Bad situation with Rick Menefee

[DrRollinstein]

I won't armchair quarterback this situation as I have no dog in the fight, but I will say that I have dealt with Rick in the past and would gladly deal with him again. I have had a few of his knives and IMO they represent exceptional values at the price points they usually go for. Fit, finish, functioning, design, materials…everything has always been top notch.

As far as he goes as a person, I have always found him helpful and willing to quickly answer any questions. I once had a beautiful slipjoint from him that was the envy of a lot of slipjoint users/collectors and he straight out told me out of the blue one day that if I ever wore that knife out, he'd build me a new one. We weren't even talking about that when he said it; he just wanted me to know that he had my back as far as the knife was concerned.

I'm not sure what is going on between Rick and the OP (with whom I have no direct experience), but hopefully things will get worked out.

I mean just based on his comments in this thread, Rick sounds a bit troubled. No clue what would warrant this kind of reaction, especially when OP has said he was willing to pay for said fixes. Your positive experience doesn't really add anything when the maker himself has acted like a jerk in the thread already.

 

[Eli Chaps]

I'll say that when this thread first started, I was thinking the OP was being unreasonable. Not cool to call someone out two years later when you yourself forgot about it. Some patience and understanding, and as rightfully pointed out, more communication seemed prudent.

In short, while I found the maker's FO message a little harsh, I pretty much got it.

And then...

@rickmenefee posted something about how all of whatever was said was right except whatever. Cool. But then he came back and edited it and then got nasty. And he continues to be nasty.

Mind you, I'm far from fragile, but I would never have anything to do with someone who conducts himself like this. Twenty five years of experience? It's surprising you haven't grown up yet.

 

[Norcaldude]

And then...

@rickmenefee posted something about how all of whatever was said was right except whatever. Cool. But then he came back and edited it and then got nasty. And he continues to be nasty.

Yah, he had to get nasty and make it political too.

Oh well, with an attitude like that I'm sure his personal life is pretty miserable. Nobody enjoys being around somebody like that.

 

[GermanyChris]

Everything is political anymore..

This seems like it was poorly handled by everyone involved and I don't think I'd want to do business with either of them

 

[braillediver]

Public Extortion by the OP 2 1/2 years after the situation was addressed and declined- "We settled this 2 1/2 years ago". It was an unreasonable request and attempt from the start.

Why bring it up again when it was declined 2 1/2 years ago- "I forgot about it for about 2 and a half years! I wanted to give him time"= No.

The only lies I see are on the OP's part.

 

[abcdef]

A very disturbing scenario. Life is too short.

 

[Roy Batty]

I see two problems here.

1.) I think the OP wasn’t great at communicating his intent to PAY for all the work/repairs... maybe intentionally, maybe not.. I don’t know. I think Rick got caught on a bad day and now my suspicion is OP wasn’t going to let anyone talk to him like that... so here we are.

2.) Rick must think he’s God’s gift to the knife community, firing off at a customer like that so quickly. I’m not saying we should live by the saying “the customer is always right”, because they’re not... but as a business that profits from convincing people to pay for their goods or services, a little respect and professionalism goes a long way.

 

[on_the_edge]

I mean just based on his comments in this thread, Rick sounds a bit troubled. No clue what would warrant this kind of reaction, especially when OP has said he was willing to pay for said fixes. Your positive experience doesn't really add anything when the maker himself has acted like a jerk in the thread already.

I think what my positive experience adds is a reminder that at the end of the day, YMMV and that sweeping generalizations about him as a person based on what we have seen here may not tell the whole story. I am not making excuses, but everyone has a shitty day. 2020 has been a shitty year for everyone. With Blade West, Blade Atlanta, and lots of other shows cancelled, I'm sure a lot of makers are hurting financially. What about the possibility of other personal issues? Everyone can certainly decide for themselves how they feel about Rick, but I for one am not comfortable condemning him as a maker or a person.

 

[bowman1]

I'd like to buy a knife from Rick, his website is not working at the moment. Rick, please chime in with how to see and buy your products - Thanks in advance!

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I'll say that when this thread first started, I was thinking the OP was being unreasonable. Not cool to call someone out two years later when you yourself forgot about it. Some patience and understanding, and as rightfully pointed out, more communication seemed prudent.

In short, while I found the maker's FO message a little harsh, I pretty much got it.

And then...

@rickmenefee posted something about how all of whatever was said was right except whatever. Cool. But then he came back and edited it and then got nasty. And he continues to be nasty.

Mind you, I'm far from fragile, but I would never have anything to do with someone who conducts himself like this. Twenty five years of experience? It's surprising you haven't grown up yet.

Yeah, when you act like an ass in public it makes it much harder for me to think that you're not an ass in private as well.

 

[Norcaldude]

Plenty of people making nice custom knives that don't behave like this.

 

[Ruzster]

It appears OP must not have been all that invested in the outcome to have not bothered to follow up for 2 1/2 years. However, that doesn’t excuse @rickmenefee from not shooting off a simple text saying he couldn’t do anything with the knife in question and asking if the OP wanted to pay to have it returned. He may have been having a bad day when he fired off his initial response to OP’s query but his boorish behavior continued on right here for all to see. Doesn’t reflect well. From the information provided, other than being bit of a flake, I don’t see why OP deserved to be berated or bullied.

 

[scarysamcary]

When a maker acts this way, it shatters any faith I had in them. Proper communication is important for a seller, that includes not being a d**k

 

[TOMBSTONE]

It's kind of an odd story and strange to inquire over two years later after sending it in to the maker without a peep in between. In anycase, I don't see anything presented here that justifies the OP being verbally abused. It's not rocket science. Yes or no it can be fixed. Yes or no under warranty. Price of repairs? Not going to be able to help you? Paypal me return shipping to ship it back or dispose of the damaged knife?
Somehow something simple turned into a ugly thread with a maker saying F off. Seems like a waste of energy

 

[LastRodeo]

It's kind of an odd story and strange to inquire over two years later after sending it in to the maker without a peep in between. In anycase, I don't see anything presented here that justifies the OP being verbally abused. It's not rocket science. Yes or no it can be fixed. Yes or no under warranty. Price of repairs? Not going to be able to help you? Paypal me return shipping to ship it back or dispose of the damaged knife?
Somehow something simple turned into a ugly thread with a maker saying F off. Seems like a waste of energy

I agree, this situation seems like it should have been a very cut and dried exchange. I think we are not seeing the full content of the conversation from 2017 and neither party seems inclined to fill in the details. I don't think there is enough information here to pass judgment for or against either party, at least in my opinion.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I agree, this situation seems like it should have been a very cut and dried exchange. I think we are not seeing the full content of the conversation from 2017 and neither party seems inclined to fill in the details. I don't think there is enough information here to pass judgment for or against either party, at least in my opinion.

I would agree were it not for their respective behavior in this thread. I don't think the OP looks great, but Menefee looks a hell of a lot worse based on his response here.

 

[sharp_edge]

I don't feel I get all the relevant information from the OP. If this matter has been resolved 2.5 years ago (i.e., the maker made it clear to the OP that the knife could not be fixed by him), then I cannot see any reason that the OP brings it up now on a public forum other than an attempt to smearing the maker.

 

[Elgatodeacero]

It seems rather clear that nothing was resolved 2 and 1/2 years ago, otherwise the maker would not have sent the message he sent. If it was resolved why does the maker still have the broken knife?

It is not unreasonable to ask a maker to install a new back spring for a reasonable fee.

 

[LastRodeo]

It seems rather clear that nothing was resolved 2 and 1/2 years ago, otherwise the maker would not have sent the message he sent. If it was resolved why does the maker still have the broken knife?

It is not unreasonable to ask a maker to install a new back spring for a reasonable fee.

If I were the maker, I would not repair a knife that has been in a fire. Let's say Rick replaces the backspring and returns the knife to the OP. At some point the OP passes the knife on to someone else. That person finds that the blade heat treat is bad on the knife (it has ruined the backspring mind you). Now there is another unhappy person roasting him for a knife with a bad heat treat, which he will expect the maker to replace free of charge.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

If I were the maker, I would not repair a knife that has been in a fire. Let's say Rick replaces the backspring and returns the knife to the OP. At some point the OP passes the knife on to someone else. That person finds that the blade heat treat is bad on the knife (it has ruined the backspring mind you). Now there is another unhappy person roasting him for a knife with a bad heat treat, which he will expect the maker to replace free of charge.

I don't blame him in the least for not working on the knife, that seems completely reasonable, but the step after that is to inform the customer and send the knife back, not go radio silent for a couple years and then throw a hissy fit.