I bought a solar-powered Seiko watch in January, to replace its predecessor, also a Seiko solar, which died after just under 5 years. The new one quit working after 5 months.
So I sent it back to Seiko’s customer service center. They’ll fix it - for a 5.00 service charge (bwuh? I thought “warranty” meant they’d fix a defective product without a repair fee). Oh, and a small charge plus tax to replace the clasp.
Except… the clasp wasn’t broken.
Argh. I’ve worn Seiko products for over 30 years - 2 watches (both traditional battery powered) over 27 years, and now the two solar powered.
They’ve gone downhill in quality, and apparently their idea of customer service uses the same definition of “service” horse breeders use.
I have many many Seiko watches worth hundreds of dollars each. Its an extremely prestigious brand among those who know about horology.
That said, their customer service is a bit rough in the US. I had a new watch that needed service, I had the warranty card but the store forgot to stamp it. I was out of luck, had to pay 130 for a movement overhaul.
Luckily I do most of my own work on them.
For the Solar watches, do you let them sit in a bright sun lit area for a day to recharge? It makes a big difference.
On the sun: yep, though that shouldn’t be necessary. The first solar one I owned (that died last winter): I misplaced it for a month, finally found it on the floor by the couch. It was getting a little light but not much. It was still running and had the correct time. This one: I left it in bright light to make sure it was charging. It would go when I reset the time, but stop within a couple hours.
Ouch on the 130 dollars. At least I had the Amazon paperwork from the purchase so I could prove it.
The prestigious ones must be their higher-end watches. Of the 4 I’ve owned, all were purchased for 160 or thereabouts, which of course means they’ve gotten progressively “cheaper” over the years (the first one being purchased in 1985, the next in 1995 for the same price). Maybe the battery-powered ones are still good (the 1995 one actually still works but wanted a new battery twice a year)… but from my small sample size, I’m concluding their solar watches are crap-tastic.
I may pay the 10 dollar shakedown to get it back, but unless they back off on that it will be the last Seiko I buy :(.
I sent my c.1974 Seiko Bell-Matic to Seiko because the crown came off. I expected them to repair it (and overhaul it) for $115, based on their online repair estimate for this specific movement. They sent it back immediately, saying they don’t have the parts.
So I bought a Seiko stem, just in case I’d broken the crown off instead of unscrewing it, for $10. I took my watch to a local jeweler, who fixed it for $20. (And he returned the unused new stem.)
Question: If Seiko ‘doesn’t have the parts’, then why do they have a repair estimate for this movement on their webpage? Surely, it couldn’t be they just didn’t feel like supporting their product!
To be clear: I’d put a piece of tape over the crown to ensure it didn’t get lost. The tape had not been removed. Seiko didn’t even open it and look inside! :mad:
What a pity. I’ve only got one Seiko, and I’m interested in more. When I returned from China last year, the Citizen in my air cargo arrived DOA. It wouldn’t charge, no matter how much light I fed it. Of course, the warranty card was in my sea cargo and wouldn’t arrive for two months. And I had no receipt. And it was purchased at a department store in Thailand, and I was back in the USA. And because it’s a radio model, I could only send it to one location in California.
And, you know what? I sent it in with no supporting documentation, they repaired it, and it didn’t cost me a dime and I didn’t have to answer any questions. Perhaps I paid a modest shipping fee. I like my Seiko (and I look at others), but I love my two Citizens, and their Apple-like customer service might just entice me towards another Citizen before another Seiko.
They make honest, reliable and cost effective watches at the entry level, while the higher end seikos, Grand Seiko and Credor lines generally have a quality and finish greater than equivalently priced Swiss brands.
It is disappointing to hear of OP’s experience - hopefully this isn’t reflective of the entire brand.
Bumpdate: I waited on hold for a while and finally got hold of someone. The 5.00 service charge was for repairing the clasp. They insisted that the watch was received with a malfunctioning clasp and they haven’t done anything to the watch yet; the issue with the movement will be repaired under warranty with no charge.
So maybe the fee is an issue with the service center trying to scam me, or maybe they did break it and are trying to lie about it. Sigh.
Anyway, in theory they will now repair the watch and NOT mess with the bracelet. If it comes back to me with a broken bracelet, I’ll just take the one from the older watch.