Emerson knives, the bad and the ugly. Worst warranty repair ever.

[Chipped Karambit]

So I sent in my Emerson Gentleman Jim for a bit of warranty work. The warranty work in question was that the blade developed a loud and audible squeak that could even be heard over the phone. I called them in advance to ask them about the service and requested that they not change my blade no matter what. It was a unique and special serial number. They assured me to mark that on the form, print it out, and send it in.

So naively I took this to be the truth. I filled it out and opted for a sharpening I believe (not quite sure but irrelevant, you will see why) and mailed it out while marking the serial number and noting in multiple places that it was special and important to me. I would rather have a squeaky blade as long as it was MY blade. So I made sure that you couldn't read over without realizing the serial was unique to me. What happens next is just beyond disgusting for multiple reasons.

First off I get my knife, and read the invoice saying they replaced THE LINER LOCK. This I am okay with, but that was all they said they replaced. While opening I heard kind of a less loud but still present wail that I initially sent it in for. I felt the edge and figured, at least it was sharp. Well it was..... Because it was a new blade. They basically replaced the whole knife except my scales......and it still had the problem.

The fact that they do not read the forms you submit to them or test to at least see if its quiet is disturbing. I have like a serial number of 1436. I got on the phone and they will call me back tomorrow, but I have a suspicion that my serial number was tossed out and I was just shafted.


I doubt I will ever buy from Emerson ever again. Not even the gypsy jack I was planning on this Saturday.

Utterly appalled. I would have cursed out the lady on the phone (I didn't) if I hadn't been aware that it wasn't her department. This is the worst.

The literal reason I had that knife was the serial number, and now I got a random number that has dirty scales and is starting to develop the very squeak that I sent it in for.

I would have been less pissed if they said they lost it, but the fact that they ignored everything just shows so much.

 

[Sosa]

That sucks. Maybe they can make things right.

 

[Chipped Karambit]

they gave me a serial number of 1.5k away from what I had. That number wont be remade, and if they do, that will call the question their ethics since going back and rereleasing numbers is just as bad. I doubt they can make things right. I am debating on throwing my other emersons in as cannon fodder on a trade or dropping them in a flea market since thats how little I value them at this point in time.

 

[Sosa]

They may still have the blade. Hopefully it's sitting in a bin with other discarded blades.

 

[Chipped Karambit]

They may still have the blade. Hopefully it's sitting in a bin with other discarded blades.

Hopefully. a .0001% chance, the fact that this happened..... is just disgusting as it is. If they do bring back my knife (even with its loudly audible squeak that can be heard in the next office over) I doubt I will ever own another emerson and toss the rest as a freebie in a trade

 

[Dct916]

I am sorry you had such an experience with Emerson but I will gladly take the rest of your Emerson knives off your hands.

 

[Chipped Karambit]

I am sorry you had such an experience with Emerson but I will gladly take the rest of your Emerson knives off your hands.

as I said I will throw them in a trade as a freebie so when the guy/girl opens they can take it. I will of course leave a note saying not to use warranty. That or literally drop it off in a flea market table. I have to wait for them to tell me what to do now. So I will have to take time off work to deal with this......


I did the same with Fox Knives USA as soo many lemons from them all with bad locks followed with them running a scam on their facebook page (they did fake give aways and the winners would get the shaft...... Notice they don't have a facebook page anymore.

Also darrel ralph....... never again. literally I would prefer owning all chinese knock off clones of my favorite brand rather than to even have a single one in my possession

 

[JR88FAN]

Not that this will make you feel any better, but I can tell you that this wasn't done on purpose.

People make mistakes, and the ball was dropped somewhere down the line...it happens...

What really differentiates companies/people in times like this is not the fact a mistake was made, but how they fix that mistake.

I would have given Emerson the chance to fix this before starting this thread.....

 

[Chipped Karambit]

Not that this will make you feel any better, but I can tell you that this wasn't done on purpose.

People make mistakes, and the ball was dropped somewhere down the line...it happens...

What really differentiates companies/people in times like this is not the fact a mistake was made, but how they fix that mistake.

I would have given Emerson the chance to fix this before starting this thread.....

I am aware, that is why I didn't curse out or yell at the woman on the line. The fact that it was written soo many times on the request form means they did not read or care about it. I doubt they could fix it since not only did they lose my blade which was listed multiple times as important, but they failed to even fix the initial problem. I have very little interest in spending 30 minutes on the phone just to send a form, and have both ignored completely.

 

[leozinho]

i have to ask: what was so special about the serial number?

(I expect it was a breakdown in communication somewhere in the customer service department. Like someone said, it happens. You seem to be taking it really hard. I think the bigger injustice is that Emerson didn't fix the squeaking.)


My prediction: Emerson himself chimes in, won't admit it they made a mistake by replacing the blade, and say something like his ethics wouldn't let him have a defective knife out there in the wild, or something like that.

 

[Chipped Karambit]

i have to ask: what was so special about the serial number?

(I expect it was a breakdown in communication somewhere in the customer service department. Like someone said, it happens. You seem to be taking it really hard. I think the bigger injustice is that Emerson didn't fix the squeaking.)


My prediction: Emerson himself chimes in, won't admit it they made a mistake by replacing the blade, and say something like his ethics wouldn't let him have a defective knife out there in the wild, or something like that.

A number that was special to me, also an exact time that I almost died (shot through lung in high school and for some reason I kept checking my phones time instead of calling 911 so i remember 1300 on that old red nokia) and later a time a good friend died (called time of death 1300 even). I have the form on my work computer but I feel I mentioned it 2, if not 3, times as well as called ahead to let them know and let them know to not mess with the blade if they can't fix. Now I got this random number back with a paper that says new liner lock (doesnt mention the blade at all) and i can hear its already starting to develop. Basically I just downgraded my knife since the same dirty is on my G10 scales. random number and now I just have to wait for the screech to be audible for my boss to tell me not to bring the knife into work anymore (what made me send the original one in).

If he does mention about a blade being defective, the blade was fine. Either the liners or washers were screwed. Literally had 0 reason to even touch the blade.

 

[10after10]

i have to ask: what was so special about the serial number?

(I expect it was a breakdown in communication somewhere in the customer service department. Like someone said, it happens. You seem to be taking it really hard. I think the bigger injustice is that Emerson didn't fix the squeaking.)


My prediction: Emerson himself chimes in, won't admit it they made a mistake by replacing the blade, and say something like his ethics wouldn't let him have a defective knife out there in the wild, or something like that.

Still think he's taking it kind of hard??

 

[Misanthropia]

Not really defending them, but back when I used to like Emerson's I had many that had very squeaky detent balls until they broke in. If it kept squeaking after it was broken in and some oil was applied to the ball itself, then I have no idea what was going on. But if the knife was new, my guess is that it was just the detent dragging on the blade.

 

[Chipped Karambit]

Still think he's taking it kind of hard??

considering I was promised over the phone and assured that wouldn't happen, i feel I have a right reason to, especially since the blade was FINE.

Even with my serial number aside, the point that I was told something and they did another..

 

[Ttran778]

I've had issues with some of my Emerson Knives myself. But I always used the warranty service and they came back better than I sent them off. Have you tried contacting them directly and spoke to a rep to see what can be done for you?

 

[Insipid Moniker]

That really, really sucks, man. I hate to hear stories like that. I really hope they still have the blade and can make this right for you. Sorry you had to go through this.

 

[10after10]

considering I was promised over the phone and assured that wouldn't happen, i feel I have a right reason to, especially since the blade was FINE.

Even with my serial number aside, the point that I was told something and they did another..

You have every right to be pissed, especially after you made it ABUNDANTLY clear.

 

[Chipped Karambit]

I've had issues with some of my Emerson Knives myself. But I always used the warranty service and they came back better than I sent them off. Have you tried contacting them directly and spoke to a rep to see what can be done for you?

I have, a lady said she doesn't know what happened but the sound in her voice was not optimistic because I think she remembers me from the first time calling about squeaking and the serial number. I even made the "semi new" knife (since its a new knife with old g10 scales for no reason squeak over the phone.

That really, really sucks, man. I hate to hear stories like that. I really hope they still have the blade and can make this right for you. Sorry you had to go through this.

I hope so but I fully expect I am just boned here and emerson knives spat in my face and raised the middle finger since the problem wasn't fixed...... just worsed...........

 

[Chipped Karambit]

You have every right to be pissed, especially after you made it ABUNDANTLY clear.

as well as having THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST with a new knife. If I had known that, I would have just sent it off to a pimper and kept the blade but remade the whole thing. now I am just down in a whole for even trying with an invoice saying "replaced linerlock" only

 

[leozinho]

Still think he's taking it kind of hard??

Here's my take. It's not as if Emerson himself took time off from practicing Filipino martial arts or grinding blades or whatever it is he spends his time doing, somehow learned about the OPs near-death experience and the significance of 1300, and decided to change the blade just to spite him. But the OP wants to give away his Emersons over it.

A mistake definitely happened. If you are close to the situation you may be tempted to view it as a travesty. If you are removed from the situation, like I am, you'll view it differently.

Is it appalling that the customer service folks didn't get or didn't read his instructions? No.

Did Emerson Knives spit in his face and give him the finger (figuratively)? Nope. I reckon most people would have been happy with a new blade, so the person fixing his knife may have thought they were doing him a solid (that being based on the theory that the person that repaired his knife didn't get the word not to replace the blade).

Is it the worst warranty repair ever? No. Worse would be refusing to fix it, as Emerson has done before, I think.