Godin Customer Service Issues

[MNAirHead]

Godin - Don't Waste Your Money Rant - How I went from Loving them to Hating them in a Single Afternoon





RE A4 Body Implosion
I must have become spoiled since becoming an American (Canadian Expatriate). There’s a slight level of service (or care) that I now anticipate from companies.



In the past I tried to contact the Godin Assembly facility to run a sunburst A5. (They do run this color on other guitars. offered to pay extra. suggested I could wait for up to a year). They did not reply to my request.


Godin Implosion Issue

1. Shipped a Bass in a Godin/TKL Hardshell Case
2. The Top of the Bass Imploded.
3. I have shipped Yamahas, Martins, Taylors, Breedlove all in the same method.

Godin Assembles in the USA
Knowing that Godin avoids import taxes by assembling Canadian parts in the USA, I contacted the company about company service.

I’m aware that they’d probably want one (or some) of the following

1. Surrender my current body
2. Proof of Serial Number
3. Written Agreement of How the Parts Would Be Used
4. Photo Proof of Error
5. Sent in To Factory
6. Cash

Email 1 - I contacted the information line with a request on how to receive parts or service. They basically avoided the issue.

RE: Replacement A4 Body

After a little research and email with contacts in the equipment industry, they have suggested direct contact with you vs. taking to a qualified luthier (Like Hoffman Guitars).

The bass was shipped (in a Godin Hardshell case). When it arrived it appears as if there was an atmospheric issue. There’s a long crack along on the low-string side of the bass - on the inside of the cavity; the bracing has unglued from the bridge brace.

The case shows no indications of damage or abnormal wear. I understand this is beyond warranty and that you may request the current body is surrendered. I'm qualified to bolt/unbolt the neck & body.

Please reply with pricing and availability.

Sincere thanks.

Tim

Email Reply Received 1

Hi Tim,

A4 bodies are not available separately.

Regards,

Michel Godin Guitars

Email Sent 2

Michael. Re A4 body

Respectfully - it's a bolt on neck. How/where do we get service in the USA? There were no clues in your hot of how to rectify the top split issue. I've been pro for years, Over the course of time have been in similar positions needing support on legacy products. I've never encountered a gear company that did not stand behind their instruments. It is common to have Ovation request a photo. Peavey requires a serial number with written agreement. Fender just charges a ton. Gibson asks us to send it to Nashville... Martin has regional service. Taylor just swaps it out. Ibanez has a permanent replacement. It's possible I misscommunicated the need for Godin support on this matter. Looking for a solution to get the top of the A4 back functioning.

Tim

Godin Email Reply 2

Hi Tim, Your only option is to have the top repaired by a local luthier.

Regards,

Michel Godin Guitars

Phone Call 1 – Tried to go through a local approved retailer. They received no support or clues from the factory.


Phone Call 2 – Had a Cousin call from Winnipeg (Fluent in French), they told him to contact a vendor.

Authorized Vendor Feedback - I was told by authorized local vendors this lack of service includes Seagull, Norman, Simon & Patrick, Richmond, Art & Lutherie, Lapatrie.

I was careful not to blame the issue on faulty workmanship, poor design or bad construction. Just looking for help getting a replacement bolt-on body.

Please Take my advice.. do not buy a Godin Guitar or bass – you have witnessed how they treat their customers.

Your opinions please…..

[MNAirHead]

[XavierG]

Wow! I was just getting ready to buy one. In light of this, I have sent an email to Godin asking them to pop in here and address this issue. The email replies you received truly bother me.

[dogbass]

Well, this is the forum to post issues like this. I don't anticipate any transactions with Godin, and would certainly take this into account if I ever consider their products.

[18eranaRic]

"I understand this is beyond warranty"...what do you want then? they said to take it to a repair shop.

[Lokire]

That's a terrible situation to be in, but have you tried taking it to a luthier or a repair shop of some kind? If you want the top fixed, then that's just what you have to do. Like they said, Godin doesn't just sell replacement bodies, and if it's not under warranty then you're kinda outta luck. Sure, it would be nice if Godin offered some kind of help (like many other companies would), but realistically what would they be able to do about it? It's a crack in the top. They can't just send you a replacement part...

[Jimmy Bones]

May as well just buy a new one and turn that one into a project.

Or give it to me so i can. :P

[Foamy]

Originally Posted by 18eranaRic

"I understand this is beyond warranty"...what do you want then? they said to take it to a repair shop.

I think he just wants a replacement body. That's what he said a couple times. :-)

[allexcosta]

I see no problems with Godin.
These kind of cracks do happen. Their approach is standard. That's why when you buy a bass that was owned by 12 guys in the past 10 years and contacts the maker about a problem and they fix it for free we call it: "Walk the EXTRA mile."
They can do it, but don't have to... Ever tried to have your car fixed after warranty is over?

[82Daion]

I've never heard of a company that would simply send out a replacement body to resolve a situation like this. As for the sunburst request, Godin is not a custom shop, and as I've seen in a couple cases from other manufacturers, doing one-off options on a bass that's normally mass-produced (ergo, with a standardized set of options) can be prohibitively expensive, both in terms of cost and time involved.

If the damage occurred in shipping, I'd file a claim with the carrier and get it fixed by a luthier. Godin's responses were a little clipped, but they answered your questions in regards to the availability of the parts you wanted and how to resolve the issue. Since the instrument is out of warranty and the damage wasn't caused by a flaw in workmanship or materials, I wouldn't consider their response unreasonable if I were in a similar situation.

In short, I don't think that there's any reason to condemn the company, and I think that you're overreacting.

[justabass]

Unless I'm mistaken he's not asking for them to fix or replace it for free. This is not a warranty issue. He's just wanting to PURCHASE a replacement body, which almost every other major company will do, and fix the problem himself. Not unreasonable in the least. Pretty lame on Godin's part. They won't be getting my money but obviously they won't care about that.

[82Daion]

Originally Posted by justabass

Unless I'm mistaken he's not asking for them to fix or replace it for free. This is not a warranty issue. He's just wanting to PURCHASE a replacement body, which almost every other major company will do, and fix the problem himself. Not unreasonable in the least. Pretty lame on Godin's part. They won't be getting my money but obviously they won't care about that.

Problem is, they don't make that model any more, something the OP seems blissfully unaware of.

[ehque]

Originally Posted by 82Daion

Problem is, they don't make that model any more, something the OP seems blissfully unaware of.

If that is true, then i completely understand Godin's position.

I don't like their guitars and basses anyway, but i don't see what they can do different in this scenario.

[iamthebassplayr]

The OP has spoken with a local repair guy he said. The tech tried to contact Godin for any help in the repair, but received nothing in the way of advice on how to tackle the issue.

Phone Call 1 – Tried to go through a local approved retailer. They received no support or clues from the factory.

While I wouldn't say what they are doing is horrible and to boycott them, this is not the best customer service out there.

[82Daion]

Originally Posted by Kevin Myers

The OP has spoken with a local repair guy he said. The tech tried to contact Godin for any help in the repair, but received nothing in the way of advice on how to tackle the issue.

While I wouldn't say what they are doing is horrible and to boycott them, this is not the best customer service out there.

Even without Godin's advice, I can't see why any competent luthier would have trouble fixing a top crack like the one documented in the OP.

I can't tell from the original post if the poster was still expecting a replacement body from Godin at the point of the phone calls, or if he was just looking for help getting the crack repaired. If he was looking for a body, I can't see how going through a dealer or vendor would have helped after being told that they weren't available. If he was looking for help getting the crack fixed, that might have been a slightly different matter, but it's not something that the company could really have given specific advice on, unless Godin spruce requires treatment different from that of other spruce when it gets glued.

[needmoney]

Can't really fault Godin in this instance. The bodies aren't available and the bass is out of warranty. Any respectable luthier should be able to address/fix the issue without the assistance of Godin.

[MNAirHead]

Couple of notes.

1-The bodies are bolted to the necks in the USA. The base components are manufactured in Canada. Thsi is not a neck through construction.

2-It's not too much effort to give a hint of who is an authorized or known repair center OR send it in and we'll direct it for you.

3-IF the A4 standard is out of production - why not offer to have me pay for the current production A4 SA model..

4-I can name 6 quick options that would have yielded a higher level of concern, care and service

• Loyalty discount - knock off a $100 bucks of the new A5SA or A4SA as a customer loyalty for a replacement
• Help - "send it in" and we'll do an ugly repair (and sub it out to a known 3rd party luthier).. the bill is going to hurt.
• Compassion - Please call "XXXX" we would like to speak with you.
• Dealer Network - Your nearest authorized dealer is "XXXX" please bring it to them in the next few days... we will contact them with some options for you. Please allow us to forward your phone number.
• Upgrade - "Unfortunately this model is discontinued.. please surrender your body to an authorized dealer, a replacement from our USA facility takes 6 months and is $900 .. this will give you the new synth access features"
• Engineering Support Please take the following steps to "XXXX"

Like I've noted, I'm probably spoiled being a USA owned and manufactured customer - at a minimum I would have received suggestions of the repair steps.

I've had former staff who have been "helped to reemploy" for this lack of service and help.. but then again we have customers who have been customers at our company longer than I've been alive.

I know it's tough to put the level of "we don't care" that I received (and an authorized dealer - one of their direct customers) from the factory. My cousin called speaking French and was basically hung up on.

I'll be buying a USED replacement - I will not be helping put an additional one of these in circulation.

[MNAirHead]

I totally understand the position that Godin doesn't have to care.

My position is that they do not care - they left their dealer network hanging.

I was directed by dealers to contact the factory directly.

[rythman6969]

gotta go with the lifetime warranty

[Gothic]

They're terrible, unacceptable behaviour from a relatively big brand in instruments manufacturing. Plain and simple. No excuses.