SwissBianco: "we do not support mod of sak and wont sell that."

[buck]

Best regards,
Roger Remond
President/Founder
SwissBianco

And my paypal payment was refunded for my order.

My transgression?  Asking for the knife to be sent to member syph007.

The same for SwissBianco Canada, I've been black balled.  Like the soup nazi in Seinfeld.

NO SAK FOR YOU!

I am buying the knife right?  It's none of their business if I have it modded, throw it in the river, or commit seppuku with it.

[kosmo]

Well at least the soup nazi would let you come back in a year. 

[sawman]

They're in the wrong. They have no right to refuse you.

[Smashie]

I really dislike his attitude

[kosmo]

I would wonder if Victorinox has an official stance on modding of their knives in order to avoid being sued or for insurance purposes.  Perhaps it would be classified as being something outside their intended purposes.  Perhaps +B had to sign a contract to something to that effect when making special orders.  Businesses have to do some wacky things these days to avoid being sued.

[NKlamerus]

The only reason they refuse to sell is because they are jealous of Syph's work!

For real though they have no right to decline a sale. I mean, they do, but I don't believe they should.

[kosmo]

The only reason they refuse to sell is because they are jealous of Syph's work!

For real though they have no right to decline a sale. I mean, they do, but I don't believe they should.

I'm not approving of +B refusal to sell, but in the US, you have every right to decline sale.  It's not a right to demand a product or service from anyone.

[captain spaulding]

The only reason they refuse to sell is because they are jealous of Syph's work!

For real though they have no right to decline a sale. I mean, they do, but I don't believe they should.

I'm not approving of +B refusal to sell, but in the US, you have every right to decline sale.  It's not a right to demand a product or service from anyone.

True. Its pretty lame though. 

[NKlamerus]

The only reason they refuse to sell is because they are jealous of Syph's work!

For real though they have no right to decline a sale. I mean, they do, but I don't believe they should.

I'm not approving of +B refusal to sell, but in the US, you have every right to decline sale.  It's not a right to demand a product or service from anyone.

That's what I meant. They have the right to deny, but I don't like that they used the right.

I guess it shows that there is actually some companies out there who aren't 100% about profit.

[captain spaulding]

The only reason they refuse to sell is because they are jealous of Syph's work!

For real though they have no right to decline a sale. I mean, they do, but I don't believe they should.

I'm not approving of +B refusal to sell, but in the US, you have every right to decline sale.  It's not a right to demand a product or service from anyone.

That's what I meant. They have the right to deny, but I don't like that they used the right.

I guess it shows that there is actually some companies out there who aren't 100% about profit.

Oh +B is about profit alright. I have no idea if it is coming from Victorinox that they cannot sell to people who they suspect will mod the knife so I will not really say anything about it.

Does this mean Syph has always been banned or was banned on speculation? That's a "guilty until proven innocent" case right there.

[kosmo]

The only reason they refuse to sell is because they are jealous of Syph's work!

For real though they have no right to decline a sale. I mean, they do, but I don't believe they should.

I'm not approving of +B refusal to sell, but in the US, you have every right to decline sale.  It's not a right to demand a product or service from anyone.

That's what I meant. They have the right to deny, but I don't like that they used the right.

I guess it shows that there is actually some companies out there who aren't 100% about profit.

I have to question why someone is that concerned about selling a product.  If anything it will cause a more limited source and more value to the items.  But I'm sure he his making plenty of money on the stuff he sells.  They have the Victorinox Cellidor scales for $10 or $12 a pair on Fleabay.  You can buy the same scales in Europe for 2 or 3 Euros ($2 or $3).  I would expect he has a markup of 300% or so on the special Victorinox knives he sells.  Which leads me to wonder if he had to sign some agreement with Victorinox.

[ironraven]

All the more reason to dislike the guy. He's rubbed me the wrong way for years- can't say what or why, he just has. Even before his artsy-fartsy little micro runs of what actually are sometimes good SAK toolsets drove the price of ALL used alox through the roof.

So if he knows who Syph is, hes been trolling forums and boards. Dirty pool.

[cbl51]

Some of Rogers business practices and ethics have rubbed me the wrong way too often. I won't do business with him at all. I don't need custom color alox SAK's that bad. His ego is just too much.

[sf_duke]

Personally, my interactions with Roger has been top notch including doing some custom runs for me given his connections with Vic and Wenger.  I have also worked directly with Syph on several occasions and plan to continue both relationships.

Both men are true gentlemen in the world of SAKs and we should respect each person's preferences.  Just like how Roger doesn't think highly of aftermarket mods, we also should respect Syph's preference to only work with 91mm and 93mm mods only. 

[sir_mike]

I only dealt with him once and to be honest that was enough for me.  I ordered two custom Pioneer's from him and never heard anything for like a week or two, then finally when i contacted him to ask for a refund I suddenly received a shipping notice! 

[Aloha]

He is doing you all a huge favor +B.  Think about it for a second, what if +B  limited run custom colors yet modded by Syph  , y'all would be paying crazy money for those.  He's saved you your marriages, houses, cars, kids college funds, beer money, MT money, and whatever else money you had. 

[Corwyn]

Strange laws you have in the US. Here a company wouldn't be allowed to refuse selling to a paying customer.
I understand them not liking mods, not supporting them and having those void warranty, but refusing to send to a private person because of what they might do...
I mean what if Apple would refuse to sell phones to all the people who bent their phones on Youtube or a company refusing to sell pork to the Mythbusters as they would use it on experiments... I buy it, it's mine, I do whatever I want with it...

[SAK Guy]

Strange laws you have in the US. Here a company wouldn't be allowed to refuse selling to a paying customer.
I understand them not liking mods, not supporting them and having those void warranty, but refusing to send to a private person because of what they might do...
I mean what if Apple would refuse to sell phones to all the people who bent their phones on Youtube or a company refusing to sell pork to the Mythbusters as they would use it on experiments... .I buy it, it's mine, I do whatever I want with it...

Greed usually wins out over principles and the sale is made.   

[alexTOOL]

This is crazy. Swiss Bianco don't MOD saks???

[sf_duke]

Now reading the OP, guess the issue was sending the SAKs directly to Syph.  If I recall correctly, Roger and Syph did not see eye to eye on another knife forum.  Think this is unfortunate since with Roger's relationship with Vic and Syph's craftsmanship, their partnership could result in some even more special SAKs.

[N_N_R]

But that is the most ridiculous thing ever - I totally agree, once you BUY the knife, it's YOURS, you can throw it in the trash, you can send it to Mars, wtf.

What if you wanted to make Syph a present

The warranty? What about the warranty? Aren't mods good for a company, then? You mod your knife, it breaks, the company won't repeair it under warranty = less expenses for the company compared to having to repair intact mod-wise knives.

Thank God I never bought a knife from this guy, I've been looking at them on eBay, but always thinking they were overpriced. If I'd bought one... I'd feel offended myself.

[Scheitan]

SwissBianco sure has some really nice SAKs, but if that's the attitude with a paying customer, my money is going somewhere else.

[hiraethus]

His business, he can do what he likes.  Your mistake was telling him what you were going to do with it.

[pfrsantos]

Why would Syph007 need something from +B?! He'd just build it himself!

 

Companies can always say "Oh, sorry, out of stock!".

You can always say "Oh, sorry, there's plenty of other companies to buy from and make good publicity of.".



That's it. Case closed. Move on. Nothing to see here.

 

[firiki]

His business, he can do what he likes.  Your mistake was telling him what you were going to do with it.

I don't know if he's covered by Canadian laws, but that's a discrimination based on personal preferences. I mean, the client has paid, the client is not under aged, the sale is not illegal, so what's his problem, other than being the he is ?

"We do not support mod of SAK"... Yes, you do, that's precisely what you're selling. I never liked the guy or his offerings, anyway. Now he can be sure he won't be seeing my $$.

[wmoco]

"We do not support mod of SAK"... Yes, you do, that's precisely what you're selling.

+1

[?eter]

Roger doesn't mod the knives he sells- they are special orders, manufactured to his configuration by Victorinox, thus maintaining their warranty.

I don't personally have a problem with mods or modders, and I suppose if I ever find myself selling special order knives, my opinion would matter. But in this case, I suppose it's up to +B to do as he feels best

[marduk]

Most of the posts have been highly critical of +B because of his refusal to comply w/the wishes of a buyer.

I would like to point out that Roger came to the USA because his freedom to do business in his home in Switzerland was under attack by the government. He came to this country for the freedom it promises all its citizens (Yes, he recently passed his US citizenship exam).

In an age when freedom is under attack all over the world, including here in the US, we should applaud his desire to be free to conduct his business as he pleases.

I have dealt w/Roger since he came this country & I have found him to be courteous & most helpful in more ways that I can remember.

He came to this country seeking freedom. We should respect his desire to be free to conduct his business as he wishes.

[AimlessWanderer]

He moved country so he could be free to be an arse to potential customers  Fair enough I suppose Seems like a lot of hassle and expense to then intentionally lose business though. By virtue of the fact he commissions small limited edition runs, does he think he's increasing the worth of his wares?

I'm going to stop right here and feel free to spend my money elsewhere  Good luck to him in his endeavours in .... whatever it is he's trying to achieve 

[Etherealicer]

Most of the posts have been highly critical of +B because of his refusal to comply w/the wishes of a buyer.

I would like to point out that Roger came to the USA because his freedom to do business in his home in Switzerland was under attack by the government. He came to this country for the freedom it promises all its citizens (Yes, he recently passed his US citizenship exam).

In an age when freedom is under attack all over the world, including here in the US, we should applaud his desire to be free to conduct his business as he pleases.

I have dealt w/Roger since he came this country & I have found him to be courteous & most helpful in more ways that I can remember.

He came to this country seeking freedom. We should respect his desire to be free to conduct his business as he wishes.

I agree with the second part of your statement.

However, if he really had that much of a beef with Switzerland, why does he still call himself SWISSBianco. After reading his "Swiss Only Page" recently, I decided I wouldn't buy from him. If you read his "About Us", it sounds like he produces knifes on his own, and not just orders special small series from Victorinox. Its also immediately clear what his trouble with the Swiss Government was as he founded "Swiss Bianco, the new Swiss Army Knives".