Problems with Arno Bernard folders...

barcbsa

barcbsa

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To make a long story short, I purchased two folders from Arno Bernard earlier this year. The pocket clip bends out of shape under normal use and on several occasions the knife has slipped out of my pocket while I was sitting. I tightened the clip by removing it and bending it so it would be tighter. The problem persisted.

In April, I contacted Arno and he acknowledged that the hole in the clips maybe too large and that's why the clip loses it's tension.
He said he would make new clips for my knives out of thicker material and get them to me within 2 months.

Since that time I sent him several emails reminding him of the problem. His response was that I should have clips soon. In September, he sent me two clips that are the exact same as the originals (which are pretty much useless). He again promised me two new clips from thicker material in about a week.

Yesterday I recieved an email from his USA distributer stating that Arno was too busy with other knives and there would be no new clips made until sometime next year. He (the distributer) would be glad to look at my knife to see if the clip was made "to spec". He would then be glad to repair or replace the clip if it was not "in spec". I explained to him the clip is most likely made to spec since all 4 are the same, it's just not useable.

Needless to say, after spending over $700 for two knives that I can not carry or use, I am very disappointed. As it stands, maybe sometime next year I will be getting the two clips he originally promised me.

I have alerted the distributer of this post.
 
Hi..Sorry to hear of your troubles and I know this is something you may feel you shouldn't have to do. But maybe you can find a suitable replacement clip with Jantz or USA Knifemaker and any of the other knife supply houses. I have no idea if they will have anything that will fit but they might. I think they are reasonably inexpensive so it may be worth it . At least you will be able to enjoy your knives.

I know it stinks when you pay a premium for a knife from a well known maker only to be unsatisfied but sometimes you have to fix things yourself.

Good luck and I hope this may have helped.
 
barcbsa said:
To make a long story short, I purchased two folders from Arno Bernard earlier this year. The pocket clip bends out of shape under normal use and on several occasions the knife has slipped out of my pocket while I was sitting. I tightened the clip by removing it and bending it so it would be tighter. The problem persisted.

In April, I contacted Arno and he acknowledged that the hole in the clips maybe too large and that's why the clip loses it's tension.
He said he would make new clips for my knives out of thicker material and get them to me within 2 months.

Since that time I sent him several emails reminding him of the problem. His response was that I should have clips soon. In September, he sent me two clips that are the exact same as the originals (which are pretty much useless). He again promised me two new clips from thicker material in about a week.

Yesterday I recieved an email from his USA distributer stating that Arno was too busy with other knives and there would be no new clips made until sometime next year. He (the distributer) would be glad to look at my knife to see if the clip was made "to spec". He would then be glad to repair or replace the clip if it was not "in spec". I explained to him the clip is most likely made to spec since all 4 are the same, it's just not useable.

Needless to say, after spending over $700 for two knives that I can not carry or use, I am very disappointed. As it stands, maybe sometime next year I will be getting the two clips he originally promised me.

I have alerted the distributer of this post.
Click to expand...

Post a picture of the knives and clips and I might be able to find you one on one of the knife websites that works.
 
It may be possible that the heat treat on the clips was performed poorly. That is if they are steel and not Ti. If the clip is steel I offer to heat treat one of the clips for free. If you want to give it a try PM me. I can understand your frustration. Hope it works out for you one way or another.
 
Distance between mounting screws is .40" (center of hole to center of hole) and they are titanium. Jantz has many available but they're all .34" between holes (center to center)... won't work properly.

0_zps3f5daebf.jpeg

0-1_zpsaf6ae856.jpeg
 
Ill see what I can find :)

edit:

.40's are hard to find.

knife kits doesn't specify the exact measurements on a couple of there fold over pocket clips. maybe you could contact them and ask.

mean while Ill continue my search
 
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this is proving to be harder to find than I thought :D he must of made the clip himself or the clip he used is discontinued. I have searched most of the major dealers and cant find anything in that size.
 
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Since you have extras I would experiment. The easiest thing to do is to bend one to the tension that you want. Take it off of the knife and hold it in some pliers and heat it with a torch till the area where it is bent turns red. Go slow and take your time since the thin areas on either side of the hole will heat up fastest. Place it on something non-flammable to cool, then re-install it. I find that the heat will help set the material and keep the spring. You can use a piece of scotchbrite to remove the color.
 
As it turns out, Arno never made the new clips he promised. He had no interest in repairing a known defect and correcting the problem. Got a problem with his product??? He doesn't care.

While searching PINTREST late last year, I found POPS CUSTOM CLIPS

I contacted "Pop" and after a few emails, some pictures, and sending him the crappy clip made by Arno, he made me two new clips that are a hundred times better than the POS that Arno made. Clips fit perfectly, are much stiffer, and after installing the clip a month ago, I have yet to have my knife slip out of my pocket.

I would NEVER do business with Arno again...

Old clip on top, new clip on bottom
Pops%20Clip-1_zpssrlkglpp.jpg
 
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Wow, This OP is not one to complain. He has been around for years and has always been a straight shooter. For him to end up with two knives not backed by the maker screams to me to steer clear of Arno Bernard at all costs.

To lose even one customer over a pocket clip is a terrible business practice very few makers would engage in. Well, very few reputable makers that is!!!
 
barcbsa said:
As it turns out, Arno never made the new clips he promised. He had no interest in repairing a known defect and correcting the problem. Got a problem with his product??? He doesn't care.

While searching PINTREST late last year, I found POPS CUSTOM CLIPS

I contacted "Pop" and after a few emails, some pictures, and sending him the crappy clip made by Arno, he made me two new clips that are a hundred times better than the POS that Arno made. Clips fit perfectly, are much stiffer, and after installing the clip a month ago, I have yet to have my knife slip out of my pocket.

I would NEVER do business with Arno again...

Old clip on top, new clip on bottom
Pops%20Clip-1_zpssrlkglpp.jpg
Click to expand...

RGS Imports is the contact for Arno Bernard in the USA, and we were just notified of this thread. We really appreciate the customers that reach out to us personally for issues with their Arno Bernard knives. That said, you (William Fisher) did contact us in October 2013 about the said issue with your folder and we (not Arno) dropped the ball. He redesigned the clip to make it much stronger for the 2014 folders, and sent us a couple extras for the knives sold in 2013. It was totally our fault for losing your contact info and not following up sooner. Please accept out sincerest apologies and if you send your name and address to info@arnobernard.com, we would be happy to send you a replacement clip.

Nathan
info@arnobernard.com
www.arnobernard.com
 
So... it's been 22 months since I first contacted Arno and someone is finally trying to make good on an issue he knew about. 22 MONTHS !!!!!!

I purchased two clips from POPS that look great and work just fine. Not only that, POPS responded in a timely manner...

Quite frankly, after all this time, your offer of replacement clips is too late to do me any good...
 
Arno (located in South Africa) passed the information along to us (in USA) so that we could follow up with you when he had some new clips made. We (RGS Imports) apologize for losing your contact info and not following up in a timely manner.

We were made aware that you received two replacement clips on September 2013 that Arno shipped directly from South Africa and you were not satisfied with those. After an email exchange, you even politely declined to send them in for a warranty replacement and said you would wait for Arno to change the design. Until this thread popped up, we hadn't heard from you...in 18 months. Sorry you did not feel like you could contact us to check on a status. That would have helped us follow up with you better if you had done so instead of ranting on this forum. We (RGS Imports) will take full responsibility for the miscommunication. We sent you a direct email and phone contact information if you would like to resolve the issue.
 
rgsimports said:
Arno (located in South Africa) passed the information along to us (in USA) so that we could follow up with you when he had some new clips made. We (RGS Imports) apologize for losing your contact info and not following up in a timely manner. THANK YOU

We were made aware that you received two replacement clips on September 2013 that Arno shipped directly from South Africa and you were not satisfied with those. THESE CLIPS WERE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE ORIGINALS, USELESS.
After an email exchange, you even politely declined to send them in for a warranty replacement and said you would wait for Arno to change the design. SENDING MY KNIVES FOR REPLACING THE OLD CLIPS WITH THE EXACT SAME USELESS CLIP WOULD BE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY FOR ME.
Until this thread popped up, we hadn't heard from you...in 18 months. YES, YOU DIDN'T HEAR FROM ME IN 18 MONTHS... AND I NEVER HEARD FROM YOU FOR 18 MONTHS
Sorry you did not feel like you could contact us to check on a status. I'M SORRY YOU NEVER CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME THERE ARE NEW STYLE CLIPS
That would have helped us follow up with you better if you had done so instead of ranting on this forum. I WOULDN'T HAVE RANTED ON THIS FORUM IF YOU HAD CONTACTED ME AS PROMISED.
We (RGS Imports) will take full responsibility for the miscommunication. THANK YOU
We sent you a direct email and phone contact information if you would like to resolve the issue.THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED BY ME PURCHASING A BETTER PRODUCT FROM POPS
Click to expand...

I will be glad to supply all the original emails...
 
rgsimports said:
Arno (located in South Africa) passed the information along to us (in USA) so that we could follow up with you when he had some new clips made. We (RGS Imports) apologize for losing your contact info and not following up in a timely manner.

We were made aware that you received two replacement clips on September 2013 that Arno shipped directly from South Africa and you were not satisfied with those. After an email exchange, you even politely declined to send them in for a warranty replacement and said you would wait for Arno to change the design. Until this thread popped up, we hadn't heard from you...in 18 months. Sorry you did not feel like you could contact us to check on a status. That would have helped us follow up with you better if you had done so instead of ranting on this forum. We (RGS Imports) will take full responsibility for the miscommunication. We sent you a direct email and phone contact information if you would like to resolve the issue.
Click to expand...

Wow. Total customer service failure, from your original screw up to that reply.

Everyone makes mistakes, and you did so by not following up with this customer when the design changed. When you recently became aware of your mistake, you could have worked with the customer and found a way to resolve this issue to their satisfaction. You could have made this a win for you and your customer by showing everyone what great customer service you have. Instead, your offer earlier in this thread to "resolve" the issue was tepid, and the customer called you on it. Your response above is totally uncalled for and in NO WAY attempts to help the customer. Rather, it comes across as rude and petulant.

Thank you very much for posting here. I think I will add you to my list of dealers from which I will not buy.
 
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Also shows the original clip design was not properly tested before use. Customers should not have to test designs, especially with something as important as a clip. Hope they don't use the customer to try out a new steel or heat treat.

A poor clip can mean a lost knife, that cannot be fixed by warranty or repair.
 
The Arno Bernard Knife company and RGS Imports are small family-based businesses that want all our customers to love and appreciate the hard work and effort that goes into each Arno Bernard knife made. We offer our sincerest apologies if the typed word in our previous replies seem rude or tepid, and would appreciate a bit of forgiveness for our mistake.

1 - We admitted that in this particular case we were at fault in not following up with the customer in a timely manner.
2 - We have offered to do our best to make it right for the customer if he would contact us directly.
3 - We will continue to strive to provide the best customer service to all Arno Bernard knife owners if they should have warranty issues.
 
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