Darksword Armory and SBG stores - a tale of two vendors
Mar 5, 2015 2:12:34 GMT
Post by Afoo on Mar 5, 2015 2:12:34 GMT
This thread does not directly deal with a sword. However, I am intending it more of a general commentary on DSA and the SBG stores rather than focusing on the individual weapon in question.
A few weeks ago, I was browsing around and saw that the SBG store offers free shipping for DSA products to Canada. I had my eye on their warhammer, so I decided to go ahead and order it. I talked to the folks at the SBG stores, and they were so kind enough to order it for me with the free shipping. It should be noted at this time that I never had any direct contact with DSA myself - only through the SBG sword store.
Anyways, the item arrived in the mail, and there is no way to describe it other than completely dreadful. The shaft was badly warped all along its length. The head of the hammer itself was misshapen, and was not mounted straight at all. One blow an it would fall right off.
I find it absolutely shameful that DSA would sell an item bearing not one, but THREE major defects. Keep in mind that each of these defects on its own would warrant returning the item, but to have all of them on the same piece is a bit much. I am not sure how someone could look at this item and think that it would be okay to ship. The distorted hammer face is easy to overlook, but the misaligned head and bent shaft are obvious right from the moment you look at it or pick it up.
Clearly, this was unacceptable, so I contacted SBG for a refund, which they graciously provided. I asked them about the return shipping. To my surprise, the folks at the SBG store said "We don’t get reimbursed for the shipping. Ensure you send canada post (the least inexpensive) and we’ll cover it." Once again, I did not have any contact with DSA directly - the quote was from the SBG store representative. I do not know about you, but this seemed pretty ridiculous - DSA was the party which was responsible for the defective merchandise. The SBG store did nothing wrong at all, so why should they be stuck paying the return shipping through no fault of their own? I ultimately declined their generous offer to cover the shipping, since its not fair that they get burned both ways, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Ultimately, my experiences with the SBG store and DSA were polar opposites. The folks at the SBG store really took the effort to accommodate my requests. Furthermore, they were willing to step in and cover the shipping costs for the returned item, even when the original vendor was not. Communication at every step of the process was excellent, and once again, their willingness to look out for their customers (even at their own cost) is outstanding. While I did not have any direct contact with DSA, I did not receive a positive impression from them at all, both in terms of the quality of their product, as well as their apparent unwillingness to pay for return shipping of their own defective item.
Lastly, I want to emphasize the fact that the defects in the warhammer are not only very severe, but also very simple. I mean, finding a straight piece of wood or mounting something square and level are basic skills even the most novice craftsmen should be familiar with. The fact that these stupid mistakes were made at all undermines my faith in DSA as a whole. I guess what I mean to say is that, if you can screw this up, what else might you be screwing up in your other products, and what else might be slipping through your quality control?
EDIT: This item is marked under "import" section, so it may or may not be made by DSA themselves. However, the fact that this made it through DSA's QC regardless of original manufacturer is a bit shocking.
One more thing - the picture on their website shows that the shaft is two-tone - with the upper part being darker than the lower part. From the pictures, you can see that this is not true. Odd >.> darksword-armory.com/product/war-hammer-3302/
Bent shaft
Bent shaft from the bottom. Note how the studs do not line up
Head of the hammer is not perpendicular to the shaft
Head of the hammer itself is distorted. Notice how the hammer face is not square with the rest of the head. Maybe its trying to keep the twisted shaft company?
A few weeks ago, I was browsing around and saw that the SBG store offers free shipping for DSA products to Canada. I had my eye on their warhammer, so I decided to go ahead and order it. I talked to the folks at the SBG stores, and they were so kind enough to order it for me with the free shipping. It should be noted at this time that I never had any direct contact with DSA myself - only through the SBG sword store.
Anyways, the item arrived in the mail, and there is no way to describe it other than completely dreadful. The shaft was badly warped all along its length. The head of the hammer itself was misshapen, and was not mounted straight at all. One blow an it would fall right off.
I find it absolutely shameful that DSA would sell an item bearing not one, but THREE major defects. Keep in mind that each of these defects on its own would warrant returning the item, but to have all of them on the same piece is a bit much. I am not sure how someone could look at this item and think that it would be okay to ship. The distorted hammer face is easy to overlook, but the misaligned head and bent shaft are obvious right from the moment you look at it or pick it up.
Clearly, this was unacceptable, so I contacted SBG for a refund, which they graciously provided. I asked them about the return shipping. To my surprise, the folks at the SBG store said "We don’t get reimbursed for the shipping. Ensure you send canada post (the least inexpensive) and we’ll cover it." Once again, I did not have any contact with DSA directly - the quote was from the SBG store representative. I do not know about you, but this seemed pretty ridiculous - DSA was the party which was responsible for the defective merchandise. The SBG store did nothing wrong at all, so why should they be stuck paying the return shipping through no fault of their own? I ultimately declined their generous offer to cover the shipping, since its not fair that they get burned both ways, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Ultimately, my experiences with the SBG store and DSA were polar opposites. The folks at the SBG store really took the effort to accommodate my requests. Furthermore, they were willing to step in and cover the shipping costs for the returned item, even when the original vendor was not. Communication at every step of the process was excellent, and once again, their willingness to look out for their customers (even at their own cost) is outstanding. While I did not have any direct contact with DSA, I did not receive a positive impression from them at all, both in terms of the quality of their product, as well as their apparent unwillingness to pay for return shipping of their own defective item.
Lastly, I want to emphasize the fact that the defects in the warhammer are not only very severe, but also very simple. I mean, finding a straight piece of wood or mounting something square and level are basic skills even the most novice craftsmen should be familiar with. The fact that these stupid mistakes were made at all undermines my faith in DSA as a whole. I guess what I mean to say is that, if you can screw this up, what else might you be screwing up in your other products, and what else might be slipping through your quality control?
EDIT: This item is marked under "import" section, so it may or may not be made by DSA themselves. However, the fact that this made it through DSA's QC regardless of original manufacturer is a bit shocking.
One more thing - the picture on their website shows that the shaft is two-tone - with the upper part being darker than the lower part. From the pictures, you can see that this is not true. Odd >.> darksword-armory.com/product/war-hammer-3302/
Bent shaft
Bent shaft from the bottom. Note how the studs do not line up
Head of the hammer is not perpendicular to the shaft
Head of the hammer itself is distorted. Notice how the hammer face is not square with the rest of the head. Maybe its trying to keep the twisted shaft company?