zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Just want to do write up on my warranty repair experience with SGUS Secaucus. This may be a long ramble, but I wanted to be thorough. To sum it up... their service is "Neutral" at best maybe a “C-“ however, the repair work was satisfactory. I own a SMP 2254.50 purchased it in Sept. of 2005, and in June of 2007 it stopped! I called SGUS in Secaucus and asked them what the return procedure was. They explained there was no special “procedure” and that I could just send it in along with the warranty information and/or sales receipt. . The rep said it would take about 2 weeks to look at the watch and then another 4-6 weeks to repair. They also mentioned that it should be sent with a traceable carrier and that it should be insured. I sent it USPS 1st class, with delivery confirmation and Insurance for about $15 on June 28th. The watch was received on July 2 and on July 10th I called to check the status of the watch. The rep told me the watch was sent in to start repairs on July 9th, that it was covered under warranty, and that because it was busy and that it was an Auto it could take 55 to 65 business days... a quick calculation said... hmm, Oct 1st ,13 weeks from when you received it. OK if that’s what it is, I wasn’t surprised since I had read on this forum that it could take that long.

I called after about 5-6 weeks to check the status. “All the other stuff is done, were just waiting for the movement to be repaired” Looks like the end of the month. Hey not to bad I thought.. A little early. I call at the end of the month and spoke to a new rep named Shaun. He said that the tracking system showed it was scheduled for completion around 8/15, but it appears delayed because of some back order on parts. He said he would look into it and get back to me. A few days later he did. The watch is all done, and it's on its way to “Quality Control”. As long as it passes, it will be on its way. Shaun said to call him back in about 5 -7 days. I called back, the watched failed QC ... I believe it was not within the chronometer specs for time keeping, so it went back for a retooling. Shaun said he would monitor its progress and get back to me. He did. The watch is all done, it will be shipping out on 9/18 via overnight FedEx. It goes 2nd day... Ok someone in the mail room is a clown.

I get it on 9/20... it works! But hold on, I thought a complete service included Factory reconditioning of the case and band (aka polishing) the bracelet was just as scuffed up as when I sent it in .. and in actuality, maybe a little worse since it still had oil and grime from the repair process all over it. I call my friend Shaun back. He acknowledged that it should have been polished. I was a little pissed, but I didn’t take it out on him, he was actually the only intelligent and courteous person I spoke with at SGUS. “NP he says, I’ll e-mail you a RMA along with a prepaid FedEx slip and you can send it to me directly”. Next question I asked … how long it this going to take? “I should have it back to you in a couple of days” So. I send it out Friday 9/21 and SGUS receives it Monday 9/24 at 9:30 am. At 4:50 pm Shaun calls me back and says “It’s all done and it will go out in tomorrows FedEx, via overnight, you’ll have it Wed. I’ll call you tomorrow with the tracking number”. It did go out and it was FedEx'd, but it again went out 2nd day... same clown in the mailroom I guess...

I get it back on 9/27, one minor pock mark on the clasp that was part of a deep scratch to begin with, but it looks pretty good. No hairs or dust under the crystal, no internal finger prints, etc. I pretty much looks brand new.

So here are some questions to ponder:

1) Quality Control caught the out of spec time but did not notice the bracelet looked like it was dragged on the street?
2) The movement repair looks like it may have been done at Tourneau, New York... which is a huge watch store in NYC that is authorized to carry most major brands as well as repair most brands. I say this because there was a Tourneau envelope that was sent back with my watch... although it was empty. Maybe Repairs don't actully get done at SGUS ?
3) I thought the repaired parts were sent back after it was repaired?

Anyway... The watch came back working in the end, within the allotted time frame they specified after they received the watch, but to miss the polishing was a rookie mistake. However, because of Shaun, the CSR I dealt with, they did rectify it quickly. I can't say I would never send it back, but I may look at alternatives should something happen during my new 2 year warranty. perhaps send to Tourneau directly ? But, if you need a good CSR at Secaucus, deal with Shaun (he's the only Shaun there)