Disappointing Customer Service

S

spryslak

Joined
Dec 27, 1999
Messages
6
The truth and nothing but the truth:
I have a Raven I got around Christmas time last year. I have had it almost permanently attached to my pants since I purchased it. I really didn't use it for anything rough, just cutting up fruit for the kids and sharpening sticks for marshmellows, things like that. I didn't have the opportunity to slice up a bear or any real "Hard Use" job but I was quite content thinking I could if need be. Then I did it. A flaw in judgement. I tried to push the knife through the botton of my kids tire swing to drain the water out. I know, I know, not a smart move. But this is supposed to be a "Hard-Use" knife. Well one of the steel belts made a nasty notch in the blade and a lot of the black coating scratched off. Try as I might to reshape the blade, I just couldn't get it right. So I wrote a letter to Ernie recanting this very story and sent the knife in with $10.00 for shipping. In the letter I set my expectation for them: "You would have a reasonably happy customer if you sharpened the blade and sent it back, you would have an extremely happy customer if you replaced the blade. They sent it back sharpened. I guess reasonably happy is what they are shooting for....

I carry a Kershaw now and the Raven sits in my drawer. If my Grizzly Grinder ever shows up I will be making my own very soon and I will not have to worry about customer service again...at least when it comes to knives........

If my expectation was out of line please let me know.
 
Your expectations were out of line. You damaged the blade on a piece of steel and you expect a replacement for something you did wrong? Don't blame Emerson for something that you should not have done. Hard use doesn't mean wrong use.
 
I dinked the blade on my Commander about a year ago. I don't know if it would be considered "hard use", but I was cutting a unconscious female loose from an overturned vehicle and used a tad too much force. The knife went right through the belt and hit the door jam pretty hard, putting a small notch in the edge (for the record, the door got the worst of it
smile.gif
).

I consulted Derek and Mary about it and they were more then happy to have the blade reground to take that out. In my humble opinion, that's more then I, as a consumer, could expect.

To put it perspective, I don't expect Nissan to repair my car for free after I creased the fender and I paid a lot more for it then I did my Commander.

If it had been EKI's fault (manufacturer defect), I'd say you should expect for them to fix it, but if the damage occurred due to your actions, I wouldn't expect them to replace it. The fact that they repaired it for shipping costs would tickle me. Maybe I'm just easy to please.

John
 
I agree with John.

In my experience EKI goes WAY beyond what one would consider their duty to satisfy a customer. If I damage my Commander I would not expect them to be responsible for it.

Do the same to your Kershaw and see what they say.

Ben
 
Exactly what do you mean by "reshape the blade"
What the heck were you were doing with your not cheap cutting tool?
BTW the black coating is engineered to withstand corrosion, but it is a "paint" type of material.
I think having a scratched up dinged up well worn knife is half the fun, as long as its sharp.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
 
Perhaps if the swing was a Firestone tire, Firestone would replace your knife; especially if it rolled over. Walt
 
confused.gif
Let me get this straight... you struck a piece of steel and you dulled the edge and put a little dent on it/scratched the coating? Dents and scratches are normal. This is, after all, a hard use knife and scratches shouldn't matter. If I dented my Benchmades or my Microtech and scratched it, I wouldn't return it asking for a replacement blade. It's a knife, not a piece of jewelry. It still works fine. If you are afraid of nicks and scratches, I would suggest not using the knife, but asking for replacement blades is just not part of the warranty service.
 
I have a thrasher knife that I have just for this type of work. It's a Benchmade CQC 7. It has held up well and if it getts scratched up, no big deal. Was that a custom that you put through the tire? Were you drunk when you did that? I would say that your judgement about using your knife like that would be in question. My only beef with EKI is Ernies indifference in getting his custom orders done. I have a CQC 5 on order and I won't see it for a long long time.
 
If I take my SUV out in the desert, drive over a rock that is too high and dent the floor plate, should Benz replace the floor plate for me for free?
 
I never dinged a blade so I really can't comment on that. But I can say that the Customer service at Emerson knives is pretty great. I called numerous time to get replacement screws, pocket clips, thumb disc, washers, & all sorts of replacement parts. They always sent them to me no charge.

I've recently had two customs refurbished at no charge. How's that for customer service.

I believe that Ernie does get involved with the customer service for customs. All of my requests for replacement parts for customs get directed to him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top