My watch is on its way back to Switzerland. They will replace minute and hour hands and case back without charging me any additional money. They will not take back the bracelet - they offered me instead calf leather strap with Heuer buckle, but I refused it. They claim that they inform me that they have only modern, plain TAG Heuer bracelet and I accept it. Of course - I accepted their offer, but I requested bracelet fro the seventies and somehow that information that they have only modern bracelets never was communicated to me.
It is funny thou how they make excuses. For instance that what they wrote me about engraved case back:
"We have well understood your requests and have already given the appropriate explanations but it seems that you did not understand our point of view either. As already explained we did not make any mistake in the refurbishment process but as in line with our rules for the Vintage pieces we wanted to keep and preserve your original engraving."
Well,,, Then why they didn't? Why they tried to removed it when my watch was first time in their service center? Why they tried even harder to do it when it was there for the second time?
Same story with hands. They wrote:
The hands on the Vintage timepieces are not systematically replaced but only the ones that the Senior watchmaker judges too damaged. If you would like us to replace them, this is on your request only. Please note the consumers of Vintage pieces usually do not want their old hands to be replaced and we are working on demand also.
OK, but why they replaced just one hand, leaving the other two? Why nobody asked me what I want? Why they didn't corrected that when my watch was send back to Switzerland for the second time?
However it looks like I will have new hands and new case back. It is what I wanted from the beginning. The only thing which will not be fixed to my satisfaction is that bracelet, for which I paid $180, however most likely it was not their fault. I believe it was the guy at my local jeweler, Jared of Pineville, who "forgot" to mention, that bracelet they have is not vintage, but new, and he doesn't even work for Jared anymore.
I'm waiting now for the last chapter of that saga, which should be, I hope, relatively soon. They wrote to me:
We confirm we have been informed that NJ will forward your timepiece to us and we will deal with it as a matter of priority.
Yours sincerely
[Name withheld] Customer Service Administration Assistant
TAG Heuer - Customer Service
Branch of LVMH Swiss Manufactures SA
4A RUE LOUIS-JOSEPH CHEVROLET
2300 LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS SWITZERLAND