My Patek 5990 is FINALLY at HSWA NYC for Service.

[SubKing]

I think it's important to discuss everyone's experience with brands, positive or negative. It creates brand awareness for consumers.

It teaches all of us what to look out for when purchasing a new piece.

I have always respected Patek and I won't forget all of their accomplishments over the years, But in the last few years, the brand has certainly IMO taken a dive in QC.

Thanks to those for all the supportive comments. I will keep this thread updated as I am updated.


I hope that my experience from here on, is positive. Fingers crossed.

[lmcgbaj]

Originally Posted by SMD

If they do not have the staff, it's because they choose not to invest in the customer service side of the business. That is a conscious choice on Patek's part.

+100

AP is the perfect example of excellent customer service and they have similar volumes if not higher.

Let's be honest folks, you hear so many such stories that you wonder if Patek actually forgot that Customer Service is an important part of the business.

[daytonaTBR]

That stinks to hear. Hope it gets resolved asap. Patek's QC and Customer Service is quite questionable these days. . . .

[SubKing]

Originally Posted by lmcgbaj

+100

AP is the perfect example of excellent customer service and they have similar volumes if not higher.

Let's be honest folks, you hear so many such stories that you wonder if Patek actually forgot that Customer Service is an important part of the business.

couldn't agree with you more George

[RyanNL]

I can recommend a zero tolerance towards PP too. I once got the message that if it passes PP quality control that nothing could be wrong except for your own opinion. The polishing of the case looks like quite a big mistake as they brushed off way too much steel. How is the service now?

[SubKing]

************************************************** *************UPDATE******************************* ***********************************


So it has been 2 weeks since my patek 5990 landed at the NYC service center..

I picked up the phone to call and speak to pat, the director of customer support. He called me back several hours later to inform me that he does have news and my phone call was just in time.

He said my watch is about to be shipped back to Geneva and how I have had more people working on this for me than I know. My AD, My AD's Rep, the president of Patek N.A. and they have all reached a conclusion...

I was expecting bad news like I am going to lose my watch for months and they are going to refinish it and service it etc..

But it was actually the opposite. He said they saw all of the flaws and are going to ship me a full replacement watch.. He said he does not have an exact time frame of when they will get a new 5990, but it won't be long.. I said as long as its not months.. He said no it wont take that long. I got the drift from him that maybe a couple weeks it will take, but I wasn't given an exact time frame.

Either way, I am glad patek saw all the flaws. They must know that this was a serious problem because I cannot imagine they hand out replacement watches regularly?

I truly hope they make sure the watch I get this time is the way it should have been in the first place, free of flaws.

I would have loved if they offered me a small gift for the trouble I had, like a leather travel watch case for my 5990 or some kind of small patek branded gift, but I can't complain I guess as long as I get a proper watch returned.

Still not the best service experience looking back, but the watch is the important thing here and it has been made right at the end of the day, regardless of how I had to get to this point.

I was told I have to return the original boxes and certificate as I will get all new ones..

I will post pictures when my new 5990 lands at my AD.

[subtona]

That's good news, glad they are getting it right.

Pat is a nice guy, I had dealt with him when I dropped off my watch some time back (still waiting on it)

Hope you get your new watch asap

[GB-man]

Glad you are getting the correct outcome. I hope this one shows up without flaw. Fingers crossed

They didn't feel the need to send me any free gifts. Oh well atleast my watch is correct now

[el1125]

Seems like the best outcome IMO. Hopefully the new one will be trouble free!

[SpunkyQ8]

Glad things are working to your side!

[Passionata]

Glad to hear they make it right for you!

[waisoserious]

This would piss me off to no end. You should tell them to take care of your watch first, and then investigate why your messages werent responded to, QC, etc on their own damn time.

Then report back with results.

edit: nvm, congratulations!

[RussW]

I've been following your story with a lot of interest. Good to hear you've got the right outcome. You might get some free gifts when you pick your watch up. If not I would ask for something.

[PJ S]

Originally Posted by SubKing

My Ad does know of the situation. I just wanted to be the one to personally ship it in and explain to Patek the detailed issues with pictures.. My AD actually got their rep to get the president of N.A. Involved with this as I told them the employees thus far at the service center have not been very easy to deal with. The owner of the AD will know more by Friday.
My AD has my back because at the end of the day, they don't want to get a returned product and lose a customer for their best line..

As I read this thread, I can’t help but have two thoughts spring to mind:
1) You’ve made a rod for your own back
2) You’re being a bit of a martyr to the cause

As others have said, which I wholeheartedly agree with, you should have just handed the watch back to the AD, and asked for a replacement (if prepared to wait a while) or a refund, in order to purchase elsewhere.

I can’t fathom why you’d willingly subject yourself to the hassles and concerns you have about being without your brand new watch, when you have recourse to consumer law for rejecting it.
Surely your time is more valuable than to chase this matter to the extent you have thus far.

Regarding the notion that the AD “has your back” – doubtful. More likely a simple case of having a vested interest in retaining the profit you’ve provided him with. That’s all the motivation he needs, but he’s as powerless as you are to enforce any timescale on PP, irrespective of the rep’s input.
If he really had your back, the watch wouldn’t have been presented to you in its current state.

All that’s happened, is a high priced commodity has been delivered and then handed over to you.
ADs shouldn’t be a pseudo second-tier QC, but often times that is exactly what they are.

[PJ S]

Originally Posted by SubKing

I can't say I agree with what you're saying.
Patek made the watch, not my dealer. So it's up to Patek to make it right. It is the choice of the client of who I wish to deal directly with...

If Patek didn't want to deal with the public, then they wouldn't allow me to work with them, they would refer me to my AD... But they didn't, so obviously they are set up to deal with the public, they are just not very good at it...

Incorrect – or as I would normally just say, nonsense!
You are afforded a courtesy or goodwill by PP to liaise with them directly, but they could’ve just as easily told you to go through the AD.
Your consumer rights, as defined under applicable laws for your region/state, are provided in relation to whom your purchase was made from.
In other words, your contract is with the retailer, not the manufacturer – this comes up all the time because manufacturers from various sectors, over the years, have agreed to take charge of this area themselves.
There are a number of reasons for that, but this isn’t the time to go into it.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by PJ S

Incorrect – or as I would normally just say, nonsense!
You are afforded a courtesy or goodwill by PP to liaise with them directly, but they could’ve just as easily told you to go through the AD.
Your consumer rights, as defined under applicable laws for your region/state, are provided in relation to whom your purchase was made from.
In other words, your contract is with the retailer, not the manufacturer – this comes up all the time because manufacturers from various sectors, over the years, have agreed to take charge of this area themselves.
There are a number of reasons for that, but this isn’t the time to go into it.

That's all good and well PJ but in this day and age customers of low end consumer products, never mind high end luxury goods, are accustomed to a higher level of service.

Buyers of Patek phillipe are likely pampered by most any brand they interact with and you only need to look to direct competitors of PP to see others make thier service department and customer service look pathetic.

It's not a sustainable model at this price point. Remember, OP would not have had to contact PP directly if they had a reputation for quality and timely service.

I say so because I sent my new PP back through my AD the first time, only to wait longer, receive poor service and communication from my AD, and receive back a watch in worse condition that when I sent it out.

Second rodeo I sent it direct to Hswa myself and let them know how pathetic thier work was. They agreed and handled it quickly.

[RussW]

Originally Posted by PJ S

As I read this thread, I can’t help but have two thoughts spring to mind:
1) You’ve made a rod for your own back
2) You’re being a bit of a martyr to the cause

As others have said, which I wholeheartedly agree with, you should have just handed the watch back to the AD, and asked for a replacement (if prepared to wait a while) or a refund, in order to purchase elsewhere.

I can’t fathom why you’d willingly subject yourself to the hassles and concerns you have about being without your brand new watch, when you have recourse to consumer law for rejecting it.
Surely your time is more valuable than to chase this matter to the extent you have thus far.

Regarding the notion that the AD “has your back” – doubtful. More likely a simple case of having a vested interest in retaining the profit you’ve provided him with. That’s all the motivation he needs, but he’s as powerless as you are to enforce any timescale on PP, irrespective of the rep’s input.
If he really had your back, the watch wouldn’t have been presented to you in its current state.

All that’s happened, is a high priced commodity has been delivered and then handed over to you.
ADs shouldn’t be a pseudo second-tier QC, but often times that is exactly what they are.

Not sure if you missed the latest update from Subking, but Patek are providing a new watch. Whether you agree with the approach taken or not, perseverance and handling this personally has paid off. It could have turned out differently otherwise.

[PJ S]

Yes, Russ, I did read to the end, and am pleased to see the OP is getting it replaced.
At lot of hoop jumping to get to the same place he would’ve been had he just returned it to the AD as of unsatisfactory quality.
Nonetheless, all’s well that ends well, I suppose.

[SubKing]

Originally Posted by RussW

I've been following your story with a lot of interest. Good to hear you've got the right outcome. You might get some free gifts when you pick your watch up. If not I would ask for something.

Russ,

Do you think I would be out of line if I asked for a small patek branded gift if they don't offer me anything?

[SubKing]

Originally Posted by PJ S

Incorrect – or as I would normally just say, nonsense!
You are afforded a courtesy or goodwill by PP to liaise with them directly, but they could’ve just as easily told you to go through the AD.
Your consumer rights, as defined under applicable laws for your region/state, are provided in relation to whom your purchase was made from.
In other words, your contract is with the retailer, not the manufacturer – this comes up all the time because manufacturers from various sectors, over the years, have agreed to take charge of this area themselves.
There are a number of reasons for that, but this isn’t the time to go into it.

If I would have known patek had such poor communication/customer service and it was going to take as long as it did to get a response back from someone at patek, I would have gotten my AD involved sooner than later..

But with a super luxury brand like patek, I never expected it to go down the way it did.

I like my AD, so I really didn't want to take the watch back to them and demand a refund right off the bat.. I figured if patek won't give me a satisfactory resolution, then as a last case scenario, I might reach out to my AD and let them know of the situation and I have exhausted every effort, so I have no choice but to return the watch to them for a refund.. That was my plan and I thought it was a pretty good one.

I wanted to personally take this up with patek because I had a lot to say. AD's are very busy and they won't always convey a message in the same way I would. I am a firm believer in "if you want something done right, then do it yourself"...

It all worked out, they noticed their mistakes on my watch, they are too proud of a company for an apology, So I look at the new watch they are giving me, as their recognition of the mistake that was made on my watch. Is a watch replacement enough to make me forget the poor service leading up to this point, probably not.

[PJ S]

As said, I’m pleased to see the matter is effectively resolved, and to your satisfaction, but I’m not getting why you’re mentioning a refund.
No-one here has advocated that you get a refund as your sole demand as a result of returning the watch to the AD. My, and others’, point was that the easier route to take was to simple let the AD know that what you received was not acceptable for the price paid, and to organise a replacement.
I’m not sure what else you think his $10K+ profit is for – it isn’t to simply open the doors each morning.

As for asking for something by way of compensation for the hassle incurred – if you don’t ask, you won’t get…but I’d be more inclined to push for (with a certain amount of expectation) the full warranty be applicable to the replacement piece.
Typically a replacement product only carries on from where the original left off, so I’d value the extra 3 months more highly than a travel case that you could probably buy for relatively little cost.
If you can negotiate both, then even better.

[SubKing]

Originally Posted by PJ S

As said, I’m pleased to see the matter is effectively resolved, and to your satisfaction, but I’m not getting why you’re mentioning a refund.
No-one here has advocated that you get a refund as your sole demand as a result of returning the watch to the AD. My, and others’, point was that the easier route to take was to simple let the AD know that what you received was not acceptable for the price paid, and to organise a replacement.
I’m not sure what else you think his $10K+ profit is for – it isn’t to simply open the doors each morning.

As for asking for something by way of compensation for the hassle incurred – if you don’t ask, you won’t get…but I’d be more inclined to push for (with a certain amount of expectation) the full warranty be applicable to the replacement piece.
Typically a replacement product only carries on from where the original left off, so I’d value the extra 3 months more highly than a travel case that you could probably buy for relatively little cost.
If you can negotiate both, then even better.

I think you need to switch to Decaf

All your points are a bit late in the game as the way I handled it worked out just fine. It was a happy outcome and then you came along and seem to want to turn it into a negative with your some what attacking posts.

My AD is over an hour away from me each way. I am happy that I worked it all out via email and phone. I prefer to handle these matters myself.
I have learned over the years that taking your watch to AD's for warranty service takes even longer. I have also had AD's damage my watches more times than I can count. A worker tossed my watch into a paper envelop once and it got all scratched up, or was not packaged carefully when shipped back to manufacture.. A million things can happen when dealing with a third party.

I take before pictures of all my watches when I send them in for service. If I drop it off at an AD, It's harder to hold them responsible for damage. It ends up ruining the relationship. So I like to avoid a possible problem.

I can ship my watch to the manufacture on a moments notice and I can take a call on a moments notice.

Just the AD receiving a simple phone call from a manufacture can be a game of phone tag or take a day or two because AD's are busy with customers all day.

I find It is faster and more efficient doing it myself.

But for some odd reason I get the drift you have a problem with the way I handled it?

Saying I'm a martyr to this issue is harsh.. My thread was about QC issues that I would think TRF members would take an interest in, I only spoke in disbelief of how patek missed the QC on this as well as other member issues with the brand I read about lately... Also in shock of the lack of response I received from them. That is all.

However, I will take your one piece of advise and speak up about some kind of compensation for the issues.

[texex91]

Fantastic and look forward to pics when it arrives.

[RussW]

Originally Posted by SubKing

Russ,

Do you think I would be out of line if I asked for a small patek branded gift if they don't offer me anything?

Not out of line at all. A week or two after getting my 5980 I saw a Patek travel case online and my AD got one for me from Patek, and i'd had no issues. With all you've been through I don't see how they can refuse.

[SubKing]

Originally Posted by RussW

Not out of line at all. A week or two after getting my 5980 I saw a Patek travel case online and my AD got one for me from Patek, and i'd had no issues. With all you've been through I don't see how they can refuse.

Russ,

Maybe it was your case I saw that I feel in love with! Is it a 1 watch holder leather case with embossed patek emblem on it? The lid folds over and snaps closed I believe?

[RussW]

Originally Posted by SubKing

Russ,

Maybe it was your case I saw that I feel in love with! Is it a 1 watch holder leather case with embossed patek emblem on it? The lid folds over and snaps closed I believe?

Yes that's like mine. It's nice, but the leather could do with a bit more padding. Well worth getting if you can though.

[SubKing]

Originally Posted by RussW

Yes that's like mine. It's nice, but the leather could do with a bit more padding. Well worth getting if you can though.

I absolutely adore that case.

It's funny, After seeing yours, I asked my AD for one back in May and the store owner said patek doesn't have anymore.. I wonder if he was just saying that?

I have just sent another email to my AD asking the owner if he could try to get a case for me giving the circumstance and how it would mean a lot to me.

Lets see what he says.. If he says no again, I supposed I can always email my contact directly at patek that I been speaking to. That's one of the luxuries of dealing with patek directly is that I don't have to take my AD's word for it

[PJ S]

Originally Posted by SubKing

I think you need to switch to Decaf

How dare you, you heathen!

Originally Posted by SubKing

All your points are a bit late in the game as the way I handled it worked out just fine. It was a happy outcome and then you came along and seem to want to turn it into a negative with your some what attacking posts.

Very sorry, sir. Won’t happen again, sir.
Only just picked up on it today, sir – so sue me!

Originally Posted by SubKing

But for some odd reason I get the drift you have a problem with the way I handled it?

No problem at all – merely echoing what had been already said within the first half dozen replies or so, which was that an easier, less stressful option would have been to just return it for either a refund or a replacement.

Originally Posted by SubKing

Saying I'm a martyr to this issue is harsh.. My thread was about QC issues that I would think TRF members would take an interest in, I only spoke in disbelief of how patek missed the QC on this as well as other member issues with the brand I read about lately... Also in shock of the lack of response I received from them. That is all.

Not really, just calling it how I saw it.
That’s how it comes across, especially when you hadn’t explored the replacement route, via the AD, first.
Instead, you’ve had to go all round the houses to get the same outcome.

Originally Posted by SubKing

However, I will take your one piece of advise and speak up about some kind of compensation for the issues.

Never hurt anyone to ask.

[SubKing]

Originally Posted by PJ S

No problem at all – merely echoing what had been already said within the first half dozen replies or so, which was that an easier, less stressful option would have been to just return it for either a refund or a replacement.



Not really, just calling it how I saw it.
That’s how it comes across, especially when you hadn’t explored the replacement route, via the AD, first.
Instead, you’ve had to go all round the houses to get the same outcome.

Funny, How I have stated why I did not want to return it to my AD for a refund as I did not want to burn a bridge.. Then you claim and I quote

"but I’m not getting why you’re mentioning a refund.
No-one here has advocated that you get a refund as your sole demand as a result of returning the watch to the AD" Now again above you bring up a refund and state others have said the same...

Make up your mind of how you want to twist and turn this thread so I can respond to you accordingly.

Im not sure if you have ever purchased a patek, but AD's don't have a stock pile of the same models sitting in back that they can just swap out for me... It is also not their call to replace a watch 90 days past purchase for several QC defects that were not caught at the time of purchase. What was the difference of me contacting patek or contacting my AD?

You seem to not want to hear why I choose to deal directly with manufactures for several reasons..

At the end of the day, I did as you said, I returned it for a replacement. You just seem to have a problem with me not using my AD.
But your whining has to stop. You make no sense. truly.

[PJ S]

Nice edit!

As said previously, pleased to see you have got a resolution with which you’re happy.