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Sending Your Watch Back to China for Repair

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easydoesit

good to know ive always wondered about this

 

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GingerApple

This is such a helpful sticky, thanks for the info. 

 

I'm going to try sending one back too. I received a lovely lookingwatch from one of the TDs (who I think should remain nameless for now in case things go wrong - I'll update things later to sing his or her praises if my experience goes well) and it looked perfect, but was DOA.  I wanted to cry! I loved that watch! But something was rattling around inside (as in a screw or something - not your normal Rep rattle) and indeed, the face was falling away from the case on one side when I looked closer!

 

My instinct was to send it back, but then I started reading posts about all the problems in doing so  - but it seemed to me that most of the posts were along the lines of, 'I heard xyz happened to so and so' rather than, 'I sent my watch back and it didn't arrive.' Suffice to say this sticky gave me hope. So as of about 30 minutes ago, my watch sent off via Royal Mail 'International Signed.' FYI as  of November '17 the price from UK to China for this service is £9.75 and aims for delivery in 5-7 days, it's tracked until it leaves the UK with the promise of notification once it's been signed for on delivery.

 

I note from the thread that users have been able to track items all the way with the track17.net recommendation. There's no longer a website with that address, but it still seems to be a working site at https://www.17track.net/en so hopefully that will work for me too once my package sets of on its little adventure. So now I guess I sit back and wait and trust in the system and my TD (who this far has been excellent - responsive, fair etc).

 

My thanks must go out to all those senior members, here and 'next door', who have given little old noob me their time and experience - you know who you are. I'll update the situation in the coming week. Weeks. Month. Months....

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greg_r

Good luck with it - should be fine so long as you're patient. I've sent watches back to China on a couple of occasions without problems - just be prepared for it to be sloooooooooooow. It may get to China within 5-7 days, but it will be anything up to 6 weeks before it finally gets where it needs to be. 2-3 months in total before you get it back is to be expected and it can be longer (having said that, try to get a good gen repaired under warranty in less than 12-16 weeks ;) )...

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myaz
17 minutes ago, greg_r said:

  (having said that, try to get a good gen repaired under warranty in less than 12-16 weeks ;) )...

You must have amazing pull.

I am currently waiting on one that was supposed to take 8 weeks. It's closing in on 12 with still no sign of life. Well, he did say 2 more weeks and he'd give me a call. :dry:

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GingerApple
52 minutes ago, greg_r said:

I've sent watches back to China on a couple of occasions without problems

Good to know!

And the inevitable delay? It is what it is. I'll just have to hope my most recent purchase turns up soon to calm the shakes...

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ReplicaFromDownunder

I sent mine back to a TD and it went MIA a few years back. Dealer not taking liability. This was dispute it being returned/repaired 3 times for a faulty crown stem.

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

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nuk

I have, and I am experiencing the same case as the OP, with the only difference that the replaced (not repaired) new watch that came back had another issue as well, so I sent another explaining vid to my TD who asked me to resend it to him again. It is indeed a hassle, but nothing compared to what has been said about sending a gen watch to repair. Patience is the key. 

Fair to say that, in case I had a rep friendly watchmaker nearby, I may not have sent the watch twice, and would've happily paid a small fee for the fixing. Unfortunately, the 8 days delivery time the OP states in his case, is kinda science fiction in my country. I've never got a watch before 30 days after shipment date, and I'm in EU country...

My 2 cents.

 

 

  

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GingerApple
On 03/11/2017 at 14:12, GingerBubba said:

This is such a helpful sticky, thanks for the info. 

 

I'm going to try sending one back too. I received a lovely lookingwatch from one of the TDs (who I think should remain nameless for now in case things go wrong - I'll update things later to sing his or her praises if my experience goes well) and it looked perfect, but was DOA.  I wanted to cry! I loved that watch! But something was rattling around inside (as in a screw or something - not your normal Rep rattle) and indeed, the face was falling away from the case on one side when I looked closer!

 

My instinct was to send it back, but then I started reading posts about all the problems in doing so  - but it seemed to me that most of the posts were along the lines of, 'I heard xyz happened to so and so' rather than, 'I sent my watch back and it didn't arrive.' Suffice to say this sticky gave me hope. So as of about 30 minutes ago, my watch sent off via Royal Mail 'International Signed.' FYI as  of November '17 the price from UK to China for this service is £9.75 and aims for delivery in 5-7 days, it's tracked until it leaves the UK with the promise of notification once it's been signed for on delivery.

 

I note from the thread that users have been able to track items all the way with the track17.net recommendation. There's no longer a website with that address, but it still seems to be a working site at https://www.17track.net/en so hopefully that will work for me too once my package sets of on its little adventure. So now I guess I sit back and wait and trust in the system and my TD (who this far has been excellent - responsive, fair etc).

 

My thanks must go out to all those senior members, here and 'next door', who have given little old noob me their time and experience - you know who you are. I'll update the situation in the coming week. Weeks. Month. Months....

Oh, I'd quite forgotten about this thread, I was supposed to update you guys on my situation.

So by way of update, you'll see I posted my v7 Sub to China from the UK on 3/11/17.

Tracking stated it had been delivered and signed for on 13/11/17 so I emailed the TD (who I will now name - Josh at Perfect Clones) to check and he explained he hadn't got it in hand because he uses a forwarding service (I imagine for reasons of security/anonymity).

Having heard nothing, I chased again on 1/12/17 to see if it had been received and he confirmed it had been received and indeed fixed and would be coming back to me soon. Bonus!

In delighted to say that on 30/12/17, it arrived!!!! It all seems great. It's definitely the same watch and it seems to have been repaired faultlessly. I guess it's still early days, and I'm no expert, but certainly I have no cause for concern with it whatsoever. 

So well done Josh, an excellent service. If I were to be hyper, hyper (HYPER) critical, it would have been nice to receive updates, or at least a 'your watch has arrived safely and I'll get it fixed for you asap' type email to settle nerves, but all in all, a two month turnaround is pretty good going and consequently I'd heartily recommend Josh's after sale support.

For those in doubt, don't worry about sending watches back; that's my experience.

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AP_Superman

I sent one back recently. The tracking stopped working after it left the U.S. a month and a half passed until it finally made it to the TD. Tracking still never updated. But I had the repaired watch back a couple weeks later so all is well.

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Dog

I use mywatchcode.com who mainly sell Parnis homage watches. They are very well priced and reliable. Not long ago I had a problem with a Panerai homage with a Seagull movement. I contacted them and they told me they would refund my postage as soon as I sent them the tracking number. Indeed they honoured this. As soon as they received the watch it was returned to the factory for repair. The watch was fixed and on my wrist within 4 weeks. At this point I should mention that putting the seller's name and address on the envelope in Chinese writing, as well as English definitely helps the process. 

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JimboJames1972

For a relative Noob like me, it is reassuring to know that there are options available. My local (ie, within walking distance) jeweller is very good with Gen watches and sourcing odd parts for my own home-builds, but he draws the line at touching a rep.  My other alternative would be to post it off elsewhere in the U.K. and, of course, pay the extra costs...

Glad it worked out for you

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Butcher

Very informative! Great read


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Bigstink

Recently got a watch from a TD.. watch came and looked fine and in working conditio.  Wore the watch 3x and on my wrist.. it stopped working.  Tried winding it .. shaking jt... and nothing... 

TD said to mail the watch back (at my expense of course) and they will fix it... but after reading this post... was a little hesitant... 

 

Brought it instead first to my local watch repair to see if he will work on it... he agreed and 30 mins later... was working like "new".  He told me that alot of parts were loose on the inside and had fallen apart.

I would suggest anyone thinking of sending a watch back to check their local watchsmith 1st.. doesn' hurt to ask or try.

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slashdotcom

i also received a watch in a bad conditions, but i never send it back...even i have to agree that Ryan is amazing

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bigporl

Just had a new planet ocean keep stopping after less then a month. The usual "oh no send it back to China it'll take ages" thing rattled in my brain for the next day. Then somebody on here pointed me in the direction of Rolie on here. He got the watch this afternoon. 2 and a half hours later it's fixed, serviced and greased and going in the post back to me on Saturday after a couple days of testing to make sure its ok. I won't say how much but for not much more than it would cost to send it back to the TD . Ive had it not only fixed but serviced and hopefully no longer a ticking time bomb on my wrist.

These are reps they look and run great but you have to realise they aren't made in the best conditions so next rep I get I'm having it serviced anyway. 

I don't blame the TD it's just how it is.

Edited by bigporl
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Luxuracer
21 minutes ago, bigporl said:

Just had a new planet ocean keep stopping after less then a month. The usual "oh no send it back to China it'll take ages" thing rattled in my brain for the next day. Then somebody on here pointed me in the direction of Rolie on here. He got the watch this afternoon. 2 and a half hours later it's fixed, serviced and greased and going in the post back to me on Saturday after a couple days of testing to make sure its ok. I won't say how much but for not much more than it would cost to send it back to the TD . Ive had it not only fixed but serviced and hopefully no longer a ticking time bomb on my wrist.

These are reps they look and run great but you have to realise they aren't made in the best conditions so next rep I get I'm having it serviced anyway. 

I don't blame the TD it's just how it is.

giphy.gif

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markcg

I realize this is an old thread, but it is right on point with my issue. I placed my first order for a replica, using Toro Bravo since it was one of the recommended sites here.  I purchased the IWC Portuguese IW371491 ZF V3 1:1 Best Edition SS Blue dial on Black Leather Strap A79350 (Slim Movement). It arrived Monday (June 4), and upon winding it and operating it, I noted that the chrono sweep hand stuck repeatedly between 17 and 36 seconds after the top of the minute, and progressively got worse with each rotation. I contacted Toro Bravo and sent him a link to a video of the watch malfunction. After a couple of exchanges, he advised to send it back and he would send it to the factory. I would obviously prefer a new replacement over a factory refurbished/repaired watch, but s00o far, so good, right? Toro Bravo gave me the address and customs information for returning it (advising to use a tracking shipment, but not UPS, FedEx or DHL due to customs issues), and I went to the US Post Office. The cost for shipping the watch back is $49.00 US! I asked Toro Bravo if he would refund to me the shipping cost, because, after all, I paid for a new functioning watch plus I paid for upgraded shipping, and now I would be without the watch for several weeks more. Toro Bravo failed to respond for a couple days, then when I followed up, he said he would give me a $20 credit on a future purchase. To me, and at the risk of sounding whiny, is not proper customer service. The watch should have been tested before it was shipped to me. It would have been apparent right away that it was defective. Should I be expected to pay another $49.00 and wait about 7 or 8 weeks just to get what I already paid $350 to receive?

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Luxuracer
16 minutes ago, markcg said:

I realize this is an old thread, but it is right on point with my issue. I placed my first order for a replica, using Toro Bravo since it was one of the recommended sites here.  I purchased the IWC Portuguese IW371491 ZF V3 1:1 Best Edition SS Blue dial on Black Leather Strap A79350 (Slim Movement). It arrived Monday (June 4), and upon winding it and operating it, I noted that the chrono sweep hand stuck repeatedly between 17 and 36 seconds after the top of the minute, and progressively got worse with each rotation. I contacted Toro Bravo and sent him a link to a video of the watch malfunction. After a couple of exchanges, he advised to send it back and he would send it to the factory. I would obviously prefer a new replacement over a factory refurbished/repaired watch, but s00o far, so good, right? Toro Bravo gave me the address and customs information for returning it (advising to use a tracking shipment, but not UPS, FedEx or DHL due to customs issues), and I went to the US Post Office. The cost for shipping the watch back is $49.00 US! I asked Toro Bravo if he would refund to me the shipping cost, because, after all, I paid for a new functioning watch plus I paid for upgraded shipping, and now I would be without the watch for several weeks more. Toro Bravo failed to respond for a couple days, then when I followed up, he said he would give me a $20 credit on a future purchase. To me, and at the risk of sounding whiny, is not proper customer service. The watch should have been tested before it was shipped to me. It would have been apparent right away that it was defective. Should I be expected to pay another $49.00 and wait about 7 or 8 weeks just to get what I already paid $350 to receive?

Contact a Mod or Admin (those guys in BLUE).

One of them would mediate and help you come up with a solution.

My personal recommendation is DO NOT send it back to China ... try to have it fix locally.

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Mary Watch
11 minutes ago, Luxuracer said:

Contact a Mod or Admin (those guys in BLUE).

One of them would mediate and help you come up with a solution.

My personal recommendation is DO NOT send it back to China ... try to have it fix locally.

 

how do u think this?  i afford the fee shipping back when he told me the size is wrong.  i thought i was a idolt to send a wrong size watch when i get email from him.  

 

"You can ignore the last email. You are correct, the caliper seems to show the watch is 40mm. You were right. I was wrong. however, is still doesnt change the fact that  on May 2nd I said to you: "this is my first replica watch " I showed you the photos using my ruler. You asked me if I had a caliper, I said "no" You then ask me to send the watch back So i send it back without any questions. You did not explain anything to me about possible costs. Don't you think you should explain and warn me first about the possibility of double shipping cost ? I just follow your instructions thats it. 
 
You saw my photos, if my measurement was wrong why did you tell me to send it back to you knowing that i possibly could be wrong? 
 
Additionally check the last attachment,  on April 17th i told you it looks like there is scratches on the watch. and you said there is no scratches. When i receive the watch there was no protective film on the case of the watch.  Now you have it in person you say there are scratches.
 
 
So after all of this, you want me to pay $40 to have the same watch sent back to me and on top of that the watch is scratched?
 
This is not right at all Mary.
 
I was planning to buy many watches from you. 
 
Can you ask the factory to replace the watch since it has scratches? Also i dont think its fair that i have to pay the $40 for shipping because you told me to send the watch back to you. You did not tell me to go get the watch professionally measured before sending back. you did not warn me about any kind of cost. Its my first replica watch I showed you the photos i used to measure the watch you saw it yourself. You are the watch expert. I am not. I am just following your instruction. You ask to send back the watch so I sent it back.
 
Please be fair about this. I have never bought any replica watch before and i only send it back to you because you asked me to."

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Luxuracer
39 minutes ago, Mary Watch said:

 

how do u think this?  i afford the fee shipping back when he told me the size is wrong.  i thought i was a idolt to send a wrong size watch when i get email from him.  

 

 

"Two Things Are Infinite: the Universe and Human Stupidity!" :rofl:

So he thought you sent him a 'wrong' watch, and sent it back to you, to find out that it was the 'correct' watch after all. 

The big question is ... who should pay to have the watch send back to hỉm!?!

Since it was none of your fault ... he has two options;

- Pay $15 to have the watch sent back by ePackage

- Order another watch and the two watches can be sent together.

 

(Disclaimer: I did a good share stupid things in my life ... Kakaka!)

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mysterio

I don't follow, @markcg was complaining about toro, and @Luxuracer quoted him, mentioned the mods but why did @Mary Watch quote Luxuracer when it was toro being mentioned? :blink:

 

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Luxuracer
2 minutes ago, mysterio said:

I don't follow, @markcg was complaining about toro, and @Luxuracer quoted him, mentioned the mods but why did @Mary Watch quote Luxuracer when it was toro being mentioned? :blink:

 

I think @Mary Watch just want to point out one of the most recent cases that she got.

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mysterio
1 minute ago, Luxuracer said:

I think @Mary Watch just want to point out one of the most recent cases that she got.

Which would be fine but she quoted your post, which had nothing to do with her experience. :lol:  I was wondering which part of your statement had her saying "how do u think this?" :)

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mn9500

a couple years ago i send back a hulk and a sd and it never came back to beware of it getting lost in transit. sometimes its better just to keep it conus and pay the price to get repaired.

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Fl0w77

Was in the same predicament once, just found a UK Watchsmith instead. 100x much easier, let alone the fact of waiting for very long time and if they do indeed replace the watch having to go through the QC and RL'ing etc.

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