Spyderco Quality Control/Warranty Issues

After dealing with annoying or offensive people throughout my life I have learned "actions speak louder than words".
They fixed your problems twice but called you an irresponsible owner.
It is up to you whether or not you decide to be offended. Such an insignificant letter, I wouldn't let affect my mood.

I still think Spyderco was wrong for saying what they did.
I guess it's good that you brought their conduct to our attention but I wouldn't get angry about it.
 
Luis G. said:
I agree with asking for someone to inspect the knife before it is shipped when you've had bad experiences with a mfg. I've had to have to ask dealers to inspect: Cold Steel, Spyderco, Kershaw, and Buck.

Either way Spyderco is a serious company, not a hobby backwoods operation. Diverting your frustrations and venting on the customer because of the companies OWN mistakes is highly unprofessional, and not respectful to the customer nor his business did the customer send pennies or make it difficult for the dealer to acquire payment? No. Was the money faulty? No.

No customer deserves this treatment, period. If you have respect for your business, and take pride in your work you need to be willing to accept mistakes and correct them in a professional manner.

Furthermore, their audacity to shift Quality Control to the customer is appalling. Quite frankly I wouldn't have stood for that in the least. Spyderco put out the flawed product, and what do you think would happen if you do go to the store, you do find these flaws, you pick out a knife which is flawless? The flawed knives, will still be sold to a customer who doesn't know better than to expect a good knife when they paid well over 10x what most people pay. Better that someone who buys the flawed knife, and let's Spyderco know than for the problem to be swept under the rug and taken as the normal for Spyderco to produce flawed knives.

I really wish Sal would come up and her and respond that way the fanboys can seriously stop excusing bad behavior.
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This was my reaction as well. Telling me to go to a local vendor to cherry pick the best one avoids the root of the problem and in the grand scheme of things resolves nothing. It completely deflects responsibility from the company to the customer.

I understand that humans make mistakes and I was never upset that I received these blades in this condition. Quite honestly my initial reaction was: no problem, Spyderco has a great reputation and I am sure they will make things right, no harm no foul.
 
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Nullity said:
After dealing with annoying or offensive people throughout my life I have learned "actions speak louder than words".
They fixed your problems twice but called you an irresponsible owner.
It is up to you whether or not you decide to be offended. Such an insignificant letter, I wouldn't let affect my mood.

I still think Spyderco was wrong for saying what they did.
I guess it's good that you brought their conduct to our attention but I wouldn't get angry about it.
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I am over it. I might still be a bit disappointed in the company as I expected better from them, but certainly I am not angry. Although that was probably my first reaction when things started going bad. haha
 
brownshoe said:
The point is The guy got exactly what he wanted, but still complains ?????
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No, the point is that Spyderco used to treat their customers with respect and were well-known for both their service and their quality control, alongside some of the best knives in the business. In previous years Sal Glesser regularly posted here and often took it upon himself personally to make things right with a dissatisfied customer. That an owner took such a personal interest in his product is one of the main reasons I recommended them to so many friends and have carried their knives happily for years. The OP brings up a very valid point, and that is that it's unfortunate that any customer would be treated with disrespect when the issue is the fault of the companies QC department. Grudgingly sending the parts after implying it's the customer's fault just isn't acceptable for any company, let alone one that has such a sterling reputation.

As an example, I recently contacted another major folder manufacturer for a new pocket clip and one was sent with a polite email and told there was no cost. When I found out those same clips were offered in a more discreet black coated finish, I contacted them again and asked to purchase a clip and pay for shipping if they could send me one. Instead, their rep politely refused my offer of payment and sent me a black clip while also covering the international shipping (again). I don't know about you but that is the type of outstanding service that makes me a customer for life. A few years ago I contacted a different major folder manufacturer for parts due to a broken scale (my own fault), of course offering to pay, but that company also refused payment while sending me not just a pair of scales (I asked for just one) but a new pocket clip and screws, "just in case it was needed as well". Both of those examples show a real dedication to having happy customers and have earned my business for life, along with the most glowing recommendations I can give as a result of those interactions. Those same type of stories were fairly common for Spyderco in previous years and I really hope this situation is an odd one-off rather than a change in customer service attitude.
 
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JNewell said:
One incident, however regrettable, doesn't make a pattern. We all have bad days. Let it go...
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This isn't the first thread I've seen recently where someone posted about their disappointment with Spyderco's CS.
I memory serves me, it was also a quality issue with a Para 2.
Poor guy got a generic form letter explaining that they refused to repair a weak detent. It was only after the thread was 4 days old and continuously bumped and someone emailed Spydeco that they decided to have another look.
Honestly, if Spyderco is mailing out generic form letters, that means they have them on file and print them off as needed, and that is exactly what I would call a pattern.
 
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I recently sent in a Techno that the lockbar was slightly slipping. I got the knife secondhand knowing the lockbar slipped a little, but I still thought Spyderco still could/would repair the knife. They returned the knife with a canned letter saying it wasn't repairable under warranty, said that it had been taken apart before and thus voided the warranty. I got the knife secondhand, previous owner told me he never disassembled it but who knows for sure. Anyway...the knife was perfect other than that. I got the knife back and they had sharpened it (which it didn't need and I didn't ask for) and the grind was pretty bad. Plus the blade is off-center now too.

I called to complain that the knife still had the original problem plus two new ones, but she told me that all of my complaints were within normal tolerances...she told me that I could send it back and have them look at it again but that those complaints were within normal tolerances so she couldn't guarantee they would fix them.

I sent in a knife with 1 problem and got back a knife with 3 problems. Not a positive customer service experience for me.
 
Customer service is an art form rather than a trade, so it is no surprise to me, that a company at times finds itself with the wrong people in a CS position. It is tempting to blame the company at large, but frequently the company is unaware of CS problems. If the customer is not satisfied, then somewhere along the line, someone has screwed up. There is an old saying that crap never runs uphill, which means, take your concerns to the boss and let him/her sort it out. jmo.
 
The first thing I learned as a paper boy is the customer is usually cool, but some people can't understand normal things. Stuff happens, people misunderstand but some customers are wrong. As a paper boy, I canceled a guy for a host of reasons after trying to satisfy him. he made a complaint, but when the boss heard my story, he agreed.
 
brownshoe said:
The first thing I learned as a paper boy is the customer is usually cool, but some people can't understand normal things. Stuff happens, people misunderstand but some customers are wrong. As a paper boy, I canceled a guy for a host of reasons after trying to satisfy him. he made a complaint, but when the boss heard my story, he agreed.
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Based on your past posts, some might winder if you think that the customer is always wrong.
Quite funny actually, considering that I recently came across a thread in the traditional forum where you praised Case knives CS when they replaced a knife that you returned due to poor fit n finish issues.
I wonder, why didn't you return the knife to the vendor? Why didn't you have the vendor inspect the knife prior to shipping? How is it that you criticize everyone else for not doing this when you yourself don't?
 
cncpro11 said:
Based on your past posts, some might winder if you think that the customer is always wrong.
Quite funny actually, considering that I recently came across a thread in the traditional forum where you praised Case knives CS when they replaced a knife that you returned due to poor fit n finish issues.
I wonder, why didn't you return the knife to the vendor? Why didn't you have the vendor inspect the knife prior to shipping? How is it that you criticize everyone else for not doing this when you yourself don't?
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If there is a problem with fit/finish or with the construction of the knife itself then most folks I've ever met deal with the manufacturer. After all, that's what warranties are for. You appear to be implying that the buck should be passed to the vendor but that is only the case if the vendor did something to damage the product. If the problem existed fresh out of the box, then the manufacturer's warranty applies.

Regardless of any of that though, this discussion has nothing to do with the various vendors. The discussion so far has been about complaints customers are having with poor customer service and quality control. Other manufacturers I've seen on Bladeforums would have stepped in long ago to offer an apology to those involved and offer to resolve the issue privately and follow up on the bad customer service experiences. In years past the same could have been said of this sub-forum as well. Unhappy customers should be a concern for any company, especially when discussion threads show up high in search results. The regulars jumping all over those who are respectfully voicing their concerns isn't helping to resolve the problems.
 
Torm, how do you think that I implied the burden falls on the vendor?
Go back and carefully re-read what I wrote.
I was using sarcasm to make a point to brownshoe who, at every opportunity, loves to point out how wrong folks are because they sent the knife back to the manufacturer instead of the vendor, or didn't ask the vendor to inspect the knife first, so the customer is somehow at fault.
 
cncpro11 said:
Torm, how do you think that I implied the burden falls on the vendor?
Go back and carefully re-read what I wrote.
I was using sarcasm to make a point to brownshoe who, at every opportunity, loves to point out how wrong folks are because they sent the knife back to the manufacturer instead of the vendor, or didn't ask the vendor to inspect the knife first, so the customer is somehow at fault.
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I missed the sarcasm entirely; that'll teach me for replying while multitasking poorly with network repairs at work ;) My apologies Cncpro11.
 
Sorry for the long rant, but I feel unfairly treated in light of these occurrences and was wondering if I was the only one.
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That letter is a standard form letter. It has caused people to complain about hurt feelings before, and likely will again. Ignore what doesn't apply to you and quit expecting life to be "fair". That's a fantasy word AFAIC. As long as you can solve the problem that's enough.

If you eat, and don't have anyone try to kill you that day it's been a good one. Anything else is just gravy.

Oh yeah. Don't talk about "deserving" either as it likely means something entirely different to me. :)

Joe
 
cncpro11, I sent the Case knife to Case, because the problem developed after a year of use. The scale separated from the liner. There was no problem upon receipt of the knife. It took almost a year of use for the problem to show. That truly is a warranty repair for defective workmanship. Case agreed.

Business practice in the US is that if you receive a defective good from a supplier you return it to the supplier. The exception is when the supplier specifically states otherwise in the terms and conditions of the sale. However, with a "hot" knife like the PM2, the supplier doesn't have one, so the end line user doesn't get to scratch their knife itch unless it goes back to the manufacturer.

But then hey, this guy got what he wanted. Why beat the dead horse? :)

I don't think the customer is always wrong, but sometimes knife knuts can be pretty OCD when it comes to perfection and service. They want the knife for less than 100, made in america, with premium steel, perfect fit and finish, plus looks cool and will be repaired forever.
 
brownshoe said:
cncpro11, I sent the Case knife to Case, because the problem developed after a year of use. The scale separated from the liner. There was no problem upon receipt of the knife. It took almost a year of use for the problem to show. That truly is a warranty repair for defective workmanship. Case agreed.

Business practice in the US is that if you receive a defective good from a supplier you return it to the supplier. The exception is when the supplier specifically states otherwise in the terms and conditions of the sale. However, with a "hot" knife like the PM2, the supplier doesn't have one, so the end line user doesn't get to scratch their knife itch unless it goes back to the manufacturer.

But then hey, this guy got what he wanted. Why beat the dead horse? :)

I don't think the customer is always wrong, but sometimes knife knuts can be pretty OCD when it comes to perfection and service. They want the knife for less than 100, made in america, with premium steel, perfect fit and finish, plus looks cool and will be repaired forever.
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Quite a double edge sword you wield there brownshoe.
A scale separating from the liner after 1 year of use, sounds reasonable to me. Separating days out of the box does not.
 
higgsfield said:
A couple of weeks later, I purchased another Para 2 from Howes Knife Shop. This one came with a missing screw on the G-10 handle. I contacted warranty via e-mail requesting a new one be sent to me. I get a reply referencing the earlier knife along with the suggestion that I buy my knives form local vendors to avoid future problems. Again, I was offended. A badly marred scale and a missing screw are issues beyond a customer's control. I feel that in both of these instances, Spyderco did not own up to their manufacturing mistakes and implied I was the problem.
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The Mastiff said:
That letter is a standard form letter. It has caused people to complain about hurt feelings before, and likely will again. Ignore what doesn't apply to you and quit expecting life to be "fair". That's a fantasy word AFAIC. As long as you can solve the problem that's enough.
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The part telling him he should buy from local vendors wasn't a standard form letter. It was an email meant just for him.
I wouldn't want to get an email telling me that. Most have no local vendors.
 
LuisG you confuse me. cncpro11 was talking about a Tony Bose Arkansas Hunter with ebony wood scales. It's a $300 slipjoint based upon a Tony Bose custom knife. The scales are glued and pinned. Having a wood scale come up from the liners is a manufacturing defect per Case who stated it was due to a poor epoxy bond.

For you it may "sound reasonable to me" but it's not right with me or Case. They fixed it under warranty.

If I had the same problem with the knife upon receipt, I would have sent it back to the supplier, not Case.
 
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