Poll...Would you buy custom scales from Steve Ketchen <sketchenscales> again?

[Quiet]

You read my post, but did you read my post...



But I'm glad you made the point, "If someone can do that once, they can absolutely do it again."

Does that work for the positive things or just the negative stuff?

Because Sketchen amassed 40+ pages of good work before whatever happened to him personally.

https://bladeforums.com/threads/sketchen-scales-customs.1192333/

Hey man, like I said: go ahead and give that scumbag your money and some of your knives. I mean, 40 pages of good work, surely that outweighs any minor, insignificant, barely worth mentioning previous transgressions, right? I mean, you’ve had some sweet, no doubt sincere and charming email interaction with Ste...er, his lovely wife, right?

So, go ahead. Show us all how we should trust that scumbag thief again. I mean, 40+ pages of old transactions can’t be wrong...right?

 

[craytab]

Because Sketchen amassed 40+ pages of good work before whatever happened to him personally.

It's the old pinch of poop analogy. All it takes is one tiny pinch of poop to ruin a bucket of icecream.

 

[Bill Roberts]

Eventually he returned all my blades.

BUT, I had to get his local LE involved after getting the run-around, then silent treatment from him.

Could you please advise briefly what you needed to do to accomplish this? I'm assuming he was out of state to you, and I've found it hard to get LE involved in anything even locally.

I am in a very similar situation with a sheath maker who has my knife, Michael Sastre, and has given nothing but runaround and now silent treatment.

Thank you!

(On the poll, definite no, I agree completely with craytab.)

 

[craytab]

Could you please advise briefly what you needed to do to accomplish this? I'm assuming he was out of state to you, and I've found it hard to get LE involved in anything even locally.

I am in a very similar situation with a sheath maker who has my knife, Michael Sastre, and has given nothing but runaround and now silent treatment.

Thank you!

(On the poll, definite no, I agree completely with craytab.)

I believe it is detailed in the other thread. Should be on the first page of this sub forum currently.

 

[Dave from State Farm]

Absolutely no. I was one of the folks who did get caught up in his fiasco. It did take me having to contact his local LEO's, to be put on a long list I was told, of people he had stolen from. Before all that happened, I tried to amicably resolve the situation. However he always had more excuses then a group of pregnant nuns. In the end I did get my knife back. But it took the threat of prosecution to get it.

 

[Bill Roberts]

I believe it is detailed in the other thread. Should be on the first page of this sub forum currently.

Thank you.

I saw that a number of people, all having been ripped off, called the local police department and with time a detective showed up at the door. In my case, it might be a lone call, I don't know. Although chances are I am not the first to have my money taken, knife kept, and gone silent on. But I will try. Thanks again.

 

[BellaBlades]

Who is the Moron that voted yes?

Transparency....

 

[Norcaldude]

Who is the Moron that voted yes?

What are you trying to accomplish with a comment like this?

 

[KELAMA]

Who is the Moron that voted yes?

Transparency....

^^^ OMFG- this literally made me burst out laughing!

The first thought I had, regarding this new person coming forward (regardless of whom it is- Mr. or Mrs.): are the member's who are still out their knives (DNA Irradiator being the 1st person who comes to mind). It is my hopes, that they are finally made whole, for the losses they suffered.

And thank you, Petey2.1... because I already know, that you've tried your best, advocating on behalf of these less fortunate member's who were ripped off.

Do the right thing, Ketchen; it would be a positive start in the right direction. I'm guessing, that you've been doing some soul searching lately, thinking about how to right, these wrong's you've perpetrated here.

 

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

I'll entrust it to the better informed BladeForumites to sort it out for themselves...but these senior members should know to remove their muddy boots before they stomp all over a thread.

If for no other reason, because it's good manners out here in public.

 

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

A lot. Negatively.

Once somebody takes the money and runs, they are pretty much blackballed. Even if he were to catch up and send out everything that was owed, his rep is forever tarnished. That’s just the way stuff like that works.

Even if he did that, it would be other people’s risk to take, not mine.

I respect that viewpoint.

You said "Once somebody takes the money and runs, they are pretty much blackballed..."

Do you consider that forever, with no shot at restitution and reform?

 

[Andy the Aussie]

Do you consider that forever, with no shot at restitution and reform?

.....I'm not AntDog ....but yes....once they burn folks like that they should NEVER get another go to burn more people. They have alredy shown how they "deal with adversity" and you can bet when their next "relapse" comes they will be just as quick to burn folks again.

The only exception is that if such a "craftsman" squares up and then goes and works as an employee of another business (who's principal is in charge and responsible) doing the work. As long as they are not being left responsible for the knives (or whatever item may be sent in) or finances !! This however I don't believe is practical in a case such as this as the work is too specialised for another business to take on the risk. I have however seen it with gunsmiths (another profession where people who are good at the job but bad at the management) have failed spectacularly but can get some redemption working under the umbrella of another - but not responsible for the $s !!

 

[AntDog]

I respect that viewpoint.

You said "Once somebody takes the money and runs, they are pretty much blackballed..."

Do you consider that forever, with no shot at restitution and reform?

Restitution - absolutely (as he should pay everyone back).

Reform - not likely. Once that vase is shattered you can try to glue it back together, but it’s never the same.

Like I said, it would be other people’s risk to take, not mine.

Maybe something like Andy mentioned might work, but I wouldn’t be willing to throw my money and property into it. Turds of a feather tend to rip people off together.

ETA - Petey, if you’ve got such a redemption boner for the guy, send him your knives and money and see what happens.

 

[PeteyTwoPointOne]

thanks men for the civil discourse and giving reasons for your viewpoints-- even an example to illustrate your claim ...this was my reason for starting this thread

 

[AntDog]

Hell, I wish he had never gone down this path because the guy does quality work. It’s just that if you can’t feel at ease about getting the scales (and your knives back), there’s no point.

 

[Murphjd25]

Hell no. Once a scumbag, always a scumbag.

 

[woodysone]

If the man truly has a gift I suggest he find another outlet for his craft, sell a bunch of that without asking for any cash upfront, make whole everybody he's screwed and then come back with the many recommendations from people buying whatever he crafted to fix everybody's problem on how he's fulfilled every order on time and without asking for money upfront. Then after a few folks deal with him by purchasing things he's already made and getting them he might fix his mess but the chance of him ever getting a deposit is out of the question.

I’m with you sir! Made, ready to ship is the only way I would deal with him.

 

[SpyderPhreak]

I’m with you sir! Made, ready to ship is the only way I would deal with him.

I would have to take it a step further, and have the product in my hands before sending him a single penny! Even then, I'd still be leery.

He lost our trust, in a way that was even against the law, so now HE should have to trust his customers to pay him after they've received their products. It's a two-way street, Sketchy.

 

[r8shell]

It's not my place to forgive, judge, or punish, only to mitigate my risk.

I would have to take it a step further, and have the product in my hands before sending him a single penny! Even then, I'd still be leery.

He lost our trust, in a way that was even against the law, so now HE should have to trust his customers to pay him after they've received their products. It's a two-way street, Sketchy.

That sounds perfectly reasonable. I'd switch to "It Depends" under those circumstances.

 

[Eli Chaps]

If we assume it is in fact his wife who has tip-toed in here in an attempt to save her husband and set him on a path of righteousness, then even that means the dude still has not acknowledged or accepted what he has done.

He should be the one publicly apologizing and then working to make everyone as whole as he can possibly make them. He should not ask anyone to do any kind of business with him until that is done. That's what a remorseful stand up person would do. People get messed up and bad things can happen to good people, be it by their own design or just the universe. Redemption is real but rare and there is a proper way to go about it. It starts by accepting what you've done, and then immediately stepping into the shoes of the people you've wronged. You as an individual matter little at that point. It is not about forgiveness and if that's what you're seeking, you still haven't got it. It's about doing whats right for those you wronged.

I don't buy any of this and don't believe for a second the dude is genuine.