Today is August 29, 2024, and I last posted an update on July 18, 2024. However, the following is a complete timeline of my experience of having sent my watch (TH 4000 Series) in for repair at the facility located in New Jersey (USA) (all of this was previously posted in this thread except for a few items at the end):
(1) I sent my watch to the Service Center in New Jersey; my service request was submitted via their website on April 24, 2024 (and I sent the watch in on April 26, 2024).
(2) It was received by TH in New Jersey on or about May 2, 2024 and they updated the service website to say "Diagnostic in Process."
(3) On June 14, 2024, I posted a message on the service page of the TH website. This message is apparently tied to my repair and I would suspect they could see it. In that message I asked for an update (or any news) as to my repair. It is now June 21, 2024, and they have not responded to that post/message. (UPDATE: As of August 29, 2024; they still have not responded to that message BUT they do respond to direct emails.)
(4) As of June 21, 2024, I had not heard anything from TH since May 2, 2024 (when they updated the website).
(5) Today (June 21, 2024) I am sending them an email as well ... I will let you know if I ever hear from them again (as it has now been almost two-full months since I mailed my watch to them).
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(6) I sent them an email on June 21, 2024; and I got a response on June 26, 2024 (5 days later). The response I got is as follows:
We apologize for the delay in our response. Unfortunately, due to the age of your timepiece, we no longer have the necessary parts to ensure water resistance of your timepiece after service. Understanding this, please confirm if you would like us to proceed in creating an estimate for your approval.
NOTE: The timing of their response makes me wonder if they did not look at my watch until they received my June 21, 2024 email.
I responded the same day (June 26, 2024) asking:
I am not sure what that means. Does that mean you cannot fix it at all? Or does it only mean you can't make it water resistant? I would still like an estimate as to how much it will cost to fix my watch.
NOTE: Of course I still want an estimate; as I would not have sent it in if I didn't want you to repair it.
On June 27, 2024, I received the following response:
Thank you for your response. We will proceed with providing you an estimate for the internal movement repair of your timepiece. Please note that, due to the age of the timepiece, we can no longer guarantee its water resistance after the repair.
So, apparently it can be fixed (for a price/cost that is yet to be determined). However, it will no longer be water resistant (which is unfortunate; but I guess I can live with that).
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(7) I finally got the estimate for repair on June 28, 2024.
NOTE: Due to the responses and timing following my June 21, 2024 email, I am under the impression that my watch might not have been looked at until I emailed them on June 21, 2024. If that is the case, I would recommend anyone else sending their watch in to just stay on top of them and email them if you don't hear anything (as once they got my email, things seemed to move a little faster).
After reviewing the invoice, I took some time to think about it and look into a few things (the repair estimate was just under $500 and I was trying to decide if I really wanted to sink another $500 into a watch that only cost $1,500 originally). I finally called them on July 16, 2024 about the estimate. After talking to them, I went ahead and paid for the repairs to be completed (paid on July 16, 2024). There is an obvious delay here on my part (from June 28, 2024 to July 16, 2024; or 18 days, and that much is on me).
NOTE: When speaking to them on the phone, the representative was non-committal as to what the repair invoice meant and/or what each repair would do (or not do). I know this is because she didn't want to be accused of "guaranteeing" anything; but it made it difficult to have a conversation about what was going to happen, etc. In the end, I had to simply pay the invoice or not ... but trust that they would take care of everything to make the watch work again (without any real explanation or discussion). I took the leap-of-faith; knowing that if it didn't work, there was a 2-year warranty on anything they "fixed."
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(8) I received an email on July 18, 2024 (2-days after paying the invoice), saying that TH had received the necessary parts and that the repair of my watch had begun! However, the email said that they also anticipate the end of the repair to be between September 9 and 13, 2024 (or 2-months from now). If the estimate is correct, and I get my watch back in the mail a week after September 13, 2024 (or on about Sept. 20, 2024), it will have been five (5) months since I mailed in my watch!!
NEW UPDATE
(9) I received an email on August 26, 2024, saying that my watch repair was completed and they were sending it back to me!
(10) I received my watch via FedEx on August 28, 2024!!
NOTE: I received my watch back 124 days after I sent it off to them on April 26, 2024 (however, I should subtract 18 days based on my own delay; making the total time about 106 days).
My watch was sent in a large FedEx box (about the size of a ream of paper). Inside of that, was a smaller brown box with a Tag Heuer logo, and that smaller box contained a small black zipper case with my watch inside. I have not completely unpacked the watch yet (as I just got it back); but as soon as I get it out and set up, I will let you know if I have any issues with the repair (i.e. if it is not working properly, etc.).
OVERALL
At this point, while the process did take 3.5 to 4 months (April 26 to August 28), I will say that it was rather painless (other than the wait). The biggest issue was the "trust" aspect of just sending it off and then waiting, and trusting that they would take care of it (which they did). There was not a lot of communication from them, but they did respond to my emails and tried to answer my questions. However, in the end, I got it back and as of right now, it appears to look great. I mean, when I sent it off, I had issues that fell into two categories: (1) the watch didn't work, and (2) the exterior of the watch was banged up and needed to be restored. Like I said, I have not operated the watch yet, but the exterior looks great as they replaced the enamel TH logo, etc. (I will report back and let you know if it works, keeps time, and if the bezel actually turns ... as the bezel has never worked properly and was almost impossible to turn).
Oh, and the watch looks just like it did when I sent it off. I had heard some stories of people getting watches back with a different color face, or different pieces (and a changed appearance). Due to the age of my watch, I was very worried that this was going to happen to me. However, at first glance, it appears as if the watch looks exactly the same (but I will study it more later and report again if I find anything different). In other words, all the pieces look to be the same original pieces, or the same piece but new and replaced (I believe the crown might be a new crown, and not the original one that was on the watch when I sent it off; but if it is a new one, it looks almost identical to the original).
