The Misadventures of the Isofrane Rubber Strap (During Transit)

NB : Chain of events updated in hindsight.

I had been rather excited about the impending arrival of the Isofrane rubber strap that I ordered earlier the month. There had also been quite a few e-mails from fellow readers asking about the rubber strap- whether was it just a glorified rubber strap or truly worth its asking price of USD99 - USD129, with an additional shipping fee of USD10 per strap yet to be added into the asking price.

My neighbourhood watchsmith shop sold rubber straps from RM25 ono. So, in comparison, to spend RM366 - RM466 for a piece of rubber strap seemed to be quite crazy. But I have been intrigued by the brand and wanted to judge for myself if it was truly worth its asking price.

More than 2 weeks after my order, I wrote to Aquadive again to ask about the delivery as the initial e-mail that I got from them indicated that the strap had been sent vide FedEx (with a tracking no and hyperlink to FedEx-tracking sent for my checking); but checking on the website revealed that the tracking no was erroneous.

The good customer service representative i.e. Mr Manfred explained that there was a problem with the Aquadive ordering system and that the tracking ID was actually meant for registered mail vide Austria Post. They send all worldwide parcels by normal post (USD10), although one could top-up for FedEx (USD25) through an optional request.

He had thought that it was being held by the Malaysian customs. In any case, he noted my concerns and apologised for the mistake. He even reversed my initial purchase price, much to my surprise and suggested that I chased the relevant authorities to release the mail; or both parties (being Aquadive and myself) would lose out on the good rubber strap.

I frequently make overseas purchases for watches and accessories, and knew that watches were not subjected to import tariffs. I checked further and Cik Nurul from Pos Malaysia thereafter informed me that the mail was tracked to Bangi post office. She informed me to lodge a missing report and to await news from their side.

At this point, I had thought that chances of recovery was on the low side from a personal experience. A few months ago, I ordered for an item that was sent to me from Subang Jaya to Sri Hartamas, vide PosLaju courier services no less; and after a few days of non-delivery, I called to Pos Malaysia (similarly) only to be informed that they had send to a wrong address in Gombak. I was told to make a missing report (similar to the current scenario); and last I heard, the matter was still pending investigation.

The next day, Pos Malaysia reverted back to me and lo and behold, all parties were assisting me with the tracking of the mail.

And voila, 20 days after my initial order and payment, I now have the package in my hand. And to the readers whom have been e-mailing me for the review, rest assured that an initial impressions review would be posted shortly.

I have yet to utilise the rubber strap; but I have much confidence with the product and I was also glad to have managed to iron out the issue with Mr Manfred. And so impressed was I with the customer services that I started to browse Aquadive's offerings and realised that I have no watches from them in my collection.

This watch i.e. Aquadive Bathyscaphe 100 Bronze caught my eye and I am now fighting an inner battle if I should fork out circa RM5,700 for the handsome watch CNC Cut from a chunk of salt-resistant bronze alloy block.

And so concludes the misadventures of the Isofrane rubber strap (while in transit), and a real-world review would be forth-coming.

For the rest of you guys interested in getting the Isofrane rubber strap, my advice was to top-up (on top of the USD10 registered mail charges) the additional USD15 for FedEx shipping (USD25 per strap), so as to avoid the trouble that I had went through.

Good luck and keep your eyes peeled hereabouts for the review!