Avoid Kerns (Rolex AD) in Burlingame, CA

[GMTmatt]

My dad purchased a Burmese ruby ring from Neiman Marcus 30 years ago. He needed an appraisal for insurance reasons and Neiman Marcus did not appraise it as a Burmese ruby. They said they could not verify it was Burmese so they could not appraise as such. He produced the original bill of sale from them and showed it was sold as a Burmese ruby and said they needed to rectify the situation. Neiman Marcus pulled the ruby out of the ring and sent it to a 3rd party gemologist who ran some tests and certified the ruby as Burmese and an untreated stone. Neiman Marcus covered the whole bill and offered to buy the stone at the appraised Burmese ruby value. I would say this AD sold a Rolex with papers and did not fulfill their end of the agreement. They need to produce a numbers matching Rolex set or refund the purchase price plus the difference in market value. A BS Burlington certification would not cut it for me.

[ufboy73]

I think folks expecting an every day buyer to reconcile a serial number on the certificate to the actual watch are not being reasonable.

So, when an AD indicates watch, with B&P - that might just mean any old papers?

I think any reasonable party would agree its the B&P that goes with the watch.

[siempreko]

I am sorry to hear about what happened to you. Honestly, it sucks! But, your Watch has a new home... with only a $100 deduction... we live and learn... hopefully everyday!!!

Peace.


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[79280_116520]

Originally Posted by codecow

I live 10 miles away. Never heard of em.

Kern's is a well known authorized dealer for Rolex and Patek Philippe down the Peninsula in Burlingame.

Not to bash any of the forum members, but the OP bought a "PRE-OWNED" ceramic Sub, NOT a brand new Rolex.

Rookie mistake for OP as a new watch collector is to ALWAYS check to see if the serial number on the watch matches the warranty paperwork.

Kern's as an authorized Rolex AD along with a jeweler. They were willing to give you written documentation for the Sub. Unfortunately, many watch buyers only want the original docs, paperwork.

Ironically, people go to jewelers to get appraisal estimates for insurance. It's disappointing that the buyer is dinging the seller on this.

[gttime]

Originally Posted by codecow

i live 10 miles away. Never heard of em.

+1

[77T]

Originally Posted by GMTmatt

I would say this AD sold a Rolex with papers and did not fulfill their end of the agreement. They need to produce a numbers matching Rolex set or refund the purchase price plus the difference in market value. A BS Burlington certification would not cut it for me.

The OPs sole remedy is a refund, or the actual damages (in this case $100).

New buyers seldom know how to double check serial numbers. I don’t consider the OP failed to exercise due diligence at the time of purchase. He learned the watch didn’t match years later and kudos that he was honest with the new buyer about that fact.

But the title of this thread is poor IMHO. Some salestron at Kerns made a mistake years ago. They offered their own remedy - which OP declined. And for that we should never do business with them? I can’t agree with that conclusion on the OPs part.


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[Esoteric]

Not my favourite AD by any means. Always feel like a criminal when I go there, the fact that I am a criminal is neither here nor there.

I sent my 6 month old sub for warranty repair through Kerns, and they kept it in store for two weeks before shipping it to RSC Texas. They later claimed that they thought that this was what I would want?

It left in pristine condition and arrived back weeks later scratched and with no repair done. The owner told me to get over it as he had recently banged his $60,000 Patek off a wall and scratched it. These things happen etc. I politely reminded him that what he does with his watches is irrelevant to how they treat my 'lowly' Rolex.

Next they had someone in house polish the damn watch without my asking. So my pristine 6 month old Rolex was returned scratched (case, bezel, band etc), not repaired and then had some fool attempt to polish it, and he/she did not do a good job. I was then told if I was to purchase something then maybe they could get rectify the issues!

Yes they have a large selection, yes the sales staff are condescending and ignorant. But the store looks nice!

[kdqq]

OP absolutely has the right to be furious. If I was in their shoes, I would demand that the AD pay for Rolex validation. I think Rolex service center now offers new owner registration changes on second hand watches. In Canada this is approximately $200.

[tjbender]

Not the end of the world, and as many have said not sure what else you expdcted after SIX YEARS. Definitely unfortunate, but the papers aren’t worth all that much.

[RolexComplex]

First, I can understand your frustration. It’s unfortunate you never matched the certificate to the rehaut as you could have rectified the issue immediately, or you could have chosen not to purchase the watch if they couldn’t locate the matching papers. I’m not trying to shift the responsibility to you, but there’s not much that can be done at this point.

You enjoyed the watch for 6+ years and sold it for what sounds like a price you were happy with, so chalk it up to lessons learned. You certainly have the right to take your business elsewhere, but I would try not to lose sleep over it.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by mike.k

In December 2012, I purchased a pre-owned ceramic Rolex Submariner from Kerns in Burlingame, CA which is a Rolex Authorized Dealer. This was my first luxury timepiece, and I was happy that it came with the box and papers (e.g., certificate).

Recently, I decided to sell the watch and to only find out that the serial number on the certificate did not align with the serial number on the rehaut of the watch. This was beyond disappointing. I cannot believe this happened since this was the only pre-owned submariner Kerns had in stock at the time.

Today, I went back to Kerns (with my paperwork) and explained the problem. First, they assured me that the watch they sold me was genuine. I informed them that was not my point. My point was they sold me a watch with paperwork that did not match. They then stated it must have been an oversight on their part. You think??? They offered me to bring the watch in and they could validate the watch was genuine then provide me with paperwork from Kerns. I informed them that was not helpful, as people do not what Kerns paperwork, they want the appropriate Rolex certificate that came with the watch. As they were trying to appease me with a solution that was not going to work, they also didn’t offer to compensate me either.

I knew I was sol. So, I took the high road and informed them that when someone who comes into a Rolex Authorized Dealer (i.e., Kerns), the person expects that the business to have integrity by checking all aspects of the watch and paperwork before selling the product. If something goes wrong (like in my case), then their brand will not be trusted. This is where I stand. I cannot trust Kerns. I felt they tried to pivot the matter by informing me that the watch was genuine. They should have fessed up right away of their screw up and perhaps offered me some form of compensation. Instead, I walked out of Kerns in disgust.

Based on my today’s interactions with Kerns, I will never do business with them again and highly recommend you do not as well.

Thanks for reading,

Mike K

A solution (or compromise) is have them send to RSC for a full service. It will come back with a warranty document and it will match the watch. Any loss you take on not having the original papers will be offset by the fact its just been serviced by Rolex and it has a service warranty card. You might even get more.

Are you just venting or looking for a way to potentially fix the situation in the best way possible? What has happened has happened and you cant change that. It cant hurt to offer a way for them to make it right as they cant magically produce the original papers now.

[Seibei]

Man... The first and pretty much only thing I checked when I purchased my first Rolex was that the serial number on the watch and papers matched.

[Andad]

The AD has dropped the ball badly.

There is no way that a Rolex watch should be sold without due diligence on the part of the AD.

The OP should have protection in this matter as it is not up to the buyer to check serial numbers.
This is why we have paperwork and warranty cards etc.

This watch now has no provenance or selling history and this is important.

The fact that many years have passed is moot and the AD should be seriously thinking of ways to fix this problem.

I would not be happy and would want the correct paperwork for this item.

[Simon_e]

I feel sorry for the OP but he only lost $100. If I had been the buyer I would have wanted $1000 reduction in the price of the watch - you are very lucky!

[mailman]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

I'd be kicking myself for not checking that the numbers matched.

So would I Adam.

[Muxi]

Originally Posted by RollieRoll

It's an AD, so it is absolutely reasonable as foreseeable for the OP not to check whether the papers match up with the cereal on the watch. That's the whole point of buying from an AD. Absolute peace of mind.

This! It was more difficult to check serials then being hidden from plain view. He had every right to expect the papers to match. The store is an AD.

[Timelover]

Thanks for letting us know. I will never set foot there and will try to dissuade people who want to purchase from there.

[dmash]

I find it amusing how people are claiming the AD should compensate him, etc. I’d like to see how long you’d stay in business with that mentality. You’d be a haven for scammers, considering the fact, you’d be known to take full responsibility for things such as this without any clear evidence it’s the same watch as originally purchased AND even after multiple years have passed.

Again, not insinuating this is the OP, but you do realize he has absolutely no clear proof that this is the same watch originally purchased. This is like taking a brand new 4K TV back to Best Buy after SIX years and saying ‘it was the wrong model number’. Let me know how that goes.

[Zakalwe]

So do some of you guys check that your paperwork matches the VIN on the chassis when you buy a brand new car? Do you check the warranty paperwork on your state of the art Samsung fridge matches the number on the sticker at the back? If the answer is “yes” then congratulations, your OCD will mean your chances of making the same “mistake” as the OP is minimal. If on the other hand you said “no” then you’re like the vast majority of the people on planet Earth.

That being said, the AD made a mistake. It’s not reasonable to expect human beings will never make mistakes and it’s not reasonable to seek to punish a business - as is the implicit intention of the OP in creating this thread - for making what sounds like an honest mistake, especially when they reasonably try to rectify the mistake as best they can.

[fskywalker]

Probably would had tried to negotiate them to send it to RSC for service to get the service card in the process, with them paying at least partially for it. $100 loss not that bad

[dmash]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

So do some of you guys check that your paperwork matches the VIN on the chassis when you buy a brand new car? Do you check the warranty paperwork on your state of the art Samsung fridge matches the number on the sticker at the back? If the answer is “yes” then congratulations, your OCD will mean your chances of making the same “mistake” as the OP is minimal. If on the other hand you said “no” then you’re like the vast majority of the people on planet Earth.

That being said, the AD made a mistake. It’s not reasonable to expect human beings will never make mistakes and it’s not reasonable to seek to punish a business - as is the implicit intention of the OP in creating this thread - for making what sounds like an honest mistake, especially when they reasonably try to rectify the mistake as best they can.

Here’s the flaw in your logic......’brand new’. This was used, not new.

I 100% verify the vin (which is found in much easier locations than the chassis) when buying a used car. What, you’re going to check the car fax but not verify it’s even the right serial? That’s not OCD, that’s common sense on a used car.

[Onikage]

A hundred bucks isn't too bad. I was thinking much more. Agree 100% with your response.

[Vlad the Impaler 007]

Originally Posted by WatchGuy1966

Some else has the exact same problem - they got your papers with their watch

There is such a thing as honest mistakes. I know it's crazy to think like that in today's world. But are you "compensating" people for all the mistakes you made 6 years ago? Things happen man, it's not always with malicious intent, it could have been an honest mistake. Learn and move on and don't waste any energy over it.

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by dmash

Here’s the flaw in your logic......’brand new’. This was used, not new.

I 100% verify the vin (which is found in much easier locations than the chassis) when buying a used car. What, you’re going to check the car fax but not verify it’s even the right serial? That’s not OCD, that’s common sense on a used car.

Doesn’t it depend who you buy from? If I’m in dire straits and having to buy a car from Del Boy of Trotters Independent Traders in Peckham, I’m checking everything three times. If I’m buying an Approved Used BMW (which would be the the appropriate analogy here given the OP bought from an AD) then I’m not checking everything in the same way.

Same way if I buy a watch from Watchfinder, I’m pretty relaxed about the whole transaction because they’re a reputable company (though admittedly I’m still probably checking the serial, but then again I do have OCD) whereas if I was so desperate as to buy from a private seller on Chrono 24, different story.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

Doesn’t it depend who you buy from? If I’m in dire straits and having to buy a car from Del Boy of Trotters Independent Traders in Peckham, I’m checking everything three times. If I’m buying an Approved Used BMW (which would be the the appropriate analogy here given the OP bought from an AD) then I’m not checking everything in the same way.

Yeah I see your point.

Still, I’m of the opinion 6 years is a bit ridiculous to start seeking compensation.

[dmash]

Also OP, when you say ‘certificate didn’t match’ are you talking about the warranty card or something else? I’m still a bit confused on that point.

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by dmash

Yeah I see your point.

Still, I’m of the opinion 6 years is a bit ridiculous to start seeking compensation.

Agreed. A person of a different disposition may actually have started a thread praising this AD for offering the solution that they did, given they could legitimately have told the OP to “do one”.

[Onikage]

Originally Posted by Vlad the Impaler 007

There is such a thing as honest mistakes. I know it's crazy to think like that in today's world. But are you "compensating" people for all the mistakes you made 6 years ago? Things happen man, it's not always with malicious intent, it could have been an honest mistake. Learn and move on and don't waste any energy over it.

Yeah but skirting around the all important papers being incorrect is pretty infuriating. Assurance the watch is genuine (from them, an AD) is also not a little irritating. Some acknowledgement would have been nice. He could have bought one without the papers for less, and without losing a hundred bucks. An AD knows how important the original papers are.

[Speedbird-1]

AD should have offered to buy watch from you at the price you were selling at.
Then they could have offloaded it through, the trade.
Reputation intact.
Now?.............mud sticks.

As somebody has said, the new owner now has the 'problem'.

Your part in the episode cost you $100? = 75 quid....... Lucky escape.
YOU should have checked. Ignorance is not an acceptable plea.

SOMEBODY at the AD, didn't check either, I suspect.

What ARE/IS the statute of limitations in this case?

[Vlad the Impaler 007]

Originally Posted by Onikage

Yeah but skirting around the all important papers being incorrect is pretty infuriating. Assurance the watch is genuine (from them, an AD) is also not a little irritating. Some acknowledgement would have been nice. He could have bought one without the papers for less, and without losing a hundred bucks. An AD knows how important the original papers are.

I understand it's not the ideal response from the AD. Maybe if it was 3 months after the purchase they could have done more, or tried to track down the right paperwork. But after 6 years? It's not even the same salespeople anymore, and with so many scammers out there, it's hard to know who's telling the truth.

If somebody bought a watch from you, and 6 years later came back wanting compensation because there is a scratch he hadn't noticed, how would you handle that? This is one of those scenarios, it's too late to properly remedy the situation.