Daddy's pathetic customer service...Unbelievable.

rustynuts · #1 01-31-2008, 03:48 PM

Last week I purchased and paid for an Ampeg cabinet from Daddy's.com (a string of stores up in the New England area). I got the confirmation notice that payment had been received an hour or so later, and then......Nothing. That was a week ago.

Normally I'm not real patient when it comes to waiting on things I buy but this time I gave them the benefit of the doubt, thinking they probably wouldn't ship it out until Monday since they advertise shipping within 48 hours. I purchased the cab last Thursday.

So today, still nothing from UPS or FedEx so I decided to call and check on the status. What did the guy tell me? Oh, the reason it hasn't shipped yet is because it's in the repair shop.

I'm like, "For what? There wasn't any mention of repair needed in your listing!"

"It has a blown speaker."

Okay, so here we are, a week after I bought the dang thing and it's still in the shop to be repaired? I asked him what sort of time frame until they manage to ship it.

"Probably about another week. Would you like something else instead or would you like to wait on it?"

Nice of these jassaxes to let me know it needed to be repaired before I bought it. Nice of them to let me know it wouldn't be shipped immediately. Nice of them to let me know anything.

Needless to say, I won't be shopping at Daddy's again. This just flat out torques my nuts. He's supposed to try and push it through repair (I mean, really. Ship me the cab and the speaker and I'll put the friggin' thing in myself!) and he's supposed to have called me right back, but that was about 45 minutes ago.

Sorry for the rant. I'm steaming right now....

**Thor** · #2 01-31-2008, 03:52 PM

Their website usually listed where the item was, including if it
was in the repair shop. I haven't had an issue, but I go there in person, haven't dealt with them by internetz.

rustynuts · #3 01-31-2008, 04:04 PM

The website listed the item in their Dartmouth, New Hampshire store. I even called them to make sure it was still available and ready to ship, was told it was and then clicked the button right then and there with the guy still on the phone.

The fact that it needed repair or had a blown speaker was mentioned nowhere on the website and the sales guy didn't mention it either. And he did say they'd send it to another shop for shipping. Never mentioned repair.

I used to drop by the Peabody store quite often when I worked up in Woburn, MA. I never had a problem in person either, and I spent a TON of money with them back then.

rustynuts · #4 01-31-2008, 04:33 PM

Calmed down a little bit now....I had to call them back but they "have the cabinet on the workbench and are putting the speaker in it right now. It'll be boxed up tonight and shipped out UPS tomorrow."

Still, some communication would have gone a long way to avoiding a pissed off customer. All they had to say was "Hey, we checked the cab before packing it and found a speaker needed replacing. It will delay your shipping a few days." I'd have been cool with that, but sitting here for a week waiting on a box that's not going to arrive only to find out it'll be ANOTHER week......Well, that didn't make me too happy.

superbassman2000 · #5 01-31-2008, 04:37 PM

The last time i dealt with daddys i had some difficulty--i had purchased two pedals. the first one they couldn't find in their store (even though it was on their webpage) so i canceled that one. It did make me kind of nervous though--when i bought it, i put my credit card number in the blank, put the next day they called me saying they lost the number and needed it again. I gave it to them. a few hours later they called again saying that they lost it again...yikes

rustynuts · #6 01-31-2008, 04:53 PM

Hopefully no one else found it.

keb · #7 01-31-2008, 08:14 PM

I've had a recent less-than-smooth experience with them lately too.

Ordered something, got the "will ship in 48 hours" confirmation email (even though on their website it says used gear can take up to a week before it ships -- I decided what it said on the site would be the safe way to assume here

). In that email it said they would send another email once it shipped, with a tracking number and all.

A week passed. Nothing. I just assumed it hadn't been shipped yet. A few more days pass, and at this point I decide that if I haven't heard anything within the next couple days I'll call their customer service number and inquire. That night, UPS calls me and tells me they have a package for me at the local warehouse that they can't deliver because of a bad address. My shipping address was completely screwed up and wrong on the label. Luckily my phone number wasn't and UPS was able to contact me! Regardless, though, I never received an email saying my item was shipped (with a tracking number.)

I just drove up to the warehouse and picked it up myself instead of having UPS try to deliver it (it was Friday and they wouldn't attempt a delivery until Monday... I wasn't gonna wait if I didn't have to.

) So in the end I got my stuff (it wasn't lost in the UPS void) and to Daddy's credit (and UPS's) it was packed well and the package wasn't dinged or torn up. But it's made me a little wary about ordering from Daddy's again.

TrooperFarva · #8 01-31-2008, 09:28 PM

I understand your frustration with that lack of communication, but think of it like this: The situation you're in now is a hell of a lot better than if they just shipped out the cab with the blown speaker still in it.

rustynuts · #9 01-31-2008, 09:54 PM

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the fact that they were replacing the speaker. Just let me know about it and I'd have been fine with it. It's frustrating sitting here every day waiting on something only to find out it hadn't been shipped or even repaired yet. It was listed as ready to go, not in need of repair.

And on the site and in the email they said 48 hours, nothing about a week's wait anywhere.

theshadow2001 · #10 02-01-2008, 05:20 AM

I don't think buying used gear online is something I'd be a big fan of. The fact there's a blown speaker in it suggests that the cabinet was abused at some stage in it's life. Which would lead me to question the condition of the other speakers. They might be fine they might be hanging on to life by a hair.

I've bought new gear numerous times on line (mostly due to much higher prices and lack of any selection here) At least I know there can't be too much wrong with it.

threshar · #11 02-01-2008, 06:36 AM

I've had their repair guys lose stuff on me before.

At least it wasn't vital. I sent my hartke head in for a new tube in its pre after I got my markbass and they had it for probably 2 months. I'd call and they'd have no idea about it or where it was. Needless to say, I was most irate.

Then they tried to tell me they were going to charge me for the repair. I had some words with them about how long they had it, how no one ever calls me back, etc. They eventually relented and dropped the charge. (Amazing what happens when you talk to the man in charge instead of a peon)

keb · #12 02-01-2008, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rustynuts

And on the site and in the email they said 48 hours, nothing about a week's wait anywhere.

Here it actually says up to 10 days or more (http://www.daddys.com/gear/info_shipping.php) but somewhere else it said a week... I wish it was a bit less confusing/contradictory, heh.

guy n. cognito · #13 02-01-2008, 06:44 AM

If you're displeased with the service and communication, then you should cancel the order.

brianrost · #14 02-01-2008, 07:14 AM

I've bought a lot of stuff from Daddy's. I would never mail order from them. There is a store local to me and they will ship used gear from any store to any other for you free so I just have them do that and go look at it in person. I once bought a used guitar amp for a friend at my local store and had it shipped to the store nearest him for pickup. The difference between paying shipping and paying sales tax is a wash.

One time they had an SWR head at a very good price but when I plugged in it was humming badly. They agreed to send it to the shop to fix it at no cost, so I put some money down on it. Two weeks later it came back still humming, so I got my deposit back, no issues.

Another time I got a Soundcraft mixer from them, a floor unit from another store whose inventory they had bought; it came with warranty as new. Got it home and heard hum (is this a curse I have?), took it back for repair under warranty, got it back in perfect shape.

Despite staff turnover at my local store I find them to be OK to deal with in general, just know what stuff is worth as a lot of the used gear is overpriced while some are incredible bargains.

rustynuts · #15 02-01-2008, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keb

Here it actually says up to 10 days or more (http://www.daddys.com/gear/info_shipping.php) but somewhere else it said a week... I wish it was a bit less confusing/contradictory, heh.

Nice of them to put it there....In the listing for the item it stated shipping within 48 hours, Monday thru Friday. It didn't say anything about 10 days. Rather misleading.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

If you're displeased with the service and communication, then you should cancel the order.

That was something I thought about, but when I approached the subject all I got was "exchange"...Would I rather exchange it for something else? No, I want that model, you don't have another one so it's either send me that one or give me a refund. The guy danced away from the word "refund" every time I brought it up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

I don't think buying used gear online is something I'd be a big fan of. The fact there's a blown speaker in it suggests that the cabinet was abused at some stage in it's life. Which would lead me to question the condition of the other speakers. They might be fine they might be hanging on to life by a hair.

The problem is, Ampeg no longer produces the SVT 210HE so I have no choice BUT to buy used. Since I'd dealt with Daddy's frequently in the past I thought it would be a safe bet.

Guess I was wrong. Supposedly I was going to have an email with a tracking number by 3:00 PM. Here it is a quarter after four and still no tracking number. I'll give it a couple of hours and call and see if it shipped.

Matthew Bryson · #16 02-01-2008, 02:24 PM

Oh, I KNOW what I would have said.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rustynuts

"Probably about another week. Would you like something else instead or would you like to wait on it?"

I would have said "I would like my money refunded immediately so that I may take my business else where."

...and then no matter how nice and cooperative they tried to become, I would still demand a full refund and I would not purchase from them.

If I'm shopping some place and I become upset before I've spent my money, I'll turn around and walk out. It's a matter of principle.

Nobody is going to get me PO'ed about something and then make a commission off of me. I wouldn't be able to get sleep at night.

rustynuts · #17 02-01-2008, 02:36 PM

Honestly, if I could have found another anywhere I would have. There were a few others listed online and I'd already contacted the sellers....All sold. There was one on Craigslist about forty miles from here. Sold. None on eBay. None anywhere. This was pretty much it.

**Thor** · #18 02-01-2008, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianrost

I've bought a lot of stuff from Daddy's. I would never mail order from them. There is a store local to me and they will ship used gear from any store to any other for you free so I just have them do that and go look at it in person. I once bought a used guitar amp for a friend at my local store and had it shipped to the store nearest him for pickup. The difference between paying shipping and paying sales tax is a wash.

One time they had an SWR head at a very good price but when I plugged in it was humming badly. They agreed to send it to the shop to fix it at no cost, so I put some money down on it. Two weeks later it came back still humming, so I got my deposit back, no issues.

Another time I got a Soundcraft mixer from them, a floor unit from another store whose inventory they had bought; it came with warranty as new. Got it home and heard hum (is this a curse I have?), took it back for repair under warranty, got it back in perfect shape.

Despite staff turnover at my local store I find them to be OK to deal with in general, just know what stuff is worth as a lot of the used gear is overpriced while some are incredible bargains.

The system they use for swapping gear is a weekly truck.
If you want a bass moved to a local store, it get picked up
from that store on the Tuesday truck next week and delivered
on the Thursday truck that week. So getting something from another store is 5-10 days.

I highly suspect that the ship out of their store coverage
areas from a central location. So you order the cab, its
in Shrewsbury. Next Tuesday a truck picks it up from there
and brings it to the central shipping and repair location.

Now some schllub plugs it in and, ooops, sucker don't work.
They send it to the shop, a week later it emerges and back to
the pack ship guy who boxes it up and ships it out.
Regular ship time, 10 days. Gear that needs repair, 10 days plus repair time.

I much prefer dealing with them in person. I let them ship it
to Warwick RI, and when it gets there, I try it out. If it doesn't
pass muster, I get my deposit back.

bryan bailey · #19 02-01-2008, 03:02 PM

It sucks they didn't ship it as is and didn't fix it, you know...

rustynuts · #20 02-01-2008, 03:09 PM

Well, no email with a tracking number as promised but I just called and it did go out today. (At least he says it did.) They'll be sending an email either tonight or tomorrow with the tracking info.

Mmm hm.