Very poor ZT Warranty experience

[dkb45]

While will say that ZT not getting things resolved is abnormal, my experience with CS for all companies aside from Benchmade (that have been SPECTACULAR) is hit and miss. I sent a Spyderco in twice and it had nothing really done. My 801 had to be sent,in twice to get the detent right. I sent a Vantage in 3 times before Buck just sent me a new one (once they literally didn't touch it).

On the flip side, had a few ZTs that were perfectly fixed, a few Kershaws, multiple Benchmades, and a Quartermaster.

 

[Kamoe]

On the flipside, I got my 940BK and Mini Grip back from Benchmade today, I broke the tip on the 940, just a little bit so it needed to be re-ground, and the mini grip had terrible centering, both blades came back flawless, if it weren't for the fact that the 940 was chewed up pretty bad I wouldn't even think it to be the same knife.

 

[asdf12345]

I think this "poor warranty experience" thing is really overblown. It's perfectly reasonable to get a bad knife and not have it fixed when you send it in.

There are "lemons" that slip through quality control resulting in bad knives. Just accept it.

And in the same vein, there will be some "lemony" warranty experiences that slip through the supervision of customer service and repairs. Just accept it.

Thus neither of the above are ZT's fault, and failing to fix your knife shouldn't reflect badly on ZT at all. Other customers who have purchased ZT knives with problems and have had their problems taken care of. So an experience like yours doesn't happen all the time. I think the old adage of "forgive and forget" should be applied here. If I were you I'd send it back again, perhaps multiple times, as others have needed to do to have their knives fixed. Or, you could chalk it up to a learning experience and use your knife or give it away, and just buy another ZT.

 

[PURPLEDC]

While solid, it's a lot later than it was when I sent it in, and it's still very sticky, so late lockup plus lock stick = no good in my opinion, for what it's worth. It may actually be that late lockup which is causing the lock stick since it's still a titanium-on-steel lockup. I made good mention of what I wanted done in the warranty form, and I even contacted them before I sent it asking them if that'd be possible and they said yes, which is why I'm a little dumbfounded as to why none of it got done.

Unfortunately the lockup can change rather dramatically just by taking it apart and putting it back together. What puzzles me is the fact that you are having blade binding issues even with the pivot backed off. There are only 2 causes that make sense to me. One would be too much thread locker to the point it actually seized the bearings. The other would be they actually increased the lockbar pressure which would actually make the lock stick worse. Im thinking thread locker though. I would give them a second chance. Unfortunately I have had to send a few knives back for issues not taken care of. They will eventually get it right. I know they should have got it right the first time but everyone makes mistakes. Some more than others. The good news is that they WILL make it right even if it takes a few times. My best advice is no matter what happens maintain your cool and stay polite and it will work itself out.

 

[Go Prepared]

My 0560 is back at ZT right now for the 4th time with lock slip issues it never had before I sent it in for lock rock. The lock face was ground convex and makes the lock fail in use. Poor finish on the replacement lock side also.

 

[jstn]

Sorry to hear about you guys' issues with ZT/KAI warranty. I have had very good experience with their warranty on a few earlier models, and all my later models have been flawless and never needed warranty. Hope it gets resolved.

 

[zito]

I think the problem might be the titanium frame, the interaction between the frame and the tang of the blade during lock up will wear out the titanium faster moving that frame and lock closer and closer so you might go from 10 % to 50 % way faster than normal........I've always an all around solid d2 blade and frame lock for equal wear with the HRC differentiating the heat treatment to create the disproportionate wear during the tang and lock bar interaction. Titanium wears quickly in my opinion.

 

[dkb45]

I think this "poor warranty experience" thing is really overblown. It's perfectly reasonable to get a bad knife and not have it fixed when you send it in.

There are "lemons" that slip through quality control resulting in bad knives. Just accept it.

And in the same vein, there will be some "lemony" warranty experiences that slip through the supervision of customer service and repairs. Just accept it.

Thus neither of the above are ZT's fault, and failing to fix your knife shouldn't reflect badly on ZT at all. Other customers who have purchased ZT knives with problems and have had their problems taken care of. So an experience like yours doesn't happen all the time. I think the old adage of "forgive and forget" should be applied here. If I were you I'd send it back again, perhaps multiple times, as others have needed to do to have their knives fixed. Or, you could chalk it up to a learning experience and use your knife or give it away, and just buy another ZT.

It is far from unreasonable to expect an item sent in for repair to be repaired. In fact, expecting it to not be repaired is unreasonable. You don't take a car to the mechanic to get it back the next day and they did nothing or made it worse.

If I send an item in with the lock being wonky, I expect them to do something to fix that issue. If the entire lock needs to be replaced, customer service can tell if it was caused by wear or defect. The company owes me a lock for defect, and I can pay if they want for a worn lock.

 

[endgamer]

for a 300$ dollar knife none of this should ever happen or have to be returned we are allbeeing taken for a ride

 

[RevDevil]

I think this "poor warranty experience" thing is really overblown. It's perfectly reasonable to get a bad knife and not have it fixed when you send it in.

I'm not sure if you are being facetious or serious, but let's go with serious. The "poor warranty experience" can be very real, depending on the company and expectations held by the customer. That is why we refer to it as an experience, and not a standard. After reading literally hundreds and hundreds of threads on the subject, sometimes expectations are not inline with reality. I would strongly disagree that it is reasonable by any stretch of the imagination to send something in for repair (provided there is a legitimate issue) and receive the item back with the same issue present, or added issues in addition. That makes no sense. When you take your car to the mechanic shop for an obvious issue, do you feel it is reasonable to drive home with the same thing you went in for in the first place? I don't.

There are "lemons" that slip through quality control resulting in bad knives. Just accept it.

And in the same vein, there will be some "lemony" warranty experiences that slip through the supervision of customer service and repairs. Just accept it. Everyone makes mistakes, we're only human.

Thus neither of the above are ZT's fault, and failing to fix your knife shouldn't reflect badly on ZT at all. Other customers who have purchased ZT knives with problems and have had their problems taken care of. So an experience like yours doesn't happen all the time. I think the old adage of "forgive and forget" should be applied here. If I were you I'd send it back again, perhaps multiple times, as others have needed to do to have their knives fixed. Or, you could chalk it up to a learning experience and use your knife or give it away, and just buy another ZT.

Of course, no company can bat 1000, 100% of the time; most manufacturers will even admit freely to it. That is a given for the most part, and most reasonable people understand that aspect. What I do to help ensure things go well is I type out a document and include it with the knife. I include my contact information, the date, the knife I am sending in (including the serial number if applicable), and what I need done to the knife and what I do NOT want done to the knife. If not repaired to what I consider a reasonable standard, I contact again and go from there.

 

[Kamoe]

One of the main reasons the warranty is in place is to ensure that if you get one of these "lemons" then your knife will be fixed or replaced with a working one. You get what you pay for, and when you're paying over 200 dollars for a knife, you're damn right I expect it to at least have the same basic functions as a 30 dollar knife from China. I expect it to have a functioning lock and I expect it to open and closed as advertised with these KVT ball bearings. Like I said, I sent this knife in with 2 problems, lock stick and an uneven bevel. I got it back with the same lock stick, too much thread locker, an eneven AND rounded edge, and blade binding. Even if I did get some outlier at the warranty center who worked on my knife poorly, these guys should be at least trained to perform their job correctly. So yes, I can say with certainty that Kai is at fault for this. It's certainly not my fault for expecting a knife to be fixed and getting it back even more broken than before.

 

[D-der]

I have to say, Thanks to Kai / ZT...
it took three trips back, for what started out as a couple of warranty issues,which lead to other things etc.
All three times the knife was in their possession for about a week before prompt return shipment, each time
the only communication was by phone prior to return along with a note in the package.
Each time the customer service rep, Snow ? was very professional, curtious and attentive...
long story, but the short of it is, I got my knife back again yesterday and every aspect is spot on, issues seem resolved.
I'm sure they put up with me as much as the other way around but at this point...
I can only thank Zero Tolerance for the customer service provided to me, which is all to rare these days.
They've earned my return business.

 

[G.I. Jon]

I think this "poor warranty experience" thing is really overblown. It's perfectly reasonable to get a bad knife and not have it fixed when you send it in.

Wow, really? This is a logical conclusion...how? How do you arrive to such a faulty logical conclusion that it is okay in the real world to receive a defective product and not have it repaired when you send it back? Or are you being facetious?

A lemon slipping through QC TWICE as mentioned in your example is a good example of someone needing to lose their job for not doing it.