Bad Experience at Sierra Trading

[Alann45]

Do what others do; order more than one knife at a time!!!!

Do you mean it's common practice to order two of an item so you're sure you get one correct?

Interestingly,
there's a thread on the spdyie forum, one guy ordered TWO Superhawks from STP and got two Byrds, another order one and also got a Byrd.

Guess the guy who ordered the two screamed a bit louder (or was more charming), STP managed to find two Superhawks to send him (posted on 1/12).

Something very weird going on.

 

[The Deacon]

Do you mean it's common practice to order two of an item so you're sure you get one correct?

Interestingly,
there's a thread on the spdyie forum, one guy ordered TWO Superhawks from STP and got two Byrds, another order one and also got a Byrd.

Guess the guy who ordered the two screamed a bit louder (or was more charming), STP managed to find two Superhawks to send him (posted on 1/12).

Something very weird going on.

Or the person who had ordered two simply brought it to Sierra's attention first.

This was a closeout item which makes it unlikely that Sierra could get more from Spyderco. The fact Sierra managed to find two more in one of their stores to satisfy one order doesn't mean they have still more Superhawks, or that there is any reasonable way for them to get more. The price they were offering them for reflected the price they paid Spyderco for them, so the only other knives they could realistically be expected to offer at the same discount level would be knives they purchased at a similar discount level.

Unless a vendor makes specific claims like "double your money back if not satisfied", all that is legally required of them is to "make the customer whole". Supplying the product ordered does that, as would offering a similar item at the same price. But a full refund of purchase price and shipping charges also satisfies that requirement, especially in cases where replacement is simply not feasible. Anything thrown in above and beyond that is pure gravy.

Paul

My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twisted up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam

 

[teacher]

Unless a vendor makes specific claims like "double your money back if not satisfied", all that is legally required of them is to "make the customer whole". Supplying the product ordered does that, as would offering a similar item at the same price. But a full refund of purchase price and shipping charges also satisfies that requirement, especially in cases where replacement is simply not feasible. Anything thrown in above and beyond that is pure gravy.

+1

I am having trouble understanding what the OP is even all about, besides the fact that you did not get the knife you wanted at what I assume was a huge discount????

Other than that, how was it a bad experience?

You got a full refund as well as $15 or 15% [I'm not sure which.. ] additional discount off your next purchase... what is to complain about? Stuff happens.

Below is Sierra Trading Post's 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, taken from their site.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/lp2/Guarantee.html

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

At Sierra Trading Post, we want you, our customers, to be completely satisfied with your purchase and the service we provide.

The above plaque hangs in our headquarters as a symbol of our commitment to your satisfaction. The letter on the plaque was written by a customer who was unsatisfied with the shoes he had received. Obviously well worn, the shoes had been "Hog Ringed" to keep the soles from separating from the rest of the shoe. Although the shoes had been worn for several years, we honored the refund in respect for this customer´s dissatisfaction with the product.

This customer was so shocked by the fact that we requested him to return these shoes that he did not initially believe it. He felt he had gotten adequate use from them, but our CSR insisted that they were not right from the beginning and we wanted them back. We nearly had to twist his arm, but they were finally returned, and we were happy we had righted a wrong from years before.

When you do business with Sierra Trading Post, you’re getting the best guarantee out there. If you are not happy with your purchase for any reason, please return it to us as soon as possible. Products purchased within 6 months of the order date will receive a refund by the original payment method. For returns on purchases over 6 months old, a gift card will be issued. If you feel we have made a mistake in filling your order, we will gladly refund your shipping charges as well.

Please see our page on Return Instructions for information on how to go about returning an item.

 

[ricsha]

Nothing but good experiences with Sierra Trading Post.
Their return Policy is better that many other companies.
I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

 

[gzb]

Nothing but good experiences with Sierra Trading Post.
Their return Policy is better that many other companies.
I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

I have to agree. Good folks to deal with and some good deals to be had.

Things happen...

 

[dsmegst]

I also received the incorrect knife in the correct box. And as pissed as I am for the hassle and missing what should have been a good deal, I'm getting a full refund and they paid for the return postage.

Can't complain about STP for doing the right thing. I've bought several knives from them, some at incredible prices and I'll be shopping with them in the future.

I still think someone stole the Superhawks and put the much cheaper Byrds in the boxes. I hope that person falls on a dirty rubber and gets herpes. As for STP, they treated me fairly.

 

[wolfmann601]

Do you mean it's common practice to order two of an item so you're sure you get one correct?

Interestingly,
there's a thread on the spdyie forum, one guy ordered TWO Superhawks from STP and got two Byrds, another order one and also got a Byrd.

Guess the guy who ordered the two screamed a bit louder (or was more charming), STP managed to find two Superhawks to send him (posted on 1/12).

Something very weird going on.

No silly, order two or more different knives so that you add to the collection!!!

But I have on many occassions bought two of the same knife. When I started to collect Microtechs it was common for me to buy two or three Socoms, LCC's or halos at one time.
I do wonder sometimes how loud a knifeknut would scream if he bought a $50 knife and the box contained a $500 knife.................................

In the end however, most good retailers will make things right and we will just have to grab one of the 750,000,000 EDC's from tthe user collection to deal with the disappointment of not getting knife number 750,000,001

 

[darthsoaker]

Jesus, I'm glad I don't work in retail.

 

[Alann45]

No silly, order two or more different knives so that you add to the collection!!!

I sort of thought that was what you meant, but around here one never knows.
I most often buy more than one item because I feel like it makes the shipping cost more reasonable...not a position I could defend strongly, its most likely just an excuse to buy more.

I do wonder sometimes how loud a knifeknut would scream if he bought a $50 knife and the box contained a $500 knife.

Privately he would likely scream and jump for joy. Question is, would he contact the seller to correct the error, or just quietly move on. Ethics are such a pain.

In the end however, most good retailers will make things right and we will just have to grab one of the 750,000,000 EDC's from tthe user collection to deal with the disappointment of not getting knife number 750,000,001

True, in the overall scheme of things it's not a huge deal.

However, I do understand the OPs annoyance. He missed out on a knife that's relatively hard to get at a good price. I would have been annoyed and dissappoited too.
To me, and I think many, a big part of the enjoyment is finding a knife you really want and the anticipation of its arrival. It really sucks when something ruins that part of the fun.

It would appear STP made a reasonable effort to compensate the OP for the error. Maybe they could or should have done a bit more, but really nothing they did would have made the OP happy in this particular case.

I still find it odd that his was not the only example of this happening on the Superhawk item. Something very odd happend there.

 

[wolfmann601]

Jesus, I'm glad I don't work in retail.

I once did and it was the longest 5 minutes of my life!!!!

Who wrote the rule that says the "customer is always right"?

Nah, not in my very short retail experience.................

 

[Alann45]

Jesus, I'm glad I don't work in retail.

I did a couple of times. Once in a smoke shop and the other in a pistol range (was also the range master).
Dealing with customers is much easier when you are the one with the loaded gun.

I found it enjoyable. I was dealing with products I liked and understood, which made it easier.

Customers can be challenging. Once at band camp...uhhh...at the smoke shop, a fire started in the electrical room in the back....place is literally filling up with smoke and one guy wants me to ring up his tobacco...he was still complaining after we got outside and were watching the firemen.

 

[scotsmanspride]

Been a long time user of Sierr nd never had any issue. Had to return a few things due to ordering the wrong size items and they are very easy to deal with. Sounds like you are high maintanence....

 

[Broos]

I've done business with STP for 20 years, and they are great.