Audemars Piguet

Hi,
Iam writing this as iam really unhappy the way AP does it's after sales service. I had given in my AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Stainless steel for service in March 2010 for complete service and overhauling. I was told that it will take at least 6 months and watch will have to be sent to the AP Service Centre in Switzerland and it will cost $3,700 as it also involves change of hands and dial etc. Well after near 6 months in Sept i was informed that watch is ready for dlvy and i picked it up the same day! To my surprise i told the boutique manager to fix the perpetual calendar time etc so i can wear it and put it in it's winding box, as he was setting the time ; he discovered that one of the date adjustment pusher was not working (this is watch coming from Switzerland) so he told me that he will send it to it's local workshop in dubai and sort it out within 72 hours. Gents i got the watch in 3 days and it started working fine and after wearing it for 24 hours the rotor jammed and the watch stopped. As i could see from the transparent glass back that the rotor is not moving at all.
Iam so extremely disappointed with Swiss quality checka nd service of AP that i have in principle decided that i will not invest or buy an expensive AP. $55k watch not working well even after you spend $4k on service. This is terrible and the worst part is that you dont get the watch for 6 months and even so after that this is how it turns out.
Pls advise what to do as iam frustrated and bit off the watch as well now as i dont trust the AP service quality criteria. To my surprise the watch is being adjusted and fixed in Dubai workshop. What is next? Buttons falling off or....

Ovais

(note from moderator:

This message has been edited by ThomasM on 2010-10-18 11:38:02

but these things can and do happen, i would write to AP and let them know of your dissatisfaction and see what they say  goodluck

Dear Ovais,

Please keep in mind I am an enthusiast and consumer, just like you. Thus, when I read such stories and experiences, I feel just as frustrated and angry.

I've been around high end watches for many many years; in fact, decades, and I know that sometimes, SAV (after sales service) is often not up to what consumers (and even the executive management) would expect for such expensive luxuries.

On the other hand, stories like these also have "behind the scenes complexities" that often lead the innocent to unfair and wrong conclusions.

If you would please email me

(remove the spaces)

ThomasM @ ThePuristS . com

the following -

1. serial number of watch (case and movement number if you have it)

2. service order number

3. when the watch was brought in to the service center or dealer

4. when it was returned to you

5. the name of the service center or dealer it was brought in to

I will look into this for you and make sure you receive satisfaction.

I know the people at AP, at all levels, care very much about customer satisfaction and the quality of the service, as well as of the products, their customers receive.

Though no company is perfect, just as no individual is perfect, the important thing is how an individual and a company reacts when a problem is brought to their attention.

On the other hand, having been around watches as long as I have, I know of many instances where things are not as they seem.

Just for a few examples, the largest authorized retailer of fine timepieces in the US (and maybe the world) sold my friend a new very high end watch.

Within days, it started not running right, and it went back to the retailer, who said it was going back to the manufacturer.

After 3 back and forths, and nearly a year, it still wasn't running right, so my friend brought it herself to the manufacturer's boutique and asked them to fix it.

She received a quote of several thousand dollars and 18 months for repair. Flabbergasted, she said "but it's been back to you three times over the past year already!"

The Boutique manager explained, "the watch has never been back to (us) and it clearly has been opened and worked on by someone other than our authorized service center, thus the warranty has been voided."

During the entire year, my friend was told "the watch is going back to the manufacturer."

I'm not saying this is what happened to you; I am simply offering someone else's case as an example that what happens behind the scenes can be very complicated and often not what the consumer might think.

Also, in reading your comments, the ending is troubling - having a non-authorized service center open and service the watch often leads to a very problematic situation for the consumer.

In conclusion, please email me the information I asked for asap, and I'll make sure you receive some sort of satisfactory resolution.

I know AP well enough that I know they are not perfect, but when a problem is pointed out to them, they are very good at making sure the problem is rectified.

Sincerely,

TM

fellow AP fan and high horology enthusiast

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am locking this thread until I receive more information and can get all the facts.

And before anyone accuses me of being a blind fan boy "protecting" AP or censoring any little bit of "negative press" about AP, let me point out that this thread is still here, readable by one and all.

And remember, I am a consumer and enthusiast, just like you.

I just want to make sure all facts are present and accounted for before a thread like this expands.

Thanks for your understanding.

TM