On 4th June I completed the web contact form on the auction house's own website. Here is a screen grab of it, with the full text of my submission on the yellow "sticky" :
On 6th June I emailed this to the address published on their website :
On 9th June I wrote this "comment" on the company's Facebook page :
I also tweeted them that day :
On 12th June I wrote to the company through Facebook messenger :
I tried to speak with the valuation team / proprietor earlier this week but was told that no one was available.
About half an hour before the auction started (perhaps an hour and a half before the watch itself was offered), I called again and this time received an audience. The conversation being on speakerphone has been minuted thus :
HE : "Hello, can I help?"
HM :"Good morning, yes. A bit of advice if you could please. I've sent messages through your website contact page and through email, and through your Facebook message, and left a comment on your Facebook page about a lot in today's sale, the Rolex Double Red Sea-Dweller supposedly, which is INcorrect. I've not had a response to anything and the sale still seems to be going ahead. What could I do to try to save you and the potential bidders from going through with that transaction?"
HE : "Um...well...it's not for me to comment."
HM : "Then whom could I speak to, because I've sent messages through all the correct media - your website contact page, email, Facebook page, even Twitter and not had a response to anything, which is unusual."
HE : "As you may be aware we've had a huge amount of interest, um, and as a consequence of that, um, there's a lot of people ready to press the button."
HM : "But if the item is incorrect - and I sent through my credentials for..."
HE : "Well have you...Look, we're just about to start the sale. It's not for me to say. It's not my business..."
HM : "Well that's why I sent it, er, days ago, I think it was the 4th, 5th and 8th were the dates of those early correspondences...er...if it goes ahead the publicity and so on that would arise from it is going to be horrific, particularly when it's on record that all those contacts have been made. I invited correspondence. I gave my credentials at the time. I sit on two of the trade bodies of the jewellery industry..."
HE : "It's up to Mr. Humbert to respond to you if you feel so... I can't speak to you. It's not my business. I'm aware of your interest but, er...we're about to start the sale so it will go ahead, the watch will be offered so that's all I can tell you at this stage."
HM : "Ok, so my messages were received, you've confirmed that much."
HE : "I believe so, yeah."
HM : "Thankyou very much. Ok. Bye."