MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Hi all,
I managed to get a buyer for the watch I had listed for sale a few weeks ago, and the guy is based in Denmark. The transaction went fine, he did an IBAN transfer into my bank account, including the postage and I courier'd the watch to him UPS, and all seemed fine. He has just received the watch and states that it isn't running. Its an automatic so I checked he was following the correct procedure to wind it and start the movement, but still no joy. I asked him to send me a video of what he was doing, and he has done so, and from what I can tell he is right, the watch isn't starting. So I am now in the position of what now....
I had the watch repaired and serviced a few weeks before the sale from a reputable watch specialist in Glasgow, but I haven't worn it since getting it back. I did wind it shortly before selling, and it appeared to start fine, so Im assuming it was working when I sent it off.
There are no signs of damage in transit to the packaging.
I think the guy is genuine, but you never know, so I think my option is now to get him to try and get a quote for repair from a shop local to him, and I refund him the cost of that, or get him to post the watch back and we cancel the deal and I refund his money, at which point I can get it looked at under the warranty repair / service that it has just had. Only thing is, I am worried about getting scammed somehow by them returning a fake, or a watch that isn't mine, or even a movement that's been swapped for a non-working one!
I could just say that the watch was fine when it left here and say that its his problem. I have copies of the papers for the service to prove it. If there is now a problem with it, he needs to take it up with the repairer on his own.
Any advice would be much appreciated, I really don't know what to do now.
Anyone?
My 2p, it's your responsibility until it's in the buyers hands.
If you're really sure they didn't break it after they received it then you either pay for a local repair of get it returned to you and repair/refund.
how did you sell it ebay?
I would speak to the service folk here re their advice to you.
I asume if it was returned to you they could presumably confirm it is the same watch/mechanism etc and will offer a gurantee
Can you put the buyer in contact with the people who serviced it, perhaps?
I think you need to pay for it to be shipped back then take it to the service people and inform them that it doesn't work since it being serviced (they don't need to know it's been overseas).
Get it fixed and send it back. It's going to cost you but realistically you should have tested it better before you sent it.
I am worried about getting scammed somehow by them returning a fake,
I have no idea what type of watch it is but I'd expect the repairers to have a record of its serial number otherwise the same could be done to them.
What was the repair? I.e. has it got anything to do with the present problem and likely to be guaranteed? If so, I'd be inclined to get it back and get it sorted under the repairers warranty. You could always resurrect the deal post fix if the buyer is happy to....?
If not, what's th cost of local repair vs courier back and forth?
Thanks for the responses guys. The guy who purchased seems okay, he has taken it to his local watch specialist who can't look at it in detail till tomorrow, but thinks it may be the main spring. If we are lucky, he thinks it may just be disconnected, if unlucky, then it may be broken. So he will have a look tomorrow, if he comes back with a silly quote to fix, Ill just get it sent back to me and Ill take it to the repair shop here. I think the guy really wants the watch, so the deal would probably still be on. Just the cost of shipping, £90 each way 🙁
Anyone got any experience of cost to replace a main spring on a Rolex Sub? The repair it had along with the service was a bent main shaft or axle I think? So not sure if removal of this would mean disturbing the main spring?