ComplaintsforWatchBuys

• Initial Complaint

  04/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My wife purchased a watch case for my Sinn watch for my birthday but it doesnt fit my watch. It simply isnt as advertised and we wanted to return or exchange it but because neither of us noticed watchbuys does not allow any returns of watch cases for any reason regardless of fit, workmanship or anything, I was refused any return options. We would have never purchased this had we seen this disclosure. We both missed it so that tells you its easy to miss. Regardless of this policy, the watch case is not useable and does not fit the description provided on the website. I contacted Sinn in ******* and they have agreed to help me return this. I just have to travel to ********* from the ** instead of sending this one state away for a return. I would have been willing to pay a restock fee even though it shouldnt even warrant that. *** emailed my wife with a bunch of policy talk but the reality is, watchbuys controls this inventory and has decided it will regulate how its distributed as they are the lone authorized dealer of Sinn products in the US. In other words, if you want to buy anything Sinn in the US you have to go through watchbuys and you are completely at their disposal. And if you dont like that, too bad. You dont get to own Sinn products. Im sorry but thats just wrong and watchbuys should be avoided for Sinn purchases. Also, consider this: there is no way to see these products in person unless you order them or happen to be in the area of Watchbuys and can stop in to browse. So how are people supposed to get their hands on these products without committing to purchase? I advise buying your Sinn products from other retailers around the world and bypass Watchbuys all together. There are other ways to own Sinn products.

  Business response

  04/08/2024

  This customers wife purchased a watch case that was marked:

  *Please note that this case is not eligible for return or exchange - all sales are final.
  

  She also checked a required prompt box during the checkout process stating that she agreed to those terms.

  We have already offered to make an exception on this sale by allowing a return for a full refund, but the customer responded , I have an appointment in ********* in August. It will be taken care of then.
  

  We stand by our offer to provide a refund in full should this customer wish to return the case to us.

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I'm contacting you to report a particular business practice by the online business: "Watch Buys" which operates from address: ************************************************************************************. On 03/08/2024 I placed an order online to buy a watch. I received a call later in the same day from watchbuys and the caller informed me that contrary to what I had indicated on my order the watch needed to be send to the same address as my billing address. I explained that my mail is not secure and I also don't want anyone else in my building to sign and receive my item and that is why I have asked the order to be send to a local *** store for pick up. The watch buy representative told me that I will be able to do this on my future orders from watch buys. So they want me to buy an additional item just so that they send my item to my desired address. I find this bizarre and unfair business practice. Finally the representative did not agree to send my item to the Local *** store and to my astonishment cancelled my order.

  Business response

  03/12/2024

  This customer placed an order using a credit card where the confirmed credit card billing address did not match the requested shipping address.  We are required to ship to validated and confirmed credit card addresses to reduce the risk of fraud when we have no previous purchase history with that customer.

  Further, he requested we ship to a *** Store but did not provide a personal box number from that store.  *** has advised us that shipping high value packages to *** Stores where the customer has not rented a personal box number will cause that delivery to be rejected in most cases.

  We discussed these address and delivery issues with the customer, and he requested that we cancel his order - we immediately complied and issued a refund in full to his credit card.
  
   

  Customer response

  03/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 21408395
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  *** reason provided by the business regarding the *** policy is simply not true , dishonest and made up for the following reasons:

  1-During my conversation with the representative at Watchbuys I specifically mentioned that the local *** store :

  ******************************************************************************
  **************

  Whom I have spoke with prior to placing my order gladly will accept and hold any *** packages and charge $5 for this service.
  2-*** *** store never mentioned about any policy regarding high valued items and it makes sense because they simply dont  know the contents and the value of the items  so this is a complete false and made up excuse by this business.

  3- Neither the *** store or the agent at Watchbuys mentioned anything about the need for a mailbox at *** store, so this is another false and made up reason that does not seems reasonable and was never discussed with me by as mentioned by the Watchbuys representative as an at least an option or by the *** representative as a requirement. *** said they simply charge $5 to hold the package , no more or less.

  Finally, *** standard practice for almost all e-commerce businesses is that they offer a delivery address which can be different from the billing address. What the watch buys business is proposing here is unheard of and unfair business practices. ***ir business practice as proposed here by them requires a buyer to purchase at least 2 items, separate transactions, from them to qualify for shipping to a separate address than the billing address.

  i would like them to accept their error, make changes in their policy and offer a formal apology to me and many other customers that they have impacted by this business practice.

  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  03/13/2024

  We stand by the answer we originally provided.

  The customer requested that we cancel his order, and we did so promptly.  He has no outstanding charges from us for this transaction.

  If the customer would like to place an order for this watch and have it shipped to the address that his credit card is confirming as correct, we would be happy to do so.

  We follow policies dictated by merchant processing banks to reduce the risk of credit card fraud, and we follow shipping procedures provided by *** for the safe delivery of high value packages.

  Customer response

  03/17/2024

   
  Complaint: 21408395
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The replies from this business keeps beating around the **** and continues to express false, unfair, vague and unjustifiable reasons for their unique business practices. In the following I'm going to elaborate on what I mean by false, unfair, vague and unjustifiable reasons more than I have already done so in the previous correspondence regarding this complaint.

  The business states that I requested the order to be cancelled. This is false. I placed the order, they refused to fulfill it as promised on their website and they have since cancelled my order.

  It is a verifiable fact that the "watchbuys" business do not mention the shipping policy in questions here anywhere on their website or on their disclosures. This makes them engaging in unfair and dishonest business practices. I only found out about this policy after I placed my order and verbally through a phone call that I received later to "confirm" my order. These are undeniable facts that can be fact checked.

  The business states that their unwritten, undocumented, undisclosed  shipping policy is to reduce fraud to which I ask how it can be the case? How this policy can prevent fraud when if a buyer places his/her first order it needs to go to the billing address but the same person can place 2 or more separate orders which in that case they will send the second and subsequent orders to any addresses the buyer wishes. This sound to me just a dishonest revenue creating ploy and I'm sure I will not be the only one thinking that way. Any logical person can see through this right away. Let's compare this charade with the other normal option that all business that I have ever dealt with utilize which is in the case of a need for picking up an order, the buyer simply would be going to the local *** store, show their ID and pick up their *** package.

  So the buyer just shows up at the local *** office with their ID and pick up their package. No more or less, easy. Watch buys uses *** but they have lied and made false claims about how *** operates. Watch buys in their previous reply states that *** requires the person who picks up their order have a  mail lock box at that local *** store. This is a lie. There is no such thing. I verified this by ***. They can and do hold any packages that shipped through *** and received by them and charge $5 for holding service. The local *** store near my house where I verified this information is: The *** store , ***************************************************************************************, phone: ************

  The business suggestion that I have for them is to be honest with their customers and have a fair and justifiable business practice.

  As far as BBB, since this business has stated that they stand by their decision then I want the public to be aware of their business practices since so far they have refused to disclose it to the customers on their website and no one knows about it until a customer has placed an order and receives that "confirmation Call".

  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

*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. ↩