I worked in watch and jewelry repair for four years during and after college and a battery change is a very simple matter. I took a digital and analogue combination watch there because I needed the battery replaced. The watch kept accurate time and all the functions still worked properly, but the digital screen was getting dim and indicated that it needed a new battery. I took the watch to this store as it is close to my office and the owner has been around for a long time. He was unable to get the watch working again when he installed a new battery, now there is no display on the digital screen and the watch does not run at all. The watch is water resistant to 100 meters, standard for a sports watch, but he cautioned me against taking it around water at all when I insisted on taking the watch with me instead of leaving it with him for further work.
I opened the back of the watch to get some debris out. I was already irritated because there was no debris in between the dial and the crystal (glass of the watch face) when I took the watch in and dropped it off, so he had removed the movement and not bothered to blow out the case afterwards. Upon opening the watch I saw why I had been cautioned against taking my newly non-functioning watch close to water....the owner had removed the gasket and not replaced it , AT ALL.
I took a perfectly functioning watch in to this store and received a non-functional watch that had debris in it and was missing parts that were on it when I took it in (parts that are essential to the watch being wearable on a daily basis)
I can't begin to describe how pissed off I am and how completely inappropriate this sort of behavior on the part of a jeweler is. Do not go here! read more