Seconds Away!

Some people [like me] feel almost naked if they are not wearing a watch – whilst others [like Bob] seem to manage perfectly well without a timepiece on their wrist. Admittedly he often has to ask me what the time is, but he can get through a whole day without a watch.

I have a beautiful silver ‘dress’ watch, a 50th birthday gift from Bob. Very elegant – but distinctly lacking in accuracy [worn on Sundays and evenings out]. I also have an ‘everyday’ gold-coloured watch – but I like to have a cheap plastic watch to wear when working with small children [where finger-paints, PVA glue, and the sand and water-tray are a regular hazard] and doing messy jobs at home. My school watch needs to have clear numerals [so I know when it is playtime] and a second hand [for mental maths tests]

My last watch [£5] from a cart in Beaumont Leys Shopping Centre - has finally given up the ghost. It lasted nearly 4 years, so I replaced the cheery red plastic one last week with a blue one [£4.99] from Clas Ohlsen, the Swedish store in Norwich.

I wore it on Saturday morning – but when I checked it, around midday, the second hand had dropped off – it was floating around inside the dial. You can just see it lying along the bottom in this picture.

I was a little miffed, to say the least. OK, it had only cost £4.99, but one doesn’t expect it to malfunction within two hours of being worn. I emailed the company on Sunday afternoon. I am very impressed by the fact that by 8.34am on Monday, Rebecca Jacobsson had replied [That’s a Scandinavian sounding name, isn’t it?] She assured me that if I return the watch by post, with the receipt, she will arrange a refund. She appreciates that I do not want to go all the way back to Norwich! So tonight I’ll pack it up and take it to the PO tomorrow.

That sounds like good customer service to me – I shall wait and see how long it takes for my refund to arrive. Then I may splash out £9.99 on a plastic watch from Argos!!