First of all, this entire issue relates to value. Benchmade's knife were a better value at a lower price to me. I do not have unlimited means and therefore I want to get the best product I can for the money I spend. Suddenly other knives are better value to me because their prices and quality are still the same, so I can understand people comparing Benchmade to the other brands now. Trying to see how Benchmade's newly priced knives compare now.
Secondly, you speak of respect. From what I've seen, there hasn't been a lot of respect for the consumers or this sub-forum coming from Benchmade. It took them a week to release a canned PR statement that basically was either semantics or an outright lie, depending on how you look at it. Nothing else has been said. So who exactly is disrespecting who, here?
Very well said. It is about 2 issues:
- Benchmade using what is called "Agency Pricing" (setting mandatory MAP) to advance whatever their agenda might be.
- Benchmade's lack of respect for their customers here and elsewhere.
In #1, it all boils down to value. An increase in price to the customer (those of us who use the discounts) decreases value by raising cost without raising quality. I haven't, and won't, mention specific competitors or their products but I think it is absolutely fair game to discuss BM's value and BM's products.
#2 isn't the only issue here at all, but it is a HUGE issue. It tells us exactly what Benchmade thinks of us.
BM has every right to run their company as they see fit and they even have the right to insult us, but in return we have the right (as long as the Mods allow us to do such in this private forum) to respond to those issues. So, IMHO, it is very bad form on the part of this MFG to interface with their customers as they have done to date. It is also bad form and rude to bring up specific competitors or specific products from those competitors. But is certainly NOT bad form to discuss the perceived reduction in value to BM's own products.
I said it earlier and I'll say it again. I'm not angry, just disappointed that I have invested much time and $$$ into this company only to be treated this way and insulted as they have done. As far as value, well, I have more choices in this world to spend my money than I have money to spend. And that isn't just knives. There is lots of stuff in this big ole world to buy and lots of places to invest. The implementation of Agency Pricing is just another (very big) consideration as to how I manage those few dollars that I have. I'm attracted to value. From my perspective, BM just kicked value in the butt with a 30% (give or take) increase in price without anything additional to warrant that increase. That is a value plummet, IMHO. I just can't see me spending money on these products again, but I'll never say never. Things happen. But even if not another penny of MY money goes into their products, it will impact them not at all.
This thread has been very, very eye opening from several perspectives. Not the least of which is a better understanding of who I am really dealing with when I buy a BM product.
Finally - this is just my opinion and how I feel. To each his/her own. I seriously doubt that anything we say will cause BM to reconsider this direction. They have shown that they couldn't care less about their customers when it comes to product and pricing and communication . As I also inferred in an earlier post, it will be very interesting to see if this incident turns out to be a cornerstone to a change in this company's financial health - pro or con. Will enough customers react to pricing as I will or is this not enough of an issue to the bulk of their customers to impact the bottom line? They think that losing a few people like me is not a big enough issue to warrant a change in their agenda (whatever that might be) and they may be right. Only time will tell. They will do what they think they need to do and so will I. In the long run, it will have no real impact on me (money will just go elsewhere) either although it is disappointing today.
Sorry. Didn't plan to be so verbose.
JMO.
