Otto Frei specializes in metalworking, jewelry-making, and lapidary supplies for professionals and hobbyists. This page provides ratings and authentic customer reviews to help you decide whether the store meets your needs for specialized metal tools and materials.
Otto Frei Reviews
What Shoppers Say About Otto Frei
Otto Frei has highly polarized customer feedback, with shoppers either praising their specialized inventory and product quality or expressing serious frustration with customer service and order fulfillment. Positive reviewers highlight that the store stocks hard-to-find metalworking and jewelry supplies (such as specific metal files and testing acids) and note that responsive staff have helped resolve order mistakes. However, a significant portion of reviewers report persistent problems including shipped defective items with no resolution, unresponsive customer service via email and phone, unexplained order delays despite promises of quick delivery, and what some describe as dismissive attitudes when issues arise. Website navigation and the inability to create accounts for order tracking are additional complaints.
The store appears to serve a niche market of jewelers and metalworkers, but service quality appears inconsistent. Customers who successfully receive their specialized items tend to remain loyal, while those experiencing fulfillment or support issues describe their experience as poor or frustrating. Shipping option selection and communication about expected delivery times seem to be particular pain points.
Customer Reviews (6)
Sorted by: Most recentThey shipped me a broken item and then ignored all my emails. On top of that, I placed a separate order while waiting to hear back about the defective punch, and they never even sent that one. The whole website looks like it's from decades ago and it's a pain that you can't create an account to track your stuff. Not going back there, and honestly, you probably shouldn't either.
I had some doubts about ordering here after seeing mixed feedback online, but after looking around for a couple months, this was the only place that stocked the specific metal files I needed. Unfortunately, I messed up my order and accidentally added an extra item to the cart. I reached out to them right away, and while I was waiting for a message response, I decided to just call them up. Got a real person on the line immediately and she canceled my order without any hassle so I could reorder correctly. Interestingly, while we were talking, another team member was also responding to my message. Both staff members were super friendly and took great care of me. It's honestly so rare these days to talk to an actual human instead of some robot, and Otto Frei totally knocked it out of the park. I was so impressed with how they handled everything that I actually ended up adding a couple more items to my new order. When it arrived, it got here super fast and was packaged really well.
Bought a couple bottles of silver testing acid from them not too long ago and both were completely useless. Neither one reacted to silver like it should have. When I complained, they basically said that cheap testing acids don't last long and come with no warranty. That's ridiculous. I just opened them and I've got other acids from the same maker that have been working perfectly for over 8 years. Won't be ordering from these guys again. Their customer service is honestly pathetic.
Called them multiple days straight and couldn't get any updates on where my order was. They promised it would arrive within a week but nothing showed up. When I finally reached someone, they basically told me that if I chose the cheapest shipping option, I shouldn't expect much. This feels like a total scam to me. They're not handling shipments properly and seem to mess with the tracking info with their carrier. I'm seriously considering legal action over this.
Hands down the worst customer service I've ever dealt with. They actually hung up on me during a call. Rio Grande does way better when it comes to both customer service and their actual products. Their website is outdated and a nightmare to navigate when you're trying to pick different options. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.