The Breitling Watch Source Forums

After 3 months my B50 Cockpit has had to go back for several issues. Slightly annoyed that the Breitling Retailer is charging me a £25 "handling fee" to return it to Breitling......

Unbelievable! What happened to good old customer service and goodwill? After my CSO went in for a maintenance service I took my spare watch in to the AD (Goldsmiths) to have another link put in the bracelet which they did for free. My local jeweller wanted £5 to do the same trick.

Sorry to hear about your B50 problems, you've joined an ever growing club.

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Breitling B-1 1999
Breitling Chrono Superocean 2004
Casio G Shock
Citizen Eco Drive AT4000-02E (for gardening)
Seiko 5 SNZG15J1
Hamilton X Wind LE

You should point-blank refuse. It's under warranty - the end.

Utterly outrageous!! As per the previous reply its under warranty - no argument.

I suggest you get in touch with Breitling UK on 020 7636 5200 and ask for someone in customer service and get your money back and whoever charged you this 'handling fee' sacked. It beggars belief...

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Bell&Ross BR03-94 - for sale (9.75/10)
Breitling Aerospace Evo
Breitling Aerospace Evo - Night Mission LE
Breitling Navitimer World
Rolex DeepSea

It's like adding insult to injury. I'm lost for words over this model. Perhaps there is good reason for the charge, but I don't see it from my 'consumers' view.

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Jim

"You have Control".

Agree completely. That's pathetic.


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Well I have emailed them as of the 6th. No reply yet other than the automated response.....

Hi there...

Have been following up the B50 discussions....

Have you had any update on your issue? How's the watch doin now?

pEaCe

Still with them. 5 weeks so far. Breitling have agreed with the AD that I won't have to pay the charge. Just looking forward to getting my watch back..


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Can't agree more. Its not about the money but the feel good factor that keeps us going.

And yeah, watch returning in good nick is more important than anything else..

Good luck. Regards

My damned SAII Mil has been back 3 times now - last time I decided to take it to a more 'local' to me AD rather than the usual one that I had a reasonably good relationship with - after all, it's an INTERNATIONAL warranty to why should it matter which AD handles the return.

I too had to pay the dealer - in my case £30 - for the watch to go back, but as it's a >£5000 lump, and considering the maximum loss insurance via the Royal Mail is £2500, I was sort of OK because they would have to take the risk if it was lost in transit. Breitling said that (in the UK) it is standard practice unless it is the original selling dealer - no offer to refund me the cost, even though the watch wasn't repaired properly the time before and the turnaround between me getting it back and it having to go off to BUK again was just a matter of a few days.

None of this though surprises me - in the UK we are ripped off from every side, the latest wheeze by big business is when flying out of the UK and buying stuff 'duty free' when airside (anything from a newspaper to an expensive digital camera), as the purchaser, you shouldn't pay tax. Except in the UK, it has been 'revealed' the buyer pays the same airside and 'duty free' as someone buying the same thing on the highstreet, but the company use 'the rules' to claim the tax back themselves so potentially make an extra 20% on each sale.

Ripoff Britain is a fact not a myth.

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Have
2019 B55 Exospace on Titanium bracelet
2014 SuperAvenger II Military LE
Had
2013 Avenger Seawolf SS yellow Arabic dial
2010 Aerospace Avantage black dial & Co-pilot
2007 Aerospace Repetition Minutes
2003 Superocean
2001 Chronospace

I must say that being bloody-minded I would be pursuing that through the Small Claims court on principle. (It is a very pro-consumer process.) It's under warranty. It's a global warranty. I would be citing those elements of the paperwork and challenging them to show where it states that you would have to incur costs for its return if not via the selling dealer. If it doesn't say that then you win. (If it does say that then, wow, appalling.)

TomP, I was told it was because Breitling wouldn't refund the AD any costs associated with getting a warranty claim watch back to BUK, and the AD (Goldsmiths in this case) felt that as the watch was bought elsewhere, they shouldn't cover the cost either. Even if you send the watch back under warranty directly, BUK won't refund you the postage. My risk-averse view was that it was better to pay £30 for the AD to take the full risk of loss/damage in transit than pay £20+ to the Post Office to have it sent by Special Delivery with no adequate insurance.

Most other companies that deal with high-end consumer products either send you a pre-paid/insured 'box' or container for the item to go back, or will refund you if asked. Even Amazon will cover the cost of returns ... Breitling UK though seem not to want to bother, probably knowing that you have no realistic alternative other than if you are local and can take it in person to Tunbridge Wells.

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Have
2019 B55 Exospace on Titanium bracelet
2014 SuperAvenger II Military LE
Had
2013 Avenger Seawolf SS yellow Arabic dial
2010 Aerospace Avantage black dial & Co-pilot
2007 Aerospace Repetition Minutes
2003 Superocean
2001 Chronospace

I can understand exactly why you felt you had to do it, and entirely sympathise.

I'd just make the points in your second para to BUK, and tell them that you were proceeding to a Small Claim to recover your expenses. I bet they'd reimburse you sharpish.