Thread: Zulu Grey sale - how good are they?

I think I'll wait until it hits the 4 month mark before I submit a formal complaint, which will be at the end of the month. ScoutHikerDad, I hope the PayPal refund route works out!

While it may or may not be of any part of this situation there is always the possibility of illness and even death that could be involved.

I really do hope that that's not the case.

I do believe that he does 100% of everything by himself. Including digging the rock from the ground, to cutting, polishing, boxing and shipping.

Hopefully, he's just up to his ass in alligators and that everyone will get their hones soon.

If that is so, he needs to communicate the reason for the delay, as well as a timeline for delivery. I know of artisans such as luthiers and knife-makers who get months, even years behind due to back-logged orders, but they communicate. And they certainly don't take all of a payment up front and then fall off the radar, just a deposit. It's not a sustainable business model if one cares about the longevity of their business or their reputation.

I've been following this and side with Roy.
In the past Mike was very responsive to his customers and potential customers.
Hopefull, the issue will be short lived.

This is the same guy who tried to bring back W&B. I am a bit confused. I do not own one of these, but this is a post from him in May of 2017 on another forum. Did he not go to the available stock thing like he states here.
I also read somewhere that he is a designer and designed the logo for this website. So wonder if SRP has contact info for this guy.

Hi Guys,

Mike here (ZuluGrey/Wade&Butcher). I just wanted to join the thread - hat in hand - to directly offer my sincere apologies for the admittedly long (wildly long) delays in shipping out some hone orders (not all but a good few). Some of you guys are understandably quite frustrated with the matter, as indeed I am let me assure you.. But in general all our customers have been so kind in your patience and understanding (through all the years of selling ZG hones), it's really amazing what great customers we've had since starting this hone company. So again a massive Thank You for your support - it means everything to me.

As I've told some of you via email, my Mom actually passed away in hospital a short while ago - totally out of nowhere - she was only 64 years old and healthy. So that has impacted our life as it was such a devastating shock. But of course the day to day work needs to continue and so as I've said to a few of you your orders will be going out tomorrow actually - so those tracking codes will be with you soon. I plan to get the remaining few backlogged orders out in the next 2 weeks.

As Bookworm correctly states a few posts up - the thing with running a hone company (or any company that deals in a 100% 'natural' product) is that you are constantly at the mercy of what the Earth produces. The finished product is in many ways completely out of your control - and this is the very issue I've had recently with raw stock coming from the quarry that just wasn't worthy of selling to be honest. So we've had to suffer the delays in getting stock bit by bit that was of acceptable quality to bear the Zulu Grey label.

I want to also take some time to assure those who may be interested, that the revival of Wade & Butcher in no way whatsoever will resemble the structure of the Zulu Grey hone business. The products are vastly different: one is hit or miss from what the Earth has made, the other is 100% controlled and dictated by my very own hands. I can't express how excited I am by this simple difference. To be able to deal in goods that are entirely in my control - well, it will just be night and day compared to the running of Zulu Grey. Yes the products will still be shipped from South Africa - but our razors will be going through expedited DHL couriers, instead of our national postal system (which itself isn't bad at all, do you know we've never lost a parcel, and it generally takes only 10 days to reach most countries). DHL will likely be 3 days max..

But, I'm so frustrated frankly by the way the hone business is operating currently, that I'm actually going to dynamically change the way we sell our hones. Currently we take 'orders' for the size/s a customer wants. But this leads to these long waiting periods, and the frustration of inconsistent stock. So, we're actually going to change to an 'available stock' system on all products on the site, so what you see as available on the site is an actual prepared hone, that is packaged and ready to go. I know, what a revolution right
Some of us are a bit slow with these things..


So, that is how I will solve this Zulu Grey issue that we have. It will mean less genuinely available products at any given time, but will also hopefully restore complete trust and customer satisfaction by removing these crazy long waiting periods.

Again, just a huge Thank You for all the support, both in Zulu Grey and Wade & Butcher.
It all means absolutely nothing without delighted customers - so please know that this is always the driving tenet.

Sincerely,
- Mike

I did read that a year plus ago. Agreed that he must have not gone with the instock idea like he said he waz going to do. I never did hear anything about his W&B project going anywhere.

When i ordered my stone a few years ago i was told it would take a few months to get to me. I got worried too but it finally made it to me. It was hard to get comunications with him at the time, but he did email back a couple times, weeks later.

Im not saying anyone should now request funds back or to wait, just wanted to share that it took time for me to get mine. Mike zeemed like a nice guy who had bit off more than he could chew but was doing his best to keep up. So my best to all of you who ordered. I hope Mike getz it together soon. Or at least emails someone to share the reasons for this.

I’ve said I got mine after a long wait too. But if mike wants to stay in business he needs to quit taking the money up front then he will have a need to finish and ship. Not the way to do business. Also communication is mandatory on a guy taking money and making customers wait. I said earlier haven’t met or heard anyone not get their product but F you mike on being a crappy business owner. I won’t ever speak up for you again and good luck selling razors cause your reputation is crap. And so what your mother died? That doesn’t release you from obligations.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/hones/1...eived-one.html

I think I pretty well summed it up back at the end of January in this thread.
Quite honestly, this kind of business history usually points toward personal problems laced with addiction issues. I’ve seen it too many times with subcontractors.
I hope not, but somehow I’m sure the coronavirus will now enter into the excuses.
I haven’t pulled my money out yet. Maybe I’m a fool, but I’ve gambled on faith for a hell of a lot more than a $100 rock.
Good luck to Mike, and I hope he gets his Self together. Fingers crossed.
JMO

I'm waiting on a silkvein. I've been putting the time out of my mind as I'd read about the long wait times from much earlier posts. Hopefully, patience will win out as I'll be more bummed about not getting the stone than the money. Though I agree a little communication would go a long way to keeping the companies reputation less tarnished.

After waiting for over a week with no reply to my last e-mail requesting a hone or an update, I have still received no word-nothing, nada. Neither did he respond to the same text submitted via the contact form on his website, which no longer appears to be processing orders. I have escalated to a claim on PayPal; hopefully I will get my money back. I've never had to do that before.

I don't much care what he has done in the past; he appears to have taken our money and run, or just disappeared. In any event, he is not someone I care to do business with-I just want my money back at this point.

And for you guys defending him, if he were still on the up and up, what would it have taken for him to come on here every couple of weeks and give an update on where he was in production, general progress on orders, etc., assuming he didn't have time for individual e-mails to everyone? Five or ten minutes?

Even if he is still in business (which I don't see evidence of anywhere), but busy all day every day mining and cutting rocks, etc., he should have hired help, or else not held that 50% off sale in which he took how many thousands of dollars. Has anyone who got in on that sale received a hone?

I'm just gonna let PayPal handle it now, I suppose. I've got other fish to fry, and I need to go out now and stock up on canned goods and non-perishables if there are any left. Y'all take care.