It's been a while coming, but I now realise that's what I am.
So I bought my daughter a watch in the local Ernest Jones. Medium strength Tissot that she had her eyes on for a while. Eight weeks later, it's doing a funny dance with the second hand that the manual says is the flat-battery indicator.
I go back to the shop with watch and receipt.
What I'm expecting: 'So sorry you've had this problem, sir. Let's see what we can do to sort it out.'
What I get: 'Oh, you haven't got the box with the guarantee card.'
That's like a red light for me. My transaction was with them and it looks like they're going to try and force through some sort of warrantee repair with Tissot. So I say, 'Why do you need that?' and they start telling me about how it HAS to go back to Tissot, and how Tissot will query it and delay things if I don't have the stamped card. So I say (as politely as I can) 'OK, but I'm prepared to go back and get the box and card if I can find it, but let's be quite clear that I'm dealing with you. The arrangements you make to put things right are none of my concern.'
At this point they've sold me a defective watch, not apologised, and declined to fix it unless I go and get a guarantee card.
Today I return with the watch and the guarantee card. No 'thanks' or 'sorry for the inconvenience' (obviously) and the manager and young assistant set about putting the details through their terminal. I'm looking at stuff on display while this goes on, but I can't help hearing - 'What about that question?' followed by 'Oh, put that the customer objected to repair in our workshop.'
Basically this smells like an attempt to scam Tissot into doing the battery swap and watch re-seal, so that EJ doesn't incur any costs. Well, that's up to them, but it involved fucking me about and their idea of simple politeness absolutely stinks.
I don't mind the scamming so much as the dishonesty about it and the rudeness. And I suspect that if they'd been upfront and polite about it you'd be less bothered.
I don't give a stuff about what they do to get a new battery in, unless it involves 3rd world exploitation, but I do object to rudeness, being inconvenienced, and being told a face full of porkies.
'What about that question?' followed by 'Oh, put that the customer objected to repair in our workshop.'
I'm guessing if you turned up on day one and they asked if you wanted it repairing there and then (or within a day or two) in their workshop you would've said yes and you would've gone home happy(ish)?
Yes - particularly as the estimated return from Tissot is 6 June.
And then I think, do I really want to risk somebody's job just because they were a bit ham-fisted in dealing with me and are probably following a repair policy straight from head office anyway.