Bear MGC/ Bear and Son Cutlery My Boycott

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Hoody

Hoody

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Ok I have posted about some of this in the Balisong Forum but figured I should post a thread in TGBU.

So let my Bear cutlery boycott begin. I've though about this for a while and have finally decided to post it here also to keep others informed about a company that has terrible customer service. I also e-mailed them again (today) to let them know that I'm still not happy with the way I was treated and will keep informing others about it.
Here's the deal: Back in Sept. or Oct. I had the pleasure of breaking the pivot pin on my Bear CB17D Balisong/ butterfly knife (cocobola handle damascus blade) and I also had a broken 114B (black slotted handle) So I shipped them back to the Bear and Son company. Figured since I was shipping 2 I would include a check for $10 (return postage). About two weeks after shipping my knives to Bear I received a letter from bear requesting an additional $7. It stated that to repair the handles on the 114 it cost $4 and to replace the pin on the CB17D it was $3. I sent the check with a note asking what's with the extra charge. I thought my knives were covered under warranty. I received this e-mail from the Bear and Son Co.

Mr Hood

All Bear knives have a lifetime warranty under normal wear and tear
except for butterfly knives. I am sorry for any inconvenience. I will
get the knife on the system today. Repair usually takes 2-4 weeks. Thank
you for your time.

Thank You,
Karry
--
Customer Service
Bear and Son Cutlery
1111 Bear Blvd. SW
Jacksonville, AL 36265
custservice1@bearandson.com
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I replied:




Karry:

Let me first thank you for your reply to the note I sent with the payment I sent to repair two of my Bear Butterfly knives. I wrote that note out of a little bit of disappointment, as it was my understanding that all my Bear Butterfly knives were covered with the lifetime warranty. I have enclosed a scan of the warranty card that I received with almost every Bear Butterfly knife I own, that doesn't mention or exclude Butterfly knives. I can also scan (if you would like to see it) a previous work order from another Butterfly knife that was repaired under warranty without any additional charge. The reason for failure for both knives I sent in was simply from daily use, not from any abuse or abnormal use. The charge although minimal ($7.00) just bothered me because I was under the impression that they were covered.
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I haven't received a reply from Bear after that e-mail (they did cash my checks). I did receive my knives back (turn around time about 6 weeks). It seems they put new cocobola handles on the old blade making the CB17D almost new. The 114B they sent me was a new one. I am afraid to flip any of my Bear Butterfly knives since they are no longer covered by the warranty that was offered when I purchased them (see warranty card below).





If you are still with me and agree with me that they should stand behind the product they make and sell, feel free to e-mail them. Or if I've opened your eyes and will make you think twice before buying something they make e-mail them and let them know that another collector has rattled your trust of them. Maybe they'll learn that this isn't a way to treat the collectors that buy their items.

custservice1@bearandson.com



Hoody
 
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SIFU1A said:
i agree they shoulda covered them imho, but hey $7 i wouldnt go nutz about it,
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It's not the $7 that got to me. I have always been a Bear fan and Have about 19 or 20 of the butterfly knives they made. Many with their damascus blades in all kinds of handle materials (Micarta, Cocobola, Ivory, Stag, and Bone) At the retail value I'd say they add up to around $1,000 invested in Bear products. Almost every one I purchased included a warranty card and now they decide that they aren't going to honor it, is what gets me. They've lost me as a customer. However if they continue to operate like this I don't see them having any loyal customers. Or if I can warn others or make them think before they buy I'm happy.



Hoody
 
I have a few Bear MGC knives; lockbacks and fixed. I have Damascus and SS blades, wood and stag handles. The large Damascus folder was bought new off Evil-Bay from a store, a few were bought through the mail, and some from a local Academy store. The locally obtained were the most troublesome - and a few went back for refunds, generally being slippies/lockbacks that didn' feel right or have a centered blade (In fairness, they were on closeout - may have been handled by many folks.). Everything else was fine. None included a warranty card. I like the prospect of owning something made in Alabama (Even the Damascus!), even if they can best be described as 'pedestrian'. I'll keep buying them, knowing my Bucks are better - and no one complains about Buck's warranty.

Stainz
 
Stainz said:
None included a warranty card. I like the prospect of owning something made in Alabama (Even the Damascus!), even if they can best be described as 'pedestrian'. I'll keep buying them, knowing my Bucks are better - and no one complains about Buck's warranty.

Stainz
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Stainz:
I also liked the fact that they were made in the US. The Damascus isn't great but they were nice for the $$$. I figured since the price was always reasonable and they had a warranty I couldn't go wrong. However I'll never buy another bear product again after this. If I bought them knowing they weren't under warranty that's one thing. But for Bear to change it a couple of years later and not honor the warranty is a little disappointing.




Hoody
 
Well I took a second to send an e-mail to Bear to inform them about my dissatisfaction. I figured they would at least take the time to shoot me an e-mail. Figured it would read like: Sorry but the warranty we once included with our butterfly knives is no longer offered. Thanks for your past support. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. However five days later and I haven't received any contact from Bear. Guess they really don't care about customer service or customer satisfaction.




Hoody
 
I have a 114B and 114BTR on order. Perhaps I'm lucky that the retailer I chose are back-ordered and won't take delivery for a few weeks. I'm seriously considering canceling my order after reading this. The fact that they would drop butterfly coverage is bad enough but that they would fail to make any effort to disclose this to current and prospective customers is some stinky business. Thanks! Good to know!
 
BBB Local Chamber of commerce, State Attorneys Office for fraudulent warranty (service), man, this is an easy one to remedy! Your local News Consumer reporter would get on those Bulldogs in a heartbeat. This is a Nationally distributed product that every State has different Warranty laws, look into your's...and let Bear know...
 
IMO, if their warranty does not cover their butterfly knives, it should say so. And if your knives were purchased before a change in policy (publicized or not), your knives should be covered anyway.

And, most importantly, if they're aware that their butterfly knives are crap, they should recall and repair ALL of them...

Sorry I can't join in your boycott though - I haven't bought any Bear knives in years...
 
Considering how a really highend bali maker like MicroTech has handled customer service, Bear looks good. Times change, customers aren't what they used to be too -- a couple of scammers can turn a company's policies around. It's impossible for them to notify everyone who might have bought one of their products.

It's always a good idea to complain when you're unhappy, and FEEDBACK is here to let the rest of us know about problems, but I have to tell you, I wince when I hear a word like boycott.
 
Well Hoody, I'll buy the two Bears seconhand from you, the price is right. But I do appreciate you letting us know what to expect warranty-wise when buying new ones. They're mid-level knives anyway, I think I may just splurge for a new BM.

People are happy with BM right? I mean everyone but that assisted-knives.com asshat who got himself banned?
 
Hoody, first of all I don't have a dog in this fight, but I am curious. What I am curious about is the ratio between the times your knife is flipped and the times you actually use the knife to cut something or some other work. It does seems that butterfly knives do get and inordinate amount of opening and closing or flipping which one would think would contribute to a lot of normal wear and tear, right? Following that train of thought it seems very reasonable that a company might revisit their warranty policy concerning butterfly knives.

Also what would you consider normal use in terms of flipping versus a lock back or a slip joint. Would a single flip and then a real use and then another single flip and then another real use of the blade be considered normal use?

If so, then multiple and repeated flipping with no intervening use could reasonably fall very near the abuse category.

As I stated in the beginning, I'm just curious and nothing I have written was or is intended to start a butterfly riot. To each his own.

Paul
 
Thread-Crap-Wont_Die.jpg
 
Hey I saved up for a large stockman from hardware hank. I am overall happy with Ito prefer my buck trio but I had left it at a relatives so bought that bear. If you do be brave one here our something to do. The main and sheeps are pretty dull so you need to sharpen it with a stone. The clip was the sharpest but it scares me to try to sharpen it. Warning don't buy Chinese saks.
 
Double necro. Looks like cougar nailed this one. It just won't die.
 
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