Citizen watch repair

scaldyflash

I got a Citizen Eco-Drive watch as a gift for my 40th birthday two years ago and two weeks ago the winder fell off. It has a three year warranty so took it back to the jewellers it was bought in, they sent it back to Citizen and today the jeweller called to say Citizen are refusing to fix the watch because it is 'wear and tear' My view is that a £140 watch should not really have the 'winder' fall off after two years especially as the winder is only for re-setting the time and date about 8 times a year. The warranty does say that wear and tear are excluded but as I said above is it it fair wear and tear ?:mad:

maninthestreet

Winders on watches can suffer from this problem - they get caught easily, for example, on trouser pockets, when you put your hand in your pocket. Over time, this can cause bending to the winder stalk. Citizen are saying it's not a manufacturing fault. The repair shouldnt cost that much, assuming you want to keep the watch.

scaldyflash

maninthestreet wrote: »

Winders on watches can suffer from this problem - they get caught easily, for example, on trouser pockets, when you put your hand in your pocket. Over time, this can cause bending to the winder stalk. Citizen are saying it's not a manufacturing fault. The repair shouldnt cost that much, assuming you want to keep the watch.

I certainly want to keep the watch seeing as it's a 40th birthday gift and I also like the watch but I am seriously annoyed/confused that Citizen don't take into consideration the things you mention above when creating a warranty, it would seem totally sensible that they would ?

MarkyMarkD

No. It makes sense that they would consider it, and then exclude it because it's easy for any wear and tear item to occur and increasingly likely the less care you take of the watch.

I too have a Citizen watch and I like it. I would be disappointed if the winder fell off. But I don't think it's a big deal to pay to get it replaced.

nearlyrich

I won a couple of Citizen watches in 1993 and my DH's broke after about 3 years, Citizen were really good and mended it without charge...must be a sign of the times everyone is tightening their belts etc...

golddustmedia

I have a Citizen Eco-Drive too (love it) but my winder has a screw thread on it too so I can screw it into the watch after the adjustment is made and then it can't get caught on anything.

UTC_2

It is a fact that parts of wristwatches such as Crowns, Buttons, Clasps etc are subjected to allsorts of wear and tear that is way beyond the control of the manufacturer.

The winder may only be operated 8 times per year, but it is still being subjected to everyday wear and tear exactly like maninthestreet says.

I know for a fact that Citizen UK consider each and every repair individually, and if the fault with the watch is considered to be a manufacturing defect, then it will definitely be dealt with under the terms of the guarantee.

Citizen Watch are so confident of their product that they now offer a 5 year guarantee on all UK product. Now thats a strong message.:T

Dreamnine

They're cheap watches to begin with..

Chester_Draws

UTC wrote: »

Citizen Watch are so confident of their product that they now offer a 5 year guarantee on all UK product. Now thats a strong message.:T

I would think they could safely offer a 10 year guarantee if they are not going to honour it !

Sounds like a case of "Not worth the paper its written on"

Thanks for the warning Scaldyflash, well worth remembering next time I am watch buying.
(Wonder if you should do a Citizens Arrest)