Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Discuss Christopher Ward watches
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Alex r
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Alex r »

They are obviously very busy at the moment as have quoted 7-8 weeks Have Asked ***** for a breakdown so will see how much work they are planning to do.
Its not as if the watch is damaged or scuffed in anyway would still class it as A grade it has far less wear tear marks then my Omega or Tutima
Will post the breakdown when they get back to me
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by TheBeatles »

Curious wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 2:07 pm
triffidman wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:48 pm
But then again, if they do replace the gaskets, then it would need a pressure test for WR rating, and I assume this isn't easy or quick.
It's very easy and doesn't take 2 minutes to do.
If you don’t need a WR, then change battery and gaskets yourself. Especially for dress quartz which won’t see any kind of water. Cheap and easy.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Alex r »

Would be ok if it was the C2 but the C6 was the forerunner to the Trident series.
It's been swimming most weeks and has a few dives under its belt. Don't think it fits the dress quartz label. Image

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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by gwells »

Curious wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 2:07 pm
triffidman wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:48 pm
But then again, if they do replace the gaskets, then it would need a pressure test for WR rating, and I assume this isn't easy or quick.
It's very easy and doesn't take 2 minutes to do.
actually, to be fair, it doesn't matter if they replace the gaskets or not, any time you open a dive watch, if ought to be pressure tested if you're ever going to take it underwater again. otherwise any mistake closing it back up could result in flooding.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by PaulJS »

Alex r wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:00 pm Just got a reply from Vallen at CW towers. A battery change and service on my C6 Quartz is £150 plus postage :megaeek: :megaeek:
This is more than i paid for the watch when new. Is this Excessive ?
The Email dosnt give a break down of what the service involves on the plus side they havn't lost it yet :silent:
Sad to say this is daylight robbery. My wife's Tag F1 went to Swisswatch Workshop for a new battery, seals and pressure test late last year and the cost was £60 + £10 RMSD postage.

Turnaround was also much faster than CW are achieving and Ernest was a pleasure to deal with.

I would also love to know what exactly a 'service' on a quartz consists of!

All of this just reinforces my view that CW have bitten off more than they can chew and were good for sub £500 watches but don't cut the mustard higher up the price range - I certainly would not wish to have paid out over £2K and be faced with dealing with such a comedy of errors if it needed to go back.

On top of this we have the question mark over the 5 year warranty and it all adds up to voting with your feet. Sadly.

Unfortunately, just because someone is driven and motivated enough start a company, to develop products and put them up for sale it doesn't necessarily follow that they will be any good at actually running a business.

It seems to me that CW need to urgently employ some professional managers who know how to put robust procedures in place and then ensure that they are followed and that performance is measured to drive continuous improvement.

I could be persuaded to come out of early retirement if the price is right........ :lol:

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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Lavaine »

Didn't CW have service prices on the website at one time? I seem to remember a quartz 'service' being in the range of 25 GBP, and an auto service around 75 GBP. Am I imagining this?
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Essex Paul »

Slightly off topic but thought it was funny.
Even though I’ve bought a watch from them I’ve never received a Loupe magazine.
So weeks ago,(dunno 6?), when the summer one came out I clicked on the “request a copy” link on the website. Nothing. Phoned CS. Nothing.
Requested on website again 3 times!! Nothing.

Yesterday 2 arrived together.
Today 3 arrived!
They’re in a right state I think. :lol:
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by H0rati0 »

Essex Paul wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 6:29 pm Slightly off topic but thought it was funny.
Even though I’ve bought a watch from them I’ve never received a Loupe magazine.
So weeks ago,(dunno 6?), when the summer one came out I clicked on the “request a copy” link on the website. Nothing. Phoned CS. Nothing.
Requested on website again 3 times!! Nothing.

Yesterday 2 arrived together.
Today 3 arrived!
They’re in a right state I think. :lol:
Hazarding a guess, they seem to have a lack of IT expertise. The systems to sort the problems we are seeing are not rocket science but do require some application.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Essex Paul »

PaulJS wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 6:15 pm
Alex r wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 1:00 pm Just got a reply from Vallen at CW towers. A battery change and service on my C6 Quartz is £150 plus postage :megaeek: :megaeek:
This is more than i paid for the watch when new. Is this Excessive ?
The Email dosnt give a break down of what the service involves on the plus side they havn't lost it yet :silent:
Sad to say this is daylight robbery. My wife's Tag F1 went to Swisswatch Workshop for a new battery, seals and pressure test late last year and the cost was £60 + £10 RMSD postage.

Turnaround was also much faster than CW are achieving and Ernest was a pleasure to deal with.

I would also love to know what exactly a 'service' on a quartz consists of!

All of this just reinforces my view that CW have bitten off more than they can chew and were good for sub £500 watches but don't cut the mustard higher up the price range - I certainly would not wish to have paid out over £2K and be faced with dealing with such a comedy of errors if it needed to go back.

On top of this we have the question mark over the 5 year warranty and it all adds up to voting with your feet. Sadly.

Unfortunately, just because someone is driven and motivated enough start a company, to develop products and put them up for sale it doesn't necessarily follow that they will be any good at actually running a business.

It seems to me that CW need to urgently employ some professional managers who know how to put robust procedures in place and then ensure that they are followed and that performance is measured to drive continuous improvement.

I could be persuaded to come out of early retirement if the price is right........ :lol:

Paul

My wife’s Tag Aquaracer, new battery and pressure test via a Tag authorised Jewellers in City of London £65. :clap:
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Thegreyman »

My wife has a fairy decent Raymond Weil watch. I was quoted about £105 for a battery change and pressure test from Ernest Jones and it must have been about £90 in Beaverbrooks. Totally stunned how much they wanted for a 10 minute job and a £1 battery. Of course virtually none of the high street jewellers will change a battery or remove a link from a bracelet these days, it has to be sent off to get done. Pretty poor really. At least the Rolex/Tudor AD that I bought some watches from have a watchmaker/technician in most days and will adjust bracelets and change them on the spot FOC.

At the end of the day I went to the Timpson in the same shopping mall and got the "battery for life" offer for about £30 or so, meaning that if the battery ever dies in the future they will change it for free. Very impressed with their customer service too. So much so that I gave them feedback on Trust Pilot whereas I normally don't bother responding to the "can you please spare 10/20 minutes to give us feedback" emails....I have a life :lol:
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Thermexman »

Thegreyman wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 7:41 pm ....I have a life :lol:
Says the man with over 7,000 posts on an interweb Forum! :lol: :clap:
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Thegreyman »

Thermexman wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 7:49 pm
Thegreyman wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 7:41 pm ....I have a life :lol:
Says the man with over 7,000 posts on an interweb Forum! :lol: :clap:
Ah yes....true :oops: :lol:
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Alex r »

Glad I'm not the only one to think it's steep for a 3 handed quartz. A Chronograph or thermo compansated movement i could sort of get unless there is a lot more wrong with it than a new battery but then a new ETA movement can't cost that much can it.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by StrappedUp »

I was recently informed that it would be £85 for a battery replacement, gasket change and pressure test on my Grand Seiko, so that seems excessive.

A service?? They're probably replacing the movement and even then, a standard ETA 3 hander can be had for ~£30 :?
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Ateca »

I recently sold a 25 year-old Breitling Aerospace, which had never had a service, only battery and seal changes.

The dealer quoted me a price then said he could pay me that price less £480, which represented the cost of a full service, before it could be put on sale. For £480, I reckon they would throw the entire movement out and put a new one in.
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