Rant: Michael Kors Rose Gold Watch Review

I don't usually rant about something because I do my research for almost every single thing that I buy. Even if I just happen to notice something new in Watsons, I'll whip out my phone and google it to see if it's any good. That's also the reason why this blog has more raves than rants.

Unfortunately, I do have a bad review today.

I had waited for more than a year before it finally belongs to me, and I had high hopes because of all the hype surrounding it.

As you can see from the title of this post, I'll be talking about my Michael Kors Rose Gold Watch, MK5430.

Mchael Kors is known for his rose gold watches. Some rose gold watches lean too pink, while others are too gold. MK's rose gold watches are just the perfect shade. It's also a highly coveted item because of it's popularity in the blogosphere and YouTube world. Of course, it's not cheap either. Mine was priced at around S$400-500, and I was lucky enough to receive it as a present.

It is really a very nice watch with a good weight, and I've gotten quite a few compliments from it. However, the quality of the watch is not as impressive.

This is my watch now.

It's only been about 4months since I got it, and I've already noticed the discoloration last month. I understand that it's plated and not real 14k rose gold. But seriously, it's only been a few months. Pretty bad quality for the price :(

I fired an email to Fossil's customer service (Fossil manufactures MK's watch), and about a week later, I received an email with their reply.

Greetings from Fossil Singapore!

I would like to inform you that the management had approved to give you a (one-time) goodwill for the case and bracelet of your MK5430. The estimated ordering time is 3 to 8 weeks. We will contact you once the spare part arrives and the replacement will take about 2 to 3 working days. Alternatively, you may send in the watch while waiting for the sparepart and we will contact you once it is ready for collection.

I am hoping for your kind understanding on the matter. Do let us know should you need further assistance. We are always happy to serve.

The first thought I had was why is it a 'goodwill'? They made it sound as though they're just doing this out of kindness, when in fact, it should be their responsibility to repair of even replace it, since my watch is still covered under the 2 year international warranty.

I was all ready to fire off another email demanding clarification, but I thought I had better check up the warranty terms first.

And guess what, 

(Excerpt from warranty guide)

During the warranty period the watch movement, hands and dial are the only components covered under this warranty . A covered component will be repaired or the watch will be replaced free of repair charges, if it proves to be defective in material or workmanship under normal use .

THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER:

Any defects in materials and workmanship of battery, case, crystal, strap or bracelet. 

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY?! Damn it, big corporate firms sure know how to cover their asses. Siann, fml. I can't even send them an angsty email, so I thought I'll try my luck and ask if I could have the watch repaired again if the same thing happens after the replacement.

Here's their reply. 

Greetings!

We will contact you once the spare part arrives. The case replacement will take about 2 to 3 working days. Moreover, in regard to your enquiry, since the external spare part is not covered by the warranty, the next replacement is already chargeable.  However, if you have any future concern, please let us know and we will check how we can help you best.

Thank you.

Ok lor, what can I do? It's not as if I get to read the warranty terms in detail before I make my purchase. Even if they gave me the warranty terms beforehand, I would never have expected such a thing to happen to a S$400+ watch-.-  

I think the people at Fossil Singapore are quite nice, and I don’t blame them for the crappy warranty terms and the lousy quality. There's nothing much that I can do to prevent the same thing from happening again, but I can definitely write a blog post to share my experience with potential customers. 

End of rant.