Tag Heuer – Customer service

Bought the wife a tag watch for Christmas, nice watch she’s happy, I’m happy all is well or so it seemed.
Went to America last month and in the hotel room first night there, she tries to change the time, but when she unscrews the crown to change time, it comes out in her hand.
Now the watch is broke so it goes in the hotel safe and stays there till we leave.
When we get home I take it down to my local tag shop and they send it away, with the warranty card to their repairers.
I get an email back asking for £295 to repair it!!!
So i send an email back saying er… Warranty?
Now they have sent me an email back saying the watch repairer has noticed that the crown is “marked” Wich looks like a “”tool” has been used on it, and therefore the warranty is void and it is a chargeable repair!!
I have not been anywhere near it with any ***kin tool, and I’ve told them this but with no reply.
I’m wondering, has anyone had any dealing with them before? Or any thoughts on what I should do next, I’m wondering if they can just send my watch back and say like it or lump it as it’s basically there word against mine

Thanks in advance
Steve

A crown fix is a simple 5 minute job for a watch guy, assuming there is no underlying problem.
Tag sound out of order,so sounds as though you should continue to bother them.

I’ve found them quite reasonable. Tried calling the original seller of the item and explaining or has it just been with Tag?

Should have added that most in house repairers will only take in work as a complete service/overall, as I guess they think it is not worth their time otherwise.So this is probably why the cost quoted is so high. I just paid more than that for a service on an old watch of mine, but they did an amazing job and I am very happy.
But my watch was 40 years old and very tired, yours should still be perfect..

They do come up with some daft numbers for repair but i would have thought that they would have to come up with more than “it looks like a tool” has been used line. it comes down to them proving it has been deliberately damaged which would be difficult for them i would say especially on a brand new watch. I’d play hardball and say that it is defective and you want it repairing at thier cost. start with the sale of goods etc and go from there. good luck!

My strap broke on my TAG which was only 6 months old. It was only a broken pin in the strap/watch interface but TAG said it needed a new strap @ £225. I asked if it could be done as a warranty and they said that no watch makers include any warranty for the straps, which was a shock to me as it was the thing that held the expensive watch on your wrist. I pointed out my disgust to TAG themselves as only moments before the strap broke I had been riding my road bike. They explained that though they are a sports watch, they shouldn’t be used while taking part in sports. I stated that it was not fit for purpose and they eventually gave in and supplied me with a new bracelet. My point is that why make it water proof with a diving bezel when they are not designed to be used for sporting past times.
I only wear the tag for best now and will never buy another. Rely mainly on my Tissot touch for day to day wearing.
My suggestion is to ask them to prove that you have tried to fix a watch that was in warranty, it’s not for you to disprove it.

sorry for the hijack – but we intercepted our (a-hole) bosses Tag when it was sent back to the office following a repair, we niftily unsealed the packaging and wrote him a letter on Tag letterheaded paper stating in no uncertain terms to never send fake Tags requiring repair to them again.

The look on his face as he opened it and read it.. priceless.

Disclaimer – that was obviously all a complete lie, we would never tamper with someone elses post, nor forge paperwork.

To the OP, keep bothering them – you are in the right and you have rights.
What worries me more is how often I hear about repairs and required services on these super pricey watches?..

Note taken … reminded self not in my lifetime to buy a TAG. Well, never a TAG fan anyway.

I would rather prefer Jap watches … hardly heard any repair requirement for them Jap watches apart from watch geeks modifying them themselves.

Keep persisting – but keep it polite.
If necessary, get e-mail address of Managing Director and send him a reasoned explanation of why you’re disappointed.
Save nuclear option till last – small claims etc.

Thanks for the replies
The thing is, I’ve got a tag of my own which has been serviced several times so I understand that you have to spend money on these things, and I’m sure il be spending money on this one over the years, but this one has genuinely broke after just 6 months.
I’m hoping for a good outcome as I’ve asked to be contacted directly by a customer service supervisor or manager to discuss the matter, rather than exchanging emails with god knows who
Here’s hoping!

Whilst I realise the folly in underestimating human stupidity, I’m struggling to see a situation where someone would use a ‘tool’ on a watch winder (unless it was broke to start with). It seems a strange claim to be making.

If they persist, ask them to email a photo of the alleged damage?

Interesting – a very similar thing happened to me last year when I had my watch serviced. I took my 5yr old TAG into my local Goldsmiths jewelers who send them back to the official TAG service centre in Manchester – Goldsmiths handle all the shipping and insurance and just seemed easier. Got charged the princely sum of £200+ for the service (can’t remember the exact amount but was the same amount that was quoted direct by TAG). Anyway, about 4 weeks later when I got the watch back, there was a big (and I mean very noticeable) scratch mark right next to the winder which definitely wasn’t there when I gave it to Goldsmiths. I had a very close look under the microscopes at work at it looked like someone had used a screwdriver to pry up the winder. Made a fuss at Goldsmiths who then sent it back to TAG, got the expected ‘it must have been like that when it was sent to us’ from TAG/ Goldsmiths, but after kicking up a fuss in a shop full of people they got TAG to polish it out and it now looks better than it did when I sent it as they polished out all the other little scratches.
Considering they are handling very expensive watches on a day to day basis, they did come across as particularly cack handed!

LVMH are the TAG repair centre based in worsley Manchester. You can cut out the middle man (goldsmiths for example) and send or drop off direct there if you’re in the area. I’ve always found them helpful. I think they handle all of tag’s business here in the uk so maybe give them a call. The service / repair prices are cheaper too than high street jewellers.

http://www.yell.com/b/LVMH+Watch+and+Jewellery+(UK)+Ltd-Clocks+and+Watches+_+Retail+and+Repairs-manchester-M283GN-1185100/index.html

Sent my TAG off to have a battery replaced at the official TAG repairers and was called by the jewellers who sent it off to say it required a repair, as it was not the battery and the watch did not work, can’t remember how much but it was in the region of £250 – £300. “Sod that”, I told them “send it back,” thinking I would look at another independent repairer. The watch arrived back with the back still loose and easily unscrewed and I thought, hey why not try replacing the battery myself. Lo and behold working watch…shysters.

Ooops, I just bought an aqauracer over a Seamaster 😯

Steve, can’t you say that the tool mark was not there when you sent it? It’s their word against yours, you could even say that they did it! They would have to prove otherwise.

had similar cack service from Tag.
I (stupidly) paid for a service thinking I was getting something that the local watchmaker couldn’t do – and it was expensive. Anyhow, shortly after getting my watch back, the face became detached and actually span around inside the watch. I took to back to the jewellers to ask them to fix this as I believe they had caused it, or at the very least have detected it during its ‘service’. The watch was sent away and returned with an explanation that I had clearly dropped the watch and they have found a mark on the casing proving it, and that their QA records prove that this mark had occurred very recently.

Utter twoddle. The mark had been their for years. Lying through their ass. To make a couple hundred quid out of me. I didn’t argue though. I learnt that they would screw me for a few hundred quid whilst taking the opportunity to suggest I lied to them. I also learnt there was a fab watchmaker down the road, who opened up my Tag and fixed the issue for £12. 6 years on, and he is still servicing my watch.

The Swiss watch firms seem to have a very solid understanding of their product’s status as Veblen items. Actual quality and value doesn’t seem to come into the reckoning. Glossy ads, showrooms and regular expensive servicing with expensive spares are what’s required to maintain their Veblen goods status.

If you want an automatic watch that just works, get a Seiko and have it serviced / a new movement put in it in 10 years, whichever is cheaper.

If you want an automatic watch that just works, get a Seiko and have it serviced / a new movement put in it in 10 years, whichever is cheaper.

Couldn’t agree more. I have a TAG Series 1000 that’s around twenty five years old, and I had a face detach and rotate. It’s the little soldered pins on the back detaching. Apparently it only takes a knock sometimes. Mine had never been dropped, but had got knocked against doors, etc. it’s a watch, dammit! It’s going to get clouted against things. That cost me £90, some years back, and batteries cost £30, because the watch needed pressure testing. A mate whose a goldsmith gets lots of watches in for batteries, and he says that all that’s needed is for the threads and seals to be properly greased and correctly tightened.
I’m happier with my Seiko, it’s much more solid than the TAG, and it’s an automatic.

Got a Tag Carrera and Seiko diving watch, cant see why the Tag cost 10 times as much!!!

I had a TAG Chrono for a few years, got sick of paying stupid money for a battery every 2 years. I used to leave the stopwatch running or activate it without realising, which just eats the battery.

Anyway, after a couple Citizen dive watches from work, I got a Tissot as a present. This was fine and then it stopped working after being at the beach. It was still under warranty so I sent it back.
It was repaired no questions asked and when it was returned they included the winder that was bent, which must of caused the leek. I had earlier caught the watch a couple of times quite heavily.

So, it would appear that Tissot offer a far better customer service than Tag, as they could of easily refused the repair.

Had something similar with my Omega – said I had scratched the case when replacing the original strap – except I hadn’t changed the strap and the scratches looked like a novice practising with a polishing tool and getting it badly wrong.

Was getting nowhere – so I emailed the service dept, omega marketing, goldsmith (big mistake buying from them – I was tired…), and basically challenged them to restore my faith in Omega (!) – and a marketing guy just sent me a new watch 🙂

Next time I send it in for a service I am going to look like a geek as I am going to take photos of the case from all angles and get the guy in the shop to sign them as a true representation of the state of the watch.

I like my TAG Chronometer but have to totally agree that they’re effectively scamming customers.

I fell down the stairs a few years ago and broke the clasp. TAG charged £300 for a service and new clasp (not the bracelet, just the flipping clasp)!! The replacement clasp was of a pretty cheap material and within a few years was opening during sharp movements. I got a replacement clasp on Ebay and got a local watchmaker to fit it for buttons.

someone please say something good about Tag, I heavily suspect im about to receive one as a gift, and I need to look thrilled..

My tag had a damaged bezel, the spring broke and tag wouldn’t warranty it because the bezel is apparently part of the strap.
Strap broke no joy
Crown broke no joy

£90 for a battery no less. Bought a watch case opener off ebay for a tenner and do it myself no problems and seems fine down to 30 meters or so.

Tag Service is appalling and a rip off. Do look nice though.

Just had the battery on my TAG changed by a guy around the corner (£8), he said that whoever fitted the last battery (TAG) had put the wrong sized battery in – at the time the battery was changed it also had to go back to TAG as it came nback to me with moisture in the case. Mind you Jaeger Le Couture wanted over £1k to replace an irreparable strap on the wifes watch which he fixed in a couple of hours for £20

In a similar vein, there was an article in the times about BMW spares a few years ago, the (can’t remember what it was) filter in question was exactly the same on a Mondeo but suprise suprise, cost for BMW spare was several times more.

I think if you buy status symbols you have to expect a degree of fleecing to occur. However, it really smarts if the item is actually worse quality that something much cheaper, as appears to be the case with many posh watches.

I think if you buy status symbols you have to expect a degree of fleecing to occur.

especially if it is a TAG – the companies mode of operation is to market the heck out of things to make them seem worth more than they are – when they bought Heuer the watches went up dramatically in price for the same thing, and they did the same with Audiolab – immediately changed the front panels and put the price up.

A bit similar to the diamond market.

You could also accuse Bose of the same thing – “Better Sound Through Research” my rrrs.

someone please say something good about Tag, I heavily suspect im about to receive one as a gift, and I need to look thrilled..

they look good, and seem well made, but are just generally overpriced for the quality of what’s inside – although they now have their own movement so are maybe stepping up their game.

All the ‘posh’ watches are a bit of a mugs game – if you have a manual one you then need to be looking at several hundred squid every five years to service it. Leather straps at £200+ quid, etc.

They did this with audiolab, designed their own (expensive) stuff, but then gave up on them and sold them off.

My Seamaster needed a battery change so i got some quotes here in the uk. These were coming in at between £250-350 with a 4-6 week turnaround… but as i was due to go travelling in SE Asia shortly afterwards i flew into Bangkok and went to the Omega Thailand Head Office for some info – they changed the battery and pressure-checked the watch in the service dept there and then (was there less than 20 mins!)for the princely sum of £7:50.

especially if it is a TAG – the companies mode of operation is to market the heck out of things to make them seem worth more than they are – when they bought Heuer the watches went up dramatically in price for the same thing, and they did the same with Audiolab

Who owns TAG these days?

professor_fate – Member

My Seamaster needed a battery change so i got some quotes here in the uk. These were coming in at between £250-350 with a 4-6 week turnaround… but as i was due to go travelling in SE Asia shortly afterwards i flew into Bangkok and went to the Omega Thailand Head Office for some info – they changed the battery and pressure-checked the watch in the service dept there and then (was there less than 20 mins!)for the princely sum of £7:50.

Crikey … if changing a battery costs that much in UK I see no point in buying anything apart from Jap watches.

Had it changed recently here in Wimbledon at an independent watch specialist, was initially quoted £70 but when i queried it it was reduced to £50… still done in 30 mins. That’s the thing about “premium” brands, they expect premium upkeep costs, but inform yourself and you can circumvent the patter. Nothing wrong with more mainstream watches, but my Omega was a once-in-a-lifetime purchase after a lot of um’ing and ah’ing and i feel good wearing it so it’s worth it – i’m not a brand-snob either (i drive a Skoda! 😀 )

someone please say something good about Tag, I heavily suspect im about to receive one as a gift, and I need to look thrilled..

I’ve got a Tag Monaco and love it!

They are good watches just pricey ( can be!!!) to maintain . I have an Indy 500.

professor_fate – Member

Had it changed recently here in Wimbledon at an independent watch specialist, was initially quoted £70 but when i queried it it was reduced to £50… still done in 30 mins …

My father’s Omega needs repairing … I really don’t know whether I should simply smash it to pieces or pay the hefty repair bill. My father got it as a retirement present from his company … think I will just keep it as it is rather than smashing it to pieces.

someone please say something good about Tag, I heavily suspect im about to receive one as a gift, and I need to look thrilled..

I love mine, it was a 30th birthday present and it is about my most treasured possession. Oh, and when I’ve had the battery changed it was done by a local watch specialist in the Jewellery Quarter for £10.

In a similar vein, there was an article in the times about BMW spares a few years ago, the (can’t remember what it was) filter in question was exactly the same on a Mondeo but suprise suprise, cost for BMW spare was several times more.

To continue this bit, The Mondeo was modified and became a Jag and also became an Aston Martin, some shared parts, certainly not shared prices for spares.

I have a tag and absolutely love it, it has broken though and the cost to fix from tag was silly money, I found an watch specialist cheal watches I think it was called, and they did a fantastic job of the repair as part of the service cost it now keeps better time than ever and I am still very happy. Rolex service I have had is a lot cheaper and a lot more comprehensive but you pay a huge premium to start with. I still love my tag though

I’ve had my watch back to Breitling a few times over the years. Each time it comes back with a list of a works done and polished to look like new.

Not all posh watch makers treat you like a dummy.

I must admit, this thread is enough to make me never want to buy one for myself.
Im secretly wishing my suspicion is untrue, and I havent been bought one as a gift..