Citizen Watches - Rip Off!

After nearly two weeks I got the word back from Citizen - 90 QUID TO
"SERVICE" AND CHANGE THE BATTERY!

I've had the watch less time than I've had the Aladin, I've used it less,
it's already had one new battery. 90 quid "service" charge on a watch that
cost me around 250 (plus 50 quid last time for the battery) is taking the
p*ss IMHO.

This is exactly how to go about loosing a customer - Citizen have just lost
one.

Keith L
(keithl@ukrecscuba.org.uk)

Keith Lawrence wrote:
> After nearly two weeks I got the word back from Citizen - 90 QUID TO
> "SERVICE" AND CHANGE THE BATTERY!
>
> I've had the watch less time than I've had the Aladin, I've used it less,
> it's already had one new battery. 90 quid "service" charge on a watch that
> cost me around 250 (plus 50 quid last time for the battery) is taking the
> p*ss IMHO.
>
> This is exactly how to go about loosing a customer - Citizen have just lost
> one.

I could never see the point in those Citizen watches anyhow. If you
want a dive computer, buy a dive computer. If you want a watch you
can take diving, buy a cheapo Casio. Or if you can extort £4.4m
from your employer buy one of those really expensive watches
they advertise in dive magazines, but I bet no-one ever takes
them in the Channel.

- Keith

"Keith S." <false@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:xjAPb.8406$YV1.7726@newsfep4-winn.server.ntli.net...
> Keith Lawrence wrote:
> > After nearly two weeks I got the word back from Citizen - 90 QUID TO
> > "SERVICE" AND CHANGE THE BATTERY!
> >
> > I've had the watch less time than I've had the Aladin, I've used it
less,
> > it's already had one new battery. 90 quid "service" charge on a watch
that
> > cost me around 250 (plus 50 quid last time for the battery) is taking
the
> > p*ss IMHO.
> >
> > This is exactly how to go about loosing a customer - Citizen have just
lost
> > one.
>
> I could never see the point in those Citizen watches anyhow. If you
> want a dive computer, buy a dive computer. If you want a watch you
> can take diving, buy a cheapo Casio. Or if you can extort £4.4m
> from your employer buy one of those really expensive watches
> they advertise in dive magazines, but I bet no-one ever takes
> them in the Channel.

Nah, I've never quite understood the attraction either. If I wanted a watch
to take diving, I'd buy a dive computer watch like the Suunto Stinger....

On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 19:21:59 +0000, Keith S. wrote:

> want a dive computer, buy a dive computer. If you want a watch you
> can take diving, buy a cheapo Casio. Or if you can extort £4.4m

That's exactly what I want, but I don't really want a digital. Not sure
it's worth sending mine off now. They're about 140 new and mine's actually
stopped. Plus the strap is knackered and the bezel looks terrible.

Looking on the web, I found some Swiss watches which are pressure rated
higher than you can actually get underwater on this planet.

Jason

--
See http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ to view UK dive spaces or add your own.

On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 20:21:32 +0000, Jason
<jason.usenet.nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote:

>Looking on the web, I found some Swiss watches which are pressure rated
>higher than you can actually get underwater on this planet.

That's useful, then.
--
ferret
Best before: see end

"Bardo" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:bumk66$jl0cf$1@ID-115313.news.uni-berlin.de...
>
> "Keith S." <false@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:xjAPb.8406$YV1.7726@newsfep4-winn.server.ntli.net...
> > Keith Lawrence wrote:
> > > After nearly two weeks I got the word back from Citizen - 90 QUID TO
> > > "SERVICE" AND CHANGE THE BATTERY!
> > >
> > > I've had the watch less time than I've had the Aladin, I've used it
> less,
> > > it's already had one new battery. 90 quid "service" charge on a watch
> that
> > > cost me around 250 (plus 50 quid last time for the battery) is taking
> the
> > > p*ss IMHO.
> > >
> > > This is exactly how to go about loosing a customer - Citizen have just
> lost
> > > one.
> >
> > I could never see the point in those Citizen watches anyhow. If you
> > want a dive computer, buy a dive computer. If you want a watch you
> > can take diving, buy a cheapo Casio. Or if you can extort £4.4m
> > from your employer buy one of those really expensive watches
> > they advertise in dive magazines, but I bet no-one ever takes
> > them in the Channel.
>
> Nah, I've never quite understood the attraction either. If I wanted a
watch
> to take diving, I'd buy a dive computer watch like the Suunto Stinger....
>
I'll second that - I bought a Spyder as a watch and computer but realised
that the display was too small when diving. I now wear it as backup up a
Vyper which has a bigger display, but the Spyder can then double as a watch
for the rest of the day. Although, as a man who is never short of luggage I
tend to take my 'normal' (OK so 200m rated, as I thought it might be useful
at the time I was learning to dive...) watch as well, but at least I've got
redundancy!
I've compared data and both readings are very similar - the Vyper seems to
be slightly more conservative on deco and no fly times - maybe just a newer
algorithm as the Spyder was one of the first batch.
Cheers,
Sam

>
> I could never see the point in those Citizen watches anyhow. If you
> want a dive computer, buy a dive computer. If you want a watch you
> can take diving, buy a cheapo Casio. Or if you can extort £4.4m
> from your employer buy one of those really expensive watches
> they advertise in dive magazines, but I bet no-one ever takes
> them in the Channel.
>

So you have obviously never worked pro then.

Students/customers will inevitably come up with "what time did
we go in" usually hours later, when your computer (Suunto etc) is
back in the shop. If it's an older Uwatec they would have to wait
even longer (need to download to find out time in).
Doesnt matter what they throw at you including "how cold it was
today". All the data from the last 4x dives is on there.
True you can get the same info from a computer, but if its small
watch type I cant read it. If its big (what I call a proper computer)
then you wouild look a muppet wearing that down the pub at night.

Besides - Set the depth alarm and no danger of going over
Max PPO2. Set time duration alarm and no danger of
extending your planned bottom time.

Still dont know many that teach using a computer in the
pool and the information that it's 30 minutes to closing
time is worth wearing one, if nothing else.

You even get to use it as an Alarm and guess what it tells
the time!!!!!!

Still I get my £300 + Aqualand Promaster abroad for £120.
In fact the best deal was on the titanium version at £140.

As for batteries. £19.95 at (I kid not) Debenhams, Southampton.
Includes recalibration and Pressure test.

TerryH

> Students/customers will inevitably come up with "what time did
> we go in" usually hours later, when your computer (Suunto etc) is
> back in the shop. If it's an older Uwatec they would have to wait
> even longer (need to download to find out time in).

Well if you know they'll be filling in their logbooks and stuff then it'd be
sensible to take the computer to the pub don't you think? And if they're
not then they probably don't want an accurate time anyway. Don't see the
problem. :O\

> Doesnt matter what they throw at you including "how cold it was
> today". All the data from the last 4x dives is on there.
> True you can get the same info from a computer, but if its small
> watch type I cant read it. If its big (what I call a proper computer)
> then you wouild look a muppet wearing that down the pub at night.

Ok, I may be thinking of something else, but isn't a Citizen exactly like 'a
small watch type'. In fact, it is 'a small watch type'. So how come you
can read that, but absolutely no other of the same size? If you can't read
it wouldn't that just suggest you need glasses anyway rather than a problem
with the computer?

> Besides - Set the depth alarm and no danger of going over
> Max PPO2. Set time duration alarm and no danger of
> extending your planned bottom time.

Ummm... like the Suunto's can. And I expect other makes of computer too.

> Still dont know many that teach using a computer in the
> pool and the information that it's 30 minutes to closing
> time is worth wearing one, if nothing else.

If you're in the pool most people will wear just a waterproof watch, doesn't
need to be rated to 1000m to go to 3m max in a pool. In open water, most
prefer a proper bigish computer to something small and fiddly.

> You even get to use it as an Alarm and guess what it tells
> the time!!!!!!

.... as do all computer's I've seen, and I don't need to know its 7am and
time to get up when i'm underwater with my computer, my normal watch will
tell me that.

I only see the small computer-watch type things as useful if you for
whatever reason only want to have one watch and don't want a separate
computer, but I don't see why you would - if you take so much other dive kit
with you, is a computer so much extra to carry? I know someone with a
Suunto Mosquito and someone else with a Suunto Stinger, both can use them
fine underwater most of the time although often have to look more carefully
/ closely than people with other computers, and i've never once seen them
wearing them except when we've been diving.

David

"ferret" <ferret@cruelmail.com> wrote ...

> >I've had the watch less time than I've had the Aladin, I've used it less,
> >it's already had one new battery. 90 quid "service" charge on a watch
that
> >cost me around 250 (plus 50 quid last time for the battery) is taking the
> >p*ss IMHO.

> Strange.

> You didn't by any chance go through a dealer to service your watch,
> did you?

Yes I did - but then Citizen themselves (direct) charged me around 50 quid
last time. But if that's what Citizen let their dealers get away with now
then it's still a rip off IMHO. I'll shop around for some third party
servicing, all it needs is a battery!

Great watch, did exactly what I wanted it to, when it worked... But it wont
be replaced, even if it ever is then it WONT be by another Citizen.

Keith L

I vote with the "not a ripoff" crowd. I like my Citizen Hyper Aqualand
watches that when my first one needed to go in for service, I bought
another. If it were not for HA logs, I wouldn't have any logs at all.

Lee