Guys, I'm not sure quite what to do here so I thought I would simply ask.

I recently put out a WTB ad for a bracelet for my NOS Autavia 11630 GMT that I bought from Abel Court a week ago. I asked in the ad for a bracelet in top shape and was contacted by Alex who said he had the correct bracelet and that it was "MINT". I purchased the bracelet from him for 890 Euros and yesterday it arrived. It looked OK but was looser than I would expect but I decided to re-size it and see how it worked. The links on these are held in place via small springbars. One was broken and the others no longer had the spring in them required to hold a link safely. Two of the links have either completely seized or have been glued as they simply will not move at all. Basically, the whole bracelet requires a full refurb and all the springbars/pins replacing.

This wasn't quite what I'd purchased. The bracelet I had purchased was supposed to be "MINT" and I would certainly not have paid 890 Euros for it had the condition of the bracelet been adequately and accurately described. I contacted Alex and politely asked to return the bracelet to him. Alex refused to take the bracelet back, stating this bracelet was "sensitive" and that the links should never be touched and it was my fault for resizing the bracelet. He then went on to accuse Abel Court of selling me a refurbished watch that was not NOS as Abel had said it was and that he (Alex) knew the watch very well because it used to be his... I spoke to Abel who said this was not the case at all and that the two watches he'd bought from Alex he still had. I trust Abel implicitly and have no issue with the watch at all. I do not now trust Alex. It is my opinion that a return should always be an option if the buyer considers what he has purchased to be significantly not as described. Alex sells quite a lot of stuff on this forum and I find it worrying that anyone receiving sub-par goods will be offered nothing but excuses and a cold shoulder should they wish to return them. I'm also concerned that the reputation of Abel has also been questioned, seemingly in an attempt to prove that Alex knows better than any of us and we should simply be quiet and take his word for it.

I have now spoken to a couple of friends who are known on this forum and others and it seems their experience with Alex has been similar to mine. Do the members of this forum find this behaviour acceptable and if not what would they advise should be done moving forward? Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to offer.