I recently purchased a Miyota/Citizen movement from Essingler.com to upgrade my LL Bean field watch. While the timepiece is not very expensive - perhaps $175 - it has great sentimental value to me as it was a gift from my late father.

Once I received the product from Essingler, it immediately was sent the same day to an out-of-town watchmaker by my local jeweler. I didn't learn that it wouldn't fit my watch until it was returned to me several weeks later despite the fact that the stated dimensional specs were the very same as the current movement in my watch.

Essingler refuses to take the movement back due to both a 7 day return window and a no-return policy on movements.While this may be the company's stated policy, it nonetheless is a bad policy, especially in cases where situational analysis should apply rather than obstinate adherence to black and white rules.

Almost all companies aligned with current market paradigms offer 30 day returns. A 7 day return policy is not only virtually unheard of today but impractical as it puts the consumer at a distinct disadvantage. In my case, the movement is exactly as received from the company - the packaging hadn't even been opened. While I couldn't care less about the $60.00 paid for the item, I feel strongly that Essingler's return guidelines are inequitable to consumers. Perhaps if their web site wording was something like "movement parts that have been opened and/or installed" cannot be returned, this would make a lot more sense.

There is an old business adage that "if the customer feels as if they are being treated unfairly, then they most likely are" Essingler's current BBB rating of 1 out of 5; an aggregate on-line rating of 3.2 out of 5; and many written comments by dissapointed customers clearly support this view.