Rolex AD: Bad Experience

Makes sense, showing up and annoying the staff is a sure way to not get what you want from them.

Would your friend like a customer showing up at his work three times a week to make small talk, and not actually do business?

Rolex can go to hell. There are so many other choices.

“Yes person getting paid hourly, please insult me multiple times a week. I know I’m annoying but I so want to put $10k on my credit card so I can post on watchcrunch and get 3 hearts!”

Honesty is the best policy.

😂😂😂 sorry bro, this is hilarious. Your buddies clap back was kinda weak.

But at least he was honest.

😂😂😂

Sounds like the SA remembers your friends face. So there’s that!

Which watch is he waiting for? Just curious

New AD time. Once he has his watch it's time to move on to new brands

I really hate to say this but a lot of times the clueless buyers for nothing special Rolex watches are even more deserving of contempt than the business practices of many sellers.

Try Grand Seiko.

I go to the Rolex AD everytime I buy a new watch and make sure I insist in lead sales manager to remind him that money could have been theirs.. In simple words they don’t care… all Rolex AD have back channel selling to grey market.. you can find unworn watches at higher cost.. once in a while some get lucky.. I have bought other brands and enjoy them more..

I think people have been fed a line of BS by influencers who say you need to "establish a relationship" with an AD.

The only "relationship" that the AD wants with you is one in which you come in and buy stuff... They don't want friends, they want loyal customers.

SA is Neo

Mr. Smith…us normals

Sorry. Sounds like your friend was perhaps coming on too strong and the AD could sense it. Don't forget, ADs are salespeople so it's hard to sell them* because they know all the moves.

AD was being rude, but, I hate to say it, attempting to save your friend some time. I would tell him to cool off and maybe take his "face time" and spread it out across a few ADs in your area. It will up his chances of getting a watch and decrease his chances of people getting mad.

Bad situation, but 3 times a week is really too much. I got an OP recently; but I visited 3 times over 8 months.

Honestly, there's nothing about owning a rolex that doesn't sound like a punishment to me,

Grovel at an AD for months while they are selling them out of the back door to the grey market

Buying other items at the store to prove your 'worthy' in hope they let you buy one at full retail.

Overpay on the grey market with a very real possibility of buying rep, with no protection

Get treated like crap when the watch goes to RSC like thousands of other people have reported.

All for a mass produced watch they make millions of per year.

I Don't get it, Some of it isn't Rolex's fault per se but it's almost a fashion/status brand at this point.

Luckily the only rolex I own was an inheritance 😊

This is how it should be, it may leave a lasting impression on you and your son, in the future may become an owner,

Porsche do something similar, a family member works there and he said something to me that stuck. They treat all the people that come into the dealer as best as they can because even if you aren't a customer today you very well may be in the future

Rolex so overpriced and overrated, for a timepiece manufactured worldwide in the millions - I would have A Lange Sohne before any Rolex and they might even small talk in German about the modest watches they make themselves

I truly hope this story saves many from the goofy advice that nagging a clerk with "Is it here yet?" visits is advantageous.

His SA was working so he wanted to small talk and lead up to asking the status of his wishlist.

This is my favorite detail, that this man somehow knows the man is working at a certain time. I'd presume he'd peered in previously but prefer to think he somehow knows the man's complete schedule.

He clapped back and said he was showing his face so that they would remember him when a piece comes in. SA said it's not working

I truly love how all facades were dropped and both laid their cards on the table. All illusion was dropped and the misunderstanding was cleared in an instant! I'm puzzled as to how this was deemed a "bad experience."

Well, I honestly don't shop watches of this league, but there is something special about stores that don't have stuff on display and for try. I don't know really how Richard Mille works, but:

When my nowadays wife and I decided to engage, we wandered weeks and months from jeweler to jeweler without finding the engagement rings we both had a good feeling about. Back than we were university students and flipped each and every coin before spending it.

There was one jeweler in our university city, that displayed only one piece of jewellery per window. Very stylish. No price tags. Alluring, but each square centimetre of the display breathed “I am above your punch line." We stood in front and dreamed of getting in but didn't dare.

Months passed by and we didn't find rings. Then, we gathered all our courage and went into this shop. It was completely different from everything we experienced before like stepping through a portal into a parallel universe. The jeweler listened to us, smiled and said, that he hasn't any engagement nor wedding rings on display nor any piece of jewellery for sale. He guided us to a table, sat us down and started talking to us about marriage and our ideas, wishes and our future prospects. He opened up to us, that he would make a pair of rings only for us like he did for other couples. If we didn't like the rings we wouldn't need to buy them, but that hadn't happen before. He didn't want to talk about money. But we did, because we weren't sure wether this approach could be anywhere near our ressources. So, well, it wasn't. We left, searched some more months didn't find anything. So we put together any penny we could bring up and went back to this jeweler.

When we opened the door he winked at us: "I knew that you will return! Have your seat. I'm ready in a minute." While we were talking about marriage, wishes, dreams and life he noddied, asked and sketched. When he heard enough he started to show us some models. From there and our feedback he refined the first sketches. He nailed it on point! When almost everything was done and ready, he asked us the first time about the money we wanted to spend. It was like an upside down process. But he listened and said, that with this money the design of our rings is possible in platinum, gold and diamonds. BTW, if it hadn't been before the time of the internet and if we had done some research about this jeweler so that we had learned something about him, about his reputation and about the companies and people he usually worked with, never ever in a live time would we have dared to set a foot on his door sill. Sometimes it is best to be uninformed and naiv.

I made similar experiences with a tailor - I wish every man to experience the make of a bespoken suit - and in other events. So, for me, there is a point in not being able to try and watch something. But it has always been the way to serious business. Once you walked in and fired up the process it is impossible to escape the bewitching environment.

I went into a Rolex AD for the first time two days ago because I wanted to try on a submariner.. I’d never done that before. The woman who was helping me actually steered me towards Omega which are readily available.. she eventually told me in confidence that she didn’t even like Rolex because of how they dictate how the jeweler needs to operate. I was not expecting that. And this was a high end store with locked doors & an armed doorman in a suit. I’ll be buying something from her in a couple months. Not sure exactly what.. but I’m buying something.

Love it 👍🏼

I don't agree. I worked retail for 20 years. There's always a way to talk to even the annoying people without being condescending. He's hoping he won't be forgotten. You can acknowledge him and excuse yourself and send him on his way. I hate Rolex AD's. I will never give them my time or money. It's beneath me to be treated like that.

I agree 100% my feelings exactly but I do have a problem with the level of crazy love for a mass produced object, that the customer would risk that sort of egregious treatment from somebody who serves him! I had a similar situation with a skilful carpenter/ handyman who agreed to perform a small contract for me. The job was more challenging than he assumed and complained that he would lose money. Upon completion I paid him extra and politely told him to get lost! I am no Rolex fan but also not a hater, I would never grovel for anything much much less for a watch.

Three times a week just makes you a pain and is counter productive.

Considering that AL&S start from at least three times Rolex's MSRP....

Did they have to try on the "Exhibition Only" model?

BTW, all upper end manufacturer's are a pain in the butt for AD most of the time. My local AD naturally carries multiple brands and it seems Omega came in, didn't like the amouint of counter space dedicated and wanted them to double the space and build a dedicated Omega section of their store. They dropped the brand and added Norquain.

Absolutely but you are paying for the privilege. I think some Rolex models certainly are falling into entry level A Lange Sohne category

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