franchise, and some are part of swatch group.

Is this true?

Are we talking about an AD, cause I don’t think an Omega bouqitue can be a franchise.