I know this isn't to do with cars but thought i'd warn anyone thinking of buyiyng a Breitling watch. If it goes wrong, like mine has, you will have to pay the shop to send it back to the tune of £30 even though it's only 4 months old AND UNDER WARRENTY and it cost over £1300 pound to buy.I dreamed of owning one of these for years now and my wife kindly bought it for me as a surprise, it's not the money that bothers me so much it's the fact i have to pay for there bad workmanship, we all know mistakes happen but am i being unreasonable expecting the shop/Breitling to be helpfull when things go wrong, not charge me and tell me i'm now without my watch for 6-8weeks
I'll also add i've had no responce from Breitling to the emails i've sent
Well i've learn't my lesson next time spend my money on my car
Paul

Have a word with trading standards?

When you get your watch back, write a strong but mild mannered ol'fashioned letter to Breitling. Explain to them that you feel cheated in having to pay for a warrenty repair.
Most large companys dont act too well on emails. For starters they are opened by minions and not anyone who can do anything about anything.

Yeah. I was really dissapointed with my Breitling too...

(Right enough, my 'Breitling' was bought off a market stall in Turkey for about a squillion old Turkish Lira which I believe is approximately seventy three and a half pence.)

Your contract is with the shop who supplied the watch, they should have offered you a replacement at least while they repaired your watch. This is your statutory right under the sale of goods act.
My expensive watch was £19.99 from Argos and has been perfect apart from the alarm going off at 21.33 every day and I can't find how to switch it off in the instructions

[Edited on 29/7/07 by Peteff]

I always fancied getting a brietling but everyone i spoke to who had owned one said theres had gone wrong, its not good for something of that value to be that unreliable and then charge you to send it back, thats a real wee take.

I think ill end up getting a tagheur anybody know anything bad about them?

[Edited on 29/7/07 by desyboy]

I got a Tag for my 18th birthday and it has been faultless to date - 13 years, 3 batterys at £40 a time as it needs to be sent back to Tag for sealing etc (it may not NEED to go back to them but for my piece of mind i sent it)

Every time the jeweler (goldsmiths) have given me a courtesy watch

cant get better then that.

Any watch can be good or bad, but the "quality" mechanical watches are much worse than say a seiko quartz. I had a Rolex that would not keep good time which is pretty pointless really, I sent it back and got a Tag Heurre Carrera it has been fault less so far. The other benefit not one person has asked is it a fake which was always happening with the Rolex. Unfortunatly the cost of a watch is no guarrentee of it working well.
Both Taf and Omega both do some battery powered watches but I like mechanical.

A guy I work with got a Breitling for his 21 birthday. He is now 44. He sends it off to Breitling every year to be serviced (as was recommended when he bought it). The watch keeps accurate time twice a day. It always stops a month or two after he gets it back!!!
He also has an old Seiko(sp?) which he wears every day and apart from new batteries, he's never had any problems. He also has some posh watch that he bought at an antiques auction that was reported to have been given the some astronauts. That also goes away every year to be serviced but it never gets out of its box. The same guy goes to McDonalds and buys all the range of Happy Meals toys and puts them in a box in his loft. He has to buy them as he won't eat junk food and has no kids. Or a wife. Or much of a life........

Buy Omega mine has never went wrong keeps good time. and only cost £20 from the guy in Dubai.

when i left phone direct in watford i was bought a rolex which i havent ever taken off in 4 years i even keep it on to do the gardening in, if i'd of bought it i'd keep it in cotton wool, self winding not bats for me

So... stay away from a Breitling then

I have a solid Titanium (allergy to Nickel) watch, cost me a bit from Stockholm and it has never let me down and causes me no problems whatsoever...

I do prefer TAG though.... but won't afford one!!!

Steve

I would also suggest going via trading standards. Sales of Good act states that goods should be of a "suitable quality" which accourding to Trading Standards should take "into account the description, the price and all other relevant information"

I'd say a Breitling watch which breaks after a couple of months could clearly be said to not be of a suitable standard and as such should be replaced by the vendor not the manafacturer....

I had the same thing the other week with John Lewis. We bought a Magimix (well got it on a wedding list) and it didn't work. John Lewis tried to persuade us we had to ship it to Magimix (at our cost) to get it repaired. Clearly bullshit, eventually got hold of the manager who knew a little bit more about the Sales of Goods act and replaced it for a working Magimix......

What does the guarantee say about returning for repair? £40 to send a watch (even recorded) seems way excessive. I'd say that unless the guarantee mentions the costs (or limitations on method of return) its an illegal guarantee stipulation aimed @ preventing returns. Trading Standards would be interested....... I'd also suggest writing a letter to Breitling HQ asking for their comments on one of their watches breaking after a few months....

Trading standards will have a field day with this problem

I contacted them as my 32" tv went wrong, and was collected (begrugdinly!)
after 1 week, yet took a further 21 days for any correspondance from the offending company, to contact me

After 28 days of no tv, nor any contact, I went into the shop, and quoted the 1973 trading standards act, and got my full money returned to me
I dont even know if there is a 1973 act !

But the 28 day rule does

regards

steve

If you get the shpo to act then trade it for an Omega, mine never skips a beat and priced well next to competition

James

Some background info for you guys...

Apparently the place where all Brietlings come into the country and get repaired is in my old town of Tunbridge Wells.

My Chrono Avenger M1 has been faultless for years. Only ever needed a battery replacement.

If your watch goes wrong you simply take it back to the shop. You should not have been charged for this.

A friend of mine has recently bought a Breitling and was disappointed to find some dirt underneath the glass. I think they sent a prepaid bag for him to send it back in.

I'd still prefer an Omega but its still a lot of money for something that doesn't really do the job any better.

Got to be Titanium as well, used to my everyday Seiko being light, put on a few Rolex / Brietlings and my arm feels weighed down!

I agree with comments re unsuitable quality and contacting trading standards.

I'd also wait till shop busy to make a point - if necessary.

Get your money back!

I have a clock on my phone - that's fine for me.

ATB

Simon

Thanks for the comments, just thought i'd warn you lot incase anyone else was about to spend their money. To be honest i would never buy an Omega or any other quality watch, it's just for some reason i've always liked the look of breitlings and it was just one of those things you always tell yourself you'll buy one day, and my mrs did as a surprise
I'll let you all no what happens in the end
Paul

I have a friend who works for Seiko. Every so often she gets some bargains and sells them on...

Why pay so much for something that will inevitably get broken whilst you're drunk?