Citizen Watch Company Reviews 211

Sent a watch to the service centre to rectify a problem under warranty
They replied saying the issue wasn’t covered as the watch had been opened (it hadn’t)
Their estimated was in excess of £150 saying the watch required a whole new case.
The estimate said various parts of the watch were scratched or dented - the watch was near immaculate
I feel the service centre just supply a crazy price with stupid quotes
I also requested a pin and collar for the bracelet- the said the watch didn’t come with a bracelet so couldn’t supply - ridiculous it’s sold everywhere even by them with a bracelet

Customer services non existent and impossible to contact. Poor service and if I had known would never have bought a Citizen watch.

I highly regret purchasing a citizen watch, as it has proven to be a poor investment. I bought Citizen Promaster Aqualand Eco-Drive Watch in 2023, and shortly after, the stem and crown detached from the watch. I sent it in for repairs, only to be informed that this issue was not covered by the warranty.

Here are the major problems I've faced with owning a Citizen watch:

Poor Quality of Parts: The overall quality of the parts used in this watch is subpar. The stem and crown, which are essential to the functionality of the watch, broke off far too easily, which speaks to the low-quality craftsmanship.

Limited Warranty Coverage: Despite being marketed with a 5-year warranty, the stem and crown are explicitly excluded from coverage. This is a major flaw in their warranty policy, especially given the importance of these components to the watch’s functionality. It's frustrating to see such crucial parts left out of the warranty.

Parts Availability Issues: After consulting with an experienced watch repair professional, I learned that replacement parts for Citizen watches, especially for critical components like the stem and crown, are not readily available. This severely complicates repairs and makes it harder to fix the watch without going through costly and time-consuming channels.

Lack of Access to Replacement Parts: Citizen seems to deliberately restrict access to replacement parts, leaving customers in a difficult situation when repairs are needed. This means you're often left with no choice but to either live with a broken watch or send it back to Citizen for expensive repairs.

In conclusion, my experience with Citizen has been incredibly disappointing. Between the limited warranty, poor quality of parts, and difficulty in obtaining replacements, this watch has been a frustrating purchase. Based on my experience, I would not recommend Citizen watches to anyone.

Feels cheap and breaks easily - shouldn’t cost £150 when they are so fragile

Returned my promaster less than 18 months old due to winding stem breaking to the service centre ,now being told that was accidental damage not covered by warranty!
I have to pay their fee or my watch is returned unrepaired. No arguments accepted take it or leave it ! What a way to run a company total con artists is a polite description of them

I sent my watch in for repair in August and they are still awaiting parts. I've had to chase up multiple times to get an update on the repair, tried emailing the service centre 3 times with no response so rang the service centre and got told they had not received my emails?! Have been told the minimum wait is 3 weeks, I have now been waiting for 6 weeks so asked what the maximum wait is, which they could not answer. Received an email today to advise the parts may not arrive until November, plus a further 10 - 25 days to repair, so all in all it is looking likely to be 4 months to get my watch repaired and returned. If you are looking for a quick repair job and regular communication and updates then do not use Citizen!!

I sent my watch in for repair and to add 2 additional links at the same time, that I supplied, I was given a very reasonable quote. I paid online and the turnaround was fantastic. Received my watch in immaculate condition safely packed. Also kept informed throughout the process, thank you service team you’ve been great and very professional. Keep up the fantastic work. I would defiantly use the Citizen service department again.

I bought a Citizen smartwatch which suffered a scratch on the glass. The watch was under 1 year old and under guarantee. I sent it back for repair, postage cost £8.50. Citizen refused to fix it, even though the glass should be scratchproof. In addition, very poor customer service: delays, failure to refer to manager, took over 3 weeks to get it back - unrepaired. Hugely disappointing - the glass should be scratchproof. Will buy Seiko next time - their quality is far better in my experience.

Avoid, avoid, avoid! I bought a brand new Eco Drive watch from a shop on a cruise ship. When I got home a week later I took it out of the box to find it wasn't working. It didn't charge. Sent it off to Citizen Repair Centre - yes, they really don't have any local authorised repairers - together with my guarantee. They claim that someone opened the back and so the Guarantee is void!! That's their word. Someone in an anonymous centre can make that call and so decide to charge for a repair! A new capacitor required, so they say. If that's the case, why didn't the one in the brand new watch work?! So, Citizen can't make a proper watch that works brand new; they can say whatever they want to void a guarantee and force you to pay them more for a repair. Disgusting. Buy a proper watch from a reputable brand.

Their Eco Drive watches are great. Accurate to 60 seconds a year and never need a battery replacement. I've bought about 5 over the years (1 x for me, the others as presents) and they've all been perfectly reliable. Just beware of buying online - if you can't adjust the bracelet to fit you'll have to pay to have it done. If you buy it in a shop, they'll do it for free.

The five year guarantee isn't worth the paper it wrote on, it says This guarantee applies only to defects arising from faulty material or workmanship, one marker had fallen of the face of the watch, H Samuel sent it back to Citizen saying good condition light scratch on the back, Citizen had the watch two month and wanted £75 to stick it back, I told them we're to go.

Watches look great, however they feel too weak and are likely to break easily, ultimately meaning that they are not worth the money.

Bought a citizen dive watch mainly for its big easy to read dial, as a wheelchair user it wasn't hard used,1 year and two days later it went wrong, I couldn't return it to the shop as I bought it on a cruise ship,so I sent it off to the UK Citizen repair depot on the 20th June, Communication with this company is not good ,unless you ask no updates are forthcoming, the latest, having asked today is that it was dispatched on the 5th but somehow it is on its way back to them to be dispatched again. This experience has not given me any faith in this company and if Eventually I do get my watch back will sell it and buy something else and I can assure you it will not be a Citizen

I never received my 795.00$ pro master geo trekker watch! If, it was shipped, I never received a text message, email, or notification, of its imminent and final arrival.
After, contacting UPS, they weren’t helpful at all! The automated system wouldn’t allow me to speak with an agent and abruptly ended the call! Please give me some type of resolution! It would be greatly appreciated!

Probably the best customer service I have ever experienced. So happy with the way they helped. Jewellers I purchased my watch from were not helpful but the immediate response and following help I received can not be faulted. I will not hesitate to purchase a citizen watch again, but this time directly from them other than a retailer.

Hello everyone as you can read all the reviews this a unprofessional poor company I have bought watch from argos and it stopped working in couple of days connected to Citizen for warranty and they booked for reaping had to postage i posted my watch paid extra for insurance after one week they sent my watch in same condition they didn't even open the box I have tried to contact customer services several times no one answering Wow unbelievable

Worst company ever. Bought a $500 watch and in less than 3 years the most important button on the watch just fell off. Tried to get it fixed in my 5 year warranty and they refused to fix for free saying it was caused by wear and tear. Told me I should’ve read my terms and conditions. What a joke. Will never buy a citizen watch again. They used to be good quality not anymore. I now have a $500 paperweight.

Very surprised after being a a returning customer after having bought 5 or 6 watch over 30 years. Citizen UK refused /ignored to follow up a very simple complaint about setting a new 600 GBP watch . Ignored the request for a an instruction manual that was relevant to the watch and instead sent a useless generic one that bears no resemblace to the watches model . Citizen Managers in the UK ignored the request for help from within their Citizen own UK team . Got fobbed off with "our manager will contact you but is on holiday presently" only to receive no follow up after 3 weeks. A complete and utter shambolic mess. As for the stars rating if there was a zeo stars rating I would give it zero. They can have the watch back . Very, very poor customer service. They very clearly are not interested in returning customers once they have your money. Be warned !!!!!

update from Citizen Head of After Sales Steve Tougher.

"Dear Martin
Thank you for taking time to write your email.

Yes, I take full responsibility for our team and take it all on the chin. If you’d like to discuss each point further then please provide a convenient number and I will call to discuss.
Kind regards
Steve

All very good but every single valid point of criticism made he wasn't prepared to admit it in an email or even reply to my reply !!!!!!!!

I sent my Citizen Aqualand in for a new battery and service. I rang them initially and was told, despite the buttons no longer been available, that they should be able to do the work, as long as the watch is okay (the watch is near mint and has only been used with care).

Anyway they wouldn't entertain it in the end and sent it to my old address, despite me updating the online form and having a redirect in place. Surely someone on the planet can repair modern timepieces, otherwise why buy older watches? I get genuine parts may no longer be available, but you would have thought other parts would be available that could be used, especially as the warranty has long expired.

I definitely don't recommend the UK service centre. I hope I can retrieve my watch, that it has not been damaged unnecessarily, and that I can find someone that is competent, and doesn't give excuses. Rant over.

Citizen doesn't answer!!! I have an eco drive that is a dive computer. When it was time to change the battery, the watchmaker recommended by citizen sent me back the watch without the battery. I contacted the after-sales service on the citizen website. They didn't reply. I'm ashamed for citizen, which makes good products that die as soon as the battery stops working. The sun can't do everything. Marketing and making products with ecoresponsibility is shameful!!!