Time piece is giving me the run around.

Hi Folks.

When you live on a boat nothing is ever as simple as it was when you lived in a house and that has been proven this past few days.

On the 11th August I bought a Ravel watch in Market Drayton and was really pleased with my purchase. It was nothing special, just a plain Velcro strapped watch with a white dial and large numbers, ideal for on the boat. I was chuffed with my watch, but then noticed it would not keep time, so at the next town we came to I went to see if it needed a new battery. The gentleman checked it and told me it was not the battery, so the watch had a problem with it, great I thought just my luck.

Because it came with a 1 year guarantee, I put it back in its packaging, which I kept just in case (something must have been telling me I would need it). I sent it back to the company on the 20th August, Special Delivery which cost me £5.45 and with the watch went a cheque for £4.95 for postage and insurance demanded by the company. I thought nothing more about it, until we got back to Market Harborough and there was no watch waiting for me.

I got online and tracked my watch on the Royal Mail site and it was tell me "A delivery was attempted for your item with reference ZW794053065GB in LAUNCESTON before 11:47 on 24/08/11. Your item is now being returned to sender". Launceston I thought flippen heck it has gone to Cornwall when it should go to Peterborough. So I got on to the company it should have gone to and they could not understand why it had not been delivered because someone is at the company from 8am to 5.30pm. The woman I spoke to said she would check to see if it had found itself in their system and just not been checked, but sadly they could not find it.

I then contacted the Royal Mail who said that it had indeed gone to the company but could not be delivered, so was being sent back to me, so I contacted the friend who collects our mail and no it was not there. So I got back on to the company I sent it back to and they were very understand and upset that my watch has gone astray and will be sending me another one, I just had to choose one off of their website, which I have done, so we will see if this one arrives and also works for more than a few days. I then got back on to Royal Mail to let them know that I do not have my watch, this puzzled them and so now they are trying to find it in their system. From what I know so far, it did not go to the sorting office at Market Harborough and because postmen only work until lunchtime, the lady could not get hold of anyone at Launceston, so she has sent my case to someone higher up, who is now trying to find my missing time piece. She has promised to ring me back tomorrow, so watch this space.