Why can't I get a new pocket clip?

I just read through the Spyderco warranty, they do make it fairly clear that broken clips are the responsibility of the customer, shipping on blemished/faulty products is kind of vague though. Maybe that part should be made a little more clear.
I agree that the divot in the clip would count as a blemish, but as far as I know $5 effectively gets you a free clip, you just pay for the shipping cost.
It may not be the best business practice to make people pay for shipping on warranty work, but that's how things are set up right now.
To think of Spyderco as an equal with their competitors is actually kind of flattering. Kershaw has a multi-billion dollar parent company, and Benchmade does hundreds of millions of dollars worth of contract work. Spyderco is more of a specialty shop comparatively (on a yearly basis they put out at least twice as many new models as anyone else).
Hopefully Spyderco will someday be big enough to build a warehouse full of spare parts to give away for free.
Until then...

PS. I agree that you're usually supposed to use the manufacturer warranty, fixing faulty products is not the responsibility of the retailer. If it were, manufacturers wouldn't need a warranty department.
 
Clips cost between 4 and 7 dollars. Shipping is around 1.25 you do not "just pay shipping" They are shipped first class in a brown envelope. I've ordered them a few times.
 
I guess I'll find out when I give them a call tomorrow, but I'm a bit weary of what Spyderco wants to charge for shipping a clip to Canada. I think I paid $25 or something for a Swick to Canada. :p

Like I said though, I'll just live with it if I can't get a free replacement since the only reason I got the knife was it was a good deal.
 
If it's really that big a deal have a friend here on the forums buy the clip and then ship it to you once it's delivered.

-Tye
 
If the OP had approached this in a more civil manner, I would have been inclined to point out that there was a thread about a similar clip on this very forum a while back. Sal explained in that thread that Spyderco buys clips from a number of suppliers. A few clips are selected at random from each batch and Rockwell tested to verify the clips were heat treated to specification. If those few pass, the entire batch is assumed to be correct. Less than one in a hundred clips bears the mark of having been tested. The test point is in the bottom of the curved section where the clip contacts the knife or where it hits the support surface on the tester. In other words, right where the "blemish" he is complaining about is located. Since my inner geek thinks little things like that are really cool, I'd have gladly offered to trade him for the clip on my Lava, or buy him a new one in trade for his.

Since he chose to start off with a tantrum about being refused the free replacement he felt entitled to, I'm disinclined to offer such help.
 
I don't believe the mark on his clip is a hardness testing mark, myself. I have bought clips with those little pings at the bottom and seen a few on knives and they look like this.
wques2.jpg
 
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The previous thread I referred to had a picture of a clip with a single mark located as I described it. Sal seemed to think that's what it was, and who am I to argue? He would certainly know better than I.
 
yablanowitz said:
If the OP had approached this in a more civil manner, I would have been inclined to point out that there was a thread about a similar clip on this very forum a while back. Sal explained in that thread that Spyderco buys clips from a number of suppliers. A few clips are selected at random from each batch and Rockwell tested to verify the clips were heat treated to specification. If those few pass, the entire batch is assumed to be correct. Less than one in a hundred clips bears the mark of having been tested. The test point is in the bottom of the curved section where the clip contacts the knife or where it hits the support surface on the tester. In other words, right where the "blemish" he is complaining about is located. Since my inner geek thinks little things like that are really cool, I'd have gladly offered to trade him for the clip on my Lava, or buy him a new one in trade for his.

Since he chose to start off with a tantrum about being refused the free replacement he felt entitled to, I'm disinclined to offer such help.
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Did you read my posts imagining in your mind that I have a mean face on and I'm yelling at the top of my lungs as I'm typing? :confused:

I suppose tone isn't something very well translated into text, but at no point did I feel angry at anyone, including Spyderco, for the current situation during any of the discussion. Don't read my comments thinking the crazy guy who flips out at a burger shop, try Steven Seagal monotone, lol.

Anyways, what you said is interesting, I possibly remember reading that thread as well. Surely it can't be one in a hundred though, as I'd think it'd be common knowledge among Spyderco fans if it was that frequent. It would definitely make sense if the hardness testing is the reason for the mark on the clip though, as I mentioned in my previous post, it definitely seems to be from the factory and does not seem to be an accidental mark.

Do I still feel that a replacement clip is warranted if I requested? I do. I've got enough experience in business to know that when someone ends up with a product not like the others, you don't tell that customer it happens and it'll cost extra - you make sure that one ends up the same as the rest.

Now if Spyderco had responded to me saying what you said, it'd be a different story. I don't think it's outrageous at all that I felt not appreciated as a customer when Spyderco just sent me two exact same cookie-cutter responses to my messages to what I believed to be two different departments, both telling me to spend more money.

You're definitely not inclined to do anything about the clip but don't worry, my feelings aren't hurt. ;)
 
I don't get it. You said you were going to EDC this right? If so then why would a tiny dot on the clip even slightly bother you?
 
Tenacious said:
I don't get it. You said you were going to EDC this right? If so then why would a tiny dot on the clip even slightly bother you?
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Just because I EDC it, it doesn't mean I'm gonna thrash it. :D

When my knives do end up with blemishes I caused, I'll have a memories of when it served me well. If someone saw my Lava and asked 'what's that on the clip?', I'd like to have a better story then 'oh, this knife that you think is overpriced just came with it.'
 
100Eyes, I for one don't think you seemed angy in any way from your OP. Although the dimple wouldn't have bothered me, it's not my place to say what should or shouldn't bother you.

Good luck getting this resolved, I'm sure that Spyderco or the vendor will take care of it.
 
When your Toyota has a scratch you take it back to the dealer, not load it on a boat to Yokohama! This is an issue for the dealer, not Spyderco.
 
100eyes said:
I guess I'll find out when I give them a call tomorrow, but I'm a bit weary of what Spyderco wants to charge for shipping a clip to Canada. I think I paid $25 or something for a Swick to Canada. :p

Like I said though, I'll just live with it if I can't get a free replacement since the only reason I got the knife was it was a good deal.
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I should have paid attention to your location earlier...:foot:
International shipping is never cheap. Pretty much the reason I have a Cricket and Bali-Yo with missing screws, and a Captain with no clip.

On the bright side the Captain carries fairly well loose in pocket.
 
100eyes said:
Just to be clear, I don't intend to add any more costs for myself and the seller(who was nice enough to send me the Lava before I even shipped the Super Tool 300 to exchange and has a flawless track record selling knives and tools) over the pocket clip.
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100eyes, just to be clear, did you buy this knife from a dealer, or pick it up on the secondary market as the above post seems to indicate? If you bought it new I'd think Spyderco would want to rectify the blemish, but if it's off of the secondary market I'd say Spyderco's responsibilty has ended.
 
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