Contacting a maker about your order

I think this has been talked about before but I'm going to throw it out again. What is considered "good taste" when contacting a maker about your order? I've placed an order with a custom maker, gave him a deposit of 20%, and was told the knife should be ready "in a year". Its been 8 months. I had contact with him about 5 months ago and made some changes (blade material) but have'nt talked to him since. I don't want to come off as a pest but because of the "balance owed (@$500.00)" it would be real helpful if I knew the knife was going to be finished and ready for delivery as promised (@Jan '00) so I can plan my funds accordingly. When is it cool for me to contact him for an update and not risk being annoying? I know some people would contact the maker every month (or more) for an update but I'm not that kind of guy. I go by what someone says and if its suppose to be a year then its a year, right? Should I "bug" him for an update or let it ride? Any thoughts?
 

I found your posting to be very, very interesting because I frequently face the exact same dilemmas.

I think you should wait until three months before the knife is due. The knife maker might simply not know this early.

What I also wonder about is how often should one contact the knifemaker once the order is late, and sometimes way, way late. I face that frequently.

 
george tichbourne

george tichbourne

Joined
Apr 19, 1999
Messages
3,560
I personally don't think that contacting the maker is unreasonable or unwarrented so long as it it not on a weekly or daily basis. In fact I believe that as a maker if I have accepted a deposit I should update the customer on a regular basis if only to say that the knife has not been started yet but it is fourth in line with a start date expected whenever.

As a customer occasional contact to say hello is not out of line but please keep it brief. In some very rare cases the maker may have lost your order paperwork and the brief call will prevent dissapointment later on. I know one maker who had a fire in his shop and lost his records. He managed to remember most of the orders but one slipped his mind until the order was very late and the customer very angry, a phone call would
have prevented that problem.

There will always be the rare individual that takes offense that the customer had the nerve to call but most of us like to hear from our customers.



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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 
Hoss,

It is ok to contact a maker, it is not ok to pester one.

At this point there is nothing wrong with expressing your concerns (that you want to make sure you have the money). Trust me the maker wants to make sure you have the money as well.

He should have a much clearer picture of his delivery schedule then he did in January.

Tell him you would appreciate it if he would let you know 30 days out if the knife will be delivered on time or not. Chances are that the knife will be delayed. What are you doing a year from today?

Either way, keeping each other informed will help you and the maker remain friends for years to come.



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Les Robertson
Moderator
Robertson's Custom Cutlery
http://www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com/rcc/makers.shtml
I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.
 
Les, you summed it up in two sentences -

"Chances are that the knife will be delayed. What are you doing a year from today?"

I think that there's got to be some kind of theorem relating the length of time that the knife's actual delivery will go past the initial due date to how far out that due date was to begin with.
 
No offense here people but I really hope the knife is'nt delayed that long, I mean I gave the maker a deposit, he gave me a delivery date. If he had said "two years from now" then delivered it early, great! But I was quoted a year and he took my money as a deposit. I've got a knife on order with A.T. Barr, he DID NOT take a deposit (refused it) and said "about two years, maybe sooner, maybe later", I can live with that because I did'nt give him any money. I think by taking a deposit it should force a maker to make a real serious effort to finish the knife when he said it would be finished, and contact me if there is any change.
 
Hoss you have hit on a sensitive point with me right there....deposits. I don't like them unless the knife is really unique and going to be hard to sell if the original customer doesn't come through. Like many makers I feel under pressure after I have accepted one so whenever possible I work without deposits. I think this gives me a little more artistic freedom to spend longer on a design that is not coming together quite right instead of having a time schedule to meet.

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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 
Mr. Tichbourne I agree with you 100%, and regretably this has kinda gone off track from my original post, which was what is considered "good manners" when contacting a maker about your order. Now we are on to deposits and orders which, while related, is a little different. I guess thats my point, if you accept a deposit, then you are agreeing to a time schedule when the knife should be completed, barring unusual circumstances. I was only abiding by the makers' conditions when I gave him a deposit. I more than agree that "no deposits" creates less "bruised toes" and will patiently and pleasantly wait until the maker is finished. I'm sure this knife I have on order will be everything I hoped for and more. The maker is a professional so I'm sure that it won't be delayed (too much!), I just wanted a general opinion of when it would be o.k. to contact him to see if the knife is "on schedule". Thanks to everyone for the responses. Aloha!

 
BTW this maker was a real "gentleman". I started out ordering one of his base models and sent him a 20% deposit based on that price. I then added some "additional features" which added to the final cost. I asked him if he wanted me to send additional money for the deposit and he "politely refused". Said my original deposit was fine! A real class act!
 
Hoss: I have to agree with the others-I don't take deposits, and don't see any benefit to the customer in paying one. IMHO, giving a deposit doesn't assure your delivery date. Makers who don't take deposits look forward to 100% payment on completion-the best incentive there is!
Unless it's a real odd ball knife, a maker shouldn't need to hedge against a sale falling through. Just my 2 cents.

RJ Martin
 
O.K. I'm banging my head against my computer (JK, I think!) I agree with everyone about the deposit factor, but I just wanted to know when its cool to contact a maker about an order. Mr. Martin, I ordered a "Kozuka" from you earlier this year. It was the first true "custom" knife that I had ever ordered and it was a little "strange" for me to place an order for something and not pay something upfront. You gave me a target date of completion and said you'd be in touch. Much to my suprise you contacted me early (I figured it would be later) and made my day (week, month) when you told me my knife was ready! I love the knife and carry it everyday. But I'm curious if I would be considered a "pest" if I am contacting you (or another maker) for an update about a knife on order when you give me a certain target date. Is an e-mail for an update every once in a while considered "rude"? Usually not a day goes by where I'm not somehow thinking (and lusting) over a knife I have on order. It gives me something to look forward to and an update would put my mind at ease.
 
Hoss- Looks like you are getting some pretty sound advise. As a maker, collector and dealer I have opinions on everything. I do not take deposits except for special orders, I never have had a problem calling a maker to ask about progress reports, again, I never make a pest of myself. Not big on giving deposits except for a nominal sum such as $25.
Dave ellis, ABS, Mastersmith http://www.mastersmith.com

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