Documenting my experience with Microtech's Customer Service *full experience updated*

I'm fine with them taking their time if they get it done right. But if I'm going to have to wait 10 additional days on top of an already lengthy service period, that's not acceptable to me. If I'd had known about their check policy I would've sent a money order or cash if they accept those forms of payment. Otherwise I feel my check should be cashed when the knife is RECEIVED to save the customer almost 2 weeks of idle time. Seriously, it's $15....
 
dcmartin said:
I emailed Microtech Sept 10th and still haven't heard back from them. They've had the knife a little over 4 weeks....
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Didn't they tell you in the email that it would take around 6 weeks?

They recently told me that with a return.

And it took exactly 5 weeks, 2 days to get back to my doorstep...

ETA: They don't have the time to continuously update each and every persons' knife's status.

Patience Grasshopper. It too will happen.

The knife will be as good as a new one. With a fresh sharpening to match...
 
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Scott, as I mentioned in my earlier posts based on my own experience, it takes as long as it takes to get stuff back from any manufacturer. It's part of the hobby. We know that Microtech doesn't have 100 employees working around the clock in 3 shifts making knives or repairing knives. I don't know of any US based company that runs 3 shifts. What I have seen from some videos and from reading here is that many manufacturers are actually very good employers (CRK runs a 4/10s schedule for example), giving their staff an extra day off.

I don't know much about the inner workings of MT, but I do know that compared to the way their customer service used to be, it's worlds better now. When you get your knife back, it will be perfect.

Metal Made Fox said:
LOL, Microtech is still a running company?
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Apparently, if they weren't none of us would be posting heree now would we? ;)
 
So what you're saying is that it is good business practice to have a customers product for weeks before you cash a check and then make them wait an additional 10 days for the check to clear? Why can't they cash the check when they receive the package to minimize the wait? We are talking business days here which could add 2-3 weeks to a customers wait time. Like I said before, if it takes them 2-4 weeks to work there way to my knife, and another week to fix it, that's fine. But after that 5 weeks I'm not to happy about having to wait an additional 10 business days for a check for $15 to clear.
 
I thought my previous post was pretty clear. What I am saying is that if a company has a specific policy in place for handling warranty claims and repairs, then that is their policy. Why should they change it for one customer? I clearly stated, I don't know much about the inner workings of the company, but what I do know is that whatever timeframe they quoted you is about the amount of time you will have to wait for your stuff to get fixed and returned. A watched pot never boils. That is just how it goes with some things in life, there is nothng we can do about it except either wait it out and be understanding and patient, or we can complain and speculate about things which we may know nothing about. Ether way, welcome to the world of automatic knives.
 
All I'm saying is it would've been nice if they explained it before I sent that type of payment. otherwise I would've sent cash or money order. Obviously nobody wants to wait extra time when it can be avoided easily.
 
It is my understanding they don't cash the check until service is finished in case they find that the repairs aren't covered under warranty and you have to pay additional $ for the repairs.
 
Skyshark288 said:
It is my understanding they don't cash the check until service is finished in case they find that the repairs aren't covered under warranty and you have to pay additional $ for the repairs.
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If that were the case they'd still have to pay for return shipping correct? A second payment would be required in that case regardless.
 
gzb said:
Didn't they tell you in the email that it would take around 6 weeks?

They recently told me that with a return.

And it took exactly 5 weeks, 2 days to get back to my doorstep...

ETA: They don't have the time to continuously update each and every persons' knife's status.

Patience Grasshopper. It too will happen.

The knife will be as good as a new one. With a fresh sharpening to match...
Click to expand...

I get that.... but you know what, Spyderco did, Kershaw did, Benchmade did, CRK did, when i inquired about a knife I had sent in, they all responded within 24 hours. These guys ALL updated me within 24 hours. Jeezy creezy when i went to the Emerson factory for a lockbar that was at 100% and still had up and down movement they replaced the liner on the spot!!! That's right Emerson did it in 10 minutes while i waited! .....in the same breath, it only takes 30 seconds to update. For whatever reason they don't or won't update, we are at their mercy. Why should they take the time to update if they already have our knives.....Whadda ya gonna do about it? Nuthin... just sit on our hands until they ship it back. You can't tell me for a second that Microtech is busier than ANY of the knifemakers i just mentioned... no way Just as busy, maybe.

My issue is a bit different, I bought a Whaleshark with 2 stripped clip screws the heads not the threads....and a lock bar that would move freely across the tang. If it were just the lock bar issue, i wouldn't care. Take your time, take the 6 weeks, hell... Take 8 for good measure....just get it right Microtech. But the clip screws may or may not cost me. If they cost me, i don't care! I just want the knife to be done, I want to pay for it (that's right, I would rather pay for it) and not hang in limbo... I don't want it to be there 6 weeks plus another 2+ weeks for more money to get there and clear. Seriously, you cant tell me they are too busy to email and say "oh the 2 stripped screws are going to cost you $20" or whatever the cost may be... I'm not bitching about how long they are taking, I have no problem with the 6 weeks... what i am concerned about is how much extra the other parts may or may not cost me and their lack of communication.... Not so much the cost. In the end I'll get it fixed and proper the way it should be... but their C/S hasn't won me over by any stretch of the imagination.
 
September 23rd

Microtech mailed out my Whaleshark (not sure if its going to be both knives or just the Whaleshark) last thursday via UPS with Signature Confirmation, which explains the $15 that Microtech has you send a long. I was promptly given a tracking number from Laurel and told to contact them if I have any questions. I would have had the knife by the 21st if UPS did saturday delivery, so I will have to wait until later this afternoon to receive the knife back.

UPDATE: just got another email from Laurel, apparently my Delta will be arriving today as well. Sweet!
 
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September 24th

Unfortunately yesterday I missed the UPS guy due to being at work, so my knives were then delivered back to me today. The invoice for the two knives, as well as the RA numbers, were attached to the box. Inside, I was surprised to find two new Microtech boxes, each labeled with the RA number for each knife. I think this is a nice touch on Microtech's part, as their boxes are pretty high quality (the typical white cardboard boxes that customs come in). There was also a substantial amount of bubble wrap, which is a nice touch and shows that they put a little bit more effort into this.

Upon opening the box for the Socom Delta, I found the the knife to be fully repaired, as well as oiled, cleaned, and sharpened to a razors edge. Lockup is rock solid and early now, and the smoothness has only increased. Microtech went ahead and replaced the lock, according to the invoice. There was no charge for this service.

The Whaleshark's servicing was minor (the clip screws had to be tightened) but Microtech must have put some extra work into it because it is even smoother and more solid than when I first received it. The action on both of these knives is absolutely tremendous now. What I was not expecting was Microtech to include one of their silk bags that they package their new knives in, but lo and behold it was in their. Again, another nice added touch that shows that they care about their customers.

Final Impressions

My experience, as documented here, has been overwhelmingly positive. While I cannot guarantee that this is the norm, I will hope that this thread provides a new perspective on MT's warranty and customer service. The return instructions were simple and provided quite quickly, and communication was lightning fast (when I chose to inquire). The knives were mailed back to me via UPS ground with Signature Confirmation, which goes a long way to explaining the $15 return shipping cost. While there are companies who do not require you to pay return shipping, it does not bother me greatly, as I feel it is worth it for the peace of mind of MT sending their knives back via UPS. Upon return, the knives were repaired fully, and Microtech provided excellent packaging for them, and even threw in a free silk bag with microfiber cloth. The amount of time it took the knives to be serviced may be a point of contention for some, but seeing as how they quoted me at 3-6 weeks, taking 5 weeks does not seem like an issue to me. Yes, it may not be extremely expedient, but it was within their quoted window. Overall, I can say I am thoroughly pleased with this experience, and hope this provides some first hand, transparent information for you to base your opinions on.
 
Glad to hear everything went smooth for you. I was once under the impression they were hard to deal with. But having a knife to be sent in for warranty and back at my house in the 6 week window. But the fact I had to send it in at all is another story.
 
Ok, a quick update.... It's been 6 1/2 weeks (i seriously hope it's done soon) The email I sent on Sept 10th went unanswered. it was just a brief request to see if i needed to send any more funds, not an ETA request. I just called and left a VM on Laurel Scafidi's inbox... I followed it up with an email (a brief polite request for status) I'm hoping they get back to me sometime within the next few days. Fingers crossed
 
dcmartin said:
I get that.... but you know what, Spyderco did, Kershaw did, Benchmade did, CRK did, when i inquired about a knife I had sent in, they all responded within 24 hours.
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Sorry, now I'm curious.

Just how many knives have you had to return to the factories for repair?

Seems like a helluva lot of repairs for quality knives...
 
gzb said:
Sorry, now I'm curious.

Just how many knives have you had to return to the factories for repair?

Seems like a helluva lot of repairs for quality knives...
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gzb, I've had over 100 knives in my collection (I'm down to about 75 right now) and in the 6 or so years i've been collecting knives....I've had around 5 or so go bad for one reason or another (usually lock slippage or something related to the locking mechanism) . I don't abuse them (no spine whack tests for this boy) I don't baton them, I don't excessively wrist flick them. Sometimes they just go bad. I like to buy or trade into users and they can come with problems. Usually not a problem 'cause i send them in and they get fixed, I buy a new clip and some new screws and BAM! Knife looks new(ish) once more :D

That Whaleshark was purchased for somewhere around $50 and a Police 3 but it had it's issues (not the end of the world just some lock slippage)
This thread is about Microtech CS so if you want to know more about the knives i've sent in for service, feel free to leave me a Visitor Message and I"ll gladly fill you in (about half of the knives actually needed repair (5, i think) the rest went in for spa service and or sharpening... Had a phase where i was into spyderco serrations. So 5 out of 100 (+ or - a few) I don't think 5% is bad at all....

Now, on to bigger and brighter things... Today I was contacted by Microtech's very own Laurel Scafidi......she emailed me not once, but twice! She updated me on the status of my knife. They may need to keep it a couple of weeks longer (I have no problem with that) She apologized for the delay and said they are not going to charge me for the replacement screws! I'm happy about that! She also said she would personally email the tracking number to me once it ships. I was very grateful. My faith in humanity may have just been restored Lol. So like I said in my earlier post....it's not the time, its the communication. I'm satisfied for now and i'll be patiently waiting for my Whaleshark!
 
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