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js475
03-13-2018, 11:25 PM
Hi everyone, new member here. I ordered a custom knife from Special Circumstances about a year ago, and I think I may have been scammed. I noticed there are members here who have this company's knives, so I figured I'd try posting here for help. Sorry if this isn't the right place for this kind of post. The owner initially gave an estimated completion time of a few months, but he stopped responding to any emails. I paid a 50% deposit up front, which is now gone. I checked their facebook page, and based on a few other comments it seems I am not the only one who this has happened to recently. Anyone here do business with this company that could provide any insight into what might be going on? Thanks.

WobblyPossum
03-14-2018, 05:32 AM
Hi everyone, new member here. I ordered a custom knife from Special Circumstances about a year ago, and I think I may have been scammed. I noticed there are members here who have this company's knives, so I figured I'd try posting here for help. Sorry if this isn't the right place for this kind of post. The owner initially gave an estimated completion time of a few months, but he stopped responding to any emails. I paid a 50% deposit up front, which is now gone. I checked their facebook page, and based on a few other comments it seems I am not the only one who this has happened to recently. Anyone here do business with this company that could provide any insight into what might be going on? Thanks.

The only recent thing I know of that might be going on is that it was recently revealed that carbon fiber will set off most metal detectors which left Special Circumstances and other “NPE” blade folks scrambling to figure out what to do.

Try sending an email that you’ll be contacting the better business bureau if you don’t get your merchandise or a refund.


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My posts only represent my opinion and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official policies of my employer. Obvious spelling errors are likely the result of an iPhone keyboard.

NerdAlert
03-14-2018, 05:46 AM
Hi everyone, new member here. I ordered a custom knife from Special Circumstances about a year ago, and I think I may have been scammed. I noticed there are members here who have this company's knives, so I figured I'd try posting here for help. Sorry if this isn't the right place for this kind of post. The owner initially gave an estimated completion time of a few months, but he stopped responding to any emails. I paid a 50% deposit up front, which is now gone. I checked their facebook page, and based on a few other comments it seems I am not the only one who this has happened to recently. Anyone here do business with this company that could provide any insight into what might be going on? Thanks.

I believe the owner is Ian Wendt, a member here and on total protection interactive. I don’t know how to tag him through tapatalk but he should be around on Facebook and Instagram as well.

Edit: out of curiosity I checked his Facebook page and found this
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180314/203e5f30ff2020f4bff3b8ddc29d237e.jpg

orionz06
03-14-2018, 06:40 AM
Ian is a good dude, not a scammer. Likely backed up, I have friends who have been waiting longer than expected as well but knives are going out.

js475
03-14-2018, 10:25 AM
Thanks for the replies guys. I ordered a knife back in March of last year. The last communication I got from Ian was in September, in which he said the knife would be done in a few weeks. I tried emailing him again multiple times in the November-December time frame, but he stopped responding. After 5-6 emails in 2 months with no response, I tried to get a refund through Google Wallet, but it was too late for their buyer protection. After that I just gave up and accepted this transaction as a loss.

Tom_Jones orionz06 Could either of you PM me a phone number or alternate contact for Ian? Since you guys are vouching for him, I would be willing to give him another chance.

Cookie Monster
03-14-2018, 10:37 AM
Ordering things like this or custom leather holsters or etc., you have to send in the money and just forget it ever happened. Then you are surprised when it shows up and you have not invested anytime in updates or wondering. I've been burned a couples times as well (to be clear never by Ian).

blues
03-14-2018, 10:42 AM
Ordering things like this or custom leather holsters or etc., you have to send in the money and just forget it ever happened. Then you are surprised when it shows up and you have not invested anytime in updates or wondering. I've been burned a couples times as well (to be clear never by Ian).

As a rule, "most" custom knife makers do not take money up front for orders. There are exceptions, of course, but the vast majority of custom makers I have dealt with over the last 25 years or so make contact when the knife is ready and ask for payment at that time, or, in some cases, upon your satisfaction with the work (depending on the maker or your rep in the "knife community").

The few times I've had issues with a maker generally were with makers that requested payment in advance.

This is in no way meant to impugn the integrity of the maker in this case. Tom and Tom's endorsement mean a lot to me. But I have also seen cases where even good guys have gone off the rails for one reason or another.

Just a data point from someone who was quite involved in the knife community for many years.

dontshakepandas
03-14-2018, 12:55 PM
I contacted him about a year ago wanting to buy something, but never heard anything back. I don't do facebook so I never tried that.

I did end up picking up one of the collaboration knives he did with Overwatch Precision and I love it. It would totally be worth waiting for, but based on the communication I've seen, I'd have a hard time paying any amount up front for something from him.

js475
03-14-2018, 01:03 PM
I contacted him about a year ago wanting to buy something, but never heard anything back. I don't do facebook so I never tried that.

I did end up picking up one of the collaboration knives he did with Overwatch Precision and I love it. It would totally be worth waiting for, but based on the communication I've seen, I'd have a hard time paying any amount up front for something from him.

He initially responded to my emails pretty quickly, but then all communication just stopped. I had heard good things about his knives, which is why I took the chance with a deposit. We'll see how this turns out, but I'm not very optimistic at this point.

SpyderMan2k4
03-14-2018, 03:32 PM
Ian is good to go. I ended up waiting about a year and a half for a knife of mine. His stuff is hand made and there's a hell of a demand for his knives. Those two things equate to long wait times... It's the nature of the beast.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

js475
03-14-2018, 05:01 PM
Ian is good to go. I ended up waiting about a year and a half for a knife of mine. His stuff is hand made and there's a hell of a demand for his knives. Those two things equate to long wait times... It's the nature of the beast.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I'm perfectly fine with waiting a long time for a quality custom knife, but he initially quoted a completion time of a few months. When he stopped communicating with me over half a year later, I had no choice but to assume I had been scammed out of my deposit. Did you only communicate with him via email, or do you know of a better way to reach him? If possible I'd like to get back in touch with him, since in my last email a few months ago I told him I'd be seeking out a refund if I didn't hear anything back.

Parf
03-14-2018, 06:01 PM
I'm coming up on my 2 year anniversary from when I placed my order for a Dominus push dagger from Ian. It's all good. He showed me the blank when it came back from water jet cutting last summer. His work is so nice, just let it ride. I am glad I went with Ti on this one as opposed to ceramic and CF like I got on my first piece of his work.

If you do back out, let me know so I can put a bid in for your knife. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180314/a7d8b6b138c249a14dcde8bddc8959d1.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180314/c225c2a6073b69e1327e42efe0aea11d.jpg

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

EVP
03-15-2018, 09:32 AM
Damn two years!


If your quoted a certain time for a product and that time is blown out, that’s just bad business.

On the other hand if a long wait it quoted and it is on time then that gtg in my book.

Kinda like when Milt Sparks quoted 18-20 weeks but it always came in that time frame usually right at 18.

HopetonBrown
03-15-2018, 02:59 PM
Sounds like the guy is a great knife maker and all round humanitarian, but awful with communication and predicting lead times.

js475
03-20-2018, 10:05 PM
After seeing people here vouch for Ian, I tried reaching out to him again, but still no response. As of now I'm out a few hundred dollars with no indication that I'll actually get what I paid for. Buyer beware with this company. I'll post any updates if the situation changes.

SLUZENE
03-25-2018, 02:46 AM
Sounds like the guy is a great knife maker and all round humanitarian, but awful with communication and predicting lead times.

My same experiece. I did eventually get what I ordered, well out of lead time and after a lot of time consuming work to re-find him and get a response. I received an explanation from him and I understand shit happens. During my experience some of his communication issues seemed tech/tech skill related.

But if a few people are starting to mention these issues, I start to see red flags.

His work is excellent and innovative and I've spent time with him in person. He's good company and I'm glad to hear whatever happened that prompted that facebook post went his way. I have decided not to purchase anything else unless he comes up with another way to buy such as a credit card on an already made item. That's unfortunate likely more for me than it is him due to his popularity. I don't think his intentenions are nefarious though, but the end result is the same for people having trouble after sending funds.

Tensaw
03-25-2018, 06:13 AM
Failing to hit deadlines seems to be common with artist-types. At one point I had developed a bit of a friendship with a fairly well known knife maker (known for long lead times), to the degree that we spoke several times by phone about non-knife related things. I finally put together funds for one of his pretty expensive blades (~$600) and got in the que. After a year or so of not hearing anything about the knife, I hit him up as to the status. He never really said it, but he had no idea that he owed me a knife. He ended up getting it to me several weeks later. Not a crook, but a horrible record-keeper.

Growing up I had a very good friend who was an outstanding machinist and mechanic - again, a sort of artist in the metal arts. That joker was *never* on time - for anything.

I think with some of these guys, you just have to (somewhat respectfully) keep after them. Yup, shouldn't be that way, but there you go.

SpyderMan2k4
03-25-2018, 09:15 AM
I consider Ian a friend and an outstanding knife maker. I understand missing deadlines, though at some point I'd think adjustment would be made to reflect more accurate time frames. I personally do my best to stay on top of communication, and I don't have a clue as to why he wouldn't do the same. It could be a variety of reasons, but I agree that after a point, silence is a problem.

That being said, regardless of any shortcomings, accusing him of scamming makes my blood boil. By all means, state "buyer beware that communication can be spotty and you may wait longer than quoted" but I've got a problem with "buyer beware, he's a scammer."

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

blues
03-25-2018, 09:33 AM
I consider Ian a friend and an outstanding knife maker. I understand missing deadlines, though at some point I'd think adjustment would be made to reflect more accurate time frames. I personally do my best to stay on top of communication, and I don't have a clue as to why he wouldn't do the same. It could be a variety of reasons, but I agree that after a point, silence is a problem.

That being said, regardless of any shortcomings, accusing him of scamming makes my blood boil. By all means, state "buyer beware that communication can be spotty and you may wait longer than quoted" but I've got a problem with "buyer beware, he's a scammer."

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Unfortunately, this is a problem which is exacerbated when makers take money upfront and then fail to deliver in a timely fashion and compound the issue with a lack of communication.

In such circumstances, assuming the maker is not deceased or otherwise incapacitated, I think the best solution would be to respond to those who are uncomfortable with the added wait time and lack of communication by offering them a prompt refund if that is their wish.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, the fact that folks I respect have vouched for this particular maker, (who I am personally unfamiliar with by name and work), speaks volumes in his favor...but as I also mentioned, after being involved with some of the best names in the custom knife industry for over a quarter century, I can also attest to the fact that the relatively few times I've had issues with makers has primarily been with those who asked for payment up front.

In the end, a man is only as good as his word...and a promise is a promise, and a debt a debt. The money is not really his until the customer has been satisfied.

js475
03-25-2018, 10:50 AM
I consider Ian a friend and an outstanding knife maker. I understand missing deadlines, though at some point I'd think adjustment would be made to reflect more accurate time frames. I personally do my best to stay on top of communication, and I don't have a clue as to why he wouldn't do the same. It could be a variety of reasons, but I agree that after a point, silence is a problem.

That being said, regardless of any shortcomings, accusing him of scamming makes my blood boil. By all means, state "buyer beware that communication can be spotty and you may wait longer than quoted" but I've got a problem with "buyer beware, he's a scammer."

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I'm not trying to imply that Ian is a bad person or has nefarious intentions. Regardless of how many people vouch for him though, I can only speak from my personal experience. Half a dozen unanswered emails over the period of months is completely unacceptable for any business, not to mention one to whom I've already paid hundreds of dollars for an item that is long overdue.

I understand he may have run into issues, but it would be perfectly okay with me if he had just sent a quick update saying something like "Hey, I've run into some business/personal/family issues that will delay the production of your knife". What I don't appreciate is complete silence. Even if he's a great guy who makes the best knives in the world, he still needs to communicate with his customers if he wants to run a successful business.

If you have any better suggestions on how I could reach him, I'd still prefer to resolve this with him directly rather than posting back and forth here.

js475
03-25-2018, 10:57 AM
My same experiece. I did eventually get what I ordered, well out of lead time and after a lot of time consuming work to re-find him and get a response. I received an explanation from him and I understand shit happens. During my experience some of his communication issues seemed tech/tech skill related.

But if a few people are starting to mention these issues, I start to see red flags.

His work is excellent and innovative and I've spent time with him in person. He's good company and I'm glad to hear whatever happened that prompted that facebook post went his way. I have decided not to purchase anything else unless he comes up with another way to buy such as a credit card on an already made item. That's unfortunate likely more for me than it is him due to his popularity. I don't think his intentenions are nefarious though, but the end result is the same for people having trouble after sending funds.

How did you eventually reach him? Did you just keep sending him emails/Facebook messages until he responded? I don't see how he hasn't checked his email in the last 5 months unless that email address has been deactivated. Facebook says he hasn't read my messages. He hasn't posted anything on his page for almost a year, so I'm not sure if he still uses it.

js475
03-25-2018, 11:12 AM
If this is directed at me, I'm sorry. I've never really been involved with forums, so "forum etiquette" is still new to me. I just want to get this whole situation resolved as respectfully as possible.

SLUZENE
03-25-2018, 03:37 PM
How did you eventually reach him? Did you just keep sending him emails/Facebook messages until he responded? I don't see how he hasn't checked his email in the last 5 months unless that email address has been deactivated. Facebook says he hasn't read my messages. He hasn't posted anything on his page for almost a year, so I'm not sure if he still uses it.

He had more than one gmail account at the time. After trying him on his public one specialcircumstancesinc@gmail.com, I filed a dispute on the platform I paid with. However, I do not mean to imply the dispute that was what alterted/prompted him. Between the payment dispute, a few other things and digging up his personal (?) email, which I do not feel right in posting, I was able to get a reply from his personal (?) email and he made things right.

ubervic
03-25-2018, 03:54 PM
I’m not waiting a year for anything, much less after paying and getting zero communication.

I appreciate those who close books and refuse to accept new orders while filling standing orders.

Just me, and my standards do not necessarily apply to others. Peace.

js475
03-25-2018, 04:26 PM
He had more than one gmail account at the time. After trying him on his public one specialcircumstancesinc@gmail.com, I filed a dispute on the platform I paid with. However, I do not mean to imply the dispute that was what alterted/prompted him. Between the payment dispute, a few other things and digging up his personal (?) email, which I do not feel right in posting, I was able to get a reply from his personal (?) email and he made things right.

That's the email I've been trying to contact him on with no luck. Would you feel comfortable sending me a PM with the other email you used? If that's not allowed either then please disregard.

orionz06
06-25-2018, 06:51 PM
FYI, a friend waiting for some time just got his items last week.


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JohnK
08-29-2018, 09:47 AM
Welp, count me in as one of the people that paid up front (in Dec. 2016) and hasn't received a response, refund, or product. I wanted to wait and give benefit of the doubt. But having just come across this thread, I guess I should kiss the $$ goodbye. That burns.

GNRPowdeR
08-29-2018, 09:53 AM
Welp, count me in as one of the people that paid up front (in Dec. 2016) and hasn't received a response, refund, or product. I wanted to wait and give benefit of the doubt. But having just come across this thread, I guess I should kiss the $$ goodbye. That burns.Having spoken at length with Ian, I believe that he is / will make things right. Having some mutual friends, I don't doubt his integrity... I've got one of his blades and have been waiting for a while on a different design, too.

We waited for the SCD... Give Ian some time to get family / life in a better direction and I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

orionz06
08-29-2018, 11:55 AM
FWIW, three friends have had similar stories and at least two have received their products. The third I believe has as well as they've stopped discussing it in a group chat. That doesn't help the communication issues but it's still a net positive.

BigD
08-29-2018, 03:32 PM
The "good, bad and ugly" subforum at Bladeforums is full of reports of knifemakers that had a little success (probably doing it part-time) that started taking money up front for knives and then disappeared.

Or stopped communication with people that had paid up front but still sold new knives on Instagram.

I think "good dudes" do bad things because:

(1) the temptation to put off making already paid-for-knives is too great when you can make knives to sell immediately for new cash flow.

(2) there's a big difference between part-time knife making when you can take your time and make everything perfect, and being a full-time knife maker and trying to make batches of knives in a hurry.

No knife is so special to me that I need to pay the maker up front.

blues
08-29-2018, 03:38 PM
The "good, bad and ugly" subforum at Bladeforums is full of reports of knifemakers that had a little success (probably doing it part-time) that started taking money up front for knives and then disappeared.

Or stopped communication with people that had paid up front but still sold new knives on Instagram.

I think "good dudes" do bad things because:

(1) the temptation to put off making already paid-for-knives is too great when you can make knives to sell immediately for new cash flow.

(2) there's a big difference between part-time knife making when you can take your time and make everything perfect, and being a full-time knife maker and trying to make batches of knives in a hurry.

No knife is so special to me that I need to pay the maker up front.

I've had to ban a handful over the years. Not many, considering how many I've known personally or via the forum over the years, but it's never a good feeling when someone dirties up your community. (And I am not, for the record, suggesting that is the case in the present thread.)

I agree that paying up front is generally a bad idea. The couple of times I've done so, (that come to mind), both ended badly. (But I was made whole in each instance after a bit of arm twisting.)

BigD
08-29-2018, 10:52 PM
One last thing, it would appear that taking money up front is hazardous to a knife maker’s health. You wouldn’t believe how many of them are struck by some calamity, illness, or undisclosed family emergency that apparently precludes them from making knives or responding to emails for long periods of time.

I don’t know Ian from Adam. Maybe there’s a good explanation.

Alright, I’ve gone on enough. . I hope everyone gets their knife or money.

orionz06
08-30-2018, 06:50 AM
At least speaking for the good folks that doing, having been there myself, it's very easy to take the money, get slammed, and truly get yourself worked up and actually have issues. It is too common though for knife makers to wind up having some super odd underlying shit all the time.

Joe S
08-30-2018, 07:41 AM
It is too common though for knife makers to wind up having some super odd underlying shit all the time.

I think the same is true for a lot of creative folks of any stripe. I worked and managed people in a technical/scientific environment for years before ending up doing the same in a creative/artistic environment now. The amount of work flow organization, time management and even critical thinking skills that a lot of "artists/creators" display wouldn't fly in an undergraduate chemistry laboratory; at best, you'd have bungled tests, at worst, you'd have chemical burns and explosions.

In my experience, it carries over to a lot of their lives. (Not saying this is true of Ian in specific, I've seen it across the board in music, fine arts, knives, clothing, etc.)

Kirk
08-30-2018, 08:01 PM
I was close to being in this group. I sent him a message last year to buy a knife and he stopped responding. Luckily I didn't complete the transaction, waiting 2 years for anything isn't my forte lol. Especially with the lack of communication. Glad he updated everyone. By all accounts of the people I talk to, he's a great dude. Sucks because I really wanted on his knives, they are top flight.

JohnK
09-28-2018, 02:02 PM
It appears a batch of 20 Maleficus blades made it to overwatch precision and are the "final 20" to ever be made...

dontshakepandas
09-28-2018, 02:22 PM
It appears a batch of 20 Maleficus blades made it to overwatch precision and are the "final 20" to ever be made...

These are the final 20 Overwatch Precision versions to ever be made. I wouldn't take that to mean he won't be fulfilling other direct orders that have already been paid for.

orionz06
09-28-2018, 02:49 PM
These are the final 20 Overwatch Precision versions to ever be made. I wouldn't take that to mean he won't be fulfilling other direct orders that have already been paid for.

Also worth noting that these were in the works for some time.


Folks who've had orders in are still getting knives.

js475
09-28-2018, 03:44 PM
It's good to see he has still been making knives, which makes it even stranger that he hasn't replied to any emails or FB messages in over a year. I'm now at 18 months from when I placed my order with him. Maybe I'll get it in 6 months around the 2 year mark? Not sure what to think at this point.

GNRPowdeR
09-28-2018, 04:49 PM
I was planning on getting one of his Malificous blades down the road, but knowing his situation I bought one from Overwatch...

He has been fulfilling his commitments while juggling his new life issues. I have faith that he will continue to work to make things right...

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

orionz06
09-28-2018, 04:56 PM
I was planning on getting one of his Malificous blades down the road, but knowing his situation I bought one from Overwatch...

He has been fulfilling his commitments while juggling his new life issues. I have faith that he will continue to work to make things right...

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

I own three or four CF/Ti blades from Ian and have one of the OWP/SCI versions as well. I'd be pleased as hell with the OWP version if I were you. The laminates are cool but the plain Ti blade just seems better. To me it's something I'm less afraid to work with.


I'd like to do a similar run of a different blade in the same manner that OWP did. For what it's worth, Ian pushed it away in order to finish the stuff he has now.

GNRPowdeR
09-28-2018, 05:04 PM
I own three or four CF/Ti blades from Ian and have one of the OWP/SCI versions as well. I'd be pleased as hell with the OWP version if I were you. The laminates are cool but the plain Ti blade just seems better. To me it's something I'm less afraid to work with.


I'd like to do a similar run of a different blade in the same manner that OWP did. For what it's worth, Ian pushed it away in order to finish the stuff he has now.I own one of his CF/Ti blades and am waiting for a CF/C PD. I was introduced to his work @ a Rangemaster IDC and it was love at first sight... LoL

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