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[RESOLVED] Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
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Author:  dovey21 [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 10:06 am ]
Post subject:  [RESOLVED] Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
Hello.

I am new to this site; I am a long standing customer of Breitling and have over the years owned many. I currently own a Colt, a B1 and a Navitimer.

I have recently sent the Colt to Tunbridge wells service centre due to some water ingress. It was sent to them in 2008 and repaired incorrectly but, foolishly, over the years i have lived with it having been told at the time that they did not keep records of repairs ( I lost my receipt) During that servicing in 2008, they incorrectly assembled the crown which only became apparent when I had to adjust the day due to a 30 day month..the crown just unwound and fell off.

I have sent the watch to them now to be repaired, paid £230 and have now been issued with a further £700 bill!!..they stated that I must have dropped the watch or it has suffered severe impact damage. I explained the situation with the previous service and they more or less called me a liar stating they always record repairs. I have now been in touch with my insurance company and they have asked for a breakdown of damage and repairs needed. When Breitling got back to them ( fellow watch experts) the diagnosis could not have been more different..they have now stated water ingress due to the crown being used in water!!..what idiot would undo the crown whilst in water ( my watch never goes in the pool or the shower!!)

This further confirms my complaint to them that they buggered it up in 2008. They have been dishonest, no better than a back street garage and I will now think long and hard about whether to buy Breitling again!!..I may sell my lot and buy different I am so angry with them.

Not the kind of customer service or dishonest behaviour you would expect from a company like Breitling. I am very upset that my admiration for the brand is now very much tarnished!!

Be warned..they are suffering recession and see not to give two hoops for their customers.

Sorry for the long winded rant! :cry:
Author:  JacksonStone [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 11:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
I'm sorry you're having these problems with your Breitling. Aside from the varying reports as to the damage of the watch, however, I'm not sure what the issue is you're having. Is it that they won't make good on their previous repair? Or are you saying they are claiming the watch has more damage now than it did when you sent it to them? I'm not sure how the previous repair factors in, since it was done back in 2008.
Author:  dovey21 [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 11:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
JacksonStone wrote:
I'm sorry you're having these problems with your Breitling. Aside from the varying reports as to the damage of the watch, however, I'm not sure what the issue is you're having. Is it that they won't make good on their previous repair? Or are you saying they are claiming the watch has more damage now than it did when you sent it to them? I'm not sure how the previous repair factors in, since it was done back in 2008.



Hi you are quite right. I should have sent it back to them at the time but was informed there was no record, I now know different. My main issue is the underhand manner in which they have sidelined the issue and lied about apparent damage only to be challenged by experts and subsequently they came clean with their fabrication of the faults. I am in touch now with the UK MD and will have my day!!

I am disgusted with their dishonest methods on this occassion..quite disgusting.
Author:  RJRJRJ [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 1:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
The last repair is irrelevant. 1 year warranty only.

Since you never sent it in to be corrected, you are basically at their mercy. The watch has problems, and they are in the position to inform you of what needs to be done and what it will cost you. How the damage was caused is none of their concern since the watch is not covered under warranty. Whether it was a drop/water/bad luck etc, it needs what it needs.

You definitely should have sent it back the first time.

BTW, what makes you so sure that the watch was repaired incorrectly in 2008? What problems did you have after the repair?
Author:  Driver8 [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 1:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
RJRJRJ wrote:
The last repair is irrelevant. 1 year warranty only.

Since you never sent it in to be corrected, you are basically at their mercy. The watch has problems, and they are in the position to inform you of what needs to be done and what it will cost you. How the damage was caused is none of their concern since the watch is not covered under warranty. Whether it was a drop/water/bad luck etc, it needs what it needs.

You definitely should have sent it back the first time.

BTW, what makes you so sure that the watch was repaired incorrectly in 2008? What problems did you have after the repair?

:yeahthat I'm not taking sides in this at all, as they are emotive topics for anyone on the receiving end of what they believe to be poor service, but to echo RJ, I'm just curious as to the symptoms that made you believe something was wrong with the crown since 2008? I assume the crown didn't come off until recently, so I'm wondering what makes you believe it was incorrectly repaired before?
Author:  dovey21 [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 1:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
In Nov 2008 I received the watch back and it looked great with a new battery. I paid for the full repair service to include all gaskets and a 'proper' clean. It wasn't until february the next year ,the first month since repair that had 30 days, that I had to adjust the watch with the crown. It came away in my hand!..I managed to adjust the date, screwed it back in and had every intention of getting back to them..I got busy and some months later got around to it only to be told that they did not hold records of repairs ( later found to be untrue)..I had lost my receipt.

I have lived with this problem as I only have to adjust the date evry few months it was no big problem....until now that is. Moisture has eventually got in to the watch so i sent it away to Breitling with a payment of £230 for a repair servicing having explained the problems I had with it and the subsequent conversations I had with Breitling in and since 2008/9.

They came back to me and stated that the problem was not incorrect assembly but impact damage with a bill for £700. I have gone to my insurance company and they have requested a detailed report. Breitling now state that the issue is that the crown has been used in water, total rubbish, the damage is due to incorrect assembly in 2008 that has over a relatively short period of time has allowed the watch to fail!...my issue is that they have lied, plain and simple. The conversations I have had with the same person differ every time and they information they give specialists from my insurance company also differ..they have tried to sideline the initial complaint and when tested by another specialist..they came clean.

I do not expect to be lied to by Breitling. I do not think 2 1/2 years following a thorough £225 service from Breitling to be fair use and certainly do not expect the battery to fail also. In addition, they have stated the Crystal needs replacing also due to damage...this has also been proven to be a lie, I have it in writing and they completely omitted that in their report to my insurance company...the story goes on and on.

In summary..they have been unbelievably dishonest and employed the kind of standards you'd expect from a back street garage!!..I am not happy at all and my love affair with Breitling watches I feel is at an end.

You may not feel this to be logical...if today you paid for the top spec service and the watch failed 2/12 years later, you complained and they lied to you....in my book, that is just reason to be upset especially when over the years I have spent £12K or so on this brand plus servicing costs!
Author:  RJRJRJ [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 2:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
dovey21 wrote:
In Nov 2008 I received the watch back and it looked great with a new battery. I paid for the full repair service to include all gaskets and a 'proper' clean. It wasn't until february the next year ,the first month since repair that had 30 days, that I had to adjust the watch with the crown. It came away in my hand!..I managed to adjust the date, screwed it back in and had every intention of getting back to them..I got busy and some months later got around to it only to be told that they did not hold records of repairs ( later found to be untrue)..I had lost my receipt.

I have lived with this problem as I only have to adjust the date evry few months it was no big problem....until now that is. Moisture has eventually got in to the watch so i sent it away to Breitling with a payment of £230 for a repair servicing having explained the problems I had with it and the subsequent conversations I had with Breitling in and since 2008/9.

They came back to me and stated that the problem was not incorrect assembly but impact damage with a bill for £700. I have gone to my insurance company and they have requested a detailed report. Breitling now state that the issue is that the crown has been used in water, total rubbish, the damage is due to incorrect assembly in 2008 that has over a relatively short period of time has allowed the watch to fail!...my issue is that they have lied, plain and simple. The conversations I have had with the same person differ every time and they information they give specialists from my insurance company also differ..they have tried to sideline the initial complaint and when tested by another specialist..they came clean.

I do not expect to be lied to by Breitling. I do not think 2 1/2 years following a thorough £225 service from Breitling to be fair use and certainly do not expect the battery to fail also. In addition, they have stated the Crystal needs replacing also due to damage...this has also been proven to be a lie, I have it in writing and they completely omitted that in their report to my insurance company...the story goes on and on.

In summary..they have been unbelievably dishonest and employed the kind of standards you'd expect from a back street garage!!..I am not happy at all and my love affair with Breitling watches I feel is at an end.

You may not feel this to be logical...if today you paid for the top spec service and the watch failed 2/12 years later, you complained and they lied to you....in my book, that is just reason to be upset especially when over the years I have spent £12K or so on this brand plus servicing costs!


Sounds like the loose crown may have just been a weak point and allowed moisture into the case over a period of years. It may be their fault, but its gonna be tough to get anything done about it since you didnt send it in within the warranty period.
Author:  JacksonStone [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 2:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
dovey21 wrote:
I got busy and some months later got around to it only to be told that they did not hold records of repairs ( later found to be untrue)..I had lost my receipt.

When you finally got around to telling them about the problem, had the year's warranty already expired, or was it still within the warranty period? If it was within the warranty period, are you saying they refused warranty service on the grounds they had no record of the initial repair?
Author:  dovey21 [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 2:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
When I got around to telling them it was within the warranty period, however they stated there was no record and I did not have my receipt...I just opted to live with it.

My issue is not really that my watch was poorly serviced in 2008..my issue is the manner in which they have dealt with this, they have blatantly lied..on several occasions!!..I sent it away for another full service fee, a repair service fee, when I explained to them my opinion on why the watch had failed..they lied until they were questioned by experts at my insurance company.

Yes I am not happy with the bill, but dishonesty from a company like Breitling who have had their pound of flesh out of me over the years..is disgusting and as stated before, my admiration for the brand has diminished significantly..I am not happy at all with them.
Author:  Roffensian [ Mon Jun 13, 2011 2:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
I may not be the smartest, but I don't get where the lies are here.

It sounds to me like they are claiming two separate things:

1) That the crown was damaged by impact damage and
2) Because of the damaged crown water was able to ingress

I have no idea who is 'right' and who is 'wrong' but the idea of water getting in as a result of a damaged crown is distinctly possible and if you have known about the problem for 2+ years then I would expect Breitling to hold you at least in part responsible.

In terms of the crown, I would expect a different set of symptoms from a loose / improperly installed crown than from impact (one would just be a crown coming off, one would be dents, bent crown stem, etc) so I would ask for details of what led them to reach the conclusion that the crown came loose from impact damage.
Author:  breanach78 [ Tue Jun 14, 2011 2:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
Sorry to hear about you experience but IMO you have no one to blame but yours self. You cant honestly expect Breitling to stand over a a fault that you claim to have happened nearly 3 years ago? Warranty's are there for this exact reason and now that a more major problem has arisen which sounds to me was caused by the original issue you want Breitling to stand over it! That like getting your car serviced, having some thing fall off and 3 years later going back wanting it fixed under the original service warranty, not lightly.
Unfortunately you summed it up in your own words " but, foolishly, over the years i have lived with it" and "Hi you are quite right. I should have sent it back to them at the time"
It does not matter when the crown was damaged, the fact is that it is damaged.

If it was damaged when you say it was it would have been covered by Breitling under their 1 year service warranty and would have been fixed if you HAD brought it back. If it was not, which from what I can take from this Breitling thinks that is resulting in your, to be fair, expensive repair bill.

Also you say
"if today you paid for the top spec service and the watch failed 2/12 years later"
Is it not the case that it failed 3 months after the 08 service and that is most likely cause of the fail 2 1/2 years later resulting in you expensive repair bill? Who's fault?

Again it it unfortunate that this has happened and I hope you get it resolved to your satisfaction.
If it was me I would be trying to work with my AD or Breitling direct to get a discount on a new watch sighting your case and the fact you are a good Breitling customer purchasing 12k worth of their products over the last few years.

Good luck with what ever path you proceed with.

_________________
Breanach78

A Few Breitlings.
Author:  dovey21 [ Tue Jun 14, 2011 12:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
I think you misunderstand the point. I know what my obligations were when the watch failed, I contacted them without a receipt and they stated there was no record..later found to be incorrect.

The point here is they have been dishonest with their assessments!..I don't think i am doing a very good job of getting my point across here but, dishonesty is NOT what I expect from the Breiltling brand!

Anyway, issue now resolved. They have near admitted they were caught out and my repairs on this occasion due to my previous custom and the fact that I was a member of an aerobatic team who worked a lot with Breitling some years ago..are now free as a good will gesture.

I f I were to post all the e-mails and word for word transcripts of telephone calls I have had with them..you would be quite shocked and understand my point entirely.
Author:  breanach78 [ Tue Jun 14, 2011 12:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
Great to hear you got it sorted and glad it worked out well for you. Hopefully it has not left to bad a taste in your mouth and you can get on with enjoying your breitlings. Breitling should really look after . "Instruments for professionals" and all that, you been in the profession. . . . .Ware them well. :lingsrock:
Author:  RJRJRJ [ Tue Jun 14, 2011 12:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Extremely dishonest customer care during service.
dovey21 wrote:
I think you misunderstand the point. I know what my obligations were when the watch failed, I contacted them without a receipt and they stated there was no record..later found to be incorrect.

The point here is they have been dishonest with their assessments!..I don't think i am doing a very good job of getting my point across here but, dishonesty is NOT what I expect from the Breiltling brand!

Anyway, issue now resolved. They have near admitted they were caught out and my repairs on this occasion due to my previous custom and the fact that I was a member of an aerobatic team who worked a lot with Breitling some years ago..are now free as a good will gesture.

I f I were to post all the e-mails and word for word transcripts of telephone calls I have had with them..you would be quite shocked and understand my point entirely.


Well, we can only go by what you tell us.

In any event, it sounds like they have gone above and beyond for you. Glad it worked out.
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