Invicta sucks - It’s confirmed
I always though Invicta was shady but here’s some confirmation. This poor guy gets his watch back in WORSE condition than when he sent it in.
I sent my Invicta Dune diver back to Invicta in October of last year to have them replace the lume dot on the bezel, which had fallen out, after only wearing the watch about three times. The movement on this watch was also very stiff and something was not right with it from day one. I sent a check for $25 per their warranty instructions.
I received a card back in the mail about three weeks later acknowledging receipt of my watch, with an estimated delivery back to me of mid-November. So far, so good.
Well, I didn’t receive the watch back until December 13th, so this simple repair took 2-1/2 months, which is an incredibly long time to wait, IMHO. All my experiences with Seiko’s COSERV have taken about three weeks at the most. Invicta also did me the favor of scratching the bezel on the watch, with a visible mark running from the ‘50’ to the ‘56’ on the bezel. This scratch was NOT there when the watch was sent in for ‘service.’ They did replace the lume dot and seemingly serviced the movement, but they damaged the watch in the process by scratching the bezel.
I immediately, within 20 minutes of receiving the watch, emailed Invicta’s customer service center describing the problem and requesting that my $25 be refunded to me (I did not receive adequate service from them, only a damaged watch in return) and/or a new replacement bezel be sent to me, as I had no intention of sending my watch back in and risking further damage or another 2-1/2 month wait. I do not think this request was out of line in any way.
After receiving no response, I proceeded over the next two weeks to email Invicta’s service center, customer service personnel and their sales department three more times, with absolutely no response from anyone. We’re talking a total of about 13 emails without response.
Why I’m Through with INVICTA My story of Terrible Customer Service…
January 29th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
You guys finally have something on Invicta. Are you happy now?
I suppose a Rolex would never have been scratched while being serviced, and the Rolex people certainly wouldn’t have ignored the customers’ e-mails. Right?
January 29th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
As a matter of fact, I’m sure they wouldn’t scratch the hell out of a bezel and send it back and, given my experience dealing with Omega and a few other companies - a few WWR readers can attest to this - I’ve found them slightly difficult to get a hold of but very prompt and generous once you finally get their ear.
January 29th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Hi,
I am the owner of an eCommerce site (WatchCo.com) and I agree with you about Invicta. Luckily, we do not do much business with them and do not have to worry about their repair division, but it does seem like a much less reputable company, and not even close to a brand like Citizen, for example.
I you wanted a different watch, I could help make up for your troubles by getting you a pretty big discount on a different. Just email me at info@watchco.com.
Thanks,
Dave Gerczak
President
http://www.WatchCo.com
January 30th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
This guy should post his story on http://www.consumerist.com
They usually give good & helpful advice on how to deal with problem companies.
January 31st, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Yeah, the cyclops on those things just kills me. It’s like it makes the date SMALLER. Anyway, my first mechanical was an Invicta Abyss and a colleague has a Pro Diver. They both suck balls. I’ve owned a $40 Alpha Submariner, and it was far superior to my Invicta in all discernible ways.
February 1st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Similar experience, 2 1/2 month old “Swiss Made” Pro Diver 4472. Sellita SW200 movement broke. Invicta had the watch for almost 3 months for repair and sent it back in exactly the same condition. Invicta is a SCAM!!
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:21 am
I’ll echo everyone’s sentiments here. Invicta looks pretty, but I’d rather spend the same amout of money on a Seiko and get an infinitely better watch. I had an Invicta pro diver four hand GMT. Came in a beautiful box, had immaculate directions, adjusting the second time zone/24-hr hand was impossible, and it never would index correctly. After working with it, it became obvious that it was a design flaw. I was so revolted that I resized the bracelet and gave the watch to a (then) 5 year old. She still beats it about, and the hr:min:sec hand work, but I’ll never buy an Invicta again, and I can’t recommend it with a straight face.
February 24th, 2008 at 11:44 am
All you have to do is listen to the BS from their CEO on ShopNBC. Who would ever buy their stuff after having seen that?
March 17th, 2008 at 2:05 am
Wow, well I don’t know where you guys been buying your Invicta watches but I got many in different styles (some divers, pilots, dress, and a few chronos) and I have to say each and everyone of them are working GREAT, never had a problem with not a one and I wear the divers even when I dive!!! In fact I had more problems with the two Rolex brands I have more so then I do the Invicta. case in point> i was roller bladding in the park one day and hit a pebble in the road, I hit the pavement and “POP” went the crystal on my Rolex Sub! Even since then I started collecting other watch brands… again, Invicta has done me just fine! So I guess its to “each his/her own”!
May 6th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I have owned many Invictas (aprox 39…gave a few away to friends and family). I have never had a problem with them.
You can get them fairly reasonable on line and so far I have gotten more value than what I’ve paid for.
I’ve heard many customer service complaints over the years, but so far I haven’t had to contact them. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!!!!!!!!
May 12th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
My Invicta Model 2876 watch, a gift my girlfriend bought for my birthday last month was EXTREMELY disappointing. The problems, which existed since I received the watch:
1. It lost between 5 minutes and 30 minutes every 24 hours. I had to reset it each morning.
2. The date hand never moved. It was stuck where it was when I opened its box.
3. The “quick-set” button “A” that was supposed to change the date did not function in any way. It was stuck in a pushed-in position when I received the watch in its packaging. I managed to unstick it, but then it didn’t make the date hand move, nor did it function in any other way.
I had to pay Invicta $20 to have it fixed.
The card the company sent me to confirm that it had been received left instructions on how to check the status of repairs online that were totally inconsistent with the site itself. I had to figure that out on my own.
The watch took more than 6 weeks for Invicta to fix.
Invicta shipped the watch back to me, and UPS delivered it while I was out of town to someone I don’t know in my apartment building. This person, presumably, is still in possession of the watch and has stolen it from me. Granted this isn’t Invicta’s fault per se, except in so far as they sold my girlfriend a piece of garbage that we had to return in the first place.
So I’m out $20, my girlfriend’s out hundreds, and we’ve got nothing to show for it. We would have had more fun burning dollar bills.
Invicta is a garbage company that has garbage service and sells garbage products. The whole experience has not just turned me off as far as Invicta goes, but has turned me off on the WHOLE IDEA OF OWNING A WATCH in the first place, which I had decided to return to after years of relying on my cell phone to tell time. That’s what I’ll keep doing.
May 12th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Camin,
I’m really sorry to hear that one [REDACTED] company has put you off watches altogether. I’ve got no shame about being a watch fan, and work in offices where cellphones are not allowed. I wear an automatic for a number of reasons and can recommend a couple of reputable ones (Seiko, St. Moritz, and Ollech & Wajs leap to mind) at modest prices for your consideration.
Don’t let Invicta get you down!
Van