The Watch Hospital (UK) are closed without notice

[Engee]

There's no notification on Companies House and it's not clear if they have gone into either administration or liquidation.

Sorry to be alarmist but I asked a forensic accountant friend about this situation and was told that it can be tricky to get stuff back if the company is in liquidation because they will decide whether it is worth the effort to find and bag up the goods. The liquidators job is to sell the assets as quickly and efficiently as possible and while your watch is not an asset of the business they may not be willing to look for it - it could just end up in a claim pile.

If the business is in administration the administrators should make more of an effort because the business is deemed to have viability and therefore they will want to try to keep things going. But there's no guarantee of this.

The best bet is to find out asap who is handling the situation and try the direct approach.

Fingers crossed for you - horrible situation to be in.

 

[Taki]

Thank you everyone for your great input. I haven’t heated from them yet. I sent an email, and I will send a formal letter to the directors. I will keep you updated and hopefully I will get it back soon.

 

[Taki]

Engee

There's no notification on Companies House and it's not clear if they have gone into either administration or liquidation.

Sorry to be alarmist but I asked a forensic accountant friend about this situation and was told that it can be tricky to get stuff back if the company is in liquidation because they will decide whether it is worth the effort to find and bag up the goods. The liquidators job is to sell the assets as quickly and efficiently as possible and while your watch is not an asset of the business they may not be willing to look for it - it could just end up in a claim pile.

If the business is in administration the administrators should make more of an effort because the business is deemed to have viability and therefore they will want to try to keep things going. But there's no guarantee of this.

The best bet is to find out asap who is handling the situation and try the direct approach.

Fingers crossed for you - horrible situation to be in.

Cheers for the information mate, however I do think in this situation they must give a priority to customers consignments as a legal obligation. If you put your car in a garage for repair and the garaged goes bust, you don’t expect your car to be lost. Otherwise it would be a theft incident and the police would get involved. I totally agree that the faster we act the better. My fear is for the watch gets lost somewhere during the whole process. I understand it was sent to an Omega certified workshop, and I am not sure if the workshop is part of the Watch Hospital or simply a sub-contractor. It is all about how organized the workshop is and how well would the company communicate with them regarding our assets.

 

[Archer]

Just had a look at their web site - this notice was on the front page...



No idea if that is a current message, or if it relates to something like covid closures...

 

[Taki]

Archer

Just had a look at their web site - this notice was on the front page...



No idea if that is a current message, or if it relates to something like covid closures...

Cheers Archer, this is new as the website was down since last week. A bit of relief to be honest, this should have been put the day of closure.

 

[Croc]

Similar situation occurred with In Time Watch Services, who went into administration in December. Anyone with a watch for service was advised to contact the administrator to arrange return, however they were taken over by Timpson, who I understand arranged this. Fingers crossed all OK and you get your watch back soon.

 

[sheepdoll]

Years ago I left a camera for repair at a shop. They said that they could not get the parts. I forgot about it and went off somewhere. When I returned they had disposed of it as it had been left for a certain number of days and was considered abandoned property.

I think this also applies to clothing cleaners. Not sure where the so called 'storage fees' kick in. Seems like these situations always seem to favor those who feel the world owes them a living and the world exists for them and them alone. That the rest of us are simply figments of the imagination. Or simply something to feed upon like the food and entertainment provided for pleasure.

Not really given this much thought. Usually I fix things myself. On things like cars I often am told it is illegal to fix things because there is too much rust or 'the frame is bent.' Seems like the model is to sell something new. More and more of the processes for self repair are being made illegal. One can not get the chemicals (denatured alcohol or shellac.) Open hearth forges are banned because the smoke may cause asthma and hyperactive disorders in school. That someone could get hurt.

Reminds me of the couple getting a divorce on the way to the lawyer where they sit on opposite sides of the car and tell each other to stop breathing.

Wonder what ever happened to responsibility?

 

[RevZMan123]

It's like if you were to leave a laptop at a repair shop and you had some shady stuff on there and it went past a certain time period, it then became property of the shop based on the contract you signed when you dropped it off. I guess one could try to sue to get it back but then you're making the claim that it is in fact your laptop along with said shady stuff lurking within after maybe saying it wasn't.

Asking for a friend.

 

[Stripey]

Norfolk

I had this happen once to me in Cambridge. I had a gold Speedmaster with a local company for Servicing, and the company closed its doors and declared insolvency. I believe it used to be the practice that a letter or notice should be posted on the door with details of who to contact if you are a creditor.

This was some years ago but the advice I got was that any insolvency Practioner could not dispose of items which have been submitted for repair or service as they still belong to the customer. The insolvency practitioner also had a duty to find those people who had submitted the items. I was able to prove with a receipt from the company that the watch was mine and I physically went to the office of the Practioner and received back my watch. To say I was relieved was an understatement.

I hope that this is still the case, and that there is a swift resolution to your problems.

Sensible and accurate advice

 

[watchyouwant]

Archer

Reminds be a bit of this one...

Please let this be a bad dream, Watchmaster.com burglary? | WatchUSeek Watch Forums

Watchmaster was robbed of millions in watches, many of which were on consignment. They subsequently filed for insolvency, and it's unclear what compensation the people who sent them their watches to sell will get, if any...

My Company Director of Security, Dash, the fierce Guard Poodle.