zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: John,

: It's funny what you say, as I did actually
: request a replacement after the second time
: I sent it to Eastleigh. When I spoke to the
: customer service representative the second
: time I got the watch back she was adamant
: that a replacement could not be offered.
: (Again somewhat defensive, as those words
: were uttered without me verbally asking for
: a replacement, it was mentioned in letter
: and e-mail)

: She also said that the watch was seen by the
: workshop manager, the customer relations
: manager and herself prior to it being sent
: to me. I just wonder if they were looking at
: it in a dark room, without a light on!

I wondered the same thing when Omega USA worked on my Seamaster.

: I did mention in the third letter I sent to
: Eastleigh that I had spoken with a customer
: relations officer in Bienne and that she was
: positively supportive in pursuing the issue
: until I was happy. Bienne did not suggest a
: replacement, or sending it to them ,but in
: the future I think I will, providing I can
: find a UK carrier that can insure the
: article without me having to donate my
: kidney to do so!

: The other thing that was said (not written) was
: that marks on bezels or on the face can
: occur if the article was on display for a
: long time or if it had been mishandled prior
: to purchase. This is total BS. The only way
: dust can get under the crystal is if they
: were there before the unit was sealed.
: (Please, anyone correct me if I am wrong) I
: had a feeling that when I was speaking to
: Eastleigh, I was half being accused of
: opening the unit and wrecking it myself. I
: paid a small fortune for a piece of
: timekeeping history, and bought into what I
: thought was a brand that prided itself on
: prestige and supreme craftsmanship. AM I
: WRONG? I don't have the tools, let alone the
: know-how on how to open the unit. Have any
: of you experienced dust under the crystal
: upon return of a serviced/repaired unit?

Yes. I sent my 2 month old Seamaster 2254.50 in for warranty repairs, and it came back with a long (several millimeters) piece of dust next to the "S" in "Seamaster". There were also smaller dust particles elsewhere on the dial. Since I would never open up my own watches, I know for a fact that they left them there. Also, others have posted that they noticed dust particles on the dials of brand new watches that they had just purchased from AD's. So, there is both a quality control problem here as well as a lack of attention to detail when the service technicians work on your watch.

: Finally, (I am sure many of you are saying
: "at last") when you guys get your
: watch back from a service center, is it in a
: foam filled cardboard box?

Yes, that's exactly how Omega USA sent back my Seamaster. They used to send watches back in those red padded travel cases, but I suppose they decided to cut costs by shipping them inside a piece of foam.

:If this is how a
: service center transports it's units, I
: dread to think how the units are treated
: upon repair. It would not surprise me in the
: slightest if the scratch in the "radial
: graining effect" was placed on the face
: by them (It sure as hell was not me, and it
: certainly was not there on purchase.)

: Any advice on UK carriers or comments would be
: greatly appreciated. Apologies again for
: having gone on a bit.

: Thanks

: Nafees