PUBLISHED ONJune 22, 2023 9:44 AMByYeo Shu HuiAs a consumer who pays for a product with your own hard-earned money, you would think that you get the final say on what you want to do with it.
However, to some luxury brands, this does not seem to be the case.
Taiwanese-American actor Sunny Wang took to his YouTube account and Instagram profile on Monday (June 19) to speak about how he was unhappy with luxury watch company Audemars Piguet (AP) after he resold his AP watches for other models from the same brand.
The 40-year-old was a fan of AP watches and had frequently posted photos of his watches on his Instagram page.
Sunny started his video by saying: "I am at a crossroads right now about whether I should keep all of my AP watches or not."
He explained that he recently got a call from AP Taiwan, who told him that the company's headquarters was "really upset" that he resold two of their watches.
Sunny said that he sold the watches not because he didn't like the luxury brand, but because he wanted another model and colour instead.
"I actually had to put in more money, a lot more money, for the (new) piece," he added.
Sunny also said that AP hinted to him that he had been blacklisted and that wasn't the first time he was told that.
He shared that about three years ago, he had helped his friend sell his AP watch and shared an Instagram Story after the transaction.
"We didn't even take a commission," he said.
However, he soon realised that he and his family could not get any watches from the brand for over a year and a half after that. He only found out recently that the company saw his Story then.
Sunny also said that a few months ago, he and his wife, rapper Dominique Choy, 37, were invited by the luxury watch brand to a private launch of a limited edition watch in Tokyo, but was later told that they have been "disinvited".
"I felt disrespected by being disinvited and by being told that the headquarters was really upset with me for selling their watches," he added.
Said Sunny: "What bothered me was, what gives them the right or power to be upset with me because I own these watches, they produce those watches to sell.
"They market it, they advertise it to sell to customers like me and I choose to spend my hard-earned money to buy their products and represent them. I was really, really passionate about AP."
He continued, explaining that he used to seek out the rare vintage AP watches because he appreciated its beauty and wanted to "get affirmation and gain acceptance" from the brand and its inner circle, but was sorely disappointed with his experiences lately.
Sunny said: "For a couple of days. I was losing sleep and it sounds funny to say that you are losing sleep over something that you are spending money on. Then I woke up [one day] and I was like 'I don't really give a s*** anymore'".
"A watch, a brand, should not have any power over me," he added.
yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com
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