I think the point being made was that there is some chance the OP will still be made whole. I kind of doubt that Kailash is trying to act as an apologist for this guy who I am still reasonably convinced is a scammer.
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Seller does not deliver handmade kukri after 7 months, when I ask for a refund he does not reply !
- Thread starter kok yip
- Start date
Kailash Blades
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2015
- Messages
- 1,054
There's no intent from my side to excuse what's precipitated or even to suggest that people feel one way or the other. Just informing those who are following this thread and have been impacted of developments on other platforms.
I am actually very happy to hear that SOME people are getting their Khukuri. I can't speak to the whys and wherefores of the situation, but my order is about two and a half years old now. I'm pretty frustrated. I've been pretty patient .
I posted to ask if others had similar experiences, or very different experience, with a specific seller. I'm just hoping to see that others don't have the same unfortunate experience that I have so far had with the seller in question.
I had the same experience a few yrs back and he sent his personal kukri set. Blade had a very small crack in it and he replaced albeit about 6 months later. So I can't say he is dishonest by any means just major league slow. Both sets are the Americana series which I don't think is offered anymore. I'll also say that the kukuri's he offers are of excellent quality with 0 grinds on them. At least the series I received are. stay safe
Greetings,
I sent off an Email to the Website (Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives) , and another to a different Email address associated with the seller in question. I also sent off a "Facebook Messenger" message, to Blue Dragonfly Trading Post (Timothy McLaughlin's Facebook page for the business). These messages were all the same: "Should I still expect that you will someday send me a Khukuri, or should I just consider it a loss and move on with my life?"
I'm not a collector. Unlike many of the members of this group, I'm not interested in trying out all the different Khukuri houses, or comparing differences between them. I simply want "A" (just the one) Khukuri like the one I ordered. Again, I don't collect knives, axes, or other camping and hunting tools. I do take these things into the field and put them to use. For my purposes it's important to have tools that work. I was interested in what the Khukuri has to offer. I say this with regards to the mother blade (खुकुरी) itself, and the whole package. I use flint and steel fire starting method, almost exclusively, so a functional chakmak is also important.
I am not a kid with too much time on my hands. I don't spend long hours on social media (or forums like this one). I'm a very busy guy. Still, I searched high and low, and looked all over the internet, watched YouTube videos, and finally decided that Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives had what I needed. Mr. McLaughlin was offering something I never found elsewhere. His price for such an item was more than reasonable (since placing my order, almost two and a half years ago, the price has gone up by $25.00 U.S. Dollars). But the money is not really my concern. At this juncture it's really a question of principal.
So... My question to Mr. McLaughlin was not weather or not I would ever get "my money's worth" from him, but weather or not I should place a new order with a different seller, and give up on ever receiving anything from him. Afterall, since placing my order I've gone on several expeditions, involving mountain climbing and primitive camping. I have a limited amount of paid time off to pursue such things, and that time is precious to me. I have been wanting to experiment with a Khukuri setup. But I'm still waiting on that... And as far as I'm concerned, I've been more than patient in my waiting.
I have never asked for a refund. I'm not a wealthy person, but honestly the money has never really been my concern. I know it might sound crazy, but I paid what I consider to be very little money for the kind of Khukuri I ordered from Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives. So really I'm not at all angry with Timothy McLaughlin, but I am disappointed.
Communication would have made all the difference.
He did respond to my most recent messages. However, at this point I feel like it's more of the same from him. He's affable and likeable, but I don't believe what I'm being told anymore. He's said that a batch of Khukuri are supposed to be sent from Nepal this week. He will do his evaluation, quality control, and send my Khukuri after that. So... You tell me: another few weeks? I don't know... I've been told too many different things at this point to be hopeful that I will indeed see my order sent to me, but that is what I'm being told.
Naturally, if it does arrive (in a few weeks or whenever) I will report that information here.
Ultimately, and this will probably be my final entry here, I just want to say that I can not recommend dealing with Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives. This statement is not an attempt at being vindictive or something like that. Again, I'm not angry with anyone, I'm disappointed. Rather, I'm attempting to caution others. I maintain my belief that Timothy McLaughlin is a good person, who has bad luck. But I'll just repeat the same thing I've told him directly: "Communication would make all the difference".
Have a great day
I sent off an Email to the Website (Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives) , and another to a different Email address associated with the seller in question. I also sent off a "Facebook Messenger" message, to Blue Dragonfly Trading Post (Timothy McLaughlin's Facebook page for the business). These messages were all the same: "Should I still expect that you will someday send me a Khukuri, or should I just consider it a loss and move on with my life?"
I'm not a collector. Unlike many of the members of this group, I'm not interested in trying out all the different Khukuri houses, or comparing differences between them. I simply want "A" (just the one) Khukuri like the one I ordered. Again, I don't collect knives, axes, or other camping and hunting tools. I do take these things into the field and put them to use. For my purposes it's important to have tools that work. I was interested in what the Khukuri has to offer. I say this with regards to the mother blade (खुकुरी) itself, and the whole package. I use flint and steel fire starting method, almost exclusively, so a functional chakmak is also important.
I am not a kid with too much time on my hands. I don't spend long hours on social media (or forums like this one). I'm a very busy guy. Still, I searched high and low, and looked all over the internet, watched YouTube videos, and finally decided that Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives had what I needed. Mr. McLaughlin was offering something I never found elsewhere. His price for such an item was more than reasonable (since placing my order, almost two and a half years ago, the price has gone up by $25.00 U.S. Dollars). But the money is not really my concern. At this juncture it's really a question of principal.
So... My question to Mr. McLaughlin was not weather or not I would ever get "my money's worth" from him, but weather or not I should place a new order with a different seller, and give up on ever receiving anything from him. Afterall, since placing my order I've gone on several expeditions, involving mountain climbing and primitive camping. I have a limited amount of paid time off to pursue such things, and that time is precious to me. I have been wanting to experiment with a Khukuri setup. But I'm still waiting on that... And as far as I'm concerned, I've been more than patient in my waiting.
I have never asked for a refund. I'm not a wealthy person, but honestly the money has never really been my concern. I know it might sound crazy, but I paid what I consider to be very little money for the kind of Khukuri I ordered from Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives. So really I'm not at all angry with Timothy McLaughlin, but I am disappointed.
Communication would have made all the difference.
He did respond to my most recent messages. However, at this point I feel like it's more of the same from him. He's affable and likeable, but I don't believe what I'm being told anymore. He's said that a batch of Khukuri are supposed to be sent from Nepal this week. He will do his evaluation, quality control, and send my Khukuri after that. So... You tell me: another few weeks? I don't know... I've been told too many different things at this point to be hopeful that I will indeed see my order sent to me, but that is what I'm being told.
Naturally, if it does arrive (in a few weeks or whenever) I will report that information here.
Ultimately, and this will probably be my final entry here, I just want to say that I can not recommend dealing with Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives. This statement is not an attempt at being vindictive or something like that. Again, I'm not angry with anyone, I'm disappointed. Rather, I'm attempting to caution others. I maintain my belief that Timothy McLaughlin is a good person, who has bad luck. But I'll just repeat the same thing I've told him directly: "Communication would make all the difference".
Have a great day
Greetings,
I just wanted to take a minute to let everyone here know that I received my order from Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives yesterday.
It took over two years to arrive, and it isn't exactly what I asked for, but I suppose I should be happy to have received SOMETHING.
I maintain that my experience with this seller would have been different, if communication on his part had been better. He's probably a decent human being, but perhaps not the best businessman.
Have a great day
I just wanted to take a minute to let everyone here know that I received my order from Dragonfly Khukuri and Knives yesterday.
It took over two years to arrive, and it isn't exactly what I asked for, but I suppose I should be happy to have received SOMETHING.
I maintain that my experience with this seller would have been different, if communication on his part had been better. He's probably a decent human being, but perhaps not the best businessman.
Have a great day
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2003
- Messages
- 20,206
Happy that you got a khukuri of some sort.
Perhaps time for a reminder of the law regarding delivery timing that the U.S. imposes on all those selling into rthe U.S.
Federal Trade Commission “Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Trade Regulation Rule” (the "Rule").
The Rule requires that when you advertise merchandise [for sale in the Untied States], you must have a reasonable basis for stating or implying that you can ship within a certain time. If you make no shipment statement, you must have a reasonable basis for believing that you can ship within 30 days. That is why direct marketers sometimes call this the "30-day Rule."
If, after taking the customer’s order, you learn that you cannot ship within the time you stated or within 30 days, you must seek the customer’s consent to the delayed shipment. If you cannot obtain the customer’s consent to the delay -- either because it is not a situation in which you are permitted to treat the customer’s silence as consent and the customer has not expressly consented to the delay, or because the customer has expressly refused to consent -- you must, without being asked, promptly refund all the money the customer paid you for the unshipped merchandise.
Whenever you change the shipment date by providing a delay notice, you must have a "reasonable basis" for: the new shipment date, or any representation that you do not know when you can ship the merchandise.
"Reasonable basis" means that the merchant has, at the time of making the representation, such information as would under the circumstances satisfy a reasonable and prudent businessperson, acting in good faith, that the representation is true.
For details: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidan...-internet-or-telephone-order-merchandise-rule
In 2020, on line vendor Fashion Nova [poorly rasted by customers: 1.7/5] paid $9.3 million U.S. to settle an FTC prosecution for violating the Rule. “According to the FTC, despite Fashion Nova’s use of phrases like ‘Fast Shipping,’ ‘2-Day Shipping,’ and ‘Expect Your Items Quick!,’ the company often failed to meet its shipping promises to consumers, and failed to meet the Mail Order Rule’s requirement that consumers must be notified of shipping delays and given the chance to cancel orders and receive prompt refunds. The upshot: The company violated consumers’ legal right to decide for themselves ‘OK, I’ll wait’ [for you to meet the newly stated delivery date] or ‘No way.’ Cancel and refund my money.” In addition, the complaint alleges that Fashion Nova at times failed to refund consumers for the items it didn’t ship. Instead, it was the company’s policy to issue gift cards, which aren’t considered refunds under the Mail Order Rule. The company also failed to cancel orders and provide refunds when it didn’t offer consumers delay option notices.”
Perhaps time for a reminder of the law regarding delivery timing that the U.S. imposes on all those selling into rthe U.S.
Federal Trade Commission “Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Trade Regulation Rule” (the "Rule").
The Rule requires that when you advertise merchandise [for sale in the Untied States], you must have a reasonable basis for stating or implying that you can ship within a certain time. If you make no shipment statement, you must have a reasonable basis for believing that you can ship within 30 days. That is why direct marketers sometimes call this the "30-day Rule."
If, after taking the customer’s order, you learn that you cannot ship within the time you stated or within 30 days, you must seek the customer’s consent to the delayed shipment. If you cannot obtain the customer’s consent to the delay -- either because it is not a situation in which you are permitted to treat the customer’s silence as consent and the customer has not expressly consented to the delay, or because the customer has expressly refused to consent -- you must, without being asked, promptly refund all the money the customer paid you for the unshipped merchandise.
Whenever you change the shipment date by providing a delay notice, you must have a "reasonable basis" for: the new shipment date, or any representation that you do not know when you can ship the merchandise.
"Reasonable basis" means that the merchant has, at the time of making the representation, such information as would under the circumstances satisfy a reasonable and prudent businessperson, acting in good faith, that the representation is true.
For details: https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidan...-internet-or-telephone-order-merchandise-rule
In 2020, on line vendor Fashion Nova [poorly rasted by customers: 1.7/5] paid $9.3 million U.S. to settle an FTC prosecution for violating the Rule. “According to the FTC, despite Fashion Nova’s use of phrases like ‘Fast Shipping,’ ‘2-Day Shipping,’ and ‘Expect Your Items Quick!,’ the company often failed to meet its shipping promises to consumers, and failed to meet the Mail Order Rule’s requirement that consumers must be notified of shipping delays and given the chance to cancel orders and receive prompt refunds. The upshot: The company violated consumers’ legal right to decide for themselves ‘OK, I’ll wait’ [for you to meet the newly stated delivery date] or ‘No way.’ Cancel and refund my money.” In addition, the complaint alleges that Fashion Nova at times failed to refund consumers for the items it didn’t ship. Instead, it was the company’s policy to issue gift cards, which aren’t considered refunds under the Mail Order Rule. The company also failed to cancel orders and provide refunds when it didn’t offer consumers delay option notices.”
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I really hesitated to share my experience, until I saw that it was not uncommon.
I waited for a long time. The khukuri I was sent isn't really what I had ordered. But the larger issue was a profound lack of communication throughout.
I have learned a few things about the Nepalese khukuri houses, and ordering custom khukuri from them, since joining this forum. So for that anyway, I have no regrets.
I sincerely hope that Timothy McLaughlin and his company are able to survive. Although I want to believe that he is a decent human being, my larger reason for wishing him success is that, by proxy, he helps Nepalese smiths find success as well.
In the future, I'll be dealing directly with folks in Nepal and eliminate the middleman.
Have a great day
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