ComplaintsforWatchArtExchange

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Last year my father passed away and left me a **** ********* serial number ******. I sent this watch off to ******************** in *********** to have it cleaned and serviced and their reviews were good and I also talked to them about the process. After they received the watch I was quoted a price for repair's and a vintages band and was given a value in 4 different emails throughout the process that the watch was valued at $40,000 to $50,000. Saturday i received the watch back finally after 6 weeks and its not mine. Its serial number *******. When i called them they told me mine was lost even though i was never notified it shipped and this one was sent as a replacement and i got a "we're sorry". Once I was told it shipped and I only received an empty box. Their answer to that was their still working on it. Not sure why you send an empty box but they did. This time i received the wrong one and i videotaped the package when i opened it knowing now how they operate. If I had not taken it to get appraised i may have never noticed and i was never notified they were sending me a replacement or mine was lost they simply tried to pull a fast one on me. I was also told buy appraisal that the vintage band they added was not vintage at all but new and the stem and back cover were after market. . U just dont lose a *****. This whole transaction was shady from the time they received it. I just showed the ***** dealer here the serial numbers and pictures of my watch that was sent to them, and they have seen the watches that I received and they are telling me there is a significant amount in value and to take them to court.

  Business response

  08/30/2023

  Watc****Exchange was engaged by Mr. **** to service a **** ********* ***** watch.  After discussions with Mr. ****, we also agreed to acquire a vintage band and ***** box for him.  Unfortunately, in the process of returning the refurbished watch, ***** lost the watch.  The watch had been sent along with another customer’s watch.  While the other customer’s watch was recovered quickly, that was not the case for Mr. ****’s watch.  The ***** box did make it to Mr. **** (for security reasons, we generally do not return customers’ watches in branded packaging, so the ***** box was sent separately from the watch).
  
  Per our terms and conditions, we are only required to replace the watch with one valued at the same value as the lost watch was before it being shipped to us.  It is true that some people have marketed similar watches for as much as $40,000-$50,000 (and, while we showed Mr. **** where these watches were for sale, we never claimed his watch had a pre-shipped value of that much).  However, most watches of this type and condition sell for under $10,000. 
  
  We acquired and sent Mr. **** a replacement watch that we valued at $15,000. 
  
  We did not tell Mr. **** that his original watch had been lost by ***** and that the watch we sent to him was a replacement watch.  It was clearly an error in judgment on our part to not tell Mr. **** his watch had been replaced.  While we fulfilled our terms and conditions, this was not the correct approach.  While this represents the only watch that has been lost by the shipping company to date, we have instituted a clear policy that we will reach out to customers immediately if their watch has been lost or damaged.   
  
  Mr. **** determined that his original watch had been replaced and reached out to us directly.  We apologized to Mr. **** for his lost watch and our failure to tell him that it had been lost. 
  
  Mr. **** believes his lost watch has a value of $40,000-$50,000.  We believe his watch is valued at $10,000 or less.  We had exchanged a few settlement proposals when Mr. **** sent the BBB complaint.   
  
  Since then, we have continued to discuss potential resolution with Mr. ****, though admittedly neither side has moved much.
  
  Fortunately, we have continued to press ***** to locate the lost watch.  ***** contacted us on August 25th to say that they located the watch.  We provided the serial numbers as identification and ***** has indicated they are sending the watch back to us.  We have reached out to Mr. **** with the news and anticipate **************** returning his watch to him while he returns the replacement watch to **************** as soon as we receive the lost watch back from *****.

  Customer response

  08/31/2023

  His entire message is untrue. I was never notified that the watch was even being returned. I was never notified the watch was lost. I was never notified that I was being sent a replacement until I got the watch and took it to have it appraised at which time they told me this was not the watch matching the serial numbers I showed them, and that the watch had aftermarket parts on it, which mine did not, I did not come up with the value of $40-$50,000, watch art exchange did and in several emails they sent me those values. I have asked several times for ***** backing proving the watch was lost and nothing! Now nothing proving the watch has been found, They took my watch, and sent me a replacement that is valued extremely lower than mine. Their own expert, Simon even sent me a picture of my watch on his wrist telling me the watch was valued at $50,000. He mentions he offered me $15,000. Yes he did and the week before that he offered me $20,000. With the understanding that I returned his watch before I got paid (fooled me once) and that he was going to pay me in monthly payments. He did not take my watch in monthly payments, and I don’t want to be compensated in monthly payments. If he has found my watch, I’ll be glad to make the exchange but until then I’m seeking the legal process to get what is mine back. My watch was not lost. They replace my watch with a watch of a lot lesser value. They have been dishonest conniving and deceitful through this entire process. They even took $3760 for me to repair my watch that I did not get back, $2000 of those dollars was for a anesthetic band but the ***** dealer here tells me this watch does not even have an authentic band on it. These people do bad business and people need to know about it. If they find my watch, I’ll be glad to take it back and glad to return. I have all the emails backing everything I’ve said including several times where they told me the value of the watch was $40-$50,000 if need be I can send those emails to you. 

  Customer response

  08/31/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  His entire message is untrue. I was never notified that the watch was even being returned. I was never notified the watch was lost. I was never notified that I was being sent a replacement until I got the watch and took it to have it appraised at which time they told me this was not the watch matching the serial numbers I showed them, and that the watch had aftermarket parts on it, which mine did not, I did not come up with the value of $40-$50,000, watch art exchange did and in several emails they sent me those values. I have asked several times for ***** backing proving the watch was lost and nothing! Now nothing proving the watch has been found, They took my watch, and sent me a replacement that is valued extremely lower than mine. Their own expert, Simon even sent me a picture of my watch on his wrist telling me the watch was valued at $50,000. He mentions he offered me $15,000. Yes he did and the week before that he offered me $20,000. With the understanding that I returned his watch before I got paid (fooled me once) and that he was going to pay me in monthly payments. He did not take my watch in monthly payments, and I don’t want to be compensated in monthly payments. If he has found my watch, I’ll be glad to make the exchange but until then I’m seeking the legal process to get what is mine back. My watch was not lost. They replace my watch with a watch of a lot lesser value. They have been dishonest conniving and deceitful through this entire process. They even took $3760 for me to repair my watch that I did not get back, $2000 of those dollars was for a anesthetic band but the ***** dealer here tells me this watch does not even have an authentic band on it. These people do bad business and people need to know about it. If they find my watch, I’ll be glad to take it back and glad to return. I have all the emails backing everything I’ve said including several times where they told me the value of the watch was $40-$50,000 if need be I can send those emails to you. 
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ****

• Initial Complaint

  03/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In December of last year, I purchased a Vintage *****. I had it authenticated through the purchasing company (*****), to find that it was 100% original, with the exception of an ill-fitting aftermarket crown. Upon many attempts to have it restored, I decided to send it to WatchArtExchange, a website that prides themselves on vintage watch restoration. They operate via email, so I contacted their watch maker Simon, who said they were fully capable of doing a "factory specified" restoration, restoring it to a "factory original" state. Despite the fact that they are not an authorized ***** repair center, their online reputation preceded them, with nothing but satisfied customers. So, I received a quote (for somewhere from $700-$800), and sent them my watch for repair. I am a watch collector and reseller, so I know people who can source hard to find parts for old watches, like my own. I took to *****, and purchased an original crown for my watch, costing $244.41. In my previous attempts to have the watch restored, I sent the crown in as well, in hopes that I could have it attached, so I did the same here. Fast forward around 2-3 weeks, I receive a picture in my email, showing what seems to be a completed product, sporting the same aftermarket crown that I sent my watch in with. I figured work was yet to be done, as the timeline for these things is somewhere from 3-4 months, not weeks. I paid the invoice for the repairs on February 3rd, then receiving emails that it was ready to ship, and I received/opened the package on February 21st, at around 11 pm. I was visually pleased, as the watch was outwardly in better shape, however, I still noticed the same crown I sent it in with. Also, my original crown had not been returned to me. So, I sent Simon an email thanking him for his work, and inquired about my crown. He told me that the crown on the watch was "100% original" for my model, and that the crown I provided was broken, so he figured I wouldn't want it back. I also began to notice a rattling sound coming from the inside of the watch, which was supposedly just inspected/serviced/restored, so that was another red flag. Luckily enough, I was visiting a family member in *********** **, where there so happened to be a ***** ********** ****** *** ****** ********* ******* ****** * ************* **** *******. I wanted an immediate second opinion, so I asked their master watch maker if they could have a look. Come to find that when they opened the watch, the services I had been billed for were NOT completed. He told me that many of the parts on my watch were indeed not "factory original", and that the internal service/maintenance which I paid for was not completed. I left the watch overnight for further evaluation, to receive an itemized estimate of a proper, ***** standard restoration. The cost of the estimate, with the services that WatchArtExchange claimed to complete, exceeded the cost of the original restoration, coming out to almost $1100. They highlighted that the cosmetic work, though satisfactory to the untrained eye, was not in any way "factory original", and that the internal work, which made up a large portion of the cost, was done very incorrectly, if at all. Mind you all I paid for all these services, and WatchArtExchange claims that they have been performed (contrary to evidence provided by *****). I contacted them with my concerns, to which they responded by defending their work and asking me to send it back to them. However, the ***** dealer advised me not to do so, as they may potentially damage the watch further. So, I requested a refund. Their response; yes, we will refund you, on the condition that you give US the watch, and that we can only pay out the refund to your new restoration provider (************), on the further condition that they send them evidence of a completed restoration, justifying their claims. To this, I said no, as I have no way to verify that they will uphold their promise (3-4 months down the line). I also requested that they return my original crown, and they have yet to make mention of doing so. Upon my last request, they did not respond - effectively stealing $244.41 of my property. I have attached a detailed PDF including emails, estimates, and pictures highlighting the services I paid for, but that were not performed. It is chronologically composed, and contains all interactions I have with WatchArtExchnage. Their business practices are deceptive and manipulating, and have led to me loosing >$1100, all for what the ***** Master Watch maker described as "<$400 worth of incomplete work".

  Business response

  03/10/2023

  Dear Sir/Madam,

   

  WatchArtExchange stands behind our work and we have the photos to prove it.  We have refunded Mr. **** ******* his watch crown and all of his money, $910.

  We disagree with the competitor's opinion that the watch required repetitive repairs.  

   

  Sincerely

   

  Joseph D*******

   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩