Disappointed with service & quality from Joris

About a month ago I bought a Joris 1912T Barrel Handle Razor with Spiral Pattern from a vendor. However, the top & bottom plates of the razor had serious finish flaws which I've tried to highlight in the photos below (sorry for the quality of the photos, they were taken with my ipad. The flaws look worse with the naked eye.). It's a dark coffee like discoloration that is not removed with a simple wash or wipe with a cloth. I don't know if it's a plating issue or what, but when you pay $160 for a razor you expect better.

So I contacted the vendor who agreed that the situation was troubling. The vendor then proceeded to contact Joris about the problem but never received a reply. One week later the vendor again contacted Joris about the problem and again failed to receive a reply from Joris. After which, the vendor apologized and offered a partial refund stating "Joris/Plisson's lack of response has been a pattern with them". I must stress that throughout the ordeal the vendor was excellent to deal with and very professional and understanding.

I then proceeded to personally contact Joris and explained the situation with accompanying photos in an email. No response. A week later I repeated this. Again, no response from Joris. Very disappointing.

Am I being overly sensitive? For a $160 razor I would have expected better quality and service/support from Joris. I own the ATT & Tradere razors, both of which are premium razors, and both of which are flawless. Moreover, based on the comments I've read on this forum I know that if there was a finish problem with either of those razors the makers would respond immediately. I also own a number of Merkur & Muhle razors and have never come across this type of finish flaw.

I would send it back myself; it should be flawless new.

For $160, I think that is unacceptable.

rbiz17 your disappointing Joris experience mirrors mine almost exactly.
About a month and a half ago I emailed them asking about shipping to Australia and received an immediate reply.
So I ordered and paid AUD 163 for one of their much vaunted bone handled razors.
Here is a photo of it when I opened the package:
View attachment 337209
The scratch marks near the base of the bone handle are, in my opinion, not acceptable in a not inexpensive razor.
I have sent Joris two emails regarding this purchase. They replied to neither.
I was not going to post about this until I saw rbiz17's similar experience.
Sending it back would cost too much to be worthwhile.
The marks, of course, do not affect the razor's performance.
But as far as that shave performance goes, I rate the Joris below my Fatip Grande teamed with a Tradere handle.
Overall I am pretty unimpressed with this product and the vendor's poor customer service.
Caveat emptor.

Poor customer service stories are what kill companies in the long run. I have no loyalty to a company I've never purchased from and stories like these will keep me from ever considering making those purchases. Congratulations Joris, you've just made me a very loyal Merkur customer.

Disappointing indeed. I was looking to purchase their palladium razor but I'll now look elsewhere. Sad especially when there are alternative s out there. I'm looking the EJ bulbous lined chrome handle. Hmm heard good things about their customer service.

I don't know what your consumer protection laws are in the US, but here in Europe the problem is the responsibility of the vendor. It is up to him to supply products of a merchandisable quality. The vendor has to replace the item or offer a full refund and then sort things out with the manufacturer. If your manufacturer is a Euoropean outfit, they probably don't deal diredt with users but expect problems to be resolved by the vendor as above.

The problem is Joris completely ignored the vendor's repeated attempts to resolve the problem. What more can the vendor do when the manufacturer ignores them? Moreover, the vendor indicated that this (i.e. Joris's lack of response) had been a constant problem with Joris.

Regardless of whether the razor was purchased through a vendor or directly from Joris, surely Joris must accept some of the blame and responsibility, as my razor and Double Edge's razor above should never have passed Joris' quality control - not when Joris is charging $160 for something that is an over-glorified Fatip with a pretty handle. The complete lack of response from Joris is what I find most irksome.

Regardless of whether the razor was purchased through a vendor or directly from Joris, surely Joris must accept some of the blame and responsibility, as my razor and Double Edge's razor above should never have passed Joris' quality control - not when Joris is charging $160 for something that is an over-glorified Fatip with a pretty handle. The complete lack of response from Joris is what I find most irksome.[/QUOTE]

+1

Taipan said:

I don't know what your consumer protection laws are in the US, but here in Europe the problem is the responsibility of the vendor. It is up to him to supply products of a merchandisable quality. The vendor has to replace the item or offer a full refund and then sort things out with the manufacturer. If your manufacturer is a Euoropean outfit, they probably don't deal diredt with users but expect problems to be resolved by the vendor as above.

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Indeed, in the EU you don't need to deal with the manufacturer, because the vendor is obliged to sell you a product that meets the expectations (and you have a 2 year warranty against defects anyway). But it gets complicated when either you, or the vendor, are not in the EU. How are you going to get your rights from overseas?

(It's even difficult enough sometimes with EU vendors, even when your rights are written down in law)

The seller is liable under the Uniform Commercial Code. Just get a refund. Dealing with Joris should be his headache.

rivieraranch said:

The seller is liable under the Uniform Commercial Code. Just get a refund. Dealing with Joris should be his headache.

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+1

rblz17 I have one question for you:

Who took your money for this (purchase) razor?

I hear you. About 10 yrs back or so, I purchsed 2 Joris palladium & gold plated shave brushes from prestigious pharmacies in New York City. The knots were pure and best badger, scritchy and shed. I had to have new shorter knots put in. I have a few pure-gray badger hair Plissons. They shed. They're over estimated, overpriced, and over here.

rblz17 said:

The problem is Joris completely ignored the vendor's repeated attempts to resolve the problem. What more can the vendor do when the manufacturer ignores them? Moreover, the vendor indicated that this (i.e. Joris's lack of response) had been a constant problem with Joris.

Regardless of whether the razor was purchased through a vendor or directly from Joris, surely Joris must accept some of the blame and responsibility, as my razor and Double Edge's razor above should never have passed Joris' quality control - not when Joris is charging $160 for something that is an over-glorified Fatip with a pretty handle. The complete lack of response from Joris is what I find most irksome.

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+1 to those who have said this is the vendor's problem. You bought it from him, not from Joris. Yes, of course it is ultimately Joris' responsibility, but the vendor must deal with them directly regarding that aspect and either offer you a replacement or refund.

VerbaVolant said:

rblz17 I have one question for you:

Who took your money for this (purchase) razor?

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Verbavolant -It is more an issue of who made the razor. Manufacturing defects are the responsibility of the manufacturer and these policies are clearly posted on most vendors websites (mine included). We work with the customers and aid them as much as possible but, it is ultimately the responsibility of the manufacturer. They have spare heads and handles that they could easily ship while I do not. Needless to say, I have decided to no longer carry Joris/Plisson.

BullGoose said:

Verbavolant -It is more an issue of who made the razor. Manufacturing defects are the responsibility of the manufacturer and these policies are clearly posted on most vendors websites (mine included).

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That would clearly be illegal in the EU (at least in the Benelux). The consumer has nothing to do with the manufacturer; that's the headache of the vendor.

"The seller is directly liable to you, the consumer, for any lack of conformity with the above requirements. He may not, therefore, hide behind the manufacturer or other supplier."

johant1968 said:

That would clearly be illegal in the EU (at least in the Benelux). The consumer has nothing to do with the manufacturer; that's the headache of the vendor.

"The seller is directly liable to you, the consumer, for any lack of conformity with the above requirements. He may not, therefore, hide behind the manufacturer or other supplier."

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The buyer is in Australia and I am in the United States. To have the buyer ship the razor back to the United States so I could ship it to France does not make sense especially considering that the razor in question was completely sold out. The customer and I worked it out via a partial refund and the customer still has recourse with the manufacturer.

I did not mean to give any judgment of the specific case with this Joris razor! My remark was purely meant at the "Manufacturing defects are the responsibility of the manufacturer" statement.

EU law dictates that the buyer only has to deal with the vendor. It is irrelevant (from a contract point of view) who is the importer or the manufacturer; the buyer gets his consumer rights from the contract with the seller. The seller is obligated to provide either a full refund, or a timely repair or replacement.

(Dutch law is even stronger; in certain cases you are also entitled to a partial refund after the warranty expired ... if a product breaks well within its normal life expectancy, you as a buyer did not get what you might have expected. Of course only a partial amount is refunded, since you have enjoyed the product for some time ... this was the case with our dishwasher, which broke after three years)

Like I said, that probably works a bit different when buyer, seller, and manufacturer are all on a different continent!

johant1968 said:

I did not mean to give any judgment of the specific case with this Joris razor! My remark was purely meant at the "Manufacturing defects are the responsibility of the manufacturer" statement.

EU law dictates that the buyer only has to deal with the vendor. It is irrelevant (from a contract point of view) who is the importer or the manufacturer; the buyer gets his consumer rights from the contract with the seller. The seller is obligated to provide either a full refund, or a timely repair or replacement.

(Dutch law is even stronger; in certain cases you are also entitled to a partial refund after the warranty expired ... if a product breaks well within its normal life expectancy, you as a buyer did not get what you might have expected. Of course only a partial amount is refunded, since you have enjoyed the product for some time ... this was the case with our dishwasher, which broke after three years)

Like I said, that probably works a bit different when buyer, seller, and manufacturer are all on a different continent!

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Agreed. The fly in the ointment is that Joris did not respond at all (either to me or the customer)....not even to say go pound sand.