Quartermaster Knives....WTF

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How do they get away with this?
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"We believe that the best tools in the world are made right here in the United States of America. This is why all QTRM5TR knives, 100 percent of their components, even the boxes they're sold in are Made in the USA."
 
Wunderbar said:
The crap list also includes New Graham, GP Knives, and Knife center. I did find that KnivesPlus does not carry QM. I did see BHQ's response and it was weak. One forum member commented about money over morals and they were right.
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I'm not unsympathetic to the dealers in this situation. In many cases you pretty much have to list a country of manufacture and since so many knife companies have gone to an authorized dealer business model there may well be contractual issues that we don't know about. However, I would much appreciate if they took down the blurb that comes directly from the Quartermaster site and reads as follows: "QTRMSTR was founded in 2012. The principals in the business have a combined 25 years of experience in aerospace and industrial design. At its inception, the goal of the QTRMSTR Knife Company is to design and develop a line of rugged, hand-crafted, American made knives in limited quantity but of ultimate quality.
Quartermaster is dedicated producing unique, domestically made items for real users and this will continue to set them apart from the competition for years to come. Their no-nonsense approach extends from their designs, well past their assembly processes and into their marketing practices. They don’t let anything sub-standard out of their doors, EVER and they won’t mince words about which customers they'd like to have: They're QTRMSTR and they're a knife built for a new generation of American Soldier."
 
Knife stores both B&M and online sell knives that sell so they can make money. Quartermaster knives are popular with people who don't frequent this forum and even some members of this forum. The knives are interesting designs and well made whether in China or not.

No dealer has the moral responsibility, and certainly no legal obligation, to determine the origin of knives, test that the materials and heat treat are as specified or even measure the dimensions.

Dealers will stop selling Quartermaster when people stop buying them.

If you don't like a dealer because they sell Quartermaster, quit buying from them.
 
Murindo said:
Knife stores both B&M and online sell knives that sell so they can make money. Quartermaster knives are popular with people who don't frequent this forum and even some members of this forum. The knives are interesting designs and well made whether in China or not.

No dealer has the moral responsibility, and certainly no legal obligation, to determine the origin of knives, test that the materials and heat treat are as specified or even measure the dimensions.

Dealers will stop selling Quartermaster when people stop buying them.

If you don't like a dealer because they sell Quartermaster, quit buying from them.
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You couldn't be more wrong about their legal obligation as it relates to country of origin.

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-made-usa-standard
 
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Wunderbar said:
Maybe, but it doesn't make it right. There is a market for young boys to hook up with grown men (NAMBLA) but it doesn't make it right either.
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There are no words to describe how effed up that is. I wish I never heard about that :barf:
 
Murindo said:
Knife stores both B&M and online sell knives that sell so they can make money. Quartermaster knives are popular with people who don't frequent this forum and even some members of this forum. The knives are interesting designs and well made whether in China or not.

No dealer has the moral responsibility, and certainly no legal obligation, to determine the origin of knives, test that the materials and heat treat are as specified or even measure the dimensions.

Dealers will stop selling Quartermaster when people stop buying them.

If you don't like a dealer because they sell Quartermaster, quit buying from them.
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Not a lawyer but I'm pretty sure you're absolutely wrong about the dealers legal obligations.
 
wazu013 said:
How do they get away with this?
.
"We believe that the best tools in the world are made right here in the United States of America. This is why all QTRM5TR knives, 100 percent of their components, even the boxes they're sold in are Made in the USA."
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Totally agree...very bold statement to be false?!?!
 
Murindo said:
... No dealer has the moral responsibility, and certainly no legal obligation, to determine the origin of knives, test that the materials and heat treat are as specified or even measure the dimensions. .../QUOTE]

Given that "reckless disregard" for the truth of a statement is routinely held to be the legal equivalent of intentionally misstating a fact given facts allowing a reasonable mind to determine that the retailer should have known the truth or did not chose to know the truth, any retailer selling goods as "made in America" over the Internet or for delivery by U.S. Mail faces significant potential civil and criminal liability for Wire Fraud and or Mail Fraud where the statement is incorrect. The retailer can say "How could I have known?" A jury would decide if the retailer's statements were made with "reckless disregard" for their truth or falsity under the facts of the particular case.
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Thomas Linton - All of which is coextensive with the potential penalties for violating the Federal laws on country of origin labeling.
 
Here you go everything you need to get the ball rolling:


From the FTC's website:
What if I suspect noncompliance with the FTC’s Made in USA standard or other country-of-origin mislabeling? Information about possible illegal activity helps law enforcement officials target companies whose practices warrant scrutiny. If you suspect noncompliance, contact the Division of Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580; (202) 326-2996 or send an e-mail to MUSA@ftc.gov (link sends e-mail). If you know about import or export fraud, call Customs’ toll-free Commercial Fraud Hotline, 1-800-ITS-FAKE. Examples of fraudulent practices involving imports include removing a required foreign origin label before the product is delivered to the ultimate purchaser (with or without the improper substitution of a Made in USA label) and failing to label a product with a required country of origin.
You also can contact your state Attorney General and your local Better Business Bureau to report a company. Or you can refer your complaint to the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus by calling (212) 754-1320. NAD handles complaints about the truth and accuracy of national advertising. You can reach the Council of Better Business Bureaus on the web at adweb.com/adassoc17.html.
Finally, the Lanham Act gives any person (such as a competitor) who is damaged by a false designation of origin the right to sue the party making the false claim. Consult a lawyer to see if this private right of action is an appropriate course of action for you.
Aside from reporting it per the above, you might also have standing to sue Quartermaster if you've purchased from them, depending on your state. At least in California, plaintiff purchasers can in certain circumstances have standing to bring “Made in the USA” false advertising claims under California’s Unfair Competition Laws and False Advertising Laws. (Kwikset Corp. v. Superior Court (2011) 51 Cal.4th 310.)
 
HappyDaddy said:
Thomas Linton - All of which is coextensive with the potential penalties for violating the Federal laws on country of origin labeling.
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What penalties for the retailer are those? Please help find them.

Must include seizure. Seizure happens regularly. Like most automatics shipped across state lines (from another state or from another country), they would be contraband and thus subject to confiscation.

Here, the importer is Copiousity, LCC, dba "QTRM5TR," "Quartermnaster Knives," and other aliases.
 
Thomas Linton said:
What penalties for the retailer are those? Please help find them.

Must include seizure. Seizure happens regularly. Like most automatics shipped across state lines (from another state or from another country), they would be contraband and thus subject to confiscation.

Here, the importer is Copiousity, LCC, dba "QTRM5TR," "Quartermnaster Knives," and other aliases.
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Section 5 of the FTC Act. Up to $10,000.00 per violation.
 
I'm dropping out of this because it's a waste of time and like the Pakistani knife threads I don't know why I get involved.

What I meant by dealers not having an obligation is that Quartermaster states their origin as USA. It is not the dealer's responsibility to verify that and while many on BF have come up with a lot of circumstantial evidence, until one of you gets a subpoena and raids the "factory" in Dripping Springs, TX there is no proof that these knives come complete or in part from China.
 
Quartermaster.
Junk. I will never support fake crap
Sad.....
 
Murindo said:
I'm dropping out of this because it's a waste of time and like the Pakistani knife threads I don't know why I get involved.

What I meant by dealers not having an obligation is that Quartermaster states their origin as USA. It is not the dealer's responsibility to verify that and while many on BF have come up with a lot of circumstantial evidence, until one of you gets a subpoena and raids the "factory" in Dripping Springs, TX there is no proof that these knives come complete or in part from China.
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You're wrong about the dealer's (marketer) obligations.

From the FTC:
What substantiation is required for a Made in USA claim?
When a manufacturer or marketer makes an unqualified claim that a product is Made in USA, it should have — and rely on — a "reasonable basis" to support the claim at the time it is made. This means a manufacturer or marketer needs competent and reliable evidence to back up the claim that its product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.
 
HappyDaddy said:
Section 5 of the FTC Act. Up to $10,000.00 per violation.
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(l) Penalty for violation of order; injunctions and other appropriate equitable relief
Any person, partnership, or corporation who violates an order of the Commission after it has become final, and while such order is in effect, shall forfeit and pay to the United States a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for each violation, which shall accrue to the United States and may be recovered in a civil action brought by the Attorney General of the United States. Each separate violation of such an order shall be a separate offense, except that in a case of a violation through continuing failure to obey or neglect to obey a final order of the Commission, each day of continuance of such failure or neglect shall be deemed a separate offense. In such actions, the United States district courts are empowered to grant mandatory injunctions and such other and further equitable relief as they deem appropriate in the enforcement of such final orders of the Commission.
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The Federal Trade Commission has approved final amendments to Commission Rule 1.98 that adjust the maximum civil penalty dollar amounts for violations of 16 provisions of law the FTC enforces, as required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015. The Act directs agencies to implement a “catch-up” inflation adjustment based on a prescribed formula. The new maximum civil penalty amounts will take effect on August 1, 2016.

The maximum civil penalty amount has increased from $16,000 to $40,000 for the following violations and others listed in the Federal Register Notice:

Section 5(l) of the FTC Act: final Commission orders issued under section 5(b) of the FTC Act,

Section 5(m)(1)(A) of the FTC Act: trade regulation rules issued by the Commission under section 18 of the FTC Act that address unfair or deceptive acts or practices, and other laws enforced by the Commission that provide for civil penalties by reference to section 18, and
 
Thomas - Read (m) (1) - It provides for actions in US District Court to impose civil penalties for "knowing" violations of the rules. No violation of a cease and desist is necessary in those circumstances.
 
Hmm, interesting thread that my company (New Graham) has gotten mixed into. We only have three patterns of QTRMSTR on the shelf this morning. All three say USA on the blade. I do not think I am negligent stating USA under this circumstance. I do not have the expertise or resources to determine country of origin and manufacture for each part of each item I sell. If that is the standard to which I am expected to perform - well, the OP is correct: I ain't your huckleberry. Perhaps instead of listing country of origin, you rekon I could legally state "Made on EARTH" or even more accurate: "Hell if I know where it is made" ? Geezzzz!
 
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