Some advice needed please

Hi Keith
They have given me one option
Do you not see any difference in tone after i complain.
The response email could have been automated and had a nicer tone.
9 sales, $11500 + in purchases and you think this is very good customer service.


Hi Coop
Are you really suggesting that i should chase the dealer for some compensation to keep our relationship alive, is that really how it works?
I thought if a business supplied you with a faulty good it would be in there hands to mend the relationship, am i wrong?
The material was broken before it was packaged, whose fault other than the retailer could it possibly be?
Should i really have to sit there waiting to pull the trigger on a knife i have sent back because of damage?

The retailer was blunt and only offered one solution, no form of compensation was offered, even a small courtesy like first refusal was declined, is this really good customer service?
It may be all they had to do but is it really all they should have done?
 
Sorry, Frazer. We'll also just disagree. I just reread his last communication to you , and I see nothing that was discourteous or less than helpful.

I'd rather not go point by point. I wish you well. Best of luck.

Coop
 
Frazer B said:
Hello

I have just received two custom folders from an online retailer. I live in the UK so i order either 1 higher value or 1+ lower value knives at a time to lower shipping costs. One of the folders has a Premium Fossil Mammoth Ivory handle which has arrived with a chip in it. The website photos on closer inspection show a small opening but the chip has occured prior to posting as the chip was not in the packaging.
Anyway- for those still with me :)
I contacted the retailer with a photo of damage and asked if the maker could create a replacement and forward it to me, i was told the only solution was to send the knife back for a refund.
I asked that if i did this could i have first refusal on the repaired knife and was told no.
This online retailer with which i have had 9 previous transactions this year totaling over $11500 is losing a customer.
I like this little knife, i'd like it fixed.
I wonder would it be OK to post the name of the maker as i can't find any direct contact details for him, maybe somebody can put me in touch directly and he can fix the issue, even though the retailer's photos show it intact.
Many thanks in advance for any advice

Frazer B
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Well Frazer, I guess one thing you will learn from this is where not to come for advice? :eek: ;) :D :)
 
What would you expect them to do? I'm not asking that in a smartass way, I really would like to know if you would be happy with only being offered the right of first refusal. What happens if the maker charges quite a bit for the repair and the price of the knife has to be increased? Would you think that was fair, or do you think they should eat the repair charge to keep a good customer happy?

I don't think their tone became anything other than more direct and to the point.
 
Hi Kevin
This is why my post count is low, Forum's are scary.:)

Keith

I would have liked them to offer something, anything! Free shipping next time or first refusal on the fixed knife, maybe an apology. How hard is really to offer first refusal on the knife when it's fixed, Even a friendly email would have gone a long way, the emails till i complained were friendly.
If you notice on the previous emails from the retailer they always finish with 'Kind regards'. You can be to the point and still maintain good manners. Good customer service should not be less courteous just because somebody has a problem. In fact, with delicate matters it probably makes better sense to remain polite.
If the knife was to cost more after the repair and the retailer wanted to pass it on i would have to decide at the time whether to procede or not - first refusal

We can argue about what we feel is good customer service till the cows come home, It's subjective, everybody will except a different level as acceptable. I suppose i felt i had more value as a customer than i had in reality.

Please, i did not come here to argue, i came for some contact details and i've got them. I understand that Knife collectors, retailers and knife photographers have a close relationship in the US and feel that i must be treading on peoples toes, otherwise common sense would prevail.
Who would really lose a customer like this with economies in such poor shape?
 
SharpByCoop said:
Sorry, Frazer. We'll also just disagree. I just reread his last communication to you , and I see nothing that was discourteous or less than helpful.

I'd rather not go point by point. I wish you well. Best of luck.

Coop
Click to expand...

What he said. I could go on, but I see no point.

Roger
 
Kevin Jones said:
I would send it back and just mark it up to a deal that didn't work out and appreciate the fact that the others did.
9 good
1 bad = pretty good average to me.

Be thankful that you didn't lose any money on the deal.
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I think that Kevin is making good sense (not that he doesn't always, or at least most of the time). What he suggests seems to me like the least stressful way to handle the deal.

Bill
 
Could we see a pic of the knife as it appeared before the chip?
 
Hi Guyon

Not sure if it's OK to put a before photo on as it would be taken off the Retailer's website.
makes me appreciate good ol' Busse customer service

North
I agree that Kevin seems to make good sense, i would howether like to get the knife fixed, i'll try to speak to WW this week and see if he can help, otherwise i know a great Ivory guy from France who i know will do a good job replacing the scales, may get a little scrimshaw done while it's there.
Frazer
 
Frazer B, I am familiar with the knife.

Below is an image of JUST the area in question on this knife with the rest of the image cropped out, I loaded this into my Photobucket account with a different image title to protect the Seller, but still show the "before". If anyone feels that I crossed a line in doing this, please post, & I will remove this image ASAP and delete it from my Photobucket account. I am 100% certain that this is the same knife.

WW_Frazer_B-cropped.jpg
 
We can argue about what we feel is good customer service till the cows come home
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It's tough getting a damaged or flawed knife. I've gotten a couple from a couple great knifemakers over the years and they each fixed them for me in a heartbeat.

Without hearing the retailer's side for refusing the right of first refusal, which may have been a nice gesture - but not at all necessary IMO - at this point, I personally think the cows have come home:D and that both you and the retailer have handled this very politely and professionally.

Good luck getting your knife fixed. :thumbup:

cows.jpg
 
Hi Jaxx

Thats a zoomed in picture of the photo i saw, when i went back for a closer look i noticed it always did look a bit fragile, maybe not much of a 'user'
I actually wonder whether this should have been picked up as a problem a long while back.

RWS
I too have had some knives that have had flaws or damage in delivery that i have had to get corrected, i have always found that the 'maker' is more than happy to help.
I try to pick up valuable or delicate pieces direct from makers at shows.
I would also like to know any good reason to not offer first refusal on the fixed knife if they were intending to fix and resell it anyway.
 
Frazer B said:
I would also like to know any good reason to not offer first refusal on the fixed knife if they were intending to fix and resell it anyway.
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Frazer, I agree with you on this, and it's the core of your grousing. But, they *may* have a reason. If not, there are a TON of knives on the site you should reconsider.

One look at that photo led me right to the source. Damn, I'm good.... :p ;)

Coop
 
I think that area should have been filled with super glue. The rest of the crackle looks to have been filled. Possibly the piece was stabilized and that crack opened up after the knife was finished? I don't know for sure, but that area looks like a problem waiting to happen.

By the way, it takes about ten seconds to find that knife doing a web search. I don't know what all the secrecy is about.
 
Hey Coop

That is a rather good set of eyes you have there, I'm impressed.
I think i have gone as far as i can with this retailer, It's a shame because they do have a lot of great knives.
Maybe this will inspire me to set up a good European based retailer.
I do buy from a few other retailers who i have been happy with so far. I'll just do some policy checking with them before i buy again.
The true test in life of character is not how people and business's handle the good times

Hi Keith,
If i had found the piece i would have superglued it myself, i understand that things get bumped around in transit. and Ivory really does not like to travel.
I figured the retailer should remain as anonymous as possible, i didn't think people would find the retailer as there are quite a few WW knives available with different retailers

Any suggestions for a home repair fix?
 
Frazer B said:
Any suggestions for a home repair fix?
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Not without the little piece that is missing. The area can be filled with an epoxy resin, either clear or with pigment added to match the color of the ivory, but that is kind of an art, and I would want a professional doing it.
 
Well done Frazer,:) hope it all works out in the end, just a little epoxy would work wonders I recon:thumbup:
 
I'm not all that good at repairing, I'll probably end up with a knife glued to my hand, you can imagine how that would look running into the casualty (ER):)
 
Frazer,

After reading this thread my first thought was, with most businesses and organizations in this world, the general consensus is typically...the customer is always right.


Having said that, the customer can also be unreasonable.


Personally, I believe you are being unreasonable.


The retailer is performing 100% of their duty to service IMO....and offering you a 100% refund. Anything beyond that is nicety....not a requirement. Could they have offered first right of refusal? Absolutely. However, for whatever reason, they can not or have chosen not to. To suggest any of us truly has a clear understanding of the why's involved would be pure speculation on our parts.

Their emails with you were cordial, professional and the core of customer service. To attempt to paint their efforts and communication with you as anything less...is shortsighted at best. We are all entitled to buy or not to buy from whomever we choose.

Personally, I believe you are making a decision based purely on your own desires and not one necessarily based on any moral standing or creditable issue found with their service or interaction with you. Whether you spend 10k or 100k with them....that does not entitle you to an alteration of their business practices.

Which, I'll point out again...is reaching 100% responsibility in a complete refund.
 
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