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@Oberblender : as you know I'm can't be 100% objective in that matter. You might be right on the wording. IMO a scam if when you advertise something and do something different without permission, whatever the reasons are. But in the end, we're just having talking about semantics. If not a scam, it's a disaster, with very similar effects.

@Lani : let me persist and call this a scam. I know enough from behind the scene and started this topic to invite those who met real troubles to make them public. So far, only some did, they have their reasons (one dealer, amongst others) We'll see soon other crystals that have not been coated by Chief, and which were supposed to. I have other informations (not later than yesterday) about a large amount of money paid, monthes waiting, and in the end a screwed watch. I will let the member explain this himself here when he's ready, as he asked me not to diclose the facts precisely before he thought about it. I have to respect that but at least wish to mention that we only see here very little of what's going on. There is no doubt that Rocket's skills are not those claimed by himself, and this alone justifies the description of scammer (I take the responsibility for the wording) I can only agree about an official warning that anyone else than ZM, Vac and Chief are NOT modders nor watchsmithes, my wish being to forbid even to mention unendorsed modders, as it is for dealers.

The endorsement matter is understood. But as far as I can remember, Rocket is not endorsed on RG either. So what amazes me is how have we arrived there : a mass scam. From time to time we hear of that member scamming this one, behind the scene. Here we got many members scammed at the same time. What I mean is : maybe we (We, the Community) should think about a way to avoid that. I know the first protection is intelligence : but as I said, I don't think we were 32+ idiots. The other protection could be to forbid posting about members providing services without the acknowledgement of the Administration team, that would of course give it only after the concerned member has proven his capabilities (NB @Chief : that's not aimed at you, it could happen anytime tomorrow again through someone else : watchsmith of the year discovered, lumer of the year making awesome things, new super AR coater in E.U. etc...)

Any other member would mind to confirm what he sent to Rocket ? It would be particularly interesting to know if prepped crystals were sent or crystals to be stripped. Because his trend sounds to be : "as I can't obviously say that Chief did a bad work, I'm going to say that the crystals I got were not prepared correctly". One more example of "it's not my fault, it's the other one". I hate that. @The Zigmeister : do you mean Rocket makes RG his home ? As it's definitely not RWI. In this case, is there a member who is a regular there who would be so kind and post the same there, to warn people ? I won't do it, as I'm not participating this board at all, and I can imagine that a newcomer shouting "scandal" might be flamed in a minute. If fixing the screwed crystals mean get a miserable AR coating from the UK, that's not what I want, for none of us. Rocket, there are very few days left before I keep my word and knock at your door : believe me, I'll do it.

And how do you rate them ?

Such mail was done already. No answer. And no answer by phone. So how should we proceed ?

No. Chief will not be blamed. He's unwinlingly a player of the scam, as E.U. members are. His reputation might keep traces of the bad Rocketeer has done with us, and I can understand he's on the defensive. I agree that the thread is turning to personal attacks, it should not be the case... except to Rocketeer, which I maintain, is a blatant liar. I can't believe anything of what he says any more. I hope member Smithy will soon post here to prove it. Chief, I DO apologize if you feel hurt, as I explained you privately, I do not want that. WE do not want that. And also, I don't want you to think I'm manipulating anything to reveal the truth : truth is truth, and my request for member's testimonies was also aimed at helping knowing what's happening, and of course at finding a way to make pressure on Rocket, which I cannot respect the way I respect any other member here. That beeing said, I can turn very bitter in front of injustice. And that's what we're living here : - injustice in having being abused by promises - injustice in the judgement of some members - injustice in being considered as having been careless in rushing to Rocket's promises It's very frustrating to ask for help, and find criticism... That being said, I'd love the tone of this discussion to come back to normal, and read other posts of members being scammed by Rocket : I learnt so many behind the scene, and can only regret we don't see them here. Friends, I know there's a reason for this, but please take your responsibilities : tell the community (RWG and RWI) what happened, and prove that no confidence can be granted to Rocketeer, whom I hope will be banned from this very place. Admins, Chief, is you have a way to communicate, do not just transfer Rocket's intention, tell him he should do what he's been appointed to. And not in a month... I wish I had the wisdom of some of you (especially Lani's one), but maybe I'm too young (40) to take this matter with detachment.

AGAIN, I dont want any refund from YOU Chief. DO NOT READ only the bad in what I write, I begged you already. I was answering a member telling us that we've been warned : I'm fed up with that ! Absolutely fed up, all the more as these members express their feeling (which I can hear) without having read all the stories we already know (as a thread was already deleted) As I'm fed up with people playing on words "endorsed modder", "D

Exactly my point.

It does !... I don't think I'm less skilled than others, but I see where my limits are technically. There are basic operations I can do, I learnt them here and there, and I already screwed more than one watch before performing them. That's a lesson for me and I accept it. Crystal removal is not easy, because movement removal is not easy. Crystal reinstallation requests skills and accuracy. So I can't let you say people are either apathic or lazy. Naive, surely. I must confess I was expecting someone to pop up and say this kind of thing, it's the easiest role. In the end, there are 32 crystals and watches + all the other modding works which are somewhere in the UK, and surely screwed for most of them. There's no communication from Rocketeer, and if any, mainly lies. The lazy guy is not the one who paid for. It's the guy who got money, a large amount, and did not do his job in due time, if he ever did. Just a different way of seeing the glass. Could have been 80 or 70, that was to say that MOST people won't do that kind of job, as they don't want to screw their watch. Is that lazyness or intelligence ? If besides there are modders or apprntice modders to offer the job on the boards (yes, we all learnt the existence of Rocketeer HERE), and if the lazy guy has the means to pay for that, why should he refrain ? Of course this is all a long process. But PLEASE, do not give us a lecture, not here, not in this thread. I've been asking personally, and on behalf of some members I had conversations with, for some help. Not a "you've been warned" or "you did not make your homework". I thought and am still convinced that the boards, the admin team and some members are here to help and guide us. Sometimes to protect us of our own stupidity. It's not an obligation in the end : it's a wish. I did not want to go in such tiny details but... What if I tell you that there were 3 days between the initial post of Chief and the warning ? How many crystals left inbetween ? What if I tell you that my watches went on friday 13th february ? Have I been warned in this case ? I have till now not even thought of mentionning that, but I'm starting to be slowly irritated with the "you've been warned". I read this so many times already. Naivety there was, of course. Not stupidity. With all respect I have for Chief, and that was already mentionned in his section, he did not know about Rockets *cough* capabilities. I would and have never advised any member (and there were a lot) to buy or use a service from someone I don't know. Never. And that's where what initially posted in a positive view (helping E.U. members) turned to be a very bad advice. Chief has already drawn lessons and apologized for that, respect to him. I doubt he will ever recommend anyone else in the future without having developped a personal or professional, regular, relationship. This is your opinion, and I hear it : but you won't change the world with that, and it will not help anyone here to make philosophy about where the Wolrd is going, telling people they are lazy and naive. To make it short : now let me confirm (if any doubt) that I'm not a lazy (nor stupid) guy, and not the one who won't do any effort, as you seem to insinuate. Unless I misread you. I try to learn, make efforts in my hobby for me, and also for other members. My contributions and countless PM on both boards for 2.5 years show it...I suppose. But I'm maybe just unknown to you... as you are to me. So please don't judge. I can't change the crystal of a Breitling, and I can't relume my watch. So what ? It's probably the case of most people who felt in the trap. That being said, I learnt my lesson... from Rocketeer.

Regaring crystal removal : you can imagine that most members don't have the skills nor the equipment to do that. some bring their bracelet to the watchsmith to resize it : so be it. They will surely never remove a crystal. If you're told someone can do it for you for 10 dollars and then send it to Chief, what would you do ? I would send my watches of course. I have learnt many things here on the boards, starting to open casebacks, swapping stems, removing some movements, popping some crystals out. Even stripped an AR by myself, although I now understand this might have been a mistake. Now, I am still unable to work on complicated watches like Breitlings. Also, some movements are a pain to reinstall, as the stem won't hold if you don't know what you're doing. So I fully agree on "do it yourself", but it's not that easy for 90% of the people. Nobody twisted anybody's arm. But again, when Chief announced that we could go through Rocket for E.U. members, it was very welcome and made sense, at least for 32 of us... Does that mean we're 32 naive persons ?

Hooky, please keep us posted once they're installed. If we can see some positive coming from the chaos, that would help hoping...

This cannot be denied, we all fell in the same trap, at the same time. And it's not all related to your AR coating run, but to all services that were proposed by mail after we contacted him. I do regret I have learnt Rocket's name (and services) through you, but it could have been through anyone. That's a fact. But the blame is not on you (I'm not sure I made this clear here or in the few PM I sent you already on that matter) The problem that has to be solved is not Chief's AR run, even if all the problems are related to this transaction, but the way it was (and still is) managed by Rocketeer, who is misleading some (or maybe all) of us. Did anyone try to call ? He's on answering machine... I hope nobody's going to point out that "it might be to have more time for our 32 watches/crystals)". Chief, of course we (and especially I) should relax. 2 weeks might sound acceptable. But it's all the preparation before the run which already cannot make anyone relaxed, and the very precise feeling that these 2 weeks will be much more (let's talk about this end of June) : all other elements we get (greenish crystal, lies about the place where some of them were coated, excuses some members get to make them wait more, screwed watches) do not make me confident AT ALL about this matter being solved neither normally nor quickly. Appointment is taken on 30th june, here, in this very thread. We'll see then who still feels relaxed.

Chief, it is obvious and was not meant that you know his operations. But you are the one who knows how many crystals came from him, right ? Why reading always the bad thing in what I'm writing ? Thanks for confirming there were 32... And yes, I cannot believe that most crystals failed in coating... except those having not been prepped correctly. It's the principle of pointing others for a problem which is his, which I do hate and simply cannot stand. Here's one UPO crystal that came back. It was posted on RWI and I do feel it makes sense to show how bad it is. I'm afraid the theory of a simultaneous local AR coating might be right... It's not the first time I hear this possibility. That's not honest, we signed for a Chief's run !! (on the left...needless to confirm)

Rocketeer was introduced by Chief here on RWG, originally as a support for E.U. members who wanted to apply for Chief's AR run. Probably on RG too, I'm not there enough to know it. Not on RWI, as Chief is not acting there as a modder. I feel bad, having to publicly start such a negative cruisade : but enough is enough. There is no way we can let such a disaster take place without saying a word...

Only he and Chief can tell us. It was supposed to be a batch of 20. Rocket once wrote that this was increased. The exact number is then pure speculation... The core problem is not only the E.U. run : eventually it's all kind of mods and services which have been mailed to this run's participants. There is a member waiting since january for a watch to be built (we're talking of more than 500 GBP), there is a Blackbird which has been ruined, there is a Rolex GMT still M.I.A. after 5 monthes, there are several watches from an established dealer sent for repair and also M.I.A.... This is part of what I know, and there is much more to be discovered, that's why I'm posting too. Not by pure pleasure or any kind of selfish motivation (my 2 watches) : I'm posting also to make sure that Rocketeer will not harm any new customer. Stay AWAY ! When you play with such an amount of member's money, you're not allowed to act the way you do... There's always an excuse, never his mistake. Again, should I mention that Rocket confirmed to one member that most of the crystals that came back from Chief had troubles and he proposed to have them recoated in the UK ? Can you really believe that ? Today I've only seen one member happy with this run... Sorry, that's not a happy end...

I'm before all talking about 4 monthes, whereas a normal run takes max 2 monthes. Why the crystals arrived only 2 weeks ago in the UK is also unexplainable for me : watches/crystals were sent mid of february... Armin, you should change your watchsmith

I can't believe that 20? potential customers will make anyone a full time's job. Sorry, there is NO excuse. The other point is that if one can't communicate by mail, it is common sense to give regular information on the boards... As Chief does. Why would Rocket not need to do that ? Again, there are established mistakes already, and I started this thread to make them all obvious, and to force Rocket to tell us when and how ? Precisely. BTW, I've not mentionned the nedd for a 48 hours answer... just the need for an answer.

Hooky : it's not only a question of schedule. It's a question of communication and a question of skills. Quality check : does that mean Chief has screwed some coatings ? He has not reported that...

Lani, I know he's not endorsed here, neither he is on RWI. However I thought that admins asking Rocketeer to pop up in the thread would be welcome. As a member. And refusing to do so should lead to the conclusion he's worth being banned... preventing any other member to try his services, which he can advertize publicly or by PM as long as he can post. The main point is indeed, as Stephane said, that those experiencing the same problems are more than welcome to confirm what they are about to loose...now. Till today we have an unclear vision of the size of the scam, and I'm sure it's begger than what has been expressed in very few posts (including a large amount of mines).

Hi, the title says it all. Early february I sent 2 watches (value of 450 USD) and paid 150 GBP for a Chieftang AR coating through Rocketeer (UK). Indeed Chief asked E.U. members to go trhough him for the following run. We are now mid of june, and all what we get now (here and there) are informations of screwed watches, screwed crystals, excuses to say we have to wait a bit more. ROCKET, YOU'RE A BLATANT LIAR, you have not honored your committment and try to pass the fault on Chieftang. You don't answer emails and if so, it's to avoid answering or finding any technical blah blah to try to make angry customers wait a bit more. I don't know which game you play, but either you have overestimated your skills, or you're just plain dumb and believe people won't move after your mistakes or accept bad work. I'm not alone. There are at least 20 crystals (maybe double) involved. Not mentionning the watches you are keeping. PLEASE - admin team, is there someting you can do ? - unhappy customers, please chime in and explain what you sent, what info you got from Rocket (if ever) and which money you already spent. BE HONEST. If you're happy in waiting more, so be it, but your written confirmation in this very thread will help understanding how wide the disaster will be... or already is. ROCKET, you should now come here and explain honestly which problem you meet. The crystals are back in the UK since 2 weeks. I can't believe you need 2 weeks to ship 20 crystals/watches back. It's not a question of being flooded with job, there's something else and you will now tell us. I WANT my watches back. So far I have read of ONE member being happy (Asim), besides I had a lot of PM with different E.U. members and with Chieftang, and there are really incredible things I read. Time has come to tell us which problems you met : I won't disclose names of people I talked to, but PLEASE take your responsibilities and make your story/case public. Let's do something before it's too late... I never thought someone would make me loose my temper over the 2 years I spent in this hobby : you are the one, Rocket Other (still availale) threads : http://www.replica-watch.info/phpBB3/viewt...02&#p485502 http://www.rwg.cc/members/AR-Service-UK-EU...ers-t91888.html http://www.rwg.cc/members/heard-Rocketeer-t93772.html +1 thread set invisible in CT section, as it was turning serious and irritating...

@Titosa : there's no Sport Conquest series I know of with an A7750... Is it a gen ?

There are very few decent Longines... Actually, I know only the Hydro Conquest... That one was the quartz version, but the case looks like the high end version... and it comes with sapphire as a bonus... In real life, the blue gen is quartz too, unfortunately here I have a Miyota F00 whereas it should be an ETA quartz... Therefore an other subdial layout. Pity, could have been virtually gen. On the top of that, the bracelet is excellent.