Watches....Has this happened to anyone else?

[leilani01]

I brought in 2 watches for new batteries and a necklace for a minor repair to a jewelry shop with a “good” reputation. The shop had a glowing write up in the local paper and has been in business for 20+ years. This was my first dealing with them.

The repair work (necklace) and new battery for the less expensive watch were fine but I was told my Coach Lexington watch needed a complete overhaul with new parts! (Coach watches are made by Movado). I was suspicious because the same thing happened to me several years ago at a different jewelry shop with the same watch.

Both times the jeweler claimed he tried not one but two new batteries and the watch wouldn’t run. In the end, I refused to authorize the repairs and the jeweler was annoyed. I took the watch to another shop and they changed the battery and all was well.

Oh, when I went to pickup my watch this time, the jewelry shop even tried to buy it from me and said they could only offer a “pittance for a broken” watch.

I wonder how often this has happen to others – paying for unnecessary repairs instead of just a new battery. Do we need to get a second opinion for watch repairs these days? Or is my poor watch cursed?

 

[barcreperie]

I had something very similar happen to me, at an upper scale chain jewelry store. I took two watches in for new batteries. They called later to tell me the battery in one of the watches had burst, and I'd need to pay to have the watch cleaned out, about 20x the cost of a new battery alone. I was stuck. I knew if I told them not to clean it, they'd be forced to burst a battery in my watch before I picked it up. So I paid the ransom to get my watch back. It was a Movado that cost about $700 25 years ago, and this incident happened about 15 years ago. I never went back to that jewelry store.

At another jewelry store, I went in to get the safety chain replaced on a fake gold Seiko watch. They quoted some exhorbitant charge for doing this. When I asked why the cost was so high, the jeweler said it was for labor, to remove a small screw that was broken off in the latch, the screw that had held the safety chain on. I happened to be holding the screw (in tact), in my hand. I held it up and said "You mean this screw?". The jeweler was flustered, and of course I didn't have the work done there, and never returned.

 

[twin53]

i've been lucky with watch batteries. i go to a mr.fix-it kiosk in the mall and they do it right in frront of me. not fancy but they are honest.

 

[leilani01]

barcreperie - That's terrible! They seem to like doing this to Movado watches (Movado also makes Coach watches). I'm beginning to think they're cursed. Did the jewelry store say that it was the more expensive watch with the "burst" battery?

twin53 - I'm glad you've been lucky with your battery changes. I'm was in the shop on both occasions when they told me my watch wouldn't run. However, I couldn't see the jeweler's hands while he was changing the battery. Both of them also encouraged me to look around while they were working.

The place where I go now, I can see what the jeweler is doing.