Godspeed Tactical

No phone number but he responded to me about 2.5 weeks ago from godspeedtactical@gmail.com I am also waiting to hear back from Eli about an order i made. He promised he would have all orders with automated tracking numbers out last week. I emailed him on Friday when i hadn't received an email but haven't heard back yet.
 
I sent him an email yesterday stating if i didn't hear from him by today i was cancelling my order. He responded to me today simply stating he had issued a refund (i won't see it for a few days). I wish his communication was better. Had a friend order a couple sheaths from him last year and both were top notch quality. Hopefully he gets whatever's going on sorted out.
 
It is very clear that his email is not "down," but rather he is selectively responding to only certain people. I've heard only great things about his work and I was very excited to one of his sheaths. Unfortunately, as a person, he may not be as upstanding and dependable as everyone seems to think he is. There is a multitude of options available for "damage control" to his reputation, yet he chooses to cancel orders on people asking for email responses and offers no response through phone calls, emails, on his website, or otherwise. To anyone wanting a sheath from Godspeed Tactical, be prepared for a lot of aggrivation and lies. Who knows, maybe you will be one of the privilaged few who Eli will respond to or even better yet, get your sheath. Good luck!
 
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Just an update - I sent Eli an email asking to send the sheath or a refund. He responded 1 minute later after not respondind for 13 weeks. He informed me that a refund had been issued 5 days ago. Thanks for nothing. I would strongly encourage everyone to choose another option for sheaths. Eli has proven to be untrustworthy, unreliable and a coward. BUYER BEWARE!
 
While I do not know your exact situation, I have ordered from Eli twice and did eventually receive some very outstanding work. I will say that the two orders took longer than I had expected, that is the result of custom work done one piece at a time for his customers. I absolutely do not think that Eli has a nefarious bone in his body, but is merely swamped with work. I do think that that Eli needs to evaluate the promise of getting work out in two to three weeks so that customers expectations are aligned with reality. If people understand the wait, they can make a personal decision as to whether they wish to wait or move on. Other than that, for a single man shop, you have to choose to communicate and not make money, or make money and try to skimp on the communication. It is a tough choice for a single man shop, but at least he doesn't have to worry about having to fire people!

I really wish Eli all the best, success is a very tough problem to deal with in the business world. I'm not a total fan boy, but I will not be kicking him overboard on my next project.
 
I agree with JFLemm. As a custom kydex bender, who builds one at a time, I know how quickly you can get overloaded with orders and with good intentions, bad things sometimes still happen. Look what happened with Guy at Survive! when he first started. Thankfully he recovered and we have more great blades coming from his shop. I prefer to just be honest with my customers and i've found in almost every instance that communication is the key. If I were to ever be late on an order, I would just say why. Simple as that. Give the honest truth and let the customer decide. Do I want a refund, or is the reason you're late on my order good enough and i'll continue to wait? My father passed last June and I missed ONE order and the guy on FeeBay slammed me with a negative.
I wish I had the business like the big boys do.
 
JT1968 said:
Just an update - I sent Eli an email asking to send the sheath or a refund. He responded 1 minute later after not respondind for 13 weeks. He informed me that a refund had been issued 5 days ago. Thanks for nothing. I would strongly encourage everyone to choose another option for sheaths. Eli has proven to be untrustworthy, unreliable and a coward. BUYER BEWARE!
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I had the same experience with Eli not responding until I sent an email stating "sheath or refund", he sent an email later that day stating a refund was issued. I will say though, even with his lack of communication, i would never go as far as calling him a coward or untrustworthy...unreliable yes, but none of us know what is going on in his life at the moment. If anyone gets burned by him then it will be a different story but i just keep in mind that it's only a sheath, i was refunded in full, and everybody goes through rough times. If and when he gets everything straight in his life I would still consider buying a sheath from him. Peace
 
Same experience . . .waited more than a month for something that would "be going out in a couple of days." When I did get a response, he was a nice guy. He did make me a killer Ratmandu sheath it just took alot longer than expected and there wasn't much in the way of communication. By the way, before anyone pipes in about custom work, part-time-job, cottage vendors etc . . . I'm aware of all of the excuses that get thrown into the ring. So, the fix? Makers, don't tell someone 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, if you really have no idea how long it will take and communicate . . . communicate . . . communicate. Buyers . . .do your research and realize that "it is . . .what it is."
 
Granted, everyone goes through some tough times. I recently spent three weeks in the hospital and didn't think I was going to get out. I still made sure my customers were taken care of. I didn't want a refund, I wanted one of the nicest sheaths I've seen available from someone who's web page seemed honest and sincere. I like when someone tells me the buck stops with them and they stand behind their product 100%. Hence, the lie. If the buck stops with you as you state, take responsibility. Stop taking more orders. You have 10 kids, you can't tell me one of them doesn't know the internet better than all of us put together and is able to explain a web site note or a mass email explaining the situation. Too many customers is a problem I'm sure a lot of us wish we had. Eli never had to meet anyone face to face or even on the phone. All he had to do was answer an email-very impersonal. But he didn't have the class Hence, the cowardice. My intention is not to bash someone for entertainment. I'm not one to make light of promises. If I tell someone something will get done, it gets done. If I can't get it done, I don't make the promise. That's all I expect from anyone. That's integrity.
 
Life happens JT1968. I recently went through an illness and fell a little behind. I had my brother email and make phone calls to customers who had deadlines approaching. That honesty and effort was all it took. As soon as I was back in the saddle, the orders continued. I'm working on those same customers new orders right now.
 
JT1968 said:
Granted, everyone goes through some tough times. I recently spent three weeks in the hospital and didn't think I was going to get out. I still made sure my customers were taken care of. I didn't want a refund, I wanted one of the nicest sheaths I've seen available from someone who's web page seemed honest and sincere. I like when someone tells me the buck stops with them and they stand behind their product 100%. Hence, the lie. If the buck stops with you as you state, take responsibility. Stop taking more orders. You have 10 kids, you can't tell me one of them doesn't know the internet better than all of us put together and is able to explain a web site note or a mass email explaining the situation. Too many customers is a problem I'm sure a lot of us wish we had. Eli never had to meet anyone face to face or even on the phone. All he had to do was answer an email-very impersonal. But he didn't have the class Hence, the cowardice. My intention is not to bash someone for entertainment. I'm not one to make light of promises. If I tell someone something will get done, it gets done. If I can't get it done, I don't make the promise. That's all I expect from anyone. That's integrity.
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wow, you are kinda being a big cry baby. did it really impact your life that much? did you need the sheath for a deployment? you have every right to be annoyed at the situation. but like i said, i think calling someone a coward over the internet...well whats that saying bout the pot and kettle. I had posted a few weeks ago that eli informed me his system crashed (not sure exactly what that entails) and would have orders out in a week. it seems that he wasn't able to get things going so he decided to just give everyone a refund. is it annoying? kinda. is it worth sullying his reputation? i don't believe so. also why ya gotta bring up how many kids he does or doesn't have? it sucks you had to wait 14 weeks before finding out the sheath was a no go, i feel ya on that. but i really doubt it was a duty knife or a daily user. just be happy nobody stole your cash and disappeared like most threads in gbu. peace
 
In this day and age, There is simply no excuse for not replying to your customers after they have paid and are waiting on their order that is weeks overdue. You have multitudes of internet access available these days. If your running a business and dealing with customers personal information then it should be backed up and encrypted daily. If your a one man shop and holding on to customers money then you better have a backup plan in case something happened to you. A mass email is pretty simple to send, most customers are pretty willing to work with you as long as you make an effort to communicate with them if there is a problem. They have already paid and entrusted their money to you. You OWE them a little common courtesy.

This excuse of my laptop crashed my email is down so I am not answering anybody is rubbish, Since he is using a gmail addy it can be accessed anywhere. It's called burying your head in the sand to avoid a guilty conscience. 'Ooops I'm way behind and people are complaining but if I don't read any of the emails then there's actually no problem.'
When your still taking in new orders to refund the guys at the back of the line that have waited months for nothing except a refund with no explanation then you got a big problem and it's time to stop and reassess your business strategy before you completely ruin your reputation and put yourself out of business.
 
I hope Eli gets this sorted out. I think the quality of his work brought on growth that he was not prepared for.

I will say that when I did receive his product, it was well worth the long wait.
 
Looking for some advice....

Placed an order for a Izula II sheath, large and small tec lock and ESEE pouch from Eli on 3/5.

3/22 I reached out to him to request a change in the material as I seen a picture on one of the forums that he was adding 2 carbon fiber colors. He responded right away, mentioned he had started the sheath, but wanted some pics of the new material for his website and was happy to make the change.

4/23 I sent him another email checking the status, no reply. Sent another email on 4/29, 5/2 and 5/8. He finally replied to the 5/8 email stating that his computer crashed and he had fallen way behind on communication and orders. He said he would have order shipped out the following week.

Sent another email on 5/23 checking again on the order and have not heard back. This Sat 5/31 will be 10 weeks since I made the change to my order on 3/22. His website states 2-5 weeks for orders. 10 weeks seems excessive, but I haven't dealt with any other custom sheath guys before.

If I hadn't heard so many great things about his quality I would have cancelled this order some time ago. I know he did me a favor by letting me change the order, but now wish I wouldn't have. I truly want to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope this order is completed soon, but the lack of response is concerning. I get that some folks aren't big on email, but I live on it for both my job and personal stuff.

I know a sheath isn't a major thing, but I have a few trips planned that I wanted this for and did not order a factory sheath (another dumb mistake). I am willing to give this another couple weeks, so hopefully it shows, but if not any recommendations of other kydex guys to deal with. Thanks


Update 6/5/14: Received the sheath setup on 6/4. While it did take some time it was worth the wait.
 
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hank_612 said:
I sent him another email today. The last email was never responded to.
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You need to stay calm. According to his fans here, 2 months of silence and ignoring customers is nothing for him.

It's just his way...

No doubt his fanboys will be along shortly to slap you around and make fun of you for being concerned with where your hard earned dollars have gone. Or as seen earlier in this thread, being a weenie for even caring!

Robert
 
Considering the way the complaints are piling up, it appears Eli is totally ignoring folks, if life hasn't happened to him. His work was best among all kydex makers, but his service lacks by miles. I doubt if I'll do any business with him. Those who have been waiting should probably contact paypal if isn't too late, or your credit card company.
 
My last e-mail reply from him was on 4/23 saying my sheaths would be sent out in a couple of days. They still have not arrived. I tried to e-mail him again and got no reply.

I have bought quite a few of his sheaths in the past and "2 months of silence" was not normally what I got. If it had been, I would not be waiting on these sheaths now!
 
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