DavidT needs Usual Suspect support. (Long)

Eric Blair

Eric Blair

Joined
Dec 25, 2000
Messages
868
I have a tremendous amount of respect for our fellow Ususal Suspect DavidT. In fact, I have far more respect for David than I do Emerson Knives, which is why I'm writing this post.
When people suddenly surface in here and begin complaining about Quality Control / Customer Service, I tend to not take it very seriously because I don't really know these people. But when David talks, I listen. David is one of US.
David is too much of a gentleman to write a post such as this, but I guess I'm not much of a gentleman because I refuse to remain silent.
I don't have first hand experience with the alleged QC issues because all of my Emerson Knives and those belonging to friends of mine all work great, therefore until I see examples of poor quality, I tend to disbelieve that the poor quality exists to the extent of which it is being portrayed. But this is more about Customer Service that Quality Control.
David seems to be having trouble obtaining a few screws/spare parts from EKI for his Emerson Knives. He's not asking them for much, especially considering the extent of his Emerson collection. So why can't EKI grant him this small request? Apparently because they don't understand anything about Customer Service and loyalty.
I for one do not want DavidT to leave this forum, but it sounds like it's coming to that. I would very much miss his wit and humor and good nature. If he leaves, the Usual Suspects will not be the same.
Here's the irony; Several weeks ago, I requested the same spare parts from EKI which David requested, yet they sent the parts to me rather quicky and didn't charge me a penny. Good. Now I can send mine to David so that he has what he needs WITHOUT the further frustration of dealing with EKI, and without him having to pay $12 for a few screws and a clip.
David has spent far more money on Emerson Knives than I ever have, therefore he deserves free parts more than I do. Of course David can afford to buy these parts from EKI, but why should he?? He shouldn't.
When I'm wrong, I admit it. I was wrong to defend Emerson Knives because I didn't realize their Customer Service stance until corresponding with my friend David tonight. I apologize to those who I challenged in regards to their negative Customer Service experiences. But I do not apologize for this post, nor do I apologize for supporting a fellow Usual Suspect, which I will do whenever necessary. To me, this forum is about comradery and friendship, and not necessarily the knives that brought us together. Maybe EKI will change their attitudes towards customer service, or maybe they won't. But why should their stance have any effect upon Usual Suspect comradery? It shouldn't.
David? I'm not leaving this forum unless they throw me out, and I certainly hope that you don't either. Friendship comes first, and the knives are a distant second. Think about it. All Usual Suspects should think about it. Are we here to support Emerson Knives, or are we here to support each other and our core beliefs? Thanks for reading this.

Eric


[This message has been edited by Eric Blair (edited 02-14-2001).]
 
Eric, first & foremost I want to sincerely thank you & others for your support. I have to agree with you that it's not really the knives that bonds us, but more so of a friendship which we develop. I have spoken to many of you off the forums & consider you to be friends. Heck I even invited you guys to my house.
smile.gif
The fact that we like the same brand of knives is just an added bonus. Even a little friendship is stronger then any knife.

I noted in an email to Emerson Knives that I was not going to post anything negative on the forums & I will keep this promise.

Most of the Usual Suspects know me pretty well. I am definitely not one to complain. I have a modest collection of eight customs & a few production units. The Usual Suspects are well aware of the situation which took place so I will not add it here.

This situation has really caught me off guard. I have had nothing but great experiences in the past with the customer service department @ Emerson Knives. I jumped in a few times in to defend EK in the past. I will definitely think twice about doing that in the future. I've never posted or added to any bad posts as I have not experienced any QC problems with my wares. I've meet Erine in person in the past. He was one of the nicest makers I have ever met.

I really don't know what happened when I spoke with him. I don't know if it's my ego but I do expect to be treated better by a company which I have been loyal to. It's really not a matter of being charged; & at this point I wouldn't want them for free.

I know that I said that I wouldn't say anything negative. But I will say this, & it's just a comment. As you all may know I originally came up with the concept of the Mini Commander with my half ass attempt with a picture. Eric & John took it from there an made it a reality. How much money is EK going to make with the Mini Commander concept. I was kidding around with Eric that we should get the very first ones made for free . I don't see that happening. I'm sure that EK or someone else would have come up with the concept but it also proves that I do think EK & support the EK line.

I will say, if you've been treated well by EK then I strongly encourage you to continue to support the company as there is nothing wrong with the products which they produce & there is no reason for you not to. I will however not continue to support this company. I have yet to decide if I will sell off my collection. I still like the knives & has taken me 2 years to find them. It may be stupid to cut off the nose to piss off the face or however that saying goes.

Eric I want to thank you once again for your private email & more so for your support. I consider you to be a friend as well. I would like to thank the others as well but their emails were private & I will keep it so.

Take Good Care

David


 
Unfortunately all the facts are unknown based on the earlier posts, but I do know this. Ernie and Mary are my friends. I own eight customs for which I paid full ticket and waited my turn. I have never asked, nor would I for anything free and I don't expect anything for free from Emerson Knives. Of the over 60 customs I own the most valuable to me are my Emersons. Just my 2 cents worth, and no disrespect to anyone.
 
I think this is a sporadic problem. Before I bought my first Emerson, I was trying like hell to FIND ONE, and had an unfortunate incident with regard to EKI.

Water under the bridge.

I think they all need to just put their heads together and have an agreement that they need to severely tighten QC and have a consistent policy that is not deviated from when it comes to what parts go out free and what gets charged for.

That way, everyone benefits, the trolls evaporate, and people are not left wondering why one person received something for free that the other person is being charged for, etc.

This Forum is very much about Friends who own High Speed Knives...look at the Ryans mentioned...the Ken Onion...

Myself, I love Pat Crawford's knives...we have many different tastes.

Why even "jc" and I share a love for Microtech Knives...imagine that.
wink.gif


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"You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol than you are a musician because you own a guitar." ~Jeff Cooper
And the same goes for a knife...
And, I'm a Usual Suspect.
 
I wouldn't sell off your collection. At the moment, I'm pissed at Microtech (imagine that! Ha!) for the amount of time it is taking for them to return a CTII to me. Their customer service on this issue has been the worst I've ever had with a company. Promising call backs and return dates and falling through on them. I own 17 MTs in total, with the crown jewel being a Damascus L-UDT. I love my other MTs and wouldn't even think about selling them (unless a good profit would be made on the sale). BUT, I will probably not buy anymore of them. I haven't made my mind up on that yet.

If you do sell your collection, don't settle for a loss.....that will only get you more pissed!

jc
 
jc,

I'm SHOCKED! I'm OUTRAGED!!!

Your post here, taken in conjunction with the various posts I have read regarding the horrible things that have happened with regard to misfiring and hard to fire MT-LCC D/As...I'm flabbergasted!

What is up with this fraggernknockle Bullsh*t!?!?!?!

I think we should immediately, if not sooner, rally a Posse from The General Forum of both BFC and KFC...bring a bucket of chicken, a plate of Collard Greens and some Michelob, and immediately camp out in the MT Forum and demand JUSTICE ON THIS ISSUE!!!!!!!!!

GOTDAMIT, I've had it with poor Customer Service for you jc!

Don Rearic, illustrating absurdity with absurdity.

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"You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol than you are a musician because you own a guitar." ~Jeff Cooper
And the same goes for a knife...
And, I'm a Usual Suspect.

[This message has been edited by Don Rearic (edited 02-15-2001).]
 
I have talked with David off forum and i totally support david in these trying times. I can't remember where i read it but one customer maker made the statement of " the guys has bought a $500 knife give him a $5 screw, just make good customer service " not exact but you get the jist of it.
My nickels worth.

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Carpe' Diem
Usual Suspect AKA Tattoo
 
David is one of US. He is the perfect example of the kind of class, serious, intelligent individual that makes this Forum a place where we all enjoy companionship and where we all get smarter. The Emersons are a family and a company that I hold in the highest respect. My life experience is such that when quality people have this kind of difference of opinion, it is typically the result of a failure of communication. I truly hope that this can be amicably resolved. Quality people are hard to come by and both David and the Emersons are people of the highest order.

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Once in a while you get shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right.
 
I don't consider myself a usual suspect, but have sold several Emersons here to some of the suspects..and still own a CQC6 and Commander prototype. With all going on here lately I couldn't resist saying something.
1) Where's Derek and Ernie?
2) I have had a CQC6 and production Commander both with lockup problems.(gunstocker-you can comment on this one)
3) Sure, when you find a problem with an Emerson knife, you can send it in and get it fixed - well my expectations of Emerson Knives is a Quality product. If I buy a Yugo I expect to have QC problems.
That being said I wish David luck in his quest.

-Bill



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He who would sacrifice liberty for security deserves neither.
AKTI#1143
 
This comes as a surprise to me - obviously because I don't know what happened to David. BUT, he is one of us, and I do consider him my friend, so he definitely has my support on this issue (Dave - if it's not to much pain or trouble, think you could fill me in via email?)

I have never met Ernie or Mary, but from what most of you have said here, they seem like good people. I don't want to speculate, cuz like I said, I don't know what happened, but maybe Ernie was having a bad day? Maybe it escalated because of frustration/anger? Communication and clarification are good things - it has always helped in arguments I've had with people.. I hope both you (David) and Ernie can work this out....
 
Bladelaw,
It's not a matter of getting screws for free. I have no problems paying for them. But, never getting a response to my emails & fax is unacceptable. I finally had to call just to get some kind of response. As I mentioned, Ernie is the nicest maker I ever met. But he should learn how to treat loyal customers. I have eight customs Emersons as well. With the exception of one CQC5, I didn't pay full ticket for my knives. I paid double or triple their normal price.

Don,
You are right. They should have set policies. This way there is no confusion. But this will not help the no response situation.

Tattoo,
Once again thanks for the email & support.

Jackstraw,
Thank you for the kind words. I use to hold Ernie in the higest respect, but this situation is like getting kicked in the nuts. I wish it was a communication problem, but I'm sure that this is not the case.

Azwilly,
Thanks for word & wishes.

See2,
Thanks & I will shoot you an email. Ernie & Mary are good people. I've said that from the beginning. But their customer service is far from good.

With this post I will say no more. Again thanks to all.
 
Wow, this is a dilema we r in. U know David, Emerson knives are growing faster than anybody can imagine. So this is not an excuse but things do get put off. Yes, loyal customers should always be taken care off. I dont think your case is intentional. And I do know how it feels when your support is without praise. Don't take this too hard. People make mistakes, sometimes it happens even to the best of friends.

Man, I wish Derek was here to clear this up. And dude, dont sell the customs. U will only want to find them again.

Liong

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Follow The Path of Fantasies.
 
Most of you know I'll do just about anything I can to help folks here on the forums.

David contacted me by E-mail a few weeks ago and asked it I could help him out. He'd made a request for parts and hadn't heard anything back.

David is one of us. He's without a doubt a Suspect of the highest order!
smile.gif


Included with the request for assistance was a fax he had sent Mary with the list of CQC6 parts he had requested. Included were a couple of pocket clips & screws to match, pivot washers, bead blasted scale and bolster screws, and thumb disk and screw. He had recently purchased a used CQC6 and was refurbishing the knife himself. David posted a picture of the bolster before and after re-bead blasting. Very cool.

Derek was away at a show, but upon his return I got ahold of him. David's request had been received and was in the pipe to getting taken care of. Derek and I sat and discussed "parts" and I learned a few things.

The fasteners (Industry talk for screws ect) are purchased blackened. Bead blasted parts are done in-house on an "as needed" basis.

Much like everything that goes into the customs, even the screws get attention. As has been brought up before, while one CQC7B screw will fit any other CQC7B, the bolsters and scales on the custom CQC7s (and all the other customs) veri slightly. Each one is hand fitted and ground/sanded to the proper length. (This can be the interactive portion of the posting, everyone go look at your customs). They have had folks put a "standard" length screw in and damage the blade on their custom, then sending it back not only for refinishing, but a new fitted screw as well.

When a request is made for parts, an employee must stop what their regular job is, gather the parts and package them up for shipment. These employees are working on a huge backlog of orders and the parts requested are taken from what would go into making those new knives. We're talking Employee time, parts costs and shipping costs.

Per Ernie, if a customer scuffs/bends a clip or strips a screw, or boogers a couple of screw heads, they have absolutely no heartburn about sending out a couple of parts grates (aka "Free"). Matter of fact, their happy to do so.

Eric brought up that he had received free parts from EKI and some others on the forum have received them also. So has David . . . <U>on several occasions</U>.

Time for a story. To keep some's (Don and Tattoo) attention, I'll make this one about a Harley. I purchased a very nice used ‘64 (my birth year) FL. Man, I love old Pans".

I have owned several HDs and consider myself a loyal customer. Even defending them back during the whole Reagan thing. Sure, they have had the occassional internal problem, but nothing beats riding a Harley down a tree shaded road on a cool fall afternoon.
biggrin.gif


I could have gone to a local shop, payed the money and had a shop fix it up, but there's a sense of pride that comes with getting your hands dirty and restoring something. Doesn't matter if it's a Harley, an end table or a CQC6. I had to purchase the bike on the secondary market and payed many times what the bike originally cost, matter of fact, I could have bought a new Harley for what I paid for that Classic FL. I did not however expect HD to give me parts to restore it.

As mentioned above, EKI will give a customer minor parts to fix anything that is broken or damaged. That's not an issue. Heck they'll even repair/refurbish Customs for a minor fee.

But how many times are they expected to pony up parts costs, employee time and postage costs to one customer before it's OK for them to ask for mere postage or their cost for the parts?

Eric's heart was in the right place in posting this string. I applaud him for his efforts, but part of the story was missing. Given all the facts, I really don't think Ernie and company are out of line.

David is correct, the situation should have been resolved weeks ago.

John

[This message has been edited by John Hollister (edited 02-15-2001).]
 
John,
I stated in my last post that I wouldn't comment any more on this topic. But I have to reply to your post. Before I do that I have to say that I have alot of respect for you, your comments & your suggestions. I & most of us here consider you to be the acting moderator of this forum. Please note that the following comments are not directed to you personally & I mean no disrespect. But since you decided to comment on EK behalf I will give you my thoughts.

It is very true that I've received parts from EK before. This is no secret. I've received the total listed below:
(2) Pivot washers
(1) Thumb Disc & Screw
(6) Micro Screws
(2) Pocket Clips
This is not alot considering the amount of knives which they're for. All parts were sent to me no charge whatsoever. I was very grateful for the parts which were sent to me. So grateful that when a forum member from Australia posted that EK wanted to charge him $45.00 (I think that was the amount) for a few parts, I was the first person in there to defend EK & their customer service dept. I clearly stated that I've ordered parts on a few occasions & always received them for free. I've had a few customs refurbished by Ernie. They told me up front that the cost was $20.00. No problem. They called me when the knife was done. They told me that next day shipping would be an additional $25.00. No problem. I asked them to send it next day & charge my credit card. Everything was made clear up front. If I'm willing to pay $25.00 for shipping I don't think I would have a problem $12.00 for parts. As long as it was made clear up front & someone actually told me in a timely matter.

Also please note that I'm not ordering parts for the same knife over & over again. These parts are for my (8) customs. We all know how hard it is to get your hands on customs. We usually buy them aftermarket regardless of the condition which they're in & try to fix them up. It's not like I'm buying customs fixing them up & reselling them for a profit. I keep every customs which I've acquired. Believe me, I tried the local Home Depots. Sears Hardware & even Pergaments before contacting EK for the parts.

I really don't agree with your comparison of parts for a rare vintage Harley & small parts for a knife. If I downed a Ducati (Sorry John, Sniper & Tattoo) & scuffed up the fairing I wouldn't expect Ducati to pay for the parts. fairing cost $300.00 for a little tiny piece. I can't imagine what parts for a vintage Harley cost. Screws, washers, & clips cost almost nothing. Also how much time does it take for an employee of EK to run into the shop to gather a few parts, throw them into an envelope & send it out. I don't think this is an issue here as the labor cost for that employee is minimal.

I'm not really clear on the next issue. Are they really charging me for parts or postage. Postage is $ . 34. not $12.00. So I'm to believe that's for the parts.

If the parts cost money, then they should just say they cost money. I don't need comments like "Don't tell anyone where sending you the parts for $10.00. We don't want everyone to know they can get parts from EK" ????? What does that mean. If I can't get parts from EK, then where should I get them from, BM. They shouldn't make it sound like they're doing me a great favor for charging me for parts. This is when I sent the email over to Carrie asking her if she REALLY wanted me to pay for the parts. I was a little annoyed already. I clearly stated in my email that if she really needed for me to pay then just call me & I would provide a credit card number. I didn't want to send my credit card info through the internet. Never got a response.

I have emails come across my desk all the time where a retail consumer smacked a curb & cracked a driving lights which they purchased from one of my distributors. They ask if they can purchase a replacement lens or single light from my company. I tell them no, BUT I would be more then happy to send them a replacement unit absolutely no charge. Screws for my knife costs a few dollars. If you add up all the parts which I receive they will total $20.00 at the most. Mind you, this if for a knife which costs about $1,000.00. My driving lights cost about $60.00 retail. My cost on a replacement lens is about $10.00. I sent out replacement adapters for a shift knob to a consumer once via UPS because they were missing from the package. My cost on the adapters a few pennies. UPS charges approx. $6.00. Retail on the knob $20.00. Why did I do this, because he supported my line by purchasing my product over the competitor. I would be out of business if I didn't have the support of the consumers which support & purchase my products. I would do anything to make them happy.

Bottom line is that we're talking about a few small parts, it's not like I'm asking for bolsters of scales or blades. I don't see me buying any customs in the future so this will be the last time I ever request parts. Partly because I'm broke
smile.gif


It was never my intentions to make this public on the forums. Eric made it public because of his support of another Usual Suspect & I thank him for his support.

Once again I will state, I think Ernie is one of the nicest makers which I ever met. I still like his knives. For the newer suspect, I strongly encourage you to support the Emerson line & his knives as there is nothing wrong with them. I won't tell him how to run a company but I still think that this was a really simple matter if they would have gotten back to me sooner. I know EK is busy, but believe me I'm a busy person as well, but I always take the time out of my schedule to take care of my customers, both retail & wholesale no matter how busy I am.

Now, which that said I will comment no more & I wish this string will stop. I which this situation never happened but it did.
 
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