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Mozolic order problem

robino

robino

Feedback: 37 / 0 / 0
Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Messages
828
Hello fellow knife fans
I write to you today to sort of warn future Mozolic fans of what they should expect when they order a knife from him.
Back in december of 2016 i spoke with Mozolic about making me a bowie.
We talked at length and in great detail...about the shape grip material type of hamon desired etc. We agreed that i would be involved in every step of the process from forging to final grind to grip shape to materials etc.
I was told to deposit half of the total (which i will not disclose) in his bank acct
I was then told that the knife would be ready in 1-2 WEEKS which i thought was fantastic...considering he is pretty bombarded with orders.
About 2 months later i asked Mozolic if he had finished the knife. He said he had only forged the blade...nothing else.
So i asked if it was too late to change the order to a slightly thinner blade profile and shorter length...from 13 down to 10" since he was nowhere near finished...
I was told no problem...we will change it as i wished
I have since asked numerous times for pics of forged blade...of other details. I got every excuse in the book. Tooth problems infections, etc. I said ok, sheet happens hope you get better...and told him i would send him the rest of the money for the total cost...so he can have money to pay for his teeth problems.
Couple months went by and still no pics nothing new with my knife. Meanwhile on the bladeforums i noticed many other knives of his being sold.
I asked a few more times to remember me and send me some pics of the progress so as to catch something early on if it's not to my liking...
I was told of more tooth problems and more infections. Once again, i wished him luck and told him to take care of his problem.
4 days ago i wrote him asking for an update on my knife.
I told him hunting season started may 1st and i needed the pig sticker asap.
I was told that it is finished and he would send me a pic right away.
I asked him why he didn't involve me in the making, as we discussed originally and was not given an answer.
Pic never came. 2 days ago i asked again for a pic..one pic! Yes, he said, pics are being uploaded on his website as we speak.
I refreshed his webpage hundreds of times waiting to see pics of my knife...for 2 days but...nothing. No pics.
I asked last night what happened to the pics and was given one more excuse, his admin had some problem loading pics...and it would be rezolved quickly.
Today i refreshed his page another few dozen times...in desperate curiousity of how my knife looked (i hate surprises).
Nothing...no pics uploaded.
Contacted him again during the day and was told that problem is fixed but his pc is at home and he is in the shop and he worked until 2am and had no time to upload pics and i should understand that he is busy and hasn t seen his kids in days and...well, numerous back and forth messages with no rezolve.
As far as Mozolic is concerned i am not worthy of 1 lousy pic for a knife since there are people who paid double and tripple what i paid for a knife who wait patiently for over a year without any pics.
So...here i am.
Hate to be this way but honestly i fear my knife is nowhere near finished and i am given the run around and every excuse in the book when he could have told me from the beginning that it takes a year to make a knife and not 2 weeks!
I thought i was more than understanding...i even paid in full trusting what he and i agreed to...but as far as i know he is avoiding sending any pics because the knife is not ready. He could have easily said it will take another few months instead of lying to me time and time again. I dont think it is right to do but i am at his mercy.
I was basically given no choice but to come here and warn others of what they're up against when they order from him.
I have numerous tens of knives from many other makers and have never had an experience like this.
Hope things turn out ok but as it looks...they won't.
 
It's unfortunate, but once you pay for these type of custom services up front, you have just taken away the incentive for the person to complete the project. It's just a quirk of human nature, and it's especially true in South America, where I live part time. He who controls the money, controls the deal.
 
Hello,

I'll try to answer this problem as I see it.
I acknowledge my mistake, as I apologize to Robino, I apologize to others who are waiting for the knives from me. I had a really bad time. Health problems, then teeth inflammation, shipping problems etc. Yes, I know it's just my problems. On the other hand, we all have a time when it goes down the hill. Everyone I tried to inform, and finish the orders as much as possible. I will not defend myself here, it's my fault, I worked as it was possible. I've finished the knife here, and today I've promised photos. After this thread, I'd better pay back the money. I think neither of us would be happy about this business. For information, I stopped the knife orders. I only talked to a couple of people who have interesting ideas and I'm able to finish the knife as we talk. Thank you all.
 
Milan Mozolic said:
I've finished the knife here, and today I've promised photos.
Click to expand...

So you have finished the knife? It takes literally 5 seconds to upload a photo. Go to http://imgur.com/ and do it right now. You should send the knife today via the fasting shipping method available, at your cost.

Milan Mozolic said:
After this thread, I'd better pay back the money.
Click to expand...

In addition to sending the completed knife, you should refund the buyer right now, even before uploading the photo of the completed knife.
 
I will try to add some facts here.
The first message from Robino came to me on facebook where Robino has a blocked profile on January 25th.
We agreed on the shape of a knife and I wrote that I want a $ 200 deposit for this knife. Term to finish around the end of February.
He sent me a deposit of 450USD on February 16th. I started working on the knife. I notice that I did not want such a high deposit but did not mind me.
I had trouble arround making blade and sent him a blade photo on March 9. I was ready finish knife as soon as possible, but I was working on a tax return and had a health complication. Here I was late, the knife could be done.
March 24 Robino wrote to me that he needs a thinner blade because the 7mm blade can not sharpened on wicked edge. We talked about new blade.
On March 26, we agreed to modify the proposal. Instead of stag to handle I use wood.
On March 27, Robino sent me the rest of the money. It was his choice.
On April 11, I had a finished blade
Then we moved our conversation to Whatsapp.
At the beginning of May we contacted and I wrote that I had dental problems and other complications. Which I did not resolve until last week. The knife was done, just prepare for shipping, which I did this week. I had a problem with my website which was solved last night. And I promised, photos before I send the knife. The DHL courier is booked on Monday.

I can not send photos, I'm writing from the phone. I can send photos as I go back home from the workshop. All photos are in my PC and knife is home.

Sorry for my English, but it is not easy for me from the phone.
 
Mozo.
I still have the conversation when you said the knife will be ready in one week!

After 2 months and not seeing one pic of original order i asked you if we can change the order. You agreed.
It has been another 2 months since then.
Meanwhile you have made and sold 6 knives on the exchange forum here...but mine never got worked on, because...i trust people and am a sucker i guess.
You have had my money for 4 months. Never ever sent me 1 pic after asking you along the way every time we spoke. For that you dont have an excuse.
5 months i asked for a pic in hopes of you working a little bit at a time on my knife.
Every time i looked on the exchange forum i would see you sell another knife and i cringed knowing my knife would be done whenever you felt like it.
I will not argue with you any further. Up until today i have been a gentleman with you. Never have you said "sorry for putting you off"...instead you wrote "you know i havent seen my kids for days and others wait for a year without any pics and dont complain".

At this point i dont think i want a knife anymore as it brings me nothing but stress.
Please refund my money at the same bank acct from which it was sent at the earliest convenient time for you.
Thank you and good luck
 
Another maker with the same excuses in regards to building a knife that has been paid for.
Is there a web site where these guys go to choose from thousands of available excuses??
Maker says he did not ask for that much money.......but he did not return it, did he??
At this point, I wouldn't want the knife either. Don't blame you Robino.
Hope it works out.
Joe
 
robino said:
...and told him i would send him the rest of the money for the total cost...so he can have money to pay for his teeth problems.
Click to expand...
Wait, what?

I feel like all of these guys who get taken to the cleaners by knifemakers have never done business before. Are they all trust fund babies or something? I literally cannot conceive of asking a client of mine to pay the remainder of the balance on their job so that I can get my teeth fixed and them doing it.

It's INSANE behavior in a business setting. These people are not your friends.
 
SpySmasher said:
Wait, what?

I feel like all of these guys who get taken to the cleaners by knifemakers have never done business before. Are they all trust fund babies or something? I literally cannot conceive of asking a client of mine to pay the remainder of the balance on their job so that I can get my teeth fixed and them doing it.

It's INSANE behavior in a business setting. These people are not your friends.
Click to expand...


No, he never asked for any other money other than $200.
I sent $450 first time around knowing it was only going to take a week or two for the knife to be made.
After roughly 2 months i found out from him that he had health issues. Hearing that he couldn't work because of these issues i thought it would help him out if i sent the rest of the money again, thinking he will be back in the shop finishing up his orders, including mine.
I have a bad habit of trusting people to their word and when someone says they're sick or having health issues, i usually believe them.
But he never asked for more than $200.
I sent him the rest of the money on my own, knowing it had to be sent eventually anyway, thinking he is done with his teeth problems and back to work...i thought i would be seeing my knife any day seeing that he is paid in full.
Once again, i was told a week max two.
Had i known i wouldn't receive a knife, not even xa pic or any info on my knife, i would probably not have sent him the remainder of the money.
He had positive feedback from some good members and i figured he could be trusted.
Still haven t seen a pic of this knife...and it's 3am in east europe.
Fully convinced he is rushing to finish it so that he will have a pic to post when he's done. It doesn't take anyone 5 days to send a pic unless they're buying time to finish a knife that ain't done.
 
That's crazy, man. You don't agree on a deposit amount and then just up and decide to send someone the remainder without having the product in hand!

I have to ask, do you do this with other things besides knives? If you get your roof repaired and you agree to pay a deposit up front, do you then send the roofer the remainder before he's put the darn thing up?
 
SpySmasher said:
That's crazy, man. You don't agree on a deposit amount and then just up and decide to send someone the remainder without having the product in hand!

I have to ask, do you do this with other things besides knives? If you get your roof repaired and you agree to pay a deposit up front, do you then send the roofer the remainder before he's put the darn thing up?
Click to expand...
If he asked for the whole amount i would have sent it to him because he is Mozolic and he has made knives for a bunch of people, all happy with them.
If it was a nobody that nobody knew from Adam i would probably not have sent a dime until i saw a knife.
Never thought for a second that i would be 5 months into it without even a pic of my knife
Lessons learned.
 
robino said:
If he asked for the whole amount i would have sent it to him because he is Mozolic and he has made knives for a bunch of people, all happy with them.
Click to expand...
This is the same story told by every single person ripped off by a custom knifemaker.

I've only been on BF for six months and I'm tired of hearing it. I hate to call honest folks "suckers" but anyone willing to pay entirely up-front for a product that doesn't even exist yet is BOUND to get ripped off at some point, especially when they are paying a business so small that it can get laid low by a tax return and a toothache.

I understand that a small business needs to take deposits to protect itself from deadbeat customers but, man, don't pay for a whole knife until you get a whole knife.

If it feels like I am taking out my frustration with other people on you it's because I am. :mad:
 
If you haven't read the original post i mention that i have purchased knives from a lot of makers and never had a problem.
I thought this forum alone would keep most of the better known makers honest because let's face it, a post such as this does damage to one's reputation.
At this point, going by his attitude towards me, a buyer who paid in full and has no other role in this transaction but to wait...it looks like he doesn't need nor want any future business which is a shame because the guy seems to do really nice work.
If i was in his shoes i would have simply said "i'm sorry things like these sometimes happen and i promise to fix things asap"...but i certainly would not have made the buyer who paid up front 5 months ago for a knife that was promised in 1-2 weeks, feel like he is to blame...as Mozo did, up a few posts. This is the attitude of a guy who doesn't value his clients. I should mention that i had a knife nut friend fully convinced that Mozo was the man and he should get a couple knives made by him.
He even changed a few words with Mozolic and planned to place an order, but now i think he might be rethinking the whole thing.
Even if i see a knife at this point, i don't think i want a "rush job" bowie.
If this bowie existed it would have been photographed weeks ago.
The simple fact that it has been 5 days since i have been told that the knife is made, ready to ship and i should be seeing a pic any minute...tells the whole story.
I'm just curious when this mystery pic will show up. 5 days is the longest time i've heard someone take to upload a single pic
 
Well, you were right to post this. Other potential customers need to know.

But as I said, anyone willing to pay entirely up-front for a product that doesn't even exist yet is BOUND to get ripped off at some point. It was your turn.
 
....
I guess uploading problems again. Maybe by next week they'll finish loading if 4 pics of a plain blade with no grip took 5 days.
 
Maybe this guy does not make knives, and the production is out of his hands. I don't know, has anyone seen his shop in person?
 
timw1 said:
Maybe this guy does not make knives, and the production is out of his hands. I don't know, has anyone seen his shop in person?
Click to expand...
This is such a great speculation! Now that you've mentioned it.
 
If Mozolic doesn't refund the OP's money within the next 24 business hours, then in my humble opinion, he's not being 100% honest, about the situation.
 
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