Schaap en Citroen Den Bosch

Public apology, same culture. One star because zero is not possible. On 29 August 2026 at approximately 12:00, my wife and I returned to the Rolex Boutique operated by Schaap en Citroen in Amsterdam. After our previous unacceptable experience at their Patek Philippe boutique, the owner had publicly apologised and explicitly invited us back. Our 22-year-old daughter stayed at the Mandarin Oriental because her previous treatment at the Patek Philippe boutique had made her too afraid and uncomfortable to enter this store again. We now understand that she was right. As the Patek Philippe area was under construction, we entered the Rolex boutique on her behalf. She recently moved to Amsterdam, earns her own money and wants to begin her own relationship with Rolex. She is interested in a Lady-Datejust 28 in Oystersteel, not a Daytona or another highly allocated model. I asked how she could register her interest. The employee replied: "We do not take orders." I explained repeatedly that I was not asking for a guarantee and that the terminology was irrelevant. Order, wish, wishlist, waiting list or expression of interest, call it whatever you want. My question was simply: how can a young woman living in Amsterdam begin a relationship with this boutique and eventually purchase this watch? He refused to answer. Eventually, he said they only sell what happens to be physically available. I asked whether my daughter therefore had to keep returning and hope the watch was there. He said yes. I asked whether she simply had to keep coming back and be lucky. Again, yes. My wife and I were already standing about one metre from the exit. Because the answer sounded so absurd, I asked one final time whether there was truly no order, wish, waiting list or registration of interest. He confirmed it and then said: "This is how it is in Amsterdam." There was no misunderstanding. I repeated the question several times using different words precisely to prevent one. Our family has collected watches for more than 25 years and owns more than 50 Patek Philippe watches and more than 40 Rolex watches. We understand allocations and waiting periods. This was never about demanding a watch or special treatment. It was about asking how a new client could begin. The conversation lasted only three or four minutes, but we left feeling insulted, humiliated and made to feel foolish. It ruined our day and confirmed every fear that had caused our daughter to remain at the hotel. Schaap en Citroen should preserve and review the CCTV footage from approximately 11:50 to 12:15. It will identify the employee and show the entire interaction.