Consider the fact that simply stated the QC photos provided you by the TD is just a perk for you as a buyer. Not all TD's offer QC photos. They are not required.
Even more to the point- The QC photos are for you and only you as you are the buyer, it's your money, Your Decision. Why would anyone else need to make your decision for you ?
As per RWI rules on QC postings, QC photos are allowed to be posted as long as you are seeking help about a specific detail(s) that don't appear to be correct. Ie: You think that the qc photo has a crooked marker or think you see a blemish on the dial, not sure if it is the correct version of the watch as stated- specifics !
Forum members will be glad to help with a specific qc detail. Just make sure that you actually are knowledgeable enough to point out the specific flaw. And again, no one is going to decide for you which watch to buy. That's all you.
If you feel you have limited time to do your homework as to which rep watch best meets your expectations, then don't expect to end up with the best choice.
As with anything, you only get back what you are willing to put into it.
Finally, never expect to get answers to questions you yourself don't know the answers to.
Appreciate the response. A community's ethos will always develop into something distinct over time, and those characteristics will be protected. Im not trying to go against that, because a community does a lot of things for a lot of people. Just adding my observations.
1. QC photos add to the buying experience and professionalism of the rep industry and it could be argued that it should be the norm. I think it's a bit strong to suggest that QC pictures are for ONLY the buyer. It's prudent for a conscientious buyer that doesn't have enough expertise to seek guidance. It's a lot easier to pass off inferior product to self-professed newbies to the industry.
Specifically that it's their money (that's contributing to the health of this industry), it's rational that to make 'their decision' they would seek advice. I dont know how asking for input turns into outsourcing the decision to someone else. On each topic there are multiple opinions. Buyers remorse is real. If you dont know what you dont know, and approve QC that you find out later you should have passed on, then the rep industry risks losing customers. Can put this down to a learning cost, but this is a cost to the industry.
2. Rules are there to be followed to maintain the health of a community. Those that ask a question 'expects' help to be forthcoming, they just hope for some input and hope not to be lambasted. Viewers of posts are not obliged to respond to any other persons post. Maybe there is some middle ground for new purchases to seek help that many industries do with on-boarding.
3. I don't understand the rationale of your last two points. Please elaborate. In my opinion, there are many motivations why people seek to buy a rep, together, they contribute to the health of the industry. As industries go, rep watches require a comparatively high amount information to start well. If someone doesn't have the time to find all this information then are you happy for the industry to lose that customer? It's not like the above gent didnt do any research at all. He was researching what he could and then reached out for some extra guidance. Are you happy for new customers to have poor first experiences and then badmouth the industry to their contacts? Or could there be a way to harass the combined expertise of members to somehow simplify on-boarding? I don't know, and it's not my decision. It's just my perspective as a new customer navigating this industry.
It's obvious that there is a large learning curve when getting into reps. It's also clear that every purchase of a rep adds more revenue to this industry. More revenue increases competition between factories and this will result in more, and better quality products for the whole industry to enjoy.
