brietling return

[merebank]

is it wise to send my watch back to the dealer in China, and what would be the shipping cost from uk.

[chiefwiggum]

About

[Fireman_Fred]

About

[importr]

I would hasten to add:

Do NOT list the contents as a watch as the chances of it being seized by Chinese Customs are very high.

The CN based dealers usually recommend that you send it by cheapo registered air mail, as a toy or something insignificant.

I sent a Blackbird back to CN and I dont think it made it past Customs because I made the mistake above!

Edited September 28, 2008 by Importr

[bvc]

Sent back my 6.75 to china last week (1st October). Sent it as instructed by Josh, registered air mail, marked as a gift. Reading this post got me thinking though. I wasnt warned about chinese customs being a possible problem. Just a straight forward instuction to send it back to the supplier and wait for my replacement. Now as it only took 7 days to get it from my initial order I assumed I would have my replacement watch well within 2 weeks. If the watch I have sent back to china gets seized am I screwed? I am starting to think that I would be, and that this is all [censored]!

Now of course most of this is about me looking for stuff to stress about coz I paid for my watch on the 17th of September and I dont have it, and dont bank on having it for at least another week. So I am a bit [censored] off! Mainly because the fault on the watch was so bad I cant believe it was shipped. A 60 second inspection would have shown it up.

Now I know Josh is great and his customer service is good and that mistakes happen. However: I have gone from being dead excited about my replica to not really giving a toss and I am losing interest fast. In fact just to deal with it I have written it off as a loss. Picture this.

3 weeks ago this was me:

The optomist:

I spend $400 on a great looking watch because I have been convinced the dealers on this site are trustworthy and If anything happens I know they will do their best to help. Anyway I will get my watch within a week and be completely happy with it. I am an easy going chap and can even live with a few minor imperfections. so where is that checkout?

As of now this is me:

The pessimist:

I spent $400 on a watch. The watch was faultly. I had the option to keep the watch or to send it back to the supplier, I sent it back at my own expense! where customs may well confiscate it, in which case I doubt very much the dealer I bought it from would shell out for a new watch on my behalf, In fact I will probably recieve a reply to my email regarding its loss telling me "Thats Life" leaving me $400 out of pocket, no watch and properly [censored] off.

So to my question: I paid for my watch nearly 3 weeks ago, it had a fault and I have sent it back. Am I an [censored] for thinking It was possible to get a hassle free experience when purchasing a rep watch? Because to be honest If I get my watch back from china without any further problems (which I probably will) This experience has definately not been a pleasure. I believe a positve outcome to this situation will be based on luck more than anything else. Something I do not like relying on at the best of times let alone when my hard earned cash is involved.

Ok ive had a beer a wanted to get it off my chest, so I have. Still is there anyone reading this thread that would not be a little [censored] if they were in my shoes.

Please note, this was my first watch purchase so the feelings are compounded somewhat. If it were my 4th or 5th watch this issue would not even be an issue. So is this just a poker game, should I only spend money I am prepared to lose, Is it just the nature of the beast, or have I been unlucky?. We can converse at different sides of the planet almost instantly. I dont understand why it takes weeks to deliver a watch.

Regards

An ever so slightly tipsy BVC.

[dmastah12]

Now I know Josh is great and his customer service is good and that mistakes happen.

there ya go, said it yourself

[alphakazi]

I've sent one back to Ruby (been about 3 weeks - no word yet - it was airmail from Canada) - my avatar says it all was a cheapy $129 21J SOH - only ordered it to try it out - now I need a good swiss version anyhow - love it

I was about to send one back to Josh - was packed and ready to go sitting in my back seat... some little voice told me not to send it ($300 SMP PO) - opened it back up and put it on (felt like I got a new watch after it's been sitting there for weeks) - there was a problem with the rotor not spinning freely - it spins 1 or 2 rounds at best (rotor has mildew on it too) I rather get it fixed/serviced here even if it costs much more than shipping but I have no chance of losing my watch plus it's a good idea to have the movement serviced anyhow.

no fault of Josh, he doesn't see what the factory ships me and he's an outstanding dealer.

oddly enough, even though I hear a clicking noise and the rotor doesn't spin freely, it's been keeping great time ( -4 to -5 secs a day)

I should open it up and have a crack at it myself, I need to put all my new watchmaker tools to good use - maybe it's just the rotor bearing

here, you can see the mildew on the rotor and movement as well as dirt and pubic hairs lol - no wonder

[alphakazi]

seems i missed the mildew pic

edit: and now it appears again - quirky

Edited October 7, 2008 by alphakazi

[bvc]

"I was about to send one back to Josh - was packed and ready to go sitting in my back seat... some little voice told me not to send it ($300 SMP PO) - opened it back up and put it on (felt like I got a new watch after it's been sitting there for weeks) - there was a problem with the rotor not spinning freely - it spins 1 or 2 rounds at best (rotor has mildew on it too) I rather get it fixed/serviced here even if it costs much more than shipping but I have no chance of losing my watch plus it's a good idea to have the movement serviced anyhow.

no fault of Josh, he doesn't see what the factory ships me and he's an outstanding dealer."

So I am right then. Josh is a great dealer but he doesnt really have much say as to what gets shipped out to his customers. He takes your payment, sends some of it to his supplier and they send you what may or may not be a good watch. As the buyer you just need to hope there is nothing wrong with it and if there is you need to hope when you send it back for a replacement it does not get stopped by customs coz if it does you lose your money and your watch!

To be honest when I researched the possible outcomes of recieving a faulty watch everyone focused on the dealers willingness to sort out problems. Nobody mentioned the elephant in the room. Namely if customs get it you are buggered!

Yes I take full responsibility for not researching this issue fully as I have no doubt someone somewhere has lost their watch in the archives.

I have come to realize that sending your watch back to china is a risky business.. Again I say i am relying on luck.

Ok I know by definition a dropshipper does not see the stock. But I am not happy about being in a position where my dealer could (well within his rights) tell me. Sorry I cant help, its not my fault.

[bvc]

there ya go, said it yourself

Yes I did say it. But its a good business to be in when you can take payment for a product, ship out a faulty one (albeit a mistake) and when your customer complains tell him to send it somewhere it might get confiscated by customs and if it does you can keep his money. Nice work if you can get it.

I am not knocking josh I am knocking myself for not researching fully. This is the nature of the beast. I allowed myself to be subject to this situation. The truth of the matter is, is that if you order from a dropshipper and have to send it back, there is a real chance you could end up with no watch and no money. Not the dealers fault but something every newbie should be aware of imo.

[bvc]

Sorry to bring neg vibes to the forum guys. But I am not sure how to give this issue a positve slant. I would welcome any comments good or bad. Someone out there must be able to sypathize with me.

[greg_r]

Sent back my 6.75 to china last week (1st October). Sent it as instructed by Josh, registered air mail, marked as a gift.

snip rest of story

I've been in the same situation. I bought a watch from Josh. It ran for a few days and then developed a fault, so I contacted him. Sent the watch back via registered airmail in exactly the way that Josh recommended to be the safest, which cost me about

[alphakazi]

this business comes with risk - if you are unwilling to take it - buy a gen

having said that, there are alternatives - but it will still carry a certain amount of risk - just much less - for example, If you deal with Chris at Eurotimez, he will take your payment, order your watch from the factory, have his watch maker open it up and do a full quality control check on it (read up on him) and if everything checks out, he'll ship it to you - this greatly reduces the risk because chances are you won't have to send it back to for silly repairs but there is no guarantee, it's just your best chance, unless you buy locally - I use to pay big bucks to a guy here in Canada that I can try the watch out 1st before I buy. You'll pay $350 for a $150 watch - and STILL you have risk of the cheap asian trinket failing.

yep, the only real way to avoid these risks is to buy a gen but the money you pay for a rep FAR outweighs the risk

choose your dealer, then your watch

also, do research on which watches are of better quality - the more research you do, the lower your overall risk - but I think the risk adds a little flare to the game

[Toadtorrent]

Sorry to bring neg vibes to the forum guys. But I am not sure how to give this issue a positve slant. I would welcome any comments good or bad. Someone out there must be able to sypathize with me.

You have the same vibes as any Noob...no sweat. This is what happens when the first purchase doesn't go 100% smooth. It happens, and that's the game with reps. I always tell people who are new to the game that it's entertainment. That means equal parts:

• Good Quality Watch
  
• Lottery Excitement Whether or Not Expectations Will Be Met
  

The waiting really is half the game...the excitement...not knowing what's going to happen...etc...then like a lottery or gambling...maybe the ball lands on red-even, maybe it lands on black-odds...who knows. When it works in your favour...great...when it doesn't...you get ticked off.

If you get a crappy piece...returning to China by registered airmail can take 4-6 weeks from Canada...and another 4-6 weeks to get back here. I don't expect anything in under 2 months if I have to return it...that's just the way it goes. You can complain about having to pay shipping and threaten the collector that you will not buy from them if they don't cover the costs of you having to return their crappy product...but you won't get anywhere.

After you build a relationship with the collectors...if something goes wrong, they will be more agreeable to work with...sending you replacement product right away BEFORE you return items...sending parts out instead of you having to return, etc...but not until you've but a few more reps from them.

Sorry to hear this happened...but that's the way it goes. It is the risk with drop shipping. Josh and Andrew say they don't drop-ship...there's big debate about this...but the fact of the matter is if he doesn't drop ship, his QA/QC isn't as good as others like Eurotimez for assuring that you get quality the FIRST time. The trade off of course is, he is cheaper than those with the best QA/QC, and his communication response time is fast on email questions...faster than those who are cheaper.

So...you get a little of what you pay for...and which collector is the best really depends on what elements of the buying experience are the most important for you. Josh will pull through...it just takes time...and may in fact entail multiple returns. Some people because of delays just accept what they are given...or start modding.

Do what you have to do. The rep game requires muchos patience!!

[andreww]

@bvc

If you are truly going to enjoy this hobby you have to learn two things. The first and most important is patience. Heck, the first watch I ever ordered took about a month to arrive! We are dealing with suppliers of illegal products here, and trying to pass them through multiple customs checks, so using expedited transport like Fedex just doesn't work. When returning a watch, registered mail is the only option, but unfortunately it can take upwards of a month to arrive. Secondly, you need to accept the risk factor. When you send your hard earned dollars away, you must be prepared for that small chance that you may never see anything in return. This doesn't happen often, but if you can't afford to lose the money don't send it.

[alphakazi]

@bvc

If you are truly going to enjoy this hobby you have to learn two things. The first and most important is patience. Heck, the first watch I ever ordered took about a month to arrive! We are dealing with suppliers of illegal products here, and trying to pass them through multiple customs checks, so using expedited transport like Fedex just doesn't work. When returning a watch, registered mail is the only option, but unfortunately it can take upwards of a month to arrive. Secondly, you need to accept the risk factor. When you send your hard earned dollars away, you must be prepared for that small chance that you may never see anything in return. This doesn't happen often, but if you can't afford to lose the money don't send it.

*on a side note - great Replicast Andrew we could use more of those - I can browse the net and still feel like I'm reading forum posts in the background

[bvc]

If you get a crappy piece...returning to China by registered airmail can take 4-6 weeks from Canada...and another 4-6 weeks to get back here. I don't expect anything in under 2 months if I have to return it...that's just the way it goes. You can complain about having to pay shipping and threaten the collector that you will not buy from them if they don't cover the costs of you having to return their crappy product...but you won't get anywhere.

After you build a relationship with the collectors...if something goes wrong, they will be more agreeable to work with...sending you replacement product right away BEFORE you return items...sending parts out instead of you having to return, etc...but not until you've but a few more reps from them.

Sorry to hear this happened...but that's the way it goes. It is the risk with drop shipping. Josh and Andrew say they don't drop-ship...there's big debate about this...but the fact of the matter is if he doesn't drop ship, his QA/QC isn't as good as others like Eurotimez for assuring that you get quality the FIRST time. The trade off of course is, he is cheaper than those with the best QA/QC, and his communication response time is fast on email questions...faster than those who are cheaper.

great thoughts friends. I think you are right. patience it seems is the name of the game. Proverb says expectation postponed makes the heart sick. That I think is the key here. my expectations were not met. I thought even with a return factored into the equation I would have a nice watch on my wrist in a month. I thought eventually I would have a watch Its just the thought never crossed my mind that I could end up with no watch at all. Customs are nothing to do with the dealer the dealer could be santa claus and you could still end up with no watch.

So is josh a dropshipper or not?

for the record I decided to ask josh outright "what happens if the watch is seized by customs" Interesting reply: I have never lost a watch sent by air mail to customs"

I will tell you what is a real bummer. Check this out. I spent 2 months researching the archives and posting. took a month just to find you guys and whether those awesome replicas were just urban myth. After all this and deciding i wanted the 6.75 I decided to order. At the time when I was going to place my order my mate came for dinner.I told him about josh. he just decided to order a sub and a tag. My mate new nothing about reps he just bought them on my say so. and you have guessed it......................................his bloody sub and tag are perfect.

[Toadtorrent]

At the time when I was going to place my order my mate came for dinner.I told him about josh. he just decided to order a sub and a tag. My mate new nothing about reps he just bought them on my say so. and you have guessed it......................................his bloody sub and tag are perfect.

OUCH. Drop him as a friend...he's bad Karma!

That's the way the cookie crumbles I guess. I had a handful of great product...then the one that failed me was the Noobmariner. El Cheapo was in fact El Cheapo. The service was fine...Josh was great...quickly sent me replacement product no charge and without requiring return of the old one first (mind you this was after spending a little TOOOO much money with him). I would buy from Josh again for sure.

The issue was that some watches are known to have certain problems...mine was the datewheel kept slipping on the Noob. So...after a few returns back I said screw it, ordered some parts and tools, and learned how to reset the keyless works on a DG2813, replace the datewheel, etc. Fun. So as aggravating as it was...I ended up with new skills, knowledge and appreciation. Fun fun!

I believe Josh and Andrew when they say they don't drop ship. They say either they personally, or someone in their family personally inspect each watch before shipment...and that they don't drop ship. Sure...whatever the case is...I'm not going to argue the point but say that if they do or if they don't, the QC/QA is often not the greatest...but hey...we're also not paying $6k for watches either.

Good luck and keep us posted.