I received a call recently from a desperate gentleman asking for help.  He told a story about having sent his Father's Accutron to someone for repair last year.  He had all the details of name and address, of course.  Subsequently, he purchased another Accutron from Ebay...one he'd wanted for 25 years and finally found, but it wasn't running.  He also sent this Accutron Spaceview to this repairer.  For a while communication seemed normal, but he couldn't get any idea from this gentleman about when his watches would be completed and ready for shipping.  Communication finally dried up altogether.  He couldn't reach this man by phone, email or even by written, Certified USPS mail.  The Certified mail was appropriately signed for, but there was no communication as a result.

His question was.. "What should I do now to get my watches back?"  I suggested he contact the Attorney General's office in that person's state and explain the problem.  I also suggested he file a complaint in the local jurisdiction by mail, and investigate an attorney in that area to follow up on the matter, if feasible.

I told him that this happens all too often when internet hobbyists lure unsuspecting customers into sending their watches to them under the guise of being a legitimate business.  I told him also, that this happened several years ago, where the repairer had collected hundreds and hundreds of Accutron watches from people all over the country and just wouldn't return them.  He mysteriously started selling Accutron watches and Accutron parts on Ebay until caught.  The State's Attorney General's Office entered his trailer (by force), seized what turned out to be thousands of watches and turned them over to the manufacturer for help in returning them to their original owners with the scant records that were available.  Some of the accounts that I've been told, directly by those original owners, is that the process took years.  Among other penalties, the repairer was forbidden from performing any watch repair in his state ever again.

The Moral of the Story is pretty clear...  It's true, legitimate businesses do have costs; cost of state-of-the-art equipment, the cost of proper tools and material correct for the application, cost of insurance and security, professional affiliations and credentials in a specific craft, and of course, education and continuing yearly training.  But if someone advertises they're cheaper because they 1) don't have to pay professional watchmakers, 2) they operate out of their basement or garage with no rent payments or cost of overhead or qualified personnel, 3) are not insured (other than their homeowner's policy which may or may not cover other people's property), and have no security systems other than perhaps a faithful dog, it just makes good common sense to weigh the potential risk with the cost or gain.

B. D. Williams, Owner
Old Father Time, LLC
9 May, 2008