The term 'Trusted Dealer' ironic?

[icoopernicus]

Without naming a specific TD, since they are all like this. I wonder if it should be made more clear that the term 'Trusted Dealer' is somewhat a misnomer, maybe they should be reffered to as 'Dealers who are held to some form of account with regard to their actions when dealing with forum members'... or something with a little more ring to it.

 

recently recieved QC pics that contained a mark on the bezel of an Omega Planet Ocean, I asked if this was a scratch or something that could just be removed and was greeted with a prompt reply to the effect that it was only surface dirt. Having been down this road before I made the simple request for a picture that illustrates the removal of the flaw (it really looked like a scratch). quite some time has now passed (longer than it took to get the first QC pics) with only a "I'll work on getting a new picture." I am fairly confident that the elapsed time has been used to procure a watch that does not contain the scratched bezel.

 

The absence of any names or specifics means that this is simply meant to be a warning to first (or tenth) time customers. Maybe you don't just take their word for it when they assure you of something, ask for proof and it's okay to insist, they will eventually oblige in order to keep the customer happy. Remember, even if they aren't exactly trustworthy, they are held to a certain degree of account for their treatment of customers and a bad reputaion or removal from the TD list would be very bad for business.

[Mike on a bike]

Trust but verify!

[KB]

Trusted is a term given by the members not the Admin team, we just call them dealers.

 

However there are very many reasons why the members have coined this term and it wouldn't hurt to remember all the good points about them when raising a minor negative point.

 

 

Ken

[calb]

Trust but verify!

+1!!

[hiker01]

Ahem!

[icoopernicus]

Not an issue that I was trying to raise, more of a musing on the unique process involved in our relationship with the dealers. This current experience is pretty much par for the course.

[freddy333]

I used to correct members who used that term, but its popularity snowballed & it became an accepted 'fact'.

[sgtguk]

I'm with ya mate........................what's that saying the Chinese love 'Let the buyer beware'     every time................ 

[fraggle42]

You have to remember that trusted dealer really only refers to one person, the main dealer.

They employ helpers who just want to get paid, aren't paid much, and i get the distinct impression they don't really care.

There are exceptions of course, but not many.

My simple rule is to trust the QC pictures and the proof of after sales service. Everything else, take with a pinch of salt.

[L8terz]

Here's an interesting perspective.

You are ordering a watch from an individual that is thousands of miles away. Your language could be his 2nd,3rd or even 4th. He has a GLOBAL website that could cater to millions if not billions of people. You and he/she are one person.

You must think you're the only one E-mailing him.

The only one asking for 100 different angles of the same watch.

The only one sending, Lord knows how many emails asking a million questions.

News flash, you're not. It's a $100, $200 , $300,$400 hobby. It shouldn't be this big of a deal. If the order is wrong, so what. THEY WILL FIX IT. That's why they are called " Trusted Dealers". Not so they can Baby sit you through a couple hundred dollar process.

If you want a Sales Rep for a Baby sitter, then buy a house. Buy an exotic car, or even buy a Gen watch. That's where your money goes. Most of it goes to the item, the rest to the experience and customer service.

[torobravo]

Trusted means that it is approved to sell in the forum and there is a feedback section which is the voice of the customers. You know what you will receive, not just a random website you found on google with AAA+ replicas.

 

A dealer is a team. There is a lot of work with website developement, qc pictures, emailing, several type of shady payment handling receving money and paying factories, illegal pp accounts, third party credit card payments, watch orders, relationship with factories, package making, aftersales service etc etc

 

The qc picture is mainly for the reason to make sure you receive the watch you really ordered, and not a different one. However if you see something unusual, like scratch on the dial or some kind of misalignement you can ask the dealer to take you some more pictures. This is the benefit of a forum, and a ¨trusted¨ dealer.

[xsxces]

nice post.

it seems that much weight is given to the so called TDs and instruction given on how to be a good buyer/newb buyer.

but accountability must also come from the sellers as well.

[rocky4691]

Like stated above this is a hobby and can be an expensive one at that but I love this hobby of watch collecting  and without a doubt rather take my chances with someone who is classified as a TD on this RWG site than any attempt to take the chance on dealers who just out of the blue send me email advertising their so called wonderful products and low prices. Even less would I be inclined to google  some who knows who. But thank you for your informative input on this subject, we were all new at this at some point in our very addictive hobby but any post that can possibly help someone new to this is allways good, thank you. I have been buying and selling watches for probably 30 years at least. Back then it was mostly quartz and even the automatics were mostly cheap.

[KB]

nice post.

it seems that much weight is given to the so called TDs and instruction given on how to be a good buyer/newb buyer.

but accountability must also come from the sellers as well

 

 

In what way has accountability not come from the dealers?

 

Most have been on these boards for years, just because there are the few who expect the Mall shopping experience when buying a rep does not mean the dealers are not doing their utmost to make their customers happy.

 

Anyone who was in this hobby 10 years ago would be blown away with the benefits the buyer now has that were totally non existent back then.

 

Ken

[panerai153]

In what way has accountability not come from the dealers?

 

Most have been on these boards for years, just because there are the few who expect the Mall shopping experience when buying a rep does not mean the dealers are not doing their utmost to make their customers happy.

 

Anyone who was in this hobby 10 years ago would be blown away with the benefits the buyer now has that were totally non existent back then.

 

Ken

Ken, You are so right! I started off probably more than ten years ago, back on the old TRC. We had  a fair number of dealers back then, but there were no QC photos, and not a heck of a lot of correspondence from the dealers. You wanted something, you usually had to email the dealer, ask him if he had a certain watch in stock, if yes, send your money, often times it was WU or nothing, although a few did eventually start taking Paypal. When you got your watch, it was pretty much yours. A few dealers would give you a discount on your next watch, or offer to pay 25 bucks in the form of a refund if your watch was DOA or had problems. In all those early years, I sent one watch back, and that was later in the game when Eurotimez was around. Usually, it was YOD (Yours on Delivery!!!) No returns, no whining, and if you kicked up too much of a fuss, the dealers would suddenly start ignoring your emails.Another thing,

 

We had several dealers back then who had probably the best Rolex watches and maybe a few others, who wouldn't even return your first email unless you were recommended by someone else who was a trusted buyer. The old guys will remember Maria, and George, they could get MBW's, but unless you were in the inner circle, you couldn't buy from them, as they only sold to those they knew. And then there was TTK, another character on the early forums. If he didn't like you, he wouldn't sell you the time of day!! If you posted silly stuff or went against him, you could forget ever getting one of his watches. So to all you newer guys, the good old days are now!! 

[xsxces]

In what way has accountability not come from the dealers?

 

Most have been on these boards for years, just because there are the few who expect the Mall shopping experience when buying a rep does not mean the dealers are not doing their utmost to make their customers happy.

 

Anyone who was in this hobby 10 years ago would be blown away with the benefits the buyer now has that were totally non existent back then.

 

Ken

 

good point. i'm very new to this so maybe shouldn't have spoken up.

but your tone is exactly what i'm referring to, not necessarily the actual "accountability."  i meant that as a general term to imply that sellers (of any service) should be accountable for what they sell. counter point might be, as stated in this thread, that we're all just buying reps and to go buy something expensive if we need customer service.  

but again, OP stated an opinion and i just decided to add my 2 cents as to participate in the forums. but you just confirmed my first sentence above in saying that much emphasis is given on how to be a good buyer.

for as long as you have been in the game, i realize that you have seen the changes and how far things have come since you first started. 

i'm greatful for the sellers who won't cheat you and and forums that assist in this process.  still, it's a 2 way street.  without the buyers from these forums as well as others, these sellers might be doing something else.  they're not AAPL and selling iphones.  they're in business due do the demand.  so i don't think it's unreasonable to expect some type of customer service whether it's emails or pertaining to what the OP has stated. 

of course these sellers might get sick of how newbs pick at every little thing as they have been in business for a long time.  but to that buyer, especially a newb, that transaction is the only and maybe first/last one he/she makes.

i had the same jitters that i was able to put down due to all the help from posts/members from this forum. not everyone is that lucky.

[Deckard1979]

I am glad i have only joined rep hobby few months ago. According to our old members must have been quite difficult to get a really good rep if anything 10 years back. As a man with no patience i would swim down to China to get the things sorted   No QC photos, we are getting spoiled now But this is good for both parties. I can't complain. I have bought few watches from Trusty, Watcheden and fellow members. "Touch wood" - so far so good

[B3nj4min3]

good point. i'm very new to this so maybe shouldn't have spoken up.

but your tone is exactly what i'm referring to, not necessarily the actual "accountability."  i meant that as a general term to imply that sellers (of any service) should be accountable for what they sell. counter point might be, as stated in this thread, that we're all just buying reps and to go buy something expensive if we need customer service.  

but again, OP stated an opinion and i just decided to add my 2 cents as to participate in the forums. but you just confirmed my first sentence above in saying that much emphasis is given on how to be a good buyer.

for as long as you have been in the game, i realize that you have seen the changes and how far things have come since you first started. 

i'm greatful for the sellers who won't cheat you and and forums that assist in this process.  still, it's a 2 way street.  without the buyers from these forums as well as others, these sellers might be doing something else.  they're not AAPL and selling iphones.  they're in business due do the demand.  so i don't think it's unreasonable to expect some type of customer service whether it's emails or pertaining to what the OP has stated. 

of course these sellers might get sick of how newbs pick at every little thing as they have been in business for a long time.  but to that buyer, especially a newb, that transaction is the only and maybe first/last one he/she makes.

i had the same jitters that i was able to put down due to all the help from posts/members from this forum. not everyone is that lucky.

You have made some pertinent points however let me just attempt to answer some of your concerns raised. As a fellow "newbie" I also was unsure as to the reliability of many of the so-called TD here. However, after much reading and having ordered several watches I see that there is a fair degree of accountability from the sellers. Their business depends largely on their reputation, which has primarily been built due to their excellent communication, high level of customer service (eg. QC pics, replacement of faulty parts, etc), and even a degree of after-sales care.

All of this has helped the TD's garner a fairly loyal customer base which they wish to protect and grow. So despite the fact that one may not get stellar levels of service I for one have received as good if not better service from some of the TD's here than I have from a few AD's (despite having spent a fair chunk of money over the years there).

So to sum-up, the TD's are not perfect and the customer still has to do their own due diligence however I would they say they are accountable to their customers and mistakes, if made, are quickly rectified (at least in my experience).

[KB]

When I started in this hobby we had a saying "Don't spend what you can't afford to lose"

 

I think that explains just how much this hobby has changed.

 

For example no dealer owns a rep factory we are all 3rd parties, the benefits we have extended to our customers do not come from the factories, they still maintain the same ideology they had 10 years ago so often when something goes wrong and the dealer makes sure the customer doesn't lose money it is the dealers money that they get.

Now many may think that's fair because if they return an item to a local store they expect a refund but the local store is not selling illegal items and that is where the problem lays, many customers on these boards now believe buying replica's should be a normal shopping experience, yet the buy from these forums because they know the pitfalls of buying from the unknown.

 

It has been suggested that without the buyers on these forums the sellers would be doing something else, what about this then...Without the sellers on these forums buyers would still be getting scammed or paying $1500 for a $300 watch.

 

Ken

[Ricardo L]

I agree with the last poster.. there are some buyers that forget they are buying counterfeit goods

Edited June 19, 2013 by Ricardo L

[xsxces]

You have made some pertinent points however let me just attempt to answer some of your concerns raised. As a fellow "newbie" I also was unsure as to the reliability of many of the so-called TD here. However, after much reading and having ordered several watches I see that there is a fair degree of accountability from the sellers. Their business depends largely on their reputation, which has primarily been built due to their excellent communication, high level of customer service (eg. QC pics, replacement of faulty parts, etc), and even a degree of after-sales care.

All of this has helped the TD's garner a fairly loyal customer base which they wish to protect and grow. So despite the fact that one may not get stellar levels of service I for one have received as good if not better service from some of the TD's here than I have from a few AD's (despite having spent a fair chunk of money over the years there).

So to sum-up, the TD's are not perfect and the customer still has to do their own due diligence however I would they say they are accountable to their customers and mistakes, if made, are quickly rectified (at least in my experience).

yes, you are right. i didn't mean to come off as concerned or offended by the term TD or any particular actions from them. i just meant to generally convey that both sides should be able to reasonably expect to reach....for lack of a better term, expectations. sorry if i sounded grumpy but that wasn't the intention. i'm really happy that i found this place which led me to purchasing my first rep. before this, i didn't even know a whole community of those who collect reps even existed.

[xsxces]

When I started in this hobby we had a saying "Don't spend what you can't afford to lose"

 

I think that explains just how much this hobby has changed.

 

For example no dealer owns a rep factory we are all 3rd parties, the benefits we have extended to our customers do not come from the factories, they still maintain the same ideology they had 10 years ago so often when something goes wrong and the dealer makes sure the customer doesn't lose money it is the dealers money that they get.

Now many may think that's fair because if they return an item to a local store they expect a refund but the local store is not selling illegal items and that is where the problem lays, many customers on these boards now believe buying replica's should be a normal shopping experience, yet the buy from these forums because they know the pitfalls of buying from the unknown.

 

It has been suggested that without the buyers on these forums the sellers would be doing something else, what about this then...Without the sellers on these forums buyers would still be getting scammed or paying $1500 for a $300 watch.

 

Ken

 

ken, you're right about that last part. it's a delicate eco system and it takes two to tango.

 

on a lighter note, my first rep cleared customs.

any day now!

[B3nj4min3]

yes, you are right. i didn't mean to come off as concerned or offended by the term TD or any particular actions from them. i just meant to generally convey that both sides should be able to reasonably expect to reach....for lack of a better term, expectations. sorry if i sounded grumpy but that wasn't the intention. i'm really happy that i found this place which led me to purchasing my first rep. before this, i didn't even know a whole community of those who collect reps even existed.

Agreed and congratulations on the purchase of your first rep! Remember to post some pics when you get it as we all love some good old watch-porn!

[L8terz]

Agreed and congratulations on the purchase of your first rep! Remember to post some pics when you get it as we all love some good old watch-porn!

Yes we do. I've also noticed the " Daily Wrist Checks" have been a little slim lately. Nothing gets my morning going like good O'l watch porn.

( Hoping the GF doesn't see this)