Is it considered "rude" to ask an AD to remove links if you didn't buy from them?

[Seafox0814]

Hello all,

As many on the forum know, this past year it's been a challenge to get one's hands on a SS sports Rolex or 2018 model. I was very, very fortunate to get my hands on a CHNR this year after only waiting 3 months. I struck gold in Chicago while on business and the AD shipped to my house last week.

Buying a Rolex in Southern California I found to be impossible given my lack of purchase history with any local dealers. Their attitudes were poor and condescending at best. Desperate times called for desperate measures so I felt I did what I had to do.

Anyhow, the AD in Chicago told me on Thursday over the phone that I could take the watch to an AD here in SoCal, and that they would remove the links for me. He said they size bracelets for non-customers in their Chicago boutiques all of the time - at no charge.

So on Friday, my watch arrives via FedEx and I take it to the local AD. Upon entering and asking if they can remove links and size my watch, the woman said with light condescension, "Is it a Rolex?"

I said it was. She then asked if I bought the watch from them, and I said "No, but I was told by the dealer in Chicago I could take it to an AD and have the work done."

She asked to see my warranty card, which unfortunately was a photocopy given the recent AD practice of retaining the cards for 1 year to discourage flipping. This opened up a whole new can of worms as she told me that was illegal and they could not help me, etc.

I explained the situation and they ultimately said they would make an exception. They then assumed I bought the watch through a grey dealer, and I said, "No, I paid MSRP. Here's the official sales receipt. There's my name, there's my name on the photocopy of the warranty card, how much do I need to show you?"

So they take the watch in back to remove the links. After 20 minutes they come out claiming they can't get the bracelet off, there are some screws or something that aren't cooperating. The insinuation being that the brand new watch was shipped with a defect they could not overcome.

I smelled BS. It's POSSIBLE for defects to make it through I suppose, but what were the odds. I think they just didn't want to do the work.

Anyhow, after 10 more minutes, out comes my CHNR and it's a perfect fit. The woman then sits down and gives me a lecture about how they were doing me a big favor and that they weren't making any money off this type of service. They told me they were the premier dealer in So.Cal and that they work very hard to get loyal customers and that they give the best service/experience and that next time I should buy from them .

I explained that I did try to buy from them, and that I was turned away because there were "big waiting lists" and that their staff was dismissive and wasn't willing to work with me.

I couldn't believe the attitude.

So I ask members of this forum, did I breach some unwritten rules of etiquette by asking this AD to size my bracelet? I assumed something like this was a basic service all ADs should provide.

[tyler1980]

you offer to pay for the service and its usually fine. They pay a watchmaker to be there as a courtesy to their customers. If you are not a customer, you should absolutely pay for the service. Be clear about that up front.

My ad will size by bracelet every single day if i want them to, and for free. Some non customer comes in and i think its like $50. Totally fair IMO. They are nice and polite about it though.

would you let someone who pulled into your driveway you didn't know use your garage to change their oil? probably not. Your friend/neighbor? probably

[Roger Lococco]

Utterly. Ridiculous. Just patently stupid to treat someone like that.

W.r.t. Rolexes and doing this ... I've had some dealers charge me $20 for sizing a watch. Which is completely fine. I've had others not charge me anything and talk to me while the watch is serviced, offer drinks, etc.

From a business point of view, it's an opportunity to act like a professional and maybe get a new customer.

From a decency point of view, it's an opportunity to act like a normal person.

I had a Vacheron change my bracelet on 2 separate VCs multiple times while I figured out the best fits over time. There were always super cool about it. Brought me drinks while I waited. Talked to me about watches, Vacherons and other brands. Remembered my name after the first visit onwards.

Candidly, I feel like the level of quality at Rolex ADs is really poor in many cases.

[LesserBlackDog]

Nice of your Chicago AD to volunteer the SoCal AD to do free work for them.

Don’t know why anyone would bother bringing a watch in to have it sized, it is easy and painless to do it yourself with a precision screwdriver.

[Wcdhtwn]

We are living in strange times. The AD in So. CA should want to provide the service hoping they give a service experience that would bring you back for your next purchase. They are there for customers, not the other way round.

That said, I bought my fist Rolex at an AD outside of the US and took it to the Houston Boutique to have it sized. Why I didn't have the AD where I purchased it size it, I don't know, let's say champagne and my wife was losing the enthusiasm for me getting a Rolex, so I got out as quickly as I could with the watch. I digress... when I went to the Rolex Boutique and asked them to remove a link I expected to be charged something nominal for it, $20, even $50. But they did it for free.

Were you out of line asking for them to remove the link? No. But you should be willing to pay them something if they'd presented you with a small bill. Though in your shoes with the experiences you've had there I'd keep buying in Chicago.

[doboy007]

They probably didn’t heat up the loctite before removing the screws hence the difficulty. Next time just do it yourself after buying a correct screwdriver. You can search this site for correct screwdriver. I got my SkyD this week and sized it myself since I also got it out of state. It was my first time doing it myself, but pretty simple after gently heating the bracelet with a hairdryer on a low setting.

Edit:I would avoid them next time since it took them 30 min to resize cause they don’t really know what they’re doing. Maybe they'll offer to change out the battery

[swils8610]

I’d offer to pay for the AD’s services.


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[Chilly Coconut]

1.6mm screwdriver. Lefty loosey, righty tighty.

[doboy007]

Originally Posted by Chilly Coconut

1.6mm screwdriver. Lefty loosey, righty tighty.

Hollow ground screwdriver makes all the difference in appearance of the screws afterwards.

[Anich]

This is ridiculous behavior from that AD. We have taken our watches to various AD’s and never have been treated like that. We’ve had watches sized from AD’s we haven’t purchased from free of charge. We always ask what we owe them and each one has provided the friendly service free of charge. I would never return to a store with rude service. Every person walking through that door is a potential customer.


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[cornerstore]

An AD told me they are required to do bracelet fittings regardless of whether the watch was purchased from them or not. Also told you can walk into any Rolex AD and have your Rolex watch packed up and shipped by an AD to Rolex. He even ventured to say the AD had to pay the outbound shipping costs. AD told me this as he adjusted my bracelet and shipped another watch off to Rolex for service. My understanding is the AD gets a commission on service work. I paid return shipping costs when it was returned to me. That is my experience in Canada, likely many AD’s would make a deal about it before they do it, if they did it at all. Each country seems have have differing protocols and procedures.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

you offer to pay for the service and its usually fine. They pay a watchmaker to be there as a courtesy to their customers. If you are not a customer, you should absolutely pay for the service. Be clear about that up front.

My ad will size by bracelet every single day if i want them to, and for free. Some non customer comes in and i think its like $50. Totally fair IMO. They are nice and polite about it though.

would you let someone who pulled into your driveway you didn't know use your garage to change their oil? probably not. Your friend/neighbor? probably

100% agree with you

[TswaneNguni]

Oooo..I wish I was there

By now they would have offered me "waiting list Rolexes"

I feel Rolex owners have become extremely polite and apologetic over the last decade or so .

They are an authorized dealer of Rolex and MUST provide you with that service of bracelet adjustment .Period

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

Oooo..I wish I was there

By now they would have offered me "waiting list Rolexes"

I feel Rolex owners have become extremely polite and apologetic over the last decade or so .

They are an authorized dealer of Rolex and MUST provide you with that service of bracelet adjustment .Period

not for free. They are a multi brand AD most of the time so this idea the watchmaker is tied specifically to Rolex is strange. Some AD's don't have a watchmaker on staff. You really don't want a sales associate doing that in that case.

If you want your watch shipped to RSC, they MUST do that however.

[037]

Originally Posted by Seafox0814

She asked to see my warranty card, which unfortunately was a photocopy given the recent AD practice of retaining the cards for 1 year to discourage flipping.

You purchased this from an AD in Chicago and they retained your warranty card? Which AD was this, exactly?

I could be mistaken but don't believe we've seen a single account of a US AD retaining the card for a year, hence my curiosity.

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

not for free. They are a multi brand AD most of the time so this idea the watchmaker is tied specifically to Rolex is strange. Some AD's don't have a watchmaker on staff. You really don't want a sales associate doing that in that case.

They cant refuse.Rolex SA will not be happy .

[liu_watch]

Now I size bracelets myself. When I started this hobby, I took a Cartier to a retailer (bought elsewhere) for sizing, free of charge. I took an IWC to a retailer and they charged me $10 for sizing because I didn’t buy it from them. No lecture given.

I would tell your AD to charge me a nominal fee and save her b$&@crap!
Ridiculous.

[TswaneNguni]

Originally Posted by liu_watch

........and save her b$&@crap!
Ridiculous.

Well said my man ,well said !!

[Ske-Bum]

The lack of customer service at almost every level of retail these days, makes my head want to explode. That being said, I expect nothing to be done for free, if it takes more then 5 minutes of someone’s time.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by TswaneNguni

They cant refuse.Rolex SA will not be happy .

the next thing you are going to tell me is they are required to sell me a watch if they have it, even if its in the back

nope. they can sell or not sell to whoever they please.

[patrickjb]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. I’d rather fly to Chicago than give my business to that AD.

In retrospect, it’s becoming glaringly obvious who you want to do business with in times like this.

[HogwldFLTR]

Originally Posted by Seafox0814

Hello all,

snipping...

Anyhow, after 10 more minutes, out comes my CHNR and it's a perfect fit. The woman then sits down and gives me a lecture about how they were doing me a big favor and that they weren't making any money off this type of service. They told me they were the premier dealer in So.Cal and that they work very hard to get loyal customers and that they give the best service/experience and that next time I should buy from them .

I explained that I did try to buy from them, and that I was turned away because there were "big waiting lists" and that their staff was dismissive and wasn't willing to work with me.

I couldn't believe the attitude.

So I ask members of this forum, did I breach some unwritten rules of etiquette by asking this AD to size my bracelet? I assumed something like this was a basic service all ADs should provide.

I said something similar when I was trading in my collection recently. I think ADs need to hear this over and over again. If they feel complacent with their existing customer base they need to get over it and recognize life is fluid and the more they piss off potential customer the more they are likely to hurt themselves.

[brian89]

who cares about an AD
There not god
They need us more than we need them

[josephvman]

+1

Plus, I'd rather risk scratching it myself than have an AD do it, and we've seen plenty of posts around her about dealers mucking up watches while sizing. I'm sure most AD's do a fine job, but why take the risk if you can do it yourself?

For me, sizing the watch is part of the thrill of getting a new piece. If you have the right tools it's easy to do.

If the OP brings the watch to an AD he didn't buy it from, and they do size for free and happen to muck up a screw or scratch the watch, then what?

Originally Posted by LesserBlackDog

Nice of your Chicago AD to volunteer the SoCal AD to do free work for them.

Don’t know why anyone would bother bringing a watch in to have it sized, it is easy and painless to do it yourself with a precision screwdriver.

[AK DeepSea]

You live in California....so it probably is.

[Dlong]

Originally Posted by doboy007

Hollow ground screwdriver makes all the difference in appearance of the screws afterwards.

Sound like a gunsmith.

[Jim Smyth]

ADs are good at screwing up the screw heads. I would never let them work on my bracelet unless I knew they 100 % knew what they are doing. Certified Watchmakers, yes. Stupid new sales clerk.......... BIG NO.

[Nikrnic]

Too bad you were treated in such an unprofessional way. Oh well, la-la land. Yes you could have offered to pay but too bad for them they didn't look at the bigger picture to make you a satisfied and potential future customer. I once brought in a used Milgauss to an AD for sizing and was treated so nice I then made them my new AD and purchased 4 new Rolexes (incl. a Blnr) and a Seiko tuna within this past year.

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[peacocknation]

Unfortunately I think these attitudes arise in most luxury items that are hard to get. Think Chanel, LV, Rolex, PP, etc.

When the products are hard to come by the usual supply demand curve we are used to gets reversed. Think about buying a Toyota when there isn’t a lot of demand because of a recession. Not only do prices come down but that dealer and their sales people go above and beyond typically to win your business and provide high quality service.

Now think about a time in your 20’s when you wanted to get into a popular club in Las Vegas. That was never fun...and we know they were artificially creating demand, but regardless lots of demand, bouncers and hostess treats you like shit unless you spend bigggg money to get into said club.

Ok so how does this relate to why we’re seeing so many posts talking shit about AD’s?

I believe the principals are exactly the same and is why folks are seeing less than preferred service from AD’s. The hard time they give you is because they can. It won’t have a real impact on their business. They’re in the driver seat.

So what of the poor service? Well when sales people are in that type of position, the bad and mediocre ones (and there are way more of those) rise to the occasion and act accordingly. Once the supply/demand tables are turned you’ll see their demeanor change. Crap professionalism is the issue here, nothing else.

[cityboy10]

Originally Posted by cornerstore

An AD told me they are required to do bracelet fittings regardless of whether the watch was purchased from them or not. Also told you can walk into any Rolex AD and have your Rolex watch packed up and shipped by an AD to Rolex. He even ventured to say the AD had to pay the outbound shipping costs. AD told me this as he adjusted my bracelet and shipped another watch off to Rolex for service. My understanding is the AD gets a commission on service work. I paid return shipping costs when it was returned to me. That is my experience in Canada, likely many AD’s would make a deal about it before they do it, if they did it at all. Each country seems have have differing protocols and procedures.

The AD in downtown Toronto removed some links and adjusted the clasp to fit my girlfriend’s wrist on a 20 year old Polar free of charge. It’s funny because I had tried to buy two Rolex watches this past year from them with no luck. They were very friendly and helpful with the link removal but still won’t sell me a SS Rolex. Go figure!