Artificially faded insert???

[greatgoo]

Received an insert I paid for today. What do you think? Is it artificially faded? Did I just get played?

FYI. This was NOT the insert that I agreed to purchase. I was "mistakenly" sent the wrong insert. ��

Thanks for any insight!



Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Chewbacca]

Seems like a faded insert.

Whether naturally aged, artificially or Rolex oem or for a specific ref# is beyond me.

[Chadridv]

I couldn’t tell you, But it looks cool!

[bobernet]

You might ask in the vintage forum. I wouldn’t know how to distinguish patina from fauxtina.

[offrdmania]

Do you have a better/clearer pic of the back? I have seen artificially aged where they spray the back with a clear paint so that when its dipped in bleach the back doesnt fade. You can tell because over time the clear paint will start to flake off since the paint wont stick to the smooth surface.

[greatgoo]

Originally Posted by offrdmania

Do you have a better/clearer pic of the back? I have seen artificially aged where they spray the back with a clear paint so that when its dipped in bleach the back doesnt fade. You can tell because over time the clear paint will start to flake off since the paint wont stick to the smooth surface.

Thank you! Better pictures.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[greatgoo]

Another strange thing. It reeks of aftershave.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[offrdmania]

Cant really tell from those pics. Rub your fingernail over the back and see if anything flakes off that looks clear. I dont like the look of the light spots on the back.

[greatgoo]

Originally Posted by offrdmania

Cant really tell from those pics. Rub your fingernail over the back and see if anything flakes off that looks clear. I dont like the look of the light spots on the back.

Nothing came off when I rubbed my finger nail on the back.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[greatgoo]

I wonder if he used aftershave to fade the insert? Or maybe to mask the bleach smell? I don't know but this insert smells like it was directly sprayed with some cologne or aftershave. It just smacks you in the face when you open the plastic case.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Seibei]

It looks really faded to me.

[bobernet]

Just like buying watches, I’d say buy the seller first. If you have doubts, send it back and go with someone you trust.

[Andad]

Looks like a rusted washer.

[Loevhagen]

Ask yourself:

a) Why is the color at the outer and inner part totally gone? Has someone wiped it after bleach?
b) Are the number a tad blurry?

If yes, stay away.

[Kliminator]

Looks kind of like an unusual fade ... seems weird that it smells strange as well. If you think something is off I'd go with your gut.

[greatgoo]

Thanks everyone. Yeah, my gut says it is definitely artificially faded.

Here is the update from the seller. He is overseas and on vacation until later next week. He says one of his guys from his watch shop sent me the wrong insert. My gut tells me it wasn't a mistake. That he purposely did this.

He will not refund my money until I return the insert. He will not pay for the $40 return shipping for his mistake.

What do you guys think I should do? Ship the insert back and cross my fingers he doesn't screw me over?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[CFR]

Originally Posted by greatgoo

Here is the update from the seller. He is overseas and on vacation until later next week. He says one of his guys from his watch shop sent me the wrong insert. My gut tells me it wasn't a mistake. That he purposely did this.

He will not refund my money until I return the insert. He will not pay for the $40 return shipping for his mistake.

What do you guys think I should do? Ship the insert back and cross my fingers he doesn't screw me over?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

If you paid by credit card (hopefully you did), then dispute the charge immediately since you didn't receive the correct item, and refuse to return the insert unless/until the seller sends you a pre-paid return shipping label. You said he had a "watch shop." Can you verify that with certainty? Any reputable watch dealer would immediately send you a pre-paid return shipping label (along with profuse apologies) as soon as they discovered they sent you the wrong item.

[greatgoo]

Originally Posted by CFR

If you paid by credit card (hopefully you did), then dispute the charge immediately since you didn't receive the correct item, and refuse to return the insert unless/until the seller sends you a pre-paid return shipping label. You said he had a "watch shop." Can you verify that with certainty? Any reputable watch dealer would immediately send you a pre-paid return shipping label (along with profuse apologies) as soon as they discovered they sent you the wrong item.

Yeah. I blew it on some of these. I paid via PayPal FF. No, I can't confirm he actually has a shop.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[greatgoo]

And he never apologized.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[henrylee]

Bleached or not, if the seller sent you the wrong bezel he should step up and fix his mistake. I don’t think you should have to pay for their mistake.

[CFR]

Originally Posted by greatgoo

Yeah. I blew it on some of these. I paid via PayPal FF. No, I can't confirm he actually has a shop.

Sorry to hear that. Curious if PayPal can be helpful in either getting your money back or doing anything else about the seller, or if PayPal would just say "since you used FF to buy goods, you're out of luck and you shouldn't do that in the future."

Can you say how you found this guy (Chrono24, one of the sales forums, etc.)? At the very least you could let him know that you'll be publicizing his details if he doesn't refund your money.

[greatgoo]

Also, this guy has a pretty big following on Instagram and appears to sell a lot of inserts. He says he has 500 inserts.

What should I do? Should I pay for the return shipping to him and hope he refunds me?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[greatgoo]

Originally Posted by CFR

Sorry to hear that. Curious if PayPal can be helpful or if they'd say "since you used FF, you're out of luck."



Can you say how you found this guy (Chrono24, one of the sales forums, etc.)? At the very least you could let him know that you'll be publicizing his details if he doesn't refund your money.

Recommendation from a close TRF friend but he never purchased through him before. The guy had a strong IG following so he thought he was a safe bet.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[greatgoo]

I also told him yesterday that I would go public with this and he said not to threaten him. I have no idea what the correct next step is here.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[CFR]

At this point I'd ask him for the name of his watch shop so you can verify that it actually exists.

And if he doesn't tell you, I'd make this clear:

"I'm not threatening you. I'd simply publicize the fact that (a) you first shipped me the wrong item, (b) you then insisted that I pay return shipping and refused to send me a pre-paid return shipping label to correct your mistake, and (c) you refused to tell me the name of your watch shop. That's not a threat. It's what you actually did, and I have all the correspondence to prove it. So if it bothers you that others would see that correspondence and be able to make their own independent judgment of your actions, then please tell me the name of your watch shop and also send me either (A) a full refund or (B) a return shipping label within the next 24 hours. Also, I'd love to be able to give you great references and tell others that you're a reputable seller. The publicity that you get from this transaction is entirely up to you at this point. If you're a reputable seller -- which I hope and assume you are -- then you know how this works."

[Dan S]

I don't know the details of artificial fading, but it's always suspicious to me when an insert is so dramatically faded but doesn't have a single scratch on it. I suppose it's possible, but just seems incredibly unlikely.

I don't understand the "wrong insert" comment. If you saw photos, you would know whether this is the insert you purchased or not.

[greatgoo]

Originally Posted by Dan S

I don't know the details of artificial fading, but it's always suspicious to me when an insert is so dramatically faded but doesn't have a single scratch on it. I suppose it's possible, but just seems incredibly unlikely.

I don't understand the "wrong insert" comment. If you saw photos, you would know whether this is the insert you purchased or not.

He admits he sent the wrong insert we agreed upon. Supposedly someone less on his team wrapped the insert for him.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[greatgoo]

Originally Posted by CFR

At this point I'd ask him for the name of his watch shop so you can verify that it actually exists.

And if he doesn't tell you, I'd make this clear:

"I'm not threatening you. I'd simply publicize the fact that (a) you first shipped me the wrong item, (b) you then insisted that I pay return shipping and refused to send me a pre-paid return shipping label to correct your mistake, and (c) you refused to tell me the name of your watch shop. That's not a threat. It's what you actually did, and I have all the correspondence to prove it. So if it bothers you that others would see that correspondence and be able to make their own independent judgment of your actions, then please tell me the name of your watch shop and also send me either (A) a full refund or (B) a return shipping label within the next 24 hours. Also, I'd love to be able to give you great references and tell others that you're a reputable seller. The publicity that you get from this transaction is entirely up to you at this point. If you're a reputable seller -- which I hope and assume you are -- then you know how this works."

I think I am going to use this. Thanks CFR.

To clarify, he said his guys packaged up the insert which indicates he has a business or shop, but he never used the shop. He said his "office".

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[offrdmania]

Using PP F&F means he has you by the balls, the ball is in his court so to say.

It is the same as a wire essentially, once its sent; the transaction is done and he likely knows this fact full well. It is supposed to be between friends or family so it is implied that there is trust between the sender and receiver. Paypal offers no insurance or any like special concessions when you use F&F. That is why there is no fee associated with it.
If you used PP goods and services then Paypal will fight your fight for you up to 180 days after the sale but this comes with a 3.5% premium.

I wish you the best of luck OP and hope you get your money back

[stmoore]

It’s had some artificial sanding / steel wool for sure. There’s going to be a day when ppl want clean inserts.