KAI Suspends Warranty and Sharpening Service

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JD Bear said:
I've taken my kids out to an actual store once since this all started. And that was only to get a new wet/dry vac when my basement flooded a little. So I feel ya...

I really can't say that a company taking care of their employees is a bad thing....ever. Honestly, there's not enough of that regardless of our current situation. Good on KAI....
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Lives above profits. I don't understand how anyone can prioritize profits over people but then again I'm not a greedy narcissist! Haha!
 
I think you guys may have misunderstood me. I didn't mean to sound entitled, I was just genuinely interested in the situation. There's no need to be so snarky.

I've mentioned before that I think, before all else, KAI needs to be good to its' employees. Obviously that includes putting safety first. However, sadly, I'm seeing too often that companies use such a crisis to lay people off or not pay them. (Never waste a good crisis, they'll say in the board room). I don't know whether that is the case here, but I am very critical of all such situations.

No, ofcourse I wouldn't sue someone over a cheap knife, but you just know there's gonna be people that are stuck up about that kind of thing. (I did mention that too, if you read back). (Also, only people from the USA think any disagreement about the law immediately equals suing someone. What is up with that? Doesn't your legal system offer other options? Can't you send someone a firmly worded letter first?).

Admittedly I haven't got a clear picture of the situation in the US, other than it's pretty bad with the corona. It simply surprises me, that of all companies, KAI has to take these measures. They always seemed like this big, rich knife company to me. I would have been less surprised if it had been a smaller company. So I am genuinely curious why KAI is taking this measure and others aren't.

Please take my (annoying) questions for what they are: genuine questions out of genuine curiosity.
 
It's nice to read some people who don't get their brains shat out over a "temporary suspension" of warranty work. Jeez, it's only a knife, you don't actually, totally need it, and if you ever do, there's still that Old Hickory butcher knife lying around in the barn, or the garage...
 
I respect them for handling this responsibly and will take a better look at their lineup.

*fires up bladehq to take another look at their Launch series.
 
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soc_monki said:
I have plenty of knives so I'll be able to weather the storm.
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Here is the truth to this non-issue. We are blade forum members and if you guys are even 1% like me you have plenty of other knives that you can use for months and not feel impacted in any way. If you have to send a Kershaw or ZT knife in for service then Man-up you're a Bladeforum member!
 
herisson said:
It's nice to read some people who don't get their brains shat out over a "temporary suspension" of warranty work. Jeez, it's only a knife, you don't actually, totally need it, and if you ever do, there's still that Old Hickory butcher knife lying around in the barn, or the garage...
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...or the dozens of other knives most forumites probably own. :D

While Kershaw’s product lineup may not be among my personal favorites, I respect them as a company 100% for the measures they are taking. Good on Kershaw/KAI!

Jim
 
vjb.knife said:
Here is the truth to this non-issue. We are blade forum members and if you guys are even 1% like me you have plenty of other knives that you can use for months and not feel impacted in any way. If you have to send a Kershaw or ZT knife in for service then Man-up you're a Bladeforum member!
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I have close to 60 knives, a good chunk are Kershaw/ZT. I stand behind them 100%. :thumbsup: They've always taken care of me when I've had an issue or needed parts, so I can wait for them to allow things to get under control.

Now if my Becker bk2 will get here... I hate waiting on deliveries! Might not even come today... I will be sad if it doesn't! :D haha!
 
vjb.knife said:
It says that it is temporary and I think to make a big deal over something like this is pretty ridiculous. At least thay are able to still employ people. A lot of us do not have jobs right now, myself included. Jeez guys just use a different knife for a while until they get past this Covid BS. Get a grip on reality, is this really that big of an impact on your life.
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Eli Chaps said:
They didn't say the warranty is discontinued or void. They said it is suspended. Meaning, they will still honor it when conditions allow them to return to something resembling normal operations. Good grief.
I work in manufacturing in a "hot bed" state and let me tell ya, COVID19 has made things extremely challenging. Heck, one confirmed case can shut down an entire department for fourteen days while everyone who had contact with the person goes on quarantine. It doesn't matter if any of those people have negative results, out for fourteen days. Then the area has to be shutdown for at least a shift so it can be fully sanitized by a pro-crew. And that's just the tip of the ice berg.

Cut them some slack. What we should all be genuinely hoping for is that all of our beloved knife companies actually survive.
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^^I agree with the above 100%!^^

Not to mention the ongoing problem of package sterilisation and having to treat each knife that enters the facility as being infected.
Then the knife has to be packed equally safely and hopefully the owner receives it in a sterile, safe condition.
Kai are doing the responsible thing for their staff and customers.
 
I applaud KAI for making a decision as tough as this one. I'm sure it means taking a big hit for them but more importantly it means they are taking this Covid-19 mess seriously and doing what they can to keep their employees safe.

Hell, I wish more businesses did this kind of thing. Down here in my part of TX we're getting new cases every day. Yes, it's as bad as you read in the news.

I appreciate KAI going the route of safety first. I'd fist bump the guy who brought this idea to the table, but that means I'd have to be within 6 ft. So for now, virtual high five to Kershaw/ZT!
 
We will give you the benefit of a doubt. I live in a city (San Antonio) where it is almost a necessity to be bilingual in order for us to completely understand one another. Frequently, we don't.

Lodd said:
I think you guys may have misunderstood me. I didn't mean to sound entitled, I was just genuinely interested in the situation. There's no need to be so snarky.
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It's the Blade Forums way to call that kind of behavior out. Actually, even with the language barrier/comprehension/expression considered, you got off pretty light! In our language (and probably yours) it came off as being completely petty and selfish. Obviously you can read/write English well enough to put together a well written and intelligent post, so no doubt credit was given to you for understanding the actual intent of your words.

Lodd said:
I've mentioned before that I think, before all else, KAI needs to be good to its' employees. Obviously that includes putting safety first. However, sadly, I'm seeing too often that companies use such a crisis to lay people off or not pay them. (Never waste a good crisis, they'll say in the board room). I don't know whether that is the case here, but I am very critical of all such situations.
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Understood. But that hasn't been the case for many years here. After a nasty recession, our economy was roaring along at incredible speed until Covid came along. NO ONE was looking for a reason, real or imagined to lay people off. Most companies (like me) can't find the workers we need and want, so layoffs were the last thing on our agenda. In a way, (taking into account your claimed naivete) you are adding another insult by insinuating that you think that this is what Kai was up to.

It wasn't, it isn't. Kai/Kershaw/Zero Tolerance group is well known and loved here. They have built a reputation for taking care of their customers with fair and expeditious treatment of customer issues. It has often been reported here that they have gone over and above expectations to support their product. They aren't perfect, but they are one of the best. Think of the work needed to warrant, repair and keep parts on hand for 1000s of knife patterns developed over decades, in price ranges from $12 to $350. In that light, they are stellar.

So implying that they are "up to something" dishonest isn't a good assumption on your part, and really not a good idea to put in writing here.

Lodd said:
No, ofcourse I wouldn't sue someone over a cheap knife, but you just know there's gonna be people that are stuck up about that kind of thing. (I did mention that too, if you read back). (Also, only people from the USA think any disagreement about the law immediately equals suing someone. What is up with that? Doesn't your legal system offer other options? Can't you send someone a firmly worded letter first?).
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Out legal system is unique. We use it to bully one another in some cases, and treat it as a lottery system in others. Here in the USA we are constantly bombarded by ads from attorneys that brag on their ability to crush any opponent. As a business owner myself, I can tell you that cooler heads to resolve situations doesn't always happen on the first try. Screaming a threat of being sued gets great traction in a lot of cases, though.

Lodd said:
Admittedly I haven't got a clear picture of the situation in the US, other than it's pretty bad with the corona. It simply surprises me, that of all companies, KAI has to take these measures. They always seemed like this big, rich knife company to me. I would have been less surprised if it had been a smaller company. So I am genuinely curious why KAI is taking this measure and others aren't.
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The situation here in the USA in regards to Covid is pretty fluid. One group says were are getting it under control, another says we are nearing the end of our civilization, and others don't seem to care how many or sick or die. Wait a day, and all sides can flip their story and announce they have changed their minds. We have no clear path, no real leadership, and if anything Covid has been used as a soccer ball to gain political traction by all parties. I don't know anyone that really trusts the information we are getting. We are watching people get sick, die, seeing our hospitals fill up, and hearing from patients that will carry the scars of the disease forever. Then of course, there are the folks that symtomatically show no more symptoms than a mild cold. So plenty of ammunition for all sides to skew and politicize to accommodate their needs.

Lodd said:
Please take my (annoying) questions for what they are: genuine questions out of genuine curiosity.
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Done. My advice: Search the subject here before posting anything that could be controversial. Especially if you think that your questions or assumptions could be interpreted incorrectly.

Robert
 
My sense is that KAI did this as a safety measure. Getting packages from every section of the country, in a vast variety of conditions ad sterilization, would be problematic at this time.
 
They're in Washington County, which is lagging behind the rest of the state in Phase 1 (all but 3 counties are in Phase 2 already), so they're in a hot-spot. Schools and daycare are spotty, and they just announced that they'll be beginning the school year with virtual classes in September. Given the rate of infection in the area, they've got to have a good number of people who've either tested positive or are in quarantine. KAI USA has several manufacturing-side jobs posted on their site, so it's also likely that they've had some attrition leading to staffing shortages on that side as well.

Reading between the lines of their announcement, I suspect they have determined they need to furlough a good number of employees in the service department during their 30-day "evaluation" period, and use the ones who are retained to work through their service backlog. Given that the service department isn't generating income, it lets them defer some overhead in that department in favor of the arm of the business that brings in money.

From a business stance, it's a really odd press release, and makes it sound like they're trying to preemptively defend furloughs/layoffs. I doubt anyone would've blinked if the announcement was just that they were having longer-than-normal turnaround time, which is the case everywhere, and doesn't make it sound like you're simultaneously shafting your customers and a portion of your workforce. If you've got to go down to minimal staffing in the service department, whether from a COVID outbreak, financial reasons, or whatever, it's covered by just saying service turnaround is going to be slow.
 
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Kai keeps their production open and hundreds of employees working, and protects their employees by temporarily shutting down some number of packages coming in from around the world for warranty work, all the while telling customers that they can expect their returns to be safely stored until they can again continue with business as usual, and they are chastised.

I am frankly surprised they are still operating, being in the Portlandia area where total chaos is the norm nowadays.

Shaking my head.

Good to see people here supporting them and appreciating their contributions to our collective affliction.

best

mqqn
 
I don't have a problem with this at all, and agree with most of y'all. This is temporary. It's not like when L.L. Bean decided to drop their lifetime guarantee.

If KAI had done that, I'd have an issue. I've rarely had to send a knife in for warranty work. And those were 2 Benchmade's and a Kershaw. A Kershaw will still function with a broken/worn out torsion bar.
 
Not a big deal.
I sharpen my own knives and void the warranties of at least a third of my knives. ;)

Company is still open, still has employees, still makes knives, and will resume parts and warranty service once things are back to some semblance of normal. :cool:
 
soc_monki said:
I think we're going to see a lot more of this soon. Cases are spiraling out of control, people are being stupid and not protecting themselves (and others) because they think this is a hoax or it doesn't apply to them. Someone even got shot because they were told to leave an establishment or put on a mask!

We didn't shut down soon enough, and we opened up too soon. We need to shut down again, and anyone who goes against it needs to be made to take precautions. I'm sorry, but if you're dumb enough to think this is a hoax or that you're somehow above taking precautions then you need to be forced to comply. My poor kid has had cabin fever for months because he won't wear a mask and we are not putting him in danger. So no shopping trips with mom and dad. I feel bad for him, but I'm keeping him as safe as possible.

I could see benchmade and other companies do this too. Just be prepared! I have plenty of knives so I'll be able to weather the storm.
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Forced to comply... smh. Keep living free my dude.
 
No where does it say there were layoffs. I've seen many companies have one person infect other coworkers. Seems the decision will be reevaluated in 30 days, makes me think they will need to have qualified repair staff (and I'm guessing its those non laid off staff that will be right back). We also have no idea if furloughed employees at KAI get compensation.
 
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