# Recent JLC service experience



## malern (Apr 15, 2011)

A few months ago I noticed my JLC Reverso Grande Date was randomly stopping. I sent it in to JLC service center in Texas. After about six weeks and $1000, they returned my serviced watch. After having it for about a week, I noticed it was running 15 seconds fast per day. I contacted JLC and they said they would email me a FedEx shipping label to return it for assessment and regulation. It took two weeks and me calling every other day to finally get the FedEx label emailed to me. After it being gone for a week, I received an email saying that my watch was running fine. I did not know if they meant it was running fine upon its arrival, or if they regulated it and it was now running fine. I called customer service and they said that the watch was operating to specs upon its arrival. I challenged this, as I knew +15 seconds per day was no where close to specs. Regardless, customer service said that there was nothing needed for my watch. Frustrated, but with no other option available to me, I requested that they send it back to me. However, after two days, I never received a tracking number, so called again. I was told that it would be sent that day and I should receive a tracking number the next day, at the latest. After two more days, and still no tracking number, I called again and asked to speak with the customer service manager. I explained my situation and she looked up my service report and said that the head watchmaker found an issue during quality control. This was news to me, but obviously not surprising. I just wish that was mentioned in my multiple previous calls.







Finally, after regulation and testing, my watch was returned. I received it today, and although it is early, it is running much better than before. Regardless, my experience with JLC in Texas was very frustrating and not what I expected from such a reputable brand.

To wrap this up, here is a wrist shot of my recently re-serviced JLC Reverso Grande.

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Collection:

Omega Speedmaster Professional
Omega Aqua Terra 8500
Jaeger LeCoutre Reverso Grande Date
Weiss Field Watch (cal 1001)
Zenith Elite Ultra Thin (cal 650)


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## iam7head (Dec 16, 2010)

Welcome to the frustrating world of Richemont branded watch ownership.

Panerai, IWC, from previous personal experience, were some of the worst offender in the post sale service. Both paying or within warranty claim, it's sad to hear it's the same for JLC as well.


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## De Wolfe (Jul 23, 2015)

and they complain about their annual sales going down.

As a "Luxury" industry, all top brands should invest heavily in their post sale customer service, otherwise many will walk away. 

and it is much cheaper for a group company, like Richemont, to implement perfection, as they will divide the cost over X number of brands.


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## atdegs (Apr 6, 2017)

I wonder if they've simply done the math and found that most of their customers never even use their service department, and thus don't invest in it. I can see many people wanting a Reverso but never intending to service it.



De Wolfe said:


> and they complain about their annual sales going down.
> 
> As a "Luxury" industry, all top brands should invest heavily in their post sale customer service, otherwise many will walk away.
> 
> and it is much cheaper for a group company, like Richemont, to implement perfection, as they will divide the cost over X number of brands.


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## KindaDevil (Oct 10, 2011)

I had to send one of my JLC twice, because the first time they returned it unfixed, so in total more than 6 months for accuracy.


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## bluedialer (Sep 16, 2011)

Richemont CS and QC is bad. Their workers, at least after sales, do not care - from those you speak with through those who handle the watches personally. Their segmented system also seemingly lacks contact/communication with each other. At least in your case, the watchmaker was competent enough to double check and find an issue before sending it back claiming no issues. I wonder how well they pack your watch before sending it back. My experience with the way JLC distribution in Texas packs brand new watches for shipping was atrocious.


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## MidnightBeggar (Feb 11, 2018)

This is really unfortunate to hear. No excuse from them for this kind of story.


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## skinnyjay (Oct 21, 2010)

This is absolutely terrible to hear. I love the Richemont group's watches.


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## o0juny0o (Jul 25, 2013)

Looks like there are mixed reviews(good and bad) on the service experience.
I'm shocked you were treated like that though from a brand of such caliber.
A 'luxury' focused company should encompass the highest quality in all aspects of pre+post ownership.


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## raja_3012 (Feb 12, 2014)

This is horrendous. The aura of JLC is limited to their history books, website, AD's and their boutique's. Once you have spent the money, any post sale experience is based on the staff at Richemont Technical Center. 3 years back, my place of work was 5 mins away from the Richemont Technical Center. I had my IWC 323904 serviced by them. It was fairly satisfactory experience but I chose to drop off my watch personally rather than mailing it to them or going through the AD. I remember making an appointment and still having to wait at their unmanned lobby for 30 min. Not that 30 min mattered to me a lot but I was not a walk in so I expected them to be professional as well. Now, JLC regularly sells above $10,000 watches. I could have had a $10,000 watch and made to go through the same experience. In comparison, whenever I walk in to the Rolex Service Center, I am treated like royalty even if I walked in with a rather inexpensive Tudor. 

People would say "Oh... these are one off cases. For the most part they are awesome". Yes, agree but whoever says that to me, if you ever have to go through the same process for your beloved watch, I would like to hear their opinion again.


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## zwjk (Jun 30, 2012)

Sorry to hear this. I have had a similar experience with RSC - it seems like they're doing us a favour servicing our watches.


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## raja_3012 (Feb 12, 2014)

zwjk said:


> Sorry to hear this. I have had a similar experience with RSC - it seems like they're doing us a favour servicing our watches.


That's interesting. Which RSC did you go to?


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## requiemjp (Jun 24, 2017)

The horrible story makes me wonder what’s the point to buy their expensive watch through AD


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## JeffreyS (Jan 19, 2018)

De Wolfe said:


> and they complain about their annual sales going down.
> 
> As a "Luxury" industry, all top brands should invest heavily in their post sale customer service, otherwise many will walk away.
> 
> and it is much cheaper for a group company, like Richemont, to implement perfection, as they will divide the cost over X number of brands.


When I shop for a car, I consider the service experience as a primary factor because warranty work is usually needed and routine maintenance is always necessary. My definition of true luxury is never having to get the car serviced, but when it needs work, I want a no-hassle experience. Once the money is spent on the initial purchase, service is the main interaction with the manufacturer. Why wouldn't they strive to make it amazing so you become a repeat customer and brand ambassador? This is so darn obvious to me that I cannot wrap my head around why the watch companies don't embrace this opportunity for building loyalty. They all seem to have plenty of poor experiences. Is there any brand with good service? Nomos? Rolex? Certainly not Richemont and not Swatch from all I can tell. Even Patek apparently can take a year to fix a watch. So baffling to me.

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## malern (Apr 15, 2011)

I’ve actually had good experience with Omega.


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Collection:

Omega Speedmaster Professional
Omega Aqua Terra 8500
Jaeger LeCoutre Reverso Grande Date
Weiss Field Watch (cal 1001)
Zenith Elite Ultra Thin (cal 650)


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## imbamember (Feb 13, 2018)

Thank you for sharing, they made beautiful and very pricey pieces, CS should be exceptional too


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## JeffreyS (Jan 19, 2018)

malern said:


> I've actually had good experience with Omega.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
> 
> ...


That is good to know. High on my list right now!

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## JeffreyS (Jan 19, 2018)

imbamember said:


> Thank you for sharing, they made beautiful and very pricey pieces, CS should be exceptional too


Agreed!

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## Jiman (Apr 14, 2012)

I went through something similar with a NOS PAM Boutique purchased piece. It had to go back for a warranty repair this past April...it was either that or return it, but a replacement would have been hard/impossible to find from the Boutique since it was a limited 300LE production piece from 2014. 

I found out along the way that since the Ft. Worth service center handles all Richemont watches, the CS person you speak with isn't necessarily Panerai, JLC, IWC, etc... and like the OP, communication was terrible. Basically if I didn't call them, I wouldn't hear from them. More specifically, if they promised to call me by a certain day, they never did. 

For me the most frustrating thing was that they didn't even follow their own process, i.e. call or email when they received your watch, call or email when they determined the issue (work order), and call or email tracking info.

In my case, they at least fixed the movement correctly the first time and didn't damage the watch in anyway when they had it, but they did put the crown guard back on upside down, which I fixed myself. The other odd thing is that they included a nice semi-hard OP watch case, but didn't put the watch inside of it. Instead the watch was in a plastic bag wrapped in bubble wrap placed right next to the watch case. 

The most concerning part of this whole process is that every service center, from Lange, Patek, AP, JLC, OP, Rolex....the list goes on, all have their issues. I have to believe that most watches get serviced with no issues, but no watch brand is even close to perfect. Kinda makes me want to go back to watches with ETA movements in them so that I can avoid all the hassles associated with in-house movements and Service Centers.


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## FutagoWatch (Mar 25, 2018)

I like how you took charge on the situation. I’ll do this for my rolex. 


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## WTSP (May 6, 2012)

I'm looking into whether to buy a used JLC Compressor and this thread confirms my fears. I empathize and agree with everything that has been posted here, so much so that I started a thread on the subject and have made it my signature. The industry just has to do better.


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## Stewpot (Jul 22, 2014)

Have European WUS-ers had similar experiences with JLC servicing? From the UK I found the servicing of my Reverso really good, and have had good experiences with Omega too. Rolex were good overall but very, very slow as were ALS.

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that for a general service (clean and re-lubricate and regulate movement, case and/or bracelet polish, seals and glass) the work takes place in the UK at an approved service centre. If new components are required for the movent then the watch goes back to JLC themselves.


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## Triumphgt6 (Apr 2, 2021)

Just had my Reverso Grande Date Automatique engraved and serviced - pretty quick, exactly what I wanted engraved and good price. Very impressed all round . Went back to JLC as was engraved and was serviced whilst there. Running fine.


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## WTSP (May 6, 2012)

It seems that European service centers are perhaps better than many in North America and other parts of the world.


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## cratercraver (Jan 10, 2014)

WTSP said:


> I'm looking into whether to buy a used JLC Compressor and this thread confirms my fears. I empathize and agree with everything that has been posted here, so much so that I started a thread on the subject and have made it my signature. The industry just has to do better.


I had been thinking about the same (Compressor) but stories like this stop me in my tracks.


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## WTSP (May 6, 2012)

I went to an AD and an independent service guy this week and discussed a variety of topics and pieces, including the JLC Dualmatic and which brands excel at servicing. The unanimous response to the question of "which brand would you choose based solely on reliability and service" is Rolex and Tudor.

One rep at the AD said that he didn't have much trust in JLC's water resistance claims. I was a bit confused by his statement, but he seemed to say that Compressor watches were not certified to the level of a true dive watch and that he didn't trust the crown locks as they weren't nearly as reliable as a true screw down. I take it for what it's worth and would not hesitate to take a JLC Compressor on a boat or into a pool.

I do find it interesting that the Dualmatic is only certified to 100 meters. It makes sense to the extent that its caseback is secured with screws rather than screwing in, but it sure contradicts the whole "compressor" concept. My Zenith chronograph with pushers and non-screwdown crown, as well as my cheap Seiko 5 Sport SRP273J1 non-screwdown, are labelled as 100 m. How is a JLC compressor with twist lock crowns only 100 m?


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