Spyderco Internet Scam

[El Comanche]

Hey y'all, just wanted to let you know about a company that takes your money and never sends you your knife. I ordered a white endura from greatknivesgreatprices.com with ups 2 day air on October 9th. After never receiving a tracking #(and still never receiving the knife). I have emailed 4 times with no reply and tried at least 6 times to call with only a voice mail box that is full. I finally called my bank today to get my money back.
Has anyone else had a problem with these guys? Just thought I'd give a heads up as I'm sure many of you order online. Also, if this is against any forum rules, let me know, I didn't see anything that said this would be restricted. Thanks- E

[RIOT]

never heard of those guys, thanks for the info and im glad you got your $$ back

im a paranoid person when it comes to internet buying, my one peice of advise is to never fill out info over the web and if they offer a number to call, call it !! and place your order by phone and get a tracking number with a confirmation number aswell

i like www.knivecenter.com for all new items, i have never had a problem and talking to them is pleasant

if they do not offer a number to call I DONT BUY and if i were to call and the voicemail is full i wouldnt buy also

gald you got your money back, youre lucky

[cyberspyder]

B&M stores are still the most reliable, but most of the time, online retailers offer cheaper price.

[spyderHS08]

newgraham and knives plus. always great for me. and both i can order by phone.
thanks for the heads up tho

[ozspyder]

GreatKnivesGreatPrices.... yeah !!!!

Stay away from them. I have had similarly bad experiences with them. I prefer to give my business to someone else. Little did he know how much I do buy especially Spyderco products. It's a lesson to be learnt. Not like it's rocket science. Treat each and every customer with respect and honesty. Mistakes happen, but an open door policy and treat others as you would like to be treated and customers will always go the extra mile to recommend you and buy COPIOUS amounts of stuff from you :D

(tangent story: My Dad and I came from New Zealand to Australia in the height of summer. I was a University student with little money, my Dad was dressed like a dag (Aussie slang for.... not so cool looking :p). We wanted to buy 2 second hand cars. Car dealer was racist and was closing doors on the cars as we were inspecting them... I mean whilst we are looking in the car itself !. We were insulted, but kept our cool and walked away. Went to the dealership next door and bought 1 brand new car, and 1 second hand car - with CASH !!!!! :D Drove past to say hello to the dealer :D We had just sold our home and most assets in NZ to migrate to Australia. Ended up buying lots of stuff with cash, and only dealt with people who helped us and were courteous to us even if we were sweating like pigs and dressed like hobos.

GreatKnivesGreatPrices as far as I know are drop-shipping, and seldom have the stock they advertise, and also they plain lie to you about the deals which you have already paid for. Stay well clear. I have learnt my lesson. Others have as well. I believe there was a massive email newsletter that was sent out by them to all his customer base a few months ago. He forgot to use BCC: but used CC: instead. So everyone was sending emails to his whole customer database telling each other of how much of a crook he is. I didn't do that, but it was not so funny to see the amount of people that really hated him.

[Bluntrauma]

I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I picked up a delica from him almost a year ago and other than the shipping being a bit slow I got my knife. Seems that people are burning up the internet talking about this guy. Here is a link to a huge thread about the people he has scammed. If it's not okay to post this link please remove. I just think it fair that everyone gets a chance to read this mess. I'm sorry for anyone that has been ripped off by this individual.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=538835

[JD Spydo]

newgraham and knives plus. always great for me. and both i can order by phone.
thanks for the heads up tho

With good knife sellers like New Graham and One Stop Knife Shop I have no need to even go anywhere else. I would have to have a lot of recommendations to even think of trying some of these other obscure websites.

When you get on a website and they have Spyders that have been discontinued for some time and they offer them at very fair prices you better run the other way as fast as you can. It's like the old buyer beware slogan that's been around for some time>>> "If it seems too good to be true then it probably is"

[The Deacon]

Understand your annoyance with this seller. Not sure what, other than the fact it was an Endura you ordered, makes you call it a "Spyderco Internet Scam". Would bet the same thing may have happened if you ordered one of any of the other brands those folks clamin to sell. The seller's business practices have nothing to do with any particular brand, all knife buyers need to beware equally.

As for scam avoidance, I agree with everyone else who has replied to this. It is well worth the few dollars more you may pay to deal with one of the many reputable sources available. I would only add that, even when dealing with totally reliable dealers, it pays to make sure an item is in stock before electing to pay extra for expedited shipping. Even if the dealer is diligent and ships it to you the same day he receives it, having something shipped "next day air" or "two day air" three weeks from now is rarely cost effective.

[kankryb]

A year ago I didn´t get what I paid for at the same place ( 5 plastic coldsteel´s) but it happens.:mad:

[Morales]

I bought a knife this shop on ebay some months, but it was a Boker not a Spyderco. He sent me the serrated version, but I had ought the PE-version. I emailed him, returning the knife would be ok...and I almost did it. Then outta nowhere I decided to take a look on the GBU on bladeforums and found the thread Bluntrauma has posted. I felt like a quite lucky bastard...

The history of the shop changes depending on where you find it (highschool project, grandpa started business in 60s etc.) and there are a LOT of pissed-off customers. He pretends to make things right but it looks like this going nowhere. Sad to hear that he's still ripping off people.

[philthygeezer]

I just read the thread on bladeforums and checked out his websites where he appears to lie about his company's history:

http://www.greatknivesgreatprices.com/servlet/the-template/about/Page
http://www.bladebid.com/asp/storecatalog.asp?userid=904&aboutstore=1

The evidence seems to point to a man who will say anything to separate people from money without compensation or avoid responsibilty for doing it the right way. This guy looks like a piece of work. Many have already been ripped off. IMO keep your money far away from Andrew Kunz.

[El Comanche]

Thanks for all your replies and recommendations guys. I will heed your advice- E

[bikerdoc]

I get great prices and service from bladematrix

[Shenmue728]

The first spyder i got was from this guy. I ordered a Serrated Scorpius and i got the plain edge. Called and emailed and got nothing in return.

bad business.

[DRod]

NGK and SpydieGuys are my two choices.
NGK uses UPS which I love and SG lives less than an hour away so I pay for ground shipping and still get it over night most of the time. :)

[type00rev]

Hey y'all, just wanted to let you know about a company that takes your money and never sends you your knife. I ordered a white endura from greatknivesgreatprices.com with ups 2 day air on October 9th. After never receiving a tracking #(and still never receiving the knife). I have emailed 4 times with no reply and tried at least 6 times to call with only a voice mail box that is full. I finally called my bank today to get my money back.
Has anyone else had a problem with these guys? Just thought I'd give a heads up as I'm sure many of you order online. Also, if this is against any forum rules, let me know, I didn't see anything that said this would be restricted. Thanks- E

El Comanche,

I'm sorry that you have fallen victim to this guy. He has a notorious reputation, and has victimized countless knife buyers on many forums and auction sites. Please check the link I've posted below, and follow up with law enforcement with all of your documentation. This guy needs to be stopped....he gives our community a bad name.

People.....please research before buying from online retailers, especially those who you haven't dealt with previously.

GreatKnivesGreatPrices aka Andrew Kunz (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=538835)

[spyderskin]

Man this guy has a horrible reputation, on Blade forums he is a criminal...lol
I ordered a Microtech Ultratech 8 from him, and after I ordered I seen all the terrible feedback he has. I was thinking I just give him 250 bucks for nothing...By the grace of God I recieved my MTUT8 within a week of ordering... I hate it for all the folks he has done wrong...

[TazKristi]

I would strongly recommend that anyone who has had an issue with the sites mentioned belonging to Andrew Kunz file a complaint with the FBI's IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center). You can find it here http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.

The more people who file a complaint, the better. If you really want to see him stopped, report him to the appropriate authorities.

Kristi

[DRod]

Thats good to know. I haven't had any dealings with the guy but its good to know who to report his kind of buisness too. Thanks.

[wescobts]

Although I have not ordered from them, a friends from work gets knives pretty regularly from crocblades and has had no issues to speak of.

[jag-engr]

GreatKnivesGreatPrices as far as I know are drop-shipping, and seldom have the stock they advertise, and also they plain lie to you about the deals which you have already paid for. Stay well clear. I have learnt my lesson. Others have as well.

Yep, I'm one of those. The site is managed by Andrew Kunz who is, of all things, a business studentthere in Florida. I don't know that he has a single knife in stock. I think he prices his knives based on what he thinks they will cost him and if he can't get them in or they cost more he just doesn't deliver.




I believe there was a massive email newsletter that was sent out by them to all his customer base a few months ago. He forgot to use BCC: but used CC: instead. So everyone was sending emails to his whole customer database telling each other of how much of a crook he is. I didn't do that, but it was not so funny to see the amount of people that really hated him.

It was interesting reading, but I have been bombarded with "male enhancement" SPAM ever since that email. I filed a complaint with the Tampa Better Business Bureau regarding his illegally distributing email addresses (He never had my permission to send me a newsletter).

For any one who needs to contact the BBB, you can email them at complaints@bbbwestflorida.org, but I they did not reply to my email in any way.

If filing a complaint, here's Andrew's info:

Andrew Kunz
15019 Arbor Reserve Circle Unit 208
Tampa, Florida 36624
(850) 227-6350 - mobile phone




I would strongly recommend that anyone who has had an issue with the sites mentioned belonging to Andrew Kunz file a complaint with the FBI's IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center). You can find it here http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.

The more people who file a complaint, the better. If you really want to see him stopped, report him to the appropriate authorities.

Kristi

Will do, Kristi.

[bacidath]

my wife ordered a captain from him on the 7th of dec as a christmas gift for me.. still no knife. doenst respond to emails or calls but i got him to respond to txt messages today. said i'll have my money back monday...lets hope so.

[Crowbar1]

Hey Guys
I don't want to leave Roger at KnifeWorks out
they have been great to me with quick shipping and prices.
Super nice on the phone as well.
http://www.knifeworks.com/

[spyker]

I'm very thankful I do not have to worry about fraud when it comes to purchasing Spydercos or any other knives for that matter,I have a Knife dealer that is local to me that carries a huge selection of the top namebrands.

[JD Spydo]

Most all of the knife dealers that hang out at Bladeforums are very reputable. I.E. New Graham, Grand Prarie, and about 3 others I could recommend. Like I said in an earlier post>> with reputable people like that to deal with why even risk some of these other "fly by night" or "johnny come lately" types.

Also again I can't stress enough that if they advertise some of the older and highly sought after Spyders like the Yojimbo, fixed Perrin, Dodo or any number of classics you can be well assured that it's most likely a scam.

[araneae]

my wife ordered a captain from him on the 7th of dec as a christmas gift for me.. still no knife. doenst respond to emails or calls but i got him to respond to txt messages today. said i'll have my money back monday...lets hope so.

Speak with your credit card company if he doesn't carry through. They will most likely get something done for you. This guy has an extensive history of this kind of thing.

[Dr. Snubnose]

You want to avoid Internet Knife Scams?...The answer is simple...support your local knife dealer....pay the man the money and leave with knife in hand...works every time...no shipping chargers, no waiting to see if you ever get your knife...no worries...no hassle....Doc:D

[GKGP]

Hey Everyone, Andrew Kunz here, just got back from the shot show and was reading this blog. If you have not received your knife, please email or call me asap to work this out. Like Ive said many times before, I do thousands of orders a year and mistakes, although rare do happen. If you have a problem call me directly and I will handle the matter. You can reach me at 850-227-6350 , email is admin@greatknivesgreatprices.com .

Worst comes to worse, call your CC company and do a chargeback, you will get your money back, they take it right out of my bank account.

Andrew

[bacidath]

Hey Everyone, Andrew Kunz here, just got back from the shot show and was reading this blog. If you have not received your knife, please email or call me asap to work this out. Like Ive said many times before, I do thousands of orders a year and mistakes, although rare do happen. If you have a problem call me directly and I will handle the matter. You can reach me at 850-227-6350 , email is admin@greatknivesgreatprices.com .

Worst comes to worse, call your CC company and do a chargeback, you will get your money back, they take it right out of my bank account.

Andrew
ha ha...i laugh.. still hasnt given me my money

[FLYBYU44]

With the amount of people just on here who got hosed by this guy, I don't think mistakes are rare. I like how he expects people to do a chargeback on their credit card rather then him just sending the item that they bought in the first place.

[The Deacon]

Worst comes to worse, call your CC company and do a chargeback, you will get your money back, they take it right out of my bank account.

AndrewAndrew, I have never done business with you and, quite frankly, would have been very leery to risk doing so after what I'd read here and on BladeForums. Thank you sir for removing that last iota of doubt. Any seller who feels suggesting a buyer "do a chargeback" is an appropriate way to address customer service issues has no clue as to what the term customer service means.

[bacidath]

I liked the excuses and lies.. backordered, waiting on a shipment from spyderco,I'll do it after dinner, you'll have it tonight, You'll have it in the morning, my paypal is frozen, my paypal rep will do it in the morning, I'll send you a check....just won't respond now...i guess the sun was in his eyes or the ball was wet.. waiting on an order from spyderco was my favorite though

[bacidath]

how does the bank take money out of a paypal account that is "frozen"

[Lord vader]

Hey y'all, just wanted to let you know about a company that takes your money and never sends you your knife. I ordered a white endura from greatknivesgreatprices.com with ups 2 day air on October 9th. After never receiving a tracking #(and still never receiving the knife). I have emailed 4 times with no reply and tried at least 6 times to call with only a voice mail box that is full. I finally called my bank today to get my money back.
Has anyone else had a problem with these guys? Just thought I'd give a heads up as I'm sure many of you order online. Also, if this is against any forum rules, let me know, I didn't see anything that said this would be restricted. Thanks- E

Ive never heard of them,Sorry to say but that money is gone. There are some legitimate dealers like,New graham,never had any problems with them.Knives plus,there located in texas,I just purchased a knife from them recently and no problem there.