Complain for change: don’t be embarrassed to say ‘no’

£10 to £15 is reasonable and £20 is starting to get towards the high side.

I don’t think the price is what I’d be worried about. I’d be worried about the quality of the repair from a store that doesn’t specialise in watch repairs. As an example we charge £14.99 for a battery and seal test on the majority of Skagen watches (which I think is very reasonable considering the quality of the work) but we’re a specialist. I don’t think £21.95 is too expensive but there are certainly better options with regard to quality.

I wouldn’t condemn Timpson’s work out of hand or say their quality is deficient, but the more unusual the watch type the more likely it is that they won’t have all the necessary experience and techniques. They should know their limitations and decline work they have less confidence in.

For most people there are not many specialist watch repairers around. Some jewellers might have one on the premises but most jewellers could not really be described as specialists these days and are mainly concerned with selling a wide range of goods that includes clocks and watches. They will take in watches for repair locally or send them off to a manufacturer.

So, many people have little choice but to use Timpson’s or similar places. Timpson’s probably regard themselves as watch repair specialists as they don’t diversify very much – mainly just cobbling and key-cutting [which obviously demand a different degree of precision and finesse] – and the company has a certain reputation to maintain. The quality of work will largely depend on the extent and quality of the training and the experience of the individual member of staff doing the work. The same is true of other shops and there have been examples in this Conversation where people have paid a lot of money for a watch repair handled by a jeweller’s shop or the manufacturer’s workshop which has not been satisfactory and had to be remedied by a professional watchmender.

I agree with TheWotcher and John, if a pressure test is included in the £21.95 then it is good value but if as is usually the case it is just a back off change the battery and refit the case back without lubricating any of the seals then I would suggest £7 to £10 would be reasonable.

Without knowing the full details of what was actually done it is difficult to give a like for like costing and would be unfair to comment on the people concerned just using assumptions as to what was or wasn’t done.

Quite right John, I absolutely agree. I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, I don’t have a beef with Timpsons specifically (in fact I believe them to be a good company overall), I’ve just seen that many jobs carried out improperly by cobblers that it grinds my gears a bit especially when they market ‘lifetime’ batteries. I’ve spoken to no end of customers to whom I’ve had to explain that a lifetime battery doesn’t really exist, and that no, our batteries aren’t of a lesser quality just because they last a standard two to three years. You do have to question the intelligence of somebody who believes that Timpsons can supply a lifetime of power in a silver oxide cell and nobody else can though. Imagine thinking that a British cobblers has potentially solved any potential impending worldwide energy crisis 😉

I have no personal experience, so do Timpson’s claim that their batteries last a lifetime – or merely undertake to replace them free of charge when they expire?

If the latter, that is factored into their higher price for that level of service on a discounted cash flow basis whereby the company assumes many owners will have lost the certificate, or will not remember that the last battery fitted was under the ‘lifetime’ scheme, so they will not have to honour the guarantee in the majority of cases. .

Also, is it only the cost of the battery that is covered by Timpson’s ‘lifetime’ guarantee, or does it include the work involved in opening the watch, replacing the cell, and sealing and reclosing the watch? Since different watches involve varying levels of work I can’t believe one simple guarantee fits all circumstances.

To the best of my knowledge the deal includes battery replacements for the lifetime of the watch upon production of the original receipt. I’m not sure if this includes resealing and pressure testing but I doubt it.

Your second paragraph pretty much sums it up. In my experience many customers don’t seem to fully understand it which I imagine is more a fault of Timpsons staff or advertising clarity.

The bigger issue from my point of view is that in the event that the work is carried out poorly then when the watch is returned for its next battery, if the watch is deemed to be faulty and requires a service, then this is not covered under the battery guarantee. Poor battery fitting can easily cause this problem and the customer is usually completely unaware of it and has no recourse. I think the whole thing is a bit gimmicky and no self respecting watch repairer would offer a similar service.

The services offered by Timpson is described here: https://www.timpson.co.uk/services/watch-repairs

“We were the first company to introduce a life-time guarantee on watch batteries. That means you pay once & we replace your battery free of charge as long as you own the watch.” There is no claim that a battery will last indefinitely, which is obviously impossible.

Offering free battery replacements for life is not limited to watch batteries and you can buy a car battery with a lifetime guarantee from Halfords.

I completely agree with TheWatcher, the issues that can be caused if the battery is badly installed are numerous and may not be immediately obvious and will not be covered by any lifetime battery guarantees.

Only last week I had a lady bring her watch in for a new battery, when I removed the case back I could see the battery holding strap had been fitted upside down and only secured by one holding screw (could cause a short circuit), fortunately once I had fitted a new battery correctly including fitting the strap the correct way around securing the strap at both ends the watch worked fine.

If the watch hadn’t worked the customer would have had a repair bill for someone else’s mistakes which isn’t fair to the customer.

Thanks for that, Wavechange.

Timpson’s service description looks impressive, but some doubts remain about the capability of the staff in the local branches; they seem to have around six to eight staff each who are on a roster to cover the opening hours and it is pot luck who is on duty when you turn up with your watch.

Having read the Timpson’s literature I would have more confidence in using them than other high street chain jewellery shops. However, I would expect a specialist and dedicated watchmender to be more dependable than Timpson’s if dealing with a more complicated or more sophisticated watch. I have a couple of Rotary watches that need new batteries and would benefit from a proper service so I took the advice given on Timpson’s website and looked up the British Horological Institute’s list of accredited watch repairers in my area. There are very few listed for Norfolk and only one for Norwich who I was already aware of because he advertises widely. Most towns in the county have one or more independent jewellers who do carry out battery replacements and repairs but there does not appear to be a comprehensive service guide to these firms.

As Robert James says above, the customer has absolutely no idea how good or bad a job has been done on their watch, and no means of checking either. Perhaps the specialist trade could help itself and find a way of bringing its superior – and sometimes cheaper – service to the public’s attention.

In order to become a member of the British Horological Institute, a repairer will have to pay a fee and satisfy the Institute that the company/individual is competent to be a member. From the BHI website: “The people you find on our professional register have satisfied the BHI’s stringent requirements for accredited membership, so you can be confident about their skills and experience.

All these members have agreed to abide by the BHI’s Code of Practice (see below). While our members have agreed to abide by the BHI’s Code of Practice, the BHI is unable to intervene in disputes that may occur between repairers and clients, and recommend that wherever possible such issues are resolved amicably and avoid legal recourse if at all possible.”

This gives me, as a consumer, little confidence in BHI membership and we are not even told if BHI will remove members if there are complaints. If I had an expensive watch I would probably rely on a recommendation from the manufacturer.

I realise that it’s nearly three years since I last replaced the battery in my inexpensive watch: https://conversation.which.co.uk/shopping/get-watch-battery-replaced-cost-price/#comment-1426737 I have checked for leakage a couple of times, as advised by Robert. I don’t wear the watch very often and it never gets wet. I wonder if I can get another silver oxide battery for 99p including postage.

My unbranded everyday watch is one of the most reliable I have ever had and a battery exchange is quick and cheap at a van in the main shopping street!

An on-line search has suggested some more professional places that I might try for work on my better watches.

I am wary of places in the shopping mall with glitzy shop fronts and staff in white coats. I prefer the more traditional image.

Yes, horses for courses as they say. I lost confidence in a high street jeweller when they threw away the seal for the back case of my watch and told me it was no longer waterproof. My present watch still has its seal in place after after a couple of visits to a local trader and my own efforts.

Wavechange won’t be the first or last person to have a case back seal past its prime thrown away by a high street jeweller, any company who does a quality job will always keep new gaskets in stock ( I keep 150 different sizes) and will replace any seals which are past their best.

I have had watches in with seals missing, broken or damaged by the person who did the previous battery change and the customer wasn’t even aware of the problem.

“Perhaps the specialist trade could help itself and find a way of bringing its superior – and sometimes cheaper – service to the public’s attention.” I’m trying my best but I can tell you, that costs a lot of money, John 🙂

I can say with some confidence that Timpsons are a better bet for watch repairs on-site than your average multiple jeweller. I say multiple because some independents do have a skilled watch repairer on-site whereas it’s rare in a multiple. However, when large jewellers have a workshop of their own the results are usually better. Having said that I have seen some of them carry out some awful work or turn down repairs that should be carried out easily.

The BHI is a great institution but just because a company has been deemed credible and pays its subscription to them it doesn’t mean all the company’s staff are competent. As Robert says, the fee isn’t worth it to the majority of watchmakers and there are many very competent repairers that aren’t willing to pay the fee.

“I am wary of places in the shopping mall with glitzy shop fronts and staff in white coats.” Ah, The Watch Lab. That’ll cost you 🙂

Unfortunately, when trying to find somebody that knows their job your best bet is trial and error. This can be costly though so try and find recommendations where possible.

Having a paintbrush doesn’t make you an artist. Seeing as you can get a proper watchmaker to replace a battery for you properly for around a fiver it seems a bit of false economy. You’ll have saved yourself a whopping £2.74 (or about a £1 a year) for the convenience of having it done badly.

What is wrong with learning to do jobs for yourself? I have replaced my watch battery twice, without any problem. It’s not an expensive watch, so there is no danger of causing expensive damage.

I am not wanting to put watchmakers or anyone else out of business but think it is valuable to learn new skills.

Who said there was something wrong with learning to do jobs yourself? I do an awful lot of my own brickwork, plastering, joinery, electrical work, plumbing, computer building, use custom operating systems etc etc. I’m pretty capable but I’m not a pro at any of these and wouldn’t for one moment assume that my work was 100% without having it checked by a pro. Nor am I equating the quality of my brickwork etc with that of a pro. As a very experienced watchmaker once said to me, thinking you know what you’re doing is not the same as knowing you know what you’re doing.

No, but you did imply that replacing a watch battery yourself might be false economy, but it all depends on the example. I’m not suggesting that anyone without experience should dismantle an expensive watch but there is little to be lost by having a go with a child’s watch. There is little to be lost in trying to repair household goods that would otherwise be thrown out. Ever since I was a child I have found great satisfaction in tackling jobs myself.

My suggestion would be to find a watch repairer with a good reputation and ensure it is resealed. Some Swarovski watches can have quite tight case backs and are likely to be scratched by an inexperienced watch repairer (this does depend on the model though). It’s worth noting that Swarovski won’t supply parts to none Swarovski stockists so if somebody does make a serious hash of it it will likely have to go to Swarovski at great expense. The irony is that Swarovski stockists are the most likely to make a mess of it (as retailers and not watchmakers), unless they send it back to Swarovski themselves. I hope this helps.

I agree with TheWotcher, it is best to find a local watch repairer with a good reputation rather than go to a stockist/large retail outlet.
The number of watches I have come across my bench with bad scratches and gouges due to inexperienced staff trying to remove the back, invariably the stockists are not properly set up for battery changes and prefer to return to the brands service centre which tends to take a long time and is quite expensive.