Purchase date 1/2/08...Still waiting..... [Archive] - Watchuseek, world's largest & highest trafficked Watch Forum site

894tom

January 10th, 2008, 04:29

I paid for a Steinhart watch on Jan 2, 2008 (I used PayPal) I recieved no confimation from the watch company after payment. My bank indicated to me that Steinhart took my money on the same date however. I waited a day and then emailed him several times for two days. No responce. On Friday, he responded and told me he was on Vacation. (I did not know about the extra long holiday's in the German country). He asked that I wait until he gets back in the shop on Monday to process my order. Monday night, I saw no emails from him and figured he could have forgot about me over his holidays so I dropped him a reminder. No responce. I did the same thing on Tuesday. No responce. Today (Wednesday) I did nothing, but I am gonna ask you guys what to do. Still no responce from him this evening.
I have heard mostly good things about the quality of the watch and his customer service, but right now I am not impressed on the communication aspect of this sale. Anyone else have these problems (is this normal from him) and should I just relax? Last time this happened to me the business owner was bleeding his company dry and leaving town. Sorry Im just a little nervous now.

MikeW

January 10th, 2008, 05:01

I would notify paypal just to be safe. I lost several hundred dollars buying a watch from another respected German watch company. I paid using paypal. The company kept stringing me along and by the time I realized I was getting ripped off it was too late to file anything with paypal and I was out of luck. I am not in any way implying Steinhart is going to be dishonest, I have never heard anything but positeve comments regarding their customer service, but orders get lost or whatever unseen circumstances do occur. Better safe than sorry.

Best, Mike W.

894tom

January 10th, 2008, 05:58

very good info...I will contact PayPal. Do you know off the top of your head what the time limits are?
Thanks.

Triton

January 10th, 2008, 11:37

Jeez guys, relax, you have absolutely nothing at all to worry about! Günter Steinhart is one of the most trustworthy people I know ... and one of the busyest.

895tom, shoot me a p.m. with your full name and I will take care of it for you.

Triton

January 10th, 2008, 11:41

JHM

January 10th, 2008, 13:33

Hello,

first, may I introduce myself since this is my first post on WUS? My name is Jan and I am from germany and a true watch addict!

I have got a Steinhart Nav B Ltd. for christmas and even so communication via email was a little bit ropy, everything got delivered as promised. They have put an effort in to deliver before christmas eve (successfully), even so the announced delivery date was mid of january 2008.

I have heard that some people at Steinhart have just got back from vacation and I believe they do not really have a big work force over there. I have sent them an email 2 days ago and still wait for an answer. However, best chances to get any info right now is to give Guenter Steinhart a call, I guess. Everybody keeps on telling me, that he is a very nice guy and great business partner. So in case you worry too much, why don't you just give them a call (not sure about their english skills so), before you involve paypal?

all the best

Jan

Triton

January 10th, 2008, 13:57

JHM

January 10th, 2008, 16:17

Hello Jan and welcome to WUS, the best watch forum on the net!

You're right, Steinhart Germany is basically just Guenter Steinhart with some help from Mrs. Geissen, who works there part time.
Since their holiday vacation there's been a lot of e-mails to work through, which will take some time, especially since Mr. Steinhart caught the flu on new years.

So please people, be patient, give the guy a break and don't cause even more hassle by contacting paypal just because he didn't get back to you immediately.

Thank You for the welcome Triton! Just to let you know, 10 min. ago I just received an email from Mrs Geissler, so 894tom you may have received something, as well? I would not worry too much. My last deal I did with a japanese jewelry was a lot worse: 3 weeks before I even got my an email answered and another 2 for delivery...;-)

all the best

Jan

894tom

January 11th, 2008, 07:01

Triton....I went to work today prior to contacting PayPal. I came home and read this first. Some of you guys have been doing this alot longer than me...thats why I asked you all for advise. I will hold off and see how this goes. I have only read good things about Hunter. I don't want to hurt anybody's business....If you got an in with him..let him know I hope he feels better.

Tom, from NewJersy (the SS NavB with cognac strap guy.) I hope he knows who I am by now.:roll:

Triton

January 11th, 2008, 14:34

Dear Tom, I just got off the phone with Mr. Steinhart. Your watch, including a free OEM buckle has just reached Philadelphia and will most likely reach your doorstep by noon today. You received a fedex express tracking number yesterday, so you can track your package as well.
Tom, when a company is closed for holidays and communictaes this fact towards you, it doesn't speed up your delivery, when you write five emails per day, especially when you don't include your name in those emails. Please also consider, that your order may not be the only order that has stacked up during those holidays and may also not be the first to get worked on. Steinhart watches is not Amazon, but they do their best to deliver as quick as possible.

loplop

January 11th, 2008, 15:30

It is also good to keep in mind not all cultures are as work-focused as ours, and some actually take time off (meaning they don't carry a Blackberry, check email, ANYTHING!) over the holidays.

Glad to see it's resolved. I have never bought from Mr. Steinhart, but I have conversed with him over email and he's a straight shooter. I would buy from him in a heartbeat.

894tom

January 11th, 2008, 17:42

Triton, Thanks for all your help. I did write to Gunter 5 times in one day and most of them were questions about the watch I was going to buy....but remember, I paid for the watch prior to these emails/questions, thats how much I trusted what I heard about Gunter and his watches. When he finally did respond two days later, he told me about the long German Holiday. I don't know much about the German culture so I apologized to him personally for the misunderstanding.

On another note, he has mailed me the watch the fastest I have seen anything mailed before (next day:-!). I should be getting the watch today. All in all ,from order date until arrival date, this sale took just 10 days. That is right on par with any good reputable business in America or abroad. Nothing to complain about regarding that aspect.

To make this thread completely clear, I was simply saying that perhaps taking an hour at the end of the day or first thing each morning to respond to emails would have taken any problems away. It would have given me (the internet paranoid over seas customer) some peace of mind. I was just nervous about the internet.:oops: I posted this thread on Watchuseek more for peace of mind than anything else. I just needed someone to reassure me my money was not lost.

Sometimes I feel bad for people of other cultures...Americans can be so spoiled when it comes to customer service.....now now now..hurry hurry hurry. Please forgive me Gunter.:oops: And I also really appreciate the members of this forum for their imput:thanks......great site.

Watchstuff2

January 11th, 2008, 18:22

Glad this is resolved, and I am looking forward to your impressions of the watch once you have it on your wrist, be sure to post your thoughts!

894tom

January 11th, 2008, 20:02

One word. WOW!

Watchstuff2

January 11th, 2008, 20:12

That is a pretty good word! I don't have ANY skill with a camera, but here is my own wrist shot - and yes, WOW was the SECOND word out of my mouth when I saw it too!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b195/watchstuff/navbhws.jpg

894tom

January 11th, 2008, 20:49

Now seriously. I opened the box and could immediately smell the rich looking leather straps. Nice touch. The straps are very thick and beefy. I immediately removed the choclate colored strap and installed the special Cognac strap. I then wound the movement. I have 4 watches with this movement and this one feels extremely nice when I wind it up. It does not bunch up near the end of its capacity. The diamond crown provides an excellent grasp for winding.

I used to own a 50mm watch before and felt 50mm was to big for my wrist so I was a little leary on the size of this watch while looking at it over the internet. I couldn't resist though after reading everything about the watch. When I finally got it on my wrist (7 1/4") the watch fit perfect.

The strap is thick so I need to see which hole I feel better wearing the strap on but besides that it is comfortable. The crown is not a problem on my wrist when I hike the watch above my wrist bone. I read another review that mentioned the crown was an uncomfortable problem but I don't feel the crown when I am wearing the watch in this location. I usually wear my watchs below this bone and could wear this watch there exept the crown can then be felt on the back of my hand. The size of the watch makes this location on my wrist appear perfect...not to high not to low. The bone also keeps the watch from sliding around.

The finish on the watch is beautiful. I have read comments from a competitor claiming the finish is not high quality. I don't know what he is smoking.;-) The crown is polished which really helps the crown stand out. The hands appear to be a little big in some of the photos I have seen of this watch...but trust me, in person they are not. They are a great size for this watch.

I have a UV light and I charged up the lume and turned out the lights. I think I could read off light coming from this watch after about 5 minutes in the dark. I will check the lume after a good nights sleep and check it tomorrow morning to see how it fares through the night.

The crystal is slightly domed and looks great with this watch. Glad
Steinhart did not use a flat crystal. The exhibition back is flat and shows off the handsome movement well.

Final words....its a shame the watch is so nice because I would love to wear it to work, but I can't due to my line of work. This is going to be my out of work, casual/cool/retro/did I say cool? watch. Gunter, seeing this watch makes me feel really bad about this whole thread. This watch makes up for the issue I previously had.:-! :thanks

894tom

January 11th, 2008, 20:50

What was the first word?

Watchstuff2

January 11th, 2008, 20:58

I will agree with all of your observations and throw in a couple - I wear mine on my right wrist, and in this setup the height of the watch case keeps the crown from bothering me at all, so no problem there. I actually like the strap so much I took it off, as I do not want to damage it! I have it on a beefy rubber dive strap for now, and believe it or not, that works rather well, although it is an odd combination! I like the fact that the lugs are only 22mm; large enough to match the "big" feel of the watch, but small enough that other straps are not hard to find. One comment on mine - I have only had it a few days, but I noticed it was running fast out of the box, more than usual for this quality movement. I mentioned it to Debaufre, and they immediately replied no problem, let it settle in for a bit and if it is still fast, send it back and they will adjust it...that is what I wanted to hear, and just another example of the outstanding service I have come to expect from them!

All in all I could not be happier! There was a note posted elsewhere that they will be coming out with a 43mm version, and before I got this, that would have sounded like a "safer" way to go...but I must admit, I am getting used to the large size and I don't know if I would trade it for a smaller one! Kudos to Debaufre all the way around!

894tom

January 11th, 2008, 21:02

Got any wrist shots with the rubber strap. I am curious.

Watchstuff2

January 11th, 2008, 21:09

What was the first word?

Sorry, don't want to get bleeped by the Mod... :-d:-)

Watchstuff2

January 11th, 2008, 21:11

Not right now, will try to take one...

thodgins

January 12th, 2008, 01:29

Congrats on a very cool watch. Is this one thicker than the previous versions that had the T on the dial?

Watchstuff2

January 12th, 2008, 04:54

Hey Todd, good to see you around here! I don't know how it compares to the previous versions...perhaps one of the other members has one for comparison...

loplop

January 12th, 2008, 05:56

Congrats, that looks great on you! I was a little worried about 47mm, but maybe I shouldn't be...

894tom

January 12th, 2008, 21:19

I have a UV light and I charged up the lume and turned out the lights. I think I could read off light coming from this watch after about 5 minutes in the dark. I will check the lume after a good nights sleep and check it tomorrow morning to see how it fares through the night.

Just wanted to update this section. The lume on the hands is very visible by morning. No problems there. The dial...no so much.....gotta really stare away from the watch to see the dial (in your perifial vision) instead of looking straight at the watch as intended. I guess the watch does have a weakness....if you want to call this one.

Watchstuff2

January 12th, 2008, 21:35

OK, so how about this - we petition them to make an aviation style watch with tritium tubes...now THAT would be cool... ;)

894tom

January 13th, 2008, 17:25

Nahh....just have em use a thicker layer of C3....I have a pan that glows all night and should stay that way forever.....unlike Tritium which will go kaputz in 12 years. Whatever the stuff is on the hands should be on the dial. The hands are bright in the morning.

mamas

January 13th, 2008, 18:47

the Lume on the first dial wasnt so good, but Mr Steinhart sent me a second dial with much better lume for free.. after he read my review :-!:-!:-! Although this dial's lume still isnt as good as the hands.. it is way better than the previous dial. I agree that this is only possible critisms of this watch.

They are going to release a smaller version 44mm .. but even with my 6 3/4 inch wrist.. size is not such an issue.

TRhe leather straps are phenominal and i have bought several of thes e from mr steinhart...i am pretty sure that you wont find better straps for the $$$ out there

Cousin Dave

January 13th, 2008, 19:28

I'm glad you got your watch and are happy with it.
See, I told you that you had nothing to worry about.
A lot of the watch companies you'll hear about here are basically a one man show.

Narruc

January 14th, 2008, 14:28

Final words....its a shame the watch is so nice because I would love to wear it to work, but I can't due to my line of work. This is going to be my out of work, casual/cool/retro/did I say cool? watch.

I have the same problem. I work on a large construction project and there is no way I'm risking my Nav-B touching a piece of CMU or rebar.

Gunter, seeing this watch makes me feel really bad about this whole thread. This watch makes up for the issue I previously had.:-! :thanks

I had a similiar delay with my order. It was about three weeks from order to delivery. I ordered two watches the Stainless Nav-B and an orange Triton. After opening the boxes, though, I kind of forgot all about the wait. Beautiful watches.

CJ

Watchstuff2

January 14th, 2008, 17:17

I can't speak for how it will fit you, but I am enjoying it!

894tom

January 23rd, 2008, 20:39

Congrats on a very cool watch. Is this one thicker than the previous versions that had the T on the dial?

I never had a T version....but I have read that the case back on my watch is thicker than the T Version. From personal experience, I can say that the crown of the watch will press into the back of your hand if you are doing pushups or something where your hand is flexed (like typing)backwards....but it is easily remedied by choking up the watch some on your wrist. I grew accustomed to my crown quickly....I actually had a rougher time getting used to the stitching on the strap. I am slowly breaking the strap in...but it is taking awhile. Some may say to swap out the strap, but I won't because the strap is so perfect for this watch. Its coming around.

COMMODOREDSTE

January 26th, 2008, 22:37

I understand your case, after a long study and selection among several Flieger watches, Stowa, Archimede, Steinhart, Laco, Azimuth ..... And consultations with multiple experts on this and other forums. I decided to buy a STEINHART "Nav.B watch limited. Request watch and replied to the next day, but I have been unable to pay directly. Waiting 4 days ago and trying to confirm the direction to make payment via Pay - Pal, but did not get any clear answers. Which is what happens in communication with the House Steinhart?. I love very much this watch, I want to buy, but I have no answer. It is a pity that a good home, like Steinhart, does not have a good customer care . Continuous waiting for the answer,I send 10 mails , but no response yet, if we do not get answers, will lose a good customer buyer.

894tom

January 29th, 2008, 02:34

Quick update on my watch......It's the gift that keeps on giving. Fed-Ex just gave me a bill for $31.64 for "duties,tax,customs,other fees". Now isnt that spayshall (as the church lady would say). I didn't know this watch came with surprises!!!!o| Total cost on this watch is now up to $551.64 for me (USA). Seems the "deal" of the decade is fading....and I got in just in time...Steinhart raised the prices on the watches probably because we all said what a great deal this watch was. Be prepared to pay over $600.00 when all is said and done for this watch now if you live in the USA.

Triton

January 29th, 2008, 11:01

Wow, that's what you get for offering a great watch at a low price. If you had done your homework, you would've known about custom fees and taxes when purchasing goods from Europe. You would've also known, that Debaufre in Florida, sells the exact same watch, except that the dial branding is different. No custom fees from Florida to NJ, right?
As far as raising the prices, the ETA movements you all love so much are harder to come by from year to year and the prices for them has almost doubled in a short period of time. Costs for other parts also go up mainly due to rising energy prices.
But maybe Mr. Steinhart should just skip a meal a day and sell his car instead of slightly raising the prices?

Sorry for sounding a bit upset, but you people really have no idea what a great deal you are receiving when purchasing a Steinhart watch.

beebox

January 29th, 2008, 14:29

hi tom.

Custom duties are the buyer's responsibility,i believe they are the same everywhere in the world.
The $31.64 goes to your govrnment coffer,not into Mr Gunther account.

i just made payment for the watch as well,and i would agree with Triton that it is a great deal!

bvmjethead

January 29th, 2008, 15:35

After reading this thread I'm somewhat ashamed for America.

10 days from order (from Europe) till the day the watch was delivered and you were pissy with the supplier.

Quit your whining. That's great service.

o|

894tom

January 29th, 2008, 21:22

You would've also known, that Debaufre in Florida, sells the exact same watch, except that the dial branding is different. No custom fees from Florida to NJ, right?
But maybe Mr. Steinhart should just skip a meal a day and sell his car instead of slightly raising the prices?

I never said I did not get a great deal. I love the watch. I said I was surprised yesterday when I got a bill from Fed-ex. So I would have to say you misinterpreted my message. I am more concerned why America has to tax and charge every little thing they can get their grubby hands on. You are right about one thing, I had no idea extra fees applied to oversea purchases.

My other point was.....he raised the price 11% plus the 5% for duties/taxes/customs, plus shipping and handling...so one can expect to pay near $600. What's the problem with letting Americans know the price of what they will pay and let them make the determination about what kind of deal they are getting? I agree Debaufre doesnt charge D/T/C but I never mentioned that fact....I didn't want to steer people away from Stienhart watches.

I would buy from Stienhart again for the record........and I live in America.

894tom

January 29th, 2008, 21:36

ashamed for America.

Quit your whining. o|

I am never ashamed of/for America. Sorry about your luck.

Anyway, read this whole thread, I never whined about the watch quality...just the customer service. The fact Steinhart does not include D/T/C is his choice, and the fact he does not respond in a prompt manner to overseas customers is also his choice, but customer service can impact sales. The things he has going for him right now are a great product and a good price...take away the good price and you have inadequate customer service with a great product. Other companys with a great product, good price, and good customer service could start taking over this niche market.

BTW...cute wife:-).

bvmjethead

January 29th, 2008, 22:17

I am never ashamed of/for America. Sorry about your luck.

I'm ashamed because of your whining on the WWW, in front of the whole world. Your complaining about otherwise great service is embarassing.

Anyway, read this whole thread, I never whined about the watch quality...just the customer service.

Which in my opinion was no less than great. As I said before 10 days from payment recieved to delivery from Germany to N.J. USA is fanastic service. Notification or not, tracking number provided or not. 10 days door to door is fantastic service from within the USA, even better from outside the USA.

The fact Steinhart does not include D/T/C is his choice, and the fact he does not respond in a prompt manner to overseas customers is also his choice, but customer service can impact sales.

VACATION. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. CUSTOMS. Agreed that customer service can impact sales. You've done more to prove to me that you got great customer service than anything else.

The things he has going for him right now are a great product and a good price...take away the good price and you have inadequate customer service with a great product.

Please see above.

Other companys with a great product, good price, and good customer service could start taking over this niche market.

BTW...cute wife:-).

Thanks for the compliment on my wife.

It's been alluded to in this thread the differences between Americans and Europeans and how we do business. Americans are impatient and way stressed out and they die sooner because of it. Europeans understand that family and long stress free lives are more important than the almighty Euro. We (Americans) could learn something.

If you did not know you would be charged some additional funds for import taxes, customs fees and whatever else Fed Ex tacked on you're being somewhat naive. Anything you "import" is going to be "taxed".

I'll reinterate my point again to be sure it is understood....

10 days from payment to delivery from an overseas supplier is fantastic customer service. You weren't paying for the supplier to coddle your feelings, you were paying for a chunk of glass and some gears in a box.

894tom

January 30th, 2008, 01:20

you were paying for a chunk of glass and some gears in a box.

I beg to differ...its a little more than that. I love my "timepiece". b-)

loplop

January 31st, 2008, 01:07

I agree with bvmjethead (http://forums.watchuseek.com/member.php?u=17905). You've been whining since this deal was struck.

You should spend the $600 and take a flight to Europe sometime. You need to get out in the world and learn you're frame of reference is a little... skewed.

894tom

January 31st, 2008, 19:27

When/if you ever buy a watch from Steinhart then you can post your opinion on what you think about his customer service.......until then it just sounds like you want to start trouble........in front of the whole world;-) I bought a Stienhart......and I love it.......and I live in America. Think of the novelty of that.:-!

loplop

February 1st, 2008, 18:13

894tom

February 1st, 2008, 19:59

Whether I own or do not own a Steinhart is irrelevant.

I'm not going to badger you about this anymore

At least you admit what your doing is badgering. The relevance of my view may be much clearer to you (if) you ever actually buy a watch from Steinhart. Perhaps your opinion would be different if you were actually wearing the shoe (shoe is on the other foot cliche) instead of voicing your opinion on how much better you would wear the shoe without ever even putting it on.

But hopefully those who may come across this thread (and continue reading this to the bottom of the thread:roll:) will learn from me, the whining, naive, narcisistic, skewed, American consumer (and whatever other personal attacks were made on me in this thread) to have patience with Steinhart because its just the way he runs his business. Rest assured you will get a beautiful watch. Those who did not know will also learn about other costs they will incure with an overseas purchase such as tax and duty bills they recieve several weeks later. Now they can be a happy, informed, unselfish, focused, world conscience consumer like yourself and bvmjethead.:-!

brainless

February 2nd, 2008, 01:09

Don't feed the monkey....................aboveb-)

Volker

loplop

February 2nd, 2008, 17:06

Don't feed the monkey....................aboveb-)

Volker

:oops:

:-d

:-x

John MS

February 2nd, 2008, 19:59

When you post on a forum, you are obviously inviting response from third parties. Whether I own or do not own a Steinhart is irrelevant.

At the heart of the matter here is not customer service, taxes, etc. It is your narcissistic view of how this transaction should have occurred. I simply ask you to step outside your American home and begin to realize that we are not the center of the earth, and that much of the world works different from what we (I am American, too) can sometimes believe is "the one true way."

I'm not going to badger you about this anymore, I assure you. Enjoy the watch--it looks great!!

Indeed. I've bought watches and other products from China, Japan, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Canada, England, France, etc., to name a few. It is as you note important to remember local holidays, vatations, time zone differences, customs inspection and slow delivery services may all have an impact on delivery time. If the original poster had "bought the seller" before he "bought the watch" he would have just sat back and awaited delivery. Instead he decided to pepper seller and this forum with worried emails. I've had 2 day delivery from china and 3 week delivery from the UK and remained equally unconcerned about either transaction because I was aware of the time it could take.

The Steinhart watches are indeed a fine deal. I can only wonder why he chose to not deal with the seller of Debaufre watches in the USA.