CRK disrespectful to customers?

I ordered a few months ago. Sure, I wish the prices didn’t go up but I don’t feel disrespected. Their backlog is like half a decade. They have held prices flat for a long time. Their costs are going up. It’s a business. They are passing on the costs to their customers. Makes sense to me.

Inflation sucks.
 
CRK has kept the same pricing for a long time. Raising prices based on the market economy is fair and expected. I’m surprised they did not raise prices higher. The wait list is a bit of a gamble in the time vs materials and labor cost. I would understand an adjusted purchase price. You could decline the order.
 
I can understand why a consumer would initially be upset luckily no money changed hands.
 
Last edited:
As long as their policy is clearly stated, I don't think there's any "foul play" Who knows what will happen in 6 yrs.... want your salary locked in for that long? I have come to HATE the term "Disrespect" in this regard. Now "Disrespectful" would be making a price increase retroactive!
 
From the just received email from CRK.

To our customers who responded to our recent price increase, thank you for sharing your thoughts. We know many of you have invested your time and interest in our company. We are very grateful. On various social media platforms, we’ve seen a mix of support for the change and outrage against it. For some, our company’s character has been questioned, and it’s this question we’d like to address. Read more on our blog >
 
Last edited:
If you are not happy with the way that a company conducts business, then take your business elsewhere. Whining about it will not change it.
 
It is kinda strange to be blaming CRK for inflation. We all know……..at least some of us know….what is responsible for this. It isn’t just knives shooting up in price. It’s everywhere.

The ancient laws of economics still apply. Huge volumes of newly-printed money, chasing the same volume of consumer goods, will drive everything up in price. CRK isn’t immune, and can’t stave off our new reality any more than anyone else.
 
I’m in the same boat as you but I have 3 different orders I’m waiting on. I’m fine with a price increase as just about every darn thing has gone up in price over that last couple years. I think your gripe should be with the government not a manufacturing company trying to survive record inflation.
 
Prices I’ve quoted 3 months ago cannot be honored today. The rise in cost for material is ridiculous now. I’ve seen some materials I use double in price from 6 months ago. The quotes I give now are only good for two weeks depending on the work I’m quoting. I’ve learned to ask the supply house how often is the material seeing a price increase. Some material is stable, some is not. And that’s not including fuel prices and insurance costs.
So, no CRK is not being disrespectful to their customers.
 
A tale as old as time: People mad about any price increases that will hear no arguments in support of it. Inflation and cost of raw materials/labor be damned! They want their knife for the same price forever!
 
To feel disrespected you have to take the decision personally or as directed at you. I've got two on order and no, I don't feel disrespected. There is zero commitment on my part to place the order and if my circumstances changed I wouldn't feel an ounce of guilt for not buying when they're done. I knew when I made the order that prices were subject to change.

I don't work in the manufacturing industry but I think just about everywhere is struggling to hire and retain employees. Labor costs are up. Material costs are up. Demand is way up, everything sells as soon as it drops. Chris Reeve needs to stay in business and keep their experienced employees. They need to pay their employees enough that they don't leave. Their wait time is six years on some knives? Obviously they can't wait six years to enact a price hike, in fact I won't be at all surprised to see another one in about a year.

How many people on the wait list are buying knives just to flip them? They place an order every so often for a Umnumzaan then put it on the exchange as soon as they get it for an extra $100+. That price hike is digging into their profits, no wonder they're upset. I'd rather have an extra $50 going to CRK than to flippers.
 
They should have not quoted a price when ordered. The website should state "market price" will be charged at the time your knife is ready to be shipped. They didn't, so the Ann&Tim show should honor their quoted price. This is ethics not business law. They can raise the price on dealers to make up what they lose honoring their on-line commitments to the "little man". Remember the dealer price is probablly 1/2 retail and they brought MAP pricing to the knife world.

My firm never quotes a price w/o an expiration date on the price. Once the customer commits, we honor the price. But then we don't wait years to fullfill an order either.

Buy a used one online. One made when Chris was in charge. It'll be a Chris Reeve knife, not an Ann&Tim knife.
 
Disrespectful? Not all if, if anything it seems like they've bent over backwards to be communicative and thoughtful and honest.

I do think they should have raised prices before wait times got so out of control (and then been more able to keep preorder pricing for those customers) but hindsight is 20/20 and I'm obviously not privy to all the factor that went into their decision.

What is hilarious is the simps on Facebook saying "oh please raise the price to anything you want I'll keep buying your knives because I love you so much."
 
I placed an order on their website today, and they were very clear and upfront about future price changes. I have no idea about before. Considering they didn't require upfront payment, can't complain about that! I would view price changes differently if advance payment was required- but that is not the case.

I'm hoping their lead-time estimates are conservative! :cool:
 
Pricing Policy: It is our intention to honor the quoted price you received when placing your order. If the cost of materials, supplies, and labor significantly increases, implementing a price increase to backorders may be unavoidable. If this becomes necessary, we will communicate changes to your order as promptly as possible. Thank you for your loyalty, patience, and understanding.

Has this disclaimer been there since before those long lead times? I’m not a lawyer, but this sounds very cut and dry. Trust me, I can skip over eula’s and disclaimers with the quickest of them, but if you’re generally the type to make a big deal out of everything, it’s a good idea to read these things. Words have meaning
 
Herr geiser said:
Be careful what you stress out over...
Click to expand...
You are right to be upset. Either cancel the order and move on, or pay the extra $$$$ and enjoy your knife. BTW, there is no guarantee that there may not be further price hikes on your order before the delivery date.

CRK feels they are leaving too much money in their customers hands and that their customers wouldn't mind paying them more. So either cancel the order and help to prove them wrong, or pony up and perhaps they will do it to you yet again. Personally, I find raising prices on pre-placed orders to be great reason to stop doing business with someone.

n2s
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top