Tyler B.
**LATEST & GREATEST** Back to expand on my experiences with…
*UPDATE AS OF JULY 9TH - DESPITE NEIL'S CLAIM BELOW THAT HE WOULD REJECT THE PACKAGE, THE PACKAGE WAS IN FACT ACCEPTED. HE HAS ALSO BLOCKED ME ON FB MESSENGER - REFUSING TO HAVE ANY FURTHER CONTACT. NOT THE MARK OF AN HONEST MAN. CHARGE BACK HAS BEEN INITIATED WITH VISA. I BELIEVE HE IS NOW AWARE THAT THE WATCH IS DEFECTIVE BUT IS TOO STUBBORN TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY* Ok, let's play the quoting game: "Customer seems to have forgotten that it was more than daily wear as he wrote to us explaining he'd scratched the watch trying to work on it" - Nope, I did not forget. I owned up to the lug scratches from swapping straps at the beginning of our exchange. This is normal wear and tear. But you seemed to over- emphasize the other scratches from daily wear, so I just wanted to clear the air regarding that. Far from severe my friend, but obviously we won't agree on that. "We've found 10 days to 2 weeks shipping time typically, but anyhow, the manufacturer's warranty period is two years" - I'm sorry, but I trust the post company's quoted times more than yours. Hope you can understand that as, you know, it's their job. Also, I've reached out to Phoibos regarding your horrid service... They've clearly stated that all warranty claims are to be dealt with through the distributor. They've also gone so far as to say not to buy through distributors in the future to avoid issues like this.... "Customer unilaterally decides to send the watch back via what seems to be the the most (~5x more) expensive option available" - yes, in the beginning I did expect you to cover shipping. But i clearly retracted that, apologized, and stated I would be accountable for all charges. Tell the whole story my friend. "The Phoibos branded black outer box was missing, but more importantly the inner Phoibos presentation box was severely damaged, as captured on our unboxing video" - Nevertheless, it was a thin cardboard box. Really a non-issue for any other retailer. Also, i inspected the cloth box and saw absolutely NO DAMAGE. I'd love to see this unboxing video you continue to refer to, yet you've never offered to share with me. "Actually spring bars with quick release pins are just as straight as spring bars without. You can see some here to get an idea" - My claim of bent spring bars was merely a hypothesis and was not sold as any more or any less. This is a bracelet issue and i cannot be any more clear about this. The holes on the end links DO NOT align with the spring bar holes. Prior to returning the watch, i had worn it for a day on a leather strap with no issues. I didn't return the watch due to bent spring bars, I simply said they may have been bent into place to fit into both holes and this is why the issue did not show up earlier.... spring bars are cheap - re-drilling lug holes are not. And again, you're referring to a video you've never shared with me. "We feel it's a bit more than a "mistake", as it's serious to be accused of insulting a customer, especially in a review here" - Whether you said I was 'full of BS' or my 'claim was BS', doesn't really matter. One implies the other. Not to mention the use of profanity in a video being sent to a customer is extremely unprofessional. " As this customer has acted aggressively, for us it's a matter of principal (it was never about the cost) and we're now sticking by the terms of our warranty and sale" - Yep, I am being aggressive and I have every right to do so. I'm out a ton of money and left with a crap product. I should have known better than to buy from a company that has a 72 hour return policy.... what a red flag. I really should have known better. ALL - LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES.
Response from The Microbrand StoreJul 10, 2019
We don't generally give full refunds on goods damaged by a customer (which was admitted) with parts of the item purchased missing outside of the return period. Customer attempted to return a package outside of the return window for a full refund, (we allow plenty of time for inspection after receipt is signed for,) and after admitting in writing that he'd damaged the timepiece and additionally had unauthorized work undertaken on the timepiece that he was concerned may have caused damage. Parts of the required branded package were also missing from the return, and apart from the very noticeable damage to the timepiece, other parts such as the inner presentation box were also damaged. We also found absolutely no evidence of the issue claimed for the return. All of the preceding obviously make this an item that cannot be accepted back for a full refund. The item was therefore promptly returned to the customer, (tracked, with a signature required,) who acknowledged receipt of the returned item but also started acting abusively towards the store since he was unhappy about not getting a full refund. (Ef you, ef the store, threats and an attempt to blackmail us, etc.) We therefore informed this customer that we would no longer be willing to discuss the denied return for refund with him after providing him with a detailed explanation, but allowed him an open channel to continue communicating with us just in case he wanted to bring up any warranty repair issues during his warranty coverage at the store. (The customer never sought any warranty work.) Per our policy on all returns, the entire unboxing of the sealed package, our detailed inspection and thorough testing of this item was recorded in a single very long video take. We further found no evidence of the issues claimed as the reasons for the return, which were disproven in detail in the video, and documented the damaged and missing items. As this customer has acted very abusively, on the very day after our store's warranty coverage ended for his purchase, we blocked this customer on Facebook Messenger and email since it was no longer necessary to deal with him. Please consider this the digital equivalent of being trespassed from a bricks and mortar store. We further note that customer has posted multiple 1 star reviews of us on Trustpilot for this one purchase, (to date he's the only 1 star reviewer,) and has constantly revised them numerous times to "have the last word". As such we can't continue to endlessly respond to a never ending cycle that includes numerous changing falsehoods, (his latest invention at the time of writing this response is that we now have his watch,) having spent very many hours trying to assist this customer with his concerns already. Hopefully this response is useful for others checking into our services to help paint a picture.