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| Joined: | Wed May 30th, 2007 |
| Location: | Twin Cities, Minnesota USA |
| Posts: | 104 |
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Yeah, what Matt said! Wait, what now?
"Entitlement?" Wow, I must be pretty bad consumer 'cause after dropping a $1K plus on a watch and the bezel insert pops off, you're damn right I "expect" that to be fixed by the manufacturer.
Are there people that abuse warranties, yeah no doubt. Especially for you Matt, you've probably experienced it firsthand more times than you'd like. I certainly don't support/condone that.
However, to assume that the customer should "know better" and realize it's "no big deal" is a massive problem, and I'd say an attitude that is just as much "wrong" as it is for the customer to knowingly abuse a warranty.
At a very, very basic level we have this:
-Guy buys watch.
-Piece of the watch falls off.
-Guy contacts manufacturer.
Now, how much good is it going to do for the manufacturer to immediately take a defensive position? Should they assume the customer screwed something up? What if the customer is a non-hands-on person? Do you think the pictorial on how to replace a bezel insert would be helpful then?
All due respect Matt, I just cannot get my mind around why it's bad for me to "expect" the company that made my watch to help me make it right again, given these very specific circumstances and the fact that we have ZERO reason to suspect canadajo is trying to hide anything.
Additionally, as I read through the replies here, I don't in the very least get a sense that anyone is encouraging an attitude of entitlement whatsoever. I think everyone sees this was a chance occurence, and naturally assumes that- again, based on this instance- will be swiftly addressed by the manufacturer.
But, like I said, I could just be a bad consumer......
Sorry, but you missed my points somehow.
a) a bezel inlay falling off looks worse than it is. It is no big deal to replace it and IMHO a DIY effort (hence the pictorial). Probably easier and less risk than sending a watch back and forth (as anyone who has ever had a watch damaged or stolen in transit can attest to).
b) immediately having this mishap reflecting badly on the manufacturer is a bit pre-mature IMHO. A single incident is no systematic failure. Innocent until proven guilty. Yes, I am defending Limes here and have no affiliation with them or benefit from doing that. But I can't just chime in and condem them or their watches; seriously, this could happen to anyone, Rolex, Omega etc.
c) Marketing portrays these timepieces as invincible (1000m WR deep sea capable, submarine steel, Navy Seal approved, professional diver used etc. etc.) and manages expectations of performance under any circumstance, yet the reality is different.
Sure you expect certain things from a watch, especially after dropping $1K for it. You have a feeling of entitlement to what was portrayed in the marketing that watch. A 1,000m WR watch should work flawlessly in 3 feet of water etc. etc.
Was it Helmholtz that theorized that there could be no perfect, flawless system?
The reality is that watches are overhyped and not flawless, they are mechanical precision instruments and should be treated as such. Reality is that springbars on submarine steel watches do rust and can fail, that bracelets can come loose and let the watch fall off the wrist. Reality is that watches flood if the gaskets fail under water. Reality is that a dive watch that's designed for 1000m can fail at 3 feet when the crown wasn't screwed down all the way. Are all of these cases the responsibility of the manufacturer and the manufacturer alone, to be covered under warranty?
That's the point I was trying to make.
These things happen (they are mechanical, fer cryin' out loud. Otherwise I'd blame it on the software! :D Disclaimer: I'm a EE).
I have seen a crystal pop out of a Rolex while flying in an airplane and you could argue that should never happen on a $4,000+ dive watch. But a dive watch is engineerd for positive pressure, not negative pressure at altitude. I have seen a dive watch fail in a hot tub and can understand the why (it wasn't engineered for these temperatures). What is odd to me is that noone really seems to expect his $1,000 timepiece to be as accurate as a $50 quartz watch, yet expects almost mythical capabilities from them in other areas. I believe we can't just point to the manufacturer for any disappointment, we should be open to the realities of these mechanical wonders, educate eachother on preventive maintenance etc. and IMHO, we need to take responsibility and accountability for issues that are clearly outside the manufacturers realm.
In the case of a bezel inlay falling out, I am interested in why it could have fallen out.
Yes, I do realize that I hijacked the thread talking about issues that are way above and beyond the bezel inlay that fell off his watch. I didn't mean to sound like he had done anything wrong and I am in no way accusing him of hiding anything.
But until I have a better understanding of what happened, I can't automatically conclude that the manufacturer has done anything wrong either. Not taking any sides here due to lack of facts, just having theories about what may have happened.
And yes, it rubs me the wrong way to see blame being passed, noone accepting responsibilities for their own actions, even though that does not pertain to this particular case (which is why I pointed out that I had hijacked the thread).
My point there again; let's not shoot so fast.
I am not absolving the manufacturer from their responsibility in case the problem was their fault (and you have every right to get it fixed, that has nothing to do with "bad consumer") but let's have all the facts first.
No personal attacks from me guys, I'm just trying to be the voice of reason.
Cheers
Matt