poor service from ny rsc

[gregdolley]

Originally Posted by Z-Sub

Sorry to hear that and it's just another poor service from RSC-NY.
My watches were sent to RSC-BH and working fine and came in clean and with green pouch along with a white service polishing cloth.
I'll suggest you send it to BH or SanFran next time.

The BH service center is now closed.

[moby33]

Originally Posted by Marrk

I have to ask myself how any indie watchmaker can have the resources of an RSC in terms of equipment, knowledge and experience. It doesn't make sense that a guy in a storefront shop can do what 500 people in an eight story building are trained all day long to do exclusively (i.e., no other watch brands).

But, of course, I mean no disrespect to your choice and I know that _many_ other TRF-ers share your view.

I'm not an expert on watchmakers, yet the parallel I've seen has to do with auto mechanics.

I know some guys (and have read about dozen others) that worked for large shops, huge racing teams & corporate businesses with VERY deep pockets. They learned a lot and became true experts on many different aspects of automobiles (be it engines, tuning chassis/suspension, brakes, ect).

Eventually, they broke away from the "Big Bizz" and decided to start their own niche shops...and you know what, people lined up around the block to pay them to work on their rides and take advantage of the years of knowledge they acquired when the "Big Boys" were giving them a pay check.

With that in mind, I see no reason why the same can't be true for watchmakers & therefore I'm sure there are probably some very talented guys working independently.

[Wildwing]

Originally Posted by Marrk

I have to ask myself how any indie watchmaker can have the resources of an RSC in terms of equipment, knowledge and experience. It doesn't make sense that a guy in a storefront shop can do what 500 people in an eight story building are trained all day long to do exclusively (i.e., no other watch brands).

But, of course, I mean no disrespect to your choice and I know that _many_ other TRF-ers share your view.

I think Moby summed it up well, and all I can add is that the good independents cannot hide in annonimity behind a team of people, like at an RSC. In other words their personal reputation is at stake. If you've read posts here, you can see that people think highly of experts like Bob Ridley, and Dalton, a member here. I've had Denis Carignan work on my watches, an IWC and Rolex. Not that some good work doesn't come out of RSCs, but as you can see, not all reviews are positive. The good thing is that we can all investigate for ourselves, which is part of the fun.

[gregdolley]

Originally Posted by flyback

I think the public, in general, doesn't pay that much attention to detail, and that's reflected by the level of professional service we see. Most body shops, house painters, drywall installers, electricians, tailors, jewelers, welders, carpenters, upholsterers, and even lawyers and dentists don't do work that stands up to close inspection. This problem is universal.

It's rare to find a craftsperson who does great work. Once you find that person, stick with him or her.

x10000! So true - we're seeing a global reduction in quality of everything. Fewer and fewer professionals have a good eye for detail. For example, it used to be that I could buy a laptop and have it last seven or eight years before breaking. These days I have to buy a new laptop every one to two years. It's ridiculous.

Another example - I had one of my gold rings re-sized recently and when I got it back, I could see firescale on the inside of the shank and the jeweler's re-polish job was horrible (looked worse than before I brought it in). So I had him remove the firescale and redo the buffing. The firescale was removed, but the polish job was still pretty bad. Not wanting to complain a third time, I simply went home and rebuffed the ring myself on my own equipment. Customers shouldn't have to do this! Why should I have to correct the mistakes of the jeweler?! Ugh! I guess there are so few people that take pride in their work these days... Also so few people that will treat your stuff like their own.

-Greg

[mailman]

Originally Posted by Marrk

RSC BH has marked up my watches. And the manager — a woman named Vema, apparently — makes it her special job to be uncooperative whenever I go in. (N.B. In fairness, I believe others have had better experiences with this same woman.)

So, I've never been too thrilled with RSC BH.

There isn't any reason for that to happen, especially on one or more occasion

Would you care to elaborate on how they marked them up and what they did, if anything to make it right?

I'm just curious, as it should be another week to ten days until I get mine back.

[Marrk]

Greg, in my case, I can recall going to RSC NY as long ago as 1970. For decades, the service was top notch. It's only relatively recently that issues have cropped up. So, we are commenting on a decline in good service and not a good service that never existed.

Originally Posted by gregdolley

x10000! So true - we're seeing a global reduction in quality of everything. Fewer and fewer professionals have a good eye for detail. For example, it used to be that I could buy a laptop and have it last seven or eight years before breaking. These days I have to buy a new laptop every one to two years. It's ridiculous.

Another example - I had one of my gold rings re-sized recently and when I got it back, I could see firescale on the inside of the shank and the jeweler's re-polish job was horrible (looked worse than before I brought it in). So I had him remove the firescale and redo the buffing. The firescale was removed, but the polish job was still pretty bad. Not wanting to complain a third time, I simply went home and rebuffed the ring myself on my own equipment. Customers shouldn't have to do this! Why should I have to correct the mistakes of the jeweler?! Ugh! I guess there are so few people that take pride in their work these days... Also so few people that will treat your stuff like their own.

-Greg

[Marrk]

Paulie, to be fair and to be exact, the marks were on the casebacks. The kind of marks that might derive from setting a case in a vice or using a caseback wrench. I left in disgust and did not give them the chance to "make it good." They were new watches and it bugged me. Perhaps I am too demanding.

Others have reported having wonderful experiences at RSC BH. A few said that they walked in off the street and had their +/- 2 watches regulated and everything went great. But every time I talked to that woman behind the counter about the accuracy of my watches, she told me that they were running within COSC and then looked at me like I was an imbecile. Go figure.

It's hit and miss. This can be frustrating because we have been spoiled by instances of superlative service at RSC in the past. I don't know what I will do in the future, but if Rolex merges with another company, or undergoes a takeover, I'm going to buy a few pre-takeover pieces before any more changes take place.

Originally Posted by mailman

There isn't any reason for that to happen, especially on one or more occasion

Would you care to elaborate on how they marked them up and what they did, if anything to make it right?

I'm just curious, as it should be another week to ten days until I get mine back.

[mailman]

I don't think you're being too demanding at all. It isn't like these watches are inexpensive, so I don't think they should have been returned to you in that condition.

Originally Posted by Marrk

Paulie, to be fair and to be exact, the marks were on the casebacks. The kind of marks that might derive from setting a case in a vice or using a caseback wrench. I left in disgust and did not give them the chance to "make it good." They were new watches and it bugged me. Perhaps I am too demanding.

Others have reported having wonderful experiences at RSC BH. A few said that they walked in off the street and had their +/- 2 watches regulated and everything went great. But every time I talked to that woman behind the counter about the accuracy of my watches, she told me that they were running within COSC and then looked at me like I was an imbecile. Go figure.

It's hit and miss. This can be frustrating because we have been spoiled by instances of superlative service at RSC in the past. I don't know what I will do in the future, but if Rolex merges with another company, or undergoes a takeover, I'm going to buy a few pre-takeover pieces before any more changes take place.