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

Discuss Christopher Ward watches
Bungle-ator
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Bungle-ator »

In response to my request for a "realistic" timescale for return I was told "it shouldn't be much longer for you'

This was followed by "My sincere apologies for the slight delay in this and any inconvenience this may of caused."

Yep, 9 weeks later than the original time quoted is a slight delay. In any case, 8 days later not much longer is still getting longer.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Mikkei4 »

Bungle-ator wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:21 am In response to my request for a "realistic" timescale for return I was told "it shouldn't be much longer for you'

This was followed by "My sincere apologies for the slight delay in this and any inconvenience this may of caused."

Yep, 9 weeks later than the original time quoted is a slight delay. In any case, 8 days later not much longer is still getting longer.
It'd be nice if they would also reply in correct English. "..... this may of caused." should be "this may have caused".

Also to reply "it shouldn't be much longer for you" just show they have no idea when.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Bungle-ator »

Mikkei4 wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2019 12:31 pm
Bungle-ator wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:21 am In response to my request for a "realistic" timescale for return I was told "it shouldn't be much longer for you'

This was followed by "My sincere apologies for the slight delay in this and any inconvenience this may of caused."

Yep, 9 weeks later than the original time quoted is a slight delay. In any case, 8 days later not much longer is still getting longer.
It'd be nice if they would also reply in correct English. "..... this may of caused." should be "this may have caused".

Also to reply "it shouldn't be much longer for you" just show they have no idea when.
My biggest gripe is that she says in the same email that the watch still hasn't arrived back to them yet. I had previously asked if I could collect it from them rather than have it posted as I'm just a 5 minute walk away. They insisted it can't be collected as "they have no reception" area to facilitate it.

They have a hallway and there's also pavement outside but they're intent on giving it to Royal Mail or a courier for it to travel I don't know how many miles for it to then get left outside my front door or for me to drive and collect it.

I only really accepted this when it was intimated the watch would be sent direct to me from Switzerland but given the above this is a blatant lie.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by TheBeatles »

Re: the above

Why not book a showroom visit, and then say “oh By the way! Can I pick up my watch while I’m here?”
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Bungle-ator »

^^^seems there's too much stupidity and bureaucracy involved for that to work. I would need to know it was there in the first instance.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Kip »

Bungle-ator wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2019 12:49 pm
My biggest gripe is that she says in the same email that the watch still hasn't arrived back to them yet. I had previously asked if I could collect it from them rather than have it posted as I'm just a 5 minute walk away. They insisted it can't be collected as "they have no reception" area to facilitate it.

They have a hallway and there's also pavement outside but they're intent on giving it to Royal Mail or a courier for it to travel I don't know how many miles for it to then get left outside my front door or for me to drive and collect it.

I only really accepted this when it was intimated the watch would be sent direct to me from Switzerland but given the above this is a blatant lie.
While I fully acknowledge the difficulties you have had and the miscommunications, or lack thereof, during this process, I find nothing in your posting that shows where CW has intimated that your repair would be shipped from Switzerland. This is certainly not the norm nor am I aware of this ever being done.

I seriously doubt that CW would offer a "blatant lie" to put you off for a few days. I am more suspect of the miscommunications.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Bungle-ator »

Kip wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2019 5:39 pm
Bungle-ator wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2019 12:49 pm
My biggest gripe is that she says in the same email that the watch still hasn't arrived back to them yet. I had previously asked if I could collect it from them rather than have it posted as I'm just a 5 minute walk away. They insisted it can't be collected as "they have no reception" area to facilitate it.

They have a hallway and there's also pavement outside but they're intent on giving it to Royal Mail or a courier for it to travel I don't know how many miles for it to then get left outside my front door or for me to drive and collect it.

I only really accepted this when it was intimated the watch would be sent direct to me from Switzerland but given the above this is a blatant lie.
While I fully acknowledge the difficulties you have had and the miscommunications, or lack thereof, during this process, I find nothing in your posting that shows where CW has intimated that your repair would be shipped from Switzerland. This is certainly not the norm nor am I aware of this ever being done.

I seriously doubt that CW would offer a "blatant lie" to put you off for a few days. I am more suspect of the miscommunications.
The posting you've quoted says that Kip. I think I've only posted one email of many because I really wanted to wait until things were over and the whole thing could be viewed subjectively. It reached a stage where the context of some emails couldn't be taken any other way than how they read. I'm not on here to bash CW, I very much want them to do well. I will however tell it like it is.

For what it's worth my watch came back today, sent from Park Street with Wera's name on it. It came with DPD with no notice of it coming and when the door buzzer redirected to my wifes mobile she let them in the main door unaware it was my watch and it was then left on my doorstep for the afternoon.

The returns process started well. I received a prompt reply after filling out the online form, and I received the return SAE 2 days later. It was advised to return it in its box, which I ignored and returned it (hand delivered) in a Hamilton service box.

This was on June 11th, a few days after Mike France was quoted on here saying that the CS problems were in hand and were overhauled (or words to that effect). Half an hour after dropping it off I had an email confirming receipt of it. 2 hours later I had an email telling me it "only" needed a mechanical repair at a cost of £365 + shipping costs. Can I pop by with a credit card or send PayPal details to pay for the battery? (It's an SH21!) No invoice, no details of what work needs done. £365...eek! Battery?

I ask what needs done, can I have an invoice? Is the flaw on the dial being looked at? No reply.

2 more emails before I get a reply with no information.

Another week goes by and I suggest I'll be popping by to talk to someone. This prompts a response from two staff members who promise they'll find out. I get an email out of office hours the next day telling me the watch is being repaired under warranty. No details of what is being done. It's a 6-8 week repair window.

I email to ask for progress at the end of week 8.
"It's an 8-10 week repair window for Swiss repairs" I'm now told.

Week 12 passes and I email again. It's now delayed due to an annual shut down in Switzerland and it needs parts. I'm assuming the same parts that it was known to need at the beginning.

Around a week later I receive confirmation of an order for parts. I mistakenly took this to mean that my watch was about to come back to me.

I enquired about collecting it from Park Street but apparently CW have never heard of Greta Thunberg and her cause (and everyone else's). It makes much more sense to have my watch collected in a van and driven for miles before being driven back to almost the same place the next day.

We reach week 15 and I enquire again for a realistic update, which gives me the information that my wait will be over shortly.

16 weeks and 3 days and my watch finally arrives, via DPD. An unexpected arrival of a £1850 which is then left outside for anyone to take away.

The things I noticed throughout the process. Nobody seems to know what's going on. At least it was like this at the beginning. Communication improved a little bit throughout the process. It seems you now get an automatic reply to an email and then it takes two days for a real person to reply. This is a vast improvement on what it was.

Now to the good parts. I dropped my watch from around waist height and fully expected to pay for the repair. I even stated on the returns form that I dropped it. Whilst it wasn't communicated well in the first instance it was repaired under warranty at zero cost to myself.

My watch has only been back in my possession for 3 hours but it appears to be fixed mechanically and the flaw on the dial has been rectified. Otherwise it's in exactly the same condition I sent it back in. Or almost. There was also a tiny scratch on the crystal that you had to look very hard at to see. I couldn't work out how it got there as this watch has been worn sparingly and other than dropping it once it's never had any knocks. It was otherwise blemish free. It's actually come back without this scratch so I can only assume the crystal was replaced. The crown is also much easier to turn as it was previously a bit of an effort to fully wind, but 80 turns on it this evening was easy. I'm not sure if there was maybe an issue here or not that helped make this a warranty repair.

I would say in the end that CW have done well but it was a real effort to get here. There were many days that I thought my watch was just simply lost.

The brand for me though is badly damaged. The reports on here from some with watches being returned with different dials and casebacks, indices falling off etc.

I really can't see me buying another CW, for me they seem to be punching a bit and struggling with the basics. The things that seem to be coming up suggest to me that they really have no business selling watches for more than £500.

All things said, I absolutely love my C65 bronze. I remember how disappointed I was when Declan didn't bring one out with everything else. I couldn't have left without buying it after I sent him away to get one and I seen it in the flesh. I've wondered a few times if I should sell it on its return but it's definitely a keeper.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by Toph »

It’s such a shame that a good product, even in a relatively crowded market, will force buyers elsewhere due to the lack of confidence in the staff knowledge, customer service and frighteningly inept and confusing levels of communication. The trust is being broken and the good faith the brand has built up evaporates very quickly. Customers care about feeling valued.

That being said I love my new Trident c600 gmt and will likely buy another, hoping that the CX part is being worked on.
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Re: Bad experience with Christopher ward watch and it's customer services

Post by gatehealing »

Glad they did the right thing, but the process of getting there is a pathetic example of CS. There is nothing Kip or anybody else can say to reframe or deflect the problems in this process. I hope CW figures it out. It’s been an issue for so long now that I have my doubts though.
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