Watch battery replacement gone wrong.. Help

[Kal1987]

Hello, I hope I'm in the correct section.

 

I've always found this site useful in answering any questions and have never needed to sign up until now.

I hope some of you lovely users can help me out with a situation I've fallen into.

 

2 days ago I took my "guess" watch into a branch of "tgs jewellers/ pawnbrokers" to have the batteries replaced.

I decided to go to this particular place due to it being open for several years

I automatically assumed they know what's what... As they repair/sell and buy watches.

 

I took the watch in and the gent told me it'll be ready in an hour, I thought nothing of it and returned in an hour.

The gent at the counter gave me the watch and I put it on, asked him how long the batteries should last

he replied "a few years minimum, they're good quality batteries"...

At this time I was trying to correct the time on the watch and found the stem was stuck solid.

 

The watch itself has ZERO problems prior to this battery replacement.

The stem is set up so you pull it out one click to set the date and another click to set the time.

Then click/push it back to have it set.

 

The stem is completely STUCK down at this moment.

I ask the gent what's happened... He fiddles with it and says "it's a push system... You push it down an set the time..." no. No.

That's not how it is, he argues an says yes while he sets the time...

I ask him how am I supposed to set the date then?

He replies"I don't know, I don't know how the watch works"

 

At this point I started getting a bit upset and ask him "have you changed the internals or something this is not how my watch works?"

he says "no I was there when the batteries where replaced upstairs, it couldn't have been changed. And goes out back.

I can see him on the pc with someone doing some type of video chat. Then shows the watch to the camera. I don't know what's happened.

 

He returns and says they will have a to call in the watchmaker who will have a look at it.

I have little option... Either take the busted watch or leave it and hope its fixed.

I leave it with them and am told it should be ready in 5 days.

 

It's been 2 days and I'm getting the sweats every time I think about the watch.

The watch not only is valuable money wise, my father purchased this watch for me on my birthday 2years ago,

unfortunately he has passed away and this is pretty much the last birthday I had spent with him/ gift I got from him.

 

I'm scared they have done something to the watch, changed internals/mechanism?

I'm even more worried now if they do manage to get it back to normal what if it falls apart in a few days/weeks.

I'm pretty scared and unsure what to to.

 

I'm hoping someone would give me advise how to handle this situation. I have no idea what to do/say/expect.

 

 

Long story shortened:

Gave watch to jewellers for battery replacement

Collected the watch, doesn't work the same mechanism or correctly

Jewellers calling in a watchmaker to look at it

[dx100uk]

I would think they know what they are doing

 

await and see

 

dx

[belfast4]

I would say they have put the back on wrong. there is a small nick on a watch back which needs to be lined up with the button. if not exact it will stop the button from working. go back in and get them to take the back off and see if it works.