Let's face it, when you're buying a product you're supporting a business as well, not only is the product your buying important but rewarding businesses that offer good customer service should also come into play.
This isn't so much going to fall into the standard "razor review" in that it's more about my experience with the companies than anything else but hopefully it will help some of you in deciding who you would like to support but first, a little back story.
I am a single father on disability as a result of chemical sensitivity issues which puts me in a situation of having some very specific needs surrounding the products I use. It's also one of the reasons I started researching alternatives to modern shaving products. With these health issues also comes frequently having to buy and try many products before finding one that will work.
There was a time in life I owned a corporation and did very well for myself so while having been accustom to finer things they aren't always an option for me now. There has to be a balance and compromise to my purchasing and with money always being tight I often need to leverage what I can to acquire the things I need or desire.
This brings me to my review and how I went about it. Wanting a nicer razor (this took place 02/2013) I decided I would do a little poking around and see which companies were willing to accommodate an unconventional customer with unique needs and some outside the box thinking when it may not add much to their net profits. Having been a business owner I often found myself choosing to work with people simply to balance out what I was taking and create some positive karma. Is this mandatory or to be expected? Of course not. Is this business savvy or even worth the effort? I guess that depends on the motives of the business. I see many reviews where the person reviewing is sent a free razor but I struggle to view that as an unbiased evaluation. My goal was simply to see if I could get my hands on an open comb razor by striking a mutually beneficial agreement with the company. That could have been cash, trade, a mix of the two, a returned or seconds item, I was open to anything.
Here was my experience:
TRADERE RAZORS - 1 Stars
Richard's first response took 17 days though it only took a day for him to respond to my reply. He offered to send a loaner razor and also said he would be willing to go through his personal collection if they didn't have anything that fit my needs. I was pretty excited and felt they were an excellent business to deal with in terms of customer service. I sent my address for the loaner the same day of his email and never heard back from Tradere nor did I receive a razor to try. I'm giving them 1 star because I find a lack of follow through and communication to be a huge negative when dealing with any business.
WEBER RAZOR - 2 Stars
Ed simply responded to a long and thought out email with two lines telling me they had nothing and would contact me if they did in the future. I never heard from them again.
ABOVE THE TIE - 4.5 Stars
Stan was quick to respond, easy to deal with and was very open to working with me by letting me try out some of his products before buying, this would have been very helpful for me provided I could afford his razors though I got the impression he made have even allowed payments. After explaining my situation he suggested trying an older model razor which he said he would be willing to send me (not refinished or anything, just something to give me a feel for it) for the cost of shipping. I found Stan to be very pleasant to deal with, knowledgable and I wouldn't hesitate to suggest Above The Tie to somebody and feel they were in safe hands.
GOODFELLA RAZORS - 5 Stars
Andrew is hands down and without a doubt one of the best people I have dealt with at a business. He was quick to respond to emails, followed through on his word, was social and engaging and more than willing to work with me and be flexible. The customer service at Goodfella is top notch and if you're on the fence about which company to support they have my full endorsement. In this economy with a product like this I feel customer service is huge. In 25 years of working with hundreds of businesses there are three that REALLY STAND OUT and Goodfella Razors is certainly one of them. I will review the razor I got from Andrew in the reviews section.
This isn't so much going to fall into the standard "razor review" in that it's more about my experience with the companies than anything else but hopefully it will help some of you in deciding who you would like to support but first, a little back story.
I am a single father on disability as a result of chemical sensitivity issues which puts me in a situation of having some very specific needs surrounding the products I use. It's also one of the reasons I started researching alternatives to modern shaving products. With these health issues also comes frequently having to buy and try many products before finding one that will work.
There was a time in life I owned a corporation and did very well for myself so while having been accustom to finer things they aren't always an option for me now. There has to be a balance and compromise to my purchasing and with money always being tight I often need to leverage what I can to acquire the things I need or desire.
This brings me to my review and how I went about it. Wanting a nicer razor (this took place 02/2013) I decided I would do a little poking around and see which companies were willing to accommodate an unconventional customer with unique needs and some outside the box thinking when it may not add much to their net profits. Having been a business owner I often found myself choosing to work with people simply to balance out what I was taking and create some positive karma. Is this mandatory or to be expected? Of course not. Is this business savvy or even worth the effort? I guess that depends on the motives of the business. I see many reviews where the person reviewing is sent a free razor but I struggle to view that as an unbiased evaluation. My goal was simply to see if I could get my hands on an open comb razor by striking a mutually beneficial agreement with the company. That could have been cash, trade, a mix of the two, a returned or seconds item, I was open to anything.
Here was my experience:
TRADERE RAZORS - 1 Stars
Richard's first response took 17 days though it only took a day for him to respond to my reply. He offered to send a loaner razor and also said he would be willing to go through his personal collection if they didn't have anything that fit my needs. I was pretty excited and felt they were an excellent business to deal with in terms of customer service. I sent my address for the loaner the same day of his email and never heard back from Tradere nor did I receive a razor to try. I'm giving them 1 star because I find a lack of follow through and communication to be a huge negative when dealing with any business.
WEBER RAZOR - 2 Stars
Ed simply responded to a long and thought out email with two lines telling me they had nothing and would contact me if they did in the future. I never heard from them again.
ABOVE THE TIE - 4.5 Stars
Stan was quick to respond, easy to deal with and was very open to working with me by letting me try out some of his products before buying, this would have been very helpful for me provided I could afford his razors though I got the impression he made have even allowed payments. After explaining my situation he suggested trying an older model razor which he said he would be willing to send me (not refinished or anything, just something to give me a feel for it) for the cost of shipping. I found Stan to be very pleasant to deal with, knowledgable and I wouldn't hesitate to suggest Above The Tie to somebody and feel they were in safe hands.
GOODFELLA RAZORS - 5 Stars
Andrew is hands down and without a doubt one of the best people I have dealt with at a business. He was quick to respond to emails, followed through on his word, was social and engaging and more than willing to work with me and be flexible. The customer service at Goodfella is top notch and if you're on the fence about which company to support they have my full endorsement. In this economy with a product like this I feel customer service is huge. In 25 years of working with hundreds of businesses there are three that REALLY STAND OUT and Goodfella Razors is certainly one of them. I will review the razor I got from Andrew in the reviews section.