Buyers beware!!!!

[Eminor3rd]

Yeah sounds reasonable to me.

[Josh Pelican]

The cab builder sure knows how to play a piano. He loves Beethoven.

Originally Posted by Bassmann1968

PL

This guy gets it!

[VinKreepo]

Oh lord, I have to share my opinion on this one

Buyer: Very impatient and crass. Who takes his/her leisurely time replying to and paying a seller and then request the seller bend over backwards to send the product pronto (namely, the same day)? A thoughtless buyer. Who purchases a rather boutique cab when they must sell his/her only cab to afford the purchase when they need the new cab asap? An impulsive buyer. Who goes online bashing a seller (who went out of his/her way to fix a mess) by posting his/her private e-mail correspondence with the seller and not naming the seller to appear 'righteous'? A vengeful buyer.

Seller: Unprofessional yet courteous. No seller should ever fail to disclose refund/return policy on a major purchase. No seller should pack such a delicate item in such a negligent way, regardless if it has worked many times before. No seller should try to avoid PayPal fees. No seller OR BUYER should discuss terms over the phone; e-mail is a must.

However, the seller did go out of their way to accommodate the buyer. Furthermore, the buyer has pi$$ed the crap out of me when he posted that the seller didn't understand his situation and issue him a refund or replacement right away and that he would have waited for a refund until the damaged cab was back in the seller's hands. BULL! He is one of the most impatient buyers I have ever seen; and while the seller was certainly unprofessional, I pity him for having to put up with a customer who believes he deserves service as well as product. He should have been more efficient with his money and saved it until he could afford a boutique cab from a small business (read: quality takes time). He put this seller under undue stress from the beginning by not paying him promptly and then requesting to have it mailed asap.

Bad customer service? More like bad customer.

I was on the customer's side until I read the e-mails. Then, I was on the fence; after reading his replies, I am certainly siding with the seller albeit his unprofessional ethics.

[RonniePudding]

Here's my take-away from all this: if you've got a big gig coming up, selling your old cabinet and praying that the one you just ordered will arrive in time without any issues is an overly-optimistic approach =)

[darius8]

This thread needs a poll, buyer vs. seller vs. carrots.

[Problemchild]

Originally Posted by g4string

XXXX,

Hey there, I got the cab. I picked it up from the FedEx facility this morning (or yesterday morning depending on when you read this). I worked all day/evening on Sunday, so I didn't have a chance to unbox her after I got off of work (about an hour ago). Bad news…..the cab arrived damaged. The bottom right corner of the cab is delaminated (see attached pics). Next, there is a horrible rattle/vibration emitting from the cab. It appears as though the rattle is coming from x-over/speaker-connector plate. However, given the damage on the bottom corner of the cab, there might be additional internal damage aside from the connector plate that is causing the cab to rattle/vibe. The rattle/vibe is most noticeable when plucking an open E even at low volume. The cab is 100% unplayable. I have to send this thing back. I gotta have a cab ASAP as this is my only cab at the moment (I just sold my last "spare" cab….Glockenklang 410). I am dead in the water due to the damage/rattle/vibe. At this point, I am asking for a refund. I will have to source a cab locally as I have gigs coming up in a few days. No hard feelings, nor am I upset/angry as I know "things" happen. Given your stellar track record on TalkBass, I am certain you will do the right thing and make this right. Please refund the $700 to XXXXX.com (I sent it to you as a "gift", please re-gift to me). I will get this re-packaged and mailed back to you tomorrow (or today depending when you read this). See attached pic for the damage.

Jason Goodman



__________________________________________________ ___

Jason

I am very sorry, Fedex is normally very, very reliable but they screwed that one up;

I can assure you that I test every cabinet personally including of course yours and it worked 100%;

I will call Fedex to file a claim this morning; they will pick it up tomorrow; I will email you the details;

if you are not available leave a note and the cabinet available for pick up;

I am shipping you a new cabinet out this morning; due to the fact that I gave you a discount this is the best I can do;

do no ship it back; Fedex has to pick it up and inspect it;

I'll contact you in a while with the details

thanks

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okay, Jason

I've just filed a claim with Fedex; they will show up tomorrow and pick up the damaged cabinet;

please pack it up that everything will be ready; they will inspect the damage and I'll have it back in ~ 2 weeks

a new cab is on the way to Fedex for you and I'll email you the tracking number shortly;

again, I am very sorry about that; it is the 1st incident this year and normally Fedex is very reliable

I'll contact you shortly with the tracking number

please email me once Fedex has picked up the damaged unit

thanks

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Jason;

the replacement is on the way via Fedex ground tracking number XXXXXXXXXXX

as a little compensation I've sent you the 1000 Watts RMS 4 ohm version, which has a street price of $1,100.00 + shipping;

it is super efficient, doesn't need a lot of power to open up but handles anything you throw at it;

again, please DO NOT ship the damaged unit back; Fedex will stop by tomorrow and pick it up;

once more, I am sorry for the mishap, things unfortunately happen;

please keep me posted

thanks

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XXXX,

I have a gig in two days. There is not enough time for me to wait for the new cab to arrive. I have to have a gig-ready cab today or tomorrow. The $700 you have is $$ I need to buy a replacement cab. I appreciate the offer for a replacement, but at this time it is not going to work for me. And regardless, a discount should have no bearing as to whether you will accept a return or not. If you go to Home Depot, Macy's, Guitar Center, etc and buy something….get it home and realized it was damaged out of the box, you have the right to return…..regardless of whether you bought the item in sale/discount/clearance/full price/etc. I am not asking for a return simply because I do not like the cab. I am asking for a refund because the cab you sent is damaged…and I need a cab NOW. Again, I appreciate your offer to ship me a 1000W version to make up for the inconvenience. However, that is not going to help me. At this point, given my current situation, I will accept nothing short of a full refund. To make it right on my end, I would be willing to cover the cost of shipping the cab one way…….that's about it. I'm pretty firm on this.

Jason

__________________________________________________ ___

as you can see the cabinet is already on the Fedex truck;

you can get a loaner cab @ any music store for a few bucks

thanks, that's the best I can do

take care and you'll enjoy the cabinet; you won't get anything decent for $700.00 in any store,

__________________________________________________ ___

FedEx came and picked up the damaged cab yesterday. To be honest, this whole situation is starting to leave a very sour taste in my mouth. I can see no reason why a refund should not have been granted when I initially asked for one, regardless whether a discount was given or not. I never asked for replacement, I asked for a refund. I think I see why why you asked for a paypal "gift" or "personal" payment at the very beginning. Even despite sending the cash to you as a "gift"/"personal" payment, I still can file a claim-dispute with paypal. I plan on doing so. Additionally, I plan on filing a claim with Wells Fargo. $650 of the $700 was funded from my WF bank account…..only $50 came from paypal. I contacted Wells Fargo, forwarded them a copy of our emails, and they stated I have legitimate grounds for a claim. I called FedEx and am having the package you sent me routed back to you. As I stated earlier in my previous email, I was/am pretty firm on getting my money back. I feel the "best you could have done" was to send me a refund. Thanks for your understanding.

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our site clearly states that there is no refund on custom and discounted cabinets;

I've went the extra mile to ship you a replacement out asap to help you out in your dilemma,

which was definitely the fault of Fedex and no other party;

under normal circumstances we file a claim first, wait until we receive the damaged unit and determine

the cause of the damage; after the determination we ship out a replacement;

your new cabinet is scheduled for tomorrow's delivery;

__________________________________________________ ___

XXXX,

I didn't order a discounted model. YOU offered me a discount, further more you never once mentioned that a discount would result in a non-returnable status. Nice way to trick, deceive, and defraud your customers. Even more reason for me to file a claim. It is not like I ordered a previously discounted model off of your website. I ordered this via a phone conversation and email exchange. You offered me a discount over the phone. You never mentioned anything about restrictions on discounts. I never once looked at your website. After offering me a discount, it would be your obligation to inform me that by accepting your "discount" I am forgoing any rights for a refund. I am refusing the shipment on the replacement. After this ordeal, I think I get your biz model…….offer a "discount" to your customers, ask them to return of the favor of the discount you offered them by sending cash via pers check, paypal gift etc, then that way they cant return it because to was "discounted" nor can they file a claim because it was a "gift" payment. Pretty shady is you ask me. And no, I don't think FedEx was to blame for the damage, I think you were. There was ZERO padding in the box you sent me. The only padding you had was two pieces of folded cardboard on the top and bottom of the cab. See the attached pic for a reminder the packing contents of the box you sent. These were all of the contents of the shipping container. Again, I have already refused shipment of the replacement and initiating a claim with Wells Fargo. Dont worry……I will be more than happy to post on several bass guitar forums about your "discount" and "gift" payment trick, in addition to how wonderful your packing skills are. I feel like you are trying to "work me over" and take advantage of a situation you tricked me into. Things of this nature do not sit well with me. I think you tried to fool the wrong person this time.

Regards


__________________________________________________ ___

Jason

stop playing word games; I was an attorney for 15 years; when a discount is offered and accepted by the purchasing party it is a "discounted cabinet", and you did not pay the full price;

we ship out 50-60 cabinets per month and as stated in my email from Monday and this is the very first claim in more than a year;

I consider hereby this correspondence/transaction as completed and finished

thank you

__________________________________________________ ___

XXXX,

Not playing any word games. As a former attorney, you should know better. The discount/gift trick you suckered me into (and I am sure there are plenty others) is at most highly unethical, if not illegal. This will be my last correspondence with you. From here on out, I will be dealing with Wells Fargo in regards to my claim. FWIW, I do plan on reporting your biz tactic to ic3.gov. I will warn others as often as I can.

Regards,

JG

__________________________________________________ ___

go ahead, Jason

then don't be surprised when you will receive a civil action for slander;

and good luck; in my 15 years of experience in this business you are the first and most disrespectful people I've come across

__________________________________________________ ___

Jason;

the alleged malfunctioning cabinet arrived this morning; my engineer and myself have been spending more than an hour to find out your alleged claim

that the cabinet does not work; we've been using numerous amplifiers, basses, cables and the cabinet works 100% despite the little nick on the bottom;

despite your false allegations I would have offered you a resolution, but unless you cancel your paypal claim to which I've already responded I have no other

choice but to await now and search for the outstanding 212 cabinet that you've refused to accept;

if that cabinet does not show up in a timely manner I have no choice but to take the appropriate legal steps

thank you

__________________________________________________ ___

XXXX,

The damage on the bottom of the cab is/was not a nick….the wood was cracked/delaminated. The plastic corner opposite of the damage was cracked as well…….coupled with the delamination on front, that leads me to believe the cab suffered a fall somewhere down the line before it got to me. Your 1000W replacement cab will be back to you shortly, XXXXXXXXXXX FEDEX tracking #. Look, you have the original cab back, the replacement you sent me is on it's way back to you, let's be done with this deal. You can keep the $$ it cost to ship me the original cab, refund me the difference and lets both of us move on. Regarding your claim you do not accept refunds on discount orders……..seriously….how would I have ever found out that information? There is no FAQ's on your webpage, there is no way to order a cab from your page, the only way to do any kind of business on your site is to make a call or send an email. I would have never been able to find any information on your return policy unless you would have specifically told me it was under the "custom order" link. I mean seriously, what other web page do you know of that has their return policy under a custom order link? Your return policy needs to conspicuously displayed, out in the open….not hidden behind your custom orders tab. I was never interested in a custom build so I never had any business clicking on the custom orders part of your website. That is the one and only place you have your refund policy stated. The location is so inconspicuous, that if your customers were never interested in a custom build, they never would know your refund policy. Since the only way to order is by phone, you should tell people what your return policy is before they order. NTM, I never asked for a discount. You offered it to me….you were the one who asked me to pay a "friends/family" "amount owed" payment. The CA state law requires web merchants to disclose your refund policy before accepting any payment. The refund policy has to displayed in a conspicuous manner. Yours is not. Look……keep the $ for the shipping the original cab to me, you break even. Im the only one out any money. Please do the right thing, refund my $$, and lets move on. No damage has been done to anybody accept both our pride. I appreciate everything you have done….but I am soo bitter with this deal that even if I end up with your cab back there is no way I could ever enjoy it. All it will do is serve to remind me of this horrible experience. As I told you earlier in a previous email, keep the shipping cost but I will accept nothing short of a refund.

Jason

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Jason

you've claimed that the cabinet was unplayable and that is definitely not the truth; you could have gigged with the cabinet the very next day without any problems or issues whatsoever

and the very next day the replacement would have arrived; we've played for hours through it since it's return and there is absolutely nothing sound wise wrong with it except the damage on the bottom;

I will have to wait until the replacement has been returned and see what the next step with paypal is;

if you would have just stated that you did not want the cabinet I would have worked something out; but pretending that it does not work properly was absolutely not the truth;

thank you

__________________________________________________ ___

XXXX,

In my house, with my own two ears, the cab rattled and buzzed. The can rattled and buzzed it was unplayable. The cab was damaged. These are all things that are not made up. Why would I make that up? If I didn't like like the cab I would have said so. There was no way you could have gigged the cabinet. I just tried to call, I think it's about time we discussed this man to man instead of email. I can cancel my claim once you send a refund. Are you saying you would have refunded my purchase if I merely said I didn't like the cab? How could I have done that when the cab was damaged? I cant call you and say I dont like the cab and send you back a damaged product. That isnt right. And i never had a chance to gig it to see if I even liked the cab. Seriously. Stand behind your product. The cab was damaged. The cab was ungiggable. Don't know why you hung up on me when i called and are refusing to accept my call. This whole thing stinks. Again, let's be done with this. Keep your shipping cost, an refund me the difference. Simple, done.

JG
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Do you have any other pictures of the box ? Impact point ?

PC