Legit????

[CPTAHAB]

Took my GMT to local AD for service,nice folks. They showed me a SS Daytona black face. Sales member stated that they keep in vault and they would be wary of selling to a first time Rolex buyer. Sound normal? ...I may buy it. It is beautiful!

[mjclark32]

Who are they to decide who buys it?
Find one here and buy, don't give business to them.

[imono]

Not many AD's have this in stock.
There are waiting lines in many other AD's.
You'll like it if you own it.

[theloxmyth]

Kick 'em in the shin for telling you a fib, unless that's THEIR policy.

If it is their policy, IT STINKS to high heaven.

[chicfarmer1]

They have one for sale? Then they will sell it. To you, if you offer to pay.

Very likely this talk was supposed to light your fire.

[CPTAHAB]

Agree. And it did! Good salesmanship!

[HL65]

Many AD's keep them in safe and sell to who they want to--typically to good customers. As for who are they who decide who they sell to? The ones who gets to make that decision!

[CPTAHAB]

Well, since my new watch is having issues, took to AD for service center warranty work. Bummed out. Wouldn't hold a wind, etc. HOPE it doesn't take too long!!!!! :(

[impalass]

I just put a downpayment on a Daytona friday. New to this AD they offered up a black dial when I asked if they had any available.

Customers on their waiting list wanted the white dial, so out of the safe it came, offered at list price, no wiggle room, and I was happy to pay up.

Your situation does not sound normal at all. The right customer is the one that wants to buy, period. Just my two cents worth.

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

Many AD's keep them in safe and sell to who they want to--typically to good customers. As for who are they who decide who they sell to? The ones who gets to make that decision!

Agreed. A number of luxury brands have the same practice. You usually can't buy a new model Ferrari without having bought some of the older models.

[B. Doggy]

Pah!

[FeelingTheBlues]

What is that "they won't sell to a first time Rolex buyer"thing? It's not a dog, it's a watch...

Did Rolex stary a fidelity club? If you have the money (and God knows you need some to buy those watches, especially with the price increase), why wouldn't they give it to you?

[chhatre9]

That's weird. My AD had an A serial Zenith and was asking 11. I wanted 10 but they wouldn't budge, so they lost the sale, but she called me one week later with a black SS and I bought it!

[eman1200]

ok,

1) I encountered the EXACT same thing from TWO local rolex ad's (daytona's in the safe in back), and
2) when I called a local AD and asked if they had a few specific models in stock, they said they couldn't sell to me unless I had purchased from them before. I told them that's the most insane thing I'd ever heard, and I won't be buying from them. ever.

[BlakeW]

Agree that sounds like a sales tactic. Very good one at that!!

[handsfull]

I think it's a horrible sales tactic, it would rub me wrong instantly.

[Tools]

It sounds like many of you have very little experience buying luxury goods...

It's always been good customers and dedicated sales professionals who remember those customers and give them first option and set asides that has made the world go round..

If you choose to take your business elsewhere because you have never demonstrated any loyalty to a business, by all means............... go elsewhere...

[Zed Homme]

Originally Posted by CPTAHAB

Took my GMT to local AD for service,nice folks. They showed me a SS Daytona black face. Sales member stated that they keep in vault and they would be wary of selling to a first time Rolex buyer. Sound normal? ...I may buy it. It is beautiful!

While I disagree with the practice, it is common for ADs to do this with SS Daytonas. Meanwhile my AD has been sitting on two black faced SS Daytonas that he would be willing to sell to anybody at MSRP that steps into his store. He is in the panhandle of FL, not too far from you....

[chicfarmer1]

Originally Posted by Tools

It sounds like many of you have very little experience buying luxury goods...

It's always been good customers and dedicated sales professionals who remember those customers and give them first option and set asides that has made the world go round..

If you choose to take your business elsewhere because you have never demonstrated any loyalty to a business, by all means............... go elsewhere...

With due respect, this strategy is time honored but not entirely relevant in today's luxury goods market. Valued return customers are not reliably the ones who can spring for fairly scarce goods now, and some luxury retailers have reframed their approach to acknowledge this reality.

In short it's a mix of reserving but also selling to the one with the funds on the spot. I know I would not exclude myself from a good-faith effort to buy even as a new customer, because it can pan out.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by chicfarmer1

With due respect, this strategy is time honored but not entirely relevant in today's luxury goods market. Valued return customers are not reliably the ones who can spring for fairly scarce goods now, and some luxury retailers have reframed their approach to acknowledge this reality.

In short it's a mix of reserving but also selling to the one with the funds on the spot. I know I would not exclude myself from a good-faith effort to buy even as a new customer, because it can pan out.

True, but in the high end luxury market, be it cars, jewelry, or watches; long-time sales staff have a client lists that they contact first, before they sell to the general market...

I frequently get a call when a new piece comes in.. If I'm interested, they set it aside for a while until I can come in and look it over..

Simply walking in with "cash in hand" may not always get you what you want.. Very few Dealers rely only on an on-the-spot transaction of a Rolex watch to pay the overhead... they would much rather sell a 200% mark-up diamond ring or pearl necklace..

Also, if you walk in waving cash around for a one-time sale, and a good customer is home who the Dealer knows will come back in for other things besides his Rolex.... a good Dealer will wait patiently for the regular customer who is much more valuable..

Many times the flavor of these threads is that some Dealer "lost a sale" because he didn't come down to some low-ball offer.. The reality is that the Dealer simply chose to pass on an offer with little in it for them..

[HyperM3]

I can relate to the OP.

I went into my local AD last Wednesday just looking to see what they had(wasnt looking for a Rolex at the time). It was my day off and I was wearing jeans and a polo shirt. I start talking about the watches I was interested in and it was more of a "Ill look into it and get back to you since we dont carry those brands at our location".

Then I asked about Breitling and he showed me the new chronomat 01 and I like it a lot. Then I say out loud.."If Im looking at this, I might as well look at the Daytona and call it quits on getting any other chronograph". He says they are very hard to get and I could get put on a waiting list.

I give him my information and he finds me in the system and the previous watches Ive bought. He tells me to hold on a moment and amazingly, a couple minutes later he arrives with a BNIB white face Daytona which apparently arrived that morning. He then looks into it and says theres a previous customer on this watch but would let me know the following day what the situation was.

Next day I get an email that the customer who had been waiting for the watch decided to pass and that the VP of operations for the franchise gave the "OK" to sell the watch to me instead of letting the other locations know it was available.

Needless to say I got the watch last Friday night. Im not sure how much I believe this story but I dont care since the watch Ive always wanted is now on my wrist.

[chhatre9]

Why on earth is anyone surprised that these people are acting like *gasp* people? Every industry has motivations, ties, or politics that influence - in some instances more than others. Sucks, but I'm grateful that I see this and not holding a resentment. It's rarely personal.

[jizeal]

sounds like you went to Mayor's... tell em

[mikkolopez]

I don't see that they would want to sell that if they keep it lock in a vault. And what's this business that they decide who buys it and who don't.

[bayerische]

Why don't they just keep all Rolex's in the safe, and only sell them to "VIP's"...

[MoBe]

Originally Posted by CPTAHAB

Took my GMT to local AD for service,nice folks. They showed me a SS Daytona black face. Sales member stated that they keep in vault and they would be wary of selling to a first time Rolex buyer. Sound normal? ...I may buy it. It is beautiful!

Yes,the retailer has the legal right to sell in their own best interest to whomever they please as long as they do not discriminate on the basis of your background etc.,you know what I mean.

Self interest is the reason for retail selling and human behaviour is the foundation.This is not rocket science,good manners and commen sense will get you what you want every time,even luxury goods,however just having the money is not enough,you have to convince the person you are dealing with that it`s in their interest to sell to you,how you do that is your business.This is the social contract you enter into with every business deal and nowhere is the personal nature of this more evident than with luxury goods because now you are are entering into the area of lifestyle.

Personally I don`t care all that much whether a retailer will do business with me or not,I`m not interested in becoming a valued client so that I can make it onto their list,I`ll leave that action to those in need of the reputation,just give me a fair deal and save the chistmas card for someone that needs it.

[Like To Watch]

Originally Posted by CPTAHAB

Took my GMT to local AD for service,nice folks. They showed me a SS Daytona black face. Sales member stated that they keep in vault and they would be wary of selling to a first time Rolex buyer. Sound normal? ...I may buy it. It is beautiful!

Thay will sell it to you.

[Grumpy Badger]

Strikes me as they were trying to COMPLIMENT you and butter you up for a sale.

Since you already have the GMT (and thus obviously are not a first time buyer) they said it to make you feel like a VIP...

Their "policy" may not have been the same if you'd walked in wearing a timex but you'd shown them a big wad of notes... Then a black SS Daytona might have been just the thing for a first time Rolex buyer!

[dooder202]

Originally Posted by CPTAHAB

Took my GMT to local AD for service,nice folks. They showed me a SS Daytona black face. Sales member stated that they keep in vault and they would be wary of selling to a first time Rolex buyer. Sound normal? ...I may buy it. It is beautiful!

That's total BS if they are not sure "selling it to a first time buyer". What the hell is the difference who gets it? If they sell it, they sell it.

Maybe they mean that they want to save it for someone who purchases many watches from them. They might offer it to them first I would assume.

Still, if you had money in hand and were ready to buy, and there was no one on a waiting list or anything, there should not be a problem. I would never give that dealer the business no matter how hard the watch was to get.

[Submarino]

Originally Posted by CPTAHAB

Took my GMT to local AD for service,nice folks. They showed me a SS Daytona black face. Sales member stated that they keep in vault and they would be wary of selling to a first time Rolex buyer. Sound normal? ...I may buy it. It is beautiful!

IMHO they can keep their watch and you can keep your money and take it elsewhere! Terrible sales technique!