Etiquette For contacting a maker about an ordered knife?

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CujiWuji

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Hello all, not sure if this is the correct/best spot for this post but I was curious and wanted to ask for opinions. I ordered a knife from a maker with a 7 month wait time, and waited the 7 months for it to arrive. When the deadline passed I reached out to the maker to see how things were going and he said his family had run into some health issues a couple months before which had set him back, but he hoped to get it out that month.

I waited two more months with no update before reaching out again, to which he said they were still dealing with health issues but he was working on it and hoping to get it out to me soon. During that time the wait for orders went up to 18 months, though he said I was still on the original time estimate.

It has now been another month with no updates, so my question is this, would it be rude to reach out again and possibly ask for a progress pic or two, or, considering the health issues should I just be patient and wait since life can get hectic sometimes?

What are your thoughts when it comes to dealing with a situation where the deadline has passed for an ordered knife?
 
They swapped to a waitlist for orders shortly after I placed mine. But there have been new knives listed for sale on the site after the fact if that matters.
 
Danke42 said:
Now is the time to name the maker.
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Wasn't sure if that was alright or not. Not trying to shame anyone since i know life can get tough, I just really wanted the knife. I ordered from Scott at Furnace Brook Iron Works.
 
sgt1372 said:
If u placed the order w/a credit card, I'd cancel the order and claim a refund from the cc company for the $.
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Agreed.

Did you pay anything up front? Future direction depends highly upon whether or not you prepaid or gave a deposit. Assuming you did, you have every right to continue to request updates every week if you so desire, or cancel the order and request a refund.
 
shane45-1911 said:
Agreed.

Did you pay anything up front? Future direction depends highly upon whether or not you prepaid or gave a deposit. Assuming you did, you have every right to continue to request updates every week if you so desire, or cancel the order and request a refund.
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I did pre-pay for it since I really liked the style, but i have now learned/realized that that is not the best route and after this will not be prepaying in the future.

I have thought about cancelling or asking for a refund, but honestly i still really want the knife, so I may just reach out again.
 
CujiWuji said:
Hello all, not sure if this is the correct/best spot for this post but I was curious and wanted to ask for opinions. I ordered a knife from a maker with a 7 month wait time, and waited the 7 months for it to arrive. When the deadline passed I reached out to the maker to see how things were going and he said his family had run into some health issues a couple months before which had set him back, but he hoped to get it out that month.

I waited two more months with no update before reaching out again, to which he said they were still dealing with health issues but he was working on it and hoping to get it out to me soon. During that time the wait for orders went up to 18 months, though he said I was still on the original time estimate.

It has now been another month with no updates, so my question is this, would it be rude to reach out again and possibly ask for a progress pic or two, or, considering the health issues should I just be patient and wait since life can get hectic sometimes?

What are your thoughts when it comes to dealing with a situation where the deadline has passed for an ordered knife?
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"Health issues" is an immediate red flag for me, sorry. I'd out this maker, so people know not to do business with them.

Edit: Dude has your money? Nope, I'd be demanding a refund. There are plenty of other knives out there, I guarantee this maker's knives aren't better than any number of other makers'. Many of which, might I add, are right here in the Knifemaker's section.
 
I’ve never did the “prepay” thing nor ordered a custom knife. I’ve read plenty of threads pertaining to this, I.E. Survive! And Koster. Plenty of people got burned paying up front and the never received their knives in the allotted time frame they were supposed to. When the excuses from the maker start rolling in, it’s time to pull the plug and get the refund.
 
Quiet said:
"Health issues" is an immediate red flag for me, sorry. I'd out this maker, so people know not to do business with them.

Edit: Dude has your money? Nope, I'd be demanding a refund. There are plenty of other knives out there, I guarantee this maker's knives aren't better than any number of other makers'. Many of which, might I add, are right here in the Knifemaker's section.
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Yeah that seemed a little vague to me, but I always try to give the benefit of the doubt.

I think i'll probably reach out once more and if it's the same ol' song and dance I'll start looking into a refund.

Definitely learned my lesson with prepaying that's for sure, and will definitely be checking the knifemaker's section for future purchases, seen a lot of beauties on there.
 
CujiWuji said:
Yeah that seemed a little vague to me, but I always try to give the benefit of the doubt.

I think i'll probably reach out once more and if it's the same ol' song and dance I'll start looking into a refund.

Definitely learned my lesson with prepaying that's for sure, and will definitely be checking the knifemaker's section for future purchases, seen a lot of beauties on there.
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With all due respect, you're using some pretty soft language here. You should message that seller right now, today and ask him where the knife you paid for is at, as the agreed-upon time has come and gone. When he responds, and says "I haven't had a chance", you have two choices, seek a full refund immediately, or else, if you need a knife from this guy that badly, come up with a new delivery date, and be ready (because I know you're going to have to) to pester him again for an update.

Also, if you paid by Paypal, be aware that there's a time-limit on how long you can wait before they'll get you your money back, which will leave you with no recourse if this maker ghosts you. We have seen this before, plenty of threads in the Feedback section about makers who were good to go at one time, who descended into scumbaggery, and tried to defraud several customers on their way out.

Be wary. Me personally, I'd be messaging right now, today, to demand a refund. Not request, mind you. Best of luck, friend.
 
By naming the maker you might find out if others have had the same experience as you, if they are receiving their knives, or getting a variety of stories/excuses. I would suggest starting a thread in the Good, Bad & Ugly asking in the title if others have experience with that maker. Naming the maker isn't a public flogging, it's just a request for information, which you certainly deserve.

Personally, I think a custom knife maker should keep in regular contact with a customer who has already paid (and it would be nice even if they haven't already paid). It doesn't take much time or effort to send an email and tell a customer the status of their order, when the maker pans to start, projected completion time, progress of the work itself, etc. And a few progress pics once in awhile would be nice as well.

A happy customer is a repeat customer. And happy customers create more customers.
 
pholder said:
He still has no knife or money
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They were just saying I did name the maker in that post, it's Furnace Brook Iron Works. But correct still no money or knife. I sent him an email about an hour ago so I'll see what he says and go from there.
 
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