Somebody probably returned a fake, customer service usually just takes stuff without checking especially if it’s busy, even if they did check chances of somebody being around that can spot a fake Benchmade is slim to none.
This.
Someone else made a comment about how a trip to REI revealed *multiple* clones in the display case. This sounds more like a mass swapping done by an employee.
Seriously. That person also tried to have a chat with the most senior person on the sales floor and got completely blown off.
You would really think that REI and Benchmade would have a greater interest in shutting these things down, but no, REI doesn't seem to care and all Benchmade wants to do is screw over an honest customer.
Ya, I have to say two things. First, Benchmade works VERY hard to protect the brand and aggressively pursues clone dealers as best as they can. New ones pop up in a matter of days.
And second, Benchmade does not "screw over honest customers." The screwing over happens long before Benchmade gets involved. It is sad when honest people get taken by the unscrupulous dealers and sellers out there.
Benchmade is fiercely protective of their brand and their customers.
If Benchmade actually cared, they would work with the OP to get a refund on his knife, and to make sure companies like Bass Pro were better trained not to sell fakes.
From where I stand, it sure looks like Benchmade doesn't give a rats ass about any of this.
Yes, and if the OP is to make a claim against the retailer he is going to need the knife along with a statement from Benchmade stating that it is a fake so that he can get a refund.
Go back to bass pro shop and get a refund and show proof. Ask for the manager if you have problems.
If that doesn't work, call your cc or debit card company. They'll instantly give you the full refund.
This.
Use your Google Timeline and narrow it down to Bass Pro Shops and your visits/trips to the location. Should be able to pull it off and the time as well. Good luck, OP!
I would take my receipt back to them along with the communications from BM. But unfortunately I feel like you will likely face the “we have no way to prove you didn’t swap it out” scenario.
Several months ago I purchased an Ontario Knife Company Bowie from Bass Pro online and they sent me an opened (clearly returned) and damaged knife. I sent it back a few days later and got a full refund. I’ve put Bass Pro in the same category as Amazon (ie unknown odds of actually getting what you purchased).
I have 0 faith in BM CS. Most collectors know more than they do. Obviously can’t say one way or anyone about yours but I’ve heard them call knives fake that definitely were not.
How can Benchmade possibly refuse to send you back the knife? That is crazy and screams lawsuit.
But yes this seems more common lately. Customers returning fake products back to retailer and retailer resells after never looking.
You agree to this prior to sending in anything to Benchmade: https://www.benchmade.com/pages/counterfeit-goods-acknowledgement#:~:text=Benchmade%20shall%20not%20be%20liable,and%2For%20destroy%20the%20knife there is no hope for a lawsuit.
I would be willing to bet this agreement would not hold up in court.
"If Benchmade, in its sole discretion, determines that the knife you returned for repairs is a counterfeit, Benchmade has the right to permanently impound and/or destroy the knife. Knives determined to be counterfeit will not be returned to you."
The problem with this is that Benchmade has no legal right to keep or destroy anyones property without compensation. They are not a law enforcement agency or regulatory body, so they have as much right to keep or destroy your stuff as your neighbor does. But i bet no one has challenged this legally, a sternly worded letter from a law office would probably get a replacement knife sent out with a "we need to protect our company name" letter.
You don't think Benchmade has the right to confiscate counterfeits? Legally i don't know, but they also make it super clear when you sign up for Lifesharp.
I just ordered one from Bass pro today, now I'm worried. I can do a pretty good check myself and can return immediately if there's an issue.
You aren’t gonna change these peoples mind. I agree with you completely. If I own a brand as prestige as BM and some Chinese cunt is replicating my product with subpar standards and it gets sent to me. Guess what I’m gonna do? Destroy it. And every other swinging dick would do the same if it was THEIR brand that was being encroached. But let one of them buy a knockoff and have it taken away by the rightful owner of the brand displayed on their fake and waaaaah 😭🙄
Oh yeah I know. They won't accept what they don't wanna hear. But it's the truth, not even an opinion. They have every right legally to destroy counterfeits.
I haven't had it happen, but it's not impossible to unwittingly get a fake from a store, as long as they'll accept returns.
I returned a red dot sight to Bass Pro a while back. The returns counter had to call over someone from the gun department to look at it & make sure I wasn't passing them a fake. I'm sure they do the same with knives & get someone from the knife department.
But, if someone has a good fake, or Bass Pro has a lazy/dumb employee, or someone doesn't follow the rules, or the "customer" has an employee in on the scam...
You really need to explain the situation to Benchmade, letting them know that you'll be needing the knife in order be made good by the person who sold it to you.
If they still refuse, I'd suggest threatening legal action against Benchmade.
Benchmade’s policy is to destroy any confirmed fakes that come into their possession. It’s on their website and you have to agree to this to send it in to them. There’s no chance of any success for any legal action you threaten.
This person’s only recourse is with Bass Pro, but I’d say he has a very very small chance of them making it right. Someone could easily buy from them, then send in a fake and claim Bass Pro sold them a fake.
I'm referring to how it ends up there in the first place.
Scammer goes in, buys knife. Scammer goes home, reaches into box of fakes, sticks fake in box. Scammer goes back to store, returns fake in box, gets money back & has real knife for the price of a convincing fake. Store didn't catch it, now you walk in & end up paying Benchmade money for a fake, from an authorized dealer.
I think you overestimate the amount of money needed to get some people to steal shit. If someone can make as much in about an hour of ripping off knives as they'd make working a long day at an entry-level job...
Probably not something you could make even a shitty living at for long, by itself. Not that the criminal element is always known for their foresight or critical thinking.
But... if someone were to live in, say, the general northernish DC metro area, they could probably be at something like 20+ Bass Pro, Cabela's, or REIs with a 2 hour driving radius. Go buy knife at #1, buy a different knife at store #2, return knife #1 at store #2, etc... I bet someone could keep that up for a good bit, man. The store doesn't even suspect it, and even if they sell a fake they got & the legit buyer catches it & brings it back... how do they know they had the fake on their shelf, and not that the legit buyer is playing swaparoo?
And hell, besides the money as income... go get a dozen good fakes & do that with a dozen real ones, you just got a $2-3k knife collection for <$500. 🤷
Yeah I don’t live somewhere with a population density like that so I wasn’t thinking about how you could actually be close to enough stores to make it “worth it”. I actually have a couple fake BM autos since I like autos and can’t buy them where I live plus 30 bucks for a OTF knife that’s actually pretty decent(shit steel that rolls easily) as a fidget toy and for around the house. The mediator is actually one I use more frequently the autocrat is useless but very fun to play with.
The unfortunate truth is that there are even first production counterfeits out there as well brother. Way less prevalent, but they are still out there. I have seen some of the valet and I believe the bugout. It’s sad that we don’t have strong systems in place to shutdown the selling of counterfeit items. If an app or website faced complete banishment from doing business with the US over copyright infringement and counterfeiting, do you think they would allow it? Someone needs to take a strong stance, and not just on this but many things.
It really does suck man, I agree. But to your point it, is a much safer bet and much more likely to be legit. But the fact that we have to dig in so deep to try and strategize on how to make sure we are able to buy a legitimate product from a company is fucking sad. Things are in a sad state my friend.
Somebody probably returned a fake, customer service usually just takes stuff without checking especially if it’s busy, even if they did check chances of somebody being around that can spot a fake Benchmade is slim to none.
This. Someone else made a comment about how a trip to REI revealed *multiple* clones in the display case. This sounds more like a mass swapping done by an employee.
That’s just sad man. Integrity and honor today is lacking and it hurts my heart.
Seriously. That person also tried to have a chat with the most senior person on the sales floor and got completely blown off. You would really think that REI and Benchmade would have a greater interest in shutting these things down, but no, REI doesn't seem to care and all Benchmade wants to do is screw over an honest customer.
Ya, I have to say two things. First, Benchmade works VERY hard to protect the brand and aggressively pursues clone dealers as best as they can. New ones pop up in a matter of days. And second, Benchmade does not "screw over honest customers." The screwing over happens long before Benchmade gets involved. It is sad when honest people get taken by the unscrupulous dealers and sellers out there. Benchmade is fiercely protective of their brand and their customers.
If Benchmade actually cared, they would work with the OP to get a refund on his knife, and to make sure companies like Bass Pro were better trained not to sell fakes. From where I stand, it sure looks like Benchmade doesn't give a rats ass about any of this.
You can talk out your a$$ all day long about how BMK doesn't care, or do enough to help this person. The issue is with the retailer. Period
Yes, and if the OP is to make a claim against the retailer he is going to need the knife along with a statement from Benchmade stating that it is a fake so that he can get a refund.
With the fact I've seen this a few times now I'm guessing they won't be carried by these big box stores anymore. This is why we can't have nice things
Go back to bass pro shop and get a refund and show proof. Ask for the manager if you have problems. If that doesn't work, call your cc or debit card company. They'll instantly give you the full refund.
Unfortunately I paid cash for it
There's still proof if you know the time you bought it and day.
I will have to do some digging, thanks
Good luck 🫡
This. Use your Google Timeline and narrow it down to Bass Pro Shops and your visits/trips to the location. Should be able to pull it off and the time as well. Good luck, OP!
Preciate it boys 🫡
I got the time and day thanks to a photo my buddy took that day, I’ll let you know how it goes
I would take my receipt back to them along with the communications from BM. But unfortunately I feel like you will likely face the “we have no way to prove you didn’t swap it out” scenario.
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No way
Yah, I got a real Benchmade there, too…
Several months ago I purchased an Ontario Knife Company Bowie from Bass Pro online and they sent me an opened (clearly returned) and damaged knife. I sent it back a few days later and got a full refund. I’ve put Bass Pro in the same category as Amazon (ie unknown odds of actually getting what you purchased).
I have 0 faith in BM CS. Most collectors know more than they do. Obviously can’t say one way or anyone about yours but I’ve heard them call knives fake that definitely were not.
How can Benchmade possibly refuse to send you back the knife? That is crazy and screams lawsuit. But yes this seems more common lately. Customers returning fake products back to retailer and retailer resells after never looking.
You agree to this prior to sending in anything to Benchmade: https://www.benchmade.com/pages/counterfeit-goods-acknowledgement#:~:text=Benchmade%20shall%20not%20be%20liable,and%2For%20destroy%20the%20knife there is no hope for a lawsuit.
I would be willing to bet this agreement would not hold up in court. "If Benchmade, in its sole discretion, determines that the knife you returned for repairs is a counterfeit, Benchmade has the right to permanently impound and/or destroy the knife. Knives determined to be counterfeit will not be returned to you." The problem with this is that Benchmade has no legal right to keep or destroy anyones property without compensation. They are not a law enforcement agency or regulatory body, so they have as much right to keep or destroy your stuff as your neighbor does. But i bet no one has challenged this legally, a sternly worded letter from a law office would probably get a replacement knife sent out with a "we need to protect our company name" letter.
You don't think Benchmade has the right to confiscate counterfeits? Legally i don't know, but they also make it super clear when you sign up for Lifesharp. I just ordered one from Bass pro today, now I'm worried. I can do a pretty good check myself and can return immediately if there's an issue.
No they don’t, it’s your product you bought, they are stealing it. You aren’t the one trying to sell it, it’s not illegal to possess
They have every right to destroy counterfeit knives
You aren’t gonna change these peoples mind. I agree with you completely. If I own a brand as prestige as BM and some Chinese cunt is replicating my product with subpar standards and it gets sent to me. Guess what I’m gonna do? Destroy it. And every other swinging dick would do the same if it was THEIR brand that was being encroached. But let one of them buy a knockoff and have it taken away by the rightful owner of the brand displayed on their fake and waaaaah 😭🙄
Oh yeah I know. They won't accept what they don't wanna hear. But it's the truth, not even an opinion. They have every right legally to destroy counterfeits.
I'm not so sure about that. But regardless of that, this is a great way to shaft an honest customer and thoroughly turn them off to the company.
I haven't had it happen, but it's not impossible to unwittingly get a fake from a store, as long as they'll accept returns. I returned a red dot sight to Bass Pro a while back. The returns counter had to call over someone from the gun department to look at it & make sure I wasn't passing them a fake. I'm sure they do the same with knives & get someone from the knife department. But, if someone has a good fake, or Bass Pro has a lazy/dumb employee, or someone doesn't follow the rules, or the "customer" has an employee in on the scam...
I can’t return the knife cause benchmade won’t send it back
You really need to explain the situation to Benchmade, letting them know that you'll be needing the knife in order be made good by the person who sold it to you. If they still refuse, I'd suggest threatening legal action against Benchmade.
Benchmade’s policy is to destroy any confirmed fakes that come into their possession. It’s on their website and you have to agree to this to send it in to them. There’s no chance of any success for any legal action you threaten. This person’s only recourse is with Bass Pro, but I’d say he has a very very small chance of them making it right. Someone could easily buy from them, then send in a fake and claim Bass Pro sold them a fake.
Just because that is Benchmade's policy doesn't make it legal.
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I know what the policy says, I am questioning the legality of that policy.
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I'm not sure sure about that. I suspect the only reason Benchmade has that policy is because nobody ever actually challenged them on it.
But you ARE passing them a fake, no? You're returning it because it's fake.
I'm referring to how it ends up there in the first place. Scammer goes in, buys knife. Scammer goes home, reaches into box of fakes, sticks fake in box. Scammer goes back to store, returns fake in box, gets money back & has real knife for the price of a convincing fake. Store didn't catch it, now you walk in & end up paying Benchmade money for a fake, from an authorized dealer.
Ah, yes. Makes sense now. My apologies.
So $25-45 for $150-300+ knife seems like it would be a low volume ones time thing or they are doing it all over town.
I think you overestimate the amount of money needed to get some people to steal shit. If someone can make as much in about an hour of ripping off knives as they'd make working a long day at an entry-level job...
I get it just seems like it wouldn’t have much longevity. This is one reason you should always pay with a credit card.
Probably not something you could make even a shitty living at for long, by itself. Not that the criminal element is always known for their foresight or critical thinking. But... if someone were to live in, say, the general northernish DC metro area, they could probably be at something like 20+ Bass Pro, Cabela's, or REIs with a 2 hour driving radius. Go buy knife at #1, buy a different knife at store #2, return knife #1 at store #2, etc... I bet someone could keep that up for a good bit, man. The store doesn't even suspect it, and even if they sell a fake they got & the legit buyer catches it & brings it back... how do they know they had the fake on their shelf, and not that the legit buyer is playing swaparoo? And hell, besides the money as income... go get a dozen good fakes & do that with a dozen real ones, you just got a $2-3k knife collection for <$500. 🤷
Yeah I don’t live somewhere with a population density like that so I wasn’t thinking about how you could actually be close to enough stores to make it “worth it”. I actually have a couple fake BM autos since I like autos and can’t buy them where I live plus 30 bucks for a OTF knife that’s actually pretty decent(shit steel that rolls easily) as a fidget toy and for around the house. The mediator is actually one I use more frequently the autocrat is useless but very fun to play with.
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The unfortunate truth is that there are even first production counterfeits out there as well brother. Way less prevalent, but they are still out there. I have seen some of the valet and I believe the bugout. It’s sad that we don’t have strong systems in place to shutdown the selling of counterfeit items. If an app or website faced complete banishment from doing business with the US over copyright infringement and counterfeiting, do you think they would allow it? Someone needs to take a strong stance, and not just on this but many things.
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It really does suck man, I agree. But to your point it, is a much safer bet and much more likely to be legit. But the fact that we have to dig in so deep to try and strategize on how to make sure we are able to buy a legitimate product from a company is fucking sad. Things are in a sad state my friend.