Beware Freiderick Stein - poor quality and a defective warranty!

[j***@gmail.com]

I bought a Freiderick Stein watch on eBay. It was advertized as a
quality watch. It stopped after 2 months and it turns out the 5 year
warranty requires a $52 USD (29.95 pounds sterling) handling and
transport fee. My guess is this probably covers the cost of a new one
and shipping so the company is protecting itself against the likelyhood
of failure. Here is my letter to the company - I had already sent the
watch to them but missed to fine print regarding the $52 USD.

February 14, 2006

Stephen Gardner
Admin Assistant
Freiderick Stein
Ground Floor2 Technology Park,
Colindeep Lane
Colindale, London
NW9 6BX

Dear Mr. Gardner:

Re: Frederick Stein Watch returned for warranty repair after 2 months
of use

Thank you for your letter of February 3rd last, advising me that I had
neglected to enclose the 29.95 pounds sterling to cover the handling
and transport fee. I did indeed miss that requirement on your
warranty.

To be quite frank, I am very disappointed in your company. While your
advertising and packaging is of high quality, the product is not of
high quality. Including a prohibitive "handling and transport fee"
(which in reality probably covers you cost for a new watch from some
cheap factory in China plus shipping) in your warranty essentially
protects you against the highly likely possibility that your poorly
made products will fail.

Please do whatever you like with the defective watch I returned to you
as I highly doubt that a replacement will fare much better.

I am posting this on the internet with the earnest hope that others
thinking of buying a Freiderick Stein watch will look elsewhere for a
quality product.

Yours truly,
James Roy

[Tony Stanford]

Why not complain to the Office of Fair Trading? The law gives you the
right to goods of merchantable quality.

Tony

Post by j***@gmail.com
I bought a Freiderick Stein watch on eBay. It was advertized as a
quality watch. It stopped after 2 months and it turns out the 5 year
warranty requires a $52 USD (29.95 pounds sterling) handling and
transport fee. My guess is this probably covers the cost of a new one
and shipping so the company is protecting itself against the likelyhood
of failure. Here is my letter to the company - I had already sent the
watch to them but missed to fine print regarding the $52 USD.
February 14, 2006
Stephen Gardner
Admin Assistant
Freiderick Stein
Ground Floor2 Technology Park,
Colindeep Lane
Colindale, London
NW9 6BX
Re: Frederick Stein Watch returned for warranty repair after 2 months
of use
Thank you for your letter of February 3rd last, advising me that I had
neglected to enclose the 29.95 pounds sterling to cover the handling
and transport fee. I did indeed miss that requirement on your
warranty.
To be quite frank, I am very disappointed in your company. While your
advertising and packaging is of high quality, the product is not of
high quality. Including a prohibitive "handling and transport fee"
(which in reality probably covers you cost for a new watch from some
cheap factory in China plus shipping) in your warranty essentially
protects you against the highly likely possibility that your poorly
made products will fail.
Please do whatever you like with the defective watch I returned to you
as I highly doubt that a replacement will fare much better.
I am posting this on the internet with the earnest hope that others
thinking of buying a Freiderick Stein watch will look elsewhere for a
quality product.
Yours truly,
James Roy

[j***@gmail.com]

Is that a UK office? Do you have the address?

[Tony Stanford]

Post by j***@gmail.com
Is that a UK office? Do you have the address?

Offices of Fair Trading are often local. Try yellow pages or google.
Write Freiderick Stein a letter quoting the Supply of Goods and Services
Act, telling them that goods should be of merchantable quality. They
have no right charging that kind of handling fee.

Tell them you will take them to the Small Claims Court, under the above
Act. That is what the Small Claims Court is for. You don't need a
solicitor.

[j***@gmail.com]

I am in Canada and they are in the UK so Small Claims Court is out of
the question.

[Tony Stanford]

Post by j***@gmail.com
I am in Canada and they are in the UK so Small Claims Court is out of
the question.

Oh, sorry. I thought you were in the UK.

[Jack Denver]

Sorry for your bad luck. The internet seems overrun with Chinese watches
with Germanic names. $52 is entirely unreasonable for a shipping fee, as
watches are light and can be shipped very inexpensively. While the crooks
that own "Stein" can probably replace the watch for the fee that you pay,
you couldn't, so I'm not sure that refusing to pay the fee was the best
course - at this point you have nothing, for $50 more you could have a
functional watch, one whose looks you liked enough to buy once. Do you have
the one that looks like a Rolex diver/chronograph or the one that looks like
a "1920's" watch with the funny T shaped single lugs?

Post by j***@gmail.com
I bought a Freiderick Stein watch on eBay. It was advertized as a
quality watch. It stopped after 2 months and it turns out the 5 year
warranty requires a $52 USD (29.95 pounds sterling) handling and
transport fee. My guess is this probably covers the cost of a new one
and shipping so the company is protecting itself against the likelyhood
of failure. Here is my letter to the company - I had already sent the
watch to them but missed to fine print regarding the $52 USD.
February 14, 2006
Stephen Gardner
Admin Assistant
Freiderick Stein
Ground Floor2 Technology Park,
Colindeep Lane
Colindale, London
NW9 6BX
Re: Frederick Stein Watch returned for warranty repair after 2 months
of use
Thank you for your letter of February 3rd last, advising me that I had
neglected to enclose the 29.95 pounds sterling to cover the handling
and transport fee. I did indeed miss that requirement on your
warranty.
To be quite frank, I am very disappointed in your company. While your
advertising and packaging is of high quality, the product is not of
high quality. Including a prohibitive "handling and transport fee"
(which in reality probably covers you cost for a new watch from some
cheap factory in China plus shipping) in your warranty essentially
protects you against the highly likely possibility that your poorly
made products will fail.
Please do whatever you like with the defective watch I returned to you
as I highly doubt that a replacement will fare much better.
I am posting this on the internet with the earnest hope that others
thinking of buying a Freiderick Stein watch will look elsewhere for a
quality product.
Yours truly,
James Roy

[j***@gmail.com]

Looks like a Rolex chronograph.

I guess I am making a statement - in my humble opinion the watch isn't
even worth $52 USD and I am better putting
my money into something else.

It would be good money after bad.

[Jack Denver]

I understand about the "making a statement" part. But you would be hard
pressed to buy a quartz chronograph with a "Swiss movement" (indeed any
quartz chrono) in a stainless diver case with stainless bracelet for $50.
Typically these would go for $100 and up. Of course that price would include
a "real" warranty, though even then a modest shipping fee is sometimes
required.

Post by j***@gmail.com
Looks like a Rolex chronograph.
I guess I am making a statement - in my humble opinion the watch isn't
even worth $52 USD and I am better putting
my money into something else.
It would be good money after bad.

[Jack Denver]

BTW, before you sent it back, did you try changing the battery? Replacing
the battery would have cost less than the postage to the UK and there is a
strong probability it was only a dead battery.

Post by j***@gmail.com
I bought a Freiderick Stein watch on eBay. It was advertized as a
quality watch. It stopped after 2 months and it turns out the 5 year
warranty requires a $52 USD (29.95 pounds sterling) handling and
transport fee. My guess is this probably covers the cost of a new one
and shipping so the company is protecting itself against the likelyhood
of failure. Here is my letter to the company - I had already sent the
watch to them but missed to fine print regarding the $52 USD.
February 14, 2006
Stephen Gardner
Admin Assistant
Freiderick Stein
Ground Floor2 Technology Park,
Colindeep Lane
Colindale, London
NW9 6BX
Re: Frederick Stein Watch returned for warranty repair after 2 months
of use
Thank you for your letter of February 3rd last, advising me that I had
neglected to enclose the 29.95 pounds sterling to cover the handling
and transport fee. I did indeed miss that requirement on your
warranty.
To be quite frank, I am very disappointed in your company. While your
advertising and packaging is of high quality, the product is not of
high quality. Including a prohibitive "handling and transport fee"
(which in reality probably covers you cost for a new watch from some
cheap factory in China plus shipping) in your warranty essentially
protects you against the highly likely possibility that your poorly
made products will fail.
Please do whatever you like with the defective watch I returned to you
as I highly doubt that a replacement will fare much better.
I am posting this on the internet with the earnest hope that others
thinking of buying a Freiderick Stein watch will look elsewhere for a
quality product.
Yours truly,
James Roy

[j***@gmail.com]

The small dials on the chrono worked while the main hands would only
run a few hours at a time and stop before being reset. I don't think
it is a battery issue.

[Jack Denver]

No that doesn't sound like a battery. It could be due to bent hands
interfering with each other or some problem with the stepper or works for
the hands.

Post by j***@gmail.com
The small dials on the chrono worked while the main hands would only
run a few hours at a time and stop before being reset. I don't think
it is a battery issue.

[O***@yahoo.com]

The Steins I've seen advertised run around 500-750 Pounds Sterling! If
you have another you'd like to unload, please send it my way, I'll
gladly pay the $52.00USD, LOL!

[dAz]

Post by O***@yahoo.com
The Steins I've seen advertised run around 500-750 Pounds Sterling! If
you have another you'd like to unload, please send it my way, I'll
gladly pay the $52.00USD, LOL!

yeah right.

from a company that only has 3 models in its range and has only been
around since 2004 according to them.

that retails for £725.00 but is marked down to £99.96, thats a hell of
a drop in price
http://www.pricereg.com/1742_Freiderick-Stein/Freiderick-Stein-FS070399.htm

the same mob sell them on ebay anywhere from £26 to £199 buy now.

so if you did buy a FS for £199, they would probably still expect the
US$52 warrantee fee ..... WTF!

and its either £26, £100 or £200 for the same model from the same people!

I would say these watches are serious crap and only deserve the wooden
block treatment.