# Golly...Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?



## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

I purchased a brand new Citizen JY8035-04E Navihawk from eBay about 2 weeks ago. I love the watch very much, but I'm very disappointed in Citizen of America. I called them today to order a few extra spring bars and I happened to ask them about their 5 year factory warranty. They asked me whether or not I purchased the watch from an authorized Citizen dealer. I told them that I purchased the watch brand new from eBay from Le Perfect and that a Citizen warranty card came together with the watch. When I told them this, the woman on the phone told me that my new watch would be void of the Citizen warranty and that it would NOT be covered under the 5 year warranty if anything ever went wrong with it because I didn't purchase it from an authorized Citizen dealer. 

Golly...The watch is brand new and it is not a fake. Why does it matter to Citizen if I purchased the watch on eBay if the watch is authentic? Is there any way around this so my new Navihawk can be covered under the 5 year warranty if I ever have any problems with it? I have a printout copy of my receipt which clearly shows that I purchased it using my PayPal account through eBay from Le Perfect. I already registered my new Navihawk on the Citizen website when I received it in order to get the extra 1 year warranty on it. What can I do to not make the warranty for my watch void? I'm so disappointed in Citizen of America for not wanting to honor the 5 year warranty for my new Navihawk watch. Have others in here had the same experience and problem with Citizen of America when they purchased their watch brand new from eBay sellers? Is there any way to get Citizen of America to cover the watch under the 5 year warranty if there's ever any problem with it? What recourse do I have regarding this issue? Your input about this would greatly be appreciated. THANK YOU


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## James A (Jan 5, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

Hi Hoss,

Think the problem might be that you have purchased a watch from a seller that is not a valid Citizen seller - which means they don't carry the Citizen warranty.

Looking through the Leperfect site - they claim to offer the seller up to 5 years warranty. Might be worth contacting them...

leperfect | eBay Stores

Regards,


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## GlennO (Jan 3, 2010)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

Not unique to Citizen. Generally if you want a manufacturer warranty you have to buy from an AD, otherwise you are subject to the warranty (if any) offered by the seller.


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## Man of Kent (Jun 10, 2012)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



GlennO said:


> Not unique to Citizen. Generally if you want a manufacturer warranty you have to buy from an AD, otherwise you are subject to the warranty (if any) offered by the seller.


Yup, pretty much the same for any company worldwide. That's why grey dealers are generally cheaper. You pays your money and takes your choice.


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## Indo-Padawan (Nov 17, 2017)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

If you want to buy from grey dealers, it is advisable only for new / latest model.

So that you are assured that it is not refurbished. Just sharing my 2 cents.


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## AirWatch (Jan 15, 2008)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

Just about all manufacturers look for the slightest excuse to void a warranty. This is across the board of just about any product you could think of. If not outright refusing warranty service, they make it so difficult or expensive for the consumer to send the product back for the so-called "warranty evaluation" as to make their warranty worthless.

Basically, companies put out what they put out and you buy that at your own risk or additional expense. After that you're pretty much on your own, very few companies are genuinely interested in solving your issues with their product free of charges of either upfront or backend kind.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



Indo-Padawan said:


> If you want to buy from grey dealers, it is advisable only for new / latest model.
> 
> So that you are assured that it is not refurbished. Just sharing my 2 cents.


The Citizen Navihawk that I purchased is factory brand new. It's never been refurbished. Also, the first 5 digits of the 9 digit serial number on the watch begins with 79102, so I think that my Navihawk was manufactured in September (the 9th month) of 2017. I've noticed that Citizen has 9 digit serial numbers now on all their newer Eco-Drive watches. How does one decipher each of the 9 digit serial number on the back of the watch to determine the manufacturing date on the newer Citizen Eco-Drive model watches?


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



Man of Kent said:


> Yup, pretty much the same for any company worldwide. That's why grey dealers are generally cheaper. You pays your money and takes your choice.


This particular Navihawk model retails for $650. The seller on eBay was selling it brand new for 55% off the retail price at $293.99 plus free shipping. They sold over 100 units of this particular model at this low price and sold out on them within a week.


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## sticky (Apr 5, 2013)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

It's risk you take buying from a grey dealer no matter how new the model is. I look at it this way - pay extra from an AD and get the full manufacturers warranty or pay the reduced grey prices and get the sellers warranty (often hardly worth the paper it's written on unless you're prepared to let trained chimps work on your watch)


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## Man of Kent (Jun 10, 2012)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



hoss said:


> How does one decipher each of the 9 digit serial number on the back of the watch to determine the manufacturing date on the newer Citizen Eco-Drive model watches?


That question is worthy of it's own thread.


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## tmathes (Jan 11, 2013)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

Hoss, Citizen spells out explicitly on their web site that watches purchased *only* from Citizen Authorized Dealers qualify for the 5 yr. warranty (that can be extended to 6 years if you register the watch. )

https://us.citizenwatch.com/us/en/warranty.html

They even go so far as to list the only legitimate on-line dealers here:

https://us.citizenwatch.com/us/en/authorized-retailers.html

The seller you bought from isn't on the list.

When I was looking for a Blue Angels chrono a few weeks ago I had to check to make sure the vendor I bought from was indeed an AD.

I really don't get why you're ticked,_ their policy is standard for nearly any product sold today_. If you don't buy from an AD, no warranty, period. You'll see that's true for electronics, cameras, etc. If you buy gray market you take you chances if something goes wrong, that's part of the deep discount deal.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



tmathes said:


> Hoss, Citizen spells out explicitly on their web site that watches purchased *only* from Citizen Authorized Dealers qualify for the 5 yr. warranty (that can be extended to 6 years if you register the watch. )
> 
> https://us.citizenwatch.com/us/en/warranty.html
> 
> ...


I understand that Citizen of America has this policy. But I believe that this policy is bull$hit and has no relevance. Citizen uses this policy only to make consumers buy their watches from AD for higher rip-off prices. This is the only reason why they don't want to honor their warranty. A Citizen watch is still a Citizen watch no matter where it's purchased from. I don't know about you, but I always try to find a good deal whenever I buy a brand new watch. I never pay full retail price for a new watch. I like to save as much money as I can.

Consumers should sue Citizen of America for breach of warranty in order to stop this bull$hit nonsense. That's the only way that Citizen and other companies can stop screwing over consumers. They should honor their warranty no matter what.


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## PetWatch (Nov 24, 2016)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

I believe this warranty issue has to do with US commerce law, nothing specific to Citizen. I agree it's a raw deal for the consumer. Not withstanding the legality of it there are manufacturers who will honor a gray market product warranty upon occasion. This depends on who you talk to when you call, ask nicely and try to persuade. Many credit cards also have their own extended warranties but I don't know the details of it.

If its any consolation, your watch is not in need of warranty and most likely will greatly outlive the manufacturers warranty problem free. Personally, based on how good the quality of many watches is today, this is something I don't consider in my purchases. I only make sure that I'm buying from a reputable dealer in case there is a problem when I first get it, so I can send it back for a replacement or refund, hassle free.


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## tmathes (Jan 11, 2013)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



hoss said:


> I understand that Citizen of America has this policy. But I believe that this policy is bull$hit and has no relevance. Citizen uses this policy only to make consumers buy their watches from AD for higher rip-off prices. This is the only reason why they don't want to honor their warranty. A Citizen watch is still a Citizen watch no matter where it's purchased from. I don't know about you, but I always try to find a good deal whenever I buy a brand new watch. I never pay full retail price for a new watch. I like to save as much money as I can.
> 
> Consumers should sue Citizen of America for breach of warranty in order to stop this bull$hit nonsense. That's the only way that Citizen and other companies can stop screwing over consumers. They should honor their warranty no matter what.


You may see it that way but I don't. ADs have certain standards that are agreed upon with the manufacturer. The gray market seller can sell goods, even damaged, and say "sorry, nothing I can do" when you get a bum product (these boards are full of such stories). The AD isn't allowed to do that.

And there is no "breach of warranty". The warranty explicitly states the warranty is only valid if bought from an authorized dealer, period. The company doesn't have to extend a warranty, only thing they're liable for is that the product performed as expected when you bought it. In the not-so-distant past a whopping 90 days was all you got for many warranted products (nearly ever Sony product comes to mind)

I've had some lousy experiences with gray market, not many but some, enough to make me really leery of buying there. The AD would never leave you high and dry, the contract with the manufacturer won't allow it. The manufacturer has no control over what the gray marketeer does, hence why they're not an authorized dealer. How they get their product is another story.

If you want to sue Citizen then get ready to sue every company selling warranted consumer goods in the US. They nearly all do it.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

If the watch is brand new it should be covered under the warranty. It doesn't matter if the watch is bought through the AD or through a grey market dealer. Brand new is brand new and manufacturer warranties cover any product that's purchased brand new. Everything else is bull$hit.


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## GaryK30 (Dec 14, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



hoss said:


> If the watch is brand new it should be covered under the warranty. It doesn't matter if the watch is bought through the AD or through a grey market dealer. Brand new is brand new and manufacturer warranties cover any product that's purchased brand new. Everything else is bull$hit.


They _should _cover any product that's purchased brand new, but they don't. This is true for watches, AV equipment, cameras and lots of other items, from many different manufacturers.

Three of my four Eco-Drives were purchased from non-ADs. None of them have had a failure requiring warranty service, and the oldest one is five years old.


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## OSUMBA2003 (Jan 1, 2012)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



hoss said:


> If the watch is brand new it should be covered under the warranty. It doesn't matter if the watch is bought through the AD or through a grey market dealer. Brand new is brand new and manufacturer warranties cover any product that's purchased brand new. Everything else is bull$hit.


As has been stated before, ADs enter into contractual agreements with the manufacturer, which describes the AD-manufacturer relationship. Part of that includes honoring a warranty.

Grey market dealers enter into no such agreement with the manufacturer. In fact, some grey market sellers actually scratch off the serial numbers, making the watch untraceable.

Why would a manufacturer honor the warranty of a good sold by someone with which they have no contractual relationship, in which the dealer may have altered the product, and does not adhere to the general terms of the AD-manufacturer agreement that is agreed to by actual authorized dealers?

Valid AD-manufacturer agreement - warranty.
No agreement - no warranty.

It's that simple, and it's quite common with pretty much every product you'll ever buy, as stated by others.

Seeing that you're not new around here, with all due respect, this is pretty common knowledge on the forum.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

All the dealers that I've purchased watches from have never altered the product. Why would they alter the product in the first place when it's brand new? That doesn't make sense at all. One believing that a dealer altered the product is bull$hit. They buy it brand new and the sell it brand new. If it's sold brand new, the manufacturer should honor the warranty. Simple as that.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

The contractual agreement that AD and manufacturer enter are a joke and it doesn't mean anything. Especially when many AD's sell Citizen watches to grey market resellers. The whole thing is bull$hit when you have AD's selling their watches to other resellers. The manufacturer should allow the free market to distribute their products. Putting bull$hit restrictions on who can and can't sell their products is not good. The only reason why companies like Citizen want AD's is to keep their prices high. But this isn't working because resellers on eBay are selling the same watch for 50% to 65% off the rip-off AD list price. Cudos to the grey market resellers who offer these watches at much more reasonable prices than the overpriced AD.


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## Ahriman4891 (Oct 18, 2008)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

Like someone said above, it is common knowledge and absolutely standard across multiple industries. Warranty service costs money, so the manufacturers set pricing policies that ADs must follow.

BTW, Citizen will still _repair _your watch if something goes wrong with it. You'll just have to pay for it, because the _warranty_ won't apply. Well, you saved 50% of the AD price when you bought from a grey market dealer, and you took that risk.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

I believe that more than 50% of the people who buy these expensive Citizen watches use eBay or Jomashop to save themselves money which is the logical thing to do. Paying the $650 full price for a watch is crazy when you can buy it brand new for $293.99 on eBay. I think that the seller offers a warranty, but still...it would've been nice if Citizen could honor the warranty. I suppose that the seller would send the watch to whomever he bought it from and that they would be the ones who send it into Citizen for warranty work. I don't know how else the warranty that the seller offers would work.


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## Ahriman4891 (Oct 18, 2008)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

I'm not sure how grey market warranties work. Jomashop is one of the bigger dealers so they probably have their own watchmakers. Not all manufacturers openly sell spare parts, which may complicate things. I guess they can use some of the returned lemon watches for spares? I really don't know, it's all speculation.

BTW I'm not saying you took a silly risk, I would do (and have done) the same with most Citizen watches. They are very reliable and almost certainly won't break in the first 5 years, so the chance of having to deal with grey market warranty or to pay Citizen for repairs is slim. At the same time, Citizen doesn't have the same brand cachet as e.g. Rolex, the resale value is very low when compared to the AD price, but vs GM price it doesn't look too bad. It makes a lot of sense to buy grey market, unless you go for a fancy model like the Chronomaster or one of the ultra-thins.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*








This is the Citizen Navihawk A-T (Atomic) watch that I bought brand new from eBay. Most AD's sell this particular model for $650. I paid $293.99 minus $16 in eBay bucks which I accumulated that I used for this purchase. The final purchase price for this watch was $277.99. That's a discount of 57.2% off the original $650 price. You definitely cannot get this type of discount by purchasing this watch from a Citizen AD.


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## mightyomighty (Jun 6, 2017)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

You could've bought the same exact watch from Macy's for $310 and they are an AD too. 
Maybe you should consider returning the watch to eBay seller and get it from Macy's.


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## tmathes (Jan 11, 2013)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



mightyomighty said:


> You could've bought the same exact watch from Macy's for $310 and they are an AD too.
> Maybe you should consider returning the watch to eBay seller and get it from Macy's.


Correct. I just bought a Blue Angels watch (AT8020-54E) from Overstock.com, it was $310 with tax (yes, I had a coupon but they're easy to get a hold of), they're an AD also. That price was at or LESS that gray market and I got the full 6 yr. US warranty. The surprising thing was Overstock didn't ship the watch, it was drop-shipped from Citizen of America directly with early next day delivery (a complete surprise to me, I asked for the free slow-boat shipping).

It's not hard to get close to gray market or even less from an AD, even with more expensive Swiss watches (did it with 3 Omegas and three Longines). I was looking at used or GM for that Citizen watch but waited a few weeks, I found a good deal eventually from an AD. Sometimes you have to wait a while to find that deal but I've had that technique work out for me for years. If dane-bramaged me can pull it off anyone can.


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## LosAngelesTimer (Aug 24, 2017)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

OP, I have no idea how you've been on here since 2014 and are just figuring this out. Complaining about the reality won't change that reality. 
Those of us who opt to go the gray market route understand that we will likely save considerable money versus buying from an AD but we may also get bitten on the ass for taking a gamble.

There's absolutely nothing dishonest or underhanded about Citizen's policy in this regard.


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## GaryK30 (Dec 14, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



tmathes said:


> Correct. I just bought a Blue Angels watch (AT8020-54E) from Overstock.com, it was $310 with tax (yes, I had a coupon but they're easy to get a hold of), they're an AD also. That price was at or LESS that gray market and I got the full 6 yr. US warranty. The surprising thing was Overstock didn't ship the watch, it was drop-shipped from Citizen of America directly with early next day delivery (a complete surprise to me, I asked for the free slow-boat shipping).
> 
> It's not hard to get close to gray market or even less from an AD, even with more expensive Swiss watches (did it with 3 Omegas and three Longines). I was looking at used or GM for that Citizen watch but waited a few weeks, I found a good deal eventually from an AD. Sometimes you have to wait a while to find that deal but I've had that technique work out for me for years. If dane-bramaged me can pull it off anyone can.


Yes, Citizen U.S. has lots of online ADs.

https://us.citizenwatch.com/us/en/authorized-retailers.html


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## dumberdrummer (Aug 6, 2012)

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hoss said:


> View attachment 13119783
> 
> This is the Citizen Navihawk A-T (Atomic) watch that I bought brand new from eBay. Most AD's sell this particular model for $650. I paid $293.99 minus $16 in eBay bucks which I accumulated that I used for this purchase. The final purchase price for this watch was $277.99. That's a discount of 57.2% off the original $650 price. You definitely cannot get this type of discount by purchasing this watch from a Citizen AD.


There you have it; revel in your 57.2% grey market discount and have the piece of mind in knowing that even the most major of repairs, which could (but not likely) require full replacement of your watch, would still mean you paid less than AD pricing. Either way, you're stickin' it to the man, so I'm failing to see your point of contention here?


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



tmathes said:


> Correct. I just bought a Blue Angels watch (AT8020-54E) from Overstock.com, it was $310 with tax (yes, I had a coupon but they're easy to get a hold of), they're an AD also. That price was at or LESS that gray market and I got the full 6 yr. US warranty. The surprising thing was Overstock didn't ship the watch, it was drop-shipped from Citizen of America directly with early next day delivery (a complete surprise to me, I asked for the free slow-boat shipping).
> 
> It's not hard to get close to gray market or even less from an AD, even with more expensive Swiss watches (did it with 3 Omegas and three Longines). I was looking at used or GM for that Citizen watch but waited a few weeks, I found a good deal eventually from an AD. Sometimes you have to wait a while to find that deal but I've had that technique work out for me for years. If dane-bramaged me can pull it off anyone can.


Overstock price is $366.99 right now. Macy's has it on clearance sale for $292.50 with the extra 25% promo code and if you add in the tax, the total price for this watch is $310.78. The Macy's Navihawk still costs $32.32 more than the Navihawk that I bought for $277.73 from eBay. 
Also, I already cut and sized the rubber band on my Navihawk and I've been wearing it every day since the day that I got it, so I don't think that I will be able to return it for a refund right now. I think that I still got an excellent deal on my watch even though there's no warranty on it. This is not the first time that I've purchased a grey market watch from either eBay or Jomashop. I will accept and live with my purchase. If any issues or problems develop with my watch, I will just send it out to the seller (leperfect) and have them send it out for repairs.
The eBay seller (leperfect) that I bought my watch from has already sold over 100+ units of this particular model in a two (2) week period between April 4th and April 29th, 2018. I believe that all the others who purchased the same watch that I purchased are very happy with their watches and they aren't complaining. Furthermore, they probably don't care that their Citizen warranty is void just because they are not an AD. I'm not going to lose sleep over this just because I didn't buy my Navihawk from an AD. The only reason why I brought up this thread and topic was because I find it absurd that Citizen of America doesn't honor their warranty if the watch isn't purchased directly from an AD. If the watch is brand new, Citizen shouldn't have any issue with honoring their warranty. I understand why Citizen has this mentality. It's all about the money. I do understand their mentality about saving money on repairing non AD purchased Citizen watches. This is just a legal loophole to save money on warranty repairs. It's also an unfair business practice if you put some logic into it. But hey, they can go f_uck themselves. Every eBay seller that is not a Citizen AD who sells Citizen watches still offers the same warranty for the Citizen watches that they sell just like Citizen does. Also, as long as the grey market exists, people like me will continue buying watches from it in order to save money. I don't believe in paying through the nose for a Citizen watch just because it has a Japanese name stamped on it whose internal movement was more than likely cased in China. I still believe that I didn't lose out from buying my watch from a grey market seller. Thousands of people buy watches from grey market sellers online and on eBay every month and they are happy with their purchases.


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## PetWatch (Nov 24, 2016)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

I can't say this specifically about any watch company, but in general manufacturer's warranties are part of product marketing strategy. Manufacturers have dealer agreements were they agree to sell their products only to a limited number of dealers who may agree to purchase a certain quantity and/or $ amount. The manufacturer has a reliable sales outlet to move his product and the dealers gain from the limited competition as well as a marketing model that gives them exclusive rights to newly released product and warranties which drive consumers to them. This is somewhat simplified but basically how manufacturers and authorized dealer networks work.

And that is the main reason why manufacturers don't offer product warranties across the board.


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## zaratsu (Jul 27, 2013)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*

OP... You bought grey from a non AD. It's quite clear cut that nobody should expect manufacturer warranty in this scenario.

You seem proud of the money you saved and claim you are "not losing sleep over it", but are going to great lengths to defend your position. Are you trying to convince us or yourself?

Maybe time to move on...

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



zaratsu said:


> OP... You bought grey from a non AD. It's quite clear cut that nobody should expect manufacturer warranty in this scenario.
> 
> You seem proud of the money you saved and claim you are "not losing sleep over it", but are going to great lengths to defend your position. Are you trying to convince us or yourself?
> 
> ...


I'm just saying that it's illogical for a manufacturer to not honor their warranty for their product when their product was purchased brand new from other than an AD. That's all. It's wrong!


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## murokello (Aug 3, 2012)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



hoss said:


> I'm just saying that it's illogical for a manufacturer to not honor their warranty for their product when their product was purchased brand new from other than an AD. That's all. It's wrong!


It is not wrong. Consider a warranty as an extra you get if bought from an AD. In EU warranty is pretty much not needed because there is a law considering the expected life time of a product. If a product fails soon after purchase the manufacturer has to fix it, no matter if there is a warranty or not.


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## atarione (Aug 10, 2015)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



hoss said:


> I'm just saying that it's illogical for a manufacturer to not honor their warranty for their product when their product was purchased brand new from other than an AD. That's all. It's wrong!


nope.. it is 100% logical if you buy at an AD the price is much higher part of the reason is the warranty support cost associated with the factory warranty..

you buy grey market for 1/2 off list price or whatever you are assuming the risk of failure/whatever warranty the grey market dealer may offer.. because a bunch of the savings come from forfeiting the factory warranty and the support costs associated .. this isn't unique to Citizen or watches.. I have seen a bunch of people who bought electronics online from non authorized dealers and got told to pound bricks later for warranty support..

additionally if you buy your clothes at ross you can't expect reasonably Nordstrom level service / after sale support. Grey market is great ..if everything goes ~ok not especially great if it doesn't ... if that is a show stopper for you shop AD's in future.


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## OSUMBA2003 (Jan 1, 2012)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



hoss said:


> But hey, they can go f_uck themselves.


I think you need to lighten up. This is a watch forum.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



atarione said:


> nope.. it is 100% logical if you buy at an AD the price is much higher part of the reason is the warranty support cost associated with the factory warranty..
> 
> you buy grey market for 1/2 off list price or whatever you are assuming the risk of failure/whatever warranty the grey market dealer may offer.. because a bunch of the savings come from forfeiting the factory warranty and the support costs associated .. this isn't unique to Citizen or watches.. I have seen a bunch of people who bought electronics online from non authorized dealers and got told to pound bricks later for warranty support..
> 
> additionally if you buy your clothes at ross you can't expect reasonably Nordstrom level service / after sale support. Grey market is great ..if everything goes ~ok not especially great if it doesn't ... if that is a show stopper for you shop AD's in future.


I agree with your logic.


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## TSLow (Jul 26, 2018)

*Re: WTF ! Why does Citizen of America reject the Warranty if watch is Purchased Brand New from eBay?*



zaratsu said:


> OP... You bought grey from a non AD. It's quite clear cut that nobody should expect manufacturer warranty in this scenario.
> 
> You seem proud of the money you saved and claim you are "not losing sleep over it", but are going to great lengths to defend your position. Are you trying to convince us or yourself?
> 
> ...


Some state and provincial laws protect you regardless with implied warranties on the goods. These are called statutory warranties and they trump contractual warranties. In general, most consumer protection laws prevent companies from not honouring warranties.

I used to administer consumer protection laws and we launched lawsuits against manufacturers who did not honour. All did, regardless of source.

The premise of these laws is it is the onus is on the manufacturer to control their supply, not the consumer.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

I ended up buying my Citizen Navihawk from Overstock.com and I returned the one that I purchased from eBay. I also registered it on Citizen.com to get the additional extended warranty that Citizen offers. I'm covered 100% now. I will never buy another Citizen ever again from eBay as long as Citizen doesn't honor the warranty from other sellers who are not authorized Citizen dealers.


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## vmgotit (Apr 27, 2017)

I took a watch of mine in for repairs to a little shop in Spokane, WA. This was a Eco Zilla, that I bought 7 + years before off of Ebay. I came back a couple of weeks later to pickup my watch. The repairman said that the watch was fixed, but that he had sent the watch into Citizen Of America. He said the watch was fixed by them and now had a brand new movement. I braced myself for the bill, and was told that it was free. I could not believe it! No charge whatsoever. That made me a life long customer of Citizen. 

I wonder if you just sent the watch in, if they would do the same for anyone else? Warranty card or not? If it was a manufacturers defect, I really think they would fix it at no charge. Maybe they say the stuff about the 5 year warranty to you over the phone, but actually will just fix it for free? Because of consumer law, they have to tell you what they did, but actually will just fix it for free or low cost? Just wanted to share my story and thought. Vance.


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## SGIDurango (Jun 18, 2018)

I would like to think that the law of gravity should not apply to me, but every time I try to fight it I am disappointed at the outcome. 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## toolguy (Jan 17, 2018)

OEMS voiding warranty when not purchased through authorized dealer is a very common warranty term..

across many industries, including WeatherTech .. if you dont purchase from an authorized dealer.. NO warranty

i s/w them when i was in the market, they also shared that if the floorliners dont fit.. dont bother calling them, if you purchase outside of their authorized distributors.

reason being..theres no quality control of their products outside of authorized resellers .. ie.. rear mats get swapped out with another car model rear mats etc...


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