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Gareth bull: Slow Delivery/waitlist thread

mantzao has been sorted out as well.

Only around 7 people to go before this is all said and done
 
My first Gareth Bull Large Shamwari bought on the secondary market (from knife36) was sheer perfection. Loved it but sold it. When I saw Gareth post some Large Shamwaris back in July, I jumped on one. He agreed to make a custom G10 scale which was awesome and I waited about 3 or 4 more weeks for it to ship even though I saw that it was done much earlier from his pics on Instagram. I finally received the knife via DHL but when I got it, I was seriously disappointed. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos before I returned it but here are the issues that mine had:

  • The blade was not centered and I couldn't get it centered.
  • The polished flats were all scratched up and there were other small marks on the blade. (I might be okay with those if it was used but this one is brand-new).
  • There was a funky grind at the the tip of the blade on both sides.
  • The orange scale that I waited for was a dark muddy color not the bright orange g10 that I'm used to.
I emailed him complementing the things I liked about the knife but also listing the things I disliked (above) and asked him about returning it but got no response so I sent it back via DHL which cost me $95 US. He finally answered my email after I posted a question on IG. Now the return package has been stuck in South Africa for the last 3 weeks and they want me to pay duties/import taxes even though it's a return. Gareth is not returning my emails again and I'm really stuck here.

Mr. Bull seems like a nice guy and he's always pleasant when communicating but one of the problems is that he often doesn't communicate. My knife shouldn't have been sent out in the condition it was in and now I'm on the hook for my original $625 plus $95 return shipping and possibly the duties/import taxes and that's all with no guarantee of getting a refund or replacement as far as I can tell.

If Gareth had sent the knife without issues, I wouldn't be writing this and dealing with this mess.
If Gareth has answered my email when I asked to return it and if he had communicated with DHL, I wouldn't have had this hassle with the import taxes, etc.
If Gareth would communicate with DHL now, we might be able to resolve the issue with the import taxes and with the package being a return/repair.

So far I haven't received any help and I will be very hesitant about buying knives from any South African maker because of the hassle I've gone through with this transaction.

My whole purpose in posting about my experience is to warn others of the risk involved. Perhaps Mr. Bull is just very busy (aren't we all?) and maybe he will step up the plate and take care of this but at this point I am not holding my breath.
 
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One more note: if you have to return something to S. Africa for either repair or return, just make sure the original shipper does their part to work with DHL beforehand so that you avoid hassles with both DHL and customs once your package arrives over there. If all of your i's aren't dotted and your t's aren't crossed, you're in trouble!
 
My first Gareth Bull Large Shamwari bought on the secondary market (from knife36) was sheer perfection. Loved it but sold it. When I saw Gareth post some Large Shamwaris back in July, I jumped on one. He agreed to make a custom G10 scale which was awesome and I waited about 3 or 4 more weeks for it to ship even though I saw that it was done much earlier from his pics on Instagram. I finally received the knife via DHL but when I got it, I was seriously disappointed. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos before I returned it but here are the issues that mine had:

  • The blade was not centered and I couldn't get it centered.
  • The polished flats were all scratched up and there were other small marks on the blade. (I might be okay with those if it was used but this one is brand-new).
  • There was a funky grind at the the tip of the blade on both sides.
  • The orange scale that I waited for was a dark muddy color not the bright orange g10 that I'm used to.
I emailed him complementing the things I liked about the knife but also listing the things I disliked (above) and asked him about returning it but got no response so I sent it back via DHL which cost me $95 US. He finally answered my email after I posted a question on IG. Now the return package has been stuck in South Africa for the last 3 weeks and they want me to pay duties/import taxes even though it's a return. Gareth is not returning my emails again and I'm really stuck here.

Mr. Bull seems like a nice guy and he's always pleasant when communicating but one of the problems is that he often doesn't communicate. My knife shouldn't have been sent out in the condition it was in and now I'm on the hook for my original $625 plus $95 return shipping and possibly the duties/import taxes and that's all with no guarantee of getting a refund or replacement as far as I can tell.

If Gareth had sent the knife without issues, I wouldn't be writing this and dealing with this mess.
If Gareth has answered my email when I asked to return it and if he had communicated with DHL, I wouldn't have had this hassle with the import taxes, etc.
If Gareth would communicate with DHL now, we might be able to resolve the issue with the import taxes and with the package being a return/repair.

So far I haven't received any help and I will be very hesitant about buying knives from any South African maker because of the hassle I've gone through with this transaction.

My whole purpose in posting about my experience is to warn others of the risk involved. Perhaps Mr. Bull is just very busy (aren't we all?) and maybe he will step up the plate and take care of this but at this point I am not holding my breath.

I don't have anything specific to contribute about Gareth Bull, but I too have stopped buying knives from SA, it's just too much of a hassle if anything goes wrong with the knife (and the two I have bought have developed issues). The SA postal service cannot be trusted, and using an independent courier is prohibitively expensive. I wish you luck in getting this resolved.
 
So far I haven't received any help and I will be very hesitant about buying knives from any South African maker because of the hassle I've gone through with this transaction.

I am sorry that this has happened to you. You are another customer that Gareth has treated very badly and you join a long suffering club.

However, if you go back and read this thread from the beginning it quickly becomes apparent that anyone doing business with Gareth may and probably will end up in your position. All the warning signs are here in this thread going back several years.

South Africa has some of the best and most trusted knife makers on the planet. At Blade this year the single largest non-US contingent was from South Africa. Let's not forget Chris Reeve who is still a paid up member of the Knifemakers Guild of South Africa. A Guild I might add that expelled Gareth for the same offence that you have just posted above.

There are so many talented, trustworthy and brilliant makers in South Africa. So why people insist on sending money to the one guy who is constantly a problem is a mystery to me.
 
My first Gareth Bull Large Shamwari bought on the secondary market (from knife36) was sheer perfection. Loved it but sold it. When I saw Gareth post some Large Shamwaris back in July, I jumped on one. He agreed to make a custom G10 scale which was awesome and I waited about 3 or 4 more weeks for it to ship even though I saw that it was done much earlier from his pics on Instagram. I finally received the knife via DHL but when I got it, I was seriously disappointed. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos before I returned it but here are the issues that mine had:

  • The blade was not centered and I couldn't get it centered.
  • The polished flats were all scratched up and there were other small marks on the blade. (I might be okay with those if it was used but this one is brand-new).
  • There was a funky grind at the the tip of the blade on both sides.
  • The orange scale that I waited for was a dark muddy color not the bright orange g10 that I'm used to.
I emailed him complementing the things I liked about the knife but also listing the things I disliked (above) and asked him about returning it but got no response so I sent it back via DHL which cost me $95 US. He finally answered my email after I posted a question on IG. Now the return package has been stuck in South Africa for the last 3 weeks and they want me to pay duties/import taxes even though it's a return. Gareth is not returning my emails again and I'm really stuck here.

Mr. Bull seems like a nice guy and he's always pleasant when communicating but one of the problems is that he often doesn't communicate. My knife shouldn't have been sent out in the condition it was in and now I'm on the hook for my original $625 plus $95 return shipping and possibly the duties/import taxes and that's all with no guarantee of getting a refund or replacement as far as I can tell.

If Gareth had sent the knife without issues, I wouldn't be writing this and dealing with this mess.
If Gareth has answered my email when I asked to return it and if he had communicated with DHL, I wouldn't have had this hassle with the import taxes, etc.
If Gareth would communicate with DHL now, we might be able to resolve the issue with the import taxes and with the package being a return/repair.

So far I haven't received any help and I will be very hesitant about buying knives from any South African maker because of the hassle I've gone through with this transaction.

My whole purpose in posting about my experience is to warn others of the risk involved. Perhaps Mr. Bull is just very busy (aren't we all?) and maybe he will step up the plate and take care of this but at this point I am not holding my breath.

Unfortunately that is part of the risks with International purchases, not to say that Gareth shouldn't step up to the plate and do whatever it takes to make you happy....

He still has more people on his wait list and he is currently selling other shamwari's that he just made for quick money. I understand he has bill's and a family to take care of, but when you can make 12 shamwari's in 2 months (selling them for profit); then you should be able to make at least 1 knife on the wait list (that's already payed for).

Its a huge F*^& you to the people who have been waiting.

Creativeguy,

I hope your situation gets taken care of.... I would contact paypal and try to get your money back..... Maybe if a dispute affects his wallet through his paypal, it will make him put a little more effort into fixing the problem.....:rolleyes:
 
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I am sorry that this has happened to you. You are another customer that Gareth has treated very badly and you join a long suffering club.

However, if you go back and read this thread from the beginning it quickly becomes apparent that anyone doing business with Gareth may and probably will end up in your position. All the warning signs are here in this thread going back several years.

South Africa has some of the best and most trusted knife makers on the planet. At Blade this year the single largest non-US contingent was from South Africa. Let's not forget Chris Reeve who is still a paid up member of the Knifemakers Guild of South Africa. A Guild I might add that expelled Gareth for the same offence that you have just posted above.

There are so many talented, trustworthy and brilliant makers in South Africa. So why people insist on sending money to the one guy who is constantly a problem is a mystery to me.

You are 100% correct Steven, Plenty of good South African knife makers that deserve money more :thumbup:

Regards,

Ryan
 
Thanks, guys. Yes, I heard the warnings but wanted to give the guy a shot. Like I said, he's certainly very friendly through email, etc. And he can make an amazing folder so I don't know what happened with mine.

At this point, I've tried to communicate and don't get adequate responses and DHL is a pain in the rear end so I'd just like a refund from him and he can do whatever he likes with my knife. I should not be on the hook for the return shipping or the import duties. Sure wish things were different.
 
Thanks, guys. Yes, I heard the warnings but wanted to give the guy a shot. Like I said, he's certainly very friendly through email, etc. And he can make an amazing folder so I don't know what happened with mine.

At this point, I've tried to communicate and don't get adequate responses and DHL is a pain in the rear end so I'd just like a refund from him and he can do whatever he likes with my knife. I should not be on the hook for the return shipping or the import duties. Sure wish things were different.

He is a nice guy and that's why he gets away with it.... Did you use Paypal, If so file a claim. Then you will have your money and the knife will be Gareth's problem.
 
You are 100% correct Steven, Plenty of good South African knife makers that deserve money more :thumbup:

Regards,

Ryan

Yes, I don't mean to disparage other SA makers. Just wanted people to know that there could be trouble with returns/repairs unless they do it right and with a cooperative maker.
 
Yes, I don't mean to disparage other SA makers. Just wanted people to know that there could be trouble with returns/repairs unless they do it right and with a cooperative maker.

Thank you for stating that clearly. I assure you that the other 60+ members of the Knifemakers Guild of SA also appreciate that.

You should know that Gareth has a long history of using external excuses like the South African Post Office problems to his advantage to justify poor service delivery. I am sure that many on this thread would corroborate this.

The SA Post Office problems are a pain but we all cope with it. Had you done business with one of our reputable makers I assure you that not only would you be whole now, but it would not have cost you a cent.

Once again I hope that Gareth makes this right. He has been getting on top of his outstanding orders and I was hoping that he was on the way back to normality. I hope he sees this and sorts you and others (Yes Gareth we both know to whom I am referring??!!) out for paid outstanding orders.
 
I just received a refund from Gareth for my knife purchase plus the return shipping. He did indeed come through and I thank him for that.
 
I haven't had any dealings with Gareth but I've bought several knives from other South African knife makers with no problems at all. I've always gotten great service, great knives and excellent communication. Just wanted to share my positive experiences with SA knife makers.
 
I have at least two unanswered emails after the last round of promises for completion/delivery.
 
There are two makers in SA with very bad reputations. Everyone knows who they are. Considering the number of makers in SA they represent a very small fraction. For every mistake that is made there are a 100 successes that we don't hear about. Do not judge the whole of the SA knife making community by the actions of one or two troublemakers. SA makers offer exceptional quality and value.

As a collector in SA I've received defective knives from US makers too. There are stories on this forum of several US makers that are repeat offenders when it comes to poor customer service. To have two bad apples in a box of 24 is a universal phenomenon but South Africa unfortunately often gets treated on many fronts as if it's way worse than the rest of the world.
 
Yes, I don't mean to disparage other SA makers. Just wanted people to know that there could be trouble with returns/repairs unless they do it right and with a cooperative maker.

See my post above where I clarified what I was saying.

My problem was just intensified when DHL and customs wanted me to pay duties/taxes even though I was returning a knife. DHL is no help, customs officials seem to be crooks and/or idiots and the maker I was dealing with is horrible at communicating and customer service. Maybe some of you from SA experience similar problems when shipping to the USA.

You're right that there are definitely bad makers here as well and I've dealt with a couple that I'd never do business with again.
 
DHL is a funny lot. Here in SA they apply their policies differently depending on the manager of the area. Friends in Johannesburg send knives to the US using DHL all the time but here in Cape Town they won't accept my knives. I reported this to DHL Management in Germany but got zero response. TNT is a bit more expensive but they never gave me probems. Unfortunately TNT was recently acquired by ... DHL. Getting stuff to SA using DHL has never been a problem.

FedEx is good but they always charge me more taxes and duties than any of the other couriers when stuff enter SA. They have a well established relatinship with SA Customs and somehow manages to always charge maximums for everything.

Unfortunately when a problematic maker and a problematic courier combine forces even Mother Nature looks for safe shelter.
 
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