MoveAlong 23 Posted August 11, 2015 Why you sending so many kisses mate? The guy is gonna think you're a bit strange. Yeah, should have thrown some hugs (OOOO) in there too! I did get a reply and will report back when proper. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kleen™ 45 Posted August 18, 2015 Horrible QC from Steinhart - must've been assembled by an intern. Great write-up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MoveAlong 23 Posted September 21, 2015 So, had some back and forth with Steinhart on this. They responded quickly, apologizing, saying they had no idea how something this bad could have passed their QC. As I was not asking for anything from them (refund/repair), that was pretty much it. The customer service representative with whom I was communicating was always prompt and friendly with her replies. I did ask about the status of my warranty. She said that she would forward my situation directly to Mr. Steinhart, who was on vacation at the time. In the end, I never got any reply from Mr. Steinhart or any confirmation on the status of my warranty should I ever need it. Honestly, pretty disappointed but really not a big deal as my watch is functioning perfectly. If I ever need warranty service (doubtful), I'll deal with it then. C'est la vie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ishmael 92 Posted September 21, 2015 There's a "Mr. Steinhart"?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FunnyStarSystem 7,538 Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) Gunter! <runs to check bezel on same watch owned for four years...> Edited September 21, 2015 by Inkoumori Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MoveAlong 23 Posted September 21, 2015 With the chapter closed on my repairing of Steinhart's QC mega fails, I bring you more drama. While on vacation and absolutely loving this watch, I decided to roll the dice and order another of the exact same model as a present for my father. That's how much I like this watch! I was thinking what are the odds that another one would be bad? Anyway, a few weeks later I received the second one (for my father) and here is what I got. (2nd watch for my father) GMT hand not aligned properly. This picture shows that the GMT hand is roughly 22 minutes out of sync with the other hands Additionally, the bezel is also out of alignment (deja vu), but who's keeping track? The GMT hand on the ETA 2893-2 is only adjustable in one hour increments, so it is not just a matter of changing it via quickset, like on some movements where the GMT hand can be freely infinitely adjusted. If all the hands are not initially set properly, it will never be right - like this watch. I could have fixed this myself, but said "Hell NO!". I contacted Steinhart, showing them these exact pictures, describing in detail what the problem was. They apologized, gave me their FedEx account number and I shipped it back to Germany (almost $80 USD) at their expense. When they got it back they said that they couldn't send me a replacement because they were already out of stock. They would have one of their in-house watch makers perform the repairs. Great, I thought, and so I waited a few weeks. I was also told by their representative that after the repair, Mr. Steinhart would personally perform the QC check prior to shipping my watch. Cool. So, eventually the "repaired" watch came back to me. When I looked at the watch, my head just hung in utter disbelief. Are you fucking kidding me? This is what I got back. GMT hand still way off. I sent them these pictures to show how they failed again. My original watch (that I repaired) is on the left, the "Steinhart repaired" watch is on the right. The warranty repair invoice stated that the hands were reset (um, still wrong) and that the DWO alignment was fixed. WTF? I never said anything about the DWO because there was nothing wrong with it in the first place!! Anyway, after I calmed down, I emailed them these pictures and told them I was very frustrated with the whole situation and I just wanted a refund. They agreed to this and to eat the return shipping costs (another $80 USD). I sent it back and my full refund posted today. That is why I waited to post this. Didn't want to jinx anything until I got my money back. By my count, Steinhart has footed the bill for roughly $240 in shipping during this debacle, not including the cost of their watchmaker's "repairs". Not a way to run a business, Mr. Steinhart. So, other than my having to look for another watch for my father, this whole situation has resolved itself. As an aside, I told my father about this and when I explained to him what an automatic watch meant, he said he'd rather have quartz anyway! Some takeaways: If you order an OVGMT, chances are that it will be fucked. Steinhart's QC on OVGMT's is fucking awful (even when it's Mr. Steinhart doing the QC - supposedly - I have my doubts). Steinhart's "in-house" watch makers aren't very good at identifying problems even when they're listed in detail with pics. Steinhart's customer service representatives are very good at their job and professional. They probably work overtime. I love the OVGMT! It's a great watch if assembled properly. Way back when I contacted Steinhart about my first OVGMT being completely wrong, I figured that they might try to make up for it by giving me a little something. They never did. But, when I got the second watch back from warranty repair, they did send along a nice leather NATO strap. Nice strap (expensive), but kind of indicative of Steinhart's fails. I hate NATO straps and will never wear it. If they had asked, I would have told them that I would have much preferred anything else. But, they didn't. C'est la vie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MoveAlong 23 Posted September 22, 2015 Just to show that I'm not totally down on Steinhart, here's a glowing review of their new OCEAN Titanium 500 Premium that is on my wrist now. http://www.rwg.bz/board/index.php?showtopic=107611 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FunnyStarSystem 7,538 Posted September 22, 2015 Wow. I've had some lengthy delays with them (own four), have had to pester them to ship when I've ordered supposedly in-stock. But I've never had the qc problems you've experienced. They're known for lackluster customer service and I know it's just a small operation with highly desirable wares, but there's no excuse for much of the seeming laziness. Anyway, here's an interesting read on the owner; http://forums.watchuseek.com/f275/afternoon-gunter-steinhart-972465.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MoveAlong 23 Posted September 22, 2015 Yeah, but in the end not that big of a deal. First world problem, right? It's not like I got ripped off or anything. They paid for all shipping and did refund me in full, so can't really complain that much I guess. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ByranM 0 Posted October 6, 2015 The watch looks amazing, as do your photos. I have to say however, those issues should have never made it out of their factory and it's a shame that it happens even with genuine products. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
