The watch repair store damaged my watch

[litl_lulu]

California - I visited a watch repair shop to have them replace the battery in my husband’s waterproof watch and to add a link. I advised the repairman that my husband wears the watch in the water and asked if he could ensure that the watch would still be waterproof after the battery change. He assured me that he could and that he would pressure check it as well.

A few weeks later he called to say that the watch was ready but did not pass the pressure test. I asked him what happened and he said that the crown was broken. I told him that I bought the watch a year ago Christmas and that my husband hadn’t had any issues with it until the battery died.

I asked him if the inside of the watch had any signs of water damage and he said no. I then ask how the watch was waterproof before I brought it him and now it wasn’t. His reply was that he couldn’t explain it. He said things with watches sometimes happen and parts need to be replaced.

Now I am going to have to send the watch to the manufacturer for repair.

I told him that what he was saying didn’t make sense and that if he returned the watch to me free of charge I would not ask him for any recourse for the charges I would incur after sending it to the manufacturer.

He refuses to take any responsibility for the damage to the watch and is adamant that I have to pay him the cost of the “service,” which is nearly $90, in order to get the watch back. Incidentally the watch cost me $1,000.

What can I do?

 

[You Are Guilty]

Is the crown repair to be covered under the manufacturer's warranty?

 

[CraigFL]

I don't see how you can expect him to give you his services for free - although I don't think the offer was unreasonable. Right now, there is one expert opinion on the watch and he says he did the battery change and link addition correctly. If you expect to sue him and win, your going to need an expert opinion that contradicts his.

I would pay him and try to find another local expert that has a different opinion. Then you can decide what to do or send the watch back to the factory.

 

[litl_lulu]

No. The repair is not covered under warranty.

 

[You Are Guilty]

The follow Craig's advice, above. You'll need expert proof on how this jeweler damaged the crown.

Good luck.

 

[mistoffolees]

The follow Craig's advice, above. You'll need expert proof on how this jeweler damaged the crown.

Good luck.

Yes, but that's going to be pretty tough. It's going to be hard for a jeweler to know who actually damaged the watch.

Not impossible, though - if there's a chip inside the crown and the owner never opened the watch, then that would be strong evidence. But it's going to be hard to prove at the best of times - and the cost of hiring an expert jeweler and then going to court may well exceed the cost of a new crown.