What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
“WATCH-MAKER … proposes the fair Terms, No Cure, No Pay.”
When he moved to Charleston, one of the largest port cities in the colonies, M. Shepherd, a watchmaker, took to the pages of the South-Carolina Gazette and Country Journal to introduce himself to his prospective customers. Like many artisans who crossed the Atlantic, he emphasized his connections to London, suggesting the level of skill he obtained while employed there. In addition to stating that he “Just arrived from LONDON,” Shepherd also asserted that he “REPAIRS and CLEANS all Sorts of plain, horizontal and repeating WATCHES, in as compleat a Manner as possibly can be done in London.” That was possible, in part, because he had “Materials of the best Kind for that Purpose.” Shepherd’s competitors could make claims about doing work that rivaled that of their counterparts in London, but he was in a much better position to deliver on those promises.
The watchmaker also seized an opportunity to critique what he believed was a shortcoming in the services offered in the local market. He suggested that “Silversmiths and other undertaking that Branch of Business,” rather than trained and experienced watchmakers, attempted to repair and clean watches, resulting in “very frequent” complaints about shoddy work. In that regard, he echoed the critiques so often launched by John Simnet, another watchmaker from London who had migrated to the colonies. Simnet regularly asserted that his competitors who attempted to fix watches did more damage, making it necessary for him to undertake even greater repairs. Shepherd was so confident of his abilities that he offered a guarantee that he framed as “fair Terms.” Invoking language more often deployed by physicians and apothecaries, the watchmaker promised, “No Cure, No Pay.” In other words, if he could not fix a watch then he did not charge the customer for the time or materials that he invested in the effort. As a newcomer in Charleston, he aimed to make his services attractive to prospective clients, highlighting both his skill and his no-risk guarantee.