Nitpickety

I keep and fix just about any issue with any knife that I receive just to avoid the hassle of returning it. Ive only sent one knife back, it was a Rockstead I purchased from Knifecenter. When you spend $1800+ on a knife you dont expect to receive it dull and gritty or packed in soiled bubble wrap to boot. I sent that knife back mainly due to principle. First time dealing with KC and my last. Then they charged me a $90 restocking fee. I only had it in my hands for an hour. :mad:

I bought a $600 Strider here on the forums and the thumb stud fell into my hand within a few flicks....I kept it, gave the guy the benefit of doubt. I also bought a knife here that after a month finally got around to looking at it closer and it was missing bearings. I had never carried or used it, but I felt that to much time had passed to cause a stink about it. Im really contemplating the halt of all sales and trades here. I sold an item here a while back (at half price mind you) and he sent it back just because he didnt like the way it looked. Dude treated me like a retail store. Matter of fact most sales or trades Ive done end bad when the first correspondence begins in broken English.....hhmmmm:(
 
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Had a similar experience with KC Brandon. When I called, and got a manager on the line, the guy spoke to me like I was 12 and, more or less, told me I had no clue what I was talking about.
I sent the knife back and they charged me a &25 re stocking fee.
Never again.
Think that's the only time I had a problem with a big seller.
Joe
 
I've never spent more then $120 or so on a knife so I don't expect perfection. Many knives can be fixed with a good cleaning, some lube, sharpening, and some tinkering (ie adjust the pivot). At my price point and dong this for 20 years, I like to think I'm realistic about my expectations.

I guess if I was spending $1000 on a knife, I might be more picky. But that will never happen so ....
 
palonej said:
Had a similar experience with KC Brandon. When I called, and got a manager on the line, the guy spoke to me like I was 12 and, more or less, told me I had no clue what I was talking about.
I sent the knife back and they charged me a &25 re stocking fee.
Never again.
Think that's the only time I had a problem with a big seller.
Joe
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Yeah, I think that Rockstead was passed around KC like a bad white elephant gift before I got it. Heck I would have kept it and sharpened it no big deal..... but the nasty bubble wrap was the breaking straw lol! And then to to be charged almost $100 for a restocking fee! KnifeCenter NEVER AGAIN.
 
Couldn't agree more!! The thing that pissed me off was how no one there would even discuss anything Brandon.
Just send it back, wait 7 days for refund and pay $25 to re stock.
I asked them why re stock an un usable $400 knife?? No answer from them.
Never again.
Joe
 
"ONLY" thing I should have returned but did not was a "fake" Strider bought on E bay...& YES OVERALL i VIEW MY KNIFES AS "TOOLS" BUT LIKE ALL TOOL'S THEY CAN BE USED FOR OFFENSIVE ? DEFENSIVE OR CUTTING STRING... ONCE HAD THE "PLEASURE : OF SEEING A BATTLE BETWEEN A ROOFING CREW WHO USED RAZOR KNIFES AND 20 OZ HAMMERS. PERSONAL DEFENSE FOR IN THE CAR, HORNET & WASP SPRAY; ON THE MOTORCYCLE STEEL TOED BOOTS AND SCREW DRIVERS. I DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT STATE I AM IN OR CITY... IF I CAN NOT REACH IT FAST OR DO NOT KNOW WHERE I AM GOING DANGER WISE BOOTS ARE THE BEST.....
 
palonej said:
Couldn't agree more!! The thing that pissed me off was how no one there would even discuss anything Brandon.
Just send it back, wait 7 days for refund and pay $25 to re stock.
I asked them why re stock an un usable $400 knife?? No answer from them.
Never again.
Joe
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Wait,....the factory forgot to put an edge on the knife and KnifeCenter still charged you a restocking fee for a defective knife?!!! Thats down right despicable!

Im beginning to suspect that KC sends out defective knives knowing they are going to be returned so they can profit by charging "restocking" fees.! :mad:
 
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I wouldn't doubt it!!
You mean to tell me they didn't know how they sent out both our knives??
Come on.
I could see charging the re stocking fee if we were tire kickers. We aren't! If there is a legitimate issue with the knife, I can't see having to pay that fee.
Joe
 
brandoak said:
Im beginning to suspect that KC sends out defective knives knowing they are going to be returned so they can profit by charging "restocking" fees.! :mad:
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That's kinda like the bank that charged me a late fee every month no matter how early I sent the payment in.
 
Only knives I ever sent back was a Marttiini Witch's Tooth and a DPX HEST folder.
The Witch's Tooth was too small for my hand. A hammer grip would put my finger on the blade. It is a shame because I really loved that knife.
The DPX Hest was all around nasty. Dull Edge. Hard to open. Stickiest lock I ever had. After a day it developed vertical and horizontal play.
 
hatchettjack said:
I've found the pickiest people don't actually use them!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Exactly. How it looks and how it opens and closes are the hallmarks of desirability for those who don't really use their knives. How well it works cutting stuff matters more to those of us who do cut a lot with our knives.
 
hatchettjack said:
I've found the pickiest people don't actually use them!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I don't consider myself to be ''nitpickety''. But I sent one knife back to Spyderco, due to a blade having just enough slop in it to 'click' with vertical blade play when I pushed the blade down on material. So that was my one and only return...and it was noticed from use. With extended use the click became irritating. Of course Spyderco went above and beyond for me, as the class act they are. I even got to change the grip colour in the exchange. I buy knives, axes etc. with the realization that they will get uglied up to a certain extent from use, and they will often get slight modifications.
 
Hi. Owning a dozen or so of knives, I have been lucky enough not having any issue and never had to return a knife I have purchased so far :).

I might say something obvious but I really think the main root cause for the majority of the these returns is the on-line type of purchasing. I believe having the possibility to handle a knife, hold it, checking it out visually, feel the ergos, understanding the grind and geometry, appreciating aesthetics, etc. in person, would reduce massively any customer dissatisfaction, disappointment or frustration :p.

The second issue I see, it’s instead up to manufacturers/dealers: they are normally not super precise in defining the customer specifications on a number of their products: e.g. if I say “grey G10 scales with medium texture”, if there are 10 people in the room, I will get nearly 10 different representations of “grey” and “medium” :D. Pictures should help but many times are creating even more wrong expectations or are just misleading.

This said, I am personally rather picky but towards mechanical/functionality issues rather than towards aesthetical ones. When it comes to what I personally consider “minor” issues (e.g. slightly off centered blades, superficial staining, blade dullness, slightly uneven grinds, etc.), I resort to D.I.Y. fixing. Fair to say all my knives are tools (i.e. used to cut stuff around in my EDCing :)) and not very expensive (180 EUR on average). Sure I’d return under warranty a defective lock, built-in blade play or faulty hardware.
 
A "restocking fee" is a scam, especially if you paid postage. That reminds me of "Shipping and Handling"- OK, the shipping part I get, but "handling"? Meaning that in addition to paying the retail price for something, and the price to ship it, (or more) you want me to pay your employee to walk through the warehouse and select my item? Isn't that an expense you should incur as the business owner? Especially when they ask for $11.99 shipping and handling when you know for a fact it's gonna be a $5 flat rate box at most.
Not too long ago I needed a tang pin on an old bali I was refurbishing, and there's one place on the entire web (apparently) that has what I needed. This pin is small, and just steel, nothing fancy, about a half an inch long by 1/16th in diameter or thereabouts. The seller wanted $2 for the pin and EIGHT DOLLARS for shipping and handling. A trip to the hardware store, knife in hand, and ten minutes in the fasteners aisle, a drive home and ten minutes max with the dremel, a quick hammer tap, and fixed- for 39 cents plus gas. (less than a mile both ways). The web is full of scams like that- "Free Survival Tool, just pay S&H!!" and it's a 99 cent card tool they're asking ten bucks for to ship and "handle".
I'm not clear on the legality of a "restocking fee", but in my opinion, $25 is about the max I would think they could ever charge- $90 is outlandish. Maybe google that and see if anyone has ever filed a class action regarding those fees, and bring that up the next time KC tries it. Just say something like "You know, there's a whole thread on your restocking fee in a couple of forums in the knife community, and people are throwing the words "class action" around a bit." Might not do any good, might be enough to scare them off the charge, who knows?
 
It also potentially helps weed out tire kickers who buy a knife just to "handle" it but end up returning it because they don't like it for unspecified reasons.

If I'm buying a new knife at new knife price I expect it to be new, not something someone has played with for a bit and sent back because they changed their mind.
 
I think Herlock touched on an important issue describing on-line purchases. Without a brick and mortar store all we see is electronic images of our new found got to have knife. There is no handling, visual inspection, and manipulation of the deployment method. In our mind we build up such a high expectation that when we receive our new knife it becomes almost impossible to meet the standard already formulated.

I have bought knives from knife shows, knife stores and individuals where I was able to use other senses rather than relying on a digital image. Often times on The exchange we see a packaged digital image which shows a background of rebar, paracord, cement, and other window dressings to further enhance our imagination of its toughness. Oh by the way I only opened it a few times just for these pictures I took, it only sliced paper, or I carried it once or twice. In reality the seller admits in other posts he sits and flips his knife incessantly while watching tv or does a You Tube video of slicing a mountain of card board boxes and the tale tell signs of daily carry with scratch marks all over,the clip.

However I have bought and sold knives here on the exchange and reading the feedback and exchanging emails almost always enhances the buying selling experience. As far as restocking and shipping and handling it reminds me of sellers who insist on " net to me" add 3 or 4 percent if using goods and services, or send as friends and family then add $10 for shipping.. Those are the deals that tell me to move on, if I sell a knife it is all inclusive.
 
trevitrace said:
It also potentially helps weed out tire kickers who buy a knife just to "handle" it but end up returning it because they don't like it for unspecified reasons.

If I'm buying a new knife at new knife price I expect it to be new, not something someone has played with for a bit and sent back because they changed their mind.
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This is an excellent point Trev. There was a thread last month about a guy who bought a knife, didn't 'like' it and returned it. There was NOTHING wrong with the knife. He got pissed the dealer took 2 weeks to refund his money. Funny thing was most replies were backing up the buyer. I didn't. Maybe I was wrong?? Don't think so.
God only knows how many times this happens.
So a dealer ships out a brand new knife. The buyer plays with it, maybe cuts some shit and sends it back for a refund when there was nothing wrong with it. What does the dealer do with that knife?? Sell it as new?? It's not new. Discount it?? Never saw that.
These guys should pay a re stocking charge.
If there is an issue with it, there shouldn't be a re stocking charge if you decide you don't want a replacement.
Common sense should enter this equation, but common sense is rare these days.
I'll shut up now.
Joe
 
palonej said:
This is an excellent point Trev. There was a thread last month about a guy who bought a knife, didn't 'like' it and returned it. There was NOTHING wrong with the knife. He got pissed the dealer took 2 weeks to refund his money. Funny thing was most replies were backing up the buyer. I didn't. Maybe I was wrong?? Don't think so.
God only knows how many times this happens.
So a dealer ships out a brand new knife. The buyer plays with it, maybe cuts some shit and sends it back for a refund when there was nothing wrong with it. What does the dealer do with that knife?? Sell it as new?? It's not new. Discount it?? Never saw that.
These guys should pay a re stocking charge.
If there is an issue with it, there shouldn't be a re stocking charge if you decide you don't want a replacement.
Common sense should enter this equation, but common sense is rare these days.
I'll shut up now.
Joe
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These days, common sense is a super power. Maybe my new super hero, Rational Man, needs to get out to fight stupidity :p.

I have somewhere around 450 folding knives, probably 75% of them purchased new over the years. I've never returned a knife!

I've seen blade play, loose hardware, off-center blades, weak detents, hard detents, bad action and bad edges. I've found that most of those can be fixed with a little perseverance and elbow grease. On the rare knife that I just can't make right (for me), it either gets retired to a storage bag or passed along as a gift (so long as the wonkiness doesn't create an unsafe condition). Now, the large percentage of knives in my collection would be valued at well under $100. I think the game changes when you exceed $200 or $400 on a knife purchase. If an "expensive" knife had numerous issues, I'd probably be inclined to return it to the manufacturer to make it right, but not to the seller as a return. Once I make the decision to buy a knife, it's a decision that I stick with; good, bad or indifferent. To date, all the "expensive" knives I've purchased have been at least acceptable.

I guess the difference, for me, is that none of my knives are Safe Queens. Well, there are two, but that's another story. Any knife I buy is eligible to be a user and some manage to work their way into my EDC rotation, displacing another knife. Being that I view all knives as "users", I'm less concerned with small blemishes or cosmetic isssues.

I think in general people have unrealistic expectations for a product made under mass-assembly conditions. A custom made knife would be an entirely different deal.
 
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