- Joined
- Feb 17, 2015
- Messages
- 1,845
I'd like everyone to know to be very careful with dealing with TxSportsman. I bought a custom slip joint from him, made by Tracy LaRock. That thread can be found here: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/tracy-larock-native.1550104/
Before editing, he stated that the knife was perfectly centered and brand new. There was no picture showing the centering, however. When I received the knife, I found it to be very off-center, one of the pivot screws had become pretty shiny from handling, and a lot of side-to-side blade play. The blade can be pushed to the center and will remain there until it is opened and closed, at which point it will go back to being off-center.
Within just a few minutes, I sent a PM to TxSportsman informing him of these issues, and asking to send the knife back him for a refund. He responded by saying that he didn't have any of these issues and wondered if someone may have messed with it. I certainly didn't mess with it, and even if I had wanted to, I wouldn't have had time. I can easily prove that I had been in Florida all week and that my flight landed just shortly before I sent him a message. The USPS box was undamaged, so these issues had to be present at the time of shipping. TxSportsman attached a photo in his message showing the blade centered, but as I explained, it can easily be pushed to the center and a picture could be taken with it centered, but that's not where it naturally wants to rest.
In my next message, I asked again that I be allowed to return the knife for a refund, and explained that I could ship tomorrow (2/10). I also explained how the blade could easily be pushed to the center and that a picture could be taken with it like that. *The centering photo was never in the sale thread*
I didn't get a response for a little while, so I messaged him again asking if I could return the knife. A few minutes later he responded and was offended that I would suggest that he took the centering picture after pushing on the blade, and also suggested that I try to adjust the pivot. At that point it was clear that he was refusing a return/refund, so I thanked him for showing his moral character and told him I thought he should be better than that. He responded by again denying that anything was wrong and telling me again to contact Tracy. He asked if I could send a video of the problem. I explained that uploading a video via PM doesn't really work on Bladeforums, and I asked him to text me or contact me on facebook messenger. That was hours ago, and it is clear that he isn't willing to accept a return and issue a refund on a knife that was grossly misrepresented.
I took several videos and contacted Tracy LaRock on Instagram, and he replied immediately and asked me to call him. He had pictures of the knife when he made it/sold it, and the blade was actually a few thousandths of an inch off-center the other way. Tracy said that by the one pivot screw being shiny and the fact that the centering had moved so much, along with the blade play, it was clear that someone had either taken the knife apart, which shouldn't be done, or someone had tried to make adjustments and had messed up. He asked for the sellers name, which I provided, and he informed me that he was not the original owner. It looks like I'll have to send the knife in to Tracy for repair, even though I didn't cause the damage.
I have sent a message to TxSportsman letting him know about this thread, and I have provided all of our private messages to a mod here on bladeforums so that they are fully aware of the situation. I always believe that a deal isn't done until both parties are satisfied, but obviously TxSportsman doesn't believe the same thing. For anyone that considers dealing with this guy, ask plenty of questions and request more pictures and videos, because he is happy to hide the imperfections.
Before editing, he stated that the knife was perfectly centered and brand new. There was no picture showing the centering, however. When I received the knife, I found it to be very off-center, one of the pivot screws had become pretty shiny from handling, and a lot of side-to-side blade play. The blade can be pushed to the center and will remain there until it is opened and closed, at which point it will go back to being off-center.
Within just a few minutes, I sent a PM to TxSportsman informing him of these issues, and asking to send the knife back him for a refund. He responded by saying that he didn't have any of these issues and wondered if someone may have messed with it. I certainly didn't mess with it, and even if I had wanted to, I wouldn't have had time. I can easily prove that I had been in Florida all week and that my flight landed just shortly before I sent him a message. The USPS box was undamaged, so these issues had to be present at the time of shipping. TxSportsman attached a photo in his message showing the blade centered, but as I explained, it can easily be pushed to the center and a picture could be taken with it centered, but that's not where it naturally wants to rest.
In my next message, I asked again that I be allowed to return the knife for a refund, and explained that I could ship tomorrow (2/10). I also explained how the blade could easily be pushed to the center and that a picture could be taken with it like that. *The centering photo was never in the sale thread*
I didn't get a response for a little while, so I messaged him again asking if I could return the knife. A few minutes later he responded and was offended that I would suggest that he took the centering picture after pushing on the blade, and also suggested that I try to adjust the pivot. At that point it was clear that he was refusing a return/refund, so I thanked him for showing his moral character and told him I thought he should be better than that. He responded by again denying that anything was wrong and telling me again to contact Tracy. He asked if I could send a video of the problem. I explained that uploading a video via PM doesn't really work on Bladeforums, and I asked him to text me or contact me on facebook messenger. That was hours ago, and it is clear that he isn't willing to accept a return and issue a refund on a knife that was grossly misrepresented.
I took several videos and contacted Tracy LaRock on Instagram, and he replied immediately and asked me to call him. He had pictures of the knife when he made it/sold it, and the blade was actually a few thousandths of an inch off-center the other way. Tracy said that by the one pivot screw being shiny and the fact that the centering had moved so much, along with the blade play, it was clear that someone had either taken the knife apart, which shouldn't be done, or someone had tried to make adjustments and had messed up. He asked for the sellers name, which I provided, and he informed me that he was not the original owner. It looks like I'll have to send the knife in to Tracy for repair, even though I didn't cause the damage.
I have sent a message to TxSportsman letting him know about this thread, and I have provided all of our private messages to a mod here on bladeforums so that they are fully aware of the situation. I always believe that a deal isn't done until both parties are satisfied, but obviously TxSportsman doesn't believe the same thing. For anyone that considers dealing with this guy, ask plenty of questions and request more pictures and videos, because he is happy to hide the imperfections.
