Discount Knives, terrible experience

B

Bob T

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I ordered several items from Discount Knives of the Internet at the beginning of December. When my order did not show up, Brian did resend all but one item that was not in stock. He said that the order had been shipped earlier and must have been lost. However, he would not tell me the ship date, carrier, tracking number, or any other info regarding the first shipment.

About a week and half ago I received an email from Brian saying the other knife was now in stock and he asked me if I still wanted it. I told him that I did, especially since he charged my credit card for it on December 10th. He sent a copy of my email back to me with no other comments on it (just my message as a comment). I sent him two more messages and have received no response.

Bottom line is I was charge for a knife 2 months ago and still have not received it or any response to recent emails. I know others have had good experiences with him but mine has been less than steller. Tomorrow I will be contacting my credit card company to put this charge in dispute.

I'm sure some members of Blade Forums that have had good luck with Brian in the past will say I'm being unfair since I have only posted a few times and Brian supports Blade Forums, etc. However, charging for an order before shipping, still not shipping once the item is in stock, and not returning email messages is really, really poor business.
 
Now I'm a little worried-

My wife has been trying to get a hold of a Spyderco Wegner Jr. for me for a Valentine's Day present. Not that I'm technically supposed to know that... She did tell me what she was up to in advance, as she asked me for some links to knife sites with good prices.

She has received mail that the item is backordered- not that she knows any better, but the Wegner Jr. is GONE. They don't make 'em any more. And those who have tried to get them know first hand how difficult they are to find, especially in plain edge.

She has been told that the lil Wegner will be shipped when more come in! Somehow, I don't think that's gonna happen... I believe she's already been charged for it as well. So I guess we'll see, but after reading these posts- at the first sign of trouble, I'll just cancel the order and dispute the charges on our credit card.

I've got another knife back ordered now with a different dealer, and he will NOT charge me until the knife is in his possesion, and on it's way to me. Seems to me that's the way it should be handled. I'm rooting for Brian and Discount Knives, as I have had some positive experiences with them. But after reading some of these posts as of late, hmmmm, I don't know.

I wouldn't be so much upset about the spent money as much as the idea that any dealer would promise my wife a model that he knew darn well wasn't going to show up anytime soon.

clip
 
I don't think ANY seller should bill the customer for something going on a backorder. It just doesn't seem right...not just from a moral stand point, but from an economic one too. If the dealer doesn't have it in stock, but he/she takes your money, and doesn't get the knife for a few months, it's just like you floated that dealer a little interest free loan. Seems like a slightly less than fair. BTW, I do think that putting a deposit for an agreed upon amount for hard get items is okay...just not the full amount.

~Mitch
 
The only knife I've bought from Discount knives was a Spyderco JSK. When it finally got to me here in Oz, the linerlock didn't even begin to engage - I share the blame for that one between DK and Spyderco.
Brian was a little sparse with emails thru the transaction though.
My 2 cents here is really about the number of times your credit card is charged for a knife listed as in stock, only to later (and frustratingly) find you've been placed on back order...it sucks massively and seems to be fairly common practice.
p.s. In no way am I singling out DK here, I've had 5 other dealers do this in 2 months.

[This message has been edited by Ferret (edited 02-11-2000).]
 
Ferret,

I'm sorry that you have had these frustrating experiences, but believe me they are not common. Since I became obsessed whith knives (~ 9 months now)I was told by at least two dealers, and I have to admit these were the only two dealers with which this point was raised, that it was standard procedure not to charge your card on items that are not in stock.
There are alot of good dealers out there who are as honest as the day is long. The first one that comes to mind is Mark at MJ&S. He will tell you if the item is in stock, give you a good price, and answer all e-mail promptly and courteously.

I hope this helps.

 
I ordered a knife yesterday from Brian, got a automatic confirmation this morning. Will have to see how it goes. A day before placing the order I emailed Brian about the availability of the knife, a Fallkniven F1 with a kydex sheath. I said I was intending to place an order if it was ready to ship. He emailed me back yesterday that it was "in stock and ready to ship." On that basis I placed the order over his Discount Knives site. It seems a convoluted procedure to have to go throw these steps, but I had read on previous threads that this should be SOP, so SOP it is for me. Will let you know in a few days (hopefully) what happens.

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Dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
 
clip point,

Tim Wenger's site Blade-Tech may have what you are looking for (a little pricey):

Blade-Tech

NorthwestCutlery may also have it:

NorthwestCutlery

I've ordered from Discount Knives several times and have not had any problems. I hope your problem with them is cleared up soon.
 
ordered a sifu from brian last month, it came missing 1 pivot screw. weird.
but brian sent me a screw immediately when i emailed him. the couple times i emailed him he got back to me right away.

i ordered 2 more knives from him a couple days ago.

just my experience--steve
 
I ordered a knife earlier in the year from Discount Knives and received it within a week. However, it seems I'm now caught in the DK holding pattern. I received an immediate confirmation of an order I placed on 1/24, but haven't seen any sign of the knife yet. I'll be e-mailing Brian this evening on the status. The issue of credit card charges for knives that are on back order worries me. I may be mistaken, but I thought the on-line order form indicated that there would be no charges until a product is shipped.

Brian needs to understand that with the amount of e-commerce competition, customer service will make or break a business.

 


I may be mistaken, but I thought the on-line order form indicated that there would be no charges until a product is shipped.[/B]
Click to expand...

You are not mistaken. It is right there on the order form. I ordered a knife from Brian a few days ago. However: not long ago I check with the complaints division of my credit card company, after having ordered something from another company, not blade involved, because my credit card had been charged even though the item had not been shipped. That site also promised no credit card charges until shipping. The complaints person informed me that many dealers do in fact bill your credit card before shipping, because they need the cash flow to place an order from a manufacturer or distributer for the product you ordered. This is real life in the world of e-commerce, the guy said. If you have problems, check with your credit care company. I also agree that personal service, truth in what your site promises, will be the make or break factor for many of the e-commerce sites. (Brian: Are You Listening?)

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Dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
 
I had ordered several knives from Discount Knives in the past with no problem. I have been trying to order a Fallkniven but cant get through on the phone and my email wasn't ever responded to. I will purchase from someone else. This is the only "bad?" experience I have had with them out of several good ones.

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"Those who trade essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
 
There is another reason why credit cards are charged before the item is shipped to you.

Sometimes a dealer will charge your credit card once he has determined who has the item you are looking for. He then bills your card so he does not get stuck with the item if your card is declined.

In hind site I wish we had done that with the blue native.

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Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
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I don't follow that Mr Thurber (I know, it is probably first names, but I am new around here. Does that work for drop shipping or does the item actually have to go through you (read: dealer)?


Quote:
Sometimes a dealer will charge your credit card once he has determined who has the item you are looking for. He then bills your card so he does not get stuck with the item if your card is declined.


My experience with Brian at Discount Knives is continuing to be a positive one. If you recall from previous posts, I e-mailed him about availablity, heard back from him, placed the order on his site, received an automatic confirmation at the site, rec'd a second e-mail automatic confirmation the following day, heard nothing yesterday (and wasn't expecting to), found a message from Brian this afternoon saying "You should have your knife next week."

Clearly this is an exemplary way of conducting e-commerce thus far. Will keep all posted if you like. Let me know?

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Dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
 
I can also attest to the fact that I have had nothing but good experiences in my multi-dealings with Brian.

He seems to be customer service minded and did all he could to keep me happy when QC was an issue with one of my purchases.
 
Brian may be a very nice guy, I wouldn't know because I can't get through to him on the phone. But, I did receive timely response to e-mail I sent last night concerning my order status. here is the full text of the message:

"The Warrior is on backorder and I don't have a date I'll be receiving the
knives.

We never charge credit cards until the orders are shipped."

I do understand that it isn't easy putting up with the day to day demands of running a business. Problems come up. But, customers have a right to know the status of their orders, especially when they've provided money or credit card information up front. My belief is that dealers should immediately inform customers when the item they requested is out of stock.
 
Brian is a great guy, but that's just the way his business is. I wish people would stop b**ching about it. The last I heard he was looking for people to answer phones. If you can reach him he has the best prices.

------------------
RICK - Left Handers Unite

[This message has been edited by RGRAY (edited 02-13-2000).]
 
I agree, he is a great guy. I have had very positive business experiences with Discount Knives. It just seems he is hard to get ahold of sometimes. Everything in life has trade-offs. I guess if you want those great prices you have to expect some trouble getting through. Of course, MJS knives has about the same great prices, and great customer service.

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"Those who trade essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
 
I've just closed a small order with Brian at DK, and though it's only a small amount (didn't even reach $50), he emailed me in a timely manner, all the way, until the item was shipped. I really appreciated that. I've never had problems with him, and when I inquired about some items which are out of stock, he informed me about it as well. I'm pretty sure it's just a glitch on the email thing. He's not a snob that he won't answer your email if he got it in the first place.

That's probably what makes me go back to him time and again, coz I know he can be relied on.

Just my 0.02
Dan
 
I ordered a Navigator from Brian's web page last Tuesday, got the usual email confirmation of the order the next day, and the knife arrived Saturday.
This is business as usual for me, and I've ordered twenty or so knives from him.
Bill
 
I too have had many positive dealings with Brian, he is pretty much tuned in to email, not the phone so much. I'd give him a chance to make it right, sounds like a mistake to me, not intentional. Of course, I understand your frustration as well. Hope this works out for you.

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Buck Collectors Club Member
Knifeknut(just ask my wife)
Cetan Blood Brother
Military & Moran Admiration Society
 
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