Red Loctite - An Official Statement from Spyderco

[nwiggins73]

Thank you Spyderco for hearing your customers and making the changes that make us all very happy. You've proven to be a customer friendly company and along with some of the absolute best knives, the warranty change is awesome! Thanks again...

[bearfacedkiller]

While there may have been some confusion the truth is that the warranty has never changed. They have a policy in place to protect themselves but in practice they are very understanding and reasonable. Why is this so hard to understand? I think some people have to have it black and white but I have seen objective things be unfair enough times in my life that I am perfectly fine with Spyderco using their discretion on it. I have had a knife sent in more than once and Spyderco has always taken good care of me even though every knife I have sent in had been disassembled.

Sadly I fear that people are going to interpret this re explanation of the policy as permission to disassemble and that folks are gonna go back to doing it and claiming they didn't, again putting Spyderco in a tough situation. So the yo yo cycle continues.... :rolleyes:

None of this is hard to understand yet even the official statement from Spyderco is already being misinterpreted. :confused: To be clear, if you take your knife apart you are still taking the risk of voiding your warranty if they feel you caused any issues with the knife and that is at THEIR SOLE DISCRETION. Of course, they are reasonable people so approach them openly and honestly and remember that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar and you should be ok.

[adamlau]

@ejames13: Disassembly voids the warranty if disassembly can be attributed to the reason why warranty work was requested (e.g. the knife was reassembled without washers and was returned to Spyderco due to excessive blade play). Techs can make the call because Spyderco is cool like that :) . Moreover, their experience alows them insight into what is reasonable and unreasonable in terms of time/cost/effort for both them and the customer. Just last month, an old client called and asked me to take a look at a leak which had developed in a shower stall. I determined that the cartridge needed to be replaced. Over four years had passed since job completion and I was not obligated in any way under CA law to perform the repair (not a latent structural defect). But I had a spare cartridge and replaced the faulty unit for free. Now had there been additional repairs requested with a potential increase in time/cost/effort, I would have supplied the client with an estimate/invoice. Not the best analogy, but similar in spirit.

[Fred Sanford]

As always....Spyderco is badass. Thanks for letting us know!

[FCM415]

Maybe some of the people who DON'T understand the warranty just DOESN'T want to understand it fully and in context.

If you really care to know and need clarification, a little extra reading on the forums AVAILABLE FOR YEARS NOW will tell you what you need to know. Yet I still see random posts talking about warranty. Coverage may not be as comprehensive as other brands but I think there are some forum guys out there (I said some) who want Spyderco's warranty HOW THEY WANT IT TO BE, so they can have a negative talking point ready to go on the forums.

[mrtodd777]

Truth be told, our Warranty Repair technicians receive knives that have been disassembled all the time. In most cases, the knives have been reassembled with proper attention to detail so as not to compromise the proper mechanical function of the knife. If that's the case and one of the parts fails because of a defect in materials or workmanship, they exercise their discretion to repair or replace it at no charge as if the warranty were still in full force. Because the warranty is technically void, they are not OBLIGATED to honor it, but CHOOSE to.

Does the warranty remain in effect or are you choosing to honor it?

Please note that I purposely used the word "CHOOSE" and put it in all caps to emphasize it.

Stay safe,

Mike

Hi Michael, not trying to beat a dead horse, but I guess I will anyway just to keep this thread alive for no other reason than to amuse myself...
So which is it? Does disassembly void the warranty or not? If it does not, then why do the techs have the choice as to whether or not they honor it?

fixed it for ya!

[Squawk]

Great stuff. Bravo!

[ejames13]

Truth be told, our Warranty Repair technicians receive knives that have been disassembled all the time. In most cases, the knives have been reassembled with proper attention to detail so as not to compromise the proper mechanical function of the knife. If that's the case and one of the parts fails because of a defect in materials or workmanship, they exercise their discretion to repair or replace it at no charge as if the warranty were still in full force. Because the warranty is technically void, they are not OBLIGATED to honor it, but CHOOSE to.

Does the warranty remain in effect or are you choosing to honor it?

Please note that I purposely used the word "CHOOSE" and put it in all caps to emphasize it.

Stay safe,

Mike

Hi Michael, not trying to beat a dead horse, but I guess I will anyway just to keep this thread alive for no other reason than to amuse myself...
So which is it? Does disassembly void the warranty or not? If it does not, then why do the techs have the choice as to whether or not they honor it?

fixed it for ya!

Not amusing myself, just trying to get a clear answer on what seems like contradictory statements.

[Michael Janich]

In my original post, I expressed the recent change to Spyderco's warranty policy as follows:

Spyderco stands behind the original materials and workmanship of our products. If a customer disassembles one of our knives and reassembles properly so its adjustment and operation are consistent with original factory specifications, the knife’s warranty remains in effect. If, however, a knife is disassembled and reassembled improperly, the proper operation of the knife and its component parts could easily be compromised. That would void the knife’s warranty.

Similarly, any alterations to a Spyderco knife or replacement of parts with non-Spyderco components could adversely affect the proper functioning of the knife and void the warranty. As always, we will try to give every Spyderco customer the benefit of the doubt when considering warranty claims; however, the determination as to whether a knife was “properly” reassembled is at our sole discretion and will be made on a case-by-case basis. If a knife has been customized through the addition of non-mechanical parts (such as aftermarket scales), Spyderco may still choose to warrant the materials and workmanship of the original Spyderco components of the knife, provided the alteration and reassembly did not compromise their proper function.

We are currently in the process of refining the official wording of our warranty to make it clearer and address changes in the industry like aftermarket accessories. Our complete warranty policy, as expressed on our web site, will always remain the official reference for the most up-to-date terms of our warranty coverage.

Later, in response to Deacon's question, I explained how things have been done in recent years. Since that was a reference to past actions, it is obviously different than the new policy. To put that explanation in clearer context, here it is again with all references explained in past tense:

Truth be told, our Warranty Repair technicians receive knives that have been disassembled all the time. In most cases, the knives have been reassembled with proper attention to detail so as not to compromise the proper mechanical function of the knife. If that was the case and one of the parts failed because of a defect in materials or workmanship, they exercised their discretion to repair or replace it at no charge as if the warranty were still in full force. Because the warranty was technically void, they were not OBLIGATED to honor it, but CHOSE to.

Conversely, when they received a bag containing most of the parts to a Spyderco knife and a nasty note claiming the knife "fell apart" in the customer's pocket, they were once again free to use their discretion. In that case, they understandably adhered strictly to the letter of the stated policy.

Again, the first section is what's really important, as it addresses our policy moving forward and the changes we have made in response to our customers' feedback. In answer to the question, "Which is it?" it's that.

As noted in that section, we will be amending the wording of our stated policy on our web site to reflect the recent changes. I am working on that now. It will then be reviewed by our Management Team and, when it's right, we'll post the change. Later, the revised policy will also be incorporated into future catalogs, product information guides, and other printed materials.

Stay safe,

Mike

[jalcon]

Michael, you don't really owe anyone else an explanation... I think its all pretty crystal clear now and has been beaten into submission. Some people just prefer to live with their pitchforks out, lol.

[ejames13]

In my original post, I expressed the recent change to Spyderco's warranty policy as follows:

Spyderco stands behind the original materials and workmanship of our products. If a customer disassembles one of our knives and reassembles properly so its adjustment and operation are consistent with original factory specifications, the knife’s warranty remains in effect. If, however, a knife is disassembled and reassembled improperly, the proper operation of the knife and its component parts could easily be compromised. That would void the knife’s warranty.

Similarly, any alterations to a Spyderco knife or replacement of parts with non-Spyderco components could adversely affect the proper functioning of the knife and void the warranty. As always, we will try to give every Spyderco customer the benefit of the doubt when considering warranty claims; however, the determination as to whether a knife was “properly” reassembled is at our sole discretion and will be made on a case-by-case basis. If a knife has been customized through the addition of non-mechanical parts (such as aftermarket scales), Spyderco may still choose to warrant the materials and workmanship of the original Spyderco components of the knife, provided the alteration and reassembly did not compromise their proper function.

We are currently in the process of refining the official wording of our warranty to make it clearer and address changes in the industry like aftermarket accessories. Our complete warranty policy, as expressed on our web site, will always remain the official reference for the most up-to-date terms of our warranty coverage.

Later, in response to Deacon's question, I explained how things have been done in recent years. Since that was a reference to past actions, it is obviously different than the new policy. To put that explanation in clearer context, here it is again with all references explained in past tense:

Truth be told, our Warranty Repair technicians receive knives that have been disassembled all the time. In most cases, the knives have been reassembled with proper attention to detail so as not to compromise the proper mechanical function of the knife. If that was the case and one of the parts failed because of a defect in materials or workmanship, they exercised their discretion to repair or replace it at no charge as if the warranty were still in full force. Because the warranty was technically void, they were not OBLIGATED to honor it, but CHOSE to.

Conversely, when they received a bag containing most of the parts to a Spyderco knife and a nasty note claiming the knife "fell apart" in the customer's pocket, they were once again free to use their discretion. In that case, they understandably adhered strictly to the letter of the stated policy.

Again, the first section is what's really important, as it addresses our policy moving forward and the changes we have made in response to our customers' feedback. In answer to the question, "Which is it?" it's that.

As noted in that section, we will be amending the wording of our stated policy on our web site to reflect the recent changes. I am working on that now. It will then be reviewed by our Management Team and, when it's right, we'll post the change. Later, the revised policy will also be incorporated into future catalogs, product information guides, and other printed materials.

Stay safe,

Mike

Thanks very much. I appreciate the thorough clarification.

[harronek]

Thumbs up to Spyderco for this .
I'm sure this will pacify the small group of worried owners who this may apply to .

I would like to add this though .
I live on the otherside of the world in Australia so Spydercos Warranty means diddly fiddly to me and everyone else who doesnt live in North America ( just want to clarify , all of my Spydercos I have imported myself , Australia does have an official importer who Im sure would standby any Warranty problems , I just refuse to pay the massively overpriced amounts of money they demand for knives I can purchase for half the price dirrect from America ).
The cost and trouble of returning a knife for Warranty work makes it unviable for all but the most expensive models .
I own many Spydercos and all were purchased with the understanding of " I get what I get , and I dont get upset " if somehing is wrong with it .
Luckily Ive yet to get a dud , so that is why I continue to purchase Spydercos .
Also all but two of my Spydercos have been dismantled at some time and I have never had an issue with the screws .
I have the correct tools , mechanical knowledge , and a brain .

Ken

[gastonian]

Every time a new "controversy" comes up, I am always impressed with the way the crew at Spyderco responds. Never stooping down to name calling or any other belittling comments.

Thanks Spyderco for being such a class act!!! :spyder:

[Bill1170]

Every time a new "controversy" comes up, I am always impressed with the way the crew at Spyderco responds. Never stooping down to name calling or any other belittling comments.

Thanks Spyderco for being such a class act!!! :spyder:

Yep. Classy is as classy does.

[FCM415]

Every time a new "controversy" comes up, I am always impressed with the way the crew at Spyderco responds. Never stooping down to name calling or any other belittling comments.

Thanks Spyderco for being such a class act!!! :spyder:

I've seen other brands act as if they are too big to respond to suggestions/complaints. Seen a brands' top brass have nervous breakdowns in forums over spilled milk...

Then I see Spyderco engage with us and try to keep their business as fair as possible for everyone. I really appreciate them even just for explaining things that companies tend not to.

[brj]

Cool, thank you Spyderco for taking the high road (yet again).

I think past statements posted by Spyderco's reps should be taken with a grain of salt and considered in the context, since we don't really know what was happening behind the scenes when these comments were posted on the forum. I don't know what triggered Kristi's post, but seeing that MJ's comment is directed towards Vassili / Nozh2002 (a guy mostly driven by good intentions but inflexible, petulant & self-absorbed most of the time) I wouldn't blame Mike one bit if his wording came out harsher than the official warranty statement, due to said context.

[anagarika]

Cool, thank you Spyderco for taking the high road (yet again).

I think past statements posted by Spyderco's reps should be taken with a grain of salt and considered in the context, since we don't really know what was happening behind the scenes when these comments were posted on the forum. I don't know what triggered Kristi's post, but seeing that MJ's comment is directed towards Vassili / Nozh2002 (a guy mostly driven by good intentions but inflexible, petulant & self-absorbed most of the time) I wouldn't blame Mike one bit if his wording came out harsher than the official warranty statement, due to said context.

Exactly why I don't think Kristi or Mike past interpretation to the policy makes them 'tuck their tail'. Understanding how Sal engages the team, there must be discussions and some issues they need to address (like Mike mentioned Endura FFG with colors).

Any reasonable company that stands behind the product will say: 'our mistake, we fix it. Customer mistake, we fix it with charges. Anything else, case by case.'
Why the wording becomes so complicated is beyond me, but that's how I see Sal and Spyderco does thing so far from the engagement, feedback (good & bad). They're among the most reasonable (and a lot if times beyond) ones.

[Errorface]

Thank you Spyderco for hearing your customers but honestly I almost went to sleep after a 4th line of reading the announcement :)

[qazy]

Well done! It's always nice to see a company listening to their customers.
Science bless Spyderco.

[elqfaltaba]

Well done Spyderco.

Thanks.