Update: I have been contacted by representatives of Canal Street, apologized to and the situation appears to be heading towards a happy resolution.
Update #2: I was contacted by Wally Gardiner, owner of Canal Street Cutlery. He apologized personally and took full responsibility for this situation and told me changes had taken place to ensure this would not happen to any other customers. He went on to tell me my knife would be on the way shortly and that they would include "a little something" for my troubles. I received a package with two knives in it in the mail. The Swell Center is as good as it should be and they included a half-moon trapper in elk stag and engraved bolsters with my initials.
Very upstanding in my opinion. I am always impressed when a company/individual owns up to a mistake and sets everything straight again.
Original post below.
I purchased my second Canal Street knife, a swell center jack about October of 2011, unused, new in box. I opened the box up, gave it a quick once over and put it away. I pulled it out a month later, about October of 2011 and went over it. I was very shocked as my other Canal Street, the 2006 BF ring opener, is flawless. This particular swell center is flawed in every mechanical aspect. The blades (both) were so off center the edges were biting into the liners, quickly leading to large scratches on both sides of the blade. Side to side blade play was present to the point the large blade wiggled just by moving my wrist side to side. Television could be watched through the gaps in the liners. It was also quite over-bladed, the blade extended over the backsprings in excess of 1mm I would guess. I quickly sent off an email to their customer service and was instructed to send it in and they would get it fixed. I followed this up with a quick phone call and was reassured all would be fixed, to just send it in. The email I received as follows:
Dear Rob,
Kindly return your knife to us for repair, Canal Street Cutlery Co., 30 Canal Street, Ellenville NY 12428. We will correct these problems and return it to you promptly.
Best regards,
name withheld
I was none too worried at this point. Mistakes are made in manufacturing, lemons sneak through quality control. I shipped my knife off a few weeks later and it was received, November 22nd, 2011, signed by the person I spoke with on the phone, same person who sent the above email.
On January 12, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
On February 5, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
On February 23, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
I gave them a call, late April - early May and talked with the same person I had earlier spoken with. I was told they had my knife but that the blades were warped and it could not be repaired until they received new blades and that they would get my knife back to me as soon as they could.
On July 7, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
On August 1, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
On December 12, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife, that email is as follows:
Hello Canal Street,
I contacted you over a very poorly fitted knife I purchased last year. It should never have left your facility. Among its faults, the edges on both blades hit the liners. The edges. Side to side bladeplay was terrible. Large gaps in the liners.
I was told to ship it in. I overnighted it to you.
That was last November. 2011.
I have waited and waited, contacting you 3 times by email and 1 time by phone.
You have my defective property to which you have offered warranty service.
If you cannot fix it satisfactorily, I would accept a credit towards something else.
Again, it has been over a full year since you instructed me to send it to you, at my expense, and took possession of my knife.
sincerely
Surprisingly, once again, no response.
In part the Canal Street warranty reads:
What we will do: We will repair or replace the knife at our option at no charge. We reserve the right ot substitute a knife of equal usefulness or value.
Am I being hasty? Does it take years to repair a knife? I am not one to go online and complain, but that knife sells online for about $100, on their website it is $165.
Perhaps a representative of Canal Street will be able to respond to me and get me squared away.
Update #2: I was contacted by Wally Gardiner, owner of Canal Street Cutlery. He apologized personally and took full responsibility for this situation and told me changes had taken place to ensure this would not happen to any other customers. He went on to tell me my knife would be on the way shortly and that they would include "a little something" for my troubles. I received a package with two knives in it in the mail. The Swell Center is as good as it should be and they included a half-moon trapper in elk stag and engraved bolsters with my initials.
Very upstanding in my opinion. I am always impressed when a company/individual owns up to a mistake and sets everything straight again.
Original post below.
I purchased my second Canal Street knife, a swell center jack about October of 2011, unused, new in box. I opened the box up, gave it a quick once over and put it away. I pulled it out a month later, about October of 2011 and went over it. I was very shocked as my other Canal Street, the 2006 BF ring opener, is flawless. This particular swell center is flawed in every mechanical aspect. The blades (both) were so off center the edges were biting into the liners, quickly leading to large scratches on both sides of the blade. Side to side blade play was present to the point the large blade wiggled just by moving my wrist side to side. Television could be watched through the gaps in the liners. It was also quite over-bladed, the blade extended over the backsprings in excess of 1mm I would guess. I quickly sent off an email to their customer service and was instructed to send it in and they would get it fixed. I followed this up with a quick phone call and was reassured all would be fixed, to just send it in. The email I received as follows:
Dear Rob,
Kindly return your knife to us for repair, Canal Street Cutlery Co., 30 Canal Street, Ellenville NY 12428. We will correct these problems and return it to you promptly.
Best regards,
name withheld
I was none too worried at this point. Mistakes are made in manufacturing, lemons sneak through quality control. I shipped my knife off a few weeks later and it was received, November 22nd, 2011, signed by the person I spoke with on the phone, same person who sent the above email.
On January 12, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
On February 5, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
On February 23, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
I gave them a call, late April - early May and talked with the same person I had earlier spoken with. I was told they had my knife but that the blades were warped and it could not be repaired until they received new blades and that they would get my knife back to me as soon as they could.
On July 7, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
On August 1, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife. No response.
On December 12, 2012, I sent off an email inquiring as to the status of my knife, that email is as follows:
Hello Canal Street,
I contacted you over a very poorly fitted knife I purchased last year. It should never have left your facility. Among its faults, the edges on both blades hit the liners. The edges. Side to side bladeplay was terrible. Large gaps in the liners.
I was told to ship it in. I overnighted it to you.
That was last November. 2011.
I have waited and waited, contacting you 3 times by email and 1 time by phone.
You have my defective property to which you have offered warranty service.
If you cannot fix it satisfactorily, I would accept a credit towards something else.
Again, it has been over a full year since you instructed me to send it to you, at my expense, and took possession of my knife.
sincerely
Surprisingly, once again, no response.
In part the Canal Street warranty reads:
What we will do: We will repair or replace the knife at our option at no charge. We reserve the right ot substitute a knife of equal usefulness or value.
Am I being hasty? Does it take years to repair a knife? I am not one to go online and complain, but that knife sells online for about $100, on their website it is $165.
Perhaps a representative of Canal Street will be able to respond to me and get me squared away.
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