DH's watch was scratched when having the battery replaced...WWYD?

OK, so I just lost a whole post...aaaaaargh! Going to try to rewrite it...

I brought DH's Omega watch into Tourneau today to have the battery replaced. Besides for monetary value (about $1750), this watch also has sentimental value as it was a wedding gift to him from me. Anyways, I picked up the watch after an hour and paid the $60 fee for replacing the battery. DD was crying in her stroller, so I quicky checked to make sure the watch was ticking, and then left. When I got home and gave the watch to DH, he immediately noticed that the back of the watch- the "plate" which they need to remove in order to access the battery compartment- was badly scraped and scratched. Very noticeably so. Its as if they just forcibly pried open the compartment without any regard for the fact that they were scraping and damaging the watch in the process! The whole edge of that round plate is very chewed up, and there is a big scratch across the plate itself. Of course, this is all on the back of the watch and technically not noticeable when worn. But DH is very upset- if he wasnt concerned about scratching the watch, he could have changed the battery himself! The whole point of paying someone professional to do it, is to make sure this doesn't happen.

So now, DH wants to call Tourneau in the morning. The question is, what exactly is expected of them? We have no way to prove that the watch was damaged by them, and even if we COULD prove it- what exactly can they do about it? I don't think this is repairable. Refunding us the $60 wouldn't help either. What do you think? I would really like to have an idea of what is fair to expect before calling, or else I have a feeling that this call will go nowhere.

WWYD?

Could they pay to have the back plate replaced?

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Originally Posted by Andi98989

Could they pay to have the back plate replaced?

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:yeahthat: I would imagine it's replaceable. Since it's a reputable company hopefully they won't give you any trouble. But go back in there sooner rather than later. Showing up a week later claiming they scratched you watch will probably not help your case. Good luck!

Take it back and tell them what happened. My DH has had something similar happen. I don't remember though whether or not he called them out on it. However, from that exp, he is very picky about who he allow to change our watch batteries AND he watches them like a hawk while they are doing it.

I'm sure it's possible to replace the back plate. Is it engraved? You should expect much better for $60. The jeweler I take my watch to replaces the battery for the cost of the battery and doesn't screw things up. Definitely call them out on it and outline what you expect.

They should be able to get the back plate replaced. Then look for another store for future repairs.

We have one store that DH insists I take his watches too. We've had things like seals not replaced properly when the battery was replaced and DH then wore his waterproof watch into the hot tub, which is no longer waterproof thanks to the seal etc. We've found one store that is excellent, as they do our scuba diving watches and we've never had a problem, so they get all our business now.

Thanks for all your replies.

DH wasnt thrilled with the idea of just replacing the plate because apparently that would bring down its value- the plate has the original serial number etched into it. Anyways, DH just called and spoke to the manager who was very professional and courteous. He basically said to bring in the watch and they will take care of it- they have watchmakers there several days a week who can polish out the scratches. So, thats what we'll do. Its worth a try. FIL thinks if they cant repair it back to its original condition, they should be expected to replace it. Hopefully it won't come to that!

I really didn't expect this kind of thing to happen at Tourneau. We have used them several times in the past without a problem. Maybe they have some new employees due to the holiday rush. I don't know of a more professional, reputable place to use than Tourneau. I guess I should ask around.

In the documentation, Omega says they can polish and refinish the bands. I don't see why you couldn't do it to the back plate as well.

My Omega Constellation's band is getting quite worn (I prolly should treat it a little better than a cheapy watch) and have been thinking about seeing how much they charge to get the band refinished.

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Originally Posted by codex57

In the documentation, Omega says they can polish and refinish the bands. I don't see why you couldn't do it to the back plate as well.

My Omega Constellation's band is getting quite worn (I prolly should treat it a little better than a cheapy watch) and have been thinking about seeing how much they charge to get the band refinished.

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The watch I was talking about was actually a constellation!

They need to repair it at no charge and figure out a way to do the repair the way you are most comfortable.

The least they could do is refund your $60 for a battery. I bought my Cartier from Tourneau and I get free lifetime battery replacement - I thought this was one of the benefits to buying from Tourneau!