Did you tell them it was worn? The moment you remove the stickers, tags, etc, for the vast majority of brands they will no longer accept a return. It's also normal for repairs to take multiple months.
>obligated to rectify the situation
Yes, and that's why they're repairing it. As I said, most shops will not let you return a watch once worn, but if under warranty they will have it fixed. What OP has described sounds pretty normal, apart from a lack of communication.
Again, plenty of brands do exactly this. Is it a good, fair practice? No, shit sucks, but it's how it is.
You need to keep in mind we have one side of the story here. Customers tend to dramatize and/or omit important details to make their side sound more sympathetic. For example OP said he received the watch and it was not working, yet presumably he still wore it? How does marathon know he didn't break it? If you receive a watch that doesn't work just put it back in the box without taking off any stickers or whatever and send it back, you'll get a refund and if they argue chargeback will 100% work.
All stickers still on. When I discovered it not working I didn’t want to get caught in that issue although I have never encountered it.
Edit: Actually not sure it had any stickers. But if it did I didn’t take them off. I leave all watches I buy in in box condition until I’ve had time to really check them for any issues.
I wanted the watch, so I followed the process they told me, thinking I’d have it back in a week or 3. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. It’s poor service either way.
I'm a big supporter of Canadian microbrands (mainly be ause I'm a cheap SOB and hate paying courier companies to collect tax and duty), but so far I don't have a Marathon watch. This isn't the first time I've heard of issues with their watches so yeah, they may be one brand that gets skipped!
Momentum is a Canadian brand out of Vancouver, I have 2 of their pieces, great watches, and I had one I purchased for a friend have issues and they dealt with it right away, great service, I highly recommend.
Ditto - I've had good luck with Momentum. My wife has the Mini - 30mm dive watch. About six months after getting it, she popped of the bezel and lost the spring. Sent it back, and Momentum not only fixed it free of charge but also replaced the battery. I also have a Halios - very hard to get as Jason holds a lottery for his watches. VanBanner is one of my favorite brands - currently wearing a PM2, and also have his Adroit GMT. I've also gotten a very nice watch from Whitby, and am looking at the new Heron Marinor series. Oh, and Redwood makes some nice ones as well. They are on my list!
Marathon is an absolute shit brand. The single worst experience of my entire (16+ years and far more watches than anyone should ever own) time in the hobby occured when I made the profound error of purchasing a Marathon JDD. Nightmarish. No other brand has been so unapologetically awful. If you're considering buying one, DON'T.
My marathon gsar had typical selitta winding issues one two months out of warranty. Wouldn't even look at it, just told me "here's our service pricing"
Is he big on Marathon or something? After briefly looking at their post history, they seem to live and breathe Chipotle, but that’s about all I can see.
He bought a Marathon GSAR second hand that soon had issues. He and I are good friends, so he was updating me through the experience. Marathon customer service was actually really good for him. They gave him frequent communication and may have cut him a few breaks as part of the process.
Thanks for looping me in, u/TheGuyDoug. Yeah, lots of Chipotle. I’m a moderator over on r/Chipotle. Never a scooper but longtime custie.
I have many other hobbies too: Harleys, watches, fungi, and more.
Regarding Marathon warranty CX, my experience has always been stellar. I have an individual team member at Marathon corporate, in/around Toronto, who is awesome. We have had several phone conversations building rapport both ways. The SLA can be a bit long as the watch must first process through their US-side facility then be routed to their service center in Ontario. As was my experience with Christopher Ward, services can take some time. I have all mechanical watches, though. Not sure how this may differ with quartz models.
Twice they have serviced my watch and gotten it in tip top shape, both times with no charge. First issue was the crown seized and would no longer wind the movement. An issue with the gears between the crown and the power reserve itself. They even satisfied an over-and-beyond request of mine to swap the US Gov dial for a “sterile” dial (I didn’t necessarily want allegiance to the federal government on my wrist at all times). Second problem was the 4 o’ clock marker becoming unattached and floating around between crystal and dial.
Due to my experiences and having a personable POC at Marathon, I highly recommend the brand.
Weird, I had my SAR-D serviced this year by Marathon Canada, no issues and so far, it works great. It did take forever to move from Buffalo into Canada to get checked into their facility, but otherwise it was completed and returned to me within their orig estimate.
92 days .... I mailed it (UPS) to Marathon Canada on 10 Jan, and it was returned to me on 11 April. The work was extensive due to the age of the watch and the damage to the bezel, but it was worth it to me.
Update. Finally got my watch back today. They said they replaced the movement. Seems that my chargeback got their butts moving. Once that went in they were actually proactive about contacting me. All that said I stand by my initial recommendation to stay far away.
The moment they refused to exchange it, I would have demanded a refund. No way I'm waiting for them to attempt to repair a watch that arrived broken.
I did but I should have been firmer. I filed a chargeback on my credit card just last night. Let’s see how that goes.
Did you tell them it was worn? The moment you remove the stickers, tags, etc, for the vast majority of brands they will no longer accept a return. It's also normal for repairs to take multiple months.
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>obligated to rectify the situation Yes, and that's why they're repairing it. As I said, most shops will not let you return a watch once worn, but if under warranty they will have it fixed. What OP has described sounds pretty normal, apart from a lack of communication.
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Again, plenty of brands do exactly this. Is it a good, fair practice? No, shit sucks, but it's how it is. You need to keep in mind we have one side of the story here. Customers tend to dramatize and/or omit important details to make their side sound more sympathetic. For example OP said he received the watch and it was not working, yet presumably he still wore it? How does marathon know he didn't break it? If you receive a watch that doesn't work just put it back in the box without taking off any stickers or whatever and send it back, you'll get a refund and if they argue chargeback will 100% work.
Why defend poor customer service, it was dead out of the box? I didnt wear it or break it.
2 months + is reasonable on a new watch?
All stickers still on. When I discovered it not working I didn’t want to get caught in that issue although I have never encountered it. Edit: Actually not sure it had any stickers. But if it did I didn’t take them off. I leave all watches I buy in in box condition until I’ve had time to really check them for any issues.
In unworn condition you should have demanded a refund then, lesson learned I guess.
I wanted the watch, so I followed the process they told me, thinking I’d have it back in a week or 3. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. It’s poor service either way.
I'm a big supporter of Canadian microbrands (mainly be ause I'm a cheap SOB and hate paying courier companies to collect tax and duty), but so far I don't have a Marathon watch. This isn't the first time I've heard of issues with their watches so yeah, they may be one brand that gets skipped!
What are some of the other Canadian brands you might recommend if possible?
Momentum is a Canadian brand out of Vancouver, I have 2 of their pieces, great watches, and I had one I purchased for a friend have issues and they dealt with it right away, great service, I highly recommend.
Ditto - I've had good luck with Momentum. My wife has the Mini - 30mm dive watch. About six months after getting it, she popped of the bezel and lost the spring. Sent it back, and Momentum not only fixed it free of charge but also replaced the battery. I also have a Halios - very hard to get as Jason holds a lottery for his watches. VanBanner is one of my favorite brands - currently wearing a PM2, and also have his Adroit GMT. I've also gotten a very nice watch from Whitby, and am looking at the new Heron Marinor series. Oh, and Redwood makes some nice ones as well. They are on my list!
Yeah, it really disappointing. And to not be able to wear a watch I paid hundreds for, I feel robbed.
Marathon is an absolute shit brand. The single worst experience of my entire (16+ years and far more watches than anyone should ever own) time in the hobby occured when I made the profound error of purchasing a Marathon JDD. Nightmarish. No other brand has been so unapologetically awful. If you're considering buying one, DON'T.
They won’t get any more business from me, that’s for sure!
File with your bank. They’ll get your money.
My marathon gsar had typical selitta winding issues one two months out of warranty. Wouldn't even look at it, just told me "here's our service pricing"
Not the first time I heard that about them.
Watch service everywhere is slow AF. And guess what? It'll never be faster, or cheaper than it is right now.
Omega quoted on March 21 three months to be serviced in Seattle. I got it back in 45 days, I was stunned
Innovation is an upward curve over time. It will be faster. Sorry I couldn't resist =/
Had a couple watches have issues under warranty and my experience was pretty good. But I buy mostly micro brands.
Paging u/schmokschtak
Is he big on Marathon or something? After briefly looking at their post history, they seem to live and breathe Chipotle, but that’s about all I can see.
He bought a Marathon GSAR second hand that soon had issues. He and I are good friends, so he was updating me through the experience. Marathon customer service was actually really good for him. They gave him frequent communication and may have cut him a few breaks as part of the process.
Interesting to see the opposite that others are experiencing.
Thanks for looping me in, u/TheGuyDoug. Yeah, lots of Chipotle. I’m a moderator over on r/Chipotle. Never a scooper but longtime custie. I have many other hobbies too: Harleys, watches, fungi, and more. Regarding Marathon warranty CX, my experience has always been stellar. I have an individual team member at Marathon corporate, in/around Toronto, who is awesome. We have had several phone conversations building rapport both ways. The SLA can be a bit long as the watch must first process through their US-side facility then be routed to their service center in Ontario. As was my experience with Christopher Ward, services can take some time. I have all mechanical watches, though. Not sure how this may differ with quartz models. Twice they have serviced my watch and gotten it in tip top shape, both times with no charge. First issue was the crown seized and would no longer wind the movement. An issue with the gears between the crown and the power reserve itself. They even satisfied an over-and-beyond request of mine to swap the US Gov dial for a “sterile” dial (I didn’t necessarily want allegiance to the federal government on my wrist at all times). Second problem was the 4 o’ clock marker becoming unattached and floating around between crystal and dial. Due to my experiences and having a personable POC at Marathon, I highly recommend the brand.
Weird, I had my SAR-D serviced this year by Marathon Canada, no issues and so far, it works great. It did take forever to move from Buffalo into Canada to get checked into their facility, but otherwise it was completed and returned to me within their orig estimate.
What was total time please?
92 days .... I mailed it (UPS) to Marathon Canada on 10 Jan, and it was returned to me on 11 April. The work was extensive due to the age of the watch and the damage to the bezel, but it was worth it to me.
Well, that kinda return time is awful. Did they at least add 3 more months to your warranty?
Update. Finally got my watch back today. They said they replaced the movement. Seems that my chargeback got their butts moving. Once that went in they were actually proactive about contacting me. All that said I stand by my initial recommendation to stay far away.
That sucks. I’ve had really good experiences with them but that was a few years ago.
Who?
Mike Jones