Dec 29, 2009 04:12 PM
5561 Views
(Updated Jan 06, 2011 10:27 AM)
Sometime during 1975 I received a gift from a friend - a Swiss Army knife made by Wenger of Switzerland. And what an indispensable this little gadget this has been over the years. Tightening a loose screw here, opening a parcel, pop a wine cork or open a beer bottle, ream a belt hole, changing an electrical plug, and some say, even saving lives. The little red Swiss Army pocket knife is a true unsung hero. Anyone who has ever owned, or even borrowed one, would instantly understand what I am talking about. My Wenger has always been with me in all my travels and has served me well for over 35 years.
This review is not really about the quality of either Wenger or Victorinox Swiss pocket knives - both are on par at all levels. This is about my recent experience with a vendor who recently sold me three Victorinox Swiss knives. Without doubt, a Swiss Army pocket knife would make an ideal gift for anyone who is moderately capable handyman. Having selected three models to gift three of my friends, my first stop was e-bay-India. Not finding the models I had in mind, I sent off email inquires to an online shop called Base Camp, specifying model names/numbers of the knives and suitable pouches I wanted to buy. I didn't get a straight forward response. The reply I got simply stated, "Please visit our showroom at the new Express Avenue Mall at Royapettah (Chennai). We have many model for you to see".
I don't understand why many Indian retailers won't give a straight forward reply to a very specific inquiry. On a rainy day, I drove down to the said shopping mall and found the store. They did have in stock many models of Victorinox knives, but not any of the three models I had in mind nor the the pouches - a disappointment.
I remember mine came from the duty-free shop at Zurich airport. A short web search brought me to an online shop - Weber's World at Lucrene, Switzerland. The best part, they offered free personalization of inscribing owner's name or initials on the handle. Fantastic, I thought. Their prices were just marginally higher than prices in India, and that only due to higher shipping costs. After a couple of email exchanges with them (Ms. Manuela Lisske) on the subject of which pouch will go best with each of the knife I had selected, I placed an order for the 3 models of Victorinox knives and three suitable pouches. The order was processed and dispatched the very next day. I received the same after 13 days - via normal Swiss Mail.
On opening the package, I found only three pouches, all three knives were missing. A real shocker. The package did look like it had been opened (Post Office or Customs guys) and re-sealed with clear cellophane tape (as opposed to brown packing tape used by the shipper). There was no request from the customs for duties payable or even an authentication (rubber-stamped) on the parcel to state it was opened for any reason by any Government authorities. Whether it is a case of genuine error (of not repacking the pocket knives back into the box) or case of pilferage, I will leave it to the reader's imagination. The communication with the Post Office is an ongoing thing and it is not going in the right direction.
I related this to Ms. Lisske at Weber's World. The response I got, I quote below:
"Dear Mr.SR, What a pitty! We are very sorry! However, the solution we have for this kind of matter is the following: We, from Weber’s World would take over the costs for the knives, and you would pay for registered shipping. This means, you would pay Sfr. 26.- for insured shipping. Please let us know, what you like us to do.” – Manuela Lisske, Weber’s World.
I had to read the email a couple of time to believe what I was reading - they are giving me 3 Swiss Army knives, worth about 100 Swiss Francs, at no extra cost to me, even though Weber’s World were not in any way responsible for the loss of these items. A big sigh of relief, and I paid the required Sfr 26 for registered post, and the second set of three Victorinox knives arrived in about ten days.
I am not too sure if this level of customer service exists in any part of the world. Anytime in my future, if I have to buy a Swiss Army knife again, Wenger or Victorinox, there is only one place I will go to - Weber's World Shop at Lucrene, Switzerland.
https://webers-world.com
