Maybe it's just me...
I've had a great deal of bad luck with buying watches for about the last year now and am about to just give up.
The convenience of buying online has become a curse as of late and I may now just stick with buying face to face.
I've posted some of my recent "annoyances" on this site but they've been just the tip of the iceberg so to speak and today I've reached a breaking point.
Last year I managed to get a limited release watch in my basket when sales began after a countdown and was waiting for my payment to finish. Something happened on the website and I was kicked out. I never got my watch and the manufacturer merely said sorry and that there was a glitch. I had a similar situation with a different company prior but they checked my place in line somehow and I got the watch so I know it's possible.
I ended up purchasing a different model after that from the company and I do like it. In fact I decided to buy another from the back catalog not too long after. When looking for a certain style of watch I decided to look at the same manufacturer and found one I wanted. Sadly the site refused over a few days to allow me to complete the purchase and now that watch is also sold out.
So when my next watch from that company came today and didn't include the display/travel case that it was shown to have in online videos and but rather a different one that is actually described specifically as included with other models and which I currently own I was upset. I just decided to email the company and tell them that "three strikes" is enough for me to no longer want to deal with them.
A limited run model means that the watches are ready to go until the last one sells if there are only a few left. This was certainly the case since it was shipped immediately after my payment. I expected the special case to be the same. Maybe the stolen watches, the Doxa service issue, the lost in transit watch, the used watch that was to be new, the grail that came with no warranty card/paperwork and wrong box, the watches that just never showed up due to a bad seller and cost me weeks of trying to recover my money along with many other bad situations have just gotten to me. In the end I told the company I want to just return the watch and be done with them.
Perhaps I'm just too old to deal with annoyances anymore.🙄
I'm from Alberta, Canada and have been collecting (something) in some capacity since 1988. I've been early-retired since 2013 and now live in Doha, Qatar with my wife who loves moving from country to...
Sorry you’ve had such a rough go of things online. It sucks, but I think these issues are the price of the convenience of online shopping.
On the list side, I can’t imagine your luck continuing to be that bad. Hope things improve for you.
That's why I tend to stick to used from eBay.
Ugh! So sorry for all the trials and tribulation. So frustrating. Hang in there. It's bound to improve!
That's why I tend to stick to used from eBay.
I've actively bought and sold on eBay for more than 15 years. I had many issues with them as well. Sadly though buying from Qatar is not something I'm prepared to deal with. 😁
While others here have already given you some very comforting and valuable replies, let me just provide you one more reason not to be too down.
Life and luck always regresses towards the mean. If you are having a prolonged stroke of bad luck, then almost assuredly, good things are around the corner.
Hope only good things happen to you moving forward 👍
Man you just can't catch a brake, feel sorry for you. Maybe it would be best to stop web shoping for a while and breathe a bit. If possible do it in person but I know that is easier said than done, especially in certain regions. Maybe paying a bit of premium buying new from AD is better than going trough this kind of fiasko again.
The best advice I got from the previous generation of watch collectors was that there is always another watch. There’s no reason to deal with sketchy sellers, damaged watches or shady practices. If anything ever looks off, don’t proceed. If it’s not as advertised, return it. There’s always another watch.
This goes hand in hand with the next best lesson, find your own group of trusted sellers, resellers or forum members. Stay within your trusted group. Sometimes you will pay more than “the other deal” but you’ll likely get a better example with a more accurate description, less risk and more options if something seems wrong.
If you’re dealing with the actual manufacturer, return it and move on to the next brand. There’s always another watch.
Man, that’s bad luck. That’s a fitting photo of the statue — the guy looks like he’s sitting on the edge of a bed sulking due to his impotence while his one night stand looks on with a bitter snicker of contempt.
The best advice I got from the previous generation of watch collectors was that there is always another watch. There’s no reason to deal with sketchy sellers, damaged watches or shady practices. If anything ever looks off, don’t proceed. If it’s not as advertised, return it. There’s always another watch.
This goes hand in hand with the next best lesson, find your own group of trusted sellers, resellers or forum members. Stay within your trusted group. Sometimes you will pay more than “the other deal” but you’ll likely get a better example with a more accurate description, less risk and more options if something seems wrong.
If you’re dealing with the actual manufacturer, return it and move on to the next brand. There’s always another watch.
I fully get that. I generally buy any new watches directly from manufacturers but I made the mistake of buying from another source because the cost was less and the manufacturer had a lead time. Got the watch with no warranty card, no paperwork and the wrong box. That's on me.😕