unpleasant experience buying a dive watch on the WEB...more

Hi all :

I have an unpleasent experience that I would like to share with you all. 7 weeks ago, I posted a WTB on SC for a Ploprof and with some TZer's help, I found a dealer on the web that has one for sale. To the dealer's description - the watch is in fair condition and the movement has just been serivced and oiled. After an agreement on the price the dealer proceed to put a charge on my VISA. 2 weeks later, I still have not received it, so I check with the dealer and instead of shipping it to my billing address, he had shipped it to an address that I had given him as a reference!!! You see, I am located in Hong Kong and many dealers get nervous if they have to ship it outside of the U.S. So, i provided an address in California as a reference. Anyway, the watch was sent to CA. I had to ask for many favors to have it then transhipped to HK from CA.

Upon receiving the watch (3 weeks from purchase) the minute was loose. The dealer claims that it is just a condition caused by shipping, "no big deal" as he put it. So, took it to Omega Service Center here in town to have them take a look. The Service manager was an accquintance, so I get a better service than the regular Joe customer. The manager opened the watch and told me that it does not look like it has been worked on for the last 10 years!

Conclusion - I paid for a watch that was supposed to be "Fully Serviced" and the Omega Service Center tells me its not been touched. Who to trust???? You tell me...

I have not confronted the dealer, I cannot ship it back to him for a refund due to my lack of trust in him. I don't want to open another can of worms by sending it back to him and worry about the re-payment. But I feel cheated. Any recommandation on what I should do?

thanks for letting me vent. Carson