Rolex Authorised Dealers (lack of) new customer service?

I'm glad you had a positive experience! I visited three over a period of months to see if my experience was specific to one location. As a now existing customer you then seem to have a much easier journey to obtain another?

Interesting! I do think that the fact you were wearing the sub meant you were effectively displaying your membership? Like there are no tables in the restaurant but the maitre d recognises you and manages to fit you in! If you had not been wearing the sub I suspect it may have been a different outcome?

Jeez Louise that is not acceptable. Id say complain to Rolex but you can't even find an email address! I've given up dreaming of a brand new Sub as a grail and have focused on preowned. They will never get a penny off me

That is actually a really good idea! I do have a thing ( whisper it) for the Explorer so that may be a potential future purchase as used BUT won't it cost a lot more than retail?

Minor correction here, but for some Porsches, most Ferraris, all Birkin bags, supply chain issues have nothing to do with it. An off the street customer has never had a shot at a GT3 for example.

Regarding your experience, that stinks, and I hope it is specific to the ADs you visited. I find the large chains (IE Tourneau) put in much less effort when helping new clients off the street with Rolex. One also has to understand, there is a stream of wannabe flippers walking in every day because they see it as a get rich quick scheme. At this point many sales agents have stopped trying to decipher who is legit or not.

Find a smaller AD, and go back and read previous threads about building credibility. We can argue all day about “why should I?” and I can understand that, but for those who put in the effort to establish a relationship, it usually pays off.

I have a big thing for Porsche and lots of experience of their dealerships . One of the reasons I love them apart from their excellent cars is their tremendous sales staff who live and breathe their product. I was expecting something similar with Rolex. I do agree that if I were to return to the least bad of the three Rolex Shops I have been to I would likely be able to cultivate a better and more personable relationship with the sales team. However should the onus be on me? Surely Rolex sales staff should reflect their products in the same way that they do in top marques of cars or indeed similar watch brands such as Omega where feedback is almost always very positive?

Feel free to correct me but my understanding is that the closest a none Rolex owner can to a fast track is through introduction (and the better the introduction, the less friction on said track, if you catch my drift).

That's also interesting! Two of my friends are Rolex owners but I hadn't considered that route. To be honest as I'm not busting to get a Rolex and my experiences have been so poor I won't be rushing back!

It will be quite difficult (but not impossible)  to get a stainless steel sport model from a Rolex AD. Poor customer service is poor customer service but Rolex (the company / foundation) can’t be blamed for poor behavior ADs. At least not entirely. It’s not Rolex that refuse to talk to you, it’s the dealers.

It does seem that everything I’ve read and seen online indicates Rolex ADs in the UK are now known for very poor service and Rolex may be stripping some of them of their AD status. Shame.

Wearing the one you already own is 100% influential to Rolex AD's. 

Honestly, I‘ve never been into a Rolex shop, and I don’t ever plan on it. While there are several of their watches I’d love to own, I’ll get them online or not at all. I’m offended by their business model and lack of concern for new customers, and I have no wish to allow some salesperson to visit that distain upon me. **** them. 

Yeah, if I were going to make an attempt, I’d wear my Datejust, but I doubt they’d be impressed. It’s just part of the model. Letting regular people know they aren’t important lets the people they care about understand how lucky they are. 

Interesting and appears true from my experience of three of them, albeit in the same city..

Beautiful watches and agree My AD is awesome 

It's really a shame. My AD is awesome.  We talk cars @Omeganut would be happy to know My AD is a loyal 911 owner. We have the same breed of dog & hug it out when we meet. Nope, I'm not a Suadi Royal, celebrity or Berkshire Executive = I don't own 40 Rolex models. I currently own an Explorer II just back from rehab and an Explorer I 36mm I purchased 3 months ago. My wife owns a datejust and YachtMaster I gave her. I also gave my daughter an OP for Christmas.  I've owned Subs, two-tone Date Just etc. I'm basic as hell but owned, or gifted , enough to be a regular customer. I purchased my first Rolex at 19 by saving up. I've been a watch nerd all my life.  I like Rolex but would never own a luxury product if I was treated like shit. You are in an incredible time for collecting . Omega, Grad Seiko and many other brands are creating amazing watches. Rolex has their vision. My vision includes other brands. I hope someday you own a the Rolex model you want. I also hope that you buy it from an AD that get these little wind-ups are a Veblen purchase.  We don't need them to live while they need paying customers to servive.  

Guvnor64 wrote:  "...very much respect their history as any watch enthusiast really should."

Please elaborate on the history of Rolex that I should respect as a watch enthusiast.  I find that most Rolex designs are a homage to someone who did it first.  Most of the Rolex first claims turn out to be unsubstantiated.  They do not produce difficult complications like tourbillions, minute repeaters, alarm watches, chain fusse.  Many of their models were built from other brands movements for long times before they had the ability to bring them in house.  

I respect the quality of manufacturing at Rolex.  I envy the marketing that has made them a giant. I credit Rolex with saving Zenith(a real watch brand) and I will say that to the best of my knowledge Rolex did invent the cyclops window.  

Please educate me on the history that I need to know in order to change my mind that Rolex isn't just a company of douche bags taking advantage of dumb ass snobs.

@Guvnor64 sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience at the Rolex AD. Supply issues is really not a good reason to treat anyone, potential customer or not, that way. I recently had very positive experiences in Spain, we visited a few ADs with my friends(they were looking for steel sports models) and we were treated very well. At an AD in Valencia, the guy there let us try on their steel models on display even when they were already sold and waiting for customers to pick them up. I had on "just" my Apple Watch during this trip and they treated us like we had PPs on, even offered us really good coffee 😀

It sounds like you had the experience I was hoping for! That's what I was expecting when I went into the first one but obviously didn't get. In fact that was exactly the way I was treated in Omega. Interesting how inconsistent customer experience can be and I'm glad you had a positive one!

It sounds like your knowledge of Rolex as a company runs deeper than mine!

As I say I'm a recent collector (last 6 months) so my experience of the brand extends only to my two friends who own Rolex and my visits to their stores. Other than that I have watched quite an amount of videos and reviews of their watches. Most of these are very positive. They have been around a very long time and have been the top of the pile for desirability gor almost as long.

I'm very interested on your view that a lot of their reputation is undeserved? I will do some more reading! Clearly you are not a fan of the company. Neither am I from my dealership experience!

My feelings on Rolex are no secret on this forum. This AD experience only reinforces my view. The Emperor's new clothes springs to mind. 

Yep what happened to " the customer is always right?"

Interesting that more than one collector in these responses doesn't rate Rolex nearly as highly as I would have imagined even with regard yo their history!

Collecting and wearing Rolex watches is not my cup of tea anymore ( my Rolex watches get less and less wrist time ); it feels like changing dial colours is the only innovation going on; collecting vintage Seikos is way more fun in terms of variety .. just my personal opinion; Rolex vintage pieces are still awesome 

I'm just discovering seikos ( I only have one so far) . My friend Gareth ( Gasworks on this forum) has sparked my interest in to the almost infinite world of old seikos and the modding possibilities!

I don't feel strongly gor Rolex. I do really like the Explorer. But I can't get past their terrible dealers ( at least local to me in the UK).

I've been on the waitlist at 2 ADs for a Pepsi GMT for 3 years.  I have purchase history with both but not enough to move the needle (bought Speedy Pro from one and bought 2 similarly priced watches from the other).  

If I ever "get the call", it will be a cool surprise but, to be honest, I've kind-of given up and pretty much ignore Rolex now (b/c what's the point if you can't reliably get one without spending a premium on the secondary market).

I don't know whether wearing a Rolex when you visit gets you "in the club" but maybe the next time I check in at the AD, I will wear my Rolex just in case (though I don't think my 30+ year old 2 toned DJ counts as much).  Crap, I guess I haven't given up entirely.

I'm surprised you are still waiting as you seem to meet the criteria? You are definitely further up the "list" than I am!

It's easier to work with AD's rather than the boutiques.  My AD has been hinting at wanting to get me a Sub or an Explorer, yet my last three purchase from them was a Seiko, Tudor and Grand Seiko. Coming back to purchase history, I don't think it's a purchase history with Rolex, but more on a purchase history with that dealer.

I guess it's all about getting to know the dealer and for the dealer to get to know you.  A purchase history is definitely a must and it must be significant enough to know that you mean business.  Think Tudors and Breitlings (not Seiko unless it was a Grand Seiko!)

An interesting take on it and I don't disagree. 

If you are wearing something of sufficient worth then you stand a better chance of getting that Rolex. But arguably should that be necessary when it's clearly not with almost every other make of watch, prestige or not?

I certainly agree building a relationship with an individual staff member offers the best chance of all.

I'm liking Tudor certainly as a potential purchase in the long term and as I understand it you can actually buy one!

The sad truth is that everyone wants a Rolex.. the brand itself is most likely producing everything they can but simply can't produce more at this time.

So i think that it probably isn't even Rolex that is responsible but the bad training of the sales staff (who are frustrated with everyone wanting a Rolex but should be trained to still give a 5 star experience).

I also see and hear a lot of very nice stories at ADs and i believe this is due to the AD, not Rolex.

That said, i see so many negative comments that maybe Rolex should start to evaluate who to put on their authorized resellers list.

This post is now quite old and I should really revise it as I have more recently had a much more positive experience as per my later post! Now I have found an AD that has found me a warch hopefully I will not have to go anywhere else in the future!

Although in general terms the AD experience is often pretty poor and remains so for a lot of people.