CTime is a scam

[Karbon74]

I am older member than you. I have been dealing with many members long time before you…you can ask Domi for example…i am very correct and not a liar

not saying you are, not saying you are not either.
Only saying that your evidence is inconclusive while burden of proof is on you.

 

[Toolwatchtool]

Hey @FunkyAP,

Just out of curiosity, did you happen to file a help desk ticket before posting?

 

[asusundevils1971]

What do you think Toolwatchtool.

 

[Toolwatchtool]

What do you think Toolwatchtool.

I'm only asking an "innocent" question.

 

[McDuck888]

Fix what looks like a break in the hour hand at the pinion (if im seeing right)?
So for $88 - swap the hour hand for a new one or repair the hour hand?
Why? would they charge for that and why would you say ok to that.

I really want to understand this too. But there's so much else going on in this thread I don't think we'll ever get to know.

 

[Nickyan]

I really want to understand this too. But there's so much else going on in this thread I don't think we'll ever get to know.

Maybe it's like blinker fluid

 

[daytona4me]

This guy has posted a review, gave a detailed breakdown of what was ordered, how much was paid for it, what the reasonable expectation was, what was delivered, and posted photos of what was received and you guys are piling on him asking him for even more proof, asking why he would have selected these options, and treating him like he's a problem, and even demanding that he "prove it"????

What the hell is wrong with everyone? I too have had a positive experience with CTime, but where do we get off having blind faith in a dealer that we act like it is impossible that a mistake may have happened. He literally detailed it out and provided photos!!!!!, and you guys are almost at the pointing of attacking HIM !??!??

We all know that CTime hasn't set out to scam him from the beginning, but you all are acting like it is impossible to have a bad experience with a dealer. Really???

Giving the benefit of a doubt to an established dealer is one thing, attacking a reviewer for their experience is a new low (but seems to be the trend lately).

If people can't feel safe to share their experiences here with us, then why do we exist??

Everyone needs to check themselves. This isn't good.

 

[Karbon74]

I see your point and agree that he should not be harassed blindly.

My previous post was simply saying that there is not a pic that says the watch came from the CTime modder. If there is, I would 100% support him as the watch looks really bad

 

[Feefo]

I guess skepticism has become an automatic reaction given the numerous preposterous claims that regularly occur in the buyer's review section.
I think what most people are irritated about is the fact that most more experienced members would rather open a helpdesk ticket and try to find a solution with RWI's moderation in the background instead of broadcasting a situation that is not yet fully developed/solved.
This doesn't justify the aggressive behaviour (have been guilty of that myself in the past) and probably we all should learn to hold our horses back and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Reality is always more complicated than a couple of written paragraphs on a forum.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[AskMeAgain]

This guy has posted a review, gave a detailed breakdown of what was ordered, how much was paid for it, what the reasonable expectation was, what was delivered, and posted photos of what was received and you guys are piling on him asking him for even more proof, asking why he would have selected these options, and treating him like he's a problem, and even demanding that he "prove it"????

What the hell is wrong with everyone? I too have had a positive experience with CTime, but where do we get off having blind faith in a dealer that we act like it is impossible that a mistake may have happened. He literally detailed it out and provided photos!!!!!, and you guys are almost at the pointing of attacking HIM !??!??

We all know that CTime hasn't set out to scam him from the beginning, but you all are acting like it is impossible to have a bad experience with a dealer. Really???

Giving the benefit of a doubt to an established dealer is one thing, attacking a reviewer for their experience is a new low (but seems to be the trend lately).

If people can't feel safe to share their experiences here with us, then why do we exist??

Everyone needs to check themselves. This isn't good.

I agree mate - and if my post came over as that it wasn't intended.
I do feel though that the OP needs to clarify what he asked to have done.
It's a rather confusing post.

it's really not clear what the mods were, or why they were needed other than waterproofing?
Perhaps this could be made clearer?

 

[Reaps]

I won't throw fuel into the fire, but that bezel issue with Clean is well known and not CTime's fault. My bezel came with heavy grease and was non functioning/no click, until my watch maker fixed it by removing the grease.

Did the watch come with the bezel deattached like that? Or did OP decide to take it off and in the process smear the excess grease on the crystal.

The link being deattached, well that can be loosened through transit or they just left the watch disassembled but isn't a major issue, it sucks but it happens. I had a watch come with a link deattached becauese it rattled loose.

The other modifications though? I agree with the other poster - why polish a brand new watch? And why accept these modifications? Why does the pinion cap need fixing, unless the stock watch is broken? A broken pinion cap should be spotted in QC easily. Through the hundreds of posts I've never seen a complaint about CF Pinion Cap.

Not to fault OP, since I do believe you should get what you paid for from a TD. But also definitely research before you buy a model. The modifications he paid for stink like those reddit "spa treatments" that only inflate profit margins.

There's alot of questions and not alot of answers -, I'm sure the admins and CTime and stuff is happening behind the scenes for it. Hopefully a peaceful resolution is coming.

 

[McDuck888]

@daytona4me You are very refreshing! thank you for sharing your post.

I'm keen for @CTime response please. I want to understand this pinion mod or the high cost of a polish.

 

[j21]

This guy has posted a review, gave a detailed breakdown of what was ordered, how much was paid for it, what the reasonable expectation was, what was delivered, and posted photos of what was received and you guys are piling on him asking him for even more proof, asking why he would have selected these options, and treating him like he's a problem, and even demanding that he "prove it"????

What the hell is wrong with everyone? I too have had a positive experience with CTime, but where do we get off having blind faith in a dealer that we act like it is impossible that a mistake may have happened. He literally detailed it out and provided photos!!!!!, and you guys are almost at the pointing of attacking HIM !??!??

We all know that CTime hasn't set out to scam him from the beginning, but you all are acting like it is impossible to have a bad experience with a dealer. Really???

Giving the benefit of a doubt to an established dealer is one thing, attacking a reviewer for their experience is a new low (but seems to be the trend lately).

If people can't feel safe to share their experiences here with us, then why do we exist??

Everyone needs to check themselves. This isn't good.

The voice of reason, thank you

 

[ronin007]

I bought a watch off him the other week and never got offered any mods
Feeling left out , didn’t even know they did this bar the crystal swap

 

[Toolwatchtool]

I guess skepticism has become an automatic reaction given the numerous preposterous claims that regularly occur in the buyer's review section.
I think what most people are irritated about is the fact that most more experienced members would rather open a helpdesk ticket and try to find a solution with RWI's moderation in the background instead of broadcasting a situation that is not yet fully developed/solved.
This doesn't justify the aggressive behaviour (have been guilty of that myself in the past) and probably we all should learn to hold our horses back and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Reality is always more complicated than a couple of written paragraphs on a forum.
Just my 2 cents.

Feefo,

I totally agree that often the process set forth here is completely neglected as far as working either directly with the dealer or by filling out a help desk ticket. This is unfortunate because a positive outcome would be sooner reached.

Unlike a lot of members here, I am far from a horology expert. However, I do have a lot of business experience importing (legal) goods and materials directly from China. Cultural differences exist when doing business abroad and even more so when conducting transactions with Chinese businesses. One needs to be very mindful of the nuances in any communication be it it email/text or spoken. Additional issues occur when using translation applications that often arrive at poor or incorrect conclusions.

Where am I going with this? Simple. The absolute biggest faux pas one can commit when attempting to dialog with a Chinese contact is to even hint that they have cheated you in any way. Not only is this an unacceptable practice, but it's also perceived as an outright personal attack. There are countless examples and the topic quite literally fills books. It is the single fastest way to terminate communications and any relationship you have built with them goes out the window.

I'm always curious in a fly on the wall kinda way, to peek at the communications between members and their TDs. The tone they take with their dealer has more influence on the outcome of their watch than they could even imagine.

 

[Reaps]

Feefo,

I totally agree that often the process set forth here is completely neglected as far as working either directly with the dealer or by filling out a help desk ticket. This is unfortunate because a positive outcome would be sooner reached.

Unlike a lot of members here, I am far from a horology expert. However, I do have a lot of business experience importing (legal) goods and materials directly from China. Cultural differences exist when doing business abroad and even more so when conducting transactions with Chinese businesses. One needs to be very mindful of the nuances in any communication be it it email/text or spoken. Additional issues occur when using translation applications that often arrive at poor or incorrect conclusions.

Where am I going with this? Simple. The absolute biggest faux pas one can commit when attempting to dialog with a Chinese contact is to even hint that they have cheated you in any way. Not only is this an unacceptable practice, but it's also perceived as an outright personal attack. There are countless examples and the topic quite literally fills books. It is the single fastest way to terminate communications and any relationship you have built with them goes out the window.

I'm always curious in a fly on the wall kinda way, to peek at the communications between members and their TDs. The tone they take with their dealer has more influence on the outcome of their watch than they could even imagine.

I suspect the reason OP got so much flak is for a few reasons :

1. His thread title is inflammatory, instead of "poor experience with CTime", he accuses them straight away of being a scam, which rubs alot of people the wrong way since CTime is reliable most of the time.
2. While he is an old member, he only has 12 posts (which rubs alot of members the wrong way, since he uses/takes from the community but doesn't contribute), so practically a newbie.
3. Like you said, he should have filed a help desk ticket before making this thread.

 

[Karbon74]

I suspect the reason OP got so much flak is for a few reasons :

1. His thread title is inflammatory, instead of "poor experience with CTime", he accuses them straight away of being a scam, which rubs alot of people the wrong way since CTime is reliable most of the time.
2. While he is an old member, he only has 12 posts (which rubs alot of members the wrong way, since he uses/takes from the community but doesn't contribute), so practically a newbie.
3. Like you said, he should have filed a help desk ticket before making this thread.

yup
"bad experience" is fact

"xxx is a scam" is an accusation that needs to be backed with solid and ample evidence

 

[jacquy]

It would be nice to have some clarification from C Time,about this story.

 

[FunkyAP]

Maybe CTime is TD where u can buy stock watches. But my advice is definitely stay away for mods, the pics he will send you doesn’t reflect reality. The modders are not professional, what is the point to pay for upgrades if the crystal is dirty from inside for example or with a shitty quality one. What is the point to polish the watch if the watch will arrive extremely dirty. It’s fake ads…he promises a good work and at the he doesn’t give a shit…one of his quick answer abt the bezel for me was I don’t see the problem…people have different standards…lol thank you Mr CTime for taking my money, I should apologise maybe now ?

When you buy mods, the point is to upgrade your watch, when you pay the prices you expect the TD to choose a nice watch for you to check if everything is alright before shipping, if movement is good. Not to make a quick shitty work and no care about clients expectations. This is unprofessional and not ethical and I don’t think CTime has his place here for advertising mods to members. Maybe as TD it’s more simple, stock watch stay untouched. When I ordered for example from Domi, he was very friendly send me some pictures and the watch arrived in perfect condition. You got what you paid.

You can say whatever you want…for me he is scamming people when they order with mods. That is fact…

 

[Toolwatchtool]

It would be nice to have some clarification from C Time,about this story.

Doubtful this will happen.

Transactions between a party and a Chinese business are almost always handled privately. The sales industry in Mainland China is highly complex. Western thoughts and approaches are often not in line with and almost totally unaware of their intricacies.

One might say "But this is the black market/illegal trade." While that is true, Chinese sales are remarkably the same no matter the industry; illegal watches, real estate, or manufacturing widgets. I have personally witnessed the utter derailing of high-value deals over mere dollars and cents.

I truly believe it would benefit our membership to have a basic understanding of best practices when engaging with our Chinese contacts. A modicum of knowledge with increased regard to respect goes a very long way. I'm not suggesting that everyone enroll in a sensitivity training class. I am encouraging members to properly educate themselves and proceed accordingly before they engage with Chinese salespersons.