duped?...answer at last

[pm]

well friends,

continuing from a couple of weeks ago...
with the suggestions offered by les and others i wrote a final courteous letter to the knife maker who had not delivered my knife after over a year. the mention that he might be receiving possible responses from the president of the knife guild, etc. i got an immediate reply and best of all my knife in 7days! to his credit he was polite as usual and said he understood my position completely and was grateful for not have been berated more severely.

i am happy to have my new knife after a year and 2 months!(this was 9 months after it was promised and the item was prepaid in full).
lessons learned from dealing with certain knife makers ?

-always be polite and courteous in your communiques, even when stating serious repercussions. that way you are in the "right" in any light. very much to your advantage.

-get an invoice or partial payment receipt from the maker you are doing business with.

-understand that having a custom knife made can be like waiting for micheangelo to finish the sistine chapel ceiling.

-once you receive the knife you quickly forget how many months you spent cursing and pacing waiting for the item that never showed up on the week promised.

i love my new knife!



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[imp]

Will this work with Ernest Emerson now that he's a Guild member?

 

[grnamin]

Does this mean you won't post the knifemaker's name? I'm curious as to what the person in question gave as a reason for the long delay. Not that it matter now, but I'd like to know why it took so long. PM, your patience and handling of the situation are admirable.

-Greg

 

[Les Robertson]

Hi Imp,

In theory it should work with Emerson. Understand that 1 negative letter in terms of how a maker conducts business can start the ball rolling for removal from the Knifemakers Guild.

For instance if a maker were to take a deposit and tell you 6 months and two or three years later you dont have your knife, the Guild can instruct that maker to produce the knife or if the customer wants, get their money back.

So here is Al Pendrays address again:

Al Pendray
Rt. 2 Box 1950
Williston, FL 32696
(352)528-6124

Vice President is Mel Pardue

Rt1 Box 130
Repton, AL 36475
(334)248-2686

Now remember, you must request help in writing. If you have a cancelled check, send a copy of that with it and any proof that you have that the knife was supposed to be delivered in a timely manner.

For instance in Blade Magazine the one that was out in November 97, Emerson was quoted as having a 2 year wait. Well if youve been waiting 3 or 4 years, there is a source of proof.

Let me know if you need any other help in this matter, with any maker who is not honoring their commitments.

Remember the only reason they conduct business this way is because you/we let them.

Les

 

[pm]

hiya greg,

the maker explained to me the main reason for falling behind in his orders was that he had to go back to "mega-shifts" back at the car plant. plus he injured his hand last winter, he became flu ridden for weeks, etc, etc....

when i spoke with his assisant a few weeks ago i learned he was working on some new knives BEFORE getting to mine. that is when i decided to take action in the form of a letter declaring i was prepared to take formal action to resolve the sale begun over a year ago.

after receiving that letter he contacted me immediately and sincerely and profusely apologetic. for that i will leave his name out of these posts and wish him good luck on meeting his knife orders.

again i am just very happy to have gotten my new knife

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[RMLamey]

I am glad that you got your knife. The point in my opinion the worst thing the maker did was bull**** you on why your knife was late. The fact that he was late is not as big a deal as his lying to you about why he hadnt finished your knife. It is obvious he could have had your knife finished, and delivered at any point in your long wait...but he chose to give you excuses...while all the time he was working on and probably completing other knives. If he was sick, hurt or working a double shift then he should use the limited time he would have to work on backordered knives, not new probjects.

I agree with Les, we need to use the Guild and the ABS for those makers that are dishonest.

You are a very patient person (thats a good thing!!)

 

[Rob Simonich]

PM, I am glad you got this matter resolved! I am certainly glad I am not the maker in question! I applaud Les and the others that helped you get your knife finally. Here are my experiences as a knifemaker. Although I may seem to be a new name to most of you, I have been making knives since 1984, From 85 to 87 I was a full time maker, not by choice but because a horse took out one of my knees while working on a cattle ranch. I was going great guns and enjoying a fairly good reputation, having made some good connections world wide. I attended the Blade show in 87 and 88, in fact I met Les Robertson, our humble moderator there. I enjoyed a good but short relationship with Les. This is where the sh*t happens thing comes into play. I had a big back log of orders, a couple hundred knives to be made, well, the ex wife decided she didnt want me around anymore. (half worn out Cowboys are easy to get rid of) Well, I had to move out and leave everything behind for quite some time, I wasnt getting my mail, didnt have access to my shop etc. I finally got a letter from Les who had knives on order asking me what the hell was going on! Les had sent me some Elephant Ivory and it was locked up with the rest of my stuff. I broke into my own place during the night and recovered the Ivory and sent it back to Les with an apology and explanation. This is just a small part of the bigger story, but I used Les as an example due to he can confirm this as he is right here now, and must have forgiven me cause I am late on his latest order!

There is no moral to this story, just saying that sh*t does happen beyond our control sometimes, and I am very greatfull to be back in the field. To all you customers out there who have a knife on order from a maker, thanks for your patience! And I am glad there is a happy ending to pm's story.

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www.simonichknives.com

 

[A T Barr]

The Knifemakers' Guild is a much more benefit to the collector, than to the maker. That's a very good reason to purchase a knife from a Guild member. When the majority of sales are long distance, that gives you insurance that you will be satisfied. The majority of Guild members are very hard working men and women. But sometimes we do get a bad apple in the Guild. They are eventually weeded out. There is a no tolerance policy for makers that do not practice good business ethics.

I don't take deposits, because my regular job keeps me from my shop quite a bit. I just can't give a firm delivery time. Even if I was full time I would not take deposits, I know that any knife I make will sell.

A.T.