There is a permanent conflict between watch enthusiasts regarding the online stores offering replica watches. Some of them say that the return and refund policies are the most important aspects. Others emphasize the design relevance, arguing that the web design is what attracts them the most. The third category is led by discounts and hot sales claiming that a discounted price can make them forgive the inaccuracy of the web design.
My position is that every aspect of the above-mentioned is equally important. The discounts speak about the customer-oriented attitude of a website. The reliable warranty policy speaks about the professionalism of a store. Last, but not least, the aesthetic aspect speaks about the willingness of the vendor to please and satisfy the customer experience on the site. How can we say that one aspect is more relevant than another? They all share the same value and the missing of one single element puts under threat the credibility of the store.
Therefore, we will look closer to watchreplica.is to see whether it is worthy from all perspectives.
Web design
The first you see when you open the source is a page full of watches. From the very header to the footer there is a listing of timepieces. The first vertical segment of those timepieces indicates the brands available in the store. Further on, the listing goes on with several models of the most notorious brands like Rolex, Omega, and Breitling. Only at the very end, do you come across a section of content featuring the unique selling proposition and the basic information about the site (the News section, the Information section, and the Recent Reviews from customers).
The background is white and the watches on that background look pretty accurate and clear. I can clearly state that the homepage is minimalistic but respectable. watchreplica.is is not one of those stores full of appealing banners. There are no banners at all. Therefore, it is a quite standard, traditional, serene, and easygoing website. However, the presence of some store strengths is much missed. By saying “store strengths” I mean some pieces of information which would convince the customer right away that this store is the right place to buy a replica watch. This would predispose the customer to explore more.
Either way, the navigation is smooth and the overall visual aspect is pleasant to the eye.
Brands collection
This store offers a nice brand collection. There are not too many, nor too scarce. It is difficult to choose a replica watch where there are tens of brands available. Here we have the following portfolio in their alphabetical order: Audemars piglet Bell $ Ross, Breitling, Cartier, Hublot, IWC, Longines, Mont Blanc, Omega, Panerai, Rolex, and Tissot. What is comfortable for the customer is that he can easily see how many watches from different collections are available for each brand. This index is shown right next to the brand name.
If you click on a certain brand, all the available watches show up on several pages. The bad part is that no filter could help you select the color, the size, and the type of movement. Respectively, I can conclude that there is only one type of movement proposed, a standard automatic one.
Every watch from brand collections comes with 4 additional photos taken from different angles. The photos seem nice and accurate. They all use the same clear and white background as on the homepage and that confers a sense of quality.
Prices
The price aspect is a subjective one. Some view the $1200 as expensive, while others are ok with it whenever they have to deal with high-end quality replicas. Therefore, I will abstain from commenting on whether it is an expensive site or not. I will just leave the prices for some models so that you can make up your conclusion.
The Breitling Superocean 44 is 119,00 pound sterlings. First of all, there is no currency converter on the site to see the equivalent in dollars. It would be $145, approximately.
The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ice Blue Dial is 127,00 pound sterlings.
In addition, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona White Dial is 123,00-pound sterlings. It features 72 hours of power reserve and an automatic movement. It is not specified whether the movement is Asian, Chinese, or Japanese.
On the other hand...
At first glance, the prices seem pretty cheap, in comparison to other sources offering such watches at $250, approximately.
There was another aspect that drew my attention. Right next to the selling price, there is another cut price. It suggests that the lower price comes as a current discount. The problem is that the initial price is extremely high. For instance, the initial price for the Rolex Daytona is indicated as 25,500 sterlings. It is cut and the new price is 123 sterlings.
I know that this seems to be a marketing tool to attract customers’ urgency to buy. But, it is too obvious that this is a cheating price. It is impossible that this watch cost 25k and now is discounted to 123 sterlings. It looks so unprofessional and so untrue. Unfortunately, this aspect made me feel like I was fooled by the vendor. All watches in the store come with this feature. The vendor should have thought twice before placing such an incredible price difference between the initial and the discounted price. It is definitely a big mistake.
Customer service
The only way to get in touch with a customer support representative is by writing an email. In addition, there is no email address of the vendor. The platform only requires my data and my message. Further on, I have to submit the message without understanding which is the recipient’s email. That’s not transparent enough for me.
Moreover, the direct chat that would allow me to communicate with a customer support representative is also missing. Unfortunately, the communication channel needs to be improved. Otherwise, the vendor will lose potential customers because not any client is ready to waste his time writing emails, without knowing when will receive a response.
Return Policy and Warranties
The store accepts returns within 30 days after receiving the item. The procedure does not seem smooth to me, since the vendor has to inspect the condition of the item, when it was bought, and how it was purchased. Moreover, the exchange is possible only in case the item has a manufacturing error.
Honestly, such an approach makes me question the customer-oriented attitude of the vendor. To make you see the difference, some sites accept the return with no questions and even embrace the idea of wearing the watch to taste it. If you don’t like it, you can easily return the item, even though it has no mechanical errors. With watchreplica.is the things seem a little frustrating.
My personal opinion
As I told you at the very beginning of the article, I would go through 3 main aspects. Here they are.
The web design. Overall, it is not a bad website from an aesthetic point of view. It lacks some appealing elements like inviting banners, some current offers, or some strong arguments of the store. However, the actual condition is still pleasant to the eye and the navigation is easy and intuitive.
The customer support service. Unfortunately, I didn’t achieve a discussion with a representative. I wrote an email and received a “thank you for contacting us…” message. But, no one contacted me for 3 days. The lack of instant chat is a major mistake, from my point of view.
The refund and warranty policies. No warranty policies are present on the site. The refund is not friendly at all. The return process is possible, but it requires additional watch checking. On one hand, I understand the vendor. It is normal to make sure that the watch was well-kept during those 30 days. On the other hand, other sites are proposing 30-day testing with no reserve and such an approach is much more friendly for me. Therefore, I would opt for those types of sources. They are usually the most rated by the users and you can find them here.
The great part of the site is the prices. They are indeed affordable and if the real watches look as in the photos, that’s plausible. But, I would require some additional photos from the vendor to see the watches via real pictures.
