BladeCustoms21/Sam Nicholson fails as a custom service provider

jeronimo

jeronimo

Gold Member
Feedback: +177 / =0 / -0
Joined
Dec 22, 2009
Messages
863
Early last month, I contacted Sam Nicholson/BladeCustoms21, regarding some acid etch and stonewash work for two of my knives, and then sent the blades and hardware to him.

Spyderco Dragonfly, FRN, ZDP-189
Spyderco Manix 2, Sprint Run, CTS-BD30P

On April the 15th, Sam sends me this e-mail:
"My wife went into labor yesterday and long story short, the knives where thus forgotten about in the acid... So instead of giving you back your blades that are kind of not fixable in terms of the acid washing I will personally buy and ship replacements if that's what you want. I don't want to be a jerk and just refund the $50 and give you mangled knives.
Or give me a few days and I'll try and refinish them. They are dark but not consistent they are kind of blotchy. With a little time I can refinish them. Or just get you replacements."

I replied:
"Replacing the Manix 2 will be somewhat problematic, considering it was a sprint run, and no longer available.
I cannot convey to you, in text, the hassle I had to go through with Spyderco and that knife.
The ZDP-189 Dragonfly is still in production, and readily available.
Use your best judgement on how you decide to resolve this.
I am very disappointed, to say the least."

Sam replied:
"I can fix it. Would of rather just sent out replacements to save time and hassle but I see that's not really an option. I'll have them sent out this week."

On April the 22nd, I sent this e-mail:
"Been a week since I heard from you. What's up with my knife parts?"

Sam replied:
"Shipping out today."

On April the 23rd, I asked Sam for the tracking #, he did not reply.
On April the 27th, I asked:
"Where are my parts?"

Sam replied:
"I'm guessing in transit.."

This is the last communication I received from Sam Nicholson.

On May the 2nd, I sent Sam this e-mail, to which he did not respond:
"If you shipped my parts out on April 22nd, like you said you were going to, they should have been here by now. By what method did you ship my parts?"

I filed a dispute with Sam on PayPal the next day. That evening, Sam had the dispute moved up to "Claim" status.

PayPal found in my favor, as Sam obviously couldn't prove that he had ever sent my knife parts.

I have since tried to contact Sam, to reason with him, but have received no response from him.

Now, if Sam Nicholson would step up and make this right with me, as he said he would in the first place, I will be willing to forgive, but I will not forget.

Jeron Sewell
 
I'll send him a PM informing him of this thread.
 
I dot understand why people want to offer services that they haven't perfected let alone have down pat. Then they get over their head and mess up something they can't fix. Smh
 
Any updates on this? Mistakes happen, we're only human and mistakes can be forgiven and in this case replaced (one would hope). However, hiding and ignoring these situations is what I just don't understand.
 
ShepardCC said:
I dot understand why people want to offer services that they haven't perfected let alone have down pat. Then they get over their head and mess up something they can't fix. Smh
Click to expand...

Yeah, I took a gamble on a person with no feedback, and I got burned.
A service provider has to get a start on here somehow, and I gave him a chance.
Hopefully, others can benefit from the mistake I made.

No response from Sam Nicholson/BladeCustoms21 yet, RevDevil.
I was hoping he may have responded to one of the Mods, at least.
I noticed that his "online now" status indicator went off a day or two after this thread was started.

Jeron
 
jeronimo said:
Yeah, I took a gamble on a person with no feedback, and I got burned.
A service provider has to get a start on here somehow, and I gave him a chance.
Hopefully, others can benefit from the mistake I made.

No response from Sam Nicholson/BladeCustoms21 yet, RevDevil.
I was hoping he may have responded to one of the Mods, at least.
I noticed that his "online now" status indicator went off a day or two after this thread was started.

Jeron
Click to expand...

I'll reach out again.
 
I
jeronimo said:
Early last month, I contacted Sam Nicholson/BladeCustoms21, regarding some acid etch and stonewash work for two of my knives, and then sent the blades and hardware to him.

Spyderco Dragonfly, FRN, ZDP-189
Spyderco Manix 2, Sprint Run, CTS-BD30P

On April the 15th, Sam sends me this e-mail:
"My wife went into labor yesterday and long story short, the knives where thus forgotten about in the acid... So instead of giving you back your blades that are kind of not fixable in terms of the acid washing I will personally buy and ship replacements if that's what you want. I don't want to be a jerk and just refund the $50 and give you mangled knives.
Or give me a few days and I'll try and refinish them. They are dark but not consistent they are kind of blotchy. With a little time I can refinish them. Or just get you replacements."

I replied:
"Replacing the Manix 2 will be somewhat problematic, considering it was a sprint run, and no longer available.
I cannot convey to you, in text, the hassle I had to go through with Spyderco and that knife.
The ZDP-189 Dragonfly is still in production, and readily available.
Use your best judgement on how you decide to resolve this.
I am very disappointed, to say the least."

Sam replied:
"I can fix it. Would of rather just sent out replacements to save time and hassle but I see that's not really an option. I'll have them sent out this week."

On April the 22nd, I sent this e-mail:
"Been a week since I heard from you. What's up with my knife parts?"

Sam replied:
"Shipping out today."

On April the 23rd, I asked Sam for the tracking #, he did not reply.
On April the 27th, I asked:
"Where are my parts?"

Sam replied:
"I'm guessing in transit.."

This is the last communication I received from Sam Nicholson.

On May the 2nd, I sent Sam this e-mail, to which he did not respond:
"If you shipped my parts out on April 22nd, like you said you were going to, they should have been here by now. By what method did you ship my parts?"

I filed a dispute with Sam on PayPal the next day. That evening, Sam had the dispute moved up to "Claim" status.

PayPal found in my favor, as Sam obviously couldn't prove that he had ever sent my knife parts.

I have since tried to contact Sam, to reason with him, but have received no response from him.

Now, if Sam Nicholson would step up and make this right with me, as he said he would in the first place, I will be willing to forgive, but I will not forget.

Jeron Sewell
Click to expand...


Sorry
 
Last edited:
I see you edited your response, which you were wise to do.
I respect your obligations to your family Sam,
but, it's time to stop using that as an excuse to divert attention away from your incompetence.
I have yet to receive my knife parts. The burden of proof, and responsibility for my property
lies solely with you, as a service provider, Sam.
 
This was his reply to my PM:

I did the right thing from the beginning. he screwed me over. I'm done with this. Sorry he waisted yours and my time
Click to expand...

So, Jeronimo, are you going to post pictures of the knives/parts you got back? I'm not going to take any further action until this becomes a lot clearer. Currently, there are a lot of issues and even less detail on both sides. On one hand we have a new business owner with a new addition to his family, on the other we have a complaint that so far has gone uncontested.

Sam's precious post here indicated that he got burned a claim was filed and the money paid was resclaimed to Jero. But, the problem is that if the knives were damaged beyond repair, then of course there would be no charge. I just don't get why people bite off more than they can chew, and then don't take responsibility for their actions.
 
Here are the current rules for Knifemakers/Service Providers:
1. Be sure that you can offer the service you specify in the time frame agreed upon, for the price you have offered.
2. Provide as many photos as possible, in the best lighting possible.
3. List your prices and terms clearly in your threads or website, don't make potential buyers guess.
4. Keep your customers updated. If you have personal or other that arise unexpectedly, communicate that to your customers and keep them informed within reasonable time frames as to when the work will be completed.
5. Do not attempt to sell or ship illegal items using Bladeforums as an intermediary.
6. Choosing to ignore these responsibilities can result in a locked account and suspension of priviledges.
7. Repeated failure to communicate, deliver on time, or provide acceptable services can result in infractions leading to a locked account.
Click to expand...

Seems pretty cut and dry to me.
 
As I stated before RevDevil, I never received my parts back from Sam Nicholson.
The only picture that exists of any of my parts, that of the Manix 2 blade and liners, is contained in the e-mails I forwarded to you.
Sam took that picture to show me what the extended acid bath had done to the blade and liners.
I have provided all the clarity I am able to give you, with those forwarded e-mails.
JS
 
The following quote is from this link:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/744662-***-Mailing-Security



We have a tradition here that no deal is final until both parties are satisfied. Not everyone understands or subscribes to it, but everyone understands a contract.

If you send someone money for a purchase or you send them goods as a trade, they owe you the goods you agreed to in return. Period.


This has nothing to do with insurance, delivery confirmation, or signature required -- those are just postal services to reassure the sender that his interests will be protected.

Whether or not he chooses to use them, he still owes you the goods you paid or traded for. If he doesn't get his half of the deal to you, he owes you a full refund.

It doesn't matter if the goods were lost in transit, stolen from your doorstep, or fell out of a poorly packed container. Until you get yours, he owes you. Even if the loss is not his fault.

That's why he owes it to himself to buy insurance, delivery confirmation, and signature required. Considering the high dollar value of many Busse transactions, Express Mail or Registered Mail would be an even better idea. But that's not the buyer's decision to make, since secure delivery is the seller's responsibility in every case.
Click to expand...

The following quote is from Sam Nicholson/BladeCustoms21's business thread, link here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1048516-Stonewash-Other-Finish-work

You pay to ship to me, and I pay for return shipping/insurance.
Click to expand...


The following is Sam's original response in post #9 above, which he edited, to simply say "Sorry".

Would of responded sooner but after all:

Baby > Your issues

I sent you your knives. You screwed me knowing I didn't have a tracking number and filed a dispute for your $50 back so you got the knives serviced for free. I'm done with this crap. Go waist someone else's time.
Click to expand...


I have posted this to add clarity to this business transaction gone bad.

JS
 
It does not appear that Sam wants to continue to do business on here. Starting a new business with a lot of potential clients and money to be made hand over fist providing good work is being thrown away for a measly 2 knives. I offered him an opportunity to provide feedback, and his side of the story. He flat out refused.

This is NOT the way to conduct business on here, or anywhere else for that matter. While I don't know the extent of his circumstances I can offer some degree of empathy. He was given ample time to explain, email, call, text, you name it. The rules to being a Knifemaker/Craftsman are simple and clearly outlined above. If you cannot follow those simple rules, then you obviously do not have any interest in doing business here. We do not want people doing these kinds of things in the community here, so he has got to go.
 
I do not believe Sam Nicholson ever shipped my parts, as he claimed.
Easier to sidestep having to replace them, after damaging them beyond repair.
He succeeded, at the cost of his reputation and BF priveleges.
Bad business.
JS
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top