Maniago shops

[button_man]

Although I lack the background to directly address this specific situation, I can say that I have observed a certain pattern that repeats consistently --

When I was much younger, there was an older guy the next town over who fixed cars. He was pretty reasonable, and would sometimes spend a few minutes rigging up a quick fix if it wasn't too complicated and didn't take too long; and he wouldn't charge for it if it was obvious that you were trying to keep an old vehicle limping along and you didn't have too much money.

Everything changed when he retired and turned the business over to his sons. You could go in for a simple tune-up and all of a sudden they would discover two or three "serious problems" that would run you $500 or more. EVERY TIME you went in there, too. Forget about any little 'goodwill' favors or a bit of free advice: their entire focus was rapacious gouging. I steered clear, and I imagine a lot of other people did too.

Maybe 10 or 15 years after that, I observed the exact same thing happen with an alignment shop in a different town. The founder passed the business on to his kids and suddenly prices went way up and every time you went in for a simple job, somebody would approach you with a frown on his face and bad news about all the hidden issues that they had been lucky enough to spot "just in time".

I'm sure that others here have observed the same phenomenon. Often the founder of a small business takes pride in his little company and feels that kindness and consideration shown to customers are a reflection of not just the business, but of himself personally. The kids that take over don't have the same emotional investment in the company and view it as nothing more than a means of raking in as much money as possible.

As I said above, I am not in a position to say that this is happening in this specific situation..... but the overall circumstances sure sound familiar.

[leighdog]

I am deeply sorry i created this post, It wasn't meant to stir up trouble'

[Belivi]

.... I'm sorry for my supporters / customers and loyal friends, in the light of all these insults and slanders I don't want to be part of this community anymore and so I leave the forum.
I thought it was a place to exchange experiences and advice on snap knives that are my passion / job, but I see that we talk about something else without knowing the facts.

Ivano.

[Bill DeShivs]

Ivano-
Please don't leave the forum. It's very nice to be able to interact with you.

[rock-n-roll$$$$$$]

Ivano-
Please don't leave the forum. It's very nice to be able to interact with you.

very well said Bill.

[Markco the Mad otter]

Ivano, It is good to have you on forum! I have missed your family for a long time. It is bad where this innocent post went. Though if I were you, I would be upset about some of the posts too.

[jim d,]

I agree - please don't leave Ivano.

Jim

[Luke_of_Mass]

Ivano,

Everyone has very high respect for the work you and your father do - most would agree it's among the finest of modern productions and that's why we all want to buy your work. What many people would like to do is make custom orders with you, and when they try they are sometimes met with not the friendliest customer service or sales representation or they don't hear back at all.

Nobody benefits by slandering you or your family business, and enough people have mentioned very similar issues that if it were my business I might want to investigate what has happened to customer relations - maybe a miscommunication/language barrier - maybe unreasonable orders - who knows - but the reason most people bring attention to it (at least in my case) is because they care and would love to be able to order your pieces more easily and with custom qualities. If you are not interested in selling small custom orders or single knives to individuals, there's nothing wrong with that, but it would be better to be up front about it if that happens to be the case.

I imagine it's hard to not take things personally when someone complains about a family business, but you shouldn't. Figure out where the misunderstandings or otherwise unhappy customer relations originate, and adjust where needed. Some companies pay for customer satisfaction analytics - you get them for free from multi-generational fanatical followers, most of which live at this forum.

Luke

[thom]

I, for one, would greatly miss your insight to the business and hobby. I love to be able to ask questions that you have graciously answered.
No matter how hard you try you cannot please everybody. I know that almost all appreciate you being on this forum. To be honest it is flattering that you take the time to interact with us.
I hope you do continue to return here, at least on occasion.
Hoping you reconsider,
Thom

[natcherly]

I agree - please don't leave Ivano.

Jim

Absolutely concur. Please don't leave as you have far more friends here than slanderers...

[barshoo]

Does anyone know if Frank B shop is making knives again? I really want to spend some money on my collection. Just not much out there yet'

If you are on Facebook, look up Jay Saakes. He is an authorized FB dealer.

[barshoo]

trying to warn others of bad people but someone keeps editing my posts and removing them , not sure why a post would be removed for trying to warn someone of being ripped off and losing your hard earned money .... quit editing my posts just trying to warn others so they dont get screwed over like i did ...

From what Metalgod told me, he was out of $600-$900 on an order that he pre-paid, but never received. Most likely due to a customs seizure.

[barshoo]

...my friend Rick who was a Frank Beltrame exclusive seller they could not find it in their heart to honor him with a special knife after he died all was asked if is if they would make a stiletto and engrave or stamp with a commeration to Rick for his long service to just Frank Beltrame knives but sara franks daughter got a attitude with Barb who was trying to set something up then sara said Frank would not make or mark any knife to honor Rick...

I asked them to make me 30 9" stilettos for Rick's memorial knife project in November 2018. Sara told me that they would only do 100 or more. (She also said that she wanted to call Rick's parents to offer her sympathies, but to my knowledge she didn't.)

I was able to secure 30 knives from Angelo Campolin. He was more than happy to for Rick's memory--he even made 3 different models and offered to engrave them for a reasonable cost. (They turned out wonderful!) My husband produced a certificate of authenticity, we sent them to Angelo in Austria, and he signed them.

I did a second memorial knife project for Chris Edwards ("Omega"), which Angelo made, and Bill DeShivs engraved. Bill, I am grateful for the beautiful engraving! Angelo, if you read this, thank you for for your great work, and for your friendship!

[barshoo]

Interesting. I did know Rick but was totally unaware of the attempt at having a memorial knife done for him. I used to talk to Sara quite often and of course met her when I was there. She did seem very suspicious of a lot of people for reasons that I never understood...

I have known Sara since mid-2000's. Early on, I had written Frank letters via email. (Frank and I have the same birthday. He once very kindly wrote, "You are my treasure in the U.S.") Sara read my email's to Frank, and translated Frank's replies to me. We were "friends" on Facebook. When I wrote and told her that Angelo Campolin was making the knives for Rick's memorial knife project, she replied, "We are makers, not sellers". It's been 3 years since any words were exchanged.

[barshoo]

I am deeply sorry i created this post, It wasn't meant to stir up trouble'

I encourage you to reach out to Jay Saakes on Facebook. He is who I buy my Frank Beltrame's knives from. I don't know if he is on Talkblade or not. If you can't find him, let me know, and I will help get you two together. He is an authorized dealer.

Please don't let what ANYONE says here discourage you from buying Frank B. knives! Don't be sorry that you created this post. I have learned some good things from it. Since my name was brought up more than once, I felt it was wise to explain myself.