An authorized Spydie dealer doesn't want to help me -- what should I do?

T

ThreeWorlds

Joined
Dec 14, 2005
Messages
498
OK ... I was wondering if all you experienced Spydie folks (or maybe even someone at Spyderco) could give me your thoughts on this. =P

A couple weeks ago I managed to pick up (win) on EBay a Spyderco Cricket at a fairly decent price. It was listed NIB and the seller said that they were 'Authorized Spyderco Dealers," so I bid with my true reservation price. I'd been looking for a nice, low-key "dress" EDC for some time so I was pretty happy when I won and really looking forward to it getting here. When it did, I found the box pretty beat up --- which concerned me, but no big deal, postal services aren't known for being gentle --- then I took out the Cricket to admire it in all its cute, shiny, minty-new glory :D . Ahhhh. I wiped the coat of oil off, admired its slimness, ran my fingers over the frame as I held it up to the light ....

... and realized that the frame connecting to the lock face has a small, but very visible (and rough) notch/ding on it :( . I go from elated to being disappointed. The next day, I get an e-mail from this seller asking me for good feedback for them. I explain to them that while I was very happy with their shipping speed and service (tracking number & everything), I could not do that for them because I was extremely disappointed at receiving a damaged product that was listed as NIB.

Days pass. No response. I get caught up with intense crunch time at college and it slips to the lower end of my priority list for a while. Then, last week, having yet to receive a response to them either on EBay or in my e-mail, I write them another one, saying that I hadn't heard back from them, and that I understood I hadn't been completely clear in my previous e-mail, but that I would be happy to leave them positive feedback if they addressed the issue I mentioned, perhaps in some sort of exchange or refund.

No response. :grumpy:

So, my question is .... what should I do if I want to exchange my Cricket, and what should I do about these guys??
 
Did you pay with PayPal?
If so, a PayPal dispute is the way to go.
Can take a little while though to get it settled but PayPal heavily weighs the buyers side in a dispute.
 
Hey bro

Any email you send keep a copy just in case so you can send it to paypal.

Go on paypals website and open up talks with the seller and see if anything happens.

If you and the seller do not come to an understanding get paypal to resolve your claim.
Paypal usually takes 30-40 days max in determining your claim.

I am not sure how much you paid for it, but look at this way you may be out shipping fees both ways if you decide to get a refund. See if the seller will also compensate you for shipping fees to send it back as well.

take care

good luck

aj
 
ThreeWorlds said:
... and realized that the frame connecting to the lock face has a small, but very visible (and rough) notch/ding on it :( .
Click to expand...
As has been said photos would be very valuable because, for example, if the notch/ding looks like the one inside the circle in the photo below, it's normal.

cricket_detail_02.jpg
 
Oh, I was just going to say, I don't have photos because I only have a webcam, and it wasn't picking it up correctly. That is exactly what the notch/ding looks like. I thought it was a flaw because it was so roughly finished and scratchy. Can someone explain to me why that is normal?
 
The relief bevel is probably there because otherwise there would be a sharp pointy spot there when the knife is open and the front of the lockbar is no longer level with the frame. As for the slight roughness, if it's any consolation, that same spot on my Chris Reeve Mnandi is not a place I'd want to run my tongue over either. I use it as an example because CRK products are generally regarded as extremely well finished. Not an easy spot to get to on the Cricket as the gap between the rigid portion of the frame and the lockface area of the lockbar is very narrow. If it's really bugging you, you could try rubbing that spot with the striker strip from a book of matches.
 
Okay, thanks, I think I will try that :)

Do people think that the lack of communication on part of the seller warrants negative/neutral feedback?
 
If you are happy with the knife then leave positive. You leave negative and they will just do it back to you. Hardly worth it really...
 
ThreeWorlds said:
Okay, thanks, I think I will try that :)

Do people think that the lack of communication on part of the seller warrants negative/neutral feedback?
Click to expand...
I find this question almost unbelievable. I think that you should give yourself some negative feedback. The customer is not always right. You were not right. He had every reason in the world to want to end all contact with you.
 
Gee, thanks Oli, that's real helpful and courteous. Thank you. Let me respond with some help and courtesy of my own. :jerkit:

The way I see it, I think it's perfectly reasonable mistake. The relief bevel looks and feels like a notch/ding, I e-mailed them twice, politely, giving them ample time to explain; all they needed to say was, "if you are talking about (what Deacon was so kind to show me), that's perfectly normal, and is just a relief bevel" or, "Could you describe the problem in more detail? We would be happy to work this out together," but no. Your standard of communication, Oli, would get you docked in GB&U here. All I can say is I'm glad Spyderco Customer Service has always treated me better than this.

P.S. Nice editing. Adding that first sentence almost makes your post sound not offensive.
 
You asked a question. I gave you an honest answer. I am ending all contact with you. On edit; I have you on the ignore list. It is a list of one.
 
He could have gotten back to you but as there really was nothing wrong with the knife give him a positive and you can say something like "great price,fast shipping,slow communication."
 
Buy some Flitz and use a Q-tip or something to smooth out any rough.

Leave positive feedback. The seller probably thought you were an obsessive perfection freak and thought best to risk negative feedback over dealing with you. He should have responded to your emails though.
 
A little off the subject but you are going to love that knife. Man, I carry one of those all the time. It has been my money clip since they hit the market. One of Spyderco's best ideas, producing that model in stainless with a framelock. They make great gifts too. Perfect for engraving.
 
I do appreciate the suggestions and help everyone has given (Maverick, Deacon, Jeff, Guyon) with the feedback and the relief bevel :). Thank you. You have all lifted my spirits considerably. ;)

Guyon, I promise you that although some of my frustration with the seller's silence and Oli's tone of voice in his reply has undoubtedly come through in my posting, I am not an obsessive perfectionist freak who ranted and raved in my e-mail to them. I actually complimented them on their speed of service and simply told them about the problem, and asked them for an explanation or for suggestions about how we could work out this issue together.

Harry, I am very much looking forward to carrying the Cricket now. I remember when I first saw a picture of it on the Spyderco website, I thought that it was elegant enough that Spyderco should really consider trying to sell them through wedding and other such high-end gift stores, and wondered why they didn't. I think that would work well with the SFS Kiwis, as well.
 
lack of com makes a small situation into a big situation. I have had it happen to me so I know what goes through the mind when suddenly the other party cuts off coms. No reason to leave negative feedback over this. The seller sold you what he advertised and did everything he was supposed to. Give him pos feedback with whatever comment you feel are helpful.

I only give neg feedback if the other party has done something really wrong. I would say, relax a little and don't worry so much about the little things. You have to remember that the Cricket is not a high dollar knife and it may infact have a minor surface flaw. I wouldn't think about sending it back if it had a slight flaw like that. You probably spent $20-40 on this knife so it is unrealistic to expect 100% perfection. The fact that many people do expect such a level of quality from Spyderco speaks well of them. I am glad I don't have to deal with customers in my job. I would go nuts!

ThreeWorlds, we have done deals with each other so don't take offense at what I say. I have been on both sides of issues like this and it really helps. I have worked with the public and I am the public so I have a good idea of when something is not right. What happened to you was not worth negative feedback but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.
 
Hi ThreeWorlds,

Glad to see good communication here on the Spyerco forum. Most folks hanging around here are helpful.

I cannot speak for the dealer, others here know more about that, but I can say that the "chip" is an intended grind, and not a chip.

The Cricket with the "Reeve Integral Lock" (RIL) is a unique design and I believe the convenience, performance and ergos will grow on you. The evolution of the design has been interesting.

My wife Gail, carries one EDC. I might add that her's was modified by Ed Schempp and has a mokume front scale.

sal
 
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