Knifecenter.com

Eh, I only posted because it has happened every time I've dealt with them, which is usually only for a sale on something I like. I go to smaller online stores or places like NGK, KSF, or BladeHQ.

I guess the response I got on the phone, a total lack of care towards making things right in the slightest, didn't help too much either. I'm usually one of those people who patiently wait for things to arrive whenever. Having the delay happen multiple times and then act as if nothing was wrong, even going so far as trying to convince me that I was in the wrong, just struck me as a bad way to deal with folks, when compared to my experiences with other knife retailers.

I posted to let other people know that this kind of thing does happen with them, and from the other posts, it seems to happen often. Other than that, I think I am done with them, deals or no.
 
I ordered a Utica stockman from them a few years ago. It had a crack in the bone handle. I emailed them, and they sent me a new one along with a postage paid packing label to return the cracked one. :thumbup: I was really impressed that they didn't want the bad one returned first. I don't know if their policy is the same on more expensive knives, but I was extremely pleased with their customer service.
 
It's not when everything goes right that tests the character of a company. It's when something goes wrong. Enough folks here have shared less than stellar experiences with Knife Center to convince me that this is not a company for me. And I'm just starting out with this hobby.

It's also not the bad experiences themselves that provide the red flags. It's that this company doesn't seem concerned enough about customer service to do what they can to prevent such stories from getting out on the interwebs. You can generally spot trollish, trumped up complaints a mile away. This doesn't seem to be one of them.

With the amount of competition and online chatter out there, it's just not smart to let customers leave dissatisfied without making some meaningful attempt to redress their complaints - real or otherwise. That sometimes sucks for companies who may get burned even when doing the right thing, but that's the reality of today's marketplace and why customer service should be a #1 priority.

So perhaps Knife Center is doing so well that this sort of online feedback is not a big concern for them. If that's the case they don't need my money, and I'm more than happy to spend it (at a premium if need be) with a company that does take customer service seriously. Best of all, it seems those choices are plenty.
 
Last edited:
dejard said:
It's not when everything goes right that tests the character of a company. It's when something goes wrong. Enough folks here have shared less than stellar experiences with Knife Center to convince me that this is not a company for me. And I'm just starting out with this hobby...
Click to expand...

Well I have been in this hobby since before the internet. If you search this site, instead of reading just this thread, you will find that Knifecenter has a good reputation since its inception over 15 years ago. You will find a few complaints but many more that are positive or are examples of great service. I have had items backordered and in all cases they gave me good service.

They are one of the first on-line purveyors of knives and their selection is better than most and their prices are always competitive. Other internet stores were here and are now gone. Knifecenter is still here. To me that says a lot. Some other sites are cheaper but w/o the solid reputation. Some sites are more expensive, but give a very liberal return policy. The "no questions asked policy" is AGRussell's schtick and he once said he looks around at various internet sites, like knifecenter, and prices his ~20% higher, due to his premium service. For me, 20% over many years is not small change.
 
brownshoe said:
Well I have been in this hobby since before the internet. If you search this site, instead of reading just this thread, you will find that Knifecenter has a good reputation since its inception over 15 years ago. You will find a few complaints but many more that are positive or are examples of great service. I have had items backordered and in all cases they gave me good service.

They are one of the first on-line purveyors of knives and their selection is better than most and their prices are always competitive. Other internet stores were here and are now gone. Knifecenter is still here. To me that says a lot. Some other sites are cheaper but w/o the solid reputation. Some sites are more expensive, but give a very liberal return policy. The "no questions asked policy" is AGRussell's schtick and he once said he looks around at various internet sites, like knifecenter, and prices his ~20% higher, due to his premium service. For me, 20% over many years is not small change.
Click to expand...

I've seen both good and bad, honestly. That doesn't change the truth of the statements in this thread. Some people get great service, and some are let down. My original point is that it happened to me too often to make me want to stick with this company, and I did want people to know.

I will never understand people who want to whitewash over the negative things a company does in terms of quality or customer service. If a negative thing happens, it is just as real as the positives that occur, and both should be taken into account when deciding whether to deal with a company.

For what it's worth, I've never had the issue out of BladeHQ or any other knife retailer except Amazon. In my opinion, 3-4 times burned by one company versus none at all by similar companies is telling. Again, FWIW, I have made many more purchases at those companies than I have at Knifecenter and still had no issue.

Just my experience.
 
brownshoe said:
Well I have been in this hobby since before the internet. If you search this site, instead of reading just this thread, you will find that Knifecenter has a good reputation since its inception over 15 years ago. You will find a few complaints but many more that are positive or are examples of great service. I have had items backordered and in all cases they gave me good service.

They are one of the first on-line purveyors of knives and their selection is better than most and their prices are always competitive. Other internet stores were here and are now gone. Knifecenter is still here. To me that says a lot. Some other sites are cheaper but w/o the solid reputation. Some sites are more expensive, but give a very liberal return policy. The "no questions asked policy" is AGRussell's schtick and he once said he looks around at various internet sites, like knifecenter, and prices his ~20% higher, due to his premium service. For me, 20% over many years is not small change.
Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying, brownshoe. The point I was making is that negative reviews typically have a disproportionate effect on a company's reputation than positive reviews despite the fact that they are almost always disproportionately expressed. Couple that with fierce competition from companies that understand this dynamic and you have people like me spending their money elsewhere to avoid potential hassles and bad experiences because they can. It's a risk calculation that is very easy for the consumer to make nowadays.

For me, a 20% premium for a "no questions asked" customer service experience is exactly what I'm looking for. It took me far too long to realize that bargain centers are never really bargains in the long run. You eventually pay for that "discount" somewhere along the line in terms of headaches, hassles, shoddy craftsmanship, lost time, repairs, returns, getting angry, and so on. I no longer find such bargains worth the premiums they cost me in aggravation.

In short, having peace of mind when making purchases is something that for me continues to increase in value the older I get. It's a good thing that we have so many choices, and I'm glad RemyKaze shared his experience because it provided information that allowed me to make my own choice as a result.
 
Got the ad for the BK15 which I had been wanting but hadn't got around to buying. Added a Buck 120 that I had been looking for a while back when they weren't available and that brought the total a hair over $100 so I got free shipping. The Buck showed 5-7 work days delay. I ordered anyway and they shipped yesterday. The horror! I want my knives and I want them now! :p Seriously, I have ordered from KC several times over the years and have never had any reason to complain.
 
GronK said:
Got the ad for the BK15 which I had been wanting but hadn't got around to buying. Added a Buck 120 that I had been looking for a while back when they weren't available and that brought the total a hair over $100 so I got free shipping. The Buck showed 5-7 work days delay. I ordered anyway and they shipped yesterday. The horror! I want my knives and I want them now! :p Seriously, I have ordered from KC several times over the years and have never had any reason to complain.
Click to expand...

I don't mind waiting. Heck, I don't even mind waiting when I'm not informed that there will be a wait. When it happens with every order, it is less a case of nitpicking(which is not my intention) and more a case of mediocre CS.
 
Bought a Sebenza from knife center about a month ago and paid for Priority USPS. They shipped it UPS ground. All my previous transactions went flawless.Mistakes happen,no big deal.
 
Placed a few orders with this outfit and from what I can recall,they were always processed in a day or two.One plus, I do like is how they offer you a free gift for reviewing their products.In my last order was a free Slitzer Steak Knife which cut my steak beautifully.As for the knife, even though made in China was sharp and nicely finished,is a very appreciated gift.
 
I would expect knifecenter to get it right 95% of the time. Doesn't change they fact that they have some serious delays sometimes. That's actually the only bad thing about them. I think they kept an order of mine for a few weeks waiting for one item to come in.
 
I ordered a BK15 from them during the sale. It said 3-5 days but it also said out of stock. So, I figured it could easily be longer than that and I wouldn't worry about it. They were giving such a good deal I was willing to wait. My new knife was delivered last night. It is the sharpest out of the box knife I've ever gotten and seems very nice. I was happy with knifecenter's service primarily because of the great deal. It actually surprised me that I got it this order as quick as I did. Might have been a day or two over 5 but for an out of stock item that's not to bad.
 
I'm surprised to hear about shipping problems. I have had at least three good experiences with them. They have some really great deals periodically.
 
Sorry but its 2014. The whole "9 days counting the weekend" thing is a bit ridiculous. Most adult americans have known that business and shipping runs on and is counted in business days. I'd say its a safe bet that most people have understood that concept for some time.
 
I've had really good exp w/ KC....HOWEVER, that doesn't mean a whole lot because I've seen companies do very well for years and all of the sudden just start treating people like crap and under-delivering.

Now, as for Remy, I have dealt w/ him before on here and I KNOW he's a good guy. He wouldn't be complaining and trying to warn others on a whim.

I really think its sad that some companies have an associate or two that don't care about their custys and result in bad experiences.
 
I've had really good exp w/ KC....HOWEVER, that doesn't mean a whole lot because I've seen companies do very well for years and all of the sudden just start treating people like crap and under-delivering.

Now, as for Remy, I have dealt w/ him before on here and I KNOW he's a good guy. He wouldn't be complaining and trying to warn others on a whim.

I really think its sad that some companies have an associate or two that don't care about their custys and result in bad experiences.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top