Don't purchase gear from Physical Chess!

[mcthfg]

If this is in the wrong spot, sorry for the post, but I really think folks should know this...

I purchased a set from Physical Chess (one foil, one glove, one coat, and one mask), ordered left-handed. When I got the set, the foil was left-handed, but the jacket and glove were right-handed. I sent them back to the company, a little disappointed, but everyone makes mistakes.

It took four emails and a threat that I would contact the BBB before they answered back. They took almost 2 weeks between getting what I sent back to them and sending me my new gear. I know this because I sent the items via UPS, and I know when they were delivered.

Then, upon opening the replacement, they had again sent me the wrong glove. Again, I sent an email, but it took another email, again threatening them, before they responded. It has been a FULL MONTH and I have yet to get all the gear I ordered.

So, the moral seems to be that Physical Chess is a horrible place from which to order your gear. Do yourselves a favor and avoid them. You might actually get the gear you ordered. They have a lot to learn about customer service.

[hpfencing]

I recently ordered 8 mask from them for our middle School's program. aFER SENDING THE CHECK WE WAITED 3 WEEKS WITH NO EQUIPMETN i E-MAIL AND DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE SO i CALL. sHE SAID EVERYTHING WOULD BE FIXED AND THE ITEMS WERE ON THE WAY. tHAT WAS IN nOV. tHE CHECK CLEARED THAT THE SCHOOL HAD WRITTEN ADN STILL NO GEAR BEFORE CHIRSTMAS BREAK. i CALLED AGAIN AND THEY HAD NO RECORD OF THE PAYMENT.

lAST WEEK WE FINALLY RECIEVED THE MASKES.

I THINK I'LL STAYY AWAY FOR A WHILE AS WELL.

[penguin_2000]

hpfencing... your caps lock key seems to be stuck...

Given the prices of physical chess, I don't know why anybody would go to them for equipment. There are other vendors with lower prices and more highly regarded customer service.

[thud]

I've ordered from them twice. The first purchase was for a practice foil kit, and the order was prompt and hassle-free. The second order was for an electric foil kit. The lame I received was the size I ordered and the same size as my jacket, but seemed too small. Inspecting the interior, I discovered "female" (I'm a guy) written in Chinese with a black marker. I thought this explained the poor fit, but the thing had no breast protector pockets, and the customer service rep insisted that it then had to be a men's lame (this puts the blame on me). I paid to have it sent back and restocked and got a lame one size larger at the woman's suggestion. That-- though not marked as female-- was also too small.

So I'm not sure what the problem really was-- whether they sent me the wrong gender, or the sizing of their lames is not very good-- however, the issue was handled very promptly.

[KD5MDK]

I believe them to be another of the Blade businesses. Take that as you will. My dealings with them have been that communication is slow, but I got what I ordered. However, given how many outstanding vendors there are, I'm going elsewhere myself.

[hpfencing]

Sorry about the caps lock before, I wa not meaning to Scream.

Yes I think we should all go else where.

I have never understood why blade businesses all work together but are all seperate groups, makes no since at all, it's disceptive and wrong.

So how many of the businesses out there are blade..... I think ALL the vendors from NJ. Am I right?

[little_old_me]

Well, Absolute's out of NJ and there's no way that they're Blade... good customer support, good prices... yeah, not a Blade baby.

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by little_old_me

Well, Absolute's out of NJ and there's no way that they're Blade... good customer support, good prices... yeah, not a Blade baby.

And blue gauntlet.

[CvilleFencer]

The Blade fencing unbrella, not including their various ebay sham stores, to the best of my knowledge includes Blade, FenceSmart, Physical Chess and Allstar USA. I don't suggest anyone order from any of them. I have had serious issues with all of them in the past except for Allstar USA which I won't go through for obvious reasons. I don't know why anyone continues to by from them when there are much better options out there.

Absolute, Blue Gauntlet or Fencing Post for cheaper/club gear and Fencing.net shop, Leon Paul and/or Fencing Post for higher end gear are the ones I always recommend. American Fencing if you are looking for old school classical fencing gear. If you really want Allstar instead of Uhlmann order through Fechtsport Lagenkamp. You will save money and get great customer service.

[KD5MDK]

We were talking about it this past weekend and it boils down to there are 4 vendors in the Northeast.

Stan, Mr. Chen, Amanda and Zivkovic (and Duellist, but they're a lot smaller I gather)

Cville - I suggest you give Swordmasters a try some time. They're really a very good company.

[Duellist USA]

Not for long.....


Rick

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Personally, I've found fencesmart to be reliable. The fat guy there is nice enough, and has good prices.

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by Duellist USA

Not for long.....


Rick

Maybe us small guys can give the big boys a run for their Euros, huh??

[stealingophelia]

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

The Blade fencing unbrella, not including their various ebay sham stores, to the best of my knowledge includes Blade, FenceSmart, Physical Chess and Allstar USA. I don't suggest anyone order from any of them. I have had serious issues with all of them in the past except for Allstar USA which I won't go through for obvious reasons. I don't know why anyone continues to by from them when there are much better options out there.

Absolute, Blue Gauntlet or Fencing Post for cheaper/club gear and Fencing.net shop, Leon Paul and/or Fencing Post for higher end gear are the ones I always recommend. American Fencing if you are looking for old school classical fencing gear. If you really want Allstar instead of Uhlmann order through Fechtsport Lagenkamp. You will save money and get great customer service.

what's wrong will Allstar?

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by stealingophelia

what's wrong will Allstar?

They have an exclusive relationship set up with Allstar USA, and so any US vendor who resells allstar stuff has to get it through them, and in general this means that allstar stuff costs more in the US than uhlmann (when they have identical products).

[mackillian]

Rick, what's not for long?

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by mackillian

Rick, what's not for long?

I think that was in response to this:
"and Duellist, but they're a lot smaller "
meaning that Rick's planning on growing the company...

[hpfencing]

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

Maybe us small guys can give the big boys a run for their Euros, huh??

Maybe so, maybe so!

[Craig]

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

I think that was in response to this:
"and Duellist, but they're a lot smaller "
meaning that Rick's planning on growing the company...

Yes, but what entrepreneur comes out and says "We plan on staying small and maybe even shrinking?"

All of us "small fry" are looking to grow and expand, just as the current "big boys" were once small companies.

The overall growth of fencing in the US provides a fairly decent base for growth.

Craig

[Craig]

Originally Posted by prototoast

They have an exclusive relationship set up with Allstar USA, and so any US vendor who resells allstar stuff has to get it through them, and in general this means that allstar stuff costs more in the US than uhlmann (when they have identical products).

If you look at most vendors reselling European equipment you'll find the prices higher in the US than in Europe. This is for several reasons, the main one being the the European equipment manufacturers don't start out with a true "wholesale" price to US vendors.

So, for the US vendor to make any money after paying for goods+freight+customs taxes they have to charge much more than a customer would pay in Europe.

For reference, a large company like Dick's Sporting Goods or Sports Authority has a gross margin of just at 40% (includes cost of goods and marketing/sales).

Craig