What are the issues with the Spyderco website and ordering process?
For two months I have not been able to place an order online because when I click the "Checkout Now" button I receive the following error:
We’re sorry. Due to fraud, VPNs, proxies, and Tor browsers are no longer allowed to be used when ordering from Spyderco Catalog. Please disable your VPN before ordering. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
If you believe you have reached this page in error, please contact support with your IP address below.
I'm not using a proxy and have contacted support several times explaining this to them. I get this same error from three different computers/tablets/phones in three separate locations with three different IP addresses. This has persisted for at least eight weeks. When I speak to support they have been aware of this problem and have said they're in the process of fixing it, but again, it's been two months since I was first given this response. This past Monday when I spoke to the SFO they said this problem was fixed, but when they went into their system they found that this wasn't the case.
The second issue is that nearly every product shows "Out of Stock" on the website, but when calling the SFO the product is in stock and ready to be ordered. When speaking to the SFO staff they are aware of the problem and I have been told that they are working on it. This hasn't been for eight weeks, merely three.
During the past two months, I have been able to place a couple of orders by calling the SFO. Candy and the other folks have been amazingly kind and professional when placing my order and they always include a little extra something in my package. I have zero complaints and nothing but praise for the Spyderco team, though there are challenges when placing phone orders that aren't present when ordering online. First, the OPFOCUS discount is verified using the SheerID online database. This automatic verification can't be completed with phone orders so it requires the SFO employee to spend time looking up past orders to verify the discount and adds to the length of time that I'm on hold and reduces the time that SFO employee can spend with other customers. I also get the impression they aren't supposed to be giving this discount over the phone because one gentleman said, "this might get me in trouble with the folks upstairs." The other challenge I have is that the SFO is on mountain time so they are closed during the time of day when I have the opportunity to place an order, plus they are closed on Sundays.
Is there anyway Christy, Sal, or whoever works at Spyderco and sees this post could kick this up (or down) the chain of command to find a quick and lasting solution? I have money to spend on Spyderco products, I just need to be able to hit the CHECKOUT NOW button.
Thank you.