Dealing with an AD for service?

Hi all, a while ago I received some advise here regarding my new Spitfire's Chrono problem. Well I finally got the heart to get it returned to IWC for evaluation.
Is this the sort of thing that you deal with through the AD? I'm in Melbourne today, and visited both ADs ... The one where I bought the watch from played with the chrono and told me nothing is wrong, clearly upset I went to the other AD where I was informed that I would be charged to send the watch to Sydney for inspection?
Am I missing something, as this should be a service repair/inspection? Or am I supposed to contact the service centre directly? Any advise will be appreciated as I planned this trip "to the city" and would like to know how to go about this issue.

Normally the AD where you bought the watch should not charge you for any issues regarding service under warranty. If you go to another dealer I think it would not be wrong to charge you shipping and handling fees if he takes the watch in and sends it for inspection to a service centre. It is up to him to do this or not, but you didn't buy the watch there so strictly he doesn't have to help you solving the problem. The inspection and service fees itself should be free of costs if under warranty I guess.

Well, from my experience- when I had to send my AT VC to IWC I did it through an AD in Bern, although the watch was purchased in Schaffhausen...no extra costs at all, simply all free of charge...

I think any AD should treat a client the same, whether he bought the watch at his shop or not. The owner of the watch has a world-wide guarantee card that should take care of any service issue, AD-independent. Whenever needed (not too often, as to be expected) I was treated this way, until now never needing to pay anything. Or is this kind of handling only the West-European way?

Kind regards,
Paul

Of course I think every AD should be so kind not to ask for handling fees when sending a watch for service even if it was not sold through him, but I would not take it for granted. I know of at least two AD's in our country that will charge these costs when sending a watch for service if you didn't buy the watch there.

Corrections welcome, but I believe IWC reimburses AD's for cost of shipping and insurance on warranty repairs.

Andy

Thanx for all of you replying, will do a follow-up on the reimbursement.
The other issue though .. is it up to the sales person at the AD to decide on sending it off, as I was told that there is nothing wrong with the Chrono fnx after she 'tested' it?

Don't waste your time with these unhelpful AD's.Speak to Claire at the IWC Sydney service centre,she's a very nice and helpful lady.

In Australia it has been my experience that for everything other than buying the watch, you deal directly with Richemont - this includes straps, servicing and warranty and for me this has bene nothing but a pleasant experience.

In Sydney, that works pretty good as this is where Richemont is but I could understand a little frustration if you have bought through an AD elsewhere in the country and they refer you to Richemont in Sydney - one would hope there is a little bit of post sales value in the chain. . .

I have to echo your comments regarding Claire in Sydney.. I live in New Zealand and she went out of her way to find information on the IWC I found at a second hand shop..