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Watch Repair Blues
Letters to Chuck
Watch repair blues
Hello Chuck, I read your piece about whether watch batteries are profitable or not. I would say "Yes." I have only broken one watch crystal in the last three years (a few more in the total of 13 years), but I am writing you about a gross watch I had two summers ago. The girls at work told me I had to write this. It is almost so gross you don’t believe it. The sales girls try getting the regular "snap" back off by themselves, anything that gets difficult or has screws they call me for help. This particular watch was giving them a hard time and when I looked at the back of the watch a movement caught my eye. I thought it must be my imagination working (or maybe I have been working too hard) so I popped of the back and changed the battery - but, that movement still had me wondering. So I got my loupe out and sure enough there was a worm around the outside edge in the goop around the watch back. Yuck, yuck, yuck. So of course I needed to get the tweezers and pluck him out. We had him on display for a day or two in the back by the watch counter. It was a small green worm, kinda like what you find on trees that match the color of the leaves, but on a much smaller scale. Thought I would share this with you. Just a note… I always wash my hands after every watch I work on. Especially after the worm incident. Have a great day. Ranee Frank, G.G. London Jewelers New London, WI Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, I enjoy your articles and often find them amusing, but you really missed the mark regarding watch batteries! You had such a broad spectrum of things to cover that you completely missed! I can’t believe you didn’t mention the filth involved, the odor and down right grossness of changing a watch battery! The fact that some people in general are hygienically challenged. It’s terrible to try and pry open the back of a watch and have a layer of dead skin all over your fingers...Yuck! Not to mention the occasional layer of mold on the fabric bands (that’s where the odor comes from usually). You also missed the fact that even though people bring in their $29.95 special for a battery because it stopped running, they blame us when a new battery doesn’t make it work! “What did you do to it?” Nothing but gag the whole time I was changing the battery. This brings in the ever-loved task of shortening expansion bands that have stretched out over the last 50 years of wear. The puff of toxic particles that comes out of them when you pull out the u-pin is disgusting, but that’s another article for you. Then, the customer asks you to clean the band. Are you kidding me? Are your hands painted on? You know it’s dirty, so clean it yourself! They have no shame. I’ve worked in the same jewelry store for eight years now and I will never vote to keep changing watch batteries. The science projects growing under the stones in most people’s jewelry brought in for repair or cleaning is bad enough. I would rather change messy diapers all day than change watch batteries! At least that way you know what you’re getting into. Thanks for reading me! Sign me, Sick of watches in Ohio Hey Chuck, We all love your articles... just when we think we are all alone in this crazy industry, we read something of yours and it reminds us that we have brothers in arms on this side of the counter! Just wanted to share my crystal story with you- Raised in a jewelry store, I have changed batteries since I was 12, and can do it almost on autopilot now. Unfortunately, this can lead to overconfidence sometimes. One day a few years back, an older woman came in with the ubiquitous Ziploc bag full of watches, nearly all of them the inexpensive, bright colored decorative ones you often see on ladies of that age. I had her leave the bag while I sat down to change all 30-odd of the monsters, most of them 377s. The second-to-last watch had a neat little millefiori design around the edge of the crystal. I barely glanced at it as I popped the back, snicked out the dead battery, and fit in a new 377. As I went to close it, that tiny sound assaulted my ears. You know the sound, a $40 crystal sounds much like a $4,800 princess cut. My stomach hit my knees and I turned the watch over to survey the damage. Tiny shards of glass, dotted in every color of the rainbow, lay in my hand. You would not believe how impossible it is to track down a millefiori crystal! There’s one at this link: /www.venetianbeads.com/GoldFoilNecklaces.htm. But hers was oval, and it was just not happening. I offered her store credit, a new watch, anything. But she wanted hers back, and she wanted it intact. She just would not take anything else as an answer. I was so contrite about her poor watch that I spent nearly a solid week trying to track one down. I even located the Chinese manufacturer and attempted to call them for a replacement! We weren’t able to get through to anyone who spoke English. In the end, as much as she didn’t like it (or me!), she settled for a nice new watch out of the case that cost me more than hers originally did at whatever godforsaken department store she picked it up in. She didn’t want me to cut her a plain crystal for the existing watch. I was depressed about that stupid thing for a long time, but I haven’t cracked a crystal since! Of all the watches in her bag, I had to break the ONE that was irreplaceable! But its still a great job, no? Thanks for your work, Sarah Christenson Wexford Jewelers Cadillac, MI Dear Chuck, Your latest column cracked me up! How true! I have probably the same horror stories as everybody else, but I also have an interesting tale. A few years ago, I changed a battery for a guy, and when I handed him the watch back, I commented on the tee-shirt he was wearing. It had a picture of an alien head, you know, like a Roswell, N.M. extra-terrestrial. He said, “I AM an alien. I come from a planet many light years from here.” Well, isn’t it nice to know a guy can go in a little town in Illinois and get his watch taken care of while he’s away from home? I can’t begin to tell you how many hours I have spent crawling around on the floor beneath my bench looking for the tiny screw that holds the battery strap down. Is there a club we can join for that? BTW, if you paid $45 to get a watch crystal cut, you could be paying too much. The crystal I broke last week while replacing a battery only cost me $11 plus shipping to get replaced. I use R-Gees in Eureka, MO. I sure enjoy your articles. Thanks! Barbara Kearney H.D. Bean Jewelers Carmi, IL Chuck, Thanks for the last two (January & February) retailer’s perspectives! We’ve been in retail since March of 1979 at the same location and we have the same problems as you and probably thousands of other retailers all over America. Rents are high and overhead with insurance, FICA, electric and on and on of expenses eat up all of our small profits. We do batteries to pay our rent, but the headaches they cause are sometimes overwhelming! We too have a watchmaker on the premises who has those screws and battery straps that go flying. We too have spent thousands of dollars on a promotion and have had little to no response. The country western radio station here seems to have the best response followed by newspaper and then TV. Keep up the great articles. We at least don’t feel alone in our struggle to make a living. Kathy Ahuactzin 24 Karat Jewelers Yuma, AZ Chuck, Loved your article about watch batteries. I myself do an average of over $3000 a month in batteries! No wonder I am going to Ireland in June... Viki Ye Olde Clock Shoppe Tucson, AZ Dear Chuck, I, too, have weighed the costs of breaking crystals, etc. but my philosophy is that the batteries bring people into the store so maybe it can turn into other sales. Anyway I have a couple of stories, one that is probably not unique and one that definitely is. First, I had a woman bring in a watch for a battery. It was stopped so she figured it needed a battery. I replaced it but it still didn’t work. Told her I couldn’t help her as it was a “throwaway” watch, but she accused me of ruining her watch. I said, “Did your watch work when you brought it in?” Of course, she had to admit that it did not but said it did before it went dead at home. She never did understand my position and left an unhappy customer. This second story is unusual and I am not making this up. A local gentleman stops in and wants a battery for his old (well known inexpensive watch). Same thing, I put a new one in and it doesn’t run so I tell him I can’t repair it, but I give him (the manufacturers) address for factory service. He was fine and left. About a month or so later he walks in and throws the watch on the counter and says, you ruined my watch. I looked at it and noted that it was running and on time so I was confused and said so. He says look at the second hand, it clicks. That’s when I remembered giving him the factory address. I said you sent this to (the company factory) and they put a quartz movement in. That was correct. So I said, what does that have to do with me? (He is a bit of a drinker) And he starts yelling about how his watch is ruined because it doesn’t have a sweep second hand, etc. I tell him, not so politely to get out of my store. He leaves. Two weeks later I get a subpoena for small claims court. He is suing me for $5000. Since the courthouse is right across the street it wasn’t too inconvenient to go. I actually looked forward to it because I knew I would win, which is what happened. The judge wasn’t too happy with his side of the story and also wondered what made him think his gold filled (well known inexpensive watch) was worth $5000. By the way, he tried to get me to settle out in the hallway before we went in front of the judge and I told him to go “make love to himself” which he later told the judge. The judge did not care. I went back to work with a great story. Another unrelated true story. I get a phone call. The caller says she has a bunch of little diamonds and asks me if I can make one big diamond out of them. Without missing a beat, I said, “Yes, IF I WAS GOD.” Then just kinda laughed and explained that it was impossible and she appreciated the humor. Thanks for letting me share. We do that a lot at the RJO shows. Sincerely, Dave Van Duzer Van Duzer Jewelers Ottawa, IL Hi Chuck, First of all, I want to preface this with how much I like you, er... how much I like reading your articles. Whenever I find a Mid-America Jewelry News in the mailbox, I rush to the store, and race to find your article. After 25 years of this business, I can SOOOO relate to your stories. Thanks for reminding us that we all suffer the “bad customer” experiences all over this great nation. Watch horror stories?? I have a million of them... hard to remember them all. I work too hard to FORGET these stories... let alone to try to bring them back to share with others. However, I do sort of remember one in particular from several years ago. Two ladies came into our store together, and right away I could tell that one lady was blind. She proceeded to hand over a braille watch, obviously a type that you don’t see every day (no pun intended :). It was well worn (in other words, crusty and dirty). After messing with it for several minutes, it was obvious that the watch was not going to work even with a new battery. I proceeded to hand the watch back with my sympathy for its demise. They politely left and I breathed a sigh of relief. But, that obviously is NOT the end... The “friend” came back with the watch some time later, and confronted another sales associate, saying that I had broke a piece on the front of the watch and that is why its was not working. We both looked at the watch together, and it was VERY obvious that there was nothing “broke” on the front of the watch (my good guess is maybe that I knocked off a hunk of dirt that was embedded in the cracks or something). She left again, but I knew this was not going to go away. Sure enough, they came back again, and insisted that there was something “missing” on the face of the watch. We argued and argued - despite the fact that the “customer is always right” (cough, cough). They both finally left in disgust, and to this day, the blind lady still comes back into our store and reminds our staff of the saleslady who broke her watch. Well, I know that’s not the most outrageous horror story... I’ll probably remember more after I send this one on. So... are you married??? Janelle Nissen Rogers Jewelers Cedar Rapids, Iowa Sorry Chuck ! just had to respond on this one. It was just so funny. So tell us Chuck Are You Married ??? Ha !! We Love your article and always read it, if we read nothing else in whole paper. Hope you keep on writing. Have a Great Weekend ! Tim and Kathy Shelton Shelton's Jewelry and Gift Gallery Heber Springs , AR Answer from Chuck Single, unattached, no children, no baggage, own a jewelry store, own a home, like to take long walks on the beach, like to go hiking in nature, love romantic dinners by candlelight..okay...I'm running out of lies here. It was all true up until the 'takes long walks on the beach' But seriously, I am single and unattached. Thanks for reading and thanks for writing. Chuck Koehler, Columnist Southern Jewelry News Mid-America Jewelry News | ||||||||||||||||||
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