Advice please about dealing with fault watch and returns

[metaljesus]

Hi all. I've just purchased my first rep ever, after lots of research, and its arrived faulty. Of all the luck ...

I wont mention the name of the dealer, just yet anyway. Its someone recommened and linked to by this forum.

Its a Tag Heuer Carrera A-7750, the day/date wheel mechanism seems to be out of contact with the crown. When I turn the crown the day and date changes sometimes, sometimes it doesnt, sometimes it changes it once or twice then stops. Through the crown I can feel something going wrong, sometimes it catches and turns the mechanism and sometimes it just grids against it, sometimes it locks up completely.

So, I have emailed the dealer. Before buying it I asked what the policy was on if it arrived dead or if it broke soon after arriving. He replied that if it died he would replace it, if it died after id worn it then he would repair it.

The complication here is that I made sure the watch was running and everything was fine before taking all the plastic off, the date was fine for the 1 or 2 turns i gave it, but I didnt try and acutally set it. I took the plastic off and took it to a local Timpsons (a well knowns UK chain of watch repairers and key cutters) to have the braclet sized. After that I set the time and date and then noticed the problem.

I emailed the dealer and he has said hes happy to repair it (not replace) if I send it to him (my expense).

My attitude about this is this: I've purchased a product which has turned out to be faulty. I dont think its unreasonable for me to receive a replacement of the product without additional expense and that this product should be new, not a now second hand repaired product.

I have not yet pushed this view with the dealer, because I wanted to ask what other people think and what are your experinces? Am I being unreasonable wanting a replacement, because I've taken the packaging off and had it sized, despite the fact I was shipped a faulty product? Or should I just accept this is a risk of this kind of purchase and except I have to pay extra to ship it back?

Thanks for your help.

[harryarme]

It's unfortunate that you've experienced a problem the first time out of the gate. My condolences...

Hopefully your research included reading the postings from The Zigmeister regarding the care and feeding of the 7750 here:

http://www.rwg.cc/members/Technical-helpful-inform-f209.html

including the cautions against setting the date when the indicated time is between 7PM and 2AM. Trying to set the date between those times will result in behavior like you describe and may damage the movement. If you've read those postings you've also seen the caution against handwinding a 7750 more than necessary to get it started.

In cases where the date setting mechanism is acting up, I've found it useful to carefully turn the hands forward past midnight to 4AM or so, which should cause the date to advance one day, and then try setting the date. Doing that generally seems to put the date setting mechanism into a proper working state. I also believe it works best if you pull the crown out to the first position and set the date and then pull it out to the second position and set the time, rather than the other way around.

I'm fairly new here as well, but I believe that it's assumed the buyer is responsible for the shipping charges back to the dealer, who will repair or replace the watch at his option and ship it back to the buyer at his (the dealer's) expense.

If you know of a rep-friendly watchsmith who is experienced with the 7750, you might consider having it serviced rather than sending it back. Any additional costs for the repair, if needed, would likely be less than cost of shipping it back to the dealer, and you would have a watch that should give a long period of reliable service. In addition, that would eliminate the risk of customs seizure.

H