Thread: Thiers Issard customer service ...

Thiers Issard custom service isn't what it should be, to say the least. I need to went! They don't even answear on e-mails (at least not negative ones)

I bought a very nice looking TI and unused 2011 limited edition from a french guy and when I got it I noticed that the finnishing on the toe was bad (this picture is a blow up, but it's hard to see irl if you need reading glasses, for example). My theory is that the grinder has missed to grind the toe:


This is what I wrote on August the 30 to TI (and got a confirmation, that it was sent, when I sent it on TI:s site):
"Dear Sir/Mme! I bought a new TI razor from a person at Ebay. The razor is a limitid edition razor made for a razor club online (7/8 rasoir nez espagnol and it's no: 6 of 80) and has a bad finnish on the toe/nez, where water will gather and most likely start to rust. The seller and I are also members of the same international razor club SRP and the sellers name is: ... Picture of the bad nez part: SOTD :: 012570x800.jpg picture by micke2010 - Photobucket
I would like to change this razor for one of the same kind without this kind of damage, if possible.
Best regards and sincerely
Mikael"

No respons, what so ever, from TI (except the automatic respons that the message was sent succesfully) Is this really ok? They can take whatever position in this matter, but shouldn't they at least respond? Misstakes happens, but then you try and fix them, not ignore them ... or am I wrong and just a grumpy old fart (I actually didn't buy it directly from TI)?

I expected you might have got a courtesy reply but as you didn't buy the razor from them, i can understand why they're not very interested.

I can understand why they haven't replied.
An item sold second hand via ebay would probably not be the highest priority with them, I would guess.
They should, nonetheless, have respectfully declined your request.
IMO

Personally I think the original buyer should take this up with TI.

Anyway maybe this thread will spur them into some form of action if it is brought to their attention. However, the most you I reckon you could expect is for them to re-grind the end to remove the offending pitting but I agree that the least would be a reply stating they have no obligations to you.

Maybe a follow up email, if possible in French, would be a good idea.

I have no idea about Sweden, but in the UK it is the vendor of the goods that is liable to correct any problems, in your case that would be the Ebay seller.
Perhaps it might be an idea to draft a letter in French to Thiers, but if I were you I'd contact the person you purchased it from.
If he is reluctant to help, could he have got hold of some 'seconds' via the factory back door.
Writing in French may help your cause, when communicating with TI.

You are most definitely right about it holding water, thus eventually leading to rust. I would recommend that you send it to someone who does restorations on razors to sand out the porosities and re-polish the toe. You could also do it yourself. Find a wooden dowel rod approximately the same diameter of the notch and start with 400 grit wet and dry sandpaper. Once you have all the open pores sanded out, then polish it out by progressing up to the highest (2K minimum) possible grit you have available. I say this because it is likely you will not get a new razor from them as it was not sold by them or more than likely one of their vendors. You could try getting this straightened out with the seller of the razor...but you can fix it in less than an hour yourself.

Based on what I have heard about correspondence from TI is they don't answer period. Usually the vendor would be the one to ask about issues and adjustments and if it was an edition made for some entity the person who arranged it should be the contact point. Most outfits would answer you just as a courtesy but TI does have that reputation.

Cheers guys! Many valid points and I kind of agree with the one that I didn't buy it directly from them. However they could answear and they could offer to fix it, since it's pretty clear it's a hick up from their part (and it's a 2011 release and it's an easy fix for them, but I was stupied enough to suggest a new one, on the other hand).

I've heard the word about them, but this is the first contempory TI I got and my first dealings with them.

Try this.

This is a transaltion/adaptation.

Remark: I voluntarily omitted the second hand buy through ebay part. But I also did not say that you bought it directly to them. It's not lying, it is postponing more information for later on, once they answered

"
Chère Madame, Cher Monsieur.
Ayant acheté un de vos rasoir Thiers-Issard, plus particulièrement, une édition limitée réalisée pour un club internet dedié au rasoir droit (numéro 6 sur 80, 7/8, rasoir à nez espagnol), j'ai remarqué que ce rasoir avait un dèfaut de finition au niveau du nez.
Ce problème engendrera certainement une accumulation d'eau qui entrainera de la rouille, rendant ce rasoir inusable à terme.
Veuillez trouver joint à cette requête une photographie attestant du problème. [ATTACHE PICTURE]
J'apprécierais de pouvoir discuter avec vous des possibilités de réparation ou de remplacement de ce rasoir défectueux.
Veuillez agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations les plus distinguées.
Mikael
"


Cheers
Christophe

Originally Posted by Mikael

Thiers Issard custom service
...snip...
I bought a very nice looking TI and unused 2011 limited edition from a french guy and
when I got it I noticed that the finnishing on the toe was bad
....snip....

I do not know if you paid full price or found a bargain.
First stop is the French guy that sold it to you....

I never tell a maker what they did wrong.
I ask if they can help me with something I do not understand.
I avoid words like damage... which imply that
it was correct at one time. Time and tense
choices are very difficult to translate. Your Swedish
to English to their French and back risks many errors.
Words like defect, damage, flaw are terribly overloaded
by laws and language issues....

I never link to an external site like photobucket
because many companies block these sites
from their employees. Your mail may have
ended up in a spam filter bucket as a
result and thus the no answer.

A physical letter has much more impact.
Email has turned into a flood and is difficult
to track and manage for many companies.
I would print two photos one that shows
how nicely finished the razor is and another
showing the toe if you want the best result.

I would then ask what the best solution
to final finish the toe to match the fine finish
of the rest of the razor is.

Am looking at hard slag or just buffer wheel cruft stuff?

If it is hard slag like stuff my guess is that a slip stone will tidy it up with
a little help from some fine wet dry 3M paper.

For what it is worth many of my OLD razors suffer
from the same toe and heel omissions. A small hand
slip stone hone will clean many up. I often use the ceramic sticks
from my kitchen crock stick sharpener....

Be polite -- you have a beautiful razor.
TI makes, shapes, grinds and finishes some very fine steel razors.
I wish I had more....

My guess is that when you finally get out of the spam
filter bucket you will get a nice result.