Thread: Portland Razor update ...

Originally Posted by Orville

My Hydra is within reach. CanPost says it is in my local Postal Terminal and processed as of 0714 this morning. Site still shows delivery on Monday, but fingers are crossed.

Orville............what invoice number were you just out of curiosity?

After reading their blog it appears they may be prioritizing projects differently then received. My original discussion with Scott had me believing all orders were handled in order.

I am sure they are doing everything they can to make customers happy

Originally Posted by Utopian

I realize that is only your speculation, but if it is correct, then it is a huge problem.


And so that is what notes/records are for. The details of your discussions should have been available to whomever made the razor.


Since they are still accepting new orders, how is a potential customer supposed to know whether or not a backlog exists? Do they provide any estimate as to how long an order will take to fulfill?

Agreed with all of the above.

Not to downplay the serious impact of Scott's recent medical issues, but I think it's pretty likely that PRC's order backlog had started to spiral out of control even before that situation became a factor. In a way I can see how that would happen -- a large cushion of orders provides a feeling of financial security that's important for a small start-up business -- but I think they should have been more proactive about the situation earlier on.

I also think that for some time, PRC has publicly been way too optimistic in it's assessment of the order backlog. As recently as last month, they were stating that their order backlog was holding steady at ten weeks, which was very obviously not the case. I can understand their not wanting to discourage prepaid orders by admitting to a longer lead time, but continually failing to meet shipping estimates by such a dramatic margin is not going to earn them repeat business.

Originally Posted by Michael70

Orville............what invoice number were you just out of curiosity?

My Invoice # was 00193, for a stock Hydra, walnut scales, maple spacer. double pinned at the toe.

Originally Posted by Montanan

Agreed with all of the above.

Not to downplay the serious impact of Scott's recent medical issues, but I think it's pretty likely that PRC's order backlog had started to spiral out of control even before that situation became a factor. In a way I can see how that would happen -- a large cushion of orders provides a feeling of financial security that's important for a small start-up business -- but I think they should have been more proactive about the situation earlier on.

Totally agree with this supposition. This has been discussed at some length on that "other" site.

I also think that for some time, PRC has publicly been way too optimistic in it's assessment of the order backlog. As recently as last month, they were stating that their order backlog was holding steady at ten weeks, which was very obviously not the case. I can understand their not wanting to discourage prepaid orders by admitting to a longer lead time, but continually failing to meet shipping estimates by such a dramatic margin is not going to earn them repeat business.

"Overly optimistic" is a kind way of putting it. So far, they have not announced any new hires to the Team, so my assumption is that Hunter is alone in making the razors, while Scott does the busy-work when he can make it to the Shop. It was my impression from the Blog posts that razor work would put his treatments at risk, based on the environment surrounding production. But what do I know. I remain hopeful that the quality which caused me to make my purchase will be evident in the razor that I receive.

This situation is truly a shame, first and foremost for the medical issues which have befallen an obviously talented razor manufacturer, but also with respect to the "hit" that PRC will inevitably suffer as a result of this failure to proactively communicate with their (potential) Customer base. I mean, I wanted one of their blades, so put my money where my desire was. I would probably like one of their "Artisan" line razors, too (currently on hold while Scott gets his treatments). That being said, I am not prepared to drop $$$ on a razor when I am getting no realistic estimate of when I will be able to take delivery. I think they HAVE taken a positive step with putting a "hold" on Custom orders until they clear their backlog to more manageable levels, in spite of the losses they will incur as a result. I expect that their profit margins on Custom work are significantly higher than on a cheapskate like me.

Time will tell . . . let us hope that "Montanan's" experience is the exception rather than the rule, not only for the rest of us, but for Portland Razor, as well.

I'm really trying hard not to be incendiary in my comments here, and to give PRC the benefit of the doubt as much as possible. I absolutely do not want to be vindictive or come across as such. But I'm honestly quite frustrated -- with the specific issues involving my order, by the long delays, and by a business that is being less transparent than it pretends to be.

That said, while the delays and the inaccurate shipping estimates are impacting everyone with a PRC order, I have no reason to believe that the QC issues with my specific order are anything but an exception. If those problems were becoming the norm, other folks would have reported on them by now.

Agreed . . . and I truly hope that the apparent indifference to the issues you mentioned is an aberration brought on by the issues currently affecting their business.

I think you have been very reasonable in your comments surrounding the issues surrounding your order, for what that's worth.


**edit** Looks like my Hydra is "Out For Delivery" as of 11:30 this morning. guess I will find out sooner rather than later.

I think the problem is,you young guys live in an I want it know world,Last custom razor I ordered took a year to actully get.
My Dad used to build custom rifles,he would tell customers,Call me in two yrs for a progress report.
I sent a purdy shotgun to the company in england to be restocked and blued,took 4 yrs before got it back.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

I think the problem is,you young guys live in an I want it know world,Last custom razor I ordered took a year to actully get.
My Dad used to build custom rifles,he would tell customers,Call me in two yrs for a progress report.
I sent a purdy shotgun to the company in england to be restocked and blued,took 4 yrs before got it back.

You are correct in the sense that yes, it is a very "want it now" mentality. On the other hand, I am not so sure you sent off your shotgun with a promise of a 2 week turn-around, only to finally receive it back 4 years later. I am fairly certain such a reputable and desirable company would have given you an estimate that set an expectation.

At the end of the day, I think that is all people here are disappointed with. Not the wait in terms of time, but knowing that what they were told, and what reality is, are two totally different things. Getting updates that are, at the end of the day, realistic, is also a stated problem. Like all things in life, a lot of this just boils down to seemingly the simplest thing, communication.

Heh ... well, I turned 57 a while back. Glad to hear that qualifies as "young"!

Anyhow, the time frame itself wouldn't concern me, except for two things. One is that PRC is consistently and substantially underestimating the length of its order backlog. My other concern, frankly, is that when there's an order backlog approaching four months, it's potentially risky for both PRC and its customers for full payment to be made at the order date. I'm not suggesting at all that this is happening, but with any business there's the potential for that sort of front-loaded revenue to be spent on ongoing operations before the product itself is actually made.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

I think the problem is,you young guys live in an I want it know world,Last custom razor I ordered took a year to actully get.
My Dad used to build custom rifles,he would tell customers,Call me in two yrs for a progress report.
I sent a purdy shotgun to the company in england to be restocked and blued,took 4 yrs before got it back.

All due respect . . . but no. I knew what I was getting into (or thought I did) when I placed my order and paid my money. I had read the many posts extolling the value inherent in a PRC blade (price vs. quality, etc.), I had contacted Scott at least half a dozen times asking different questions (and specifically on lead times). At time of purchase, I asked for a realistic estimate on delivery (taking into account their recent flood issues) and was told 8-10 weeks. When no update had been forthcoming after that time had passed, I made inquiry as to what was going on. It was after this post-deadline inquiry that the many updates and explanations began filtering out from PRC via their blog. I am NOT upset about the added delay in delivery of my Hydra. I get that "hand-made" takes time, and it is one of the "features" I was looking for when I made the decision to buy from PRC.

What I am troubled by is the lack of transparency in this whole affair. As someone else posted, it should not have been that big a deal to put a link on their site to some sort of "Build Queue" page, showing where a particular invoice was in the development stage. They could also have tacked on a note explaining the reasons for the delays, so that Buyers would know and understand what the hold up was caused by, other than "volume".

But thanks for referring to this 50yr. old as a "young guy". Made my day.