**avoid 3riversarchery.com**

[Jonah L. Archer]

I got an unfinished stave from them that broke due to a bad piece of wood. Here is the thread about the build...

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/showth...Longbow-**FAIL!**

Numerous respected members of this forum that are known bow makers confirmed this, as did TWO of 3 Rivers Archery's OWN employees. They said that they would send me a new one at no charge to me, and then out of the blue, they say that they won't. They will not stand behind their products even though their catalogs and website say "100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED". They ADMITTED that the wood failed and still refuse to replace it.

I urge all of you to seriously consider never buying anything from them... Any company that won't stand behind their products does not deserve your hard earned money! They will never get my business again!

If any one wants to see them, I'd be more than happy to post the series of emails where they say that they will send me a new stave and then do an about face...

[Sterling Woodsman]

That's why I always prefer to talk to people on the phone because you can call them out if they feed you BS. And sometimes they are more willing to help you just because talking is more personal so they feel more guilt because they know what they are doing is wrong.

I would try calling them. Be nice at first but if they still won't help you then blow up on them.

[strong tower]

That's why I always prefer to talk to people on the phone because you can call them out if they feed you BS. And sometimes they are more willing to help you just because talking is more personal so they feel more guilt because they know what they are doing is wrong.

That is exactly why I like e-mailing, so if they say they will replace it, like they did for you, I have it in writing lol. Sorry about your stave man, hope it works out for you.

[Mtnfolk Mike]

wow.. that is a bummer.. after all these years, i have never had a problem with 3rivers at all , though i have never ordered any staves from them either.. hopefully something is resolved out of this.. good luck..

[Itegorm]

That's not good at all. I have always had really good luck with Three Rivers. Sorry to hear about the poor service from them. When a company goes back on thier word it really hurts them in the long run. Looks like I will be finding other vendors to buy from.

[Iz]

That sucks that they said one thing and now aren't gonna do it. But I have a question.

How is it the seller's fault if the wood had internal problems? They didn't make it I'm assuming? In other words it's nothing that could be blamed on something they did or didn't do?

Not trying to be a jerk about it, Jonah. Just trying to understand how they are to blame.

[blackhawkhunter]

If something is defective its the retailer that should make things good with the customer. They can then either take the loss or go back to the manufacturer.

Its just part of customer satisfaction and staying in businesses.

[kbamhi]

I am not sure I understan Iz's logic. Retailers rarely make any of all of the products they sell, but if you buy from them you would expect them to stand behind the product. They may not have caused the failure, but it is in fact them who is selling the inferior product. Often it is then their responsibility to return the defective product back to the manufacturer.

[xRangerx]

I am not sure I understan Iz's logic. Retailers rarely make any of all of the products they sell, but if you buy from them you would expect them to stand behind the product. They may not have caused the failure, but it is in fact them who is selling the inferior product. Often it is then their responsibility to return the defective product back to the manufacturer.

The way I saw it Iz was getting to the point that wood is wood, there will be flaws in it occasionally. The seller didnt know that there was a flaw internally. That being said, was it their responsibility to replace it? If they said they would then my answer would be yes, it is their responsibility.

[sledjockey]

If you are looking for a good trad place with which to do business, you might look at Raptor Archery in Hood River, OR. I have dealt with him numerous times and not only did he do a great job on the bow he restored for me, but I have several dozen of his arrows, seen several bows he has made, and actually followed up with me via email to see if I got my deer this year after only having been to his shop a couple times to get gear. He is a really nice guy and usually has several people just hanging out in his shop just shooting the breeze. Great stories and the shop is like an museum.

Sorry to hear about the 3Rivers thing and how you are out. I had heard things like this before about them, so this isn't the first bad report that hit my ears.

Good luck.