Time and gems. Fraud with wired money for GMT Master

[dee_rolex]

Hi, all. i decided to buy a GMT Master 2 in PVD at the "Watch empire llc" aka Time and gems. As i bought my first Explorer PVD there and everthing went ok, i was willing to buy another watch at their store.
I transferred the money on Dec 14 2011 and until today (Jan 4 2012) have not gotten a watch, i have NO reply on any phone number of this comany and NO reply on any email.
This seems to be another scam, like a lot of the internet threads are showing.

But i will not give them the money for shure. I made contacts to my buddy in L.A. and we figure out how to get the watch or the money back.
If anybody is interessted in join this operation write to [email protected].

[wesdaniel]

Hard to decide what is more disconcerting: Time & Gems or your "operation."

[Lol-x]

Please have regard for the possible language barrier as coming from Germany, English may not be the first language of dee rolex.

So be courteous.

[Mosco]

Holy smokes - looks like he wanted to go out with a bang... I used to always see their ads on ebay, even commented on how nice their pics were. I know for a fact they ran a legitimate business for a bit, but it's easy to be honorable when things are going smooth. True character is learned in time of crisis.

[MonBK]

Bad reports on Time and Gems keeps coming in.

Not a good sign.

[wesdaniel]

Apologies if the post and/or "operation" are legit. But, I'm baffled as to what method (outside of calling the Police or showing up at the location with law enforcement) of operation to obtain the money or the watch might be legal.

[TimeandGems]

Originally Posted by dee_rolex

Hi, all. i decided to buy a GMT Master 2 in PVD at the "Watch empire llc" aka Time and gems. As i bought my first Explorer PVD there and everthing went ok, i was willing to buy another watch at their store.
I transferred the money on Dec 14 2011 and until today (Jan 4 2012) have not gotten a watch, i have NO reply on any phone number of this comany and NO reply on any email.
This seems to be another scam, like a lot of the internet threads are showing.

But i will not give them the money for shure. I made contacts to my buddy in L.A. and we figure out how to get the watch or the money back.
If anybody is interessted in join this operation write to [email protected].

Hi dee_Rolex,

I apologize if you are having issues contacting us. Our offices has been closed due to the Holidays. If you have contacted us, our team will get back to your inquiry as soon as possible.

We changed our office hours from 7AM to 9AM starting Tuesday. You should be able to contact us by phone or email at [email protected].

Simply send in your inquiry with your order number and a customer representative will help you with your inquiry.

If you ordered a DLC/PVD watch, unless we have the watch in stock, the process of converting the watch and applying the DLC/PVD Coating take about 30 days. Although you should have been notified of this delay. You can get more information about our DLC/PVD coding process here: http://www.timeandgems.com/dlc-pvd-watches

We simply did not invest millions of dollars in order to defraud people.

Our world class service and vast selection of luxury watches makes us the best value online. We have an unparalleled warranty and service agreement which comes with all of our timepieces and will go the extra mile to appease our customers. We also take all forms of secure payment and offer a physical showroom where you are welcome to come (inspect and) purchase any of the watches listed online. Please feel free to contact us directly with any questions regarding our products, guarantees, authenticity, or business practices if you have any concerns. We also have numerous legitimate reviews online from some of our thousands of satisfied customers.

Thank you,

Time and Gems

[Rsvrider]

I'm spooked by now. First - thanks to you guys- I was saved from bidding on a watch for sale (DLC Sub) by a high pos feedback seller on EBay. I then tried Time & Gems and was surprised by the fast response back (email). I contact T&G Sunday the 25th around noon with an iquiry on a DLC and got a response from Tom Bradley by 2:57 same day. My first impression was that this guys are ON, but now that I read this, not so sure. They were quick to respond to me to take my $, how come they didn't respond as quick to an order placed? Customer service -once an item is sold or service provided- goes a long way in these days of social media IMO.
"The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday"

[Mosco]

Originally Posted by TimeandGems

Hi dee_Rolex,

I apologize if you are having issues contacting us. Our offices has been closed due to the Holidays. If you have contacted us, our team will get back to your inquiry as soon as possible.

We changed our office hours from 7AM to 9AM starting Tuesday. You should be able to contact us by phone or email at [email protected].

Simply send in your inquiry with your order number and a customer representative will help you with your inquiry.

If you ordered a DLC/PVD watch, unless we have the watch in stock, the process of converting the watch and applying the DLC/PVD Coating take about 30 days. Although you should have been notified of this delay. You can get more information about our DLC/PVD coding process here: http://www.timeandgems.com/dlc-pvd-watches

We simply did not invest millions of dollars in order to defraud people.

Our world class service and vast selection of luxury watches makes us the best value online. We have an unparalleled warranty and service agreement which comes with all of our timepieces and will go the extra mile to appease our customers. We also take all forms of secure payment and offer a physical showroom where you are welcome to come (inspect and) purchase any of the watches listed online. Please feel free to contact us directly with any questions regarding our products, guarantees, authenticity, or business practices if you have any concerns. We also have numerous legitimate reviews online from some of our thousands of satisfied customers.

Thank you,

Time and Gems

Please clarify as to why BOTH of your ebay accounts are suspended?

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by Rsvrider

I'm spooked by now. First - thanks to you guys- I was saved from bidding on a watch for sale (DLC Sub) by a high pos feedback seller on EBay. I then tried Time & Gems and was surprised by the fast response back (email). I contact T&G Sunday the 25th around noon with an iquiry on a DLC and got a response from Tom Bradley by 2:57 same day. My first impression was that this guys are ON, but now that I read this, not so sure. They were quick to respond to me to take my $, how come they didn't respond as quick to an order placed? Customer service -once an item is sold or service provided- goes a long way in these days of social media IMO.
"The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday"

Closed for the holidays means for $$$'s already received not for fresh new incoming $$$.

[eicl]

Hello, I want to get involved in the discussion about Time and Gems. The business practices of this seller lacks any description. I bought a sub 16610 with Sapphire bezel with no holes in the horns last year from him and made a down payment. To ask whether I buy the Rolex I see on the photos he told me twice: I get what I see!
When I pick up the Watch downtown LA, it was not the purchased Rolex, they offer me a 2001 model with holes. If I pay $ 1500 in addition I get what I wanted. For this price I could get them in Germany and I would save the ride from Phoenix AZ to LA.
A very unfriendly, arrogant and incompetent staff.
All in all, I would advise against a purchase from this dealer.
I apologize for my English.
regards
eicl

[MoBe]

It would appear Time and Gems have been playing the long con and have finally shown their true colours,always a sad state of affairs.

[dee_rolex]

Sorry for my late reply.
After 3 weeks with no information about my money it was not feeling so well with it.
The word "operation" has nothing to do with any illegal action. It was more a way to find other customers with bad epxperience on the company.

UPDATE : David from Time & Gems contacted me after the post on Jan 4th and told me that everything is allright and the money was there.
As the watch gets a custom strap, it will take 2 weeks to finish the PVD/DLC coating.

I will update the post when i have the watch and have it checked at my rolex dealer.

As i allreday have a time and gems rolex explorer2 in PVD and the watch was in perfect condition when arrived, and the complete transaction was flawless.

Lets see

[mrbill2mrbill2]

Originally Posted by dee_rolex

Sorry for my late reply.
After 3 weeks with no information about my money it was not feeling so well with it.
The word "operation" has nothing to do with any illegal action. It was more a way to find other customers with bad epxperience on the company.

UPDATE : David from Time & Gems contacted me after the post on Jan 4th and told me that everything is allright and the money was there.
As the watch gets a custom strap, it will take 2 weeks to finish the PVD/DLC coating.

I will update the post when i have the watch and have it checked at my rolex dealer.

As i allreday have a time and gems rolex explorer2 in PVD and the watch was in perfect condition when arrived, and the complete transaction was flawless.

Lets see

Good luck and keep us posted.

[wesdaniel]

Originally Posted by dee_rolex

Sorry for my late reply.
The word "operation" has nothing to do with any illegal action. It was more a way to find other customers with bad epxperience on the company.

Sorry again for misunderstanding your intentions.

Best of luck with this transaction and please let us know how it goes.

[bayerische]

Originally Posted by mrbill2mrbill2

Good luck and keep us posted.

Yes, good luck!

Hope you will get what you paid for without any problems.

I thought you in the US had your shops only closed dec 25th, not 3 weeks.

[GlobalGooch69]

time and gems and watch empire are run by Mike Davidi, adjectives to describe this chracter would include shady, dishonest, scamming and jerk. Arrogant as can be and is out to scam everyone for every penny. i have first hand experience and lost my ass on a large transaction with them, the internets worst! i would rather send money to a guy in malasia for a pearlmaster for 10K than a penny to mike davidi. AVOID!

[GlobalGooch69]

Just realized they were banned from ebay!! I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TimeandGems]

Originally Posted by Mosco

Please clarify as to why BOTH of your ebay accounts are suspended?

We've had issues with PayPal and they've limited our account many times. Right before Christmas we had an increase in sales and transactions and they decided to put a 100% reserve on our balance during Christmas. As you know the product is extremely expensive and for a company to be able to run we need to have a steady cashflow. This was extremely detrimental to our business and in order for us to be able release the funds we decided to close our relationship with them resulting in closing of our account.

[TimeandGems]

Originally Posted by MonBK

Closed for the holidays means for $$$'s already received not for fresh new incoming $$$.

Just like any bank we're closed during Christmas holidays.

[TimeandGems]

Originally Posted by GlobalGooch69

time and gems and watch empire are run by Mike Davidi, adjectives to describe this chracter would include shady, dishonest, scamming and jerk. Arrogant as can be and is out to scam everyone for every penny. i have first hand experience and lost my ass on a large transaction with them, the internets worst! i would rather send money to a guy in malasia for a pearlmaster for 10K than a penny to mike davidi. AVOID!

Time and Gems had been in business for over 15 years. It was purchased by the Watch Empire in 2005. Since then it has come a long way and in 2011 it undergone a complete management change. As you can see we have a new website, different procedure and customer satisfaction is our priority.

If you have or had any issues do not hesitate to contact our sales team.

[TimeandGems]

Originally Posted by GlobalGooch69

time and gems and watch empire are run by Mike Davidi, adjectives to describe this chracter would include shady, dishonest, scamming and jerk. Arrogant as can be and is out to scam everyone for every penny. i have first hand experience and lost my ass on a large transaction with them, the internets worst! i would rather send money to a guy in malasia for a pearlmaster for 10K than a penny to mike davidi. AVOID!

GlobalGooch69,

If you've had any issues from the past purchasing a product with Time and Gems feel free to contact us at anytime. We've had many small time competitors try to bad mouth our brand on the internet. We've had thousands of happy customers and our world class service and vast selection of luxury watches makes us the best value online. We have an unparalleled warranty and service agreement which comes with all of our timepieces and will go the extra mile to appease our customers. We also take all forms of secure payment and offer a physical showroom where you are welcome to come (inspect and) purchase any of the watches listed online. Please feel free to contact us directly with any questions regarding our products, guarantees, authenticity, or business practices if you have any concerns. We also have numerous legitimate reviews online from some of our thousands of satisfied customers.

Thank you

[steebee2]

Originally Posted by TimeandGems

Just like any bank we're closed during Christmas holidays.

I work for a bank. We're closed on the actual legal holiday ONLY! Not several weeks or even 1 week. Closed Dec 26th (X-mas fell on Sunday) and Jan 2nd (New Years Day also fell on Sunday). So, both days observed on the Monday only. Not sure what bank you're talking about.

[TimeandGems]

Originally Posted by steebee2

I work for a bank. We're closed on the actual legal holiday ONLY! Not several weeks or even 1 week. Closed Dec 26th (X-mas fell on Sunday) and Jan 2nd (New Years Day also fell on Sunday). So, both days observed on the Monday only. Not sure what bank you're talking about.

We've never been closed for a week. This past holiday we've been closed on Christmas day only and for New Years we've been closed on Friday Dec. 3th and Monday Jan. 2nd. We're open M-F 9AM-7PM and Sat-Sun 9AM-5PM. Our company holidays are as follows:

Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

Our sales team is encouraged to respond to customer inquiries and questions through their smart phone and even make calls from home if necessary to create a more personal experience for the customer.

[Mosco]

Originally Posted by TimeandGems

We've had issues with PayPal and they've limited our account many times. Right before Christmas we had an increase in sales and transactions and they decided to put a 100% reserve on our balance during Christmas. As you know the product is extremely expensive and for a company to be able to run we need to have a steady cashflow. This was extremely detrimental to our business and in order for us to be able release the funds we decided to close our relationship with them resulting in closing of our account.

I do know that PayPal doesn't just freeze accounts. If they do, it is usually for a good reason. If you sever ties with Paypal, it does not equate to being banned from ebay. There's something you aren't telling us.

[TimeandGems]

Originally Posted by Mosco

I do know that PayPal doesn't just freeze accounts. If they do, it is usually for a good reason. If you sever ties with Paypal, it does not equate to being banned from ebay. There's something you aren't telling us.

Yes they do. Please refer to this link for additional information as to why they would freeze an account: http://www.paypalsucks.org/paypal-frozen-accounts.shtml

They're response was simply "You do not have commercial credit and your account is too risky." Instead of shutting down the account they decided to put a limit to drive us away. Our account first went under a "routine" review. We went offline for 3 weeks, then they let us back on eBay but decided to keep 100% of the reserve on our reserve for additional review. This went on for 2 weeks until we were unable to do business without the funds being released. They refused to release it until we closed our relationship. They are still withholding a portion of our money which we're taking legal action to collect.

There are thousands of sellers with similar issues. They do have a risk as they are liable for charge-backs that are done through credit card. Up to that point we maintained a high eBay feedback and good customer service.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Mosco

I do know that PayPal doesn't just freeze accounts. If they do, it is usually for a good reason. If you sever ties with Paypal, it does not equate to being banned from ebay. There's something you aren't telling us.

You probably know PayPal has a policy based on claims history to hold incoming funds - especially eBay sales - if the seller has had several unresolved disputes.

[perpetualman88]

Originally Posted by Mosco

I do know that PayPal doesn't just freeze accounts. If they do, it is usually for a good reason. If you sever ties with Paypal, it does not equate to being banned from ebay. There's something you aren't telling us.

Greg I must jump in and say I too have had paypal freeze money coming into me for watches even being verified and lifting all limits on my account. It usually has to do with the buyers paypal account and transfering such large funds for a watch purchase. I can see a how a freeze would criple their cash flow(if funds were indeed frozen) but this does not explain to me why they were suspended from ebay ?

[Chozn1]

Originally Posted by TimeandGems

Just like any bank we're closed during Christmas holidays.

My business is very seasonal so I can relate. Just want to make sure I'm getting this right... You had a major influx of business due, predictably, to the holiday... and decided to take that time off rather than fulfilling orders?

[77T]

Originally Posted by perpetualman88

Greg I must jump in and say I too have had paypal freeze money coming into me for watches even being verified and lifting all limits on my account. It usually has to do with the buyers paypal account and transfering such large funds for a watch purchase. I can see a how a freeze would criple their cash flow(if funds were indeed frozen) but this does not explain to me why they were suspended from ebay ?

Good point David. My buyers on eBay were well-funded in PayPal balances. So even middle 5 digit sales (race cars/trailers) went through instantly. When you deal with unknown buyers in the mass market they may use funding sources that are not as trusted.