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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU in expecting a £600 watch to NOT be a throw away item?

114 replies

NannyRed · 15/02/2019 14:03

My DH bought me a beautiful rose gold watch shortly before we married (4 months)

It’s a ‘quality’ brand ( Emporio Armani) he spent £600 on I, so it wasn’t cheap. I took it for repairs just before Christmas (so 5 years old) and it was sent away to EA for a new bracelet and glass. It’s just been returned with neither the glass or the bracelet replaced as “it’s too old”

Am I bu for expecting an Emporio Armani to be repaired?

The company dealing with this is Fossil and tbh I’m disgusted with the “here, take 30% off” sorry Fossil, I have a Fossil purse but I will never use you again

I don’t want money off of another watch, I expect Fossil to repair my current watch ( I had already paid £150) for the imaginary care.

I’ve found a replacement bracelet (EA) for £76 and will be taking my watch for independent repair, why do companies think we want to ‘throw away’ £600 watches as if they are a Timex? (The original ‘throw away’ watches)

OP posts:
tryingtoadvise · 15/02/2019 14:43

It's rubbish but I can't say I'm surprised..although I'd be pissed off!

NunoGoncalves · 15/02/2019 14:43

I'm not sure I actually understand the question... I guess you just wanted to let off some steam, OP?

Companies obviously want you to throw stuff away so that you will then buy more stuff! As has been advised, try an individual watch repairer. If it still can't be done, then there's not much else you can do except never buy from that brand again, unfortunately.

PBo83 · 15/02/2019 14:43

@yourfeetstink (great username btw).

Yeah, the older stuff was definitely better, I'm not familiar with the Shine but glad it's doing you a good service. I've had a couple of the never models in my collection and never been impressed.

starfishmummy · 15/02/2019 14:44

I have an EA watch too and have found the same. Not as expensive as the Ops though.

katseyes7 · 15/02/2019 14:47

l have a nice watch which cost about that when l got it. That was over 20 years ago. l wear it every day, and it's never needed anything done besides a new battery every couple of years. l wouldn't say it's a 'fashion' watch, though.

Bombardier25966 · 15/02/2019 14:48

@MsMightyTitanAndHerTroubadours Skagen is another of the Fossil Group brands.

spanishwife · 15/02/2019 14:53

Fossil and Armani watches are basically 'high street' watches, not built to last and certainly not made with quality pieces. I don't know why you would spend £600 on one, a quick google shows them to be around £200.

TrickyKid · 15/02/2019 14:56

I understand where you're coming from but it's a designer/fashion watch not a high quality watch. You're paying for the name rather than quality. Yanbu to expect them to be able to fix it though.

HowlsMovingBungalow · 15/02/2019 14:56

EA (Fossil) do not make high quality watches as pp's have said, you were paying for the fashion and name.

A decent jeweller should be able to see if the glass can be replaced by a watchmaker.

TruffleShuffles · 15/02/2019 14:57

I’m not surprised you are annoyed that something of that value is unable to be repaired but as others have pointed out that’s the problem with ‘fashion brands’. They are seasonal so the turnover of styles is very quick so they probably just don’t have the parts to be repairing every watch they have ever produced. I purchased a watch from the same brand for my husband a few years ago and I remember jewellers hated even changing the battery in it as they said they were a nightmare to mess with.

It’s obviously too late now but it you are spending that sort of money on a watch it really is best to purchase from an actual watch brand.

Original poster
NannyRed · 15/02/2019 14:58

I have actually found and ordered a replacement bracelet online, a genuine EA for only £76. And I shall be getting it repaired in the Jewellery Quarter. (Brummie gal here)
I’m sorry so many of you seem to have completly missed the the point which is... should a £600 watch be a throw away piece of jewellery?

OP posts:
user1457017537 · 15/02/2019 15:02

I bought expensive Tiffany frames for reading glasses and asked for new lenses to be put in the same frames. We can’t do that the frames will be brittle said VisionExpress. They were two years’ old and only used occasionally. What’s worse the spectacles “mysteriously” broke a day after they had looked at them!

Original poster
NannyRed · 15/02/2019 15:03

@NunoGoneCalves. The question is *should a £600 watch be a throw away item?”

OP posts:
TruffleShuffles · 15/02/2019 15:07

I don’t think people are missing the point OP, they are pointing out that you have purchased a fashion watch so it won’t last a lifetime regardless of price.

MsMightyTitanAndHerTroubadours · 15/02/2019 15:09

yes bombadier ...it was one of those moments when it came back with the paperwork and we went "ahhhhhhhhh, wouldya look at that?"

HowlsMovingBungalow · 15/02/2019 15:10

EA watches are clearly overpriced - really don't understand what the £600 price tag buys you with regards to the watch.

Magicstar1 · 15/02/2019 15:12

What did you mean by "I had already paid £150"? Was that for these repairs?

I have a Baby G that was £100 in 2012...still works perfectly and just had one battery replacement costing €60 as I wanted to make sure it was still watertight afterwards. These things should be fixable alright

GahWhatever · 15/02/2019 15:12

No, it shouldn't OP.
Unfortunately if the high price is to cover the name not the quality though that will be the case.

winsinbin · 15/02/2019 15:12

Don’t sneer at Timex. Like most of my generation my first watch was a Timex. When it eventually broke I returned it to them and they replaced the sealed mechanism for about £3. Much better service than EA.

Ellisandra · 15/02/2019 15:13

Well, there’s a wider ethical issue of should anything be throw-away?

But that aside, yes - I think it’s fine that your wasn’t built to last more than 5 years. It was very obviously a fashion piece not a quality piece - even the fact that it’s rose gold puts it squarely into fashion territory! (not knocking your choices, typing this on a rose gold phone!)

EA is a fashion brand, fashion is about trends, and has a fairly short life time.

It’s like when people buy cheap clothes from Primark - they know they won’t last long, but they want to discard them for next season’s styles anyway, so it doesn’t matter to them.

Your husband bought a fashion watch, £600 was the cost not the value.

I don’t think it’s outrageous that it’s only lasted 5 years - I think that’s to be expected.

Ellisandra · 15/02/2019 15:15

I do think that we have a responsibility as a consumer to decide whether we pay £600 on something that “justifies” the price on name rather than quality.

maggiecate · 15/02/2019 15:15

TBH I wouldn't expect Fossil to hold parts for every single watch under their brand. It's just not practical, they have dozens of models/licences and designs change all the time.

If it was part of the mechanical workings of the watch you'd probably have more chance of success, but the bracelet and glass are design elements which change all the time.

If I was in your position I'd do what you did - enquire - but I know that if you can't get the same watch now you're probably going to be out of luck.

It's like buying a car - once a model's no longer being made eventually you have to look to specialists to supply and fit the parts.

HowlsMovingBungalow · 15/02/2019 15:20

There's only one watch brand (that I can think of) that has a 5 yr guarantee for the workings of the watch and that is Citizen.

speakout · 15/02/2019 15:22

I agree with the others- a naff brand- you are paying for marketing, not fine engineering.

tenapenny2018 · 15/02/2019 15:22

NannyRed really sorry to hear that.

"Should a £600 watch be a throw away item?" Obviously yes, if I run Armani...

Like many people said before, most fashion watches probably cost £50 to make. It is no more illegal or immoral than, say, Armani expecting you to buy a few expensive dresses every new season. That's what fashion watches are.