Warranty Mishap

[marthinus]

I've been on this forum for a little while and while Kershaw has a few QC issues popping up, I have never EVER heard of a bad customer service/warranty experience with them.

Those threads are out there, but as with everything on forums, you should take it with a grain of salt. You will read much more negative threads then positive about any product, its as if we are a society focused on the negative, even the smallest one.

 

[marthinus]

Vertical blade play causing the lock face move move.

If the locup interface is moving there is a problem with the lock and needs to be sent back, no amount of personal tweaking will help with that. Well, unless the locup is at something like 10%. The one can always ad spring tension and have it go to 50% etc. Early lockup is over rated IMO.

 

[Heiheit]

If the locup interface is moving there is a problem with the lock and needs to be sent back, no amount of personal tweaking will help with that. Well, unless the locup is at something like 10%. The one can always ad spring tension and have it go to 50% etc. Early lockup is over rated IMO.

Agreed. Lockup is around 60%. I'm really just sick of sending these knives in..

 

[RevDevil]

Agreed. Lockup is around 60%. I'm really just sick of sending these knives in..

Might be time to move onto another brand, just puttin it out there.

 

[Heiheit]

Might be time to move onto another brand, just puttin it out there.

Well, it's not the brand I have a problem with. I've had quite a few and really like them. It's not like I'm only collecting Spyderco.

 

[Buffalohump]

I must admit I'm surprised to read this thread. I have bought I dont know how many Spydercos over the years and I've never had to return one. I did have one Millie that had a blade over sharpened as someone pointed out here and the other was a CF ZDP-189 Stretch sprint that came with some scratches on the blade. But those were the only ones I've seen that weren't perfect. Knives I've bought include the CPM-D2 Para sprint, the Endura G-10 FFG, the M390 Millie sprint (two of them), the CPM-M4 Millie sprint, the CTS-20CP Para 2 sprint, plus regular Millies and Para-Millies aplenty. I realise this is the history of ONE buyer but that's a lot of knives. I think every manufacturer has lemons (just browse around BF and you'll see complaints aplenty) but I sincerely doubt its a significant percentage.

Not that this excuses crappy customer service, there really is no excuse for that.

 

[Heiheit]

At this point I probably sound complacent, but I don't like sending a knife in and getting it back in worse condition. I've looked it over and deemed the Ti military dangerous to use, so I'll have to send it in. The m390 military isn't as bad, but it has a beat up cf front scale and I don't understand why. The edge is extremely asymmetric, but I don't care about that.

I'd just like some real communication with someone that would help resolve these issues once and for all, but all I get is, "Send it back in." Come on, these aren't cheap knives.

 

[kimberfan]

sadly i think my endura has a off heat treat as the vg-10 has done nothing but chip and chip and chip even with light use like making a fuzz stick

i doubt i'll send it in and prolly just keep it.

i still prefer kershaw and have had great dealings with their CS, my CPM-154 blur doesnt have a perfect grind on it but still i love it

still thinking some day i'll get a para-2 though just b/c i like the design

hope this works out for you all

 

[The Mastiff]

I'd just like some real communication with someone that would help resolve these issues once and for all, but all I get is, "Send it back in." Come on, these aren't cheap knives.

The people that resolve the issues are the ones telling you to send it in. They can do a lot of things but diagnosing your knife on a forum and resolving it might be a bit much for them.

Perhaps you are waiting for some attention from Sal himself since these knives are so expensive, and you are so much more than a regular customer. You are special after all.

 

[1st1903]

I wish Sal himself personally ran every dept. of Spyderco. Hes such a nice guy. The woman I have talked to the 2 times I've called W&R seems to be pissed off at the world all the time. She acted like the knives had problems due to my fault.

 

[tazkristi]

I just wanted to post and let you all know that we are listening and several Managers are now involved. Unfortunately travel schedules have made it a challenge to discuss the issue face to face.

We do take great pride in our products and in our reputation. I promise it's not something taken lightly and for that reason it's not something that has a quick fix.

Kristi

 

[Heiheit]

I just wanted to post and let you all know that we are listening and several Managers are now involved. Unfortunately travel schedules have made it a challenge to discuss the issue face to face.

We do take great pride in our products and in our reputation. I promise it's not something taken lightly and for that reason it's not something that has a quick fix.

Kristi

Thank you for the response. Like I said quite a few times, I have nothing against Spyderco and enjoy their knives quite a bit. Some people probably feel I'm being too critical, but I think I'm being reasonable. Of course not every situation can be handled perfectly. That being said, I've found Spyderco's cs to be top notch in general. Of course certain people won't be able to take an objective view of this situation. Regardless, I got the email that I'll need to send in the knives once more. Sorry for any weird grammar, this was typed on my phone.

 

[bchan77]

I kind of wonder if this isn't all a byproduct of all of the sprints coming out as preorders back to back. It seems like preordered sprints would really raise the stakes over at Golden and force the tolerances to be lowered slightly. Add to that the amount of knives which might be getting sent back for fairly minor issues (due to lowered tolerances) all at once and that's a recipe for a stressed out W&R/CS department. As much as I hate to say it, maybe it's time to back off on the sprints a little bit, or at least space them out more, or, barring that (as I love sprints just as much as anybody) realizing that the tolerances for preordered sprints aren't going to be as high and not freaking out about minor things. ...

I think you have a point there. The number of models and sprint runs, limited runs etc. that Spyderco is producing has increased quite a lot compared to four or five years ago. With increased and more frequent production runs the failure rate will increase, partly because of increased machine wear. But even assuming the percentage of failure remains the same the number of failures will still increase because the base (the quantity of knives being produced) has increased. At a certain point the manpower previously alloted to the QC and Warranty functions may be insufficient to handle everything as smoothly as before. This may be the situation Spyderco is facing here.

 

[Gramps]

My few dealings with Spyderco customer service have been very pleasant and satisfactory.

While I'm a bit taken aback by what I read here, I feel confident that Spyderco will act to correct and improve where necessary. I used to say to my children, when they were young, that everyone is human and bound to make a mistake now and then, but there is no excuse for not learning from them, and putting your best foot forward to make the necessary corrections. I am convinced Spyderco is guided by this principle.

Even the Pope has a bad day.

 

[bh49]

It is quite unpleasant story. Heiheit, I am sorry about this and hope that all issues will be resolved.
During last six years I sent my knives to Spyderco W&R three times. The first time Amanda did a great job and helped me to replace my discontinued knife.
Twice I sent during Charlynn time. All issues were taken care of. Of cause like everywhere there is some room for improvement. Communication can be better as well as time frame. It seems to me that Charlynn needs some help. Spyderco is a small company, which sells a lot of knives. Some of them come back for W&R, some of them for sharpening. I remember I sent one of my Kopas for warranty evolution. Per trucking, the knife was delivered on Monday. I called Tuesday afternoon and asked about evolution results. I got an answer that the department has a big workload and knives are getting evaluated within five business days. After my problem was fixed, somebody forgot to ship my knife for two weeks and than UPS for a week. Certainly not a life threatening citation, but things can be a little better, there is some room for improvement. May be W&R is not one person job anymore, may be some procedures need to be changed. Hard to tell without knowing details. I talk with Charlynn on the phone few times, she was always nice.

 

[dericdesmond]

I feel very fortunate. I have owned and used hundreds of spydercos. Ive only had to send 2 in for work and was very happy how i was handled. I have never had to disassemble a single spyderco either, when people do I gotta admit I scratch my head?

Benchmade,kershaw z/t, and Emerson,even DPX have all answered the phone and been more than helpful and willing to help me

I have a para 2 that i carry daily and i don't baby it at all, I build car frames for a living and this knife has hit metal, its cut things it aint supposed to cut , and the knife is still perfect, same with my manix 2s all are perfect, well even my enduras and delicas are all strong.

You may look to go a little easier on your knives man. If you have to call all of those companies with issues then from the outside looking in, esp after reading the 2nd quote above, the way you treat your knives could be the issue.

 

[kreole]

I think you have a point there. The number of models and sprint runs, limited runs etc. that Spyderco is producing has increased quite a lot compared to four or five years ago. With increased and more frequent production runs the failure rate will increase, partly because of increased machine wear. But even assuming the percentage of failure remains the same the number of failures will still increase because the base (the quantity of knives being produced) has increased. At a certain point the manpower previously alloted to the QC and Warranty functions may be insufficient to handle everything as smoothly as before. This may be the situation Spyderco is facing here.

Adding to that, Sal has said Golden is running at full capacity. When you get into that situation, in my experience working in factories at least, preventative maintenance stops, all of the maintenance department constantly plays catch-up (just fixing things as they break), and the product tends towards the outer edge of acceptable tolerances.

Of course, I can't say for sure if that's happening at Golden. Actually the U.S. models have the second best QC in my experience behind Taichung.

 

[1st1903]

Adding to that, Sal has said Golden is running at full capacity. When you get into that situation, in my experience working in factories at least, preventative maintenance stops, all of the maintenance department constantly plays catch-up (just fixing things as they break), and the product tends towards the outer edge of acceptable tolerances.

Of course, I can't say for sure if that's happening at Golden. Actually the U.S. models have the second best QC in my experience behind Taichung.

Very good points, but I would be extremely disappointed if Spyderco stopped producing as many exclusives and sprint runs. I think Sal and them will find a solution.

 

[100eyes]

Spyderco's QC and CS is what drove me away from the brand. I got sick of knives out of the box that had problems, and rude service that shows no concern for an issue, or even just outright ignores you. My last Military had a stripped screw out of the box and I had to get my dealer to order a replacement screw on my behalf since customer service just told me it voids warranty to disassemble a knife and didn't send anything out.

Is it really a surprise so much of their stuff now comes out of Taiwan with better F&F than Golden models.

 

[Rav3n]

All my experience with Spyderco = absolutely top notch. There has been a slight wobble here and there, but that's the beauty of high quality components and products. You KNOW they have the potential to fit together properly, and they can always be re-fit to achieve this.

I know most warranty departments will hate me for this, but what happened to servicing our own tools? It's not rocket science. After all, if it's a tool it's going to get used, and then F&F is not important, as it will get scratches etc. anyway. If it's a collector piece, it will never see any use, so why does it matter then? Nothing needs to be functional in that scenario. Yes, I know some guys here are talking about vertical bladeplay and I agree with sending that in. However, I feel the higher end knife community as a whole has become so anal about flush scales and closed bladeplay (what's up with that?) that we are driving the manufacturers to breaking point.

We all want the new designs, sprint runs and steels right here and right now, but it needs to be PERFECT as well. Also, we want all of this at a competitive price made in the USA. See a problem with that? Wake up and smell the coffee - there is no such thing as perfection, as is the world we live in.

This is not directed at anyone posting their experience or issue in this thread - just my general take on this topic that I have been forming over a period of time.

Edit: I once thought Spyderco was ignoring me, but it turns out they were busy with the SHOT show. Taught me some patience and insight, I'd say.