What's up with Customer Service?

Discuss Christopher Ward watches
wvs411
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What's up with Customer Service?

Post by wvs411 »

Hi,

Any idea if there are any issues with customer service at the moment, apart from being busy?
In the past month I have purchased a C900 World Timer with an additional Alligator Strap, and two Bracelets for C60s neither purchase went smoothly. All but one of the C60 bracelets were gifts for other people.

The issues have not been with delivery times but with attention to detail:

The C900 arrived on time but the additional strap was imperfect with a blemish. The watch itself was actually much nicer than I expected. A call into customer service and another strap was sent out.
The second strap arrived but was too small for the watch, 20mm rather than 22mm. Another call to customer service.
The third strap arrives and is correct, but the person it was purchased for had already had their Birthday and had left the country to return to the US.

I ordered two bracelets for my father's and my 43mm Trident Pros and paid to have them adjusted to 19cm.
One arrived instead of two. A call to customer service and a second bracelet was sent out, I received an Email confirmation saying that it was being dispatched, but there was no mention of the adjustment. Another call to customer service who apologised as they didn't realise it needed adjusting and promised to make sure it was adjusted before being shipped.

The second bracelet arrives but it has been adjusted to a smaller size, I would say 18cm (2 more links removed compared to the first bracelet) So I'm off to a local jewellery to have it adjusted properly.

Is anybody else experiencing similar problems? I love the watches, have three of my own and have bought two as gifts for others but the purchase experience could be much better if customer service paid a little attention to detail.
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by triffidman »

My own, recent, experience with Christopher Ward is equally frustrating. I don't think it's just "at the moment", it's just the way it is with them now.

I ordered 2 watches: A C70 Brooklands and a C60 White Face. Both showed as in stock, and I used the 15% off quartz deal at the time. TWO weeks passed and I had received or heard nothing, so I chased it up. I was told that they are waiting for the C70's to come in from Switzerland, and they should be in by the end of the month (this was October) - and that they would normally send them out together. This was annoying, not only was a watch actually out of stock, it was holding up delivery of the watch they did have stock of. I did wonder what would happen if the C70 came into stock, and in the meantime they sold out of the C60!!

Depsite asking twice, I could not get a straight answer as to when I should expect delivery (they kept insisting of giving me approximate dates as to when they would get delivery - which is NOT what I asked for, I couldn't care less when they receive them, I wanted to know when I would receive it).

Then on a subsequent order, I received a watch that had fingerprints on it, the back of the watch clearly shows signs of being worn (i.e. a used watch), and it had 2 marks on it - so I sent it back, got my refund pretty quickly, but then had to chase up refund of the postage (I thought I was entitled to this under those circumstances).

I've also had disappointing experiences with watches covered in fingerprints, bezels not aligning as I would expect, and on one order, the wrong width springbar was used and the strap did not stay on - all of this puts me off wasting time on any future orders, their QC before despatch is abysmal.

They have lovely watches, and generally deal with refunds very quickly, and have a friendly aftersales process - the bit they're not getting right is the most important part of the process, namely: Getting a brand new, unmarked, correct watch, to the customer within a respectable period of time, for a purely internet based retailer.

It's a shame.
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by stefs »

Dont worry, you are not being singled out. This malarky has been ongoing for a long time. At least you know to sort of expect it!
Cheers now, Paul
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by nordwulf »

triffidman wrote:I don't think it's just "at the moment", it's just the way it is with them now.
Instead of the controversial rebranding, marketing and all these fancy expensive and limited edition models, they should have invested their time, effort and money in their customer service, reasonably priced watches and just overall perfect customer satisfaction.

It's not that difficult. Get it right the first time, ship out any in-stock item within 24 hours or same day if ordered before noon and keep the customer updated of the process. Ordering something and having to wait a week without any updates is unacceptable. Especially when there are many companies who get the online business right. Well, at least in the USA. Not sure if this is common with other companies in the UK.

They need a new Operations manager to get their business in good order. It's nice to hear they usually fix the problems but that is time better spent getting it right the first time.
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by stolivar »

I think they are simply lost the plot. They have been trying to expand their in house caliber, and come out with new watches with new logos etc, all while taking their eye off the ball on service. At this time, I won't be buying any new watches from CW until this is sorted out. My C60 GMT has the GMT hand mis-alligned slightly, thought about sending it in for repair, but after all the horror stories of the scratched cases etc, I think I would rather live with it. So sad, CW was great when I bought my watch a few years ago, no so now
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by David W »

stolivar wrote:I think they are simply lost the plot. They have been trying to expand their in house caliber, and come out with new watches with new logos etc, all while taking their eye off the ball on service. At this time, I won't be buying any new watches from CW until this is sorted out. My C60 GMT has the GMT hand mis-alligned slightly, thought about sending it in for repair, but after all the horror stories of the scratched cases etc, I think I would rather live with it. So sad, CW was great when I bought my watch a few years ago, no so now
Glad I have been reading the forum. I joined as I really wanted a CW and wanted todo some research before buying. So far I have seen lots of people very happy with their watches but recently many less happy buyers. On top of which CW seem to be dumping old stock at crazy prices. I'd like to get a watch that although loses money when you buy it does not lose half its value overnight because of manufacturers discounting. Ebay is full of new CW with people expecting to sell for more than you can get one from CW.
I'm going tosit on the fence a bit longer before commiting
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by ItsAliveJim »

David W wrote:
Glad I have been reading the forum. I joined as I really wanted a CW and wanted todo some research before buying. So far I have seen lots of people very happy with their watches but recently many less happy buyers. On top of which CW seem to be dumping old stock at crazy prices. I'd like to get a watch that although loses money when you buy it does not lose half its value overnight because of manufacturers discounting. Ebay is full of new CW with people expecting to sell for more than you can get one from CW.
I'm going tosit on the fence a bit longer before commiting
If you weighed the happy customers against the unhappy customers I think I know which side would be heavier. I agree that CW's QC is erratic at times, and sometimes appalling, but ultimately the problems you read here are a minority. I mean, who bothers to post on a forum unless there's a problem? :wink:

Having said all that, I've been a member here for a long time and had a few CWs pass through my hands, but I don't own any at the moment and can't see myself buying another any time soon. They just don't do anything for me. But that's just me :D
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by PaulJS »

It'sAliveJim wrote:
David W wrote:
Glad I have been reading the forum. I joined as I really wanted a CW and wanted todo some research before buying. So far I have seen lots of people very happy with their watches but recently many less happy buyers. On top of which CW seem to be dumping old stock at crazy prices. I'd like to get a watch that although loses money when you buy it does not lose half its value overnight because of manufacturers discounting. Ebay is full of new CW with people expecting to sell for more than you can get one from CW.
I'm going tosit on the fence a bit longer before commiting
If you weighed the happy customers against the unhappy customers I think I know which side would be heavier. I agree that CW's QC is erratic at times, and sometimes appalling, but ultimately the problems you read here are a minority. I mean, who bothers to post on a forum unless there's a problem? :wink:

Having said all that, I've been a member here for a long time and had a few CWs pass through my hands, but I don't own any at the moment and can't see myself buying another any time soon. They just don't do anything for me. But that's just me :D

Forums like this are great for researching a brand before buying, but I would reiterate the wise words above that you need to be careful when viewing the balance of experiences voiced: negative feedback will always outnumber positive due to human nature.

I would not hesitate to buy another CW if one came along that floated my boat but, there are undoubtedly some QC issues at the moment and I would not be buying from abroad with all the hassle entailed in returns.

If in the UK CW do make things pretty easy and cost free.

It may be damning with faint praise, and to mis-quote Mr Rafferty, but if they get it wrong they will get it right, just not necessarily the next time!!
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by smegwina »

David W wrote:
stolivar wrote:I think they are simply lost the plot. They have been trying to expand their in house caliber, and come out with new watches with new logos etc, all while taking their eye off the ball on service. At this time, I won't be buying any new watches from CW until this is sorted out. My C60 GMT has the GMT hand mis-alligned slightly, thought about sending it in for repair, but after all the horror stories of the scratched cases etc, I think I would rather live with it. So sad, CW was great when I bought my watch a few years ago, no so now
Glad I have been reading the forum. I joined as I really wanted a CW and wanted todo some research before buying. So far I have seen lots of people very happy with their watches but recently many less happy buyers. On top of which CW seem to be dumping old stock at crazy prices. I'd like to get a watch that although loses money when you buy it does not lose half its value overnight because of manufacturers discounting. Ebay is full of new CW with people expecting to sell for more than you can get one from CW.
I'm going tosit on the fence a bit longer before commiting
I would not let the experiences mentioned in here stop you buying. Remember, whilst the issue threads stand out, there are far more satisfied customers!

Yeah, we have had a few problems, I myself have, but at the end of the day, you are getting a quality watch at an excellent price. If you do have an issue, then it will be sorted... But the chances are that you will be fine. The reality is that problem transactions are a minority.

Only thing I would say l, though is to wait for a sale or a voucher.

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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by wvs411 »

I started my post out of frustration with the poor attention to detail and lack of effective quality control. My frustration was compounded when I called Customer Support to let them know that the strap had been adjusted incorrectly, there was no comprehension that it was inconvenient for me as a customer to wait more time for another strap and then visit a post office to return the incorrectly sized strap. It was much simpler for me to visit a local jeweller and have the links added.

The watch looks terrific with the new strap, and I am extremely happy with all of my watches.

I would not let my experience stop anyone from buying a Christopher Ward Watch. They make mistakes but put them right, eventually, and the 60:60 warranty is terrific.

I think a little time spent on QC and training their staff would pay them dividends and limit the damage to the brand that silly mistakes can cause.
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by David W »

Well thanks for the more positive feedback on customer service. I will be in the U.K. Near maidenhead early December so will take a detour and visit.
So where can I get my hands on a voicjer to use at the showroom?
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

David W wrote:Well thanks for the more positive feedback on customer service. I will be in the U.K. Near maidenhead early December so will take a detour and visit.
So where can I get my hands on a voicjer to use at the showroom?
Not come across a voicjer before. Presume you mean voucher.

I'm sure CWL will honour any current voucher for a showroom visit. Only one at the moment is 100xmas16, to give £100 off any purchase over £500, which is valid until 24th December.

Any thoughts on what you are looking for?

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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by David W »

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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

It'sAliveJim wrote:I mean, who bothers to post on a forum unless there's a problem? :wink:
Puts me in mind of the gym I belong to. On a few occasions the spa, pool, steam room, sauna or the odd shower has been U/S, but overall it's fine.

The other day I observed a fellow member, known as a miserable sod, using all of the facilities (all working perfectly) and then commenting that he was writing to head office because nothing ever worked properly!

The main problem, though, is that the staff adopt a very casual attitude. OK, they are not allowed to fix stuff and have to wait for the maintenance company to respond, but the shrugs of the shoulders and abdication of responsibility can be infuriating.

I have sometimes thought that there are people behind the scenes at CW who are lax in their approach, not good enough at the job or do not care enough. I may be wrong, of course.

I do think that if there is a problem in a company or facility, however small, denial only perpetuates it and promotes ill-will among the disgruntled end-users.
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Re: What's up with Customer Service?

Post by gwells »

fwiw, the one offs (something bad happens, they fix it) don't seem that odd or off to me. as people say, "**** happens."

the things that bother me are the ones where CW makes a mistake, then compounds it by making a mistake on the replacement/fix. there's really no excuse for that to happen.

the secret to customer service is fixing the mistakes and getting it right when you do with the least amount of pain to the customer. what's bothered me here over the past year or so are the repeated issues with multiple mistakes on the same order. where there's a problem, then the fix isn't right. it shouldn't take 2-3 times to get it right. and that's especially true of an online vendor. and one who's shipping things overseas, which makes returns/shipping complicated.

they need to tighten up the fixing of mistakes. that's what made the CS rep great in the past and i think that's what's starting to make people question them now.
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