BestFix Watch FIRSTS
"Why should I send my watch to your company when there are so many other internet repair sites that claim to offer the same type of service as BfW?"
There is a reason they look and act like BfW . . . Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. However, imitation could spell DISASTER for your watch!
Perhaps you should ask yourself, "Do I want to send my watch to the LEADER in on-line watch repair?
Mark Cuban, billionaire Internet entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is famous for saying, "There are three types of business entreprenuers: INNOVATORS, IMITATORS and IDIOTS."
Who do YOU want repairing your valuable watch?
BestFix Watch is proud to be THE FIRST on-line watch repair company to offer our customers the following:
FIRST to post PROOF of our Witschi/Swiss diagnostic equipment's calibration certificate, insuring the accuracy of our testing!
FIRST to become a McAfee SECURE website.
FIRST to earn and display the BBB on-line reliability seal.
FIRST to become BBB accredited.
FIRST to become listed with the Jeweler's Board of Trade.
FIRST to become a member of the Jeweler's Security Alliance.
FIRST to become secure-server hosted.
FIRST to offer our customers rapid, on-line estimates.
FIRST to host a secure service cart for repair payment.
FIRST to provide a toll-free number answered only by a watchmaker and not a receptionist.
FIRST to accept American Express and Paypal as on-line forms of secure payment.
FIRST to post all of the terms of our limited warranty.
FIRST to offer links to on-line manufacturer owner's manuals.
FIRST to offer a secure website dedicated exclusively to customer's watch repair questions.
FIRST to offer three levels of Seiko Kinetic Service.
FIRST to post proof on our shop's insurance policy.
FIRST to post proof of our site's internet copyright.
FIRST to post proof of our watchmaker's current, professional continuing education certificates.
FIRST to post pictures of every aspect of the watch repair process and our equipment.
FIRST to offer our customers proof of the pressure testing and water resistance of your watch.
FIRST to offer real, former customers contact information so you can actually reference-check the quality of our work.
FIRST to alert our customers to the exclusive use of our casemark inside your watch, which can aid in the recovery of your watch if it is lost or stolen.
FIRST to provide a dedicated warranty assistance program for customers
who need post-repair work on their watch.
FIRST to post detailed explanations of the wear patterns inside an automatic, mechanical watch, so you are less likely to be ripped off by an inferior repair of your valued time piece.
FIRST to earn TRUSTe accreditation insuring your PRIVACY when you purchase service from us!
No other internet-based watch repair company can make these claims. BfW LEADS. The rest merely follow.
With so many FIRSTS, shouldn't you make BestFix Watch the FIRST place you send your watch for service?
Why TRUST Bestfix?
Consider utilizing this list of ten (10) business legitimacy questions to call and ask a repair shop, prior to mailing your watch anywhere for service.
1. Is the company a BBB accredited business, AND do they adhere to the stringent BBB on-line reliability requirements?
BBB UPDATE! In our opinion the BBB may now assign an "A" rating to a company without fully investigating the company's background. The BBB, in some cases, may be understaffed and/or unable to do a thorough background check on a company before deciding to 'accredit' them and/or assign a rating. That's right, you can't rely on the rating alone to determine if the business is completley credible! More than a few 'internet' companies (even with a physical address!) will move every year or so, and/or change their phone number so that consumer reporting agencies have a difficult time determining a 'past complaint history.' Former customers are also unable to find the company when they need to obtain warranty assistance! Why do these companies move so often? Better yet, why does the BBB accredit companies that move so frequently? We know of one company in the Pacific Northwest that has moved to no less than three (3) states in an eight-year period. You will therefore have to be your own 'detective,' and do a bit of background checking on your own. Concerned? You should be. Click on the 'HELP' icon below for info on who to AVOID sending your watch to:
The consumer is WARNED to FULLY check out the company's record with the BBB, as some of these "A-rated" companies have HUNDREDS of complaints filed against them in a 36 month reporting period, but are somehow able to maintain their BBB-accredited status. More than 2-3 complaints in a three-year period should be a RED FLAG!
BfW
Co, Inc. recenty received one of the top-level "A" ratings from the
BBB. The vast majority of watch repair shops are NOT even recognized
and/or accredited through the BBB. Some choose not to be, but you have
to ask yourself WHY they choose not to be affiliated with a
CONSUMER-oriented agency like the BBB. Membership in the BBB is voluntary, expensive, and business candidates must pass a stringent membership requirement test of legitimacy involving several years of satisfactory service - in the eyes of customers - prior to being admitted, and then maintain this satisfactory rating through appropriate responses to valid customer complaints and concerns.
Most of the small, internet watch repair sites are nothing more than sole-proprietorships with no official, legal form of business authority. They may not pay federal, state, local or sales tax. Here today, gone tomorrow. If you were one of their customers, where does that leave you and your watch if you need follow-up service?
BfW is an incorporated business in the State of Texas, and is listed with the Jeweler's Board of Trade, the largest and most credible credit reporting agency for the Jewelry Industry in the world.
2. Is the website "safe" from hackers? Is every page of the website that involves the transmission of sensitive customer information secure-server hosted (https), utilizing a corporate, high-assurance SSL for the electronic transmission of ANY personal or credit-card information?
A corporate, high-assurance Secure Site License (SSL) for a web site requires that the business be licensed to practice in a particular county (actual physical and verifiable location) and that the company has filed the appropriate legal documents to do business. This is verified by the SSL issuer. It takes time, money and legitimacy to do this. If the web site is not an "https" type, it is NOT a secure site, and any information you send the company is subject to identity theft! At BfW, both our "Ask the Watchmaker" inquiry form and our shopping cart are independently secure server licensed for your privacy and protection, are certified by McAfee Secure to be "hacker safe," AND are independently audited by TRUSTe for your privacy protection.
The next time you are on the competitor's site and are considering the submission of any personal information, check the URL address window to see if you are on a secure web page, denoted by an "https" prefix. We bet you will be surprised. If the business does not have any internet security, OR A PRIVACY POLICY that has been independently certified by a third-party audit, what do you suppose could happen to you personal and/or financial information?
Feel free to think.
3. Are the watchmakers educated, experienced, trained &/or certified?
At BestFix your watch will be repaired by perfectionists with practical experience, highly-specialized education, and modern, verified, up-to-date training. All repairs are performed utilizing only modern, state-of-the-art tools. We ONLY utilize Swiss parts on Swiss watches.
You should know that BfW Co., Inc. does not employ, in any capacity, unskilled, foreign labor (legal or otherwise) from either third world or developing countries in any aspect of our business operations. Only our professional watchmakers, and no one else, are involved in the unpackaging, assessment, diagnosis, repair, quality control testing, and shipping of your watch.
It would be almost impossible for any large repair facility, where you may also send your watch for aftersales or warranty service, to make this claim.
BfW's owner, JOHN W. SAFRANEK, (Šafránek or Schaffranek) a third-generation American of 100% European ancestry (Czech and German), began learning watchmaking the old-fashioned way, through a combination of self-guided training and study, and apprentice training with a retired jeweler and watchmaker. John then attended spurious classroom-based training at the now defunct 'National Horological Institute' where he completed several weeks of coursework in 'horology.' Recognizing that this type of preparation was completely inadequate for properly servicing modern Swiss watches, John became a member of the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI), and soon enrolled in legitimate courses at AWCI's Academy of Watchmaking in Harrison, Ohio, where he has now successfully completed every class presently offered by the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute.
Mr. Safranek keeps current in industry best practices by regularly attending caliber-specific training courses at ETA in Switzerland, and annual bench courses from the prestigious Chronometer Club.
Each AWCI continuing education course below represents a financial commitment of several thousand dollars on the part of our watchmaker to develop and maintain proficiency, and to have his skills routinely scrutinized by industry/professional instructors. This also helps to insurance that your watch is properly and economically repaired.
- Lathe 1 Micro-mechanical
- Basic Watch Repair (servicing & adjusting)
- Precision Timing
- Basic Quartz & Quartz Chronograph
- Escapement Oiling & Lubrication in General
- Modern Mechanical Chronographs (servicing & adjusting)
- ETA Products (ETA Cals. 2094, 2894-2, 2896, 2897, 7750 & 7751)
- Swiss Lever Escapement (Rolex Training on Cal. 1575)
- Balance Staffing & Timing Modern Automatic Watches
BestFIx Watch, Inc., along with Shop.BestFixWatch.com, KineticRepair.com & AsktheWatchmaker.com were launched in 2006 as innovative Internet-service-efficiency (ISE) platforms allowing a watchmaker to create a virtual 'eWorkshop', and designed to meet the evolving demand for 'distance' watch service and repair. Mr. Safranek currently consults to assist - FREE OF CHARGE - veteran, certified watchmakers to develop or enhance their own successful ISE eWorkshops. Mr. Safranek's Internet marketing expertise therefore helps other professional watchmakers to remain viable in a down-economy, and a marketplace that is increasingly becoming more competitive. The culmination of these efforts has been Mr. Safranek's creation of eWatchmakers.org.
Prior to entering the trade of watchmaking, Mr. Safranek worked in the professions of outdoor leadership, corporate consulting and elementary, secondary and university education. He holds Master's of Science degrees in several, related disciplines, including Program Administration, Therapeutic Recreation and Experiential Education.
Mr. Safranek is very professionally active in the watchmaking trade (see below), and is currently preparing to sit for the AWCI trade credential "Certified Watchmaker Twenty-first Century" (CW21), which the trade is switching over to as evidence of basic competency in the servicing of modern Swiss mechanical and quartz watches.
4. Is the watchmaker a participating member of verifiable, trade-specific organizations, such as The American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI)?
Membership alone, apart from the other issues, is NOT enough. ANYONE can become a "paper" member of these organizations. Is the watchmaker a dues-paying member? Call the association they claim to belong to and ask to verify this. Membership is both a gateway and a catalyst to professional evolution in watchmaking, but only if the individuals participate in the associations and its various meetings, seminars and trainings.
Mr. Safranek is professionally active in the US watchmaking industry. He is an elected member of the AWCI Board of Directors (2009-2012), and a professional business member of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (NAWCC). Mr. Safranek serves on several active committees within AWCI,
including Education, Finance, and Strategic Planning. He regularly
attends the annual AWCI national convention and educational symposiums,
and submits professional articles for publication in 'Horological Times.' He is also Editor-in-Chief of 'The Communicator,' the official newsletter of The Chronometer Club (a technical publication dedicated to enhancing the level of craftmanship and elevating quality standards in watchmaking).
Many of our competitors' internet watch repair sites post BOGUS
'seals,' such as those from "Top-1000-Watch" marketing search engines,
in an effort to gain your confidence. BEWARE of these sites. They
may reflect marketing traffic to and from the site, buy typically are
only posted on the site to give you a false impression of involvement in
the trade.
5. Are there photos on the web site of the watchmaker in the actual facility utilizing correct, specialized equipment, parts & tools?
Our website pages have numerous photos, taken in the facility, of the staff working with genuine parts, correct tools and modern equipment. You should know that some individuals repairing watches are NOT utilizing proper techniques and/or lubricants when "overhauling" your watch movement, even when they claim to be.
At BestFix we only utilize the manufacture's required SWISS oils and/or grease. These synthetic and natural lubricants are expensive, and their application elaborate - with some watch movements requiring no less than four or five different types of lubrication - within a single mechanical movement.
WE DO NOT USE SOLO LUBE - a final-stage lubricant/rinse solution used by some watchmakers to take the place of proper disassembly and lubrication!
We follow the correct manufacturer technical guides for disassembly and reassembly. Some competitors are NOT truly disassembling your watch. They simply clean your movement without disassembly, and/or spray on a one-shot cleaner/lubricant, then "blow out" the residual with compressed air. That's right, they are not truly cleaning your watch movement, nor are they hand-applying ANY of the correct lubricant(s). And they hope you don't ever find out about this "time-and-money-saving" trick of the trade. ASK them, when you call to inquire, about HOW your watch is being repaired.
All watches requiring complete service are inspected, pre-cleaned inspected again, totally disassembled, cleaned in the proper sequence of ultrasonic solutions and properly dried. The watch is then inspected again, reassembled and lubricated, run 24 hours, PRECISION ADJUSTED*, timed/regulated, power-reserve tested, pressure tested, inspected for final control, and finally warrantied.
Watch case and bracelet parts are ultrasonically and steam cleaned, disassembled, cleaned again, polished and/or refinished (if this service is possible/requested), cleaned again, and then reassembled with the use of new gaskets and/or bracelet/band pins, if necessary.
The above is how a watch is properly serviced.
*Precision Adjustment is the regulation of the watch's timing accuracy with respect to positions of the watch (its orientation with respect to gravity) over variables such as time and temperature.
BestFix uses the correct, factory-recommended movement holders to insure the job is done properly, and the correct tools for installing hands. If your watch has come back from a competitor, look at the watch hands near the center with a 5X magnifier. See those tiny scratches near the center? Those are from the metal tweezers that were used to reinstall your hands! Most of the watches we receive for work, that have been worked on by others, have scratches on the hand centers.
Sending in your quartz watch for a "tune-up" (translation "battery replacement")? Watch batteries (AND CAPACITORS) may actually have insufficient voltage, because they are too OLD. We stopped utilizing one supplier because it was sending us "old stock" batteries, batteries that would run a watch, but would not provide our customers with the best VALUE. In addition, it does no good install a new battery in a watch with a dirty gear train, as the increased friction will quickly sap the battery of its energy, ahead of the quartz watch's true power reserve.
How do you know the battery being put in your watch is "new?"
The only way to know this is to TEST the battery with appropriate equipment - a normal voltmeter will NOT do this. The voltage must be measured when the battery is "new," and a test LOAD is applied, to simulate the load that the watch movement will place on the battery. At BestFix we utilize Witschi Swiss test equipment designed to tell us if the power cell we are installing in your watch is truly NEW, and will give you the longest service life. This same equipment is capable of testing your quartz watch's average and basic consumption, the resistance of the coil(s), the end-of-life operation, and the lower-working-limit. All of these tests are critical to insuring that a quartz watch is functioning properly. Our mechanical watch testing equipment (also Swiss/Witschi) is capable of testing your watch's amplitude, beat error, and rate, in positions, and with a print out of results.
How do you be sure that all your quartz watch needs is a battery?
The only way to know this is to TEST the movement's operational parameters with a specialized volt-meter. A test of consumption will quickly reveal the health of the gear train's oil, and/or identify defects in the circuit, the coil(s), etc. Many watch shop's do not own this equipment. Many watch shops that do own the correct equipment to do this either do not use the equipment and/or do not know how to use it correctly. These shops will simply tell you that you need a new "movement." They do not repair watches. They swap movement, and you pay for this. How do they know the "new" movement, which has been sitting in storage for X-number of years is "healthy?" They would have to test it. Ah, you see the issue here. They don't TEST anything.
We could go on, but we think you have a good idea of what we do, how we do it, and that we ARE NOT CUTTING CORNERS. Again, if you are sending your watch to an independent watchmaker, you are sending it to someone you have never met, never seen, and you do not really know how your watch will be repaired. Shouldn't you at least see some photos of the facility and equipment?
6. Does the business have a toll-free, dedicated phone number to call? When you call do you speak directly with a watchmaker and no one else?
Call us now to verify at 877/846-3397!
If you call are you allowed to speak to the watchmaker? Demand to know to whom you are speaking. There is usually a reason you won't speak to the person who is actually working on YOUR watch, and it is NOT because they are too busy. And even this question is suspect because the person can pretend to be a watchmaker. Email us or call us first and we will give you some questions (and answers) to ask the competitor who claims to be a watchmaker. Here are some examples:
*What type of pressure testing equipment will you use to verify that the water resistance rating of my watch has been restored after you OPEN it for repairs?
*What type of lubricant are you using on my quartz watch's canon pinion?
*Tell me what my quartz watch's spec. for average consumption is, (alternatively ask them about your mechanical watch's "lift angle,")?
Enjoy the aftermath of these questions . . .
7. Will the company give you the ACTUAL names and phone numbers of former customers, so that you can call them to VERIFY quality service?
Most all of these sites have phony, NON-verifiable "customer testimonials." We have hundreds of satisfied customers, and will gladly give you names and phone numbers of former and current customers who have agreed to be contacted.
8. Does the web site appear to be professionally designed and possess a legitimate copyright (NO dead links or pages missing detailed information, and NO cheap, made-overnight, four-pager!).
If the web site appears sparse on important information, or has needless, distracting filler information (histories of watch brands, rants about water proof this or that, claims of being the most experienced watchmaker who ever lived, etc.), you should think twice. Many of the watch repair internet sites that feature legal copyright warnings, trademarks, etc. actually have NO such legitimate copyright (on file with the US Copyright Office or other federal regulatory agency). Even still, this is no guarantee of competency, as the business may have paid a professional to design a very convincing web site. BfW's site is homegrown and maintained by the watchmaker, yet professionally represented.
9. Does the business accept payment types with fraud protection (such as Amex and Paypal), and have a posted written warranty for any and all service?
If they do not have a posted, written warranty or guarantee, but only refer to a warranty or guarantee, then "buyer beware." If they do have a posted, written warranty, ask to speak to a former customer who had to USE the warranty for a repair. This is the "game-ender." If they have not been in business very long, they will have NO former customers with warranty issues.
If they have been in business "for years," but have not honored the customer's warranty claims, they will tell you, "Sorry, we can't give you anyone's name to contact." And yes, even though watchmakers aspire to excellence, watches can and do come back in for warranty work, as perfection is never a 100% certainty in any human endeavor involving a machine.
If they tell you they have never had a warranty claim, or "less than 2% of our watches are warranty comebacks," feel free to think. Imagine if automobile repairs were that good? Fat chance. This is also why they normally do not offer a two-year warranty on any mechanical, high-end watch repair work.
If they do not directly accept American Express, feel free to think.
10. Does the business have insurance and physical security measures in place to safe-guard against the loss or theft of your watch at the facility?
BestFix Watch's repair facility is wireless monitored (both video and intrusion detection) 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by an alarm company with 100% law enforcement response to any alarms. Your watch is insured for loss due to fire and theft through Lloyd's, and all watches are kept in a fire-rated, TL-30 jeweler's safe when not on the bench under the immediate supervision of the watchmaker.
We have invested considerable time and money into the protection of your timepiece. BfW Co. is a member of the Jeweler's Security Alliance, and when your watch is at our facility it is FULLY INSURED through our professional business policy with Lloyd's of London.
Our facility is located in a 700-square foot-area of our gated, BRICK & MORTAR HOME (60% of all professional watchmakers work out of their home - according the latest AWCI survey of working watchmakers). Our facility is patrolled by three shepherd dogs (inside and out); has a fire/drop/blast proof safe bolted to the foundation; is monitored by two (2) separate alarm companies - 24/7; and is insured for loss due to theft or fire. Our owner is a Texas CCL holder, and carries on the premises. And if you think your watch is SAFER at a watchmaker or jeweler who does NOT live on premise, THINK AGAIN. The preferred "M.O." of modern jewelry thieves is to break in when the business is closed and unoccupied, which is the case 65% of the time with the establishments that choose to "poo-poo" the watchmaker who works from a professional workshop in his home.
Finally, when you send your watch to us, you are sending it to our published, physical address - so you KNOW exactly where YOUR WATCH is being repaired. We also don't move around at BfW. Always ask the business how long they have been at their present location? Why might the business address change every 6-12 months?
BfW Co. utilizes a unique casemark which we imprint inside the case back of all the watches that we service. Our unique casemark, issued by and registered with the American Watchmaker's-Clockmaker's Institute, can aid law enforcement in the recovery and return of your watch, should it ever be stolen and recovered by the police, or lost and found by a responsible person.
SEND IT TODAY!!!
BestFix Watch Company is a state-of-the-art watch-repair facility. If you have any questions, the FASTEST WAY to get an answer is to call us at 1 877-846-3397 between 9 a.m. & 5 p.m. Central Standard Time, Monday through Friday. The shop is closed on Saturday and Sunday, but we do occasionally answer the phone on weekends!
BfW Co. Inc.
704 Pennsylvania
Denton, TX 76205
877/846-3397
service@bestfixwatch.com
Copyright © 2006-10. All Rights Reserved.
