Hanwei Headache

by LT666
(Chicago, IL, )

So earlier this year I decided to purchase a longsword.

After looking at different vendors, that best one I found that was in stock (or so I thought) was the Hanwei Rhinelander sword from the distributor Paul Chen Hanwei Swords. I contacted them mainly on payment option, and placed my order in July.

It was supposed to ship in August, but it never arrived. When I contacted them about it, I was told that while their system said it was in stock, it wasn't actually there. They said it would be restocked in 6-8 weeks.

However,

9 weeks afterwards, it still wasn't in stock, and I was told that it would be another 4-6 weeks. And they had no exact restock date.

Eventually in mid-November, my patience ran out, and I decided to have them refund my money, which I promptly received within the week. However I learned that I made my order during a period when the distributor was transitioning to new owners. So it was probably just a run of bad luck on my part.

Here's what I learned from this that you can use,

-If you see a product on a retailer/distributor's site that you want, make sure to confirm that they actually have what you want, ready to be shipped. An item being "In Stock" is not always the same as what they really have.

-Quality and service will be worth the extra penny. And you don't want to be left in the dark when it comes to your purchases.

-Make sure you get a full understanding of retailer/distributor's reputation as well as any business situation that might delay your order.

I won't be doing any business with Paul Chen Hanwei Swords any time soon, but their customer service was good and they were prompt with responses to my inquiries and my refund. However I would advise to them that they establish contact with the manufacturers they do business with so that restock dates can be confirmed.

Thanks for reading, and I apologize if I wrote anything ignorant.

-LT666