Stolen Rolex

[London Gent]

You can ring up and check a serial number with Rolex UK, they will happily give out lost/stolen information over the phone.

[snowbird]

Originally Posted by London Gent

You can ring up and check a serial number with Rolex UK, they will happily give out lost/stolen information over the phone.

I wish Rolex USA took that approach, they consider that info a big secret.

[Sky-Dweller]

You can get your money back with PayPal. Contact PayPal if the seller doesn't want to refund

[cgjane]

Originally Posted by snowbird

I wish Rolex USA took that approach, they consider that info a big secret.

Why not call Rolex UK?

[Cannop]

Originally Posted by London Gent

You can ring up and check a serial number with Rolex UK, they will happily give out lost/stolen information over the phone.

I believe that policy has now changed. Rolex will now give you the information so long as you have the address of the person you are buying from. Apparantley if a stolen watch turns up the information is handed over to the police. If you supply a ficticious address to Rolex because the seller wont co-operate and give out their address then you risk explaining why it's not genuine to a police officer.

[Jan Davis]

Interesting problem.

[WatchTimes]

Call you local police.

[snowbird]

Originally Posted by cgjane

Why not call Rolex UK?

Good idea. I don't know if it's a global database or just has watches reported stolen in a specific country. If it's global that might work.

However Cannonp's post says it's not so simple in the UK anymore either . . .

[hsfrank]

I certainly hope you do not waste too much more time on this with the seller. Immediately if not sooner file a claim with Ebay,Paypal,your credit card company and your own insurance. Do not wait. File a report with your local police. Accumulate all this in writing. Delay only works to the benefit of this seller. A copy of the RSC email should be sufficient for the seller to give a full refund.

[Grissom]

Originally Posted by rolexertion

I'm a well-known customer to Rolex. They have both my home and office numbers, and my email address, etc., in their files at the CDN head office. They phoned me to politely tell me they had bad news, the watch I had dropped off that day had shown up in their database as stolen. I told them I appreciated their telling me, that I would appreciate it if they ever found one that might be stolen from me in future. They did ask where I had gotten it, I told them on ebay. If they want to know the specifics, I'll be glad to tell them.

Rolex also sent me an email with the S/N and description of the watch and where and when it had been reported stolen, listing their contact information. I copied the email to the seller. There is no excuse for the seller not to correct the situation immediately. He can very quickly and easily contact Rolex directly to get confirmation of my report of the problem.

Rolex always keeps and returns stolen goods to the rightful owner. I see that is a big reason to buy Rolex.

Definitely, should the seller not immediately refund you your payment in full, if, hopefully, you paid via Paypal, file a dispute with PayPal, indicating that you were sold a stolen watch, and include the email from Rolex....that should be sufficient, for PayPal to refund you all your money.

Let us know what happens, and good luck!

[RolexWatcher]

So just to confirm - when you buy a second hand Rolex, do the good sellers verified that the watches they have are all legit with RSC before they sell the watch to buyers?

[Yazo]

This sucks... hope you get your dough back.

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by JYogi

Call you local police.

That'd be a good start.

[bodybump]

Wow!!! im still hoping that mine would show up!!! Send paypal the email you getting from RSC..and they will issue you a refund for it...

[ingoodtime]

Crap...that really sucks for you! I bought a pre owned sub with box and papers from a small jewelry store chain. I hope and pray it was legit. It would really suck to send it in for service a few years from now only to hear that kind of news! Makes me never want to buy preowned again.

Rolex should make that database available to everyone.

[HL65]

Wow---crazy!! I hope you get your money asap!!!

[indeuce]

yeah it's stories like these that make me think twice about buying via grey market. i really hope you get all of this resolved (getting your money back!) in a timely fashion!!

[Art 1]

Originally Posted by indeuce

yeah it's stories like these that make me think twice about buying via grey market. i really hope you get all of this resolved (getting your money back!) in a timely fashion!!

Same with me.

[rolexgmtmaster]

Good to know, one has to be careful before buying anything from second hand. The ebay dealer should keep a record of everyone he/she buys from. Similar to how a pawnshop keeps track of things, they don't have to fingerprint them, but a phone number and address may suffice, that way it'll at least deter any thieves and keep their good name.

[SS Oyster]

This scenario is precisely why I started the below thread ... wondering if this could happen on any used watch.

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthrea...Register+Rolex

[springer]

Originally Posted by rolexertion

Recently bought a Rolex from a 99.9%+ retailer on the 'bay. Took it to RSC right away for a full service and I'm sure glad I did. It was in their database as as a stolen item. I guess it's on its way home by now. Contacted the seller right away wanting a full refund, so far he's playing the 'need more information' game. What part of 'it's a stolen watch' do not yet get? I think he doesn't want this to blow up into something bigger than it already is.

Good luck with the seller. Looks like one for the good guys for a change.

[duckdown]

So they take it away from you and leave YOU the one screwed and out money? You paid the money, the seller received it, and Rolex took your watch away.. Thats brutal :(

[Garys]

Why are some of you so quick to blame the seller? Are they guilty until proven innocent on this forum?

Often the seller is just as much of victim as the buyer?

I doubt the eBay seller knew the watch was stolen if they were a high volume seller.

I also doubt that the "trusted" TRF sellers check every watch they sell.

If the eBay seller drags their feet on the refund then they need to be exposed but I'd think long and hard about whether or not it was reasonable for them to know they were selling a stolen watch.

[KR200]

Originally Posted by InVision

This is a scary situation. If the seller makes good quickly I would not publish his/her name. If it is not resolved quickly I would give him/her a 2 day notice that you plan to publish their name. Just my take. IMHO.

Mike

I agree

[Jonte]

What about if you send your watch for service many years later, then it would be even harder to get refound.

And what about if the orginal buyer isnt the one that have filed the watch stolen, is he just gone get his old watch sendt to him from Rolex service?

[Jason71]

Very interesting thread indeed. I will be watching this closely to see if the seller does the right thing.

One question..........did the watch come with all the bits? Or, was it only the watch without box, papers, tags, etc............

[scotty38]

Originally Posted by rolexertion

Recently bought a Rolex from a 99.9%+ retailer on the 'bay. Took it to RSC right away for a full service and I'm sure glad I did. It was in their database as as a stolen item. I guess it's on its way home by now. Contacted the seller right away wanting a full refund, so far he's playing the 'need more information' game. What part of 'it's a stolen watch' do not yet get? I think he doesn't want this to blow up into something bigger than it already is.

What about the "buyer" claims to the "seller" that it's stolen and asks for his money back as Rolex have kept it?
He then ends up with the watch and his money.... If I were a legitimate seller there would be no way I'd be refunding anything on the basis of a few emails and phone calls....

I'm not implying any guilt or wrongdoing on anyone here, just another scenario....

[rolexertion]

Originally Posted by ingoodtime

Crap...that really sucks for you! I bought a pre owned sub with box and papers from a small jewelry store chain. I hope and pray it was legit. It would really suck to send it in for service a few years from now only to hear that kind of news! Makes me never want to buy preowned again.

Rolex should make that database available to everyone.

I agree one should be careful. I always check the seller's bona fides carefully, and use payment methods that offer redress for fraud or non-performance. And it's also why ANY used Rolexes I buy go straight to RSC for a checkout. I always factor the cost of a full service into my budget for a used Rolex. I recommend that to everyone.

[hsfrank]

Originally Posted by Garys

Why are some of you so quick to blame the seller? Are they guilty until proven innocent on this forum?

Often the seller is just as much of victim as the buyer?

I doubt the eBay seller knew the watch was stolen if they were a high volume seller.

I also doubt that the "trusted" TRF sellers check every watch they sell.

If the eBay seller drags their feet on the refund then they need to be exposed but I'd think long and hard about whether or not it was reasonable for them to know they were selling a stolen watch.

I blame the seller for his remark of having to get his money back first.

[rolexertion]

Originally Posted by scotty38

What about the "buyer" claims to the "seller" that it's stolen and asks for his money back as Rolex have kept it?
He then ends up with the watch and his money.... If I were a legitimate seller there would be no way I'd be refunding anything on the basis of a few emails and phone calls....

I'm not implying any guilt or wrongdoing on anyone here, just another scenario....

You might have missed the part of my posts where I said I gave the seller Rolex's contact information, to confirm that they had seized the watch as a stolen item. I advised him to contact Rolex himself. He doesn't have to rely on just my word for it.