Bad Experience At Authorized Dealers Thread

[galtinuk]

Was thinking about a bad experience I had at an authorized dealer here in London. Surely there are others that have had the same. Problem is, the dealers kind of get away with it because nobody tells the story. So here is mine, I hope you share yours and I hope these stories help others avoid similar problems.

So to start it off--here is mine:

In 2010 before the Sub-C came out, I went into Mappin and Webb here in London on Old Bond Street to look at a Patek 5167 they had in the window. I like the watch, but was a little reluctant due to the price in London (almost 20% VAT!). The salesman was obviously eager to make a sale so I proposed a deal. The deal was that in exchange for buying the watch, I get called first (or close to it) when the new Sub-C hits the ground. Also, the salesperson said that I could get back the VAT because I am a US citizen. Here is where the shop let me down:

1. I never got the call. Worse, when I called the manager of the store to explain the situation, she said she would check into it. After that, I never heard from her...Nice....

2. This is potentially equally as bad, I'll let you be the judge. I found out that US citizens living in London are not allowed to claim back the VAT when leaving the country. As such, I never attempted to go back to the store with my passport to fill out the appropriate form for the refund..I don't want to be seen trying to avoid the tax by breaking the rules. Had I of known I would have to pay the VAT, I could have avoided it simply by buying the watch in the US or Switzerland or some other place on my travels...

Needless to say, I bought my Sub-C somewhere else. Also, my last purchase certainly was not from them and my future purchases won't be unless they do something to correct the situation which is obviously highly unlikely!.

What do you think, do you have any stories like this...Would love to hear about them...