Speedmaster Warranty Repair

RMOON28 · Sep 1, 2020

Hello guys, new member here. I've been waiting to post this for a few days. I had a situation with my watch a few days ago that left me with some questions and maybe you can help clarify some of them.

I bought a brand new Speedmaster Pro (Hesalite) from an online retailer about 2 months ago. The watch came with the warranty card, original box and everything. the first thing I did when I got the watch was to wind it (until the crown stopped) to verify the power reserve. I notice the watch would stop around 30 hours or so and I decided to try it a few more times thinking that maybe the watch would have to be running for a couple of weeks before performing the way it should (I was trying not to think the worst). Finally after a couple of weeks of testing it I realize the watch will not give me the advertise 48 hours of PR it was supposed to. I went into the store's page and found they didn't offer any store warranty but only the original watch warranty showed on the card. I took the watch to the Omega boutique by my house and they tested it for a couple of days before confirming my claim was accurate and they ended up sending the watch out to the shop for a warranty repair.

About a month after I dropped off the watch, thy called to let me know the watch was ready. They replaced the main spring barrel completely. I notice the repair report had notes saying the watch seemed to be magnetized (I thought speedys had an antimagnetic housing, you know, with the whole "qualified for space missions" and all). First thing I did - test the watch, and this time is was worse than before: it was running about 6 seconds faster and only gave me about 10-13 hours of PR. Back to the Omega store, this time I was frustrated. How come this big brand selling watches for thousands of dollars can have such a lousy QC on a watch that was just serviced? Anyhow, I always try to be understanding and polite, so I explained the situation and voiced my concerns. The in-house tech tested it on the machine and he quickly realized I was correct, showed me the numbers on the screen and explained briefly followed by a hypothetical excuse on why the tech servicing the watch could've make such mistake. I told them that now I was afraid it will happen a 3rd time and that I would rather replace the watch (I read the warranty booklet that said Omega will repair the watch if there's a factory issue or replace for the same or similar model if the issue cannot be resolved). That's when the store manager jumped in and looked at my warranty card and asked me if I bought the watch from a retailer at a discount, I answered yes and she said that if I would have bought the watch there or from any other Omega store they would replace it right away, but because I bought it at a discounted price from a different store, the only thing they can do is repair it. I even asked why wouldn't Omega stand behind their own warranty? and her response was "Oh we do, that's why we are preparing your watch at NO COST". Seriously? like making me feel they are doing me a favor out of the kindness of their heart! the in-house tech overheard the conversation and said "Sir, I will take this one personally and make sure they get it right this time." Which made me feel a lot better after being treated like I was trying to take advantage of them.

Lastly I asked what would happen if the watch comes back and has issues again? The manager said they will send the watch out to the shop as many times as it takes while the warranty is still valid.

Now, I thought an Omega watch was an Omega watch wether you buy it at the boutique, AD or retailer. Why would the warranty be applied differently for watches bought on the shop than those bought elsewhere? And, honestly guys, these are not cheap watches, and maybe it was just bad luck but it is a big disappointment to spend this kind of money for such a big headache.

As last resort I called the seller, they returned the call right away and when I explained the situation the guy said this kind of issues have been happening more than regulary with "those" watches (not sure if he was only referring to Speedmaster models) and he was going to talk to his manager and see what they can do for me. That was 5 days ago and still waiting for the call.

I will appreciate your feedback on this.

STANDY · Sep 1, 2020

Every item can have a issue. Sorry it happened to you.....
They are going to fix it. As many times as it needs while it’s still in warranty. 👍

You can’t buy a watch at discount and expect a boutique to replace it.

Deal with who you bought it from and ask them for a replacement.

And the bit about “Those watches“ from the seller. I call

Dor_42 · Sep 1, 2020

This is a very unfortunate situation, I am like you and even when I know for a fact a job was done poorly I will still be nice and polite in hopes that it'll prevent any future misshapes.

The way I see it, even tho the warranty states they will replace a faulty watch it does not say how many "tries" they have in order to fix it.
It does suck that they did not actually test the watch before returning it to you cause they would have seen that it is still not working correctly.

I would wait to see what happens the second time and if there's still an issue contact Omega directly, I'm sure they will be very "happy" to know this is how a service center treats their watches. If you return it for the 3rd time along with an email from HQ you can be pretty sure they will test it 10 times before returning it back to you.
At least that's what I want to believe.

Evitzee · Sep 1, 2020

You'll have to deal with the seller if you want a replacement, you can't expect a boutique to replace it. The boutique will arrange for repair, that's all. Buying grey gives you better prices, but you won't get the hand holding and personalized service, as you are now finding out.

RMOON28 · Sep 1, 2020

Dor_42
This is a very unfortunate situation, I am like you and even when I know for a fact a job was done poorly I will still be nice and polite in hopes that it'll prevent any future misshapes.

The way I see it, even tho the warranty states they will replace a faulty watch it does not say how many "tries" they have in order to fix it.
It does suck that they did not actually test the watch before returning it to you cause they would have seen that it is still not working correctly.

I would wait to see what happens the second time and if there's still an issue contact Omega directly, I'm sure they will be very "happy" to know this is how a service center treats their watches. If you return it for the 3rd time along with an email from HQ you can be pretty sure they will test it 10 times before returning it back to you.
At least that's what I want to believe.

Good idea on the email to HQ. I hope they get it right this time, but as much as I appreciate them sending my watch out for repair several times, it is an awful feeling having a brand new watch from a big name and not being able to enjoy it. I mean, I have watches that cost a 3rd of what I paid for this one, and they run accurate, with no issues for several years.

Good observation on the fact that that they don't say how many times they will try to repair it before considering an exchange 👍.

schoolboy · Sep 1, 2020

I agree that buying grey can be kind of iffy when it comes to warranty and all, but the way the manager worded it, it sounds like if you buy from AD you are not treated the same as someone who bought from a boutique.

?

RMOON28 · Sep 1, 2020

schoolboy
I agree that buying grey can be kind of iffy when it comes to warranty and all, but the way the manager worded it, it sounds like if you buy from AD you are not treated the same as someone who bought from a boutique.

?

Exactly my point. You would think the Omega boutique is the representative of the brand itself. I mean, they are recognizing is one of their watches at the time they agree to repair it - no tampering, not a fake, no replaced parts, warranty card valid. Why won't they then acknowledge the 2nd part of the commitment on the warranty? I get it, you pay more on the boutique and because you bought it there they won't hesitate to replace it. But you could at least say something along the lines of "we will try to repair the watch as much as we can and if it is not possible we can talk to HQ to replace it". I could've lived with that instead of "You bought your watch at a discount so you don't get all the privileges of owning an Omega"???? ::facepalm1::

AntonisCy · Sep 1, 2020

I had my watch replaced 2 times but i went the email route. Don't know if that would have helped you more. Don't know if it would make a difference to the Omega HQ where you bought the watch from.

dennisthemenace · Sep 1, 2020

RMOON28
Exactly my point. You would think the Omega boutique is the representative of the brand itself. I mean, they are recognizing is one of their watches at the time they agree to repair it - no tampering, not a fake, no replaced parts, warranty card valid. Why won't they then acknowledge the 2nd part of the commitment on the warranty? I get it, you pay more on the boutique and because you bought it there they won't hesitate to replace it. But you could at least say something along the lines of "we will try to repair the watch as much as we can and if it is not possible we can talk to HQ to replace it". I could've lived with that instead of "You bought your watch at a discount so you don't get all the privileges of owning an Omega"????

If you bought your watch from an online grey market dealer you are lucky to have the Omega warranty at all.

RMOON28 · Sep 1, 2020

dennisthemenace
If you bought your watch from an online grey market dealer you are lucky to have the Omega warranty at all.

I see that now.

hockey · Sep 1, 2020

If you purchase new, warranty is important - selling price is reflective of this. If you buy used, try to find a good local watchmaker.

schoolboy · Sep 1, 2020

RMOON28
Exactly my point. You would think the Omega boutique is the representative of the brand itself. I mean, they are recognizing is one of their watches at the time they agree to repair it - no tampering, not a fake, no replaced parts, warranty card valid. Why won't they then acknowledge the 2nd part of the commitment on the warranty? I get it, you pay more on the boutique and because you bought it there they won't hesitate to replace it. But you could at least say something along the lines of "we will try to repair the watch as much as we can and if it is not possible we can talk to HQ to replace it". I could've lived with that instead of "You bought your watch at a discount so you don't get all the privileges of owning an Omega"????

I agree. Sounds like bad customer service to me. You could always talk to their higher ups and see why they don’t want to hold up the side of the warranty by replacing the watch.

I’m hoping all goes well for you this time around though.

Donn Chambers · Sep 1, 2020

Unfortunately for you, warranties like this are written so that it is up to the manufacturer to decide whether to replace the watch or repair, not the consumer. Many ADs will replace just to keep the customer happy and deal with the warranty repair (or replacement) themselves. But they are not obligated to do so, and in this case, since you did not purchase the watch from them (and from the gray market), they are unlikely to agree to your request no matter how far up you go.

unless you want to spend money for a lawyer in order to take this to court, all you can do is keep sending it back to be serviced until it is right.

FreelanceWriter · Sep 1, 2020

Donn Chambers
Unfortunately for you, warranties like this are written so that it is up to the manufacturer to decide whether to replace the watch or repair, not the consumer. Many ADs will replace just to keep the customer happy and deal with the warranty repair (or replacement) themselves. But they are not obligated to do so, and in this case, since you did not purchase the watch from them (and from the gray market), they are unlikely to agree to your request no matter how far up you go. unless you want to spend money for a lawyer in order to take this to court, all you can do is keep sending it back to be serviced until it is right.

I agree with this except for the part about hiring a lawyer being a necessity. They can definitely opt to continue servicing it a few times instead of replacing it; but I don't think they can refuse to replace it indefinitely, notwithstanding where you bought it. Yes, the warranty is written like that so that Omega can decide between servicing and replacing, but they're still obligated to what's "reasonable" and couldn't continue refusing to replace it for a year after 10 service attempts (just for example). What's "reasonable" would be determined by the judge (or arbitrator) and your only real limitation is the $ jurisdictional limit in small claims court, where you don't need a lawyer. They do business everywhere, but you'll still have a much easier time with jurisdictional issues if they actually maintain corporate offices and/or an Omega dealership wherever you'd be suing them. In NYC, it's a $5,000 limit and they have a flagship dealership, so it would be pretty straightforward if it comes back unfixed a few more times.

I'd also suggest scanning that warranty card, just in case some schmuck behind the counter decides to be a vigilante about it and refuses to return it...not that it would be easy for them to answer why they serviced it the first time without any card, but still...just to CYA.

hockey
If you purchase new, warranty is important - selling price is reflective of this. If you buy used, try to find a good local watchmaker.

Great S/N & avatar. You been skating lately? (I've been on wheels since April and Marsblades since June...only once a week back on ice at sticks& pucks since August...no league play here yet.)

Evitzee · Sep 1, 2020

There is really no reason that a new, PROPERLY serviced 1861 movement can't be brought back into spec, you unfortunately had a bad repair job done. It isn't clear from your original post but who did the repair work, an Omega service center or a third-party that the boutique sent the watch to? You should insist that that the watch go back to Omega for proper servicing, especially after the first attempt was cocked up.

slwoodster · Sep 1, 2020

Really tough... I know how it feels first hand on another watch. My watch was in service so long it missed my wedding after it was gone for 3 months.

Continue to repair it to spec, enjoy it, and release it. You did get a fat discount, so... live and learn. Hope this doesn't deter you from future purchases.

STANDY
Every item can have a issue. Sorry it happened to you.....

You can’t buy a watch at discount and expect a boutique to replace it.

gpssti4 · Sep 2, 2020

The boutique is loosing money dealing with you: it takes time and effort to try and satisfy your needs i.e. a warranty repair. They are upholding their end of the deal so suck it up. Next time buy from an AD or boutique.

FreelanceWriter · Sep 2, 2020

gpssti4
The boutique is loosing money dealing with you: it takes time and effort to try and satisfy your needs i.e. a warranty repair. They are upholding their end of the deal so suck it up. Next time buy from an AD or boutique.

It's nobody's f'ing business where anybody chooses to buy a watch (unless it's stolen) and the warranty goes with the product, not the buyer. It's no different from buying a car that's still under warranty. If the boutique owner has a problem with that, next time, he should make sure to test a watch that comes back from repair before returning it to the customer...or pick another profession.

gpssti4 · Sep 2, 2020

I think you’re confusing the commitment the dealer is showing with what they should be doing. There is nothing in it for them, hence why they’re not bending over backwards to please the buyer. It’s human nature, that’s all. Anyway, not in this to argue so I’ll not pass further comment on it.

Dor_42 · Sep 2, 2020

FreelanceWriter
It's nobody's f'ing business where anybody chooses to buy a watch (unless it's stolen) and the warranty goes with the product, not the buyer. It's no different from buying a car that's still under warranty. If the boutique owner has a problem with that, next time, he should make sure to test a watch that comes back from repair before returning it to the customer...or pick another profession.

Well, I find some truth in what you're saying but I don't know if the same rules apply when it comes to watches.
I bought my car from a known and somewhat reputable second hand lot, before sealing the deal I took it for an inspection in which they found some things-
- Engine light was on (I noticed that prior to the inspection).
- The brake light frame was cracked which let water into the roof and some water damage was visible on the inside of the car. I did a Google search and found out it happened to a handful of cars from the same model and everyone who had this issue was able to fix it under warranty.

The car had a full year of warranty left and I was able to get a good price for it (18% lower than blue book) so I decided to go for it cause I know both problems were covered by the warranty.

I bought the car and drove straight to the main service center, the fixed everything - no questions asked.

Speedmaster Warranty Repair

RMOON28

STANDY

Dor_42

Evitzee

RMOON28

schoolboy

RMOON28

AntonisCy

dennisthemenace

RMOON28

hockey

schoolboy

Donn Chambers

FreelanceWriter

Evitzee

slwoodster

gpssti4

FreelanceWriter

gpssti4

Dor_42

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