“Fake site from China, ordered item over a month ago that says it’s been stuck in customs in NY for weeks only to now say it’s stuck in customs in New Jersey. I assume it’s all a scam.”
“Stay away from this company aa we just been scammed !Order over 300 pounds was dumped somewhere with tracking postage. We are totally shocked not signed for knifes no ID challenge.They know stating we have recieved it”
“They are not original Japanese knives while the Santoku.co.uk website is branded as such. The finish of the knives is of very poor quality, worse than standard brand from any shop...”
“Santoku Knifes.UK presents themselves as an authentic Japanese knife retailer, but in reality, they engage in dropshipping and source their products from AliExpress. They employ a deceptive marketing strategy, featuring famous chefs, including those from MasterChef, to create an illusion of authenticity and trust. However, the knives they offer are nothing more than cheap Chinese replicas.
When I discovered this, I immediately contacted Santoku Knifes.UK on August 4, demanding the cancellation of my order. They responded promptly, assuring me that my concern would be escalated to upper management. On August 5, they claimed they would request a refund on my behalf, giving me a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, that hope was short-lived.
Despite my bank's real-time refund notification feature, I received no notification regarding the refund from Santoku. This raised suspicions, which were confirmed on August 7 when I received an unauthorized charge attempt. Thankfully, I had disabled international transactions to protect myself, preventing the fraudulent charge.
Out of frustration and disappointment, I left a one-star review on August 7, expressing my experience. Astonishingly, just 18 minutes later, Santoku Knifes.UK contacted me, completely sidestepping the issue of the unauthorized charge. Instead, they focused solely on requesting the removal of my review, displaying a lack of accountability and professionalism.
In an attempt to find a fair resolution that would benefit both parties and minimize further inconvenience, I proposed specific terms to Santoku Knifes.UK. These terms included a clear explanation for the unexplained charge, a satisfactory clarification regarding the lack of communication, and a gesture of goodwill in the form of their abalone knife set sent to me at no cost. Unfortunately, they outright denied my proposal.
Despite providing them with undeniable proof of the charge they attempted to make, Santoku Knifes.UK refused to admit their fraudulent actions. It became clear that engaging further with a company that knowingly attempted to defraud me would be a waste of time.
While I eventually received a refund on August 10, the distress caused by Santoku Knifes.UK's deceptive practices, lack of transparency, and unprofessional conduct cannot be ignored. I strongly caution all of you in the chefknife community against doing business with this store. There are reputable retailers out there who genuinely offer authentic Japanese knives and value customer satisfaction over deceitful tactics.
Please learn from my experience and be cautious when considering any purchases from Santoku Knifes.UK. Stay vigilant and protect yourselves from falling prey to their deceptive practices.”
“This is a scam. I ordered a whetstone on 2nd Jan and have still not received it and its late March at the time of writing. The goods come from China, not the UK as you lead to believe.
I've asked for a refund several times and they never acknowledge my asking in any correspondence and now they ignore me completely.
STAY AWAY FROM THESE FRAUDSTERS AT ALL COSTS.”
“Awful fake company.
STAY FAR AWAY FROM THESE FRAUDSTERS.
They have created fake accounts to give good reviews on other websites.
I ordered what I thought had been a beautiful authentic Japanese knife for my dad for Christmas and what came was a disgustingly big and unattractive unauthentic Japanese knife with a completely different colour.
Hated everything about the knife and even worst the communication from the fake company which is Santoku knives.
I also order the knife on the 9th December for it to arrive for Christmas and it arrived only today.
I have reported them to my bank under a fraudulent enterprise and I’m hoping they get done.
Unbelievable behavior from a fake website with fake responses .
Shame on you”
“Fake store with fake overpriced products stright from Aliexpress. I was refused a refund despite my order still was not shipped. Waste of money guaranteed with santokuknives.co.uk”
“December 2022 and I'm repeating what all the reviews below have said. Stay away from this company it is fraudulent. How are they still.allowed to operate?!”
“Should have read the reviews prior to purchasing.
After a few days of buying a knife, was told that the item would be delayed. A month as passed and received a generic E-mail that shipments are delayed due to Covid. So unsure when i will receive the knife and only get generic responses to E-mails to SantokuKnives.
Disappointed with this purchase experience :(”
“Nothing more to add than the other 1 star reviews here.
Have learn't my lesson and will always check reviews prior to purchasing on new sites.
Have been provided a tracking number that has always mentioned “the sender despatching item”. So no evidence of where the actual product is. After numerous E-mails to the seller, have just received copies of the same response mentioning to be patient.
Doing a google reverse search of the images on their site shows the exact same products on aliexpress.
Their site is hosted by godaddy and would recommend others to complain to get their site taken down so no one else falls for this scam.”
“I ordered a knife on 5th Dec. I received an acknowledgement and then an email with a tracking number. The item has not arrived. The tracking number does not work...they do not respond to any emails. I have written 4 times and clearpay has written to them. There are no responses in junk mail. I am forced to conclude this company may jot exist”
“I ordered the knife on the 5th December. I received an acknowledgement and then an email with a tracking number. The item has not arrived..the tracking number does not work and they do not respond to emails. I have written 4 times and clearpay has written to them as well. Their messages have not gone into junk. I am forced to conclude that they may not exist.”
“I wonder if this company actually exists. I ordered a knife on the 5th of December, received an acknowledgement and then a tracking number. The knife has not arrived... the tracking number does not work and they never respond to emails. (that are not in junk)”
“DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY SANTOKUKNIFES
I cancelled order a few hours after placing because I saw other reviews.
I got a reply from Santokuknives saying that order was cancelled and I was being refunded.
Only to wake up this morning to them still taking payment from my account.
This is absolute preach of contract. And should not still be happing. More than ever Internet security is becoming relevant and stopping companies like Santokuknifes is becoming a priority.
I will be gathering a team and will be giving an email address out soon for other customers who would like to log their complain against this company to build a Case.”
