Dissatisfaction.

I'm a pretty good razor maker. I'm a pretty good knife maker. But, I ain't perfect. This was recently brought home by a highly knowledgeable member here. Now, this post isn't a burn on him, by an stretch of the imagination, and should not be construed as such. I'm very thankful he brought a problem to my attention. I made a razor for a well-known member here. Quite frankly, I was as proud of this one as anything I've made, just because it shaved so well. It was also one of my most expensive (damascus) razors. Shaved me brilliantly, and was, I thought, an attractive razor. The buyer, however, was unhappy when he got it, (and rightfully so). The toe was wider than the heel, which was a common condition with some older razors, but I guess he wasn't expecting it (and quite frankly, it slipped my notice). He gave me carte blanche, with no specifications, other than make it nice. The fact that he was unhappy with the razor really bothered me, as anyone who knows me knows I'm pretty anal about anything I put my name on. I'm going to make him another one. They say you learn more from your failures than your successes, and I believe they're right. First off (and really, this thread was an opportunity both for me to vent, and as a cautionary tale to anyone thinking of making their own for fun & profit :D) make your customer happy. It doesn't matter how good I think it was...if you're customer ain't happy, make him/her so (within reason). I'm glad the buyer was willing to allow me to make him another razor. I think he'll be happy with the next one. :D Humbling experience all the way around.

Sorry to hear that Joe, I guess that there would be a problem if the person buying the blade didn't tell you want they wanted exaclty, it would be pretty hard for you to know their taste and how to provide them with their ideal custom blade...

Everything I have seen you touch has been exceptional, I am sure the owner will be very pleased with his newest Chandler Damascus blade, now that you know what he's looking for...;)


I need to be placed on the waiting list as well :bow:bow :D

I agree with everything you said, and I know how you feel. It's tough when you're basically told to indulge your artistic passions, and then discover that there were in fact some conditions. Live and learn, I suppose.

Meanwhile, if the old razor is just too painful for you to look at, I'm sure that it fits my own personal style and taste just fine!:D

-Michael

Yeah -- if in the future you create any razor that is not worthy of your name and must dump it in a fit of catharsis, then by all means send it my way --- any rhomboid razor from hell ;) --- I'll be happy to put my name on it.

Justin

people beat me to it...i doubt you'd have problems selling it.

you can send it out to Brooklyn....


How about a SRP raffle ?

These sorts of situations are inevitable. I feel part of the value custom makers like us offer is the willingness to work with the customer to achieve satisfaction. I second Joe's advice. Making the customer happy is really what our business is about. Guys like Joe and myself do that by making razors, but it could be shotguns bicycles, guitars - anything at all. What the customer is really wanting to buy is satisfaction. So we give it to them. Kudos to you, Joe.

Joe - you did the right thing. I am not a knife or razor maker, but I take large format photos for people on occasion, as an extension of a hobby, and if someone expresses the slightest bit of dissatisfaction, I retake them over and over again till they are satisfied.

Even at a loss. Those people generally appreciate the customer service, come back for more, and give me more far more business than the original losses. I have heard the same story from others having the same experience. If I had been on the other end of the trade, and you made me a free razor to compensate for the first one not being satisfactory, I'd be a big repeat customer. Seven day sets for seven generations type big.

That said, customers themselves don't always know what they want. It is upto you, the service provider - to ask them what they like - make a catalog of blade shapes, handle shapes etc, and have the customer list out his likes or dislikes. Have him send you pictures of their favorite razor styles etc - and try to find out what the customer is looking for. Assumptions don't work, and "nice" to one person could mean horrible to another.

I know it is a bad situation, and you may have to swallow several hundred dollars as a loss, but you will surely learn from it, and the lesson is worth far, far more than the money lost. Consider it tuition. What you learn will earn you back the tuition and far more.

This reminds me of a commercial that used to air back in the '70's. Do you have enough pride in your work to put your name on it? The answer is obviously yes. And the pride to make an error right is rare in today's world.

RT

All true - what people are saying above.. You exhibit incredible customer service skills.... which is sadly quite lacking pretty much everywhere nowdays..


Bravo
Jeff

This attitude--serving the customer, providing good value--is one thing I love about our little mini-economy here. Value should come before profits. And if people are treated right, profits follow.

I think the SRP vendor community works the way things used to work 100 years ago. When the provider of a service is directly connected with those using the service, everyone is happier. It keeps vendors accountable--no hiding behind a "Great Wall of Lawyers" and avoiding responsibility. :)

Josh

I agree with all that was said before. I think most of us here not only appreciate but also expect old-style customer service, and are willing to support that with our money.

You are saying you didn't even notice the problem, which makes me think you intended for it to be perfectly(within 1/32"?, 1/64") parallel, but it didn't matter when it wasn't, as long as it was shaving great. And since the customer expected differently there was a problem. It was clearly a misunderstanding of the initial specifications which is easy to understand, as customers cannot provide the exact specifications of everything, especially if they also want an artistic element. Personally I'd considered it part of the made-by hand process, but clearly your customer thought differently. In the end though you've learned one more thing that you should communicate with the customers and which will improve your future commissions.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by karkarta

I know it is a bad situation, and you may have to swallow several hundred dollars as a loss

---

I don't think you need to take that much (or any) loss. If you list it for sale as it is I am sure that for somebody else this shape will be a plus, not a minus. All I am saying is that you didn't view the razor as imperfect and many others will share your view, so do not hesitate to offer it for sale.

So.

Um.

Does this mean that razor is back on the market?
(Where does this line start for possible buyers?)
:D

C utz

Considering Joe's enormous talent, I can only say that any 5/8, 6/8 or 7/8 or whatever width that he would make would have to be that same width across the blade and done beautifully. I wouldn't care if it was a Maestro, Zowada or a Robert or even a store bought, I would expect the same. If the blade was visably wider at one end, I know neither the maker or the customer would be satisified and keeping a razor like that would only be a sore over time. I definitely think Joe is doing the right thing. My hat goes off to the artist. Looks like it's sold to Chris in any case.......:)
:)
Lynn

Guys, all I can say is thank you. I didn't post this to elicit sympathy. Really, I guess I posted it to both warn about what can happen when making razors, and to state my philosophy of customer service. Not everything always goes to plan. I'm just really grateful for the patience of the buyer. After talking to him in greater detail, he was pleased with the razor, except for that one thing, and I think I can fix it anyway. The positive comments and reassurance just makes me love this hobby and this group more than ever, and makes me more determined than ever to live up to expectations (my own, more than anyone elses')

I'm just going to chip in here with a thumbs up. I've been in similar situations- albeit in IT consulting- where the client didn't get exactly what they wanted or perhaps I made a mistake in estimates. It usually ended up with huge losses, but I built a reputation that couldn't be bought. As a result, I have not had one dissatisfied client in quite a few years.

It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to know that I rub elbows with like-minded businessmen.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

I'm just going to chip in here with a thumbs up. I've been in similar situations- albeit in IT consulting- where the client didn't get exactly what they wanted or perhaps I made a mistake in estimates. It usually ended up with huge losses, but I built a reputation that couldn't be bought. As a result, I have not had one dissatisfied client in quite a few years.

It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to know that I rub elbows with like-minded businessmen.

---

Agreed 100%

It really is about reputation....and as Quick noted regarding IT...there may be some losses involved, but when a client turns to you over their own employees and asks if they are doing the right thing, it is a great feeling and that kind of trust cannot be purchased. It is customer service. Not happy, not right, not what you wanted? Let's make it right!

My hat's off to Joe...he understands what customer service is about...and that is something severely lacking in the US today. I remember good customer service and tell everyone I know...and I remember bad customer service and do the same.

:tu:tu:tu

Greg