|
Post by jamanticus on Jun 16, 2023 5:20:15 GMT
I wanted to let my fellow sword collectors know about how two orders I made from In'Carius went over the last few years.
In June 2020, I commissioned an XVIIIC sword and scabbard which Rafał said would take around 4 months. I paid half of the price as a deposit. Didn't hear any updates after 4 months came and went, I wasn't bothered, knowing delays are common.
In February 2021, I ordered a double-fullered sword he had "in stock" and asked if he could make a scabbard for it. He said that would only take a week. I paid the full purchase price for them that day since ostensibly they were going to be on their way soon. More delays, but in May 2021 he said both swords and scabbards would be ready to ship out in a week. I paid the other half of my deposit for the XVIIIC at that time.
He said everything would ship in out in "1 week" or "2 weeks max" for two more years. Once in October 2022, he even said everything was already on the way and that I'd receive tracking info later that day, which turned out to not be true.
In March of this year, I told him that I wanted him to be straight with me, that I understood delays happen, but not to continue telling me the same "1-2 weeks" line if it wasn't actually true. He responded saying he apologized for the delays, that they were due to shipping courier issues, that the final deadline would be "2 weeks maximum"
I gave up waiting on May 22 and asked for a refund all of my orders. He said that wouldn't be a problem, that it would take around a week to clear the books and give me my refund. The next day, he listed the XVIIIC and scabbard for sale on his Facebook page. As of today, no refund has been sent either.
Delays aren't an issue, but I feel this is an unsustainable way to do business. Using stalling tactics on your customers for sometimes years on end rather than being truthful isn't going to engender trust.
|
|
|
Post by ggower on Jun 16, 2023 19:41:26 GMT
Really disappointed to hear this.
|
|
stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,647
|
Post by stormmaster on Jun 16, 2023 19:43:36 GMT
Unfortunately this appears to be true far as I know with other people sharing the same story
|
|
|
Post by Brian Kunz on Jun 16, 2023 19:55:22 GMT
I'd love to say I have something good to say about this, but I don't. A stain on the industry, really. Which doesn't help others in this business trying to keep it going, as the experience can sour many potential customers from ordering anything else, from anyone else.
|
|
|
Post by Lord Newport on Jun 16, 2023 20:09:17 GMT
I know things in Poland are very chaotic a the moment with the Ukraine/Russian war going on next door BUT...I had nothing but a perfect experience with Maciej Kopciuch who communicated and performed perfectly
|
|
|
Post by mrstabby on Jun 16, 2023 20:43:10 GMT
I'd love to say I have something good to say about this, but I don't. A stain on the industry, really. Which doesn't help others in this business trying to keep it going, as the experience can sour many potential customers from ordering anything else, from anyone else. I can imagine it is hard. These stories are why I am apprehensive when buying from smaller sellers. But this is one of the reasons I made the account here, to see which sellers are trustworthy.
@ jamanticus I have had problems with sellers and refunds too, some just don't seem to have their ducks in a row and need some nudging. There are customer protection and refund laws in place in the EU, so if he really is in poland, you could, as a last resort, threaten going to the legal authorities. You shouldn't need a lawyer for that, google it, there might be someone you can talk to in poland via mail.
|
|
|
Post by snubnoze on Jun 21, 2023 19:59:56 GMT
Currently experiencing the same issue. My first experience was purchasing a cancelled order Type H Viking sword that was already made. A bit of a delay on the scabbard being made but nothing horrible - unfortunately that scabbard ended up being way too tight and is unusable. Almost got the sword stuck in it. Oh well. I really like the sword and the craftsmanship however so overall a good experience. So given that I really liked the quality I had commissioned a Kriegsmesser from him Jan 19th 2022. I went in knowing he would over promise on the timeline, so I figured at minimum it would be 1 year. I gave him until Mar 17th 2023, 14 months later before I inquired about an update to which I didn't get a response (Facebook shows he saw the message). I told him that at this point I'm not that interested in swords anymore and that if nothing had been started I'd be interested in putting the money I put down on the sword towards one of the complete swords he sells from time to time, or to make the Kriegsmesser a bit more simpler (I was going to do gold gilding and fancy scabbard). He responded 1 week later saying all of the elements are ready and that it needs to be assembled and scabbard glued which should take 2-weeks. That was 3 months ago... So ya, I know the feeling and I'm a pretty damn patient person but just be accurate with your timelines. In the meantime I see him posting up a lot of different projects that I know for sure were likely commissioned well after mine. I'm at about 1.5 years since commissioned. I wanted to avoid having to be negative about this but seeing this post makes me feel like I have company. Sucks because the few experiences I've had commissioning swords has really soured me on the hobby and I've lost interest almost completely. Wish I went a different direction.
I should probably ask for a refund as well at this point unless he can provide pictures of the progress, which he said he was going to give when I commissioned it.
|
|
|
Post by Uncle Mack on Jul 1, 2023 15:16:03 GMT
I’ve seen enough comments regarding this maker that I would only pay Goods and Services for a completed item, and would file a PayPal claim if the items wasn’t shipped promptly.
|
|
|
Post by Lord Newport on Jul 1, 2023 20:47:29 GMT
Commissioning custom swords are like buying vintage Rolex watches from online sellers. On the RolexForums the adage is ..." you buy the seller, not the watch..."
|
|
|
Post by eastman on Jul 2, 2023 0:58:04 GMT
I have only commissioned 1 high-end sword, and the bladesmith did not want any advance payment. Having dealt with him on a non-sword commission I have full confidence in the sword.
|
|
|
Post by snubnoze on Aug 13, 2023 18:11:50 GMT
jamanticus have you resolved your situation with him?
|
|
|
Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Aug 14, 2023 2:19:11 GMT
This is why i don't take money above bare minimum material cost until peoples stuff is finished.
|
|
|
Post by pellius on Aug 14, 2023 12:55:00 GMT
This is why i don't take money above bare minimum material cost until peoples stuff is finished. Of the many times I bought or commissioned from LWF, he was also always prompt in communications, honest about timelines and work capacity, and over-delivered; often ahead of schedule. Outstanding work, too. I’ve had other makers that ran into serious life issues that drastically delayed delivery. So long as they kept me reasonably updated and were honest about things, even a very long delay was not a problem. I agree with LN’s sentiment: commission the maker (though I’m not really a Rolex fan - lol.) I’m grateful to be part of this community, and for this forum that preserves our experiences more-or-less indefinitely.
|
|
|
Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Aug 14, 2023 22:32:24 GMT
This is why i don't take money above bare minimum material cost until peoples stuff is finished. Of the many times I bought or commissioned from LWF, he was also always prompt in communications, honest about timelines and work capacity, and over-delivered; often ahead of schedule. Outstanding work, too. I’ve had other makers that ran into serious life issues that drastically delayed delivery. So long as they kept me reasonably updated and were honest about things, even a very long delay was not a problem. I agree with LN’s sentiment: commission the maker (though I’m not really a Rolex fan - lol.) I’m grateful to be part of this community, and for this forum that preserves our experiences more-or-less indefinitely.
i think almost all Full time makers are one bad day away from defaulting on work. Car breakdown, house appliance failure, equipment failure ext. is all it takes to leave you broke and unable to continue.
|
|
|
Post by jamanticus on Aug 16, 2023 3:58:07 GMT
jamanticus have you resolved your situation with him? Unfortunately not, he's been pulling his typical stall tactics for the last few months. Lots of statements like, "You'll have your refund within the week" and then several weeks go by with no communication. As of earlier today, he said he was going to send a bank transfer to a friend who would PayPal me the money for the swords since PayPal's put a hold on his funds. How has your situation with him been looking?
|
|
|
Post by snubnoze on Aug 18, 2023 18:41:29 GMT
jamanticus have you resolved your situation with him? Unfortunately not, he's been pulling his typical stall tactics for the last few months. Lots of statements like, "You'll have your refund within the week" and then several weeks go by with no communication. As of earlier today, he said he was going to send a bank transfer to a friend who would PayPal me the money for the swords since PayPal's put a hold on his funds. How has your situation with him been looking? Not very good either. After giving him another 4 months I reached out to him last week for an update. He didn't respond, so I sent a more aggressive message saying he needs to show me pictures that the project had been started otherwise I want a refund. He responded to that saying he normally doesn't reply on the weekends and that he would get back to me this Wednesday. Well it's Friday now and not a peep from him.
I paid $575 up front for this. Mad at myself for not going with an Albion instead. I'd probably have that in my hands already and the comfort knowing they maintain resale value.
|
|
Greg E
Member
little bit of this... and a whole lot of that
Posts: 1,291
|
Post by Greg E on Sept 3, 2023 2:47:09 GMT
Having the same kind of non communication with Elgur swordsmith. 16 month wait period was last month, and no reply to my 'hey there' message. Guess we will see.
|
|
|
Post by snubnoze on Dec 30, 2023 20:05:59 GMT
Last time I talked to the guy he said he'd give me pics of what he's done so far in 4 days. It's been 4 months. Feeling like I threw $575 down the drain, plus 2 years of waiting for nothing. Don't think I'll ever commission a sword again. Both experiences I've had have been terrible.
|
|
|
Post by Eric Bergeron on Dec 30, 2023 20:30:48 GMT
Last time I talked to the guy he said he'd give me pics of what he's done so far in 4 days. It's been 4 months. Feeling like I threw $575 down the drain, plus 2 years of waiting for nothing. Don't think I'll ever commission a sword again. Both experiences I've had have been terrible. Don't count yourself out of getting a custom sword, you should look into Purna of GGK if you want to make sure you get a sword completed and into your hands and he always shows pictures of the update progress each morning.
|
|
Greg E
Member
little bit of this... and a whole lot of that
Posts: 1,291
|
Post by Greg E on Dec 30, 2023 21:49:14 GMT
Having the same kind of non communication with Elgur swordsmith. 16 month wait period was last month, and no reply to my 'hey there' message. Guess we will see. With Elgur I waited until the middle of Nov. to send another message. It was then indicated that they COULD finish with my sword order in the first 3 months of 2024. So now looking at 21 to 23 months maybe. Albion wait times don't look so bad now lol. In fact if they made the type of sword I wanted, I am pretty sure I would have not gone this route.
|
|