Story Time at the Harbor Goldsmith

Here’s a little story about Bob*. Bob had an inexpensive watch that he enjoyed for just kicking around the island, fishing, and working in the garage. He originally spent $40 on his watch. When it was time for a battery change he decided that $15 for a new battery was just too darn much, and he could do it for far less himself! He ran over to the hardware store, bought a two-pack of batteries for $9.99, and opened the watch up himself. Confident in his abilities, he went about digging the old battery out of his watch. He put the new battery in and realized he didn’t have the skills or the tool to put the back on! Off to the local jeweler he went for some help putting the back on. The jeweler told him $5 for the labor to put the back on and he would have to leave it and pick it up tomorrow. Not a problem! 

The jeweler replaced the battery and put the back on the inexpensive $40 watch. The watch did not run. The jeweler removed the back and tested the brand-new battery. DEAD! We called Bob and told him for $15, we would replace the battery and put the back on for him. Bob did not want to do that. He wanted to use the battery he had left over. So, he ran down with the other battery, which was not dead. The jeweler then replaced the battery and put the back on again. The watch was still not running. Bob had damaged the seat that held the battery in place and now the battery no longer made contact with the pad and the watch was now broken. Now Bob needs a new $40 watch. Bob is beginning to realize the error of his ways. Bob has now made one trip to the hardware store and two trips to the jeweler. Now, he needs to spend another $40 to replace his watch. Don’t be like Bob! 

Guys coming in with watches they have butchered at their home garage workshop are almost a daily occurrence in our store. When you are paying for a watch battery replacement service, you’re not only paying for the new, fresh replacement battery but also the time it takes us to replace your battery. What you are also paying for is the years of experience replacing batteries and not destroying your watch. We charge an additional premium for watches that have screws in the back. Those tiny screws are expensive and nearly impossible to replace if lost or stripped upon removal and replacement. This is a very long story I am using to illustrate the value of a trusted local expert. My brother and father have replaced thousands upon thousands of batteries at this point in their lives. We are not getting rich providing this service. Last I checked, you can’t get much on Marco Island for $15! 

 And speaking of a $15 charge, a couple of years ago, a woman came in saying her expensive $20,000 diamond tennis bracelet catch was not working correctly. When I showed it to my father, he said it needed to have a crack in the catch soldered so it would function properly. Her reply was “$15!!!! That’s crazy! I’ll bring it to my jeweler up north!” So, I handed her back the not-repaired bracelet. She returned two weeks later saying she lost the bracelet, and now demanded we do an appraisal on a bracelet so she could report it missing. My dad’s answer was… “Let me get this straight - you were too cheap to have us perform the necessary repair, and now you want us to be part of your fraud insurance scheme? We do not appraise jewelry after the fact that you lost it; that’s like buying boat insurance after you sunk the boat in the Gulf!”  

How lucky are we to call this island our home? Every day, we wake up to beautiful palm trees swaying in the wind and warm air kissing our skin. We don’t have to chip our car out of a block of ice to go to work or the grocery store. Fresh fish is plentiful on our gorgeous Gulf Coast. The toughest decision we have to make is whether to pair it with Prosecco, red wine, or a cold beer. Remember to please be nice to your local merchants and business people who work very hard every day to provide their expert services to you. Take a breath, look around, and be grateful to be in one of the most beautiful places in the country. This is what I do when season starts to wear me down. Yes, there are a lot of people here and everything takes a bit longer to do. A bit of perspective can go a long way. That’s just my take! Thanks for reading. 

Here’s your regular reminder to pop in the store for a free cleaning and inspection on your wedding ring. I have many more story time stories about ladies who neglected to do so and realized the error of their ways after it was too late.

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent.