.....any of you hawk fans waiting on a custom hawk from Ryan from before he stopped taking custom orders this year??? Just curious if there were many of us out there.....I've had much difficulty making contact with him to find out order status. Thanks all.......
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RMJ Forge
- Thread starter GELADEN!
- Start date
I wan't to keep this constructive so I guess what I'm hoping to find if someone KNOWS a way to make contact with Ryan. Stoneage I know first hand your pain. I've been waiting for a very long time too (Oct 2002)with money spent and no hawk either. I'm looking for options but don't see any yet. Maybe collectively we (and I'm pretty sure there are a number of us) can come up with a means to an end.
Why don't you guys post this matter in the GB&U forum in exchange, at the top of the page.
These things need to be brought to everyone's attention, to keep others from getting stung, plus, it's just plain wrong for a maker to do this to people. Makes us all look bad.
These things need to be brought to everyone's attention, to keep others from getting stung, plus, it's just plain wrong for a maker to do this to people. Makes us all look bad.
I have been waiting on my hawk since April 2002. He was once responsive but he has not returned my emails in about a year.
Two Hawks suggested that I be patient and that his hawks sometimes take years to produce. He has my money and my patience right now - nothing else I can do but wait I guess.
Two Hawks suggested that I be patient and that his hawks sometimes take years to produce. He has my money and my patience right now - nothing else I can do but wait I guess.
Cougar Allen
Buccaneer (ret.)
- Joined
- Oct 9, 1998
- Messages
- 75,964
Moving....
On January 27th 2002 I contacted Ryan with an order. He was very responsive and made several suggestions and was very helpfull. On Jan. 30th I sent him payment,he accepted and thanked me for my business and to be patient. I knew his father was ill and I knew he would be running behind the 3 to 4 month turnaround time he advertised on his website. I waited until August of 02 to contact him again. He told me the 'hawk was sitting in the "rack" waiting for a handle and that it would ship in two weeks. October, I made a phone call to him. I talked to his father,he said my order was "OH so close to being done" Ryan would ship it out asap. December 2002 Ryan responds via e-mail again "Your tomahawk is sitting in a "rack" and that he was proud of how it turned out. After that he stopped responding all together until Feb of 2003, same old cock and bull story "it's in a rack waiting to get a handle fitted,you'll get it in a week". Ryan again fell off the face of the earth. By this time I was demanding a tomahawk or a full refund,no response.
August,2003 I sent him a nastygram to the contact e-mail he now has on his website. I told him to either fit the handle and ship the 'hawk to me or send me a full refund. He replied and told me he get my tomahawk out of the "Rack" send it to me within a week "Handle and all". That's the last I've heard from him. Is there any body else in the same situation with Ryan Johnson of RMJ Forge?
August,2003 I sent him a nastygram to the contact e-mail he now has on his website. I told him to either fit the handle and ship the 'hawk to me or send me a full refund. He replied and told me he get my tomahawk out of the "Rack" send it to me within a week "Handle and all". That's the last I've heard from him. Is there any body else in the same situation with Ryan Johnson of RMJ Forge?
mike 56....I'm interested on specifically how you accomplished the routine with the Tennesse Department of Commerce, Consumer Affairs division.I accessed the webpage but couldn't quite find out the path to persue that. Can you give a little advice??? Did the process take long and did Ryan make contact with you then????
As I recall, I used their web site. It had the initial complaint forms you could download. I got something about aweek later saying they recieved and would assign an investigater. I'd say about a month later I got a check from RMJ. Just a check, no apology or explaination. Another site to try would be their Attorney Generals office under fraud division. Good luck. It sure is a sorry state of affairs when you have to resort to this.
THink that should be like in email we send to all new BFC members or something. 
Never send an advance payment, with exception of a knife(or sword, or whatever) that uses some excessivly costly materials, such as mammoth ivory, etc. Even then, always think about it.
Obviously, there are certain makers that get the benefit of the doubt due to well known service, etc. But jsut as a general rule, seems like every week or so(if not more often) we get thread to prove fact that prepaying is bad
Never send an advance payment, with exception of a knife(or sword, or whatever) that uses some excessivly costly materials, such as mammoth ivory, etc. Even then, always think about it.
Obviously, there are certain makers that get the benefit of the doubt due to well known service, etc. But jsut as a general rule, seems like every week or so(if not more often) we get thread to prove fact that prepaying is bad
It's a shame because his work is praised by everyone who owns one of his pieces. I had hopes of ordering a Talon around Jan. 02' but held off when I heard the turn around time to be 6 months. I opted for ATC and couldn't be more pleased even though I still wanted a Talon, I kept my eyes peeled on the sale forums or for Ryan to actually catch up with orders. Neither happened. Now, he's still behind on all his previous orders and he's no longer taking any civillian orders. His website said to E-mil him cause at the end of the month he might have an "over run" of something...I've never gotten a reply from that either.
Like I said, it's a shame and I feel for the guys who have already forked over the cash and have no hawk.
Does anyone even know if he was at Blade Show West?
Like I said, it's a shame and I feel for the guys who have already forked over the cash and have no hawk.
Does anyone even know if he was at Blade Show West?
Ryan lives just outside Chattanooga. He used to have a table at Blade (Atlanta), but I didn't see him there last year. I'd be surprised if he went to Blade West when he didn't set up in Atlanta.
This news puzzles me. It goes against everything I know and have ever heard about Ryan. I have met him and had a long talk with him, and found him to be (like most knife makers) very friendly, very knowledgeable, and very humble. I've seen terrible tragedies drastically change a man, but I hope that is not the case here. Last September I lost my beautiful 11 month old daughter to leukemia, and I can tell you from experience that I am not the same man anymore (mostly for the worse). I dearly hope nothing like that has happened to the Johnson family, or anyone else. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that these current reports aren't consistent with the Ryan that most of us have known through the years, and we don't know what's been going on with him personally. By all means, those of you who have paid and waited overlong are deserving of either your hawk or your money back. But we should try, if possible, to withhold judgement, or at least our wrath, for the time being while the whole story is not known to us. Right now we can only see one side of this story.
This news puzzles me. It goes against everything I know and have ever heard about Ryan. I have met him and had a long talk with him, and found him to be (like most knife makers) very friendly, very knowledgeable, and very humble. I've seen terrible tragedies drastically change a man, but I hope that is not the case here. Last September I lost my beautiful 11 month old daughter to leukemia, and I can tell you from experience that I am not the same man anymore (mostly for the worse). I dearly hope nothing like that has happened to the Johnson family, or anyone else. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that these current reports aren't consistent with the Ryan that most of us have known through the years, and we don't know what's been going on with him personally. By all means, those of you who have paid and waited overlong are deserving of either your hawk or your money back. But we should try, if possible, to withhold judgement, or at least our wrath, for the time being while the whole story is not known to us. Right now we can only see one side of this story.
.........thanks for the input X-Head. It's hard to be as charitable as you suggest, and I usually am, but after 8 months of no responses to E-mails.....none of which I would consider a rant.but merely seeking an update or progress report and absolutely no replies. This, mind you, after being told TWICE that my shipment was imminent and nothing shipped. It's inexcusable to advertise your wares and not be accountable at all following receipt of a deposit in good faith. How hard could it be to say that you are going to provide a hawk or that you are not?????
Finally I extend my condolences for your loss.........I just realized I sound pretty petty here in the face of something of that magnitude.........
Finally I extend my condolences for your loss.........I just realized I sound pretty petty here in the face of something of that magnitude.........