BEWARE of Authenticwatches.com

[GGGMT]

Originally Posted by streetfish

Update: Still haven’t received my check...

Hoping for the best...

Thanks all for the support!


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Whatever happened?

The enduring lesson is: shop at a clown shop and you’ll get a clown


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[Humble michael]

Sure sorry to hear, what snakes! :-(

[schnipples24]

Looks like they have quite a number of issues with their Warranty/Returns.
- And their go to response is typically "You paid 50% off retail for this watch, even with us nailing you over the head for something that should have been covered, never mind the egregious wait-times, you are still saving a TON OF MONEY versus buying from an Authorized Dealer."
- I understand that they are merely a middleman and at the mercy of the manufacturer when it comes into sending the watch in for repair, but their excuse of money saved is not enough. For purchases of thousands of dollars I would expect them to be a little more dignified and respectful with their responses.
- It seems they think that by offering these pieces at pretty standard Grey Market discounts, they are excluded from offering any level of Customer Service. It's the reason why DavidSW is so well liked on these forums, versus constant negative feedback about AuthenticWatches. A little customer service goes a long way to building a successful and sustainable business.

Originally Posted by Jim Smyth

Looks like there pretty consistent.

https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/moorpark/p...stomer-reviews

[GGGMT]

Whatever happened here? Where’s OP?


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[streetfish]

Apologies guys for the lack of update.

The check arrived, minus the 10% restocking fee...

Waiting to see how they want to proceed...


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[streetfish]

What I sent once the check cleared:

Hello,

I received my check, but was surprised to see you guys didn’t refund the full amount.

I’m not sure why I was charged a restocking fee, when the watch I originally purchased from you guys was:

“ The item has the stickers on the back case, the dial, and the
bracelet. This item is in stock as a new option (select "brand new" on
the condition dropdown menu) on our website available to ship
immediately as of the time that this email is being sent.”

Regardless of the “stickered” nature of the watch, it was clearly not “brand new”, and had significant signs of polishing.

I am hoping you guys charged the restocking fee in error, as this was not an issue of me changing my mind... rather the issue is I was sold a USED watch, versus the “Brand New” version you guys represented it to be.

In addition, you guys told me the refund check was issued on October 25th. The check is actually dated as of October 31st...

I’d like to give you guys to right this wrong, please let me know as soon as possible.

Thanks,



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[streetfish]

What I received back:

Dear Brian,

Thank you for your email.

This information was discussed on the phone with our General Manager Peter on October 16th. You were informed then, there would be a 10% restocking fee on a refund.

We notified our bank to issue the refund check on October 25th. Since we do not issue the refund checks directly this is the only date we are able to provide.

Best Regards,
Lilly


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[streetfish]

And this what I sent Monday 11/25 and have yet to receive a response:


Hello Lilly,

Actually, your manager stated he’d review the watch to see whether it had been polished or not, and we’d have a conversation after he’s reviewed it.

I never heard from him.

If your company’s stance is that I’m still liable to a restocking fee, even though you sold me a USED watch as if it were NEW, I’m ok with that.

We can pursue this matter in court.

At this point, I think we all know the $990.00 dollars is not the issue. It’s a matter of poor and deceitful business practices, and I have the means and the funds to take this matter up legally.

In addition, please note I never signed the RMA disclosure which states any disputes are to be resolved by binding arbitration. I intentionally did not sign it for this very reason.

Look forward to hearing from you,

Brian


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[schnipples24]

I am glad to hear you got your refund. Sorry to see it turned out this way, but it seems that's pretty par for the course and the response I expected from them.

I am really happy that you have the energy/resources to stand behind this matter and threaten them legally. Hopefully they can learn a lesson from all this.

Originally Posted by streetfish

And this what I sent Monday 11/25 and have yet to receive a response:


Hello Lilly,

Actually, your manager stated he’d review the watch to see whether it had been polished or not, and we’d have a conversation after he’s reviewed it.

I never heard from him.

If your company’s stance is that I’m still liable to a restocking fee, even though you sold me a USED watch as if it were NEW, I’m ok with that.

We can pursue this matter in court.

At this point, I think we all know the $990.00 dollars is not the issue. It’s a matter of poor and deceitful business practices, and I have the means and the funds to take this matter up legally.

In addition, please note I never signed the RMA disclosure which states any disputes are to be resolved by binding arbitration. I intentionally did not sign it for this very reason.

Look forward to hearing from you,

Brian


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[rollin62]

Thanks for the updates streetfish, keep them coming, I'm interested to see how this turns out. I really hope it works out in your favor. Not sure why a business like this wouldn't want to save face and just refund the full amount. I understand the steep 10% restocking fee is to stop tire kickers, but if they don't send you the item as promised, they need to make it right. Maybe they could minus shipping costs, but $990 is not justified.

[ashbaug2]

Wow, what a bogus company. I can say I'll never do business with them. I've looked through their website hundreds of times, almost pulled the trigger on a few different watches (Mostly Omega...). I hope you get your last $1000 back, OP. Looking back, you should have taken a screen shot where they say "No Restocking Fee", but that's all hindsight...

This is one of the best types of threads on TRF, because your story has hopefully saved multiple people from buying from these @$$hats.

[ACF123]

Originally Posted by ashbaug2

This is one of the best types of threads on TRF, because your story has hopefully saved multiple people from buying from these @$$hats.

Agreed - thanks OP. Keep fighting the good fight

[psv]

Originally Posted by streetfish

And this what I sent Monday 11/25 and have yet to receive a response:


Hello Lilly,

Actually, your manager stated he’d review the watch to see whether it had been polished or not, and we’d have a conversation after he’s reviewed it.

I never heard from him.

If your company’s stance is that I’m still liable to a restocking fee, even though you sold me a USED watch as if it were NEW, I’m ok with that.

We can pursue this matter in court.

At this point, I think we all know the $990.00 dollars is not the issue. It’s a matter of poor and deceitful business practices, and I have the means and the funds to take this matter up legally.

In addition, please note I never signed the RMA disclosure which states any disputes are to be resolved by binding arbitration. I intentionally did not sign it for this very reason.

Look forward to hearing from you,

Brian


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I wish you have the patience and grit to take them to small claims court, you will surely win. Having their shady business practices show up on records, Google searches, etc might be the best thing we can hope for.

What a bunch of d-bags!

[Zakalwe]

Have you made them aware of this thread OP? They may not care, but I’d be inclined to do anything to wind them up at this point.

[GGGMT]

It’s an amazing business decision to save $900. But I’ve said before, including above, if you shop at a shop ....

OP: Have you posted a review” Who’s Who section” and “classified”?


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[streetfish]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

Have you made them aware of this thread OP? They may not care, but I’d be inclined to do anything to wind them up at this point.

During my initial conversations with the GM, he noted he had seen my "little post" on the rolex forum... So I imagine they are fully aware.

[streetfish]

Originally Posted by GGGMT

It’s an amazing business decision to save $900. But I’ve said before, including above, if you shop at a shop ....

OP: Have you posted a review” Who’s Who section” and “classified”?


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It's foolish to say the least. This post has over 11,500 views at this point... all over $990

I will be posting in-depth reviews once this all plays out.

[MKLM]

Thank you for sharing!

[433]

Did they ever admit they sold you a used polished watch?

[Notsoprobro]

By screwing you out of $990 they've screwed themselves out of thousands and thousands of dollars in sales - the fact they're not willing to make it right just goes to show how little they care about their business. I guess the online reviews highlight just as much

[erhein]

11,500 views? Not so little, is it. And that's 11,500 views by watch enthusiasts who are the folks the non-enthusiasts go to when looking for buying advice. That's a very short-sighted business practice.

[ocwatching]

thanks for the update..keep up the fight...still amazed at the poor business practice

[Tony64]

Originally Posted by streetfish

It's foolish to say the least. This post has over 11,500 views at this point... all over $990

I will be posting in-depth reviews once this all plays out.

In reality it's not even $990 because they've got the watch back in the condition it was sent. Their only cost to make this right would be the shipping.

All this bad PR over a shipping label!

[GGGMT]

Originally Posted by Tony64

In reality it's not even $990 because they've got the watch back in the condition it was sent. Their only cost to make this right would be the shipping.



All this bad PR over a shipping label!

Good point!


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[juve]

I bought 2 watches from them 2 years ago.
Never again.

[YGRLX]

well they lost a sale - I was actually going to buy something from them.

[DLCU2]

Post on WUS and other online forums to get your message across. I’m sure you’ll sway others into not purchasing from them. I certainly won’t thanks to you

[vrfman]

Pls PM me. Thank you for posting this for me & others on RF who appreciate it (there is NO excuse for what's been done to you in my opinion...those photos say it all, but $1000 really puts the bowtie on it. I thought I'd experienced, seen & heard "it all," but this prompted me to write someone for the 1st time, but only if you'd like? I will say here, you're off to a great start w/the post, & asking for advice is also very wise.

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by streetfish

During my initial conversations with the GM, he noted he had seen my "little post" on the rolex forum... So I imagine they are fully aware.

It might be small consolation, but there’s probably at least a couple of people in the company who will be feeling like chumps right about now.

It doesn’t take a great deal of time, if you’re Googling authenticwatches when researching a purchase, before the search brings up this thread.

[Ross H]

Thanks for sharing, I'd be interested in any updates you have. This is the thread that made me (finally) register to get a better handle on the world of Rolex. I was looking at buying a Deepsea from Authentic Watches, now I believe I'd be better off buying elsewhere.