Strider won't answer my calls

[jbmonkey]

I've sent them an email and never got a response back.... never tried calling. From what I heard they are not good at communicating at all.

Btw you're going to get flamed for claiming your strider sustained such a damage from opening boxes and easy cutting chores. The last time I claimed my friend made a light scratch on the titanium side there was 8 pages of flammage. Apparently everybody who owns a strider on this forum uses their striders to pry metal gates and shovel rocks. Just saying dude....

The friends fingernail scratch. I enjoyed that thread. Man did that draw 'em in. I think the " your friend is wolverine," joke got posted about 8 times.

Ill bet most striders sit in a pocket all day or drawer or safe. Some do cut chains and cut car doors off on a daily basis though, I'm sure.

To everyone else, ease up on strider. Think about it .........if many don't break how good could they be at customer service? Takes practice to make perfect right? On the other hand if lots break......means they are busy busy and can't answer the phone or reply on all those emails.

 

[lava_lamp]

I don't run the show over there, nor do I advocate that kind of service policy. I just helped answer the question asked.

No offense meant -- either to you or anyone else -- including CrimsonTideShooter, who was also being helpful.

 

[--DT]

Thank you all for the info. I will e-mail josh.striderknives@gmail.com and will post about my experience.

 

[CrimsonTideShooter]

Great information.

Let me make sure I understand this correctly.

If by some chance, some other member here or anyone else for that matter...doesn't know any better and sends their knife in USPS, there is a strong chance they will be without their knife for a month or two because they don't like to go to the post office? Also, if you e-mail more than once, you're bugging them... is that right? I just want to make sure that I understand who i'm dealing with just in case my PT screws up and I have to send it in...with the hopes that they will be gracious and grant me some customer service.

They won't intentionally NOT work on your knife because you sent it USPS. They have issues with USPS workers not fulfilling their duties. In other words, they have a beef with USPS. If your package shows up then that's great, but if for some reason it sits at the PO, it might take them a week or two to go get it.

And as for the email thing, think about it this way, Strider is an extremely small company. All of the Strider guys share the duties, the same guy answering your email is more than likely the same guy fixing your knife. So, do you want him replying to endless emails all day, or working on fixing your knife?

 

[Striderco]

Own 2 Strider PT's. Was looking to expand my collection but i ve heard alot of bad things about them lately including their terrible customer service, numerous complaints of blade play and I still question the old story about Mick Strider lying about his military service! Something about being in the special forces and apparently it is a lie? Too bad bc I do like my PT's very much!!

 

[giant1]

Great information.

Let me make sure I understand this correctly.

If by some chance, some other member here or anyone else for that matter...doesn't know any better and sends their knife in USPS, there is a strong chance they will be without their knife for a month or two because they don't like to go to the post office? Also, if you e-mail more than once, you're bugging them... is that right? I just want to make sure that I understand who i'm dealing with just in case my PT screws up and I have to send it in...with the hopes that they will be gracious and grant me some customer service.

LOL...gotta love customer service that requires a video to learn how to navigate the system. Next there will be a "Strider warranty for dummies" book.

Wait... Their customer service is so bad it takes a 10 minute YouTube video to figure out how to get warranty work done? Come on now.

I think you guys get the picture on how Strider works.

They won't intentionally NOT work on your knife because you sent it USPS. They have issues with USPS workers not fulfilling their duties. In other words, they have a beef with USPS. If your package shows up then that's great, but if for some reason it sits at the PO, it might take them a week or two to go get it.

And as for the email thing, think about it this way, Strider is an extremely small company. All of the Strider guys share the duties, the same guy answering your email is more than likely the same guy fixing your knife. So, do you want him replying to endless emails all day, or working on fixing your knife?

That's all well and good but Mick Strider always has time to play bully on his favourite forum. Sadly their customer service is pathetic and their attitude towards their customers is even worse.

I do like the folding knives and own several models but I sincerely hope that I never have reason to deal with those idiots in person.

 

[neuron]

They won't intentionally NOT work on your knife because you sent it USPS. They have issues with USPS workers not fulfilling their duties. In other words, they have a beef with USPS. If your package shows up then that's great, but if for some reason it sits at the PO, it might take them a week or two to go get it.

And as for the email thing, think about it this way, Strider is an extremely small company. All of the Strider guys share the duties, the same guy answering your email is more than likely the same guy fixing your knife. So, do you want him replying to endless emails all day, or working on fixing your knife?

+1 on this, especially the portion in bold. If your definition of good customer service requires somebody discussing your knife and any issues with it at length via phone/email, Strider isn't the company for you. If all you care about is any repair/warranty issues with your knife getting fixed, just send it in with a note (and perhaps an email to Josh to let him know it's on the way) and they'll take care of it as well as any company out there.

 

[--DT]

Thank you all for the info. I will e-mail josh.striderknives@gmail.com and will post about my experience.

Good news. I e-mailed Josh & heard back same day. He stated they would replace the cracked blade. I'll be mailing the SNG out today.

 

[RevDevil]

No offense meant -- either to you or anyone else -- including CrimsonTideShooter, who was also being helpful.

None taken

 

[Johnny Numbers]

Never mind.

Deleted.

 

[TechExec]

...I still question the old story about Mick Strider lying about his military service! Something about being in the special forces and apparently it is a lie?

Now that comment led to some interesting reading.

Strange situation to say the least.

 

[BP Green]

I recently sent my SNG in for refurbishment. I got the initial one line response to my e-mail telling me to send it in. I did, then last week I e-mailed them again just to verify that they did indeed have my knife. I never got a response. That to me is piss poor customer service no matter how you spin it. Small company or one the size of Micro Soft, that is just a basic service that needs to be factored in as the cost of doing business.

I do a lot of business with very small boutique type shops that specialize in fly fishing equipment. Some of these places are litterally swamped with work. Most of them are tiny compared to Strider and almost all of them will answer the phone themselves and at the very least tell you that they received your item. Like I said, it's a basic service. I shouldn't have to worry about "pissing anybody off" just because I want to verify that the $400 knife I sent off actually got to them. Yes I got delivery confirmation but that means squat. I want to know they have it and it is safely in their possesion.

But I guess the way it works now is I'm supposed to just go about my business and trust that one day my expensive knife will just appear in the mail? How long should I wait? What if my idea of a reasonable lapse in time is different? What if I e-mail them again in a few weeks? Will that "piss them off", as the video warns? Will they then refuse to work on my knife because I had the audacity to check with them on the status of my knife?

I like the knives, but that alone isn't going to turn me into a mindless drooling fan boy. The rest of the crap about the company isn't going to turn me into a rabid hater either. But customer service is a big factor in who I do business with, regardless of how good the product is.

I'm going to wait and see how this experience shakes out. If my knife comes back in good condition and in a timely manner, then I guess I'll call it marginally acceptable. But if this turns into some nightmare scenario with my knife lost or unnacounted for and unreturned e-mails, I'll never spend another dime on a Strider.

 

[Ankerson]

+1 on this, especially the portion in bold. If your definition of good customer service requires somebody discussing your knife and any issues with it at length via phone/email, Strider isn't the company for you. If all you care about is any repair/warranty issues with your knife getting fixed, just send it in with a note (and perhaps an email to Josh to let him know it's on the way) and they'll take care of it as well as any company out there.

Yep, exactly correct.

There CS is really very simple.

Just don't expect them to be your pen pal because they have other things to do like work.

 

[EMT_Lee]

Yep, exactly correct.

There CS is really very simple.

Just don't expect them to be your pen pal because they have other things to do like work.

Yup. It's so simple, it's basically doesn't exist.

 

[BP Green]

By the way, just to add an example of what I'm talking about. I know a guy who lives in Traverse City, MI. He makes bamboo fly rods, all by hand. There are 100's of man hours put into the creation of these things. It is a very lengthy, complicated and arduous process. This particular man is a living legend in the field. He is in his late 80's and the waiting list for one of his rods is so long he's not even taking any more orders. He told me once when he dies he won't have even scratched the surface on the list of names waiting for a rod. I know it's true because I saw it.

Anyway, my point is, this guy works alone out of a shop adjacent to his house. If you call him and he doesn't answer the phone himself, his wife will. If he can take a minute out of his day to answer a quick customer inquiry, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to expect the same from a company the size of Strider's.

This guy is only one of many such examples. . . .

 

[BP Green]

Yep, exactly correct.

There CS is really very simple.

Just don't expect them to be your pen pal because they have other things to do like work.

I don't want a pen pal. I want a simple " Yup, we got it, thanks". In what world could that possibly be viewed as unreasonable? I'm trying to understand. . .

 

[giant1]

I recently sent my SNG in for refurbishment. I got the initial one line response to my e-mail telling me to send it in. I did, then last week I e-mailed them again just to verify that they did indeed have my knife. I never got a response. That to me is piss poor customer service no matter how you spin it. Small company or one the size of Micro Soft, that is just a basic service that needs to be factored in as the cost of doing business.

I do a lot of business with very small boutique type shops that specialize in fly fishing equipment. Some of these places are litterally swamped with work. Most of them are tiny compared to Strider and almost all of them will answer the phone themselves and at the very least tell you that they received your item. Like I said, it's a basic service. I shouldn't have to worry about "pissing anybody off" just because I want to verify that the $400 knife I sent off actually got to them. Yes I got delivery confirmation but that means squat. I want to know they have it and it is safely in their possesion.

But I guess the way it works now is I'm supposed to just go about my business and trust that one day my expensive knife will just appear in the mail? How long should I wait? What if my idea of a reasonable lapse in time is different? What if I e-mail them again in a few weeks? Will that "piss them off", as the video warns? Will they then refuse to work on my knife because I had the audacity to check with them on the status of my knife?

I like the knives, but that alone isn't going to turn me into a mindless drooling fan boy. The rest of the crap about the company isn't going to turn me into a rabid hater either. But customer service is a big factor in who I do business with, regardless of how good the product is.

I'm going to wait and see how this experience shakes out. If my knife comes back in good condition and in a timely manner, then I guess I'll call it marginally acceptable. But if this turns into some nightmare scenario with my knife lost or unnacounted for and unreturned e-mails, I'll never spend another dime on a Strider.

Yep, exactly correct.

There CS is really very simple.

Just don't expect them to be your pen pal because they have other things to do like work.

I don't want a pen pal. I want a simple " Yup, we got it, thanks". In what world could that possibly be viewed as unreasonable? I'm trying to understand. . .

As I keep saying the knives a pretty good. Unfortunately their business model and attitude towards customers reminds me of the soup nazi in one of the Seinfeld episodes where he exclaims "no more soup for you"!!

I don't get why anyone in their right mind would think this is acceptable because it is not!

 

[Johnny Numbers]

If the guys can't be bothered by their customers and/or left alone to do their work...then they need to hire an office manager or at the very least, a receptionist, whose job is to answer the phone and take care of e-mails.

I'm pretty sure Strider can afford it.

 

[--DT]

Here is an update since I started this thread. I sent my SNG via UPS on Tuesday. They said it would be there at Strider today, Friday Oct 7th. I'll let you know when I hear back either thru e-mail or the SNG arrives back in Gig Harbor.
--DT

 

[scouter27]

If the guys can't be bothered by their customers and/or left alone to do their work...then they need to hire an office manager or at the very least, a receptionist, whose job is to answer the phone and take care of e-mails.

I'm pretty sure Strider can afford it.

I believe they have that, and they still can't keep up.

They made a 10 minute video, not because it's that complicated, but because of threads like this.