Crucifying makers is easier when you establish a unscrupulous pattern of behavior. Survive! is an excellent example of a maker that perpetually fleeces their customers and the unwary public with their purposeful refusal to operate with integrity and learn from their constant mistakes. As of yet, Liam has not demonstrated this unsavory pattern to my knowledge. If he has, please point to the numerous threads of disgruntled customers or the many call-outs in the wild frontier that is social media or elaborate how you feel his current business is being dishonest and is designed to screw people over. If you can say with certainty and evidence that he has established such behavior, then please cast all the stones you like.
Otherwise, you are simply piling on with your rather typical spite.
Now, I've monitored the GBU for quite some time and it is a good way to establish how the winds blow when it comes to makers, buyers, and sellers. It is easy for us to say that no knife maker worth his/her salt would ever request a deposit. On the flip side of that, we tend to forget that it is not uncommon and is even customary for craftsmen of custom goods to take deposits. If I had not become a member here with BladeForums, I would never have realized that taking a deposit was frowned upon. (That said, the size of said deposit can certainly make for a contentious topic all on its own....) As a hobbyist leather worker, I take on the occasional bespoke commission. I have had folks disappear on me, leaving me with a product that I have to try and resell, in many cases I can't due to requested personalized features. Because of this, I require a 25% deposit (the average cost of my goods is around $100-$150). This ensures that the customer has some skin in the game and may not disappear quite so readily when the time comes for them to pay the balance.
Some time before I became active here on BF, when I was more active on other social media platforms, I had plenty of interactions with Liam. If you are familiar with the term, "Axe Junkies", then you have undoubtedly run into Liam. He's a good kid, with a great skill set, and a passion for what he does. I feel that he took on way more than he was capable of delivering in a timely manner and he has admitted to such. Time will certainly tell if he is truly learning from these hiccups, I surely hope that he does. And it is because of this that I feel some grace is warranted rather than the typical torch and pitchfork brigade.
With all of that said, I am eager to see how the OP is going to be taken care of. A specific and expedited ETA is the most favorable resolution, otherwise a refund should certainly be issued if the OP no longer wants to wait. Also, did we ever establish what the OP was having made? Was it an axe or a knife? I've seen folks here in this thread state one or the other. If it was indeed a knife, then the delays make some bit of sense, Liam doesn't make many of those. If it was an axe, then I hold out hope that it can be delivered soon.
