UPDATE: Gustav

Gard · #1 09-04-2008, 05:50 PM

Hey guys, I just spoke with James from TPB on the phone a few moments ago.

Figured I'd let everyone know they're fine, but are going through some issues with power and communications (telephone, internet). They are getting phone service now to some degree, and when they're able to run their generator they can get online to answer e-mails and what not, but please be patient with them over the next week or two as they get back up to speed and caught up.

It doesn't appear that the national media is picking up on the fact that while New Orleans was spared any real damage, west from there things are pretty bad. Some areas were given estimates of 4-6 weeks to restore electricity. The storm pretty much leveled Houma, and did a lot of damage in Baton Rouge (luckily, no damage too TPB or any of the employees or their homes).

ThePerfectBass · #2 09-04-2008, 06:18 PM

Thanks for starting this Gard...TB was my next stop!

We basically just got generator power running here at TPB HQ about 2 hours ago. Tomorrow we will begin to re-establish our national operations with a little more than 50% of our staff coming in.

We don't really know yet what the generator will support, but we expect to be able to do everything we need to process pending orders and begin shipping new orders. We will still be running in the dark to save power for critical systems like computers and phones.

We'll post some updates out here as we can, but we are very busy making sure our families are comfortable and getting TPB back into high gear.

Peace to all!
James

JanusZarate · #3 09-05-2008, 11:25 AM

Good to hear you guys are okay! I've been keeping an eye on the status of Baton Rouge.

Admittedly, it's partly tied to my order with you guys...

...but seriously, I wouldn't have bought anything from TPB during this time if I hadn't had such a great experience the last time I bought something (last time it was a left-handed EBMM Stingray - and it's still rocking stages).

Best of wishes for a speedy recovery!

ThePerfectBass · #4 09-05-2008, 06:45 PM

Ok, so day one of being open with generator power is over! We have been able to catch up on most of our pending orders, so if you have something on order that hasn't shipped yet, it probably shipped today. If not, it will ship Monday at the latest. (please note that I won't be able to address specific questions about orders here. Best bet is to get in touch with one of our sales staff...)

Our hours of operation right now are 11am to 6pm Central time until we restore power. This is in part due to the fact that gas, food and water are a bit difficult to get here in Baton Rouge right now, so we want to give our staff that is working more time to tend to their personal needs.

I'm praying that we'll have power restored sometime next week. What's crazy is that 1/4 mile up the road, businesses have power but we don't. Of course there's a few trees hanging on power lines between here and there that may have something to do with that...

Good news is that we are just about caught up and we can take calls and process new orders...and we NEED some orders!! If you're looking to buy something, please give us the opportunity to help!

Peace and I'll post another update tomorrow!
James

CrashClint · #5 09-05-2008, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePerfectBass

I'm praying that we'll have power restored sometime next week. What's crazy is that 1/4 mile up the road, businesses have power but we don't. Of course there's a few trees hanging on power lines between here and there that may have something to do with that...

Man, do I understand the whole power no power. In my sub-division of about 300 houses, 100 of us are on Progress Energy and the other 200 are on Wake Forest Electric. The ones of us that have Progress Energy, we lose power if someone passes gas to hard. We lost power the other day and two houses down and back all had electricity. We are on the end of the line and it seems we always lose power first and are always the last to get it turned back on.

ThePerfectBass · #6 09-06-2008, 11:00 AM

Day 2 on generator power at TPB/TPG, day 5 after the storm...

At my home about 3 miles away from TPB/TPG, the estimated time to power restoration is 6 days or less. I have no estimate on the time to power restoration at TPB/TPG HQ, but businesses are lighting up all around us. I have to believe that we will be back to full power soon!

Our hours are set at 11am - 6pm Central time until further notice to allow our staff more time to get the basics covered. When there is no power, even basic things like food and water take 10 times as long to get because there may be only 1 out of 5 grocery stores open on generator power. So you have 1 store servicing far more customers than they did a week ago.

Lines are long and you may have to visit a couple of stores to find what you are looking for as they sell out of the popular items quickly. Gas is a big deal, but we are finally seeing some local gas stations with little or no lines. On Thursday, the average wait time to get gas was probably 1-2 hours and I travelled about an hour East to Covnington, LA where we were able to get gas with no problem. Waiting in line causes huge traffic buildups which slow down emergency, power company trucks and other first responders.

We are up and running and about to turn on the phones for today. We hope to hear from some of you soon!

Peace!

PS, if you feel inclined, please say a prayer that Ike disolves in the Gulf!

jazzbo58 · #7 09-07-2008, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePerfectBass

PS, if you feel inclined, please say a prayer that Ike disolves in the Gulf!

Amen Brother! I work for Entergy and worked 75 hrs. in the last five days! I think I'll have to treat myself to another bass when this settles down. Of course it will be from you guys.

Cheers,
Jim

ThePerfectBass · #8 09-07-2008, 08:26 PM

Thanks Jim, and thanks to you and your team at Entergy for the LONG hours you guys are putting in! And good news...WE NOW HAVE FULL POWER AT TPB!!! 8pm Sunday the 7th, we are back in business baby!!!!

PEACE!

ThePerfectBass · #9 09-08-2008, 04:51 PM

Things are slowly starting to return to some resemblance of normal in Baton Rouge. We now have about 50% of the city's power restored, so gas is easier to acquire. While TPB has power as of about 8pm last night, at least one of our staff members and myself still do not have power at home.

While our local retail business is suffering a great deal as our customers clean up and repair things at home, our national business is up and running. We have seen a slow down in national business, no doubt due to our weeklong absence due to the storm, but we are praying that it will pick back up quickly as our customers realize that we are back up and running.

We're also praying that Ike will die out in the Gulf...as the last thing we need is another storm to hit.

If anyone needs any gear, please get in touch! We're here and ready to serve and we are shipping!!

Thanks and Peace!
James

ThePerfectBass · #10 09-09-2008, 05:10 PM

As of today, we are back to normal business hours! Our staff has returned to work but we are keeping an eye on Ike which is now in the Gulf. Call, email, visit our site, we're here and ready to help you find your next amp, cab, bass or accessory!

Peace!