over the past 48 years since 1976, each one of my sailboats has been equipped with 'life time guaranteed ' Weems and Plath instruments: barometers. thermometers, tide clocks, various wall mount oil lamps, 2 Sorensen lamps. we've given W&P instruments as wedding presents, graduation presents, birthday presents. I now find that the 'new owner' is refusing to honor the 'life time warranty' on a barometer and clock -- a 2 piece chrome matching set I removed from the boat last haul out for not working . To my dismay, instead of the 'lifetime warranty', or repair/ replace, customer service offered me a coupon to buy another set of their defective instruments 'at 30 % off. ' needless to say, they are off my list of suppliers. . .
sadly disappointed in Weems and Plath . .
- Thread starter MitchM
- Start date
We needed a replacement movement for a ship's bell clock which was destroyed by a leaking battery. They offered us $30 for the old clock, and to sell us a new, non-chiming one at full price. The ship's bell seems to have been discontinued. Losing its reputation as a steady retailer of reliable merchandise.
When we purchased our 1989 H28 in 1999, we equipped her with a Weems and Plath barometer and quartz clock set. We moved the set to the aft cabin of our current boat, a 1991 P42, in 2002. Two years ago the quartz clock stopped running, so sent a message to the maker and requested a repair. Their reply, after checking the clock out, gave us good news; they would repair it at no charge. The clock was returned after about three weeks and it runs just fine, I'm guessing with a new movement.
We've had bad luck with their tide clock movements and with the eyepieces on their binoculars. Luckily they were always very good to provide repairs and replacements when needed, though if they're now backing away from that I won't be happy either.
MY W&P experience: Two years ago my ships bell clock quit working. It really had never kept time accurately. I sent it in for repair with instructions to simply replace the movement with a standard quartz movement and delete the ships bell feature. The cost was beyond $200.. It took them three months to get it back to me and when I put it back on the boat, it ran sporatically .. I ordered a new accurate Seiko movement and installed it myself ..works great and since I reused the original hands, it looks original.. cost was $14.
When I opened the clock to work on it, I found that they had not put enough spacer on the movement so the second hand axel was hitting the back of the glass as the temperature changed. I added a spacer and all is good.. and it keeps perfect time! It is a beautiful piece but I will not buy anything from them again.. I remember when I first started sailing around 1978, they were renowned for their quality products and lifetime warranties.. sadly that is not the case today.
When I opened the clock to work on it, I found that they had not put enough spacer on the movement so the second hand axel was hitting the back of the glass as the temperature changed. I added a spacer and all is good.. and it keeps perfect time! It is a beautiful piece but I will not buy anything from them again.. I remember when I first started sailing around 1978, they were renowned for their quality products and lifetime warranties.. sadly that is not the case today.