Watchstrap
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“Unfortunately,” I replied, “£5.62 + £2.56 (postage and packing) = £8.18 – which is still more expensive than buying a completely new watch from Amazon, discarding the watch and just using the strap for my existing one.”
Since I was teenager, the kind of watch I have worn, more than any other, has been a fairly basic Casio digital watch. Reasonably hard wearing, it has a good battery life, is water resistant, tells me at a glance what day and date it is, has a stopwatch, an alarm, a little light I can press so I can see the display in the dark, and isn’t expensive. On top of all that, it even tells me the time reasonably accurately.
Over the years I’ve periodically had different watches, which have looked a bit more modern or professional, but they’ve not had the functionality, or they’ve broken easily, or have even been lost. Each time I’ve found myself watchless, I’ve ended up buying another Casio digital. They do everything I need them to and if they are lost or broken, then it doesn’t break the bank to replace it.
This one is my 4th or 5th.
The only weak point is the strap, and this latest lasted only 15 months before it tore off at the point at which I connect the buckle.
I wandered down to the local cobblers, which also does key cutting and watch straps, only to find their straps started at £7.99. Considering I could buy a brand new watch from Amazon for 2p less, and the P&P would be free, I couldn’t bring myself to pay more for a strap than I had for the watch.
And yet, the idea of buying a new watch, just because of the strap, when the actual watch part still has a few years of life left in it, made me wince. My inner anti-consumer-society, green-aware, recycling-conscious conscience started prodding me.
I checked out the other shops in town, but nowhere else sold watch straps without watches attached to them. Back home I went online where they seemed to start at £12 and go upwards.
Finally, in frustration, I sent an email to Casio explaining my dilemma. 2 days later I received a reply telling me the part I needed was only £5.62 + £2.56 P&P.
I started typing my response, which is where you joined the tale. I also added in a bit about how this bizarre situation was likely to end up as a blog post for my 950 followers and it would be nice to write that Casio had come up with a solution.
By this time, the weekend was upon us so when we had to go into Dumfries for a few other bits and pieces, I wandered off to try and find a watchstrap. Once again, only cobblers seemed to sell them without watches pre-attached. The first I visited had them starting from £7.99, but I managed to find another which sold them for £7. Hardly a huge saving, but it felt like some kind of principle was at stake, and by now I was fed up with constantly looking at a bare wrist before remembering to fish my watch out of my pocket each time I wanted to check the hour.
Yesterday I received a reply from Casio, which included the line, “my manger has given me a one off special price for you and we will waive the postage charge.” All I had to do was phone with my credit card details to get a new strap for £3.30.
I hummed and hawed for quite some time, but decided today to go ahead and buy one. I have no doubt I will need it in the future, but I’m unlikely to be able to pull of a stunt like that a second time.
Perhaps I should have bought 2...
.
“Unfortunately,” I replied, “£5.62 + £2.56 (postage and packing) = £8.18 – which is still more expensive than buying a completely new watch from Amazon, discarding the watch and just using the strap for my existing one.”
Since I was teenager, the kind of watch I have worn, more than any other, has been a fairly basic Casio digital watch. Reasonably hard wearing, it has a good battery life, is water resistant, tells me at a glance what day and date it is, has a stopwatch, an alarm, a little light I can press so I can see the display in the dark, and isn’t expensive. On top of all that, it even tells me the time reasonably accurately.
Over the years I’ve periodically had different watches, which have looked a bit more modern or professional, but they’ve not had the functionality, or they’ve broken easily, or have even been lost. Each time I’ve found myself watchless, I’ve ended up buying another Casio digital. They do everything I need them to and if they are lost or broken, then it doesn’t break the bank to replace it.
This one is my 4th or 5th.
The only weak point is the strap, and this latest lasted only 15 months before it tore off at the point at which I connect the buckle.
I wandered down to the local cobblers, which also does key cutting and watch straps, only to find their straps started at £7.99. Considering I could buy a brand new watch from Amazon for 2p less, and the P&P would be free, I couldn’t bring myself to pay more for a strap than I had for the watch.
And yet, the idea of buying a new watch, just because of the strap, when the actual watch part still has a few years of life left in it, made me wince. My inner anti-consumer-society, green-aware, recycling-conscious conscience started prodding me.
I checked out the other shops in town, but nowhere else sold watch straps without watches attached to them. Back home I went online where they seemed to start at £12 and go upwards.
Finally, in frustration, I sent an email to Casio explaining my dilemma. 2 days later I received a reply telling me the part I needed was only £5.62 + £2.56 P&P.
I started typing my response, which is where you joined the tale. I also added in a bit about how this bizarre situation was likely to end up as a blog post for my 950 followers and it would be nice to write that Casio had come up with a solution.
By this time, the weekend was upon us so when we had to go into Dumfries for a few other bits and pieces, I wandered off to try and find a watchstrap. Once again, only cobblers seemed to sell them without watches pre-attached. The first I visited had them starting from £7.99, but I managed to find another which sold them for £7. Hardly a huge saving, but it felt like some kind of principle was at stake, and by now I was fed up with constantly looking at a bare wrist before remembering to fish my watch out of my pocket each time I wanted to check the hour.
Yesterday I received a reply from Casio, which included the line, “my manger has given me a one off special price for you and we will waive the postage charge.” All I had to do was phone with my credit card details to get a new strap for £3.30.
I hummed and hawed for quite some time, but decided today to go ahead and buy one. I have no doubt I will need it in the future, but I’m unlikely to be able to pull of a stunt like that a second time.
Perhaps I should have bought 2...
.
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