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Post by mcapanelli on Dec 14, 2011 17:36:55 GMT
I had a similar situation with an Albion Museum line. It was perfect in build, but I just couldn't connect with it. So I posted it for sale on the forums and Mike contacted me. He said if I wasn't happy just return it for credit, which I did. I don't ask nor did I expect them to do that, but they took it upon themselves to offer it and contacted me about it. I've been a customer ever since.
Of about 20 or so swords I've purchased from them, only two had problems. The first was a Sempach that had a slight bend at the tip. When I noticed it a year later they fixed it at no charge to me. The other was a Baron with a clicking sound at the guard. Again, replaced right away. To me that counts as extraordinary customer service.
Now as for your sword; I don't know what you have your eye on but talking your background in to consideration I'd recommend an oft overlooked Albion that I happen to love second only to the Bresca, The Sempach. Give it a whirl if they have one on hand. It's a very precise sword and cuts great if you get the edge alignment right. If your not experienced it is unforgiving of bad alignment though. I believe that given you sport fence you'll rally appreciate the handling. It's a wonderful sword hat when used in the German tradition is really spectacular. IMHO of course. Check it out and tell me what you think.
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Sean (Shadowhowler)
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Dec 14, 2011 17:48:40 GMT
Ok... so if you order it and have it shipped your stuck with the box... but if you pick it up in person you do NOT pay shipping... and you don't have to pay the 50 for the box if you don't like? That is more then fair then.
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Dec 14, 2011 17:50:55 GMT
That is awesome, over the bar service... very cool.
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Post by D'artagnan on Dec 14, 2011 17:59:47 GMT
Yeah Sean, that is at least my understanding of it.
They really do have excellent customer service, you aren't just buying a blade, you are sort of buying into their family. This is all they do and they take great pride in their work.
As for what I have my eye on, I have been looking at the Kingmaker.
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Post by Odingaard on Dec 14, 2011 22:03:12 GMT
My $0.02 here: I am more than disappointed here. The condition of that sword is 100% unacceptable. I would demand a refund or exchange for another sword. Also, I'd post photos of it on MyArmoury, as the Albion folks frequent there and seem to resolve issues pretty fast that get brought up.
I own some Albions, but I am definately not an Albion fan boy. I just believe that we as customers should hold them to the very high standards they say justify their high prices. I cannot believe this blade passed quality control. If it's not perfect, they need to make it as such - those flaws are far from being minor. It looks like a trainee made that blade. :shock:
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Post by D'artagnan on Dec 14, 2011 22:09:48 GMT
Thanks Odin. I was beginning to doubt slightly whether or not my discontent was justified.
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jhart06
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Post by jhart06 on Dec 14, 2011 22:20:55 GMT
The pitting and welds can be quasi dismissed as thematic aesthetic. But that blade has, forget issues, a whole subscription for something at that level.
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Post by mcapanelli on Dec 14, 2011 22:27:21 GMT
Odin,
In what way does this necessitate posting this at myarmoury? Did they say they wouldn't refund it or exchange it? As far as I knew he was bringing it back for an exchange in a day or two.
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Post by joeydac on Dec 14, 2011 22:36:54 GMT
I'm gonna have to agree with Odin here the price you pay for those swords it should have looked alot better now that being said the buyer should have expected it not to handle like a real sword being it was from a 1930s movie and realism doesn't sell movie tickets but you live and you learn we all make the movie sword mistake once in a while
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Post by jhart06 on Dec 14, 2011 22:40:46 GMT
I think informing on the pitting, welds, and blade shape error are useful on any forum, as a just 'this is how they antique this one, not a flaw, just fyi'.. As long as he includes the info that Albion stepped up and is making good on all things concerned with their usual level of service, its no different than posting a review on say a Hanwei kat and higlighting a cracked tsuka or poorly done ito, and also noting the vendor fixed the problem.
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Post by Elheru Aran on Dec 14, 2011 22:41:08 GMT
While the pitting and altogether substandard appearance can be excused as reflecting the original movie prop, honestly I don't know that this sword is really worth $~1K. Heck, Windlass could probably have done a better job, and that's saying something. Not sure why Albion let their standards slip with this when they've proven they can do so well with so many other swords. The fact that they were willing to let this come out while people have been waiting for new models in their Next Generation line for a very, very long time makes me wonder. I don't blame D'artagnan in the least for being upset about what he got... if it'd been of better quality, I think his review would've been very different.
And movie sword notwithstanding, Albion could've made this sword so it handled better. There's no question about that. Bringing back the balance a little bit so it would've been more fencible would've been easy for them.
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Post by mcapanelli on Dec 14, 2011 22:45:59 GMT
It's a different line. Lars is basically taking over for Jody. The Next Gens are more dependent on Peter Johansson approving the molds and getting the prototype blade where it's supposed to be then anyone else.
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Post by mcapanelli on Dec 14, 2011 22:48:32 GMT
I agree as well. What I don't agree with is taking it to myarmoury before they've had a chance to address the issues. Bring it back Monday and talk to Mike and I'm sure everything will be made right.
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Dec 14, 2011 22:54:16 GMT
I don't agree with the idea of 'taking it to My Armory' to get some sort of result... who made the folks at My Armory the Albion police? He did what he should do... he spoke to the folks at Albion about it... and they offered awesome customer service in that they will allow him to exchange the sword for full value on any other sword. Issue solved.
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Post by Odingaard on Dec 14, 2011 22:58:44 GMT
Well, in the case that they have agreed to refund or exchange, then I'd see what happened before taking it to the next level, naturally. I misread that that was the agreement.
As far as posting on MyArmoury concerning Albion: Sword collectors need to know that a QC problem exists before dropping huge amounts of coin on a sword. This way they can make a judgment given all of the information at hand, both good and bad. Forum posts which discuss product flaws should never be done so in a hateful manner. They should be done as constructive criticism. Hence why the sword makers participate in the communities. Getting the manufacturers involved in discussions in deficiences or problems in their product shows the community that they are willing to work to the satisfaction of customers. It also gives them a chance to explain how these kind of things can happen.
I have known many, many people to be disgruntled, dissatisfied, or just plain burned on deals before which were dismissed for this or that reason (which I will not discuss in detail at this time). I just believe that if a vendor is marketing the best product in the world that this type of product needs to be discussed so that it can be avoided in the future and to keep them on their toes. People act very strangely when it comes to Albion. They won't hesitate to open up a can of worms on Darksword, Valiant, Windlass, Hanwei, et. al., but as soon as it comes to Albion, in my experience, I have found that people are incredibally defensive about flaws in the Albion product. Perhaps this is due to the significantly higher monetary investment people have in their swords once they get to the Albion level - which is an understandable, but sort of single-sided notion.
These are some of the highest priced production swords in the world made to the highest standards. They should be honestly criticized for giving a paying customer that product on principal alone. If their QC is faltering on that level, they should be justly informed, or it can do significantly more harm to their reputation in the long run than a forum post discussing product deficiencies.
This is a community where both the good and bad are discussed in the sword market for the benefit of all - no matter who the maker is. MyArmoury is not the Albion police. Members of MyArmoury are simply more in touch with the people at Albion on a direct level - moreso than SBG at any rate.
So, I certinally hope this is resolved to your satisfaction. But if it's not, I believe you should let the extended community know. Other people might be considering buying the same sword you did which could have the same flaws. All companies, wheather making a $100 sword or a $1000 one should be held accountable if issues are not resolved to the customers satisfaction.
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Dec 14, 2011 23:09:50 GMT
My Armory does not have an open review format like we do here. In point of fact... I know you, Odingaard, know what a pain in the $emprini it is to get a review on the My Armory site. :lol: So our reviewer, in this case, posted a detailed review of the product here... where we DO have an open review format for all to see... and I'm glad he did. *I* had no interest in this sword... I thought it was but ugly when it was introduced, but others may have interest in the sword... and now thanks to this review they have more info on the sword then they would have otherwise. However... on can not just post a review on My Armory. I suppose he could post the pics in a thread there and say 'I was disappointed with this sword and decided to trade it for another. Here is a close look at the flaws I found in my sword for anyone who is interested' sort of thing... and that might be a very worth while post. As to the 'double standard' you mention about Albion... I honestly don't see it. Yes... there are Albion fanboys about... and they get prickly anytime anyone says a negative thing about Albion... but I have found each sword maker has fan boys. Darksword has some, Windlass has some... every sword maker I've bought swords from has people who are fans beyond reason.... and detractors beyond reason. Albion is not unique in this in my opinion.
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Post by D'artagnan on Dec 14, 2011 23:13:47 GMT
Yes I believe the issue will be resolved, and I appreciate all the support/differing opinions coming in response to this review. I really am learning a lot. However if some of you think it would be prudent (I am not a member of myarmoury) but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to at least post a link. Never mind I am driving an hour both ways to get this exchanged, and their exchange is being done as per the Albion policy (it's only been a week). I believe letting the community know as a whole if this is the sword they are looking at, maybe think twice? Not to hurt or attack Albion AT ALL, but maybe just to avoid time consuming trouble like this in the future.
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Post by Odingaard on Dec 14, 2011 23:29:00 GMT
As I said, if the issue is resolved, I'd not escalate it. Case closed.
In this, we can respectfully agree to disagree: If it's not resolved, I'd let the whole community know, which is really MyArmoury when you look at the bulk majority of Albion customers. The sword designers, makers, and owners are active there. They are not active on SBG - plain and simple. I have seen numerous threads there which have gotten postive responses where people have brought Albion deficiencies/problems to the attention of the community. They have always ended well, with the customer being satisfied and the product being replaced or repaired.
It's akin to talking about your Ferrari breaking down at a Ford forum. Talk about it in the Rare Imported European Car forum as well if the problem is not fixed. I do not see the problem here, which is apparently where I differ from others.
In either case, I hope your issues are resoved soon to your satisfaction. Good luck!
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Post by Sean (Shadowhowler) on Dec 14, 2011 23:35:40 GMT
A fair point... Yeah, if D'artagnan had been unable to reach satisfaction with Albion directly, a thread on My Armory would have more 'juice' then a review here... because My Armory is a larger base of Albion customers.
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Post by Dave(utilityslave) on Dec 15, 2011 0:20:17 GMT
An unsymmetrical grind on a blade with a symmetrical design would be an issue for me unless it was identified and offered at a lower cost as a scratch and dent or such. I'd still rather have a blade without issues though. The exception for me is some of my custom blades that were forged and hand shaped and sharpened before inspection by me before I purchased them.
I think posting this on other forums is appropriate after it is settled for better or worse. Informing others of the particulars on this sword and the issue(s) found and the way it was resolved by the maker/vendor and the customer are a valid intent and relevant to what we try to do here. I agree with Sean that posting now on other forums in order to pressure or punish Albion is unnecessary as they have already made accepted arrangements with the buyer.
If this was a case where the buyer was unhappy and the maker/vendor was being unreasonable and the issue was stalled then I could see airing grievances in open forums to inform and maybe bring about satisfaction for the buyer. This would also open the buyer up to scrutiny and possible backlash from the sword buying community which is fair.
I hope this is settled to your satisfaction D. I believe it will be and I once again applaud your handleing of this matter.
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