A below average customer service and not that a great of a watch...

So I got a Sternglas watch from a friend of mine as a gift, a limited edition Naos Edition Argo...

Unlike like the other naos watches they sell, this limited edition naos had an interesting dial, so it was worn for a while in rotation with other watches, after 3 months the leather strap that came with the watch started to look really worn out...

I contacted the customer service and asked where can I buy the strap since I couldn't find it anywhere online.... no reply came.

After a few weeks I contacted them again, I got a reply from somebody who obviously did not even read my e-mail correctly...he was explaining why they couldn't give me a new strap because it is normal for a strap to look worn out after 3 months of wearing (which is totally not true), he gave me a discount and sent me the a link where I can buy straps from them, that link didn't have the correct strap for my watch.

I contacted them again, explained that the strap was not being sold on their website and that I didn't want a free strap, I wanted to buy it, another person apologized and sent me a link where I can buy the strap.... the link he sent however was for different strap to the one my watch had.....

I wrote him another e-mail and I explained that this is the wrong strap and not the strap which came with my watch.... he replied and said they don't have my strap anymore...


So for a chinese watch, generic design with a Ronda quarz movement (date wheel goes only in one direction) and a below average customer service... your money (210 Euro) is in my opinion better spent somewhere else (Tissot, Zeppelin, anything from POINTtec).... or maybe add a few euros to it and get a Laco...

To be fair I would still rank the build quality above the likes of DW and other minimalist Chinese made watches, but I feel for this price and for a company without history/, you should at least get the customer service part right..... I hope they can improve this aspect.

Disappointing for a small company of 25 people and they couldn't even get the act together. I hope that you managed to get the strap you want in the end from elsewhere! Strap looked generic enough and you could probably get it from other third party vendors.

 

I like to keep my watches as original as possible, but I will probably buy a different strap from them using the discount code.

 

As you said its a Chinese company, chances are whoever made that strap for them ended that production. They were pretty nice to send you codes to help, and it even seems multiple people tried to help. It would be one thing if something was wrong with the watch, but that's just a strap, and in my experience a strap can have wear from wearing just once...

 

The 30% discount was nice, but it is still a 50 Euro strap
imo the customer service should have been better, not replying then replying wrong and again replying wrong and then apologizing is below average customer service if not bad.
regarding the strap, I have had swatchs and tissots in this price range and they really had a much better leather strap, not to forget these are swiss made watches and swiss made straps.

 

The watch has a great look. I like the dial. The leather straps on most affordable watches are not particularly robust. I even bought a beautiful Tissot Powermatic 80 and the watch was a funky shiny plastic. I buy reasonably priced custom straps on Etsy for my watches when the manufacturer's strap is wonky.

The bright spot is that watch will look amazing on an affordable custom leather strap. It would look killer on a rust-colored strap.

 

The watch has a great look. I like the dial. The leather straps on most affordable are not particularly robust. I buy affordable custom straps on Etsy for my watches when the manufacturer's strap is wonky. I even bought a beautiful Tissot Powermatic 80 and the watch was a funky shiny plastic.

The bright spot is that watch will look amazing on an affordable custom leather strap. It would look killer on a rust colored strap.

^^^ this.

Sometimes keeping it original isn't as good as pimping it up.

 

I've also seen at least one "Swiss Made" Sternglas. I've also read that some of the models were designed and assembled in Germany.

 

I think they did some automatics in Switzerland, but they were crazy expensive for what they offer

 

Good luck. Hope you get it sorted out sooner than later.

 

I wouldn't fuss about that strap to be honest, especially if they are saying it won't wear very well. There's loads of nice straps around.

 

FWIW, the strap you have may actually be made to look like that. You may also want to apply some oil or lotion to the leather to freshen it up a bit .

 

The problem here is that for the "Made in Germany" brand, there is no precise regulation, either at national or European level, as to how high the proportion of the value chain produced in Germany must be. There are individual court rulings and various initiatives that make specifications here, but there is not really anything regulated by law.

There were many discussions in the German Uhrforum(watchforum) about Sternglas .

The Brand ist a microbrand from Hamburg , most of their watches are Made in China.

The Made in Germany Label is a joke !

Go to Aliexpress and you will find similar looking watches for less money .

 

Is that how the strap looks now? Doesn't seem in such a bad shape, but maybe you're feeling some discomfort that can't really get thrugh a picture. Anyway I understand you wanted to keep it original, and you definitely made more effort in that direction than what I would do myself.
But all things considered maybe it ain't that bad, I mean if they don't have it anymore there's nothing that can be done, a bit of shame for redirecting you to the wrong link more than once tho, I agree, ahah.
Still, at this point go for another strap, I think that it would pop more on a different color to be honest.

 

I did go for some green vintage strap, also from them, I hope this one has a better quality (it costs 50 Euro)

 

Just get an aftermarket strap, replace the buckle with original, and enjoy. My $.02

 

You are right, but I just went with one of their straps

 

Idk why you'd get smart with me, OP, when you didn't even know where your watch came from... Swiss made or wherever, it's a cheapo strap.

 

I didn't get what you are saying mate.

 

Somehow my Sternglas review on google (same as what I wrote here) was deleted, anybody knows how this could happen?

 

That would be a good question to ask Google. As Simon mentioned put a bit of leather conditioner on the existing strap and wear it. Or buy a new leather or Nato strap. Most of us have found that after-market straps are much better quality than factory straps. But do something and move on to enjoying a good looking watch.

 

What does "on google" mean

 

I copied the same review on their page on google...

 

Me thinks thou protests too much
its a pretty inexpensive watch & inexpensive strap
that means the leather wont be a quality top grain hide, but a surface finished split leather
it is what it is
put a bit of oil to nourish the strap and wear it

 

Hello Alec & and all other forum members,

this is Dustin founder of Sternglas. First of all @alec_kojro sorry for that bad experience. We will investigate this from our side what happend there.

... also I pretty shocked by the other replies. I've been working on Sternglas since 6 years now and it has been really a tough journey and we had our learnings, but comparing our watches to "Aliexpress quality" is really breaking my heart! Have you seen the watch in your hand?!
Probably not, but over 400 jewellers and watchmakers sell our watches, they would do it if you had cheap quality

Since the very beginning of Sternglas we have put a lot effort in bringing the best quality on the market for an affordable price. We have domed sapphire glass, Ronda movements, advanced components in all areas like case. The strap is made in the same German factory in Bavaria as a well know Bauhaus Luxury Brand you all know.

And yes, the watch is mostly Made in China. I've visited many factories in China. I know who is making the components, talked to the owners and mainly: I can see what other brands are producing there. You would bei surprised ;-)
Statistics say that 93% of all watches are China Made.

But at the end, my brand Sternglas will be made bad in the forums. Or thow me and my team are doing the best we can to make great watch design & quality accessible for everybody and not only for those who can/want to afford luxury watches. You don't have to like the watches or the brand, but please be fair with us!

Cheers
Dustin

 

Hello Alec & and all other forum members,

this is Dustin founder of Sternglas. First of all @alec_kojro sorry for that bad experience. We will investigate this from our side what happend there.

... also I pretty shocked by the other replies. I've been working on Sternglas since 6 years now and it has been really a tough journey and we had our learnings, but comparing our watches to "Aliexpress quality" is really breaking my heart! Have you seen the watch in your hand?!
Probably not, but over 400 jewellers and watchmakers sell our watches, they would do it if you had cheap quality

Since the very beginning of Sternglas we have put a lot effort in bringing the best quality on the market for an affordable price. We have domed sapphire glass, Ronda movements, advanced components in all areas like case. The strap is made in the same German factory in Bavaria as a well know Bauhaus Luxury Brand you all know.

And yes, the watch is mostly Made in China. I've visited many factories in China. I know who is making the components, talked to the owners and mainly: I can see what other brands are producing there. You would bei surprised ;-)
Statistics say that 93% of all watches are China Made.

But at the end, my brand Sternglas will be made bad in the forums. Or thow me and my team are doing the best we can to make great watch design & quality accessible for everybody and not only for those who can/want to afford luxury watches. You don't have to like the watches or the brand, but please be fair with us!

Cheers
Dustin

Hey Dustin

As somebody who also run their own small business, I understand how hard the critique most be for you to take, I am pretty sure you are trying your best to build your brand, but it is what it is....

Aliexpress quality can be so good, check San Martin for example, like Sternglas they make hommage watches and have their own designs and they make great quality watches and they aren't that cheap to be honest...don't let that offend you, most of the members in this forum know how the watch industry works and the connection it has to China....

To be honest you will also find 400 shops selling DW and Skagen watches, you would find more shops in Europe selling DW and Skagen than shops that are selling Longines or Hamilton , so it is not a "seal of quality" that I would boost about

I think most people here understand that many components are being made in China these days, but Sternglas doesn't do the assembly in Europe and many people find that as a negative, I have worked for 13 years with Chinese factories (in a different but similar field) and I know for sure that QC isn't their strongest point......

Thank you for coming here, to be honest I found the comments not harsh, you should see the comments your brand gets in the German forums like uhrenforum, you won't be able to sleep tonight.

 

Hello Alec,
my name is Klara. I am the Head of Social Media at Sternglas and I am writing you on behalf the whole team, especially our customer care team.
I read your post yesterday, followed the discussions, and thought I might jump in at this point.

First of all, I am very sorry you made such a frustrating experience with our customer service team. We take our community's satisfaction very seriously.
I reached out to my colleagues from customer service and asked them about what happened.
There has been a lot of miscommunication at this end, as your case has been handled by different customer service reps. We are currently training a new rep, also.
Initially, my colleagues thought you were requesting the strap of the Naos Automatic Argo, but did not know you meant the Quarz Argo strap. The other colleague that replied to you with the discount code, wasn't aware of that and offered you the code, not knowing that we do not sell the edition strap without the watch. And yes, the last representative was then correct: the watch has been sold out last year already, including all the straps of course.

So... you already bought another strap for the watch, did I read correctly?
However, again, we are very sorry you made this experience and hope we can make this up again.

With regards to your Google review, I reached out to our Head of Performance who manages all the Google related stuff. I showed him the review that you supposedly wrote and which allegedly has been deleted as well. That however, is pretty weird, as we never saw your review on Google. We have not deleted your review!
Also, we do not think Google has deleted your review as all statements correspond to the truth. Sorry your review did not go through. Feel free to send it again.

All the best from Hamburg,
Klara

 

Hello Alec,
my name is Klara. I am the Head of Social Media at Sternglas and I am writing you on behalf the whole team, especially our customer care team.
I read your post yesterday, followed the discussions, and thought I might jump in at this point.

First of all, I am very sorry you made such a frustrating experience with our customer service team. We take our community's satisfaction very seriously.
I reached out to my colleagues from customer service and asked them about what happened.
There has been a lot of miscommunication at this end, as your case has been handled by different customer service reps. We are currently training a new rep, also.
Initially, my colleagues thought you were requesting the strap of the Naos Automatic Argo, but did not know you meant the Quarz Argo strap. The other colleague that replied to you with the discount code, wasn't aware of that and offered you the code, not knowing that we do not sell the edition strap without the watch. And yes, the last representative was then correct: the watch has been sold out last year already, including all the straps of course.

So... you already bought another strap for the watch, did I read correctly?
However, again, we are very sorry you made this experience and hope we can make this up again.

With regards to your Google review, I reached out to our Head of Performance who manages all the Google related stuff. I showed him the review that you supposedly wrote and which allegedly has been deleted as well. That however, is pretty weird, as we never saw your review on Google. We have not deleted your review!
Also, we do not think Google has deleted your review as all statements correspond to the truth. Sorry your review did not go through. Feel free to send it again.

All the best from Hamburg,
Klara

Hey Klara

This is my first message to you translated to English:
Hey Sternglas,
I sent you this message a few weeks ago and until today I have not received any reply:
I received a Naos Edition Argo (quartz) which is 2-3 months old as a gift. But the strap looks really worn, where can I buy a replacement strap for this model? I can't find it anywhere online.
I would be very happy about an answer.
Kind regards


I mentioned that the watch was quartz, but these kind of misunderstandings happen, however after that, things did not get better....

I by no means said it is a bad customer service, I called it below average... who knows maybe I was unlucky... your staff was polite.. and
I am not gonna compare them to like Yema's staff who are by the way awful...still I felt like I was talking to somebody who doesn't know
your watches well and I felt like they were not reading my e-mails correctly... if you like you can post the conversation here translated to English and let
the other members decide that...

I ordered a strap from you, yes.

Regarding my google review, yes my first review was deleted, by whom, I don't know, maybe google deleted it? I need to research more to understand
how does that work, which I won't, the new review is however still online....

Thanks for your reply and have a nice day

 

@sternglas @dustinsternglas
I personally think the OP was wrong to bring this particular complaint that was hardly justified here - the fact he only got 2 likes in this Public Forum viewed by thousands shows most didn't give it much weight. I think your rep isn't damaged by this and no doubt your team will tighten up customer email responses -whatever - you will have got more hits, some publicity, and I gotta say I like the look of some of your watches & price point seems reasonable. All the best

 

I could maybe maybe maybe imagine a fuss if they couldn't source another seconds hand, case, dial. Anything to do with the watch. But the strap? Totally asinine. I've had straps from 2k watches leave stains and wear fast, its the first thing a brand does "let's save on the strap" from seiko to rolex.

 

exactly - the OP took umbridge n threw shade. not cool. I never heard of them before, but I like what I see

 

I try extremely hard to buy nothing made in China. I understand some parts in some things are made in China but man I do some serious contortions to not waste my money that way.

 

The beauty of this forum is ignore button. Using it now.

 

I agree

 

Did you actually review the watch itself or than the customer service experience? How's the watch? CS browses wus and that's sorta cool.

 

So this will be my last reply regarding Sternglas, I received the armband today I was really excited...

In my opinion, again I repeat in my opinion, the armband has a total different color than the one I ordered, I understand it is leather but it was way too off, and the stitching if off center
and I don't think the quality is ok....
for this amount 50 Euro ( I got a 30% disocunt), I think I will like I was advised by other members here go buy a Hirsch strap or something... the strap is going back....

 

@alec_kojro actually that is a mistake by our warehouse. We have sent you the wrong color. Sorry for that. You can keep the strap and we will send you the correct color for free!

To the quality: This strap is handmade in Bavaria by our partner. There are also German luxury brands producing there. The quality is absolut beyond standard for this price range.

 

I have already sent the strap back to Sternglas

Regarding the quality, I'm afraid I don't agree with you, but maybe I got a lemon

May I ask which luxury brand?

 

„Handmade in Bavaria“ points to RIOS 1931 or Fluco. My gut feeling says RIOS. You may ask what luxury brand orders from RIOS 1931 or Fluco but at a rate of 99,9% I am sure rhst no watch manufacturer will reveal their source(s). Strap manufacturers are bound to it. I know that Stefan Kudoke sources from RIOS 1931 and that‘s a luxury brand, at least in my eyes. AHCI member Kudoke is a GPHG winner, he‘s not going to any competion without an excellent strap.