Shame on goldsmiths

[sdh1980]

My local Goldsmiths is dog sh*te too. Their selection is always terrible and the staff are so arrogant. Went there to get a link taken out of my Daytona C and was met with a load of questions about where I got it from, the reasons I shouldn't buy from grey's etc. Bore off

[emtee]

Not defending Goldsmiths in general but just to add some balance I’ve had good experiences at Goldsmiths Reading and Basingstoke. I think it all depends on the individual you end up dealing with.

[CPRWATCH]

First time in Nottingham on Saturday ( love the trams )& happened to go into Goldsmiths hoping to see the new OMEGA non LE Railmaster, & the member of staff who spoke to me didn't even know ,or had heard Omega had even released this model. I showed him a picture of the watch, & he said thanks for showing it to me .

[Lemieux66]

I bought a Tudor Pelagos from Leicester Goldsmiths and it was a good experience. Had a very humorous chat with a very friendly older lady called Chris there. When I asked about a discount on the Tudor she said sorry they couldn't give one. I said is there anything else you could put on the table? She replied she'd put herself on the table but didn't think I'd be interested! I was there with my BF, it was very funny!

Tried on quite a few watches in there over the last few years and they're always happy to show you whatever you're interested in.

Tarratt in Leicester I find rather stuffy, although Graham there is great to talk to as he really knows his stuff and is very approachable. I found their Rugby branch a bit more relaxed. But Leicester do have an excellent range of brands.

As others have mentioned, Berry's in Nottingham are superb. Enthusiastic and welcoming. The Goldsmiths Rolex AD in Nottingham is very small and seems a bit drab somehow, maybe it's the poor location? Tried on a DD40 there on Monday and all seemed to go well. The other branch Goldsmiths that sells Tudor is very good. Had an hour long chat about Tudor with the asst manager there on the same day.

[bokbok]

A lot of ADs won't verify a watch, it's been standard for a while. What do they get out of verifying a Rolex for a random chap that comes in the shop. As Most ADs cannot take the back off the watch so could not 100% verify movement etc..

If you sell your watch to Goldsmiths they send it off for a valuation etc...

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

[tng11]

From the sounds of it, Goldsmiths seems to think lesser of its clientèle than Gerald Ratner did of a certain sherry decanter. And that gaffe alone basically put Ratners out of business!

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by tng11

From the sounds of it, Goldsmiths seems to think lesser of its clientèle than Gerald Ratner did of a certain sherry decanter. And that gaffe alone basically put Ratners out of business!

not much difference to me, across the group. Its all Aurum Holdings (WoS, M&W, Goldsmiths). They have different brands within the group but are all essentially the same.

Good or bad you are dealing with the same company.

[kepler22]

I have always found Tarratts in Leicester great to deal with, bought 3 watches over the years from them. Always provide coffee and Adrian and David seem to like to sit and chat about watches and very knowledgeable.

[TG3N]

Originally Posted by Tools

It also exhibits a certain amount of hubris to buy a product on-line, then expect a business to spend their time and effort, gratis, to justify your purchase.

I agree.

Like spending an hour flicking through books in a 'bricks & mortar' bookstore, and taking advice from the staff, only to order them cheaper via Amazon.

I sympathize with bad service & poor attitude, which cannot be forgiven under any circumstances, but I can see why they would not want to offer such a service, even though there is a valid argument that providing a little free assistance might buy goodwill & a potential future customer.

But....

Originally Posted by thomaswentworth

I wonder what kind of liability there might be for an AD if they authenticated a watch as genuine, but it turned out...counterfeit.

But authenticating a Rolex could be perilous unless the watch were taken apart; the dial examined closely like on DRSD photos; the hands weighed, the steel, gold, platinum checked for karating; etc.

It really could be perilous and create significant liability if they authenticated a watch as genuine when it had a refinished dial, after market crystal, and aftermarket hands.

Precisely.

It's because the incentive is much lower than the liability they would incur - especially when most staff aren't expert enough to offer the advice in the first place, and fakes are becoming so very good.

Generally, people are only nice when things are going well. If someone gets defrauded on a fake Rolex, do you think they will take it on the chin and put it down to their own poor judgement, or do you think they would flail around trying to place blame for their loss on the negligence of the poor professional jeweller who only gave their opinion as freebie goodwill? I know which is likely.

Originally Posted by rudestew

It’s like a humongous FORD sign outside a dealership not wanting anything to do with your ford .

No, it's like buying a 10-year old Ford Fiesta second-hand from your mate Dave, but rolling up unannounced to a new Ford Showroom and demanding they do an MOT / roadworthiness check totally free of charge.

[Leahorsfall]

Not really
My bud wasn’t expecting the earth, just an opinion rather than a judgmental attitude!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[artschool]

Originally Posted by Leahorsfall

met with the ARROGANCE of a MANU fan from the late 1990s

[Rolex fan 61]

Try Fraser Hart never had any problems

[skyblue12]

I have purchased several Rolex watches from Goldsmiths in Nottingham over the last couple of years and I do not recognised the bad customer service portrayed in this thread of that branch.
They have been very good to me in the past.
Let's be fair, they sell Rolex watches not service or even offer authentication in branch.
If you require that then send it to Kent.

[thomaswentworth]

One thing that is oft overlooked and seemingly rarely forgiven (due in part to just not knowing the circumstances) is that a salesperson or customer service rep or manager may simply be having a bad day... Maybe he/she just got yelled at or his/her job was just threatened or grandma just passed away or maybe just got served with divorce papers... Any sort of negative circumstance in one's life can cause any of us to have a bad day and not be all cheery. We can certainly be rude to others when something bad is going on in our lives. Probably should take that into consideration. I oftentimes wonder about road ragers swerving in and out of L.A. traffic (usually well after the fact)... Did that guy have an emergency? Was something going on in his life that made him drive like that? Lots of violent crimes are committed without planning. A rude company employee is a far cry from someone who commits a violent act, but they may have something in common... Circumstances caused them to have a bad day and they acted out in some manner towards others. It is probably not wise to convict an entire organization due to the attitude or disposition of one employee at one given moment. Also possible that the employee didn't have his/her coffee/swig of scotch yet. That can make a big difference.

[Leahorsfall]

Ok perhaps we were naive expecting polite conversation but the scornful attitude towards anyone who risks buying from someone as dodgy as a grey dealer or a watchfinder who allDESERVE to send it to rolex only to have it seized as fake or stolen??!!?!

Wtf




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[thomaswentworth]

Originally Posted by Leahorsfall

Ok perhaps we were naive expecting polite conversation but the scornful attitude towards anyone who risks buying from someone as dodgy as a grey dealer or a watchfinder who allDESERVE to send it to rolex only to have it seized as fake or stolen??!!?!

Wtf




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

That would be a tough pill to swallow... Pay $10,000 for a watch and then have it seized by Rolex. I think pawn shops have stolen items taken from them frequently and I heard insurance doesn't cover it.

Probably best to buy from a very trusted seller or AD or find a watchmaker or AD who will validate and confirm authenticity before you shell out the cash.

[george023]

At the moment ADs know it’s a sellers market due to the demand us buyers have. When the correction of the market occurs as a lot of pundits are tipping, these watches will become a luxury item as in a nice to have rather than a must have. Then the ADs will not have it in their favour customers flocking to their stores as people will be spending their money on necessities. Then let’s see how they act when one of us walks into their store.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thomaswentworth]

Originally Posted by george023

At the moment ADs know it’s a sellers market due to the demand us buyers have. When the correction of the market occurs as a lot of pundits are tipping, these watches will become a luxury item as in a nice to have rather than a must have. Then the ADs will not have it in their favour customers flocking to their stores as people will be spending their money on necessities. Then let’s see how they act when one of us walks into their store.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I thought I remembered that Rolex and other luxury brands didn't suffer at all during the American recession.

[george023]

You could be right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Therolexlogin]

Anyone who’s been in the customer service business long enough can tell you more often than not people want to be the ‘exception’. Many of these people coming through the doors are not paying customers.

“Hey, it’s for ME, and I’m asking just this once. Not like I’ll come back and ask this of you every other day right? It’ll only take 30 minutes of your time. There’s no way you’d turn ME down would you?”.

This is just the ones who ask nicely. Many will waltz right through that front door, outright demand it, and make a huge fuss if they don’t get what they want.

Except you’re not the only one asking. There’s already been many before you this week and you most definitely will not be the last person who will walk through that door looking to be the exception and to get a freebie (be it an unreasonable discount or a free service you’d normally have to pay money for elsewhere). Somewhere along the way you just have to draw the line and say, “this is where we won’t go any further because there is just no end in sight.”

I’m not saying this justifies they’re attitude. That just goes to show this sales person is totally jaded and either needs to move on to something else or stop to do take a long hard look at how they should approach these situations professionally.

[ratty]

Originally Posted by Tools

I don't believe that very many AD's would have anybody on staff qualified to authenticate a Rolex.

It also exhibits a certain amount of hubris to buy a product on-line, then expect a business to spend their time and effort, gratis, to justify your purchase.

I totally agree with this.



I'm my experience ADs in the U.K. don't offer a verification service.

I've never had problems with Goldsmiths staff, although I've never expected them to work on something I've bought elsewhere.

[ratty]

Originally Posted by Therolexlogin

Anyone who’s been in the customer service business long enough can tell you more often than not people want to be the ‘exception’. Many of these people coming through the doors are not paying customers.

“Hey, it’s for ME, and I’m asking just this once. Not like I’ll come back and ask this of you every other day right? It’ll only take 30 minutes of your time. There’s no way you’d turn ME down would you?”.

This is just the ones who ask nicely. Many will waltz right through that front door, outright demand it, and make a huge fuss if they don’t get what they want.

Except you’re not the only one asking. There’s already been many before you this week and you most definitely will not be the last person who will walk through that door looking to be the exception and to get a freebie (be it an unreasonable discount or a free service you’d normally have to pay money for elsewhere). Somewhere along the way you just have to draw the line and say, “this is where we won’t go any further because there is just no end in sight.”

I’m not saying this justifies they’re attitude. That just goes to show this sales person is totally jaded and either needs to move on to something else or stop to do take a long hard look at how they should approach these situations professionally.

I totally agreee with this as well.


I know as I'm getting older I'm getting even more miserable than I used to be, but reading this thread there does appear to me to be a bit of an unrealistic expectation about what some people expect from a businness they are not customers of.

It also appears that some of the UK based contributors to this thread are fast to comment on the attitude and words of others and yet it appears that they can't do so without using basic schoolboy language themselves!

[jaySL350]

Originally Posted by tng11

From the sounds of it, Goldsmiths seems to think lesser of its clientèle than Gerald Ratner did of a certain sherry decanter. And that gaffe alone basically put Ratners out of business!

Ha,,ha,,,
Not forgetting his critic of his gold jewellery ie " its crap",lol,lol,,,
I often wonder,, whenever i hear Ratners name that he "nuked" his
company on purpose but at least he was honest! kind of,,,,,

[RHIII]

Personally, I wouldn't even go to an AD for an authentication as usually I know more than they do about all my watches anyway. Just being honest....

And realistically, if I was there trying to authenticate/question a watch I just bought - that would be an even bigger problem....to me....

[Pavlos]

Only way to have Rolex authenticate it is to take it to a Rolex Service Centre for a service estimate.

[rickmanuk]

Just to add a different perspective, I had completely the opposite experience with Goldsmiths. I took my Explorer II (purchased used, elsewhere) to have the bracelet sized. I was looked after v well, offered a refreshment etc.

Once completed I got my wallet out (nothing is free, right?) only to be told to put it away! I realise in the grand scheme of things this didn't cost them anything, but it reflected well on them and I've been back since to spend money.

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by Rolex fan 61

Try Fraser Hart never had any problems

You’ve not seen the two threads about FH selling people the wrong watches then

[Peter99]

I can only speak highly of Goldsmiths (Mappin & Webb) at Tunbridge Wells.
Nice people, helpful and they know their Rolex.
Often think that people who have problems with sales staff is invariable due to their own attitude or approach.
I do not have problems why should they?
Could be due to their lack of respect.
An outlet selling Rolex & the like must be a cut above the average outlet selling watches and there’s plenty of average outlets in the High Street.
So, I do not enter a Rolex outlet wearing denim and with my bother boots on.
I make sure I am dressed looking more like a professional person rather than a builders labourer and I make sure I do not drop the ocassional ‘f’ word, which seems to be so free flowing these days.
This sort of attitude helps to get the right attitude with sales staff.
If you do not agree what do you expect?

[AK797]

On a positive note, GS often have some stunning sales ladies, and gents probably, so there is that.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Peter99

I make sure I am dressed looking more like a professional person rather than a builders labourer and I make sure I do not drop the ocassional ‘f’ word, which seems to be so free flowing these days.

Just to be clear, you talking about you or the sales staff?