Bob's Watches ... bad policy, horrible experience.

[Harry-57]

Originally Posted by Mariner

That's right.

Photo by Google.

Someone should tell Bob's Watches.

Fancy a seller not knowing that.

[cuibono]

Originally Posted by nsguy

You keep suggesting you would have to make "another appointment", when in fact, you didn't have an appointment to begin with. It was nice of them to accomodate you so close to closing time, not even considering the fact we're in a global pandemic. In addition, Bob's is a primarily online business, and it's possible, perhaps even likely, they aren't fully staffed in their brick & motor location because of the pandemic. Most sales associates are likely working remotely when possible and only coming in when they need to handle merchandise.

Also, there's no reason to believe there's anything wrong with the two watches they showed you. Older Submariners are notorious for requiring extra force to move the bezels, especially when compared to anything newer than 1990. Many people familiar with only modern Rolex are surprised when trying to handle older watches. And the GMT was likely fine as well. Not all Rolexes wind as smoothly as modern ones.

Overall you're trying pretty hard to pull the victim card for who knows what reason, when in reality you showed up to a business with no appointment, an hour before closing, during the largest global pandemic our generation has seen, and asked to see maybe $100,000+ in inventory with no visible intention (as you noted yourself) on buying anything.

This take is almost as bad as that other forum poster complaining about having to wait in line at the Apple store. This may be a good time to reassess what matters in life and focus on actual problems instead of trying to create drama for yourself.

I was going to make a snarky comment but after reading this missive, I'll just give you a +1 and leave it at that.

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk

[Marcjvr]

At least they didn’t say you would be added to the list and would have to buy watches you didn’t want to to stand a chance...

[DoDe]

Maybe the SA had a bad day. Maybe you misunderstood each other. Maybe the OP could have been treated better. But a «horrible experience»? Really OP?

[cuibono]

Originally Posted by -Skyfall-

Karen wants to speak with the manager. Because he didn't get what he wanted. Pretty common attitude in people with a little bit of money. Whine when told “no”.

lol

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Did you know you have to push down on the 5513 bezel to make it turn?

[rolexjackson]

Horrible business practice, I’ll never deal with anyone who treated me that way. Thanks for sharing your story

[samson66]

Originally Posted by nsguy

You keep suggesting you would have to make "another appointment", when in fact, you didn't have an appointment to begin with. It was nice of them to accomodate you so close to closing time, not even considering the fact we're in a global pandemic. In addition, Bob's is a primarily online business, and it's possible, perhaps even likely, they aren't fully staffed in their brick & motor location because of the pandemic. Most sales associates are likely working remotely when possible and only coming in when they need to handle merchandise.

Also, there's no reason to believe there's anything wrong with the two watches they showed you. Older Submariners are notorious for requiring extra force to move the bezels, especially when compared to anything newer than 1990. Many people familiar with only modern Rolex are surprised when trying to handle older watches. And the GMT was likely fine as well. Not all Rolexes wind as smoothly as modern ones.

Overall you're trying pretty hard to pull the victim card for who knows what reason, when in reality you showed up to a business with no appointment, an hour before closing, during the largest global pandemic our generation has seen, and asked to see maybe $100,000+ in inventory with no visible intention (as you noted yourself) on buying anything.

This take is almost as bad as that other forum poster complaining about having to wait in line at the Apple store. This may be a good time to reassess what matters in life and focus on actual problems instead of trying to create drama for yourself.

This

[time.onmyhands]

Originally Posted by GGGMT

I’ve bought 3 watches from Bobs. Great experience and great watches and would do so again. (All on line and not at the store). It seems a little lame to show up at 4p during Covid when they, like most, are doing appt only, see some watches and get accommodated, and then bellyache.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What? They close at 5; how much of a buffer do they need, and shouldn’t that be conveyed to the perspective customer? And stop using COVID; they’re open. So do business right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NachoNeal]

They lost a potential future customer (even if he was tire kicking). That's how I view it.

[SDREW22]

Choosing to view seven watches within an hour of closing time doesn't seem like the best choice.

[GGGMT]

Originally Posted by nsguy

You keep suggesting you would have to make "another appointment", when in fact, you didn't have an appointment to begin with. It was nice of them to accomodate you so close to closing time, not even considering the fact we're in a global pandemic. In addition, Bob's is a primarily online business, and it's possible, perhaps even likely, they aren't fully staffed in their brick & motor location because of the pandemic. Most sales associates are likely working remotely when possible and only coming in when they need to handle merchandise.

Also, there's no reason to believe there's anything wrong with the two watches they showed you. Older Submariners are notorious for requiring extra force to move the bezels, especially when compared to anything newer than 1990. Many people familiar with only modern Rolex are surprised when trying to handle older watches. And the GMT was likely fine as well. Not all Rolexes wind as smoothly as modern ones.

Overall you're trying pretty hard to pull the victim card for who knows what reason, when in reality you showed up to a business with no appointment, an hour before closing, during the largest global pandemic our generation has seen, and asked to see maybe $100,000+ in inventory with no visible intention (as you noted yourself) on buying anything.

This take is almost as bad as that other forum poster complaining about having to wait in line at the Apple store. This may be a good time to reassess what matters in life and focus on actual problems instead of trying to create drama for yourself.

X2. It doesn’t seem like Bobs did anything wrong here other than try to accommodate a bellyacher right before they closed for the day. They should’ve just stuck to the policy and told 0P to make an appointment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lukebennett21]

There are so many different reasons this could have occurred - it probably takes time to pick, process/QA and replace the watches - who knows if they had any support in the back or even appropriate security measures in place to pull $100,000 of stock right before close.

Since you were trying on multiple vintage watches, seeing if bracelets could fit, winding crowns, turning bezels, what if you had mishandled one? In a rush to restock before close they end up shipping the watch out to a paying customer with a new unrecognized issue or imperfection? That’s costly.


Also, what if that SA was not comfortable handling a potential confrontation right before close if an issue did come up. The fact that you essentially confronted them over the phone after the fact tells me that they likely made the correct decision.

[Cigars&Watches]

Sounds like a lot of people think they did the OP a favour by letting him in to look at some watches he MAY want to buy. When he didnt pull the trigger quick enough they kicked out. Poor customer service. If they let him in they should have treated OP professionally. Solution is simple though, don’t give them any of your business.

[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by Marcjvr

At least they didn’t say you would be added to the list and would have to buy watches you didn’t want to to stand a chance...

You made my day LOL. What a crazy Rolex age we currently live in


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tudorbaja27]

When protocol is used (as opposed to common sense) - well, we just have more and more imbeciles making decisions.

[Jack T]

If businesses posted signs at the door “No Tire Kicking Permitted”, “No Browsing Without Explicit Intentions to Purchase”, “Our Staff Is Trained to Figure You Out the Moment You Walk Thru the Door”, “No Admittance Within One Hour of Closing”, “We’re Really An Online Vendor, Don’t Be Fooled By This Storefront”...

imagine how different the shopping experience would be.

[77T]

Originally Posted by SS Oyster

What does this have to do with a pandemic? They are open for business (their choice), and they want to sell watches. They have a store, which was open by their choice. They had sales associates, which were not busy. They accepted me at the door. I would have been fine had they said I had to have an appointment, but they said come in. They told me two only at a time, not two total.

I have handled a lot of watches, and that sub’s bezel would not budge.

For those defending them, I guess this is how you’d like to be treated. Sorry, not me.

For some (as yet unknown) reason, the SA did not want to proceed further.

When the receptionist said 2 watches at a time, then “at a time” was ambiguous - “per appointment” would have been a better statement.

Your expectations were unfulfilled because this was an unknown policy (i.e. the per appointment issue).

Could you expand on your trouble with the 5513’s bezel? Did you know to press down to move it? It’s not germane to your rant about unfulfilled expectations, but helps frame the SA’s growing desire to leave for the day... recall she mentioned closing time.

Hopefully overnight you’ve absorbed some of the opinions here to see that 1)Bob’s could have done better, and 2)This isn’t a such a big deal.

I have worked with shops where the SA’s primarily make money selling on the phone or via internet chats. They usually only handle clients in-shop after some pre-visit vetting.

Nobody likes a disappointment - yours is such a case.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[214270Explorer]

delete, not finished.

[Robert Bruce]

They sound like artifically hifalutin, smarmy snobs. Run, don't walk, away.

[Maxy]

Originally Posted by SDREW22

Choosing to view seven watches within an hour of closing time doesn't seem like the best choice.

+ without appointment and walk-in person.

[gyang333]

I will preface by saying, I have only ever dealt with them over the phone and via email. I've bought 3 of my 4 Rolex from them and have had pretty excellent customer service. They do have their rules that they are pretty rigid, which seems a bit weird as someone mentioned earlier that the mark of truly exceptional customer service is to be somewhat flexible. It seems weird that they let you in without an appointment but then stuck by the 2 watch rule. They kind of half-assed accommodating you which is a bit weird.

[77T]

Originally Posted by SDREW22

Choosing to view seven watches within an hour of closing time doesn't seem like the best choice.

Just adding that this is the modus operandi of comparison shoppers, and/or Yelpers paid to survey a shop by one’s competitors.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Robert Bruce]

Originally Posted by nsguy

You keep suggesting you would have to make "another appointment", when in fact, you didn't have an appointment to begin with. It was nice of them to accomodate you so close to closing time, not even considering the fact we're in a global pandemic. In addition, Bob's is a primarily online business, and it's possible, perhaps even likely, they aren't fully staffed in their brick & motor location because of the pandemic. Most sales associates are likely working remotely when possible and only coming in when they need to handle merchandise.

Also, there's no reason to believe there's anything wrong with the two watches they showed you. Older Submariners are notorious for requiring extra force to move the bezels, especially when compared to anything newer than 1990. Many people familiar with only modern Rolex are surprised when trying to handle older watches. And the GMT was likely fine as well. Not all Rolexes wind as smoothly as modern ones.

Overall you're trying pretty hard to pull the victim card for who knows what reason, when in reality you showed up to a business with no appointment, an hour before closing, during the largest global pandemic our generation has seen, and asked to see maybe $100,000+ in inventory with no visible intention (as you noted yourself) on buying anything.

This take is almost as bad as that other forum poster complaining about having to wait in line at the Apple store. This may be a good time to reassess what matters in life and focus on actual problems instead of trying to create drama for yourself.

Do you work for Bob's?

[sp5702]

Also sounds like they had you pegged correctly considering you went to another dealer to just kick the tires there....

[214270Explorer]

Their business, their rules. (And any business can make it up as they go to suit their needs.)

Asking to see so many watches was probably rude and burdensome to them, anyway. IMHO you were rather thoughtless, demanding and overboard with your quantity request.

More than likely you would have been treated better had you asked to see only a pair instead of so much stock.

Sorry, but I side with Bob's on this one.

[desmomini]

She didn't like you.

It happens.

[VogelPhoenix]

Originally Posted by SS Oyster

And maybe I should have told them I was willing to pay over asking price also? Why? I don't think you should ever tell someone your intent. Retailers should try to earn your business IMO.

Well, looks like Bob's Watches disagrees with you there

[HogwldFLTR]

i bought a Daytona 116500LN from them and they were the lowest price I could find at the time. It came beautifully packaged and in presentation condition. I had no issue with them. It really doesn't sound like you have anything to complain about and are just bitching at them. Don't go back and don't deal with them if you feel you don't like them. Vote with your feet. On the other hand your complaint does dive them some free press!!!

[SS Oyster]

No matter my intention visiting their store, it's their job to convince me to purchase one of their watches ... not my job to thank them for accommodating me nor convince them of my intention to purchase. For anyone who owns a business, it is HARD to get potential customers to enter your store, and once they do, it is the job of your sales people to make them feel welcome and show them value ... either in price, selection or service ... they did none of those things. As a matter of fact, they alienated me by making me feel unwelcome. Treating anyone who walks through your door poorly doesn't serve the business well, so comments from many saying the store did the right thing was very surprising to me.