bought a watch in Dec, battery needs replacing they want to charge £40.

tpotx

Hi I bought a watch for my husband for christmas and the battery has died. We have taken it to the shop but they could not get the back open due to the pressure (its water resistant) so they sent it to the manufacturer. They have just rang to say that it will cost £40 to replace as the battery is not covered by the guarentee. I told her I wasn't happy with this and she said she will ring them, so just looking for a bit of advice for when she rings back. thanks

pendulum

Look them in the eye and ask them if they think its reasonable to have to change a watch battery every 2 months at a cost of £40!
You would expect a battery to last longer than that, stick to your guns.

SandC

Agree with the above but also try another place for replacement battery. I have a watch thing that goes on my wrist and is designed for counting laps in swimming. Therefore, about as water resistant as they come bar being a dive watch! I took it to a little stall inside our local Morrisons and they opened the back just fine. Turned out the battery was fully charged as it happens so the item at fault but the point is it was 4 months old and used like a stopwatch almost daily in that time period and battery still fully charged.

Thinking further on that, if the manuf won't budge I might demand a replacement watch as being unfit for purpose - are you absolutely sure it is the battery and they have found a fault in reality and that's what they are trying to charge you for?

Ballymackeonan

Did they possibly have the battery on while it was in the shop? e.g if it was in a window/display case? You haven't said what make or type it was, certainly some can be very difficult to open unless you have the right tool for that particular watch, but you'd think that a retailer would get this if they are stocking the watch! If it's a watch with a lot of "complications" like subsidiary dials, alarms etc, the battery might last a bit less than a basic watch, but I'd still expect at least 9 months from an original battery!

tpotx

thanks for the responses, yes they told me that the watch could of been in the shop for months and wherever else prior that. My response to that was that that was not my problem and that I wouldn't mind paying after a year or so but to be charged this after two months was unacceptable and if that was the case, at the point of sale, sold me something unfit for purpose. She went off rang the manufacturer and told me they would do it without cost. So good result in the end. :T

halibut2209

Well done

moonrakerz

Actually, the problem was nothing to do with the manufacturer - your contract was with the retailer. He might have sent it to the manufacturer but HE should have picked up up the bill !

gordikin

moonrakerz wrote: »

Actually, the problem was nothing to do with the manufacturer - your contract was with the retailer. He might have sent it to the manufacturer but HE should have picked up up the bill !

What HE would that be?....perhaps H Samuel? Maybe Harriot would be annoyed that you assumed?

Enfieldian

Timpsons.

They will do it for less and offer a lifetime guarantee, free replacement batteries for as long as you have the watch.

sheilavw

My Sister purchase a DKNY watch last Aug, think it was £100 ish mark from Samuels. They told her if battery goes within a year they would replace it free, it went last week, she took it to our local one (not one purchased from) and they replaced it without any quibble. I think under 12 months the shop should replace it for free,