“Thank you for your reviews of SantokuKnivesUK
We just wanted to assure any readers that our knives are not from AliExpress but are made for us by one of the largest manufacturers in the world, who make the items for many of the high-end, well-known brands around the world. We are proud to have many repeat customers, including many chefs working in prestigious kitchens around the world, Masterchef finalists and top food bloggers.
Unfortunately and understandably, we received some negative reviews around Christmas and into the New Year, as we suffered from the same Covid, UK Border, Christmas-rush and Brexit issues and delays that affected so many online and high street retailers Dec 2020 and into 2021, as reported widely in the UK press. These issues affected our deliveries and tracking updates with many of our parcels being returned to sender/held up at customs or courier and Royal Mail warehouses/lost completely, with tracking updates being delayed and vanishing completely. We understand that many companies, providing all different products and services, were affected in the same way by these problems. Unfortunately these issues were completely out of our control and we were informing our customers with the only information that we had at the time.
However, each and every customer received either their complete order or a full refund with our apologies. Equally all delivery services and channels have now thankfully returned to normal, although the backlog took until around March 2021 to clear.
To confirm that it is not possible to take unauthorised payments from a customer. We receive notification of payment and the monies from our customers by their payment providers, but do not have access to their accounts/cards to take monies. Payment to us can only be done through a payment provider or an electronic invoice that then links to a payment provider. All of this has to be actioned by the customer. The payment providers have control of the payments and where they currently are in the payment/refund system. We can action a cancellation/refund immediately, but it is then dictated by the payment provider and their system as to how long this will take to clear etc.
Every customer is emailed as soon as their order leaves us, with the tracking number for their parcel and details on how to use it to track their parcel. We encourage customers to check their tracking every few days and to contact us if there are any delays in updates etc so that we can check for any issues. We are completely transparent and only supply our customers with the same tracking information that they can see themselves when they use their tracking number. We are always happy to update any customer on the tracking of their parcel, which updates via the scanning processes along the delivery route. We would not be able to alter this information as it belongs to the carriers and deliver companies such as Royal Mail, DHL etc.
To confirm also that we do not post fake reviews regarding our products, services or company on any site. Quite rightly, all review sites, including Trustpilot for example, heavily scrutinise each and every reviewer for authenticity. Should we feel that a review includes unjust claims/personal information etc, we can ask Trustpilot to review its placement on their site. However, it is ultimately Trustpilot's decision as to whether they agree with our request for information/ a review to be removed, and such action by Trustpilot is extremely rare.
We go to great lengths to supply premium products to our customers, providing excellent customer service to anyone who contacts us, ensuring that we resolve any issues as quickly as we possibly can.
We provide a satisfaction guarantee and any customer wanting to return a product to us for any reason at all, is absolutely free to do so, for a full refund to their original method of payment. We would never leave any customer without their full refund and satisfaction, or a full refund, as is our company promise.
Thank you again and please do come back to us directly with any concerns or if we can help you with anything at all
With all kindest regards
Santoku Knives”
“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)”
