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Helko NA Customer Service Issues:mad:
- Thread starter cattledog
- Start date
I've been following a thread on the USN, guy over there has the same axe with the same problem. He did not contact their customer service but took it upon himself to replace the handle with one that fits. Hard to believe a company would allow an unsafe product like this to go out to the public. Obviously they had a bad batch of handles and they decided to just slap some sealer on the gaps and push them out the door. Lawsuit(s) waiting to happen right there. You can bet I'll never buy one their axes :barf:
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Update!
So the rat bastid Stuart Hoist at Helko North America replies to my email with yet more weasel words.
And I quote"The reason I did not have the handle replaced on that axe is because we do not typically stock extra handles for that specific model."
"Typically" oh really another weasel word from them. The original mails are full of them.
When asked about an exchange or for a different lower priced model And I quote" you may place your order online at your convenience."
Yeah right ok sure duh! Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
My original price with shipping 68.40 plus 10.08 to ship it back=$78.48 Refund $51.30 =net loss $27.10 return shipping not included as written in email.
What a load of horse hoooey! I was lied to, and got weasel worded out of $27.10 of my hard earned cash after using a defective Classic Light axe sold by Helko North America
Helko customer service lied to me in writing and followed up with ZERO options to correct the defective axe sold by Helko North America. I was given a partial refund after their findings stated that I altered the axe by sharpening and therefore could not determine the cause of the defect in the handle. Thereby voiding the warranty. I was given a refund of 65% of my original purchase after only having the axe for three days. Originally told refund would be 75% I never even swung it at full speed because I dont do that with a new axe.
My final thoughts and I will let this one go and chalk it up as a lossen!
I'm in business too and sometimes it costs me money just to get a customer advertising word of mouth etc.. Occasionally I have a customer issue, and it is not often usually one every year or two. When I can't resolve it I always refund completely with the hopes of retaining a customer even if it is not fair to me and I am a micro sized business. I'm not happy about it but that's part of doing business imo.
Here is an example of a large corporation screwing me out of $27.10
So now they have an axe that they can resell at cost or maybe even more with a new handle and are out nothing except a hit on their reputation. Hopefully that's a big hit because I will never buy another product from them.
Helko North America BUYER BEWARE CAVEAT EMPTOR!
So the rat bastid Stuart Hoist at Helko North America replies to my email with yet more weasel words.
And I quote"The reason I did not have the handle replaced on that axe is because we do not typically stock extra handles for that specific model."
"Typically" oh really another weasel word from them. The original mails are full of them.
When asked about an exchange or for a different lower priced model And I quote" you may place your order online at your convenience."
Yeah right ok sure duh! Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
My original price with shipping 68.40 plus 10.08 to ship it back=$78.48 Refund $51.30 =net loss $27.10 return shipping not included as written in email.
What a load of horse hoooey! I was lied to, and got weasel worded out of $27.10 of my hard earned cash after using a defective Classic Light axe sold by Helko North America
Helko customer service lied to me in writing and followed up with ZERO options to correct the defective axe sold by Helko North America. I was given a partial refund after their findings stated that I altered the axe by sharpening and therefore could not determine the cause of the defect in the handle. Thereby voiding the warranty. I was given a refund of 65% of my original purchase after only having the axe for three days. Originally told refund would be 75% I never even swung it at full speed because I dont do that with a new axe.
My final thoughts and I will let this one go and chalk it up as a lossen!
I'm in business too and sometimes it costs me money just to get a customer advertising word of mouth etc.. Occasionally I have a customer issue, and it is not often usually one every year or two. When I can't resolve it I always refund completely with the hopes of retaining a customer even if it is not fair to me and I am a micro sized business. I'm not happy about it but that's part of doing business imo.
Here is an example of a large corporation screwing me out of $27.10
So now they have an axe that they can resell at cost or maybe even more with a new handle and are out nothing except a hit on their reputation. Hopefully that's a big hit because I will never buy another product from them.
Helko North America BUYER BEWARE CAVEAT EMPTOR!
sheathmaker
Custom Leather Sheaths
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
- Messages
- 4,650
Just for grins, as I have no use for an axe today, I emailed a link to this thread to the sales dept. of Helko. It will probably not phase them, but at least they know I would never consider them for a similar product.
Paul
Paul
Hello All,
My name is Stuart Holst, and I am an official representative of helko North America. I was made aware of this thread by a few concerned people, and I would like to share my version of the story so as to give everyone a full perspective of what occurred.
I feel that we have been unfairly portrayed, especially since some key details have been omitted from Alan's take on what happened. When Alan sent the axe back to us, not only was the blade crudely ground and sharpened, but the handle varnish had been completely stripped off, and the sheath was ripped in half and re-riveted. The axe was not secured properly when shipped back, and took on further damage as a result. The axe was not repairable in the condition that he sent it to us, and it will have to be discarded. Our warranty is very clear in this respect, and we encourage all of our customers to be familiar with our policies before purchasing. We understand that many people prefer to give their axe a new edge, make personal modifications, etc, but it is important to remember that once these modifications have been made, it is, in most cases, impossible to restore the axe to its original condition, or to resell it. With that said, however, we are open to determining this on a case-to-case basis. Unfortunately in this scenario, Alan returned it to us in a state that was heavily modified. When Alan first contacted us with his concerns about the axe, he failed to mention the alterations that had been made, and simply stated that it had fallen apart after a few swings alone.
As a result of his initial contact, we decided to pull the products from the website in an effort to prevent any potential issues. However, after receiving his axe, it is almost impossible to tell what caused the problem in the first place. We plan to put that model through some testing, just to make certain that no manufacturing defect was present, after which these axes will soon be back on our website, and available for purchase.
We always strive to treat our customers with respect and fairness, and take care of them when problems arise; however it is difficult to do when they are dishonest and not upfront about the problems they experience, as is the case in this scenario. The majority of our customers have always been very pleased with our products and customer service; yet it is impossible for any business to avoid problematic situations such as this. I find it unfair, and actually quite rude, of Alan to personally insult me, calling me a "rat bastard" and a weasel. I have shown him respect and decency throughout our conversations, but he has not done the same for me.
I thank those of you who have taken the time to write to us with your concerns, and I hope you understand the situation a little better after reading this. I am always happy to answer any questions that you may have, and hope that I can be of further assistance.
Best Regards,
-Stuart Holst
My name is Stuart Holst, and I am an official representative of helko North America. I was made aware of this thread by a few concerned people, and I would like to share my version of the story so as to give everyone a full perspective of what occurred.
I feel that we have been unfairly portrayed, especially since some key details have been omitted from Alan's take on what happened. When Alan sent the axe back to us, not only was the blade crudely ground and sharpened, but the handle varnish had been completely stripped off, and the sheath was ripped in half and re-riveted. The axe was not secured properly when shipped back, and took on further damage as a result. The axe was not repairable in the condition that he sent it to us, and it will have to be discarded. Our warranty is very clear in this respect, and we encourage all of our customers to be familiar with our policies before purchasing. We understand that many people prefer to give their axe a new edge, make personal modifications, etc, but it is important to remember that once these modifications have been made, it is, in most cases, impossible to restore the axe to its original condition, or to resell it. With that said, however, we are open to determining this on a case-to-case basis. Unfortunately in this scenario, Alan returned it to us in a state that was heavily modified. When Alan first contacted us with his concerns about the axe, he failed to mention the alterations that had been made, and simply stated that it had fallen apart after a few swings alone.
As a result of his initial contact, we decided to pull the products from the website in an effort to prevent any potential issues. However, after receiving his axe, it is almost impossible to tell what caused the problem in the first place. We plan to put that model through some testing, just to make certain that no manufacturing defect was present, after which these axes will soon be back on our website, and available for purchase.
We always strive to treat our customers with respect and fairness, and take care of them when problems arise; however it is difficult to do when they are dishonest and not upfront about the problems they experience, as is the case in this scenario. The majority of our customers have always been very pleased with our products and customer service; yet it is impossible for any business to avoid problematic situations such as this. I find it unfair, and actually quite rude, of Alan to personally insult me, calling me a "rat bastard" and a weasel. I have shown him respect and decency throughout our conversations, but he has not done the same for me.
I thank those of you who have taken the time to write to us with your concerns, and I hope you understand the situation a little better after reading this. I am always happy to answer any questions that you may have, and hope that I can be of further assistance.
Best Regards,
-Stuart Holst
Yo Stuart, seems to me is that all this guy wanted was new axe handle that fit the axe he had.
In many ways it the responses of you and your people that escalated this problem.
Sending him a handle would have saved you money, made him happy, and avoided all this bad internet chatter.
Thanks for coming here, but no thanks as the original problem was not resolved.
I'll stick with the axes made a bit north of yours.
Big MIke
In many ways it the responses of you and your people that escalated this problem.
Sending him a handle would have saved you money, made him happy, and avoided all this bad internet chatter.
Thanks for coming here, but no thanks as the original problem was not resolved.
I'll stick with the axes made a bit north of yours.
Big MIke
screened porch
Basic Member
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- Feb 19, 2012
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- 18,676
Easy, Cattledog, we know you don't sharpen crudely.
Helko must know that sharpening is irrelevant to handle fit, and I'm surprised they couldn't compare your handle to one of theirs to see how much you took off of it.
Stuart, I think it's too bad Helko's warranty policy is so rigid, but if it is, I guess it is. Maybe they could make returning the customer's axe an option in future when they don't want to repair or replace. Cheaper for them than the partial refund in this case, I believe, and the customer could make the most of the axe he bought.
Helko must know that sharpening is irrelevant to handle fit, and I'm surprised they couldn't compare your handle to one of theirs to see how much you took off of it.
Stuart, I think it's too bad Helko's warranty policy is so rigid, but if it is, I guess it is. Maybe they could make returning the customer's axe an option in future when they don't want to repair or replace. Cheaper for them than the partial refund in this case, I believe, and the customer could make the most of the axe he bought.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2012
- Messages
- 494
HelkoNA, If you read cattledogs posts you'll note that he did not lie to us. he mentioned that he stripped the varnish and it's very clear from the pictures that he made serious modifications to the handle at least where it meets the ax (side note: it looks more like some kind of glue or rubber cement than varnish to me but i don't claim to be an expert). I understand your warranty and if i was in your position i wouldn't refund the entire cost either. HOWEVER where you went wrong was not giving cattledog some more options. Cattledog obviously didn't understand the warranty when he shipped it to you so you should have offered to send the ax back to him as is and offered to sell or give him a new handle. A little work goes a long way towards your reputation. I'd be pretty pissed off if someone called me a rat bastid but customer service should remain polite no matter what.
Fatherhudson, from the original post, Cattledogs removal of the varnish revealed that the manufacturer tried to conceal a serious defect in the axe (the poorly fit handle). His "modifications" were hardly serious and i probably would have done them myself. I also take exception to the manufacturer trying to hide behind a very weak clause in their warranty as a means of trying to get out of replacing or refunding a clearly faulty axe. Does he think this community is stupid and we wouldnt see through the BS?
3/16th's
3/16th's
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- May 15, 2012
- Messages
- 591
Greetings, new member here.
This particular axe series is what I purchased from helko NA and received on the 30th of April 2012. The first two pictures depicted above in post #1 is what mine also looks like.
At this point, I'm waiting for a new handle that I ordered elsewhere. Will see.
This particular axe series is what I purchased from helko NA and received on the 30th of April 2012. The first two pictures depicted above in post #1 is what mine also looks like.
At this point, I'm waiting for a new handle that I ordered elsewhere. Will see.
snowreaper1
BANNED
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2010
- Messages
- 1,614
Glad I don't have a need for an axe, especially from this company.
Thanks for the replies:
I stand behind everything I said and if anyone has any questions I will be happy to address them.
I will stand corrected if proven wrong!
I'll be brief.
Blunt Forged Edge Sorry you experienced a similar defect with your classic Helko axe and thanks for posting.
Examples of proper handles and fittings.
What I observed on my Helko Classic axe after the glue popped out from using it a few times. This is what initiated my contact with customer service. Clearly you can see that something is not right. After owning Helko Classic axe for two days.
Before I removed the coating on the visible parts of handle. Also shows the start of my sharpening process. I don't polish an edge after sharpening scratches will show.
the white lines represents the gap in the eye where the wood should be flush.
the red line represents where the Helko Classic axe head drifted down. This left a half inch or more sticking out of the top. That is how I shipped it back.
No amount of adjustments can fix this it is simply a defective Helko Classic axe handle and needs to be replaced. The head would have continued to drop down rendering the axe completely unsafe.
I feel that we have been unfairly portrayed, especially since some key details have been omitted from Alan's take on what happened.
When Alan sent the axe back to us, not only was the blade crudely ground and sharpened, but the handle varnish had been completely stripped off, and the sheath was ripped in half and re-riveted. The axe was not secured properly when shipped back, and took on further damage as a result. The axe was not repairable in the condition that he sent it to us, and it will have to be discarded.
Key Details? Alan's take? More weasel words. Not key details.
Yes I broke the cheap edge guard as a result of my sharpening the bit. Irrelevant to the handle defect on the Helko Classic axe.
UPS has strict packaging requirements and this package was dropped off in person at a certified UPS station and inspected by a UPS clerk before shipping. What happens after that I have no control of. Contact UPS it was insured up to $100
I am truly surprised that an axe made of steel and hardwood was damaged in shipping as you portrayed.
Our warranty is very clear in this respect, and we encourage all of our customers to be familiar with our policies before purchasing. We understand that many people prefer to give their axe a new edge, make personal modifications, etc, but it is important to remember that once these modifications have been made, it is, in most cases, impossible to restore the axe to its original condition, or to resell it. You would actually consider reselling this axe if I didn't sharpen or remove the varnish?
With that said, however, we are open to determining this on a case-to-case basis.
Unfortunately in this scenario, Yes Quite a scenario!
Alan returned it to us in a state that was heavily modified Sharpened and stripped of varnish is actually quite normal ask any axe user.
When Alan first contacted us with his concerns about the axe, I only had one concern and it was about the defective Helko Classic axe handle I purchased. he failed to mention the alterations that had been made, Correct I did not mention removing the varnish or glue and sharpening because all I wanted was a replacement for the defective Helko Classic axe handle.
and simply stated that it had fallen apart after a few swings alone. I never stated anything fell apart but I did only swing it a few times.
It has been two weeks now and still no new Helko Classic Light axes listed for sale on the website.
Edited TO Add:
I stand behind everything I said and if anyone has any questions I will be happy to address them.
I will stand corrected if proven wrong!
I'll be brief.
Blunt Forged Edge Sorry you experienced a similar defect with your classic Helko axe and thanks for posting.
Examples of proper handles and fittings.
What I observed on my Helko Classic axe after the glue popped out from using it a few times. This is what initiated my contact with customer service. Clearly you can see that something is not right. After owning Helko Classic axe for two days.
Before I removed the coating on the visible parts of handle. Also shows the start of my sharpening process. I don't polish an edge after sharpening scratches will show.
the white lines represents the gap in the eye where the wood should be flush.
the red line represents where the Helko Classic axe head drifted down. This left a half inch or more sticking out of the top. That is how I shipped it back.
No amount of adjustments can fix this it is simply a defective Helko Classic axe handle and needs to be replaced. The head would have continued to drop down rendering the axe completely unsafe.
I feel that we have been unfairly portrayed, especially since some key details have been omitted from Alan's take on what happened.
When Alan sent the axe back to us, not only was the blade crudely ground and sharpened, but the handle varnish had been completely stripped off, and the sheath was ripped in half and re-riveted. The axe was not secured properly when shipped back, and took on further damage as a result. The axe was not repairable in the condition that he sent it to us, and it will have to be discarded.
Key Details? Alan's take? More weasel words. Not key details.
Yes I broke the cheap edge guard as a result of my sharpening the bit. Irrelevant to the handle defect on the Helko Classic axe.
UPS has strict packaging requirements and this package was dropped off in person at a certified UPS station and inspected by a UPS clerk before shipping. What happens after that I have no control of. Contact UPS it was insured up to $100
I am truly surprised that an axe made of steel and hardwood was damaged in shipping as you portrayed.
Our warranty is very clear in this respect, and we encourage all of our customers to be familiar with our policies before purchasing. We understand that many people prefer to give their axe a new edge, make personal modifications, etc, but it is important to remember that once these modifications have been made, it is, in most cases, impossible to restore the axe to its original condition, or to resell it. You would actually consider reselling this axe if I didn't sharpen or remove the varnish?
With that said, however, we are open to determining this on a case-to-case basis.
Unfortunately in this scenario, Yes Quite a scenario!
Alan returned it to us in a state that was heavily modified Sharpened and stripped of varnish is actually quite normal ask any axe user.
When Alan first contacted us with his concerns about the axe, I only had one concern and it was about the defective Helko Classic axe handle I purchased. he failed to mention the alterations that had been made, Correct I did not mention removing the varnish or glue and sharpening because all I wanted was a replacement for the defective Helko Classic axe handle.
and simply stated that it had fallen apart after a few swings alone. I never stated anything fell apart but I did only swing it a few times.
It has been two weeks now and still no new Helko Classic Light axes listed for sale on the website.
Edited TO Add:
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2008
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- 2,010
Its interesting that I can not find one single 2.5# Classic Line-headed axe on their website. Did they pull them already?
- Joined
- May 15, 2012
- Messages
- 591
helkoNA mentioned it in his post (#27) that they've pulled it from their website.