[Ralphs]

Hi Folks,

I've been lurking these forums for quite some time now and have only been motivated to register because I am in need of your advice regarding some repair work on my SMP 2220.80 that I purchased last year at an AD in the USA. Currently, I am residing in Canada and no where near a repair facility (such as: Toronto/ Montreal/ Vancouver).

I have several questions that I hope some of you may be able to help me answer:

#1 Question: Has anyone sent their watch to a certified Canadian watch repair facility and do you have a comment regarding turn around time for work, quality and reliability of work?

#2 Question: Apparently, the Canadian government charges an arm AND a leg through customs so shipping to Bienne is out of the question for me as I find it difficult to justify the additional worry and paperwork. As I have purchased my watch in the USA, if I take it into any AD in Canada, should I be expecting to pay for the shipping/delivery fee? Does anyone have any experiences they'd care to share?

#3 Question: For those of you who've required service/warranty work, what has been the turn around time from the date you sent your watch in to the day it was returned? I have read 6-8 weeks, and more along the 8+ week mark being more standard. It took 3 weeks for [email protected] to reply the last time I had an inquiry (However, they came across very polite in the e-mail). I just hate the thought of parting with "my baby" for so long. Oh well, the work is required.

#4 Question: When sending your watch to Omega for repair, do they always send you back a red zipper case and the faulty mechanical pieces of the watch or is that only at the Bienne service center? The reason I ask is because I read John's 2004 experience (http://www.rolexreferencepage.com/se...gaservice.html ) and I am told by some that the red zipper case only comes when non-warranty service is performed. Does anyone have a definite answer? It would be a treat in the midst of parting with my Omega for at least a month.

 

[diver]

I have not used Omega service in Canada. I recently took a watch back to my local AD who sent it to the New Jersey Repair Center. They told me to expect at least 6 weeks before I would see my watch back. It was returned to the AD in less than a month and was given a complete service. I am very impressed with both the turn-around time and the quality of the work done on my watch. It now performs within COSC guidelines again. i didn't pay anything for shipping or the service. I can't tell you whether or not a Canadian AD will be willing to eat the shipping costs. I can only tell you how satisfied I was by my treatment by Omega USA.

Best wishes,
Jeff

 

[Scott D]

Well I can only talk to 2 of the points. As to the turnaround time quote of 6-8 weeks, I'd use that as a conservative measure. I haven't checked recently, but last I checked it was around 10 weeks. When I'd used Omega USA a couple years ago it was 12 weeks. Omega service is not the fastest... I would also avoid the US Service Center in New Jersey at all costs. My experience with them is horrible, as is many others. I've heard they are getting better, but they still have a long way to go.

Regarding the AD charging you for the shipping to the US, you're going to pay for it. You just may not see it. I don't think many AD's ship for free. They may not line-list the shipping, but I'm sure it'll be in the overall cost.

And lastly on the custom fees. Have you verified that's true? While it is expensive to ship watches into the country when buying them, for watches being sent out and then returned - like repair work - the custom tax is usually not charged. Otherwise you'd be double, triple, quadruple & more taxed on the same watch if you have multiple repair work. I'd check with the local office - I'll bet repair work that is returning to the country is exempt from customs, assuming the sender properly documents it (and Bienne does this every day, I'd trust them to get it right). If the AD ships the watch to the US center, they're doing the same thing you would have done, only they're doing it for you. So again I have to believe the exemption exists in Canada, just like the US, otherwise the Canadian AD would have to pay customs when the watch arrived back.

I don't know if they still include the pouch or not. Many of the companies have cut back on those 'unnecessary' items to reduce costs. So I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't use them anymore.


Good luck!

 

[Ralphs]

Thanks for the replies folks.

I gave Swatch Canada a call. They're located in Toronto. They confirmed with me that I could either bring the watch in to an AD and have them ship it out for me and I can expect to pay for the shipping OR I can FedEx them the watch directly. Either way, it looks like I will keep my watch inside Canada and not ship to NJ or Bienne.

Cheers!

 

[Scott D]

Thanks for the replies folks.

I gave Swatch Canada a call. They're located in Toronto. They confirmed with me that I could either bring the watch in to an AD and have them ship it out for me and I can expect to pay for the shipping OR I can FedEx them the watch directly. Either way, it looks like I will keep my watch inside Canada and not ship to NJ or Bienne.

Cheers!

Good to hear it..

I did think of one other item on the pouch / case question. If you really would like to get it (assuming Omega still ships them) I'd send it to Omega directly. Reason is that I've heard AD's sometimes throw them away when they get them or don't give them to the customer for whatever reason. So if you want everything Omega ships back with it, send it directly to Omega. Plus you'll save on extra delays as the AD may not box the watch up to ship immediately (they could have it sitting in the store 4 or 5 days) and any delays in them calling you to tell you it's back (again, could be a day or two). In short - cut out the middle-man for the best turnaround time... :thumbup1:

 

[stevens]

I wouldn't worry about shipping to Bienne if you need to. You mark the shipment as "watch for repair" and no tax/duty should be applied.

Due to the fact that so many people try to avoid taxes this way, sometimes Canada customs will tax the shipment anyway when it returns to you. In this case, there is a form you can fill out and send into the government to get a refund on the tax. You must include the receipts of your shipment and the repair with the forms. It's a pain in the butt, but I'm told it works.

 

[steele]

I have used the Canadian repair shop in Toronto (Richmond & Bathurst) and it is top notch. I had my old Bond Seamaster serviced there and have a vintage in there right now. At the front counter you are able to see the technicians in the shop working on watches with a great view of downtown Toronto!

I have always walked my watch into the service shop so I have no experience with the mail-in service.

If you don't need any parts replaced, you should be able to have it serviced in under 2 weeks. You can always call the shop @ 416-703-1667 or 866-903-9015 to get more information.