To leave my 2 watches at the shop?

[WingsOnMyBoots]

I bought two second-hand watches online - one gold metal and the other silver metal. I paid about £13 for each including postage. The gold one has a stretch elastic band and the silver one fastens with a metal clasp. I knew I would have to have the straps made smaller on both watches as too big for my wrists - which are stupidly small.

I took them to the stall in the market and asked the man to make them smaller. It was sort of already a done deal and I hadn't bothered to double check how much it would cost as I (naively) thought it would be no more than about £6 each. I was really surprised when he said £8 for one and £9 for the other!

He'd already measured my wrist to work out how much to take out, written up the ticket and put them behind the counter so I felt silly saying I'd changed my mind.

I know feel that I don't want to collect them as I'm astonished that it's costing £17 to take a few links out!

I mean I was quite happy to pay £12 which is only £5 more but feel loathe to do it.

Am I crazy???

The alternative is to leave them there which is even more daft! Go and get them and enjoy wearing them. Just curious; where did your estimate of £6 come from?

I work in a jewellers and charge £10 for removing watch links if the watch wasn't bought from me.

Leave them there or not but you need to pay, you should have checked you didn’t. Why should they work for free, I think you are a cheek to even think it.

I used to work in a jewellers and dealt with watch links, it's a fiddly job that can be time consuming, and the stretchy ones are a right bugger. I think you're getting a pretty good deal!

OK it's worked!! Yes I will collect them tomorrow. I don't know where £6 came from it just felt about right. But you are right, the work will obviously have been done and needs paying for. I seriously don't know what my problem was. I think maybe my 'bargain' watches didn't feel so much of a bargain but that's my lookout, I know. Will know for next time.

Is it just the low cost of the watches making the work seem expensive? If you'd paid the cost of a new watch (assuming a reasonably decent one) it would perhaps seem less disproportionate.

Well done op, it’s shit when things are more than expected

As a crafter doesn't matter if your trousers are £8 or £800 to buy it still takes the same amount of time to hem them.