Jewelry Shop Holds Onto Deceased Husband's Watch, Widow Calls CBS11
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Connie White may never truly get over the loss of her husband Steve White but wearing his watch every day, helps just a little.
"Something I could touch, look at the time and remember the good times," said White.
White, scrimped and save to buy him a vintage 1945 Brietling watch as a father's day gift in 1993. "Oh, he couldn't understand how we could afford it with two young kids," said White. "But as I said, he'd been my best friend for 20 years, a wonderful father, good husband and a good man," said White.
White has worn the watch every day since his death and planned to one day to give it to their son. "I would value it even if it wasn't working right now but I don't have it. It's in a baggie at QuikSet," said White.
White took the watch to QuikSet jewelry repair in Dallas in December of 2014. She paid $550 dollars for a cleaning in January of 2015. "I felt confident they would do a good job," said White.
White went back to the shop six months later for an update.
"It had been disassembled in a baggie in the basket labeled 'works in progress'," said White.
An employee told her they were waiting on a part for the vintage timepiece and had to go through Brietling.
"On the year anniversary, I went back. That time, they didn't really even really look for it. I said 'have the owner contact me' and they didn't," said White.
When a full year passed she called Brietling who referred her to the company that handles all their vintage repairs.
"No, no one had contacted them from Dallas, Texas," said White.
Horological Services told CBS11 they've exclusively handled repairs for vintage Breitling watches since 1993. A company representative said they had no request for a part from QuikSet in Dallas unless it came in under another name.
"I'm worried it will disappear forever, that's why I contacted you," said White to Consumer Justice Investigator Cristin Severance.
CBS11 found more than a dozen other negative reviews on QuikSet's Yelp page from claims of jewelry being "held hostage" to poor customer service.
The shop's manager told CBS11 he had only worked there 3 months, but was told they were waiting on a part.
When CBS11 asked why Horological Service didn't have a record of their order, he said the company wouldn't have released those details. The manager assured CBS11 White would get her watch and her money back.
CBS11 was there when White went to QuikSet to get her watch back but the manager everyone to leave.
Here's out it played out:
Cristin: If you're asking us to leave we can. But I want to say thank you for making this right and giving Connie back something that is so precious to her.
Manager: I understand. I do know your story, she told me and I do feel sorry for you.
After waiting 25 minutes, the CBS11 photographer waited outside the shop but Severance went back in to see what was going on.
White said the manager couldn't figure out how to process the refund on the shop's system.
The manager wouldn't tell White the name of the part of back order so she could order it from someone else--even though the shop's watchmaker was standing just feet away.
Manager: I can't answer the questions you're asking me.
Cristin: There is a man right there that knows the name of the part?
Manager: Yes.
Cristin: And you won't ask him?
Manager: I'm not going to get him involved.
Finally, White came out of the shop with her husband's beloved watch in one hand and $550 in the other. "We got the watch and the full refund, thanks to you Cristin," said White.
QuikSet put the watch back together but it's not working because they said the part they were waiting on never came. The shop put it back together--but it's not working because that "part" they said they ordered never came.
Horological Services told CBS 11 they would examine the watch for White for free.
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