ERA Timepieces Spam Scam?

The world is a weird place. What happened just now at the office (Casa di Montecristo) is beyond bizarre. I’d just finished writing up the ERA Hyperion for this Friday’s New Watch Alert when my cigar guy Brad received an email from ERA Timepieces. Subject: There was a problem with your order. Wait. What?

Brad (above left) doesn’t wear a watch. The last time he wore a watch was twenty-years ago, the model and brand name lost in the mists of time.

Aside from visiting The Truth About Watches, Brad has zero interaction with any watch-related website, online watch seller or bricks and mortar dealer.

In short, Brad had no idea who ERA was. The email from a list (copy saved) reads as follows:

Hey there!

I just wanted to let you know that you were on your way to checking out and something seemed to have happened, and your order was NOT able to be completed.

As a courtesy, I saved your cart for you..

I wanted to let you know that I am 100% committed to doing everything I can to help you out. Whether you have a question about the products, or need a recommendation, I’d love to hear about it. You can literally just hit reply here, and I will personally respond to your issue promptly.

Yes, really — despite being the CEO, I will literally personally to every single email where you request me to directly respond to you. That is how much I care about providing an amazing customer experience.

If you just needed to finish checking out, please use the link below to finish checking out:

Click Here To Finish Checking Out

Thanks for taking a look at our products, I look forward to sending you your dream timepiece.

SIncerely,

Michael Galarza
CEO – ERA Timepieces

The link takes you to a product home page with all of ERA’s Chinese-made watches. Not a shopping cart. I emailed ERA for an explanation and put it to the chatbot that pops up on the landing page.

ERA responded thus:

Hi Robert,

Thank you for contacting ERA Timepieces.

It’s highly unusual that someone will receive an abandoned cart email notification form us without visiting our website.

It might be someone who used his email account to check our website or someone used his computer in which his email address was saved.

To clarify, we haven’t received the order. Thus, the notification email to complete.

I hope this helps. Let us know if there’s anything else that I can help you with. Thank you for supporting ERA Timepieces!

Sincerely,
James Reid

To clarify, no. No one used Brad’s email account or his iPhone to visit ERA Timepieces.

And again, the link in the email doesn’t go to a shopping cart. Brad and I were using the same wifi. So there is that. But I’m still left wondering if ERA is using highly dubious marketing methods to sell its watches.