Oakley Watch

GJ_WRX

Hi All

Not sure if this is the right page but just wanted to find out what people thought.

I bought an Oakley watch back in 2005, around 2008 the battery went, so sent it back to Oakley for a new one and clean up. A few months ago it went again so contacted Oakley and sent it back for a new battery.

Anyway had a call off them today to say that the watch is broken because the battery previously fitted is incorrect and has damaged the internals.

I realise the watch is 7 years old, out of warranty and these things only last so long but I still can't help but feel annoyed.

They've offered my 40% off a new watch as compensation but with the cheapest watch coming in at £415 it still means a £240+ bill that I was not expecting.

Should I just forget about it and stop moaning? Should I push them for a better offer/replacement? Any other ideas?

Thanks

whitelabel

its taken 4 years to damage the internals ?
If you can prove they were they last to have it, Id be looking for a replacement

unholyangel

Statute of limitations in England & Wales is 6 years i'm afraid.

neilmcl

As above, you have no legal recourse against the supplier.

frugal_mike

unholyangel wrote: »

Statute of limitations in England & Wales is 6 years i'm afraid.

If the OP was complaining about an inherent fault in the watch I can see that statute of limitations has passed, but they're not doing that. They're complaining about an incompetent repair that caused the fault, and the repair took place less than 6 years ago (assuming it took place in 2008). Should the statue of limitations not be applied to that event rather than the purchase?

If not then conceivably the OP could have sent the watch back for repair yesterday, received back a broken watch caused by the attempted repair, and then have no legal comeback because they originally purchased it more than 6 years ago.

Given that Oakley have admitted the repair is what caused the fault (assuming that it has never been sent anywhere else for a battery replacement) I would have thought there would have been some legal recourse.

Note I'm just posting this out of interest, I'm not claiming that I'm right and you're wrong!

unholyangel

frugal_mike wrote: »

If the OP was complaining about an inherent fault in the watch I can see that statute of limitations has passed, but they're not doing that. They're complaining about an incompetent repair that caused the fault, and the repair took place less than 6 years ago (assuming it took place in 2008). Should the statue of limitations not be applied to that event rather than the purchase?

If not then conceivably the OP could have sent the watch back for repair yesterday, received back a broken watch caused by the attempted repair, and then have no legal comeback because they originally purchased it more than 6 years ago.

Given that Oakley have admitted the repair is what caused the fault (assuming that it has never been sent anywhere else for a battery replacement) I would have thought there would have been some legal recourse.

Note I'm just posting this out of interest, I'm not claiming that I'm right and you're wrong!

Ok lets theoretically go down this route. Can he prove negligence? Probably not - first battery lasted 2-3 years, 2nd lasted 5, wouldnt be too hard for them to convince a judge on balance of probabilities that OP has had the battery replaced elsewhere in between and that it is unlikely that they themselves would fit an unsuitable battery in one of their watches. I'd be very surprised if the company have said they are completely responsible

Plus they're already offering 40% off a new watch. Unless OP paid over £1000, I think its a very good offer given his watch is 8 years old/nearly 8 years old.

As it stands, I personally dont think OP is going to gain anything from trying to take this further. As rules say though, thats just my opinion, not professional advice.

GJ_WRX

Hi All

Thanks for all the replies.

Just to clarify only Oakley have every replaced the battery in this watch. Mainly because no other jeweler have the tools or experiance to even get into it! Even the auth dealers send them away to get fixed.

I've spoken to Oakley again and not got any further. They are saying that they fitted the incorrect battery last time but the broken movement has nothing to do with this.

I think the battery is bit of a red herring and not sure why they even mentioned this.

As the model is discontinued and they have no stock of movements they are unable to offer a repair. The best they can do is to offer the discount on a new watch.

Still feel a bit cheated as as far as I was aware the watch just needed a new battery, but guess everything only last a certain amount of time.

Despite their offer to sell a watch at a lesser margin I think I will be better off investing in a better quality one next time.

I'm really not bothered about taking them to court or anything, just wanted others opinions.

Thanks again.

ILW

Buy a proper "classic" watch next time. It will be repairable for ever and may even start going up in value after a while.

Get the Oakley back though, you can probably slot a cheap japanese movemet in the case.

visidigi

GJ_WRX wrote: »

Hi All

Thanks for all the replies.

Just to clarify only Oakley have every replaced the battery in this watch. Mainly because no other jeweler have the tools or experiance to even get into it! Even the auth dealers send them away to get fixed.

I've spoken to Oakley again and not got any further. They are saying that they fitted the incorrect battery last time but the broken movement has nothing to do with this.

I think the battery is bit of a red herring and not sure why they even mentioned this.

As the model is discontinued and they have no stock of movements they are unable to offer a repair. The best they can do is to offer the discount on a new watch.

Still feel a bit cheated as as far as I was aware the watch just needed a new battery, but guess everything only last a certain amount of time.

Despite their offer to sell a watch at a lesser margin I think I will be better off investing in a better quality one next time.

I'm really not bothered about taking them to court or anything, just wanted others opinions.

Thanks again.

Given these things are 80% brand and 20% cost (in some cases even less) I think it's really poor of Oakley - would have expected better - I know when I send mine off to TAG they replace the movements etc as a matter of servicing...

GJ_WRX

visidigi wrote: »

Given these things are 80% brand and 20% cost (in some cases even less)

I did wonder that, it's not exactly above and beyond, probably giving away most the retail margin but still retaining a bit of profit and an extra sale!

Was quite happy with the build, feel and quality as they are like nothing else, but think next time a watch only brand will be getting my hard earned!

Joe_Horner

ILW wrote: »

Buy a proper "classic" watch next time. It will be repairable for ever and may even start going up in value after a while.

Get the Oakley back though, you can probably slot a cheap japanese movemet in the case.

It's probably got a (relatively) cheap Japanese movement from Hattori (Seiko) or Miyota (Citizen) in there already. The problem is, a lot of the popular movements from 5 - 10 years ago are obsolete now - especially if it's a chrono or digital / dual display.

As for the "must go back for a battery":

Dealers will do that because (a) they're incompetent at anything but selling them, (b) they make a very nice commission on the "service" for no work or investment and (c) some companies will "encourage" their dealers not to offer the service another way. For fashion brands, there's always a shop round the corner thatd be happy to take over the local dealership....

High street "battery changers" (in which I include all the national chains as well as most "market stall" types) don't generally do anything outside the ordinary because their 3 day training courses simply don't cover them.

A proper watch repairer will have no trouble at all doing a battery change and re-sealing / pressure testing something like that. There's probably one in your area, but they can be quite hard to find because they don't have the advertising budgets of the big chains. They'll also probably be able to repair your "unrepairable by the manufacturer"* watch if you want them to






* Bear in mind that companies like Oakley don't actually make watches - they pay some Far East factory to make them to their spec and put their name on the dial!