UPDATED - Bass Straight Pty Ltd trading as the Bassplayer has now gone out of business and will be placed into liquidation. Musicians are going to lose money because of this.
Okay, well I have held off on posting about this for about 6 months, but I have decided that I have done all I can reasonably do to progress this situation and so I thought I would post this to serve as a warning to anyone out there thinking of dealing with The Bass Player in Sydney Australia.
My Story
In February 2006, before I left Australia to live in the UK, I placed 4 items of bass guitar related gear on consignment with Bass Straight Pty Ltd trading as The Bass Player. These items were listed on a Department of Fair Trading form / contract outlingin that there will be a 20% consignment fee and a deduction of $38.50 for a 5 string bass as a service fee. The funds were due to me withint 14 days of sale. The goods were (all in Australian dollars):
1. Warwick Amp - sale price $1400
2. MTD Bass Guitar - sale price $1000
3. Warwick Speaker - sale price $700
4. Aguilar Preamp - sale price $250
In late 2006 I contacted the Bass Player and was told that the speaker and the preamp were sold. They said they would notify me when everything was sold. I contacted them again in January and was told everything but the Warwick Amp was sold. I asked whether they could send me the funds for the 3 items that were sold and gave them my bank details. The funds were not sent. I made a number of emails and phone calls requesting that the funds be paid to me and, although no emails were every answered, each time on the phone it was confirmed that the funds would be paid shortly and they were never paid.
On 12 March 2007 I sent a letter of demand via both fax and email and received no response. Immediately prior to sending the letter a friend of mine (and fellow TB'er) in Sydney collected the Warwick Amp from their possession so that at the time of receiveing the letter none of my goods were on consignment.
After receiving no response (and trying to find a solicitor in NSW to assist), on 20 June a complaint was lodged with the Office of Fair Trading. The OFT contacted Janet Linbom of the Bass PLayer who advised Ms Floyd that the amount was owing and that payment would be made by Friday 6 July. Payment was not received.
A subsequent request of mine to Ms Floyd to try and contact the Bassplayer again to follow up on why payment wasnt made was unsuccessful.
Quotes from the emails from the OFT:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by OFT on 5 July 2007 Your concerns have been brought to the attention of Janet, Accounts Manager for the Bass Player, who has advised payment of the amount owing to you will be made by way of a deposit into your bank account by the end of this week. |
Quote:
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Originally Posted by OFT on 10 July 2007 When in contact with Janet, Accounts Manager for The Bass Player, she acknowledged there had been a delay however, gave no explanation for this. As previously advised, she also indicated the matter would be finalised by week ending Friday 6th July. |
Quote:
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Originally Posted by OFT on 17 July 2007 I refer to your complaint lodged with the Office of Fair Trading against The Bass Player and the recent e-mail received from you regarding this matter.
Unfortunately, all further attempts to contact the trader on your behalf have been unsuccessful. |
I have now lodged a claim with the Consumer Tribunal in Australia to recover the money, but I feel that even this will probably be ignored by the Bass Player.
In summary, since no later than March 2007, they have owed me around $AUS 1500 under a contract which stated payment would be made within 14 days. They have not responded to my emails, returned my phone calls or paid me the money oweing. I have expended a considerable amount of my time in following this up and have now lodged a complaint with a Tribunal in Australia which will take up more of my time.
What you can do to help?
If you feel that what the BassPlayer has done is unaccpetable behaviour and you would not be prepared to use their services because of it. I would strongly encourage you to let the Bass Player know.
The Bass Player is owned by Karl and Janet Lindbom.
Email them at:
info@bassplayer.com.au
On myspace:
www.myspace.com/thebassplayeraust
Telephone or shop address:
Bass Straight Pty Ltd T/a the Bass Plaer
29-31 Paramatta Road
Annandale
NSW 2038
Australia
Phone: +61 2 9550 4048
I would also encourage you, if you live in AUstralia, to let your fellow bassplayers know about this incident and why you should be careful dealing with them as they have not honoured their contractual obligations.
What should I NOT do to help
Please do not contact them to make threats or demands on my behalf. I am pursuing this matter legally through a Tribunal and do not want the store to receive any threats or demands from people. I am happy if people mention that they are aware that they owe me money and because of this they will not use their store and encourage others not to do so, but please DO NOT make any demands or threats to them on my behalf.
Reason for this thread
The reason for this thread is to let people know about my experience with the store and to recommend that people do not take their business there. If you agree, I am happy for you to let them know this.
If anyone else has experiences with the Bass Player or has an contacts with the store that could help me out it would be greatly appreciated. I will keep my fellow TB'ers updated on the progress of this matter.
