ACCUTRON NIGHTMARE STORY

A recent Accutron Repair Story....

I received a call this week from a desperate gentleman asking for my help. He told a story about having sent his Father's Accutron to someone in Texas for repair last year. 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 his repairer in Texas. For a while communication seemed normal, but he couldn't get any idea from this gentleman 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 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 Texas and explain the problem. I also suggested he file a complaint in the local Texas 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 professional watchmaking firm. I told him also, that it happened recently in New England, 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 original 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 well over a year. 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, proper tools correct for the application, cost of insurance and security, professional affiliations and credentials in a specific craft. But if someone advertises they're cheaper because they 1) don't have to pay professional watchmakers, 2) operate out of their basement or garage, 3) are not insured and have no security systems, it just makes good common sense to weigh the potential risk with the cost or gain, and then be prepared for the consequences.

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

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