Village Jeweller: Avoid at all cost as rude, inefficient, v poor customer service
The Village Jeweller Review.
Vintage Mechanical Omega Watch Service.
Avoid this business. In my experience they are unprofessional, incompetent and rude to their customers.
My vintage Omega watch was left at the Village Jewellers for a service in September 2025. The fascia cover of the watch was scratched and it was losing about 1 minute a day. Originally the indication was the price would be no more than £300. The quotation in fact was £350 and I agreed to the service by phone call with the owner Alan Giddings, stating that the watch has great sentimental value.
After numerous phone calls to the shop about progress, my watch was collected on 10/01/26 (NB: paid in full). On close inspection, I noted the scratch on the watch fascia had not been repaired. It was returned within 2 hours.
Immediately after collection by my sister on 24/01/26 I wound up the watch, which was not working and noted that the seconds hand was not moving. I rocked the watch gently from side to side and it started. I monitored the watch on my bedside table for 6 days; it was losing 5 to 5.5 minutes a day. The watch was again returned to the shop under the 6-month guarantee and Alan Giddings agreed the watch wasn't working correctly saying a spring might need lubricating, but a week or so later he accused me of damaging the watch by knocking it. I assured Alan that if the watch had been damaged it had not been done by me and more likely by the Village Jewellers (as they had it for 4 months and it had been sent away). Alan agreed as a 'gesture of good will' to repair the watch.
On 16/05/26 my sister went to collect my watch. The female shop assistant looked in two drawers and a box and, in the process, she dropped someone else's service item on the floor, but she could not find my watch. She fetched Alan Giddings but then found my watch, saying it had been wrongly filed. She gave my sister the watch.
Alan Giddings then loudly shouted from the far side of the shop that she should tell me to be careful not to knock the watch in future. My sister expressed disappointment that I had been accused of damaging the watch.
Alan Giddings responded that he knew for a fact that I was in a wheelchair (correct I have MS). The shop assistant then joined in and said to my sister that I must have knocked my watch when using my wheelchair. My sister denied this. Alan Giddings then moved across the shop towards her, leaned across the counter, and told her to listen to him and to look him in the eyes when he spoke to her. She had no wish to listen to him and left the shop.
I will never use this jeweller again!