Ripped off, damaged Watch! Advice please.

[Triggaaar]

I don't mean I'm gonna trash his place. I mean trash his reputation. I pick my kids up from school everyday at 3, I can stand outside everyday and tell potential customers what a crook he is.

My dad did the same thing with a watch problem about 40 years ago. He sat in the shop and put customers off until they refunded him.

 

[SeagullinExile]

Do his knee caps with a sledge hammer.

 

[NooBHA]

You now have a Designer Unique ''Rolexesque-ed'' . One of a kind watch now. Probably worth a fortune. Take it to Christie's and auction it off for thousands

 

[Justice]

Sounds like the poor fella had a mare broke your watch trying to earn a tenner. He should have explained though and worked something out as accidents do happen from time to time.

 

[Goldstone1976]

You could go back and ask for a receipt.
Just explain the situation to him(hopefully after you have a receipt). If that doesn't work send him a letter before action
Template here http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/letter/letter-before-small-claims-court-claim
giving him fourteen days to fix the watch or whatever else you want him to do, don't be unreasonable though as it will backfire. If he comes back and says the other shop damaged the watch it is still his responsibility. If he doesn't fix, pay for or replace the watch then you could issue a small claim online https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome
You will need some quotes from other jewellers saying how much the watch will cost to repair. You and your wife could both write statements and the judge would go on the balance of probabilities, basically who he believes is telling the truth.

Personally I think the time, hassle and the chance of losing is not worth pursuing a small claim. But it depends how angry you are. Hopefully he will just fix it or the letter before action will panic him enough into sorting it.

Failing that superglue all his locks.

Absolutely this. Saved me 5 minutes of typing!

 

[middletoenail]

Are you sure it's not a fake? Whilst Victorinox are not the most expensive watches, they cost way more than £100 new.

 

[Swillis]

Maybe that was the other shop the jeweller sent it to. Might also explain the condition it was in when returned.

He butchered it?

 

[Gazwag]

No receipt means the cash probably didn't go though the till so maybe slip HMRC into the conversation. He would love a tax investigation.

 

[GoldWithFalmer]

So I needed a new battery in my watch. It's made by victorinox and cost me about £100 a couple of years ago. So I go into a local jewellers that advertises changing watch batteries. The guy in the jewellers said it would cost £10 and he tried to open it. He couldn't, and asked me to leave it with him and collect tomorrow. It's a very local place and I am in the village everyday. So I thought nothing of leaving the watch with him. I didn't get a receipt( yes I know!!), seeing as I am local and about all the time, I didn't have any concerns. So I returned the next day and he said he couldn't open the watch and had to give it to a jewellers that work on Rolex's no less! So I said, ok I'll come back tomorrow. I was busy today so my wife went to pick up the watch, she paid the tenner and got the watch ( no receipt again! Yes yes I Know!!). About 8 pm tonight I get the watch and see that it has a different winder on the side that looks daft and doesn't seem to fit, but also it's pretty useless! You push it in and the watch stops, pull it out and it starts (back to front), also you can hardly set the time and the date keeps rolling around. The watch is damaged in quite a bad way, it's actually useless because with natural movement, the winder gets pushed in and the watch stops.
So I am going back tomorrow, but I have a feeling the guy is pretty untrustworthy now. After all he took the tenner off my wife knowing the watch was fücked, and he tried to hide it by putting a different winder in it!
So NSC, do I have a claim with the small claims court assuming the guys will be a dick, even though I have no proof? Will I threaten to slam him on social media, stand outside putting off customers etc? Also I want my tenner and half the value of the watch.
What would you do and what can you recommend? Any help is appreciated!! Cheers.

Ram raid!!!

 

[Mayonaise]

I don't mean I'm gonna trash his place. I mean trash his reputation. I pick my kids up from school everyday at 3, I can stand outside everyday and tell potential customers what a crook he is. And trash him on trustpilot, Google, Facebook, etc etc. Surely I shouldnt just accept that some **** has done me over for £100. It's something I have to threaten him with if he doesn't comply. From the answers I'm getting, it seems it's my only hand.

I would do this. You need to completely clear in what is an acceptable outcome for you up front. Are you wanting just your tenner back, a new watch, compensation?

Staying completely calm whatever his reaction, keep going so he knows you aren't going to give it up.

 

[ThePompousPaladin]

So I needed a new battery in my watch. It's made by victorinox and cost me about £100 a couple of years ago. So I go into a local jewellers that advertises changing watch batteries. The guy in the jewellers said it would cost £10 and he tried to open it. He couldn't, and asked me to leave it with him and collect tomorrow. It's a very local place and I am in the village everyday. So I thought nothing of leaving the watch with him. I didn't get a receipt( yes I know!!), seeing as I am local and about all the time, I didn't have any concerns. So I returned the next day and he said he couldn't open the watch and had to give it to a jewellers that work on Rolex's no less! So I said, ok I'll come back tomorrow. I was busy today so my wife went to pick up the watch, she paid the tenner and got the watch ( no receipt again! Yes yes I Know!!). About 8 pm tonight I get the watch and see that it has a different winder on the side that looks daft and doesn't seem to fit, but also it's pretty useless! You push it in and the watch stops, pull it out and it starts (back to front), also you can hardly set the time and the date keeps rolling around. The watch is damaged in quite a bad way, it's actually useless because with natural movement, the winder gets pushed in and the watch stops.
So I am going back tomorrow, but I have a feeling the guy is pretty untrustworthy now. After all he took the tenner off my wife knowing the watch was fücked, and he tried to hide it by putting a different winder in it!
So NSC, do I have a claim with the small claims court assuming the guys will be a dick, even though I have no proof? Will I threaten to slam him on social media, stand outside putting off customers etc? Also I want my tenner and half the value of the watch.
What would you do and what can you recommend? Any help is appreciated!! Cheers.

I'd give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know until you find out otherwise, which can only be done by talking to him.
If he has broken it and won't fix/replace it, have an extremely long drawn out argument with him, putting off all the other customers in his shop. Tell him you're not leaving till it's sorted.

 

[murciagull]

I have a little market stall in spain and one of services I offer is replacing watch batteries, I have broken one watch which I replaced without arguement. I charge 3 euros a time so if he is charging a tenner he should swallow the loss also I have to have civil liability insurance for a market stall so I would imagine he must have it for a shop.

 

[Triggaaar]

Are we all meeting up to help sort this or what?

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Still waiting for The Ernest thread promoting his new watch repair business...

 

[Goldstone1976]

Are we all meeting up to help sort this or what?

Good idea. Over a curry, perhaps? Love Hun x

 

[bhanutz]

Punch him or nut him.. open the till get your tenner back and calmly walk out.

You sound like a wet lettuce tbh

 

[Captain Sensible]

Just an update guys, I went back to the shop to pick the watch up, the vendor informed me that it wasn't his fault over and over again! I said that he didn't really matter the basic facts are I gave him the watch to repair and then it came back damaged. That is the crux of the matter is, compensate me for a new watch or repair this one.
The fella was actually pretty difficult, he was refusing any responsibility and also tried to convince me that the watch did work even though the winder had been replaced (without permission) by one that doesn't fit at all. It's virtually unusable because you can't set the time. So I gave him a few ultimatums. And now he has agreed to try to fix the watch back to the previous days, albeit without the original winder somehow!!
To be honest my thoughts of him are he is a shit bag crook!

 

[BN9 BHA]

Just an update guys, I went back to the shop to pick the watch up, the vendor informed me that it wasn't his fault over and over again! I said that he didn't really matter the basic facts are I gave him the watch to repair and then it came back damaged. That is the crux of the matter is, compensate me for a new watch or repair this one.
The fella was actually pretty difficult, he was refusing any responsibility and also tried to convince me that the watch did work even though the winder had been replaced (without permission) by one that doesn't fit at all. It's virtually unusable because you can't set the time. So I gave him a few ultimatums. And now he has agreed to try to fix the watch back to the previous days, albeit without the original winder somehow!!
To be honest my thoughts of him are he is a shit bag crook!

Sounds like he should stick to selling stuff and leave anything involving tools to the professionals.

There is a small jewellers in Newhaven, I have taken my watch in there a few times for a battery or new strap, they do the job there and then with no drama.

This bloke that has knackered your watch sounds like a complete amateur and needs reporting to Trading Standards.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I think he's winding you up.

 

[Tarpon]

I think he's winding you up.

Yeah, clock him when no one is watching.