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Post by nxs on Jul 3, 2021 6:03:23 GMT
New site is definitely more mobile friendly, but holy smokes is it slow.
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Post by Bob B on Jul 4, 2021 2:36:58 GMT
It more than the website. SO I received this sword today. It was 10 working days before they mailed it out. No biggy, but adds to the irritation. What irks me is I ordered the Hanwei Lion Dogs this year. It came, and 2 things...
1 is the inside of the koiguchi is got small amounts of wood missing and there's a rub on the face of it. Dropped?? Maybe. It doesn't effect the fit so I could live with that. 2nd thing is the sageo is off of somthing like a Hanwei Practical Katana. As in the thick all black sageo, Not the multi colored premium silk. Totally wrong, wrong, wrong. How do miss that??
I emailed them through their orders tab 5 minutes after unboxing it. Part of the automated reply says and I qoute:
"We prioritize quality over speed."
C'mon guys...jeez.
Hopefully the can send me the right sageo and we can go on our merry way.
It's more than just a website issue.
Bob
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Post by Bob B on Jul 6, 2021 20:21:40 GMT
Now it's turn to clear the air. After calling KoA and then talking to CAS Iberia directly I discovered it is Hanwei that is putting the black sageo's on the Lion Dog series. So, I owe an apology to KoA for saying they missed this. They did not.
No excuses I was wrong point blank.
This is what happened today:
The nice lady at KoA went back to the stock room and checked two other Lion Dog's and both had Black Sageo. She was going to email CAS to find out if it was just that batch. However, I went ahead and called CAS myself, and the rep explained the change in sageo and why. He also discussed the saya issue with me, as he already had the pictures of it anyway. I'll have to look closer at it too see if its going to continue to chip away or not. Everybody was helpful today.
Bob
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2021 21:41:02 GMT
Well done Bob. I like members who are willing to eat a little crow. That's respectable. I've forgotten more than I've ever known. I've been wrong more often than I've been right. And I'm keenly aware of it. I'm as sharp as a balloon.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jul 6, 2021 21:56:54 GMT
Now it's turn to clear the air. After calling KoA and then talking to CAS Iberia directly I discovered it is Hanwei that is putting the black sageo's on the Lion Dog series. So, I owe an apology to KoA for saying they missed this. They did not. No excuses I was wrong point blank. This is what happened today: The nice lady at KoA went back to the stock room and checked two other Lion Dog's and both had Black Sageo. She was going to email CAS to find out if it was just that batch. However, I went ahead and called CAS myself, and the rep explained the change in sageo and why. He also discussed the saya issue with me, as he already had the pictures of it anyway. I'll have to look closer at it too see if its going to continue to chip away or not. Everybody was helpful today. Bob đź‘Śđź‘Ś
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2021 22:13:10 GMT
Bob showed his quality there. The finest. Admitting one is/was wrong is a difficult to do. Impressive.
But there are indeed problems at KoA. COVID has wiped out part of the trained staff, though some if not all have come back. The sale of the operation to an entirely new owner, along with a new (and not good) website has introduced changes that have put everyone under extra strain.
I personally don't like the idea of drop-shipping products to purchasers. Part of the strength of KoA was their quality control. A filter one could trust. But one cannot quality control a product one has never seen. It may help to relieve backlog, but in the long term, I think that'll do more harm to the brand than good.
I'd rather wait longer, and get that quality-control, than get a drop-shipped product.
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Post by pellius on Jul 6, 2021 22:51:18 GMT
… I'd rather wait longer, and get that quality-control, than get a drop-shipped product. ^this^ I also like “in stock” to mean in the seller’s possession. Hopefully, KoA won’t start using the term to mean that a drop-shipper had one last time they looked.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jul 7, 2021 0:54:46 GMT
The new owner should have opted for a transition phase before taking over the reins. I don’t know his prior experience but it clearly wasn’t in this field. I’ve seen next to nothing done correctly. I’m afraid his venture is going to yield less than anticipated as his business suffers.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2021 1:10:40 GMT
I don't want it to end this way. Because if KoA goes down, who do I trust now? There are a few possibilities. But I want the new owner of KoA to get this right. It's a legacy. KoA was the best.
That's a message to you, new KoA owner. Don't ruin this.
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Post by Arlequin on Jul 7, 2021 2:53:39 GMT
I don't want it to end this way. Because if KoA goes down, who do I trust now? There are a few possibilities. But I want the new owner of KoA to get this right. It's a legacy. KoA was the best. That's a message to you, new KoA owner. Don't ruin this. True, I can't think of any other vendors who can stand up to KOA stature. And theres dozens of sites you can get wall hanger junk from, but very few venders have quite the assortment and relationship with higher end products that KOA has.
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Post by sebastian on Jul 7, 2021 3:18:24 GMT
Well all I can say it is taking them much longer to send out stuff, it took me a week and one contact with customer service to get me the Bowie knife, Devils Edge. I hope its worth it. I am going to take it to Pow Wow.
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Post by Bob B on Jul 7, 2021 4:43:42 GMT
I don't want it to end this way. Because if KoA goes down, who do I trust now? There are a few possibilities. But I want the new owner of KoA to get this right. It's a legacy. KoA was the best. That's a message to you, new KoA owner. Don't ruin this. True, I can't think of any other vendors who can stand up to KOA stature. And theres dozens of sites you can get wall hanger junk from, but very few venders have quite the assortment and relationship with higher end products that KOA has. There are other vendors. As I stated in a post above. I bought several Paul Chen swords again this year. And then I usually sell them off in the classifieds later. It's almost ritualistic for me. Now, I bought the LD Wakizashi from one vender and the Bamboo Mat Daisho from a 3rd vendor. And then of course the LD Katana from KoA. Next year I likely won't buy from KoA. The Lion Dog Katana took a couple weeks. The other 2 vendors 3-4 days. KoA were helpful today sure enough, and I was informed just how behind they were during the phone conversation. But since they're that busy they don't need my business, and I don't need to share their frustrations. I can talk to other vendors on the phone to verify stock and they're happy to take the time do so. I'll help other businesses expand and flourish. Bob
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2021 7:57:28 GMT
Well one thing is for sure. If KoA won't be tops anymore, then for sure someone else will.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jul 7, 2021 12:07:27 GMT
Well all I can say it is taking them much longer to send out stuff, it took me a week and one contact with customer service to get me the Bowie knife, Devils Edge. I hope its worth it. I am going to take it to Pow Wow. In my case it was two weeks with customer service with two questions, one of which was answered by a forum member before KoA got around to it then another five weeks to fill the order which was only one belt. Then there was the international shipping that KoA has no control over. Nevertheless that was over two months to receive the belt. I have tentatively two orders for this month for two knives. I did not consider KoA. I’ll let them get their act together before another order from me.
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Post by sebastian on Jul 7, 2021 13:12:01 GMT
Well all I can say it is taking them much longer to send out stuff, it took me a week and one contact with customer service to get me the Bowie knife, Devils Edge. I hope its worth it. I am going to take it to Pow Wow. In my case it was two weeks with customer service with two questions, one of which was answered by a forum member before KoA got around to it then another five weeks to fill the order which was only one belt. Then there was the international shipping that KoA has no control over. Nevertheless that was over two months to receive the belt. I have tentatively two orders for this month for two knives. I did not consider KoA. I’ll let them get their act together before another order from me. I might start agreeing. I was interesting in their Kindjal but maybe not at the moment. I hope its a good knife though it is strange it takes about a week to ship. Lets hope they can get their stuff together and be at the good quality they used to be.
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Post by tensho on Sept 14, 2021 23:04:07 GMT
Wasn't aware Kult of Athena was under new ownership until I started doing some googling to see what was up. But it makes sense now.
Ordered 8 items from them(swords/daggers) all in stock and without the sharpening service. Waited 8 business days and finally asked them what the status was. Received a quick reply and was told one of the items was backordered(no big deal) and the rest of my order would ship. Went with that option, and next day got another email saying another item was backordered which happened to be the main item I wanted... The crazy part is, 2 were in stock after I purchased. After that order was canceled, 3 were in stock?
So, there definitely is some issues still going on with the site etc.. hope one day it returns to the good old days.
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Post by blairbob on Oct 21, 2021 23:56:49 GMT
For what's it's worth, I bought a Raptor Unokubi in the Spring. Ordered 4/6, shipped out the 13th.
It was actually munitions grade though I still haven't figured out what the defect was. I haven't really tested the edge on anything but paper since we were talking about getting tatami or beach mats and building a stand but it never happened during summer. Probably won't happen until spring since one of our group just became a dad.
Edge seems good though I've been meaning to get a honing rod.
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Post by eastman on Oct 22, 2021 1:17:02 GMT
ordered Balaur swords with sharpening late evening on Friday October 8, delivered on Wed Oct 20, so their sharpening and shipping speeds have improved over the last few months
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