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Brian,

Please refund my payment for the Companion.
Order#128

Email is ndmiller at ndmiller dot com

Thank you,

Noah
 
I doubt Brian will ever see a refund from Bark River. A quick internet search will turn up horror stories of some of Mike's history of broken promises.
 
If that happens why not become activists? The forum has a lot of swing in the knife community. Though to be honest I really would like to resolve this all peacefully and without incident.
 
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None of this surprises me as soon as i found out Brian was using bark river i cringed a bit. iv heard not so good things about them when it comes to making knives for other ppl. If its not there original design it just sits on the back burner and they had that whole problem with black jack so imo i wouldn't uses bark river as a machine knife shop with that said i do own a bark river gunny and it is a great blade they do have the ability to make a great product but to much drama imo. with that being said if these knives ever do get made i would be more than happy to buy one.
 
Hi Brian,

just as a heads up i did send you a few emails as well and a screenshot for the refund, my orders are 143, 90, and 49

djkushner at gmail dot com for paypal please.
 
Hey, just a little tip guys - I know we're all frustrated, but it's best to avoid threatening to boycott BRK. That might cause legal problems for Brian hey.
 
P.S. There's a very interesting post (#24, 01-20-2017, 03:31 AM by ForgedMaple) in Good, Bad, Ugly - "Bark River, Again". Spooky in it's accuracy.
 
Barrettboy said:
P.S. There's a very interesting post (#24, 01-20-2017, 03:31 AM by ForgedMaple) in Good, Bad, Ugly - "Bark River, Again". Spooky in it's accuracy.
Click to expand...

Yikes, that does seem pretty on the head there. Now that it's been brought up I do vaguely recall hearing about his reputation a while back, when I was first getting into collecting. At the time I didn't have the money to afford anything more than like fifty bucks so I guess I just plumb forgot about it as it wasn't really relevant to me.

(Also link for ease of finding said post, in case you're lazy like me, lol)
 
In view of what is happening I have a few suggestions.
We all know that finding a new supplier is time consuming and will cause further delays to the project, which I am sure everyone would like to avoid.
Brian as well as BRK are busy building their names and reputation to ultimately maintain successful businesses respectively.

These companies have entered into a joint venture or partnership to produce and sell the Companion. (profitable for both parties)
My suggestions:
1. Brian asks Mike to address the customers (BRK & EKT) and update all on the problems and delays and most importantly how these delays can be mitigated to complete the project (with a timeline!). This is very important for both parties as this could damage their reputations, which will cause loss of clientele for both companies and will directly impact on future revenue (the damage to their reputations is exponentially larger than the value of this project). (people are judged and remembered by how problems are dealt with and how strong they finish).

2. EKT grants BRK the opportunity to rectify the delay with deadlines and most importantly there should be a penalty clause incorporated for late completion of the contract. (if BRK is confident in their work and prides their work, this shouldn't be a problem). An even better solution would be that BRK provide EKT with a performance (demand) guarantee as a deposit has been paid. (ill leave the finer details to them)

I'm sure this issue can be sorted out with proper communication and commitments from both parties.
 
Barrettboy said:
P.S. There's a very interesting post (#24, 01-20-2017, 03:31 AM by ForgedMaple) in Good, Bad, Ugly - "Bark River, Again". Spooky in it's accuracy.
Click to expand...

Armithius said:
Yikes, that does seem pretty on the head there. Now that it's been brought up I do vaguely recall hearing about his reputation a while back, when I was first getting into collecting. At the time I didn't have the money to afford anything more than like fifty bucks so I guess I just plumb forgot about it as it wasn't really relevant to me.

(Also link for ease of finding said post, in case you're lazy like me, lol)
Click to expand...


Well.....that thread devolved quickly after the first five pages. I will agree with some of that though. I think it was the original poster that posted this comment:

"About the rest of your post. Let me tell you, from personal experience, how good people get in bed with the rotten ones.

You're starting out in the business. You're honest, yet naive. You see this big, successful, extremely confident guy. You appreciate his work. You enjoy his product. You approach him and ask timidly... "I'm sorry to bother you, sir. I have this small business and I'd like to sell your products."

That's when the con starts. The big guy, who has a reputation for being picky with his distributors, sees right through you and takes you in. He immediately makes you feel like a million bucks. He shows you around the factory and is extremely open about his work. He gives you insider information. He even lets you handle some of the machines! He says he can help your business, he'll be your mentor, you two will work together and make it big. He starts taking you out for dinner, he's inviting you to cinema. He might even bring you out on a trip! By this point, you're truly impressed, you feel like you've hit jackpot and you bite the hook.

The big guy asks you to invest some serious money. After all, you need to upgrade your business if you're gonna sell his famous products! You think he has great business instinct, you think he'll have your back, and you follow the advice. But in reality, all he wants is for you to get stuck in this situation, to have no way out.

Everything is going well, until one day you start getting problems. The quality isn't consistent. You bring up the issue, and that's when the abuse starts. The big guy blames it on you. He says he's been doing this forever, he has way more experience than you, he wouldn't make such amateur mistakes. But you keep getting problems, and now your own customers are complaining. You have to choose: you either get yelled at, called names, told you can't handle your business, etc., or you suck it up and start taking the punches for him. Odds are you have no choice, because by this point your business is in too deep. In other words, you've been swindled and you can't tell anyone about it, or else you'll face bankruptcy. You've got a family to feed, so you help perpetuate the con.

And that is how genuinely good people get stuck with the horrible ones. It happens all the time, on all levels of business, always the same scenario. You'll know when it happens to somebody close to you, because they'll suddenly go from looking happy and full of hope for their business, to constantly stressed and tired out. It sucks the life right out of you. This is how businesses and lives are ruined.

Sorry if this was long-winded. Hopefully it helps someone."


This is SCARILY accurate. Like creepy accurate. And somewhat disheartening.
 
Also, I think I have everyone refunded that requested one. If you didn't, let me know by emailing me and I'll try to get them done tomorrow. I'm going to bed.
 
Thanks for the partial refund, Brian. I'm still waiting for pledge IDs 16065567 and 16065598, as originally requested March 9th, and again in a followup right after receipt of the partial refund Wednesday night.
 
Brian, I understand your position and it seems some have gone through this ordeal with Bark River. They make fine knives, but they are severely lacking in the business ethics department. I feel for you and I will definitely buy any of your models, Companion or new, as soon as you can make them available. Best wishes to you !
 
its pretty sad that bark river pulls this bs. i dont think i will ever buy anything made by bark river because of this.
 
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Am I the only one still waiting on a complete refund?

I decided to bail 25 days ago, and emailed Brian accordingly, requesting a refund for the three knives I had pledged. On March 22, I received a partial refund, for only the least expensive of the three knives. An immediate email requesting the remainder of the refund, and a followup post here four days ago, are still unaddressed. I included the Pledge ID numbers in both emails and in the most recent post here, so there should be no question about what is expected.

Brian, please process refunds for pledge IDs 16065567 and 16065598.
 
LG&M said:
Mr.Hale, sorry to hear about your carpal tunnel.
Good luck with your business. I for one will keep you in mind when I need a sheath.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I'm still doing all the things I did before and the hands are not as bad as it seems. I hope anyone needing custom work done will call on me. I love being in my shop working.

I just knew that I wouldn't be able to churn out a few hundred sheaths in a timely manner when the knives are done. By the time Brian gets this resolved, I'm sure everyone will be excited to get their hands on their blades and would hate to be waiting on sheaths.

As far as the rest of the thread goes. I've seen a few that are trying to deflect the blame from BRK. It appears to me that is squarely where it belongs. I've done business with Brian for quite some time now and he's only ever been a stand up guy as far as I'm concerned. While I do like BRK and own a few, the list keeps growing of people that BRK treat like this and it can't be denied at this point, even by the fan boys.
Since BRK is considered one of the "big boys", they should have zero issues establishing a timeline and delivering on their promises. Can anyone honestly say that, based on the sheer numbers of knives they produce, that they could not accurately tell you when the Companions could be finished? I doubt it and I have a production background in multi million dollar industries.
What it seems like is the same old story from one Mike Stewart and the little guy trying to make it can go to hell.
Seems to me, and this is only my opinion, this a good way to ruin Brian and keep one more small guy from making it in the business. Nice job BRK. Nice job Mike.
My list of products and companies I will no longer do business with grows long this year.
BRK just made the list.
 
Brian,

It looks like you'll have some extra knives when this is all said and done. Don't forget about me my friend. I'm in for a couple of them when they finally get made. I'd also be happy to do any custom sheaths you or your customers may need.

Also, let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
 
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