The watch has got to go!

In My Humble Opinion
1

Okay, this Christmas (yes, I realize how long ago that was) I received as my large present from my father and stepmother a brand new expensive seiko watch. Unfortunately, it’s unspeakably ugly. No, really, it’s two-tone and very girly in a way that I cannot be at peace with. I am in a tight spot, I want to show my appreciation for the lovely present, but very little in this world will induce me to put on that watch, and I feel no affection for the physical item at all. I also don’t pull off phony gratitude very well. We got through the gift giving/receiving okay, because I was genuinely appreciative of the thought and had no scruples saying that. I’m not upset that they weren’t able to judge my style, or know that I wear gold pretty exclusively. What I do want is to not own this item, and instead own a gold watch.

Plans I already tried, thinking myself at the time very clever:

After screwing my courage to the sticking place, I asked if they still had the receipt. No dice! It was purchased in another state and they had no idea where the receipt might be…I also very narrowly dodged the awkward “So, why do you want the receipt?” conversation.

Also tried giving it to a good home. I checked out popular opinion on the watch, the survey results ranged from fugly --> not my style. It is no longer eligible for the very nice regift.

So I have this brand new (warranty info/pristine packaging, etc.) That should get a good home- It isn’t a watch that no one could love…just not me. But I don’t know what precisely to do with it. It’s pictured here under “Ladies Jewelry” number SWA038.

I hesitate to put it on e-bay because I feel like it won’t guarantee me a reasonable price, and then I would be without said watch to produce on demand and with no conceivable way of replacing the watch… (Picture an ugly scene involving my banishment into outer darkness forever and ever should I ever fail to be able to produce the watch in question. If on the other hand I can produce a different watch and mention how due to sizing and whatnot I exchanged it, being careful not to go into much detail on how I managed an exchange, then my banishment will only be to the frigid outskirts, and that’s better.)

Basically, any good ideas on how to unload the watch, for $$ or some other watch??? There is a different seiko watch that I like, but brand isn’t very important to me, so any ideas are appreciated.

2

Any store that sells that brand and model might be willing to do an exchange for a similarly priced watch. You may be able to squeak by on the “it didn’t fit properly/wasn’t the right size” excuse, but you may just want to come clean on the whole thing and avoid future gift-giving holidays turing out like this again.
Laura
P.S. you were right, it is a fugly watch.

3

Well, I didn’t find it hideous, but definitely feminine…if you’re not the feminine type, you’re gonna hate it. Okay…here’s what I think you should do: Tell your parents you’ve developed an allergy to it and just can’t wear it. It happens to some people, so it will be believable. Then when you get the watch you like, tell your folks that it has a different metal content. Problem solved and no feelings hurt. You’ll probably be able to exchange it via the mail.

4

Well, it sounds as though they will be insulted if you tell them the truth, which would be my Plan A. So on to Plan B: Lie.

While I appreciate Kalhoun’s creativity, I doubt it will fly. So instead, just tell them it broke. I dunno, you hit your arm on a doorframe and the clasp broke, or something. When you went to a jewelry store (NOT the online one that would have it in stock) you had to trade for a similar item. Done and done.

FWIW, I kind of like it. But I’m not willing to buy it from you :slight_smile:

5

Better yet…break the damn thing yourself. Seiko should have some sort of warranty/exchange program even without the receipt. There ya go.

6

I guess I’m in the “tell them the truth” catagory. I’m at the point wear, I’ll say to my mother, “Gee, Mother, I’m sorry, but I know that I just won’t wear this. I don’t want you to spend your money on something that’s just going to sit in my dresser/hang in my closet.” At that point she’ll usually take it bake herself and exchange it, or give me the receipt so I can do it. Then I make a point of showing her what I got instead and thanking her for it.

StG

7

Ew. I was afraid to click on the “enlarge” section.

This is why I wear a pocket watch. If I get one that’s ugly, I’ve got incentive to remember what time it is, and all anyone ever sees is the chain :wink:

8

Kalhoun,
As clever as your plan is, it isn’t that they wouldn’t give me the receipt out of meanness, they just didn’t remember exactly where they got it “somewhere in Colorado” was the best I got out of them. I already mentioned that I wasn’t comfortable with the way the band fit (very much a bangle bracelet, and things sliding up and down my arms drives me nuts.) I told them the truth as far as that goes- No size in that style would feel right on my arm.

Unfortunately, the Seiko site linked above doesn’t sell online. You have to go to an authorized retailer, and they always require a receipt or proof of purchase. I understand why of course, they don’t know if I’ve gone off and taken every gear and pin out of that watch and put wal-mart parts in (why I would do this I have no idea…) but they can’t vouch for it’s newness/fabulousness, so they couldn’t resell it. Ugh.

I will go read the fine print very carefully and see if an ‘accidental’ incident with a brick wall might help my cause…

Am also still considering going to a store after a major holiday of some sort and trying the whole “bluff/argue/charm my way into an exchange.”

[half hijack]
How unethical is that anyway? It would be absolutely wrong if you knew of some defect with the product you were trying to exchange, but it’s still against store policy. (Unless of course you try Wal-mart, love the wallyworld.) I’m tempted to say it’s fine, because you are not causing anyone material harm (store gets a viable product, I get what I want) but it’s deception, which as a rule of thumb, if ya have to lie about it, it probably isn’t the most brilliant plan ever… Dammit.
[/half hijack]

9

Hmmm… it’s quite a beast, but it’s only $115.00- 125.00 new retail on the net. Selling it on Ebay will cost you about 25-40% of this retail value (for a new Seiko with the warranty card and box). Take the 30- $ 50 hit, get what you want and move on.

10

panache, have you tried to bring in the watch to a retailer for exchange? Just go for it and see if it works, what do you have to lose? You’d probably be better off at a big department store than a little jewelry store, but give it a swing. You might even say “they bought it at an Xyz’s in Colorado”, heck, maybe they DID!

11

Tell them (your family or the retailer) that it turned your skin green. I’ve heard of gold & sometimes silver causing reactions like that.

Then be prepared with a bottle of green food coloring if anyone demands proof… :wink:

12

You could always say you got mugged by somebody with really hideous taste - although that might spark some additional undesired responses. Or the ever popular “There was this weird friend-of-a-friend guy over at my place, and I noticed that when he left, the watch was gone! Bastard!”

If you can accept the quasi-unethicalness of returning it somewhere it wasn’t purchased from - check to see if CostCo sells it, they’ll take just about anything back, and give you cash for it even (or they did about a year and a half ago).

FWIW, I’ve never really considered half-scamming a nameless company out of a few bucks a huge deal, they can always resell it or probably even return it to the manufacturer.

13

If you’re looking for votes –

Keep the watch for times spent with your folks, dinner, holidays and such. Go out and buy a watch for everyday use.

14

Truth.
Tell the truth.
Lies will hurt you and your parents over time.
Don’t exagerate and tell them it’s hideous, tell them the truth that it’s not your style.
Why deceive these people?

15

Hmmm, Japanese watches do not have a re-sell value, I’m afraid. They also only get a 7 year guarantuee, and that’s 7 years since it left the factory, not the shop.
There will be no parts available after this period, should you require them.
If you do want to buy yourself a watch, buy a Swiss one.
Parts available up to 30 years and more, plus they gain value when you take good care of them.
Or, do like me and go bare-wristed through life.
It ain’t that bad, you know…

16

I appreciate all the advice-
Let me explain that with this set of relatives, whether I keep the gift is of very little import. It is the tact with which I handle the situation. Saying to their faces “It’s not my style” is possible (I’ve been this tactless before, believe me) but they will be hurt that I didn’t think of a smoother way to work the situation. If I gave some lame-o excuse like “it didn’t fit properly” that in no way disparaged their taste, even if they later discovered or secretly suspected all along that it wasn’t true, they would appreciate that I took the time for social niceties, and they could then feel good that though I didn’t keep the watch they gave, I had a watch that worked well for me and no one lost face.

I’ve spent awhile figuring out the intricacies of this particular social system, and it has slowly dawned on me that gift-giving occasions in my family are much more about status and image than about celebration. This is fine, I love my family (though I sometimes suspect them of being aliens) and try as hard as possible to make them feel comfortable. (They are unusually sensitive to social discomfort…)

Re: A new watch, I don’t REALLY need one. I own watches, certainly enough to meet any pressing watch needs I have…and I can go months without wearing one (telling time is what cell phones and kindly strangers are for!) But I love having very few things, yet having them all be the right things- Too much stuff is burdensome, so I gotta choose carefully what crap I end up hauling around for the rest of my life. I’m very sure that this watch does not qualify for lifelong hauling and I’m not yet prepared to resign myself to giving up permanent drawer space to the misborn timepiece…I rebel against the sense of needless waste!

Footnote: Does anyone else realize how much time I’ve just spent thinking about and discussing a watch I haven’t looked at since December?!?!?!