Changing a crown to ensure water resistance is a routine service item. Usually they will send the old crown back to you.
Not sure why the work was not agreed upon prior but since they didn't charge you I'd say you got a freebie. Unless you had an emotional attachment to the crown or it was a scarce vintage crown(which this was not) just get them to send you the old crown which is what should have been done. Nothing really outrageous here from what I can see other than someone did not properly convey to you all the work that was to be done. Not sure whose fault that is. Customarily when you send an omega in for service they (omega) will contact you with details of what will be done and the cost. You need to authorize it before they proceed. They don't just do stuff for free.
Let us know how it goes. I wouldn't put too much stock in the lack of communication. You need to speak with someone.
: I bought an Omega watch from Muscat Sultanate of Oman as a
: memorable piece of equipment before we left the country after
: living there for 6 years. My wife bought it as a gift in April
: 1990. Since we moved to the UK the watch had been sent to Omega
: Service Center in Southampton. We always sent it through Leslie
: Davies Jewellers in Brent Cross for the last 20 years. In August
: 2011 I sent it for a battery change. 8 weeks later it was
: returned (I paid £85 for the services) the crown appeared to
: have been changed. I returned the watch to Leslie Davies store.
: I was told to use the services of Ernest Jones as they were
: closing their business after a few days. Ernest Jones phoned in
: front of me about the changed crown and the reply was that it
: was not changed. I insisted that the watch be sent back I wanted
: the original parts to be returned. I later wrote email to the
: Southampton Omega Center. Few times the reply was that only
: battery was changed and nothing else was done to the watch. At
: last I was told that the crown was changed but they still had
: the old crown. I was told that they would fix old crown but
: could not guarantee water seal as some rubber had perished. I
: refused tp accept the watch with otu water seal. Now it is more
: than 6 months from the day the watch was sent battery change.
: They have not returned the watch and stopped communicating. I
: wrote a letter to Mr Edward Nardin but he has not responded.
: My questions are Why the fact that the crown was changed was denied
: for so long? Why did they not talk to me before the crown was
: changed? Why did they refuse many times before accepting that
: the crown was changed? Why did they not charge for the crown but
: only charged for battery change and water seal. Why are they
: refusing to replace the broken parts with guaranteed water sea?
: Do Omega watches not expected to last for more than 20 years?
: Why is that when i send emails to Switzerland omega I get
: replies the same old ones from Southampton? Do any one care
: about Omega's reputation? Is my watch considered a cheap watch
: and they do not care? When watch dealers tell me that the
: Service Centre in Southampton is damaging many watches and a lot
: of Customers are unhappy nobody seems to take any notice? I
: considered this to be prescious for me. But may be it is too
: cheap for Omega. I will never buy Omega again. Others may think
: before buying i hope.
