zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

: There are certainly good reasons for consumers
: to avoid this "remaindered" merchandise. We
: should perhaps dwell on those issues instead
: of making accusations about legality and
: morality.

I agree. To me, the ultimate issue here is that the manufacturers create an environment where normal consumers can get burned. Whatever the legal and moral issues--it is damn bad business to screw your customers over something that is not their fault!

Consumers should not have to know the ins and outs of problems in the watchmaker's product distribution network in order to make a safe purchase that is backed by the manufacturer.

It should not be a cause for the manufacturer to refuse to stand behind their products when purchased from a legitimate seller. And how is the customer to know that not every store that carries fine watches is authorized for each brand? Many well-recognized legitimate business are selling gray market side by side with authorized products of other manufacturers.

Sadly, manufacturers do virtually NOTHING to protect the consumer. Any warnings the manufacturers give are VERY VAGUE. That is because manufacturers are so afraid of alerting consumers that there are cheaper dealers to buy from! So they avoid the details that consumers need to know to make an informed decision.