Rolex Warranty

[newrolexman]

As you know my watch is on the way to NYC Rolex for some treatment.


But,, I called again today and asked about the warranty.

The customer service said what the young lady said yesterday


Rolex will only do warranty repairs for the original owner of the watch.


I asked her,, what abt a watch bought from a secondary AD or if I bought from a friend.

They both said that the original owner must ship it in,, the name on the warranty card or the warranty paper.

I made up several scerarios and was told the same thing over and over.

Scary because most things that expensive have a transferable warranty, ie, car, house, etc.


A plus for buying at an AD

A minus for the ones wanting to save a few bucks and buying used watches off friends or off the internet or from a place like Swiss Luxury or Furman.

I was shocked that the warranty isnt transferable between people.

Again ,, i am just passing on what they stated, I dont agree but thats the policy of Rolex in NYC.


Don

ps. I was thinking about a way around this maybe?? Bring your non transferable warrantied watch to your local AD. They charge around $70 to ship a watch back and forth to Rolex to get it repaired under warranty. That may work. Agreed?

[timefinder]

I am sorry to hear what you are going through. My understanding is that Rolex will only honor the warranty of the original purchaser of the watch with no exceptions. They do this to avoid grey sales, and to have consumers purchase from ADs, among many other reasons.

Is there something wrong with the watch right now?

[Scott D]

Yup, that's the policy..... Original owner only. I too don't agree with that policy. I think if it's bought from an AD, the warranty should transfer. But, it could also be a way to (somewhat) cut down on flippers. Any flipped watch would not have a warranty (such as all those BNIB Daytona's in non-AD's).

I don't know if that plan of going to the AD to bypass the original purchaser would work or not. They still have to provide the name of the customer, and if it doesn't match the paperwork it probably won't be honored under warranty. The only way I can see that working is you'd have to say your name is the name on the paperwork. Of course, you'd better know your AD very well as when you pick it up, many want to see ID, which of course wouldn't match and now you can't pick up your watch.

Also, and I'm not sure if this is true or not, but last time I bought a Rolex the AD entered my name & info into the computer. When I asked if that's so he can see what I bought & when if I don't have my receipt he said no, it's sent to Rolex where they keep on file (like a warranty registration). So if (and that's an IF) it's true, Rolex would already know the original purchasers name.

[walds11]

Not so fast. I have heard first hand stories where the RSC did warranty work for people when they were not the original purchaser of the watch. It's called the "gift" rule. They wrote the RSC a letter specifing that the watch was given to them as a gift. It is very common to receive a watch as a gift. Sometimes they ask you for a copy of the sales receipt. Now that may be a problem unless you have a cooperative seller.

[JBHII]

The issue Rolex is trying to combat here are grey market vendors. Rolex maintains a high purchase volume on their AD's and not every AD can sell everything they need to make those numbers. Innevitably, some dealers end up selling some inventory "out the back door" to grey market vendors at discounted prices. This a near universal problem in the watch industry regardless of brand. And most watch companies want a dealer signed and dated warranty card in order to provide warranty service, though Rolex is a bit stickier than most because they want the name of the person requesting warranty service and the name recorded as the buyer of the watch to be the same.

[timefinder]

Not so fast. I have heard first hand stories where the RSC did warranty work for people when they were not the original purchaser of the watch. It's called the "gift" rule. They wrote the RSC a letter specifing that the watch was given to them as a gift. It is very common to receive a watch as a gift. Sometimes they ask you for a copy of the sales receipt. Now that may be a problem unless you have a cooperative seller.

That is interesting..... Though I have to admit I have not heard of this. If purchasing for a gift, why not put the recipient's name on the warranty?

[Scott D]

Well, while giving a watch as a gift is very common, I'd suspect most Rolex's given as gifts are in the immediate family. Not all, but probably the vast majority. At least I've never received a $6,000 gift from a friend...

So the receipt is probably easier to obtain for these situations. Also, I believe Rolex is a bit more forgiving if the original person & the warrantee are family members. Worst case, you can have that person send it in....

[newrolexman]

I am sure Rolex Customer Service Reps cut thru the gift spheel everyday.

I dont think the gift thing would work unless its well substantiated.

With 900,000 Rolex's sold a year and probably 30% or more from Allan Furman type dealers I am sure they get a lot of warranty calls for service and get all kinds of stories how it was a gift, theirs cousins watch they are sending in for him,, etc.

The 2 customer service reps I spoke with at Rolex were adamant that there was absolutely NO way to get a watch repaired underwarranty with the warranty papers being in another name, even if the watch was one week old.

When I called a Fl secondary market dealer and told him this ,,, HE denied it emphatically,, said they are warrrantied. The lies we tell to make a buck,, shame on them. I heard it from the houses mouth.

I almost bought my GMT ll from a secondary source before I found the 10% off at a FL AD.

If I had purchased my GMT ll from a secondary source and had the -8 seconds a day problem as I am having,, i d probably have to pay hundreds of dollars to get it fixed.

I still dont agree with the Rolex Policy on this. It should be the product that is warranteed regardless of who owns it, ie, a new car or new house.


But ,, all is well, my GMT was AD purchased by me.. I ll never buy secondary now UNLESS the watch is used and more then 2 years old, then its a moot issue.


Don

[AK1]

Hi,

Newbie questions so I apologize if I should know this already!

If I purchase a BNIB 2010 unit from a private individual with a warranty card that is uncompleted, will I be able to register the warranty without the original sales receipt?

Alternatively, if I get the original sales receipt in the name of the original purchaser and submit it, I imagine i am setting myself up for logistical problems if i ever need warranty service.

Cheers...

[Scott D]

If I purchase a BNIB 2010 unit from a private individual with a warranty card that is uncompleted, will I be able to register the warranty without the original sales receipt?

Well you don't actually register a Rolex warrant. The warranty card and/or receipt is your registration. I've heard / read somewhere that Rolex is also wanting proof of purchase on some warranty claims in addition to the warranty card. Maybe they're getting wise to the 'open card' sales, and want to cut those out. Just a guess, but a logical one. So just filling the card out in your name might work, but there could be some behind-the-scene process and Rolex will want a sales receipt too. Also some people have taken these blank cards, then wait until they have a problem to fill them in. So they fill it in, with a date of like 3 weeks ago. But the watch is 18 months old, and looks 3 years old. Rolex may want to see the receipt to verify the purchase date. Or, they may be able to look up the sale from the store named on the card. If they find proof it's fraudulent, they could cause some serious issues for you (technically you've committed mail fraud). Unlikely, but just throwing it out there as Rolex has really stepped up their legal maneuvering the last year or two..

Alternatively, if I get the original sales receipt in the name of the original purchaser and submit it, I imagine i am setting myself up for logistical problems if i ever need warranty service.

Almost certainly. If the name on the original receipt doesn't match yours, you're probably not going to get it covered in warranty. If the shipping name doesn't match the original buyers name, they're probably not going to cover the repair.