Major Dealer Issue

[peterpl]

Yep I dont see the problem with publically naming the AD.

Sure I understand that selling to you at MSRP is just like giving away a few grand but all these other combining with other pieces or jewellry to buy a $10k watch is ludacris.

You need to spend $50k in order for them to "LET" you buy a $10k SS watch. LOL - that is stupid thing to do.

[travisb]

Yup. Unfortunately this is becoming more and more commonplace.
Honest ADs are becoming endangered species but there are still some out there.

[1William]

I understand the frustration of the OP but it is just the way that it is, for now. The true power is with the consumer and as long as the market will allow such prices and business practices we will continue the way it is. All things change though and so will what is going on. When, where and how are the questions. If you want a watch, go buy it in the Grey Market. Get your best deal, pay and have a life time piece. Or sit on the sidelines and wait. Nothing wrong with either.

[brandrea]

There are some ADs that still like to sell to the enthusiast and not necessarily the biggest spender.

OP, I think you’re on the right track ... find a smaller AD and one that you can get to know on a more personal level.

[peterpl]

I really really really hope all the this bubble madness ends soon. Not only Rolex but Patek, AP all of them.

Its ludacris now. Then the ADs will be sorry who they pissed off when the market has turned. Loyal customers and proper watch WIS are the ones that will be there forever.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Pay M3

I've tried to avoid talking about this for a little while but I want to hear what others have to say. In a recent conversation with an AD, I was explaining what watch I was looking for and they stated that it's simply not possible to get. After going back and forth for a bit she asked if there was anything that my wife was interested in buying, I told her possibly, she then said to let her know what model and she would then call the owner to see if he was willing to make the deal happen. I let this person know today that my wife was not interested but I would be willing to buy a Tudor and she then called me and said it will have to be a PM piece and that it could not be SS.

This is the same dealer that offered to pull a BLRO out of the safe about 7 months ago if I were to buy a PP of their choosing. This stuff is getting ridiculous. I also recently got confirmation from a grey that they have AD's that source them watches without issue. While the grey dealers source is not in the same area as the AD I'm dealing with it seems like buying from an AD as a regular customer is never going to happen.

With this, my new strategy is to start trying to find that one AD in the middle of nowhere that has yet to start dealing with a grey. An alternative is to just buy a Speedmaster for now and hope that it can hold me over until the market goes back to normal. A large part of me wonders who is feeding the GD's, to me the person that is willing to spend 10k on a watch (most are not on these forums) has no idea that grey's even exist or want to deal with them. If I walk into Louis Vuitton to buy my wife a bag and they don't have it, believe me I'm calling other AD's to find it assuming if I go online I'm about to get ripped off. The members here are only willing to shop from grey's because they know who they can trust, the average consumer I am willing to be does not.

What if Rolex decided to take a page from Apple and start opening their own boutiques and yank the contracts from the current AD's? I actually think they are in a strong enough position to do it. At that point they would have ultimate control over the entire process.

Agree about ridiculous the SS models are most ADs prime business,I can see many ADs going out of business if this trend is true.

[VicLeChic]

The AD experience used to be one of the main reasons for chosing them over grey dealers. Now the AD experience has become a deterrent. ADs are the cancer of Rolex distribution. They're pi***** too many customers off and it will backfire on the brand. I wish Rolex sort the situation out sooner rather than later.

[envuks]

Originally Posted by Pay M3

What if Rolex decided to take a page from Apple and start opening their own boutiques and yank the contracts from the current AD's? I actually think they are in a strong enough position to do it. At that point they would have ultimate control over the entire process.

You still wouldn't get a Daytona. Have you ever gone into a Rolex boutique and asked for a Daytona (or any other SS Rolex)?

I don't think it's reasonable for people to simply expect an AD to sell them certain watches in this day. I read your whole post and see no indication of a relationship with this AD. Yes, if you need to build a relationship on the spot when you're asking for said SS piece, I guess it will cost you a PM. Unreasonable? Probably, but you're buying a relationship rather than making one.... There are certainly other ways to do it.




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[BillA]

As I posted in another thread I hope that the AD’s that are trying to bundle us, are the first to go out of business when this crazy bubble bursts.

[Bluside]

I'm glad I have the Rolex watches that I have. I will not play these games and quite frankly have lost interest in getting another one.

[Dsmith1974]

Originally Posted by Verdi

It sucks.

I decided to say good bye to waiting lists and be out of the ridiculous ss model shortage “crisis”.
So I got myself a pre-owned DD that I wanted later on in life.

If Rolex thought that I would buy 2-3 DJs waiting for a GMT.....they were wrong.

Yeah. Go grey all the way. I don’t have the patience for waiting lists or the funds to bundle PMs and/or Tudors I don’t want. Don’t want to be loyal tied to one outlet either.

A good TS works for me.

[jrs146]

In my experience not all ADs are like this. I’ve never bought a PM piece and my ADs treat me very very well. It’s sad that many do though.


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[Littletommy]

Originally Posted by Dsmith1974

Yeah. Go grey all the way. I don’t have the patience for waiting lists or the funds to bundle PMs and/or Tudors I don’t want. Don’t want to be loyal tied to one outlet either.

A good TS works for me.

[fsprow]

What if Rolex decided to take a page from Apple and start opening their own boutiques and yank the contracts from the current AD's? I actually think they are in a strong enough position to do it. At that point they would have ultimate control over the entire process.[/QUOTE]

I can't see what Rolex would gain by making such a very large investment in new stores. Their long term business plan and desirability of their product seems to be working very well.

[Madman37]

Originally Posted by envuks

You still wouldn't get a Daytona. Have you ever gone into a Rolex boutique and asked for a Daytona (or any other SS Rolex)?

I don't think it's reasonable for people to simply expect an AD to sell them certain watches in this day. I read your whole post and see no indication of a relationship with this AD. Yes, if you need to build a relationship on the spot when you're asking for said SS piece, I guess it will cost you a PM. Unreasonable? Probably, but you're buying a relationship rather than making one.... There are certainly other ways to do it.




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This relationship piece is so much boll&@ks! It’s only because the watch is impossible to get because of the insta generation you have to grovel and make a relationship to spend thousands of pounds. Normally the relationship would be the other way round. If I want to sell work to my clients I have to put the effort and make the relationship with them. I think just go to a grey dealer and buy what you want. I will be if the waiting list I am on doesn’t pull through. I am only on the waitlist cos I am a cheapskate and want to try and get the watch for a better price. If I had more cash I would not waste my time with the waitlist and just buy what I want. It will get more expensive anyway.

[_speedmaster_]

Honestly, is all of this commotion worth it? It's been talked about ad nauseam, ADs sell to greys. ADs hoard hot pieces in safes, only to bring them out to clients who spend inordinate amounts of money each year on jewelry and PM watches. This is all clear as day.

There are two sides to every coin in a free market. AD flip to greys, who in turn relieve the AD of hard to move models. It behooves ADs to have stock of hot models to keep extremely wealthy customers happy. Generally, they are small businesses that are trying to stay afloat. I'm not going to begrudge them for doing what they can.

Everyone likes to feel important. The hard truth of the matter is, ADs don't care about losing the business of someone who buys one SS Rolex a year. The person who saves up and buys a GMT to mark their promotion. It's sad, but true. They care about losing the business of the person spending hundreds of thousands on jewelry and Patek PCs.

If you don't meet that criteria....move on. Stop mulling over these obvious facts. Stop lamenting this environment. If it reverts back to how things used to be, then so be it. In the meantime, use this time to explore other, more readily available, models and brands. You won't regret it.

[Shaney]

One part of me thinks that they are sales people and are obviously going to do all they can to bump up their own stats - nature of the game sort of thing.

Then the other agrees that these "scratch my back" tactics are really shady, it's completely ridiculous considering you are spending so much on a timepiece already, to have to be badgered into spending more isn't good practice from the "AD"

[Shaney]

Originally Posted by _speedmaster_

Honestly, is all of this commotion worth it? It's been talked about ad nauseam, ADs sell to greys. ADs hoard hot pieces in safes, only to bring them out to clients who spend inordinate amounts of money each year on jewelry and PM watches. This is all clear as day.

There are two sides to every coin in a free market. AD flip to greys, who in turn relieve the AD of hard to move models. It behooves ADs to have stock of hot models to keep extremely wealthy customers happy. Generally, they are small businesses that are trying to stay afloat. I'm not going to begrudge them for doing what they can.

Everyone likes to feel important. The hard truth of the matter is, ADs don't care about losing the business of someone who buys one SS Rolex a year. The person who saves up and buys a GMT to mark their promotion. It's sad, but true. They care about losing the business of the person spending hundreds of thousands on jewelry and Patek PCs.

If you don't meet that criteria....move on. Stop mulling over these obvious facts. Stop lamenting this environment. If it reverts back to how things used to be, then so be it. In the meantime, use this time to explore other, more readily available, models and brands. You won't regret it.

Good post

[Sprta]

Another one of these threads, the reality is best customers in all business areas will be treated the best. Not all ADs back door to the grey market, but all of them run a business.
Complaining with all these threads will not change anything, only Rolex can fix this, and so far they have no incentive to do so.

[Skylife]

Rolex didn't plan to stop this because when the price of grey getting higher, Rolex sales getting higher too. When all the SS model is available and shown in the store. People hesitate when buying. They asked for discount.

When all the SS model become not available. Most of the people will pull the trigger if they get offer one by AD. Even it is the model that they dont like. This is sad but this is true.

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by avalvo

Find a nice Omega dealer and be happy. The watches are stellar and readily available.

Don't sweat it. In the end, it's just a watch. I have all kinds of brands, and I never pay above retail. Rolex makes a great watch, but so do alot of companies. Broaden your horizons and you will likely be happier in the end.

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I have to agree.
Besides there's plenty of other brands to choose from.

However, i'm not entirely sure the OP fully appreciates the Speedy that is supposed to tide him over. He doesn't say which Speedy either
IMO, the classic Moon watch is very hard to beat as long as one actually understands what they're dealing with. But if one is jonesing for a Rolex then the Speedy won't cut it unless their taste in watches to include in some sort of collection fully matures.

[huncho]

just curious - have you gotten your BLNR yet?

[FirstF80InSpace]

I refuse to play the AD game.

The last 3 watches I have purchased have not been Rolex, and I couldn't be happier. In fact, I'll probably be flipping my 116622 at some point.

[Overwound]

This is the same dealer that offered to pull a BLRO out of the safe about 7 months ago if I were to buy a PP of their choosing.

I've heard of packaging purchases together in order to pick up something popular (a practice I wouldn't do) but they want to choose which model as well? Holy crap!

[LuminousMaximus]

Hate the game not the player...

ROLEX makes AD carry all of the watches they make even if they are not hot sellers, then they require AD to spend Boo-Koo Bucks on a nice display, then if they want they pull their ability to sell ROLEX watches and close them down....

Seems like Par for the course...

[Ravager135]

Just because market is such that right now an AD can sell a stainless steel reference to a customer and that customer can flip the piece for more money, doesn't mean the AD is doing the customer a "favor" by selling to them. The job of an AD is to sell references. Now, if they want to give pieces to their most loyal customers first, that's their prerogative. I can't argue with that. What I have a major problem with is an AD having a safe full of Submariners, none on display, and expecting customers to buy watches they don't want to be "allowed" to purchase a Submariner. In both instances, the AD has the right to do what they want. The former I will do business with; the latter can get lost.

This "shortage" is a recent phenomenon. It's still a very short time frame in the grand scheme of Rolex history. Things may change in the future. If I were an AD playing games with my customers, I'd think twice. I don't care how much I want a watch, if someone pulled this kind of garbage with me I'd rather just go ahead and give a premium to a grey dealer to be treated with respect.

[nuts070]

Originally Posted by s7horton

My AD is having trouble getting a hold of the hot models like everyone else.

Here’s the interesting part, they are selling more watches now than they ever have before. Seems like whatever is going on is surely working... for both Rolex and the AD.


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Not true, was at an AD at the time of delivery of the watches from Rolex. There was a healthy variation of DJs, TTs, PMs, and of course SS. All these nonsense that they are not getting the hot models are pure bs.

[Littletommy]

Originally Posted by Pay M3

I've tried to avoid talking about this for a little while but I want to hear what others have to say. In a recent conversation with an AD, I was explaining what watch I was looking for and they stated that it's simply not possible to get. After going back and forth for a bit she asked if there was anything that my wife was interested in buying, I told her possibly, she then said to let her know what model and she would then call the owner to see if he was willing to make the deal happen. I let this person know today that my wife was not interested but I would be willing to buy a Tudor and she then called me and said it will have to be a PM piece and that it could not be SS.

This is the same dealer that offered to pull a BLRO out of the safe about 7 months ago if I were to buy a PP of their choosing. This stuff is getting ridiculous.

.

[Vipes]

Originally Posted by nuts070

Not true, was at an AD at the time of delivery of the watches from Rolex. There was a healthy variation of DJs, TTs, PMs, and of course SS. All these nonsense that they are not getting the hot models are pure bs.

Yup, I agree. These ADs especially the big ones are getting SS sports models. They lie to you and say they haven’t receive blah blah blah since last year in order to appease you.

[Keepchasing]

I understand people wanting to 'name and shame'. Problem is, how do we know they are telling the truth?

Could be a disgruntled customer that received horrible service once, along with countless other reasons.