Ellis Custom Knifeworks

[racer3j]

Has any one here received an actual responsive return email from these folks? I have had to deal with death of close friend(33 years of hunting partner-"Uncle Dean" to my daughter) and massive flooding myself here in Iowa- not my home, but friend's house on an island- I haven't just blown off my clients- one would think under the circumstances they would need every paying buyer they can get. If the tragedies have put them under for good, will someone tell me- or tell them to just step up and do the hard thing. I am not being cold- I have been torn away from 34 years of law practice because of health matters and have had to notify clients, state courts, judges, federal courts and fellow lawyers- I am not just ignoring people.Oh, if it matters, I did not practice "rich lawyer law"- I still have to work at other things everyday, whether I fell like it or not.mike

[steve sells]

I have not talked to them personally, But they have posted updates on their web site as what is happening at Ellis Custom Knifeworks

If you were to read it, you would be aware of very little I agree.

BUT Would I rather get what I ordered or wait another week or so because they are sending everyone a personal Email. Its a hard call. I myself have not ordered my refractories yet because of this mess out there.

Also if their computer got wet, they may not HAVE the emails at hand.... Just a thought.

[Lamey Knives]

Have you tried to call?? I dealt with them years ago when he first got going and he was very prompt in reply/shipping etc. I do think he had some health issues a while back.

[brucegodlesky]

Yep, call 'em, Mike.
They have had a full plate as of late.

[racer3j]

I'm not trying to be cruel. I have received automated email responses from them. Like I said, sorrow and more heaped on by things like flooding is nothing to just brush off as "whining." I tried to make it clear that I have read on their site and have some idea of what has beset them. I have been "bustin my butt" trying to be another paying customer- they owe a priority to those who have deposits down on a product. How many other new customers are they losing by not getting a pal to sit down at a computer and respond for real to new contacts? If I were their neighbor, my nights and weekends would be donated to keeping up communication for them. Maybe that is just me, but I don't think I'm close to sainthood yet. I have not bought from them before; probably won't now. I have kept trying to contact them because I felt that with all of the troubles they are having, they could use the money. At least I know I tried. ( One thing I was trying to order was their #8 forge body, in parts, for me to weld up. I thought that would use less valuable time or $$ if they sub out their welding.)mike-- PS- if they sent me a cheat sheet on their projected schedules for their tools, knives and resale products, I would be glad to have all emails forwarded to me and I would sit here this weekend and do the "personalized" responses for them. They seem like hard working and likeable young people- if no one is coming to their aid, then those who may claim to be their friends are not, and should be ashamed of themselves! Bruce- I already think of you as a buddy and I have some woodworking forum friends whom I have never seen, but if they called me at 3 am, in a crisis, I would pack fast and fire up my S-10 4WD "buckboard" and be on my way to whatever rescue was needed. I thank the internet for bringing so many wonderful peolple into my life. I might even be heading to a few pals like that right on this forum. You folks give such a warm and patient welcome to strangers- this is a place to make and keep genuine friends. At WoodNet Handtools there is one gentleman who has actually become a surrogate father to me- I am just lucky ,I guess.mike- FROSTY- I am not sure I would survive a highspeed run to AK- I don't have enough Vicodin- it would be one heck of an adventure though!m

[ApprenticeMan]

Jeez have some patience, they are working things out.

[Glenn]

From the Ellis Custom Knifeworks website

5-28-08
Tonight our home was flooded due to torrential downpours in Knoxville. We've now got a *huge* mess to clean up. Everything is on hold until we get the house cleaned up....this is going to take several days. If you have an order placed, it's on hold. If you're waiting on a forge to ship, it's on hold. If you need to get a hold of us, it's on hold. Basically, cleaning up this mess is the only priority on our plate for the next few days. In any case, if you know us, you know that things will get caught back up as soon as we are able to....our reputation in the industry speaks for itself, so for the new guys, rest assured once we get past this mess stuff will get shipped.

6-16-08
Update: We're almost finished with the cleanup and repairs due to the flood damage at our home. We are spending a few hours a day at the shop this week catching up on orders, and the rest of the time working on the house....if you're waiting on an order, rest assured it's in process and will get out asap. We will officially reopen next week on Wednesday (06/18/2008), at which point we will catch up on all emails and will be manning the phone again. Thanks everyone for your patience and support, it's been a rough few months for us here.

[Darren Ellis]

Originally Posted by racer3j

Has any one here received an actual responsive return email from these folks? I have had to deal with death of close friend(33 years of hunting partner-"Uncle Dean" to my daughter) and massive flooding myself here in Iowa- not my home, but friend's house on an island- I haven't just blown off my clients- one would think under the circumstances they would need every paying buyer they can get. If the tragedies have put them under for good, will someone tell me- or tell them to just step up and do the hard thing. I am not being cold- I have been torn away from 34 years of law practice because of health matters and have had to notify clients, state courts, judges, federal courts and fellow lawyers- I am not just ignoring people.Oh, if it matters, I did not practice "rich lawyer law"- I still have to work at other things everyday, whether I fell like it or not.mike

Mike, ( I assume this is Mike Tobey?),

A friend alerted me to this posting, I havn't had time to get on the forums much lately. In my reply to you dated 6/10, I indicated that I was indeed interested in your proposition, but that I would need a few weeks to get things caught up. You are interested in a "Forge Kit" at a reduced price than we sell the full forges at....this is a special request, and one I am happy to accommodate, it's not something I've done in the past, but you seem like a nice guy from your emails, and I understand your situation, so I am happy to do this.....the only thing is, is that my normal customers have to come first, especially the ones who have already paid for items. We got behind because of events that transpired this year.....it's been a tough year, probably one of the worst I've ever lived through....I lost my mother who I was the primary caregiver for for the last few years of her life (I am her only child)....I saw her every day, helped take care of her, and in the last few days of her life, made critical medical decisions that ended her suffering...if was literally the hardest thing I have ever had to do.....so yes, if I got a little depressed about the situation and needed a few days off, well, I think I deserved it. Then as soon as we started to get things caught up again, and a few days before the biggest show we do each year, our home was flooded....not like the big floods in Iowa with homes washing away, but river water flowing through the downstairs of our home...we couldn't even make it to the show, which is the largest earning show for us each year. So, yes, you assume correctly that we need the business...Heck, my wife and business partner is doing an unpaid internship with an appellate court judge this Summer (you should know what that is like), so we don't even have her income to fall back on.....financially we're in dire straights at the moment because of everything, but I have to take care of the people who came first in line....it's only fair. If you can hang on for a bit, I'll get this kit together for you, but you're going to have to be patient for a little bit longer.

I don't normally air my dirty laundry out on a public forum, but it seems my integrity and business sense has come under question a couple of times in the past few weeks.....and the thing is that years of hard work and excellent service can be made null too easily on Internet forums. We value everyones business who has helped support us over the years, and also sincerely appreciate peoples patience while we have been going through this difficult time. Things are starting to return to normal here, and in short order, this will be all behind us, and god willing, the rest of the year won't suck as bad as the first half has.

Now Mike, on a personal note, from your emails you seem like someone I would like to get to know, you have an interesting and rich (in experience) background...my wife got a full scholarship to law school after finishing her ph.d. in History, and she's interested in areas of law that are geared towards areas of public service, so it seems you two have similar interests. Please don't take anything I said above in a negative way, I'd like to do business with you now and in the future, and I'd like to get to know you on a more personal level. I've found my friendships with craftsman and artists to be lasting and rewarding...it's actually one of the reasons we travel to shows and hammer-ins when we can....we get to see friends that we don't get to hang out with on a regular basis.

Hang in there my friend, we'll connect up here pretty soon.

-Darren

[Rich Hale]

Darren you show a lot of class in your answer. I have been referred to you by several folks on here and when the knfe show season for me gets going again I will be ordering some things from you.

[rthibeau]

nice post, Darren.................best of luck to you and family to get back on track soon.