All That Is Survive! Knives, Post Here Reopened

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GREENJACKET said:
I've been away from this forum for a couple of years now, having been quite an avid inputter. Its also been a few years now since any knife has really caught my imagination as my CRK, Al Mars, Blackjacks, and Gransfors just keep on giving sterling service (shows my age). Survive knives hooked me and I went for a preorder 3.5 as everything seemed to be sold out by the time I had funds available. I'm in the UK so I had to see one at least before I should order more. Being a UK order nothing is going to be cheap with the post, import taxes and sale taxes (add 35%).

Basically I'm back on the forum to find out how my order is going. I don't mind the wait but I do just wish they put something up on their main website. Presently the main page and the info on there is more than useless. Some people don't want to be on Facebook! It would be so easy to keep everyone happy with the minimum info on their main page. We know its a start up company, we know what a great product they are doing their best to get out, we know they are hitting their sales, and we know with such a small team its going to take time to get the stuff out. Thats all fine, but please just give us regular updates of whatever the truth is. We are big boys; we can handle it! They are big boys toys so we can be incredibly patient for things we want. Guy, we will root for you but just communicate (plus you will shrink the number of "where is my knife" emails).

Not seen a real picture of a 3.5 yet either.

Feel better now and will get on with my other stuff; one day it will happen.
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What I fear more than anything is that these communication issues will result in quenching all of the positive buzz Guy has worked so hard to achieve, and that sales will drop resulting in a failed endeavor. I do not think that any of us want to see that. Welcome back Greenjacket. I really do love my GSO knives, and I hope that yours arrives soon.
 
I don't run a retail business, but I do run a few other ventures. I would think keeping everyone informed would be pretty easy with a monthly news letter. Give out order numbers and batch them to what, where, they are in the process: being cut, on the grinders, having handles made, waiting for sheaths, finishing, stuck in a log jam at the heat treatment.... Update every month and we would be all yippitydodar.
Presently I have no idea if 5.1 or 4.5????? or 7/7's are ready, or if the first batch has gone, or if its the third batch thats going. There must be a simple way to batch them so any secretary could update everything every month. Seeing the same on the main site, some obviously has not been updated for months, is silly when it just wouldn't take much to have right. Blag it if needed (need to have a good memory if you blag) but just something so the buyer feels involved a little.

I have a little to do with Best British guns and with those three years is just the start date!
I haven't been to Shot Show for a good while but it seems that either its the same old hat/stuff or anything new might be ready by the next show (some happily within 6 months). Start up costs are through the roof so no one can just take a punt without thoroughly testing the market first. Shame really as innovation is being throttled. Survive Knives is one bright light at least, so I'm not throwing any of my toys out of the pram. Where are the Titanium canteens??? In truth with so many Chinese goods, some terrible, some fine, then its the small home manufacturers that get my attention as often as not. They give added value that no big manufacturer can. However, having said that, they need to be good and with the design and quality that warrants going the extra mile. Rock on 2014.
 
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I just ordered my first survive! Knife a couple days ago. GSO 4.1 with orange g10 handles! Can't wait to get it of course. Anyone know that average wait time? Thanks
 
Double post.
So here is a picture, just because:
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matthew krissak said:
I just ordered my first survive! Knife a couple days ago. GSO 4.1 with orange g10 handles! Can't wait to get it of course. Anyone know that average wait time? Thanks
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It seems Guy is focusing on that model right now (just a guess really because he doesn't do updates very often) so you shouldn't have the long wait times some of us have come to expect. You can certainly try to contact Survive!... others have had luck but I have not. I have sent several unanswered emails and finally one was answered over a week and a half later. You will love your knife but customer service is severely lacking. Of course, that is just this guy's opinion. Others on here believe we are lucky and blessed just to have the opportunity to pay Survive! Knives in advance for a knife that is surely going to double or triple it's ship date expectations. I bet those people didn't buy a GSO-10 last spring though...;)
 
We get it, SURVIVE! needs to stop putting timelines out on purchases and improve their communication, no one would argue that you're wrong. But if you're that put off by the whole ordeal cancel your order, get your money back and move on. Life is too short to hold on to the angst over what is a man toy.


willythekid said:
It seems Guy is focusing on that model right now (just a guess really because he doesn't do updates very often) so you shouldn't have the long wait times some of us have come to expect. You can certainly try to contact Survive!... others have had luck but I have not. I have sent several unanswered emails and finally one was answered over a week and a half later. You will love your knife but customer service is severely lacking. Of course, that is just this guy's opinion. Others on here believe we are lucky and blessed just to have the opportunity to pay Survive! Knives in advance for a knife that is surely going to double or triple it's ship date expectations. I bet those people didn't buy a GSO-10 last spring though...;)
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I mist out on the CPM-20cv . I was waiting to get all my Christmas bills paid before I bought one . Was the 20cv a sprint run or are they going to make more on this steel ?
 
ceptor781 said:
We get it, SURVIVE! needs to stop putting timelines out on purchases and improve their communication, no one would argue that you're wrong. But if you're that put off by the whole ordeal cancel your order, get your money back and move on. Life is too short to hold on to the angst over what is a man toy.
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If enough customers get a refund and move on, where does that leave Survive?
 
It will leave them with a hard learned lesson. Guy has been great to me and I have had no trouble getting a response to my questions or concerns. I wish nothing but the best for him and SURVIVE! and I have no issue with the delays as I'm accustom to dealing with custom or boutique makers but I understand that some will. So if customers don't feel they are being treated well speak with your money, the one language everyone understands and does not ignore.

McVeyMac said:
If enough customers get a refund and move on, where does that leave Survive?
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ceptor781 said:
We get it, SURVIVE! needs to stop putting timelines out on purchases and improve their communication, no one would argue that you're wrong. But if you're that put off by the whole ordeal cancel your order, get your money back and move on. Life is too short to hold on to the angst over what is a man toy.
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My post was not made for you. It was for Matthew who was asking about an average wait time... there is no easy answer to that. Some people were lucky with their GSO 4.1s and got them shipped in just a couple of weeks... others (like me) waited many, many months.
 
willy sorry if my post sounded harsh, just read it and that was not my intent. But I stand by what I posted if customers are truly worried about not getting their knives due to bankruptcy or what ever or just don't want to wait any more request a refund and move on.
 
ceptor781 said:
willy sorry if my post sounded harsh, just read it and that was not my intent. But I stand by what I posted if customers are truly worried about not getting their knives due to bankruptcy or what ever or just don't want to wait any more request a refund and move on.
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I understand your point... I didn't take it the wrong way by any means. I have come off as harsh on Survive! on this thread and on others. I really like their knives though... maybe that's why I'm so hard on Guy. I believe myself to be a straight-up person and I want Survive! to do the same. I was in on the first preorder and dearly love my GSO-10 but as time has worn on, the lapses in customer service has out-shined the quality of the product. For me at least. Guy came on here to promote his product originally and now he can't seem to be bothered to post an occasional update on progress made on paid-for products. I know money talks, and Guy has people lined up to buy his knives but it is my personal opinion that he is growing faster than his customer service skills can handle. I will wait for my preorder 3.5 and I'm sure I will fall in love with it like all my other Survive! knives but it will be my last until some kind of order comes to his ordering process.
 
I've sat here and read this entire thread and I've come to the conclusion that Survive(!!!!OMG !!!1) knives aren't for me. You have to pay up front, and then months and months go by with no communication? HELL no. Not doing that again, I've had too much experience from other past situations to ever accept that again. Also, from the pictures, I'm not seeing anything worth going through that hassle for, nothing personal, just my view on it. Plenty of other companies out there providing awesome bushcraft knives that you won't need to wait several months for.

Honestly, I've seen this same thing happen in other forums. A car forum I used to frequent had a guy who had a small company that made custom underhood dress-up stuff for the particular car. At first, communication was great, the guy made himself available. However, as his product gained popularity, the guy started having issues with communication. Inevitably, members would start posting up threads like this one, always full of questions almost exactly like the posts I saw in this thread. "Has anyone seen (the guy)?? Three months, and I got no product, and he's not returning phone calls or emails!! I was told I'd have it in three weeks!!" And then other members who already had their product from times past when the vendor had been around jump into to defend the vendor and his product. "It's worth the wait!!"

Well, guess what? Vendor guy eventually went out of business after it got around that vendor's MO was 1. He gets your cash, 2. several months go by, 3. After awhile, you decide to send an email or make a phone call checking up on the status of your order, none of which are returned, 4. you may or may not receive your product by the end of all that. People just got tired of it, and if Guy here doesn't get his ish sorted out, the same thing's going to happen to him.

Also? The best part? The best part? That vendor was doing the same thing Guy here was apparently doing. Vendor had a ton of backorders, parts he hadn't delivered, and yet there he'd be in the Vendor's section, posting up threads gauging interest in new products he had in mind. Like, I literally laughed when the discussion came up a few pages back in this thread where Guy's talking about custom scales and whatever else.

I have no patience for people who can't meet their obligations in the agreed upon time. Anyway, my sincere advice for those on the fence would be to stay away, regardless of what his defenders say. No offense meant to any of you, I've just seen this situation before.
 
GREENJACKET said:
Basically I'm back on the forum to find out how my order is going. I don't mind the wait but I do just wish they put something up on their main website. Presently the main page and the info on there is more than useless. Some people don't want to be on Facebook! It would be so easy to keep everyone happy with the minimum info on their main page. We know its a start up company, we know what a great product they are doing their best to get out, we know they are hitting their sales, and we know with such a small team its going to take time to get the stuff out. Thats all fine, but please just give us regular updates of whatever the truth is. We are big boys; we can handle it! They are big boys toys so we can be incredibly patient for things we want. Guy, we will root for you but just communicate (plus you will shrink the number of "where is my knife" emails).
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I noticed this issue as well, and I believe it should adjust how customers look for any updates going forward. Guy does appear to rely much more heavily on Facebook than his email list for updating his customers. By the time his email announcing the GSO 4.1 availability hit my inbox (6:08pm EST), at least 5 of the intro models were already sold out! :eek: However, more than a few messages discussing what was appearing on the website and who got what were on his Facebook page. Also, with the exception of an occasional website update (i.e. the recall issue), all of his other updates appear to have been exclusively on Facebook (no emails or updates to the website's news page).

Social media has become a powerful form of communication for many businesses, and for some...the dominant form. Also, email has become notoriously unreliable due to spam and delivery issues. Guy may send a product availability update early enough, but it could arrive at different inboxes at different times leading some customers to miss out.

Despite the issues with email, I do believe he should be making use of all available methods of updating his customers. However, if this is the path Guy is following, then we will have to adjust accordingly and at least check his Facebook page regularly the way we would his website news page...quick visit, no logging in.

That being said, Guy will also have to adjust. There is no reason he can't post an update on product delays (especially to long waiting pre-order customers) along with new product designs, accessory offerings, etc.

Happy New Year folks and be safe! :thumbup:
 
If you asked my children then they would be fully up to date being all signed up to Facebook and other media savvy. I am a dinosaur. I have every confidence that Survive Knives will fulfil their orders, heck I got another order in.
By the way its the steels he is using that got my attention, when everyone else it seems prefers to play it safe. Designs pretty practical too and price just about spot on for a better working tool.

I think we just want to give Guy a nudge to improve his media side to the business. I know practical people prefer to make things, but half of any business is the paper work! I'm bad at it too.
Happy New Year to all. Rock on 2014.
 
If you asked my children then they would be fully up to date being all signed up to Facebook and other media savvy. I am a dinosaur. I have every confidence that Survive Knives will fulfil their orders, heck I got another order in.
By the way its the steels he is using that got my attention, when everyone else it seems prefers to play it safe or charge a fortune. Designs pretty practical too and price just about spot on for a better working tool. Thats the rub of it Guy caught our attention and never thought he would have the kind of response he has had. Other better known manufacturers would love that kind of response. Upping capacity whilst keeping quality will be his challenge as he is going to have to get those knives out in numbers. Chris Reeve has expanded over the years but its still not some massive factory, just a large modern workshop fitted with best machines with a small dedicated workforce producing premium products. That takes time. Having to wait for something worth having isn't a bad thing.

I think the market is pretty flooded with knives. There is one for every taste and pocket. I know where my money is going, and I no longer buy on a whim, so well done Guy for making something I'm willing to buy!

I think we just want to give Guy a nudge to improve his media side to the business. I know practical people prefer to make things, but half of any business is the paper work! I'm bad at it too. Guy doesn't need to expand too fast or big; just keep people informed by every means.

Happy New Year to all. Rock on 2014.
 
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