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jmassey215 · 28 November 2015, 09:52 AM

Dear All,

Sorry for my delayed response and thanks for the opportunity to hear my side of the side of the scenario.

I contacted Eddie via TRF upon seeing his Omega GSOTM listed for trade. I mentioned that I had bought a new Rolex Polar Explorer II from Alfred (FNFZ4), a highly respected seller/member on TRF 2 months ago and had since worn the watch twice since owning it.

I mentioned to Eddie that I was burned once in the past and asked if he would be willing to find a trusted TRF member to serve as a middle-man to look at our watches and state his finding before completing the deal. We could pay the TRF member and for shipping both ways. This was really suggested to protect both our interests/assets. Eddie explained he was a little reluctant, given the added cost etc…

I was still a little hesitant until Eddie agreed to send his watch first, so I could see it and feel comfortable and I would send him the Polar Explorer II once all checked out ok. I felt much more confident in the deal after this.

We exchanged photos of our watches and I did tell Eddie that I did wear the watch twice and hopefully the photos I sent accurately verified its condition. He did ask if there were any dents or dings on the crystal or bezel and I said, it’s like brand new. The bracelet did have some light desk diving marks and the watch does have a faint scratch on the side case, but not as noticeable as Eddie seems to have photo shopped in the posting. I sent a slew of photos and asked if he needed any others to feel comfortable. I also sent feedback from deals on WUS that I had done.

I connected Eddie to Alfred via group text because he mentioned that he was looking for a making Explorer for his wife and I thought they could communicate if interested.

In any case, I did receive the watch the next day and was very happy with the condition. I in turn sent his watch overnight as described with tracking and fully insured, exactly as stated. I tracked the package online and contacted Eddie to ensure it was received and he was happy.

He said the watch had some desk diving marks and the faint mark on the case. I said that the watch was worn twice and this is common with any worn watch (and pictures were sent to verify its condition). I also explained that a good watchmaker can polish these out if it bothers you.

Fifteen minutes pass and I get a text saying the A on the dial was missing the left leg. I explained that I didn’t recall that error, but I would check with Alfred to see if he had any prior photos to verify this (the original dial photo I sent to Eddie didn’t show this).
This is where things went south. Eddie took it upon himself to contact Alfred and ask for a new replacement Polar Explorer II, without contacting me first. When Alfred didn’t give him what he wanted, he asked me to send him $400 and he would deal with it. I explained that I would not give him any $$ without trying to verify the dial issue. He then asked that I exchange our watches and go on our way.

This turn of events had me very skeptical and concerned.

Alfred called me soon after saying that Eddie called and demanded a new replacement and that I should be very careful about any further demands from Eddie. Alfred explained to Eddie that the watch is under full warranty and the dial could be replaced if he was unhappy. Eddie called me shortly thereafter saying Alfred was unprofessional and that he called the Rolex Service Center (RSC) saying the watch had to be returned to the original Rolex AD where purchased and have the issue dealt with. I told Eddie that Alfred is a very trustworthy and respected member/seller on TRF and I cannot believe this was the case. I also explained that the RSC wouldn’t do that, since the AD wouldn’t service this type of scenario onsite (they would have you send it to a RSC). Then Eddie divulged that the real reason is that he didn’t want the watch opened up at the RSC and it wouldn’t be the same condition if opened. I said the RSC deals with countless issues and routine servicing and would send the watch back looking like new.

Eddie clearly wasn’t happy and I said I wasn’t doing anything until Alfred got back to me with his accounting on the watch dial condition (which I said would be the next day). He said that was fine and would wait for my response. He then sent texts over the course of that night, saying he found the watch Alfred sold me on TRF and sent photos with the dial. These were stock photos with serial numbers blacked out. There was no way to tell this was the exact watch and the dial didn’t look like there was an error. Eddie also sent a group text to Alfred and I that same night saying Alfred shouldn’t be involved in this and I should just exchange his watch.

That night Alfred told me that he couldn’t find anything to support the dial issue and to be very careful of a possible scam and he didn’t want to be involved any further. I thanked him for all he had done and I too didn’t want him involved in this further.

I contacted Eddie and said that Alfred didn’t see anything wrong with the dial and if he had a problem to contact the RSC to have it replaced. Eddie of course was not happy and demanded that I exchange his watch back.

At this point, his erratic and irrational behavior had me question whether he had a fake or broken Rolex Explorer II that I would get if I exchanged his Omega. His lack of feedback or reputation on any forum didn’t help me, so I made the choice to tell him to deal with RSC to get the dial fixed.

He said he was going to keep the watch and write this up on all the forums. I said that was his right and I’ll be happy to respond to them. I did say that given his behavior and lack of feedback on these forums would be hard to convince TRF members that we did anything wrong. Alfred is a solid and trusted member and I’ve done numerous deals without anything other than superior service and communication.

This scenario has been extremely frustrating for me and makes me hesitant to do future deals outside of members with solid feedback/reputation.

I’ll end by saying that I pride myself on honesty and integrity. I haven’t done many deals on TRF, other than selling and trading with Alfred and David S. Williams. They can both verify what kind of person I am. Members on WUS can also speak to my integrity and honesty.

Hope this information is helpful and thanks for taking the time to read it

28 November 2015, 09:52 AM	#39
jmassey215 "TRF" Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: PA Posts: 127	Dear All, Sorry for my delayed response and thanks for the opportunity to hear my side of the side of the scenario. I contacted Eddie via TRF upon seeing his Omega GSOTM listed for trade. I mentioned that I had bought a new Rolex Polar Explorer II from Alfred (FNFZ4), a highly respected seller/member on TRF 2 months ago and had since worn the watch twice since owning it. I mentioned to Eddie that I was burned once in the past and asked if he would be willing to find a trusted TRF member to serve as a middle-man to look at our watches and state his finding before completing the deal. We could pay the TRF member and for shipping both ways. This was really suggested to protect both our interests/assets. Eddie explained he was a little reluctant, given the added cost etc… I was still a little hesitant until Eddie agreed to send his watch first, so I could see it and feel comfortable and I would send him the Polar Explorer II once all checked out ok. I felt much more confident in the deal after this. We exchanged photos of our watches and I did tell Eddie that I did wear the watch twice and hopefully the photos I sent accurately verified its condition. He did ask if there were any dents or dings on the crystal or bezel and I said, it’s like brand new. The bracelet did have some light desk diving marks and the watch does have a faint scratch on the side case, but not as noticeable as Eddie seems to have photo shopped in the posting. I sent a slew of photos and asked if he needed any others to feel comfortable. I also sent feedback from deals on WUS that I had done. I connected Eddie to Alfred via group text because he mentioned that he was looking for a making Explorer for his wife and I thought they could communicate if interested. In any case, I did receive the watch the next day and was very happy with the condition. I in turn sent his watch overnight as described with tracking and fully insured, exactly as stated. I tracked the package online and contacted Eddie to ensure it was received and he was happy. He said the watch had some desk diving marks and the faint mark on the case. I said that the watch was worn twice and this is common with any worn watch (and pictures were sent to verify its condition). I also explained that a good watchmaker can polish these out if it bothers you. Fifteen minutes pass and I get a text saying the A on the dial was missing the left leg. I explained that I didn’t recall that error, but I would check with Alfred to see if he had any prior photos to verify this (the original dial photo I sent to Eddie didn’t show this). This is where things went south. Eddie took it upon himself to contact Alfred and ask for a new replacement Polar Explorer II, without contacting me first. When Alfred didn’t give him what he wanted, he asked me to send him $400 and he would deal with it. I explained that I would not give him any $$ without trying to verify the dial issue. He then asked that I exchange our watches and go on our way. This turn of events had me very skeptical and concerned. Alfred called me soon after saying that Eddie called and demanded a new replacement and that I should be very careful about any further demands from Eddie. Alfred explained to Eddie that the watch is under full warranty and the dial could be replaced if he was unhappy. Eddie called me shortly thereafter saying Alfred was unprofessional and that he called the Rolex Service Center (RSC) saying the watch had to be returned to the original Rolex AD where purchased and have the issue dealt with. I told Eddie that Alfred is a very trustworthy and respected member/seller on TRF and I cannot believe this was the case. I also explained that the RSC wouldn’t do that, since the AD wouldn’t service this type of scenario onsite (they would have you send it to a RSC). Then Eddie divulged that the real reason is that he didn’t want the watch opened up at the RSC and it wouldn’t be the same condition if opened. I said the RSC deals with countless issues and routine servicing and would send the watch back looking like new. Eddie clearly wasn’t happy and I said I wasn’t doing anything until Alfred got back to me with his accounting on the watch dial condition (which I said would be the next day). He said that was fine and would wait for my response. He then sent texts over the course of that night, saying he found the watch Alfred sold me on TRF and sent photos with the dial. These were stock photos with serial numbers blacked out. There was no way to tell this was the exact watch and the dial didn’t look like there was an error. Eddie also sent a group text to Alfred and I that same night saying Alfred shouldn’t be involved in this and I should just exchange his watch. That night Alfred told me that he couldn’t find anything to support the dial issue and to be very careful of a possible scam and he didn’t want to be involved any further. I thanked him for all he had done and I too didn’t want him involved in this further. I contacted Eddie and said that Alfred didn’t see anything wrong with the dial and if he had a problem to contact the RSC to have it replaced. Eddie of course was not happy and demanded that I exchange his watch back. At this point, his erratic and irrational behavior had me question whether he had a fake or broken Rolex Explorer II that I would get if I exchanged his Omega. His lack of feedback or reputation on any forum didn’t help me, so I made the choice to tell him to deal with RSC to get the dial fixed. He said he was going to keep the watch and write this up on all the forums. I said that was his right and I’ll be happy to respond to them. I did say that given his behavior and lack of feedback on these forums would be hard to convince TRF members that we did anything wrong. Alfred is a solid and trusted member and I’ve done numerous deals without anything other than superior service and communication. This scenario has been extremely frustrating for me and makes me hesitant to do future deals outside of members with solid feedback/reputation. I’ll end by saying that I pride myself on honesty and integrity. I haven’t done many deals on TRF, other than selling and trading with Alfred and David S. Williams. They can both verify what kind of person I am. Members on WUS can also speak to my integrity and honesty. Hope this information is helpful and thanks for taking the time to read it