[Harry J. Fletcher]

For those of you unfamiliar with the situation, I ordered a custom sword from Tinker Pearce which was unsatisfactory to me and did not meet agreed upon specifications. I sent the sword back to Tinker and posted my experience in dealing with him here on myArmoury. Tinker replied in his own defense and said he would sell the sword and refund the money to me which was $1450.00. Although this was unilaterally done by Mr. Pearce I remained silent on the issue. The sword had been returned to him in the first week of February 2011 the same day I had received it and spoke with him by phone when I told him of my dissatisfaction. He stated he could not refund my money because he had paid his mortgage with it.

I heard nothing from Mr. Pearce about the refund or the sword and tried to contact him by email around the end of April or the first part of May 2011 but had no reply. I contacted one of the credit card companies involved in the transaction and received an OK for a charge back and only then did I hear from Mr. Pearce. The credit card company advised me to proceed with the charge back which I did. I received a $700.00 credit on my card. Mr. Pearce then sent me a scathing email stating he did not want to hear from me ever again. Presently, he has a $750.00 outstanding amount owed to me and still has the sword in his possession. Every item posted for sale on his website has sold with the exception of the sword he made for me. It has been ten months now and Mr. Pearce has not responded to repeated telephone calls or email.

I am making an open appeal to Mr. Pearce to settle this situation and as he says "...go our separate ways..."

[Torsten F.H. Wilke]

[Adam Bohnstengel]

In what way did the sword not meet your specifications? Was it workmanship, or point of balance/percussion not being where you wanted it? Something else? Do you have a link to the other thread that you wrote about this issue? I ask because Mr. Pearce is one of the two smiths that I had narrowed it down to for a two sword commission early next year. PM me if you need to please.

I never hear about anything of Tinker's on this site either, is there a reason for it?

[Greg Mele]

I have to agree. You essentially ordered a custom sword of a production piece, with slightly different specs and then were upset when it pretty much arrives as ordered. Many people here have scratched their heads about this, and honestly, a lot of makers would not have agreed to take the sword back at all. What Michael did or did not do since then is really not our concern.

Now, do I think people should state if they have had a bad experience with a vendor? Sure. But you've done that, Mr Fletcher, and now it is ad nauseum. I don't really get what more you want from folks here.

Mr Bohnstengel - if you search on Harry Fletcher's name, you will see an extended discussion about his sword and what he didn't like about it. As to the quality of Tinker's work - most have never complained of it. You have to like the general aesthetic that Tinker and Gus go for in their swords, of course. Business transaction-wise, I can't speak to what Tinker does or doesn't do; other than a langsaex he recently made for a friend and delivered early and to spec.

My advice - don't take one good review or one bad as anything other than one data point, and ask around.

[Torsten F.H. Wilke]

[Adam Bohnstengel]

[Greg Mele]

I didn't realize the thread was gone - my apologies.

As to your decision - I think there IS a lesson here: just make sure that you and the maker know precisely what you are looking for.

[Joel Chesser]

Really dude? This? Again?
Of course you haven't gotten your money back. YOUR sword has not sold. It doesn't matter that others have, the more then generous offer by Mr. Pearce was, as I recall, that when YOUR sword sold you would get a refund.
I'm not sure which shocks me more, the fact that ten months have already come and gone, or the fact that you still don't get the terms listed above.

On an up note, I'm glad to hear that Tinker's pieces continue to sell, especially in these hard economic times.

p.s. you do realize that other makers are probably reading this and making mental notes not to to business with you right?

[Harry J. Fletcher]

The point at issue is that Mr. Pearce is not entitled to both the money and the sword.

[Mike Capanelli]

[Ken Speed]

I have to agree with Mike Capanelli and whoever it was who said they wish this whole thread would disappear. I can't think that many other sword smiths would agree to do for you what Mr. Pierce has. He told you that he'd pay you when he sold the sword. Are you aware of the state of the economy? Are you aware of the sheer number of businesses in all areas including the historical arms and armor field that are simply not there any more? The reason they aren't there is that no one is buying anything. Just in case you didn't understand what I just wrote: NO ONE IS BUYING ANYTHING. That is why you haven't been paid, getting money from Mr. Pierce through a complaint to a credit card company is hideously unfair under the circumstances.

I've been reading and writing here for years and I have never heard anyone complain about Mr. Pierce's honesty or his product other than in this instance and I think these continued complaints reflect a profound ignorance of reality.

[Matthew G.M. Korenkiewicz]

Wow ...

Some of you guys are being rather harsh, don't you think ?

I've popped in on Mr. F's dilemma and, while I don't personally agree with the
way things have been handled, I can see he's learning a very difficult lesson.

It is a difficult lesson that I myself learned ( no, not with Mr. Tinker Pearce ) ...

I wish him all the luck in finding satisfaction. But I do hope that it can be done
in a more ... amiable ... fashion.

[Greg Mele]

[Julien M]

[Johan Gemvik]

I for one really like those Hanwei Tinker blades, lets me make my own swords to my own preference. His complete swords look nice and clean too and seem to cut very well in the youtube videos. I don't own one though but wouldn't mind at all having one or a few in my modest collection.

I only have good things to say about Tinker Peirce and I hope this gets settled to everyones satisfaction. That said, custom jobs in any area can be hard to sell to the full original value or at times to sell at all, that's just how the world works. I think it's commendable for a craftsman to even take back cutsom jobs, most wouldn't, nor would I expect one to.

[Lee O'Hagan]

Hi Harry and all,
I followed the original thread with interest,and was glad-impressed to see tinker offer to sell the sword on consignment for you,
alot of collecters have bought swords that appealed but when in hand didnt float their boat as envisioned,most i remember sold them at a loss through the different classifieds stating it just didnt suit them,
not ideal,but more to do with getting the right sword in the long term,
i'd say it was unfair to do the cc chargeback as the sword is still up for sale,i seem to remember you agreeing to a consignment deal,which at the time was suitable to both parties,
so for tinker to have to pay up without an agreed sale is pretty harsh,

from my perspective,
early 09 i put a deposit in with Tinker,speked a type and details etc,then work went downhill,it dragged on for best part of a year where i couldnt committ in good faith for outstanding payment,throughout Tinker was a gentleman,
then out of the blue a little extra turned up,Tinker was gracious enough to swop the deposit over to an already made sword on his available page,with nought more than a two week shipping delay so he could show the sword at an upcoming show,
sword arrived in a pucker rifle case,those are expensive over here;) great piece of work,turned out a great transaction,
later on it turned out the sword he sent me was the cover of his first book,even cooler,
i'd not hesitate to deal with Tinker in the future and i wish him the best,
and i hope this situation is resolved for you Harry,but you may need to be a little more patient,

[J.D. Crawford]

[Harry J. Fletcher]

Again, the central issue is that Mr. Pearce is not entitled legally to keep both the sword and the money. At no time did I ever agree to anything with Mr. Pearce other than I wanted my money returned alathough I did allow him adequate time to sell the piece to facilitate a refund.

[Mike Capanelli]

[Joe Fults]

Sounds like he has already gone his separate way and if there was still a bridge its now well and truly burned. Talk to your credit card company and see if they have any other options or talk to a lawyer. However, I suspect you're at the proverbial end of the road on this one...it seems certain that no further negotiation will occur. All you're accomplishing by posting more about it is establishing a reputation that you probably don't really want, especially if you imagine that you might like custom work at all in the future. As a spectator in several forums I've seen Tinker fall off the moral high ground from time to time during his career, he's certainly not the wide eyed innocent some people seem inclined to think he is. Never the less, fair or not, after seeing all of this I would be hesitant to risk doing business with you if I were a vendor.