Apologies in advance for the long post.
I would like to share my 1st impression of BC. I am in the market for a fretless 5 and am actively checking all the bass sites. I'm looking to drop about $2,000 to 2,500.
While on vacation in Orlando last week I decided to take some time away from my family reunion to go visit BC and hopefully leave with a new bass.
I did not have good access to a computer that week so I checked the local phonebook for the address only to find it wasn't printed. I called the store and and asked. unfortunately we didn't have a great connection and when I asked the person who answered to spell the street name he got very short with me and told me (in the tone you use when speaking to a child) "I want you to listen carefully cause I don't have all day for this". I got the street name but needed him to repeat the town. CLICK the line goes dead.
I was annoyed but wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. When I called back a gentleman who id'd himself a Mike answered and was very nice about giving me the address to the store even though the connection was still bad.
My wife and I made the 30 minute drive to the store. Like some of you I was surprised to find that some of the instruments I had seen online were not in stock but I can understand what they are doing.
I tried about 4 or 5 instruments and found 2 I liked. The staff were all nice and accomadating and I told them I would call when I returned to Portland (I still had to deposit the check from the sale of my old bass).
I told the guy just to let him know that the 1st person I talked to when I called did not make a great impression on me but I had decided to give it another chance.
He told me that was the boss (Beaver Felton) that I spoke to. I suggested he tell Mr. Felton my comment.
He said "we can't tell him those things but you can yourself". He went behind the little partition at the back of the store and out came the boss. I wen't over and introduced myself and shook his hand and proceeded to tell him that I couldn't hear him on the phone and that his response kind of put me off. You would think at that point a store owner would apologize for that and try to turn the conversation back to the business at hand (Basses). Instead he got very defensive and as the heat of the discussion went up a notch he simply said "I don't have time for this and those who don't like it, there is the door! (makes hand gesture toward the door). A little more discussion takes place and he says it again with the same hand gestures!!! OK I'll use the door.
The look on the faces of the staff suggested that this was not the first time they have seen that.
So to sum it up Bass central is now removed from my favorites list.
I know many of you will post in their defense but there is no excuse to speak to a potential customer like that, I would expect it possibly from a disgruntled staff member
but never from the owner.
I wasted over 2 hours of my vacation (that I rarely get to take) to visit this store but I guess my time is worth nothing.
I will buy a bass this month but never from BC.
Thank you for reading if you have made it through.
***Sorry for the delayed response. Even working 50+ hours per week, my time is Extrememly limited. If I could Buy Time, I'd do it, because I haven't had it in 14 yrs.
Bass central is a very successful "machine" but at the price of every employee running on all cylinders at all times, every day! Trying to be efficient/effective. There are no breaks and several of us work lots of overtime.
I deal with a zillion customers. Some Before hours while still in my underwear at home and more After hours, while having dinner with my family. That's what it takes.
Now, specifically addressing Your Unpleasant Experience, which I really regret and wish I could change:
I'm Sorry for the confrontation with your Wife who drew first blood (which you ommitted from the report above), but let me try to explain a few things: As owner/GM, I Have to spend my time as efficiently/effectively as possible, and on Only the Big matters, Including Customer Service/Satisfaction.
To be Clear, I Don't give directions, sell strings, or deal with small issues. I pay employees to do this, while I worry about millions of bucks worth of inventory, selling the higher ticket item such as $15,000 Alembic basses, advertising budgets, trying to resolve Customer's problems, etc.
So, when you called and I made the mistake of attempting to give our address (I should've immediately transferred you to an employee, but figured giving an address would be easy and quick), then you continued to ask the same thing over and over, I did get frustrated. You, obviously couldn't hear me, we had a horrible connection, so continuing that effort was a waste of everyone's time, Yours included. Hence my comment, which set your wife off: "I can't keep doing this". I stand by that comment. It's Baffling that you guys culdn't understand the name of the street that we're on although I repeated it several times and spelled it, but you did hear my statement from above about "Can't do this anymore". It's still a mystery to me...
While you were at the store, all was fine until your wife got agressive with me. I'm a human, just live everyone else, and given the amount of stress that I LIVE under 24/7/365 in order to make sure Every employee I have stays gainfully employeed, reacted in kind. I've gone as long as 4 months without a single paycheck in order to avoid Ever laying anyone off or cutting wages.
I Tried to explain that my time is better spent elsewhere than trying to give our address over a bad connection, hence my comment "I can't keep doing this". I meant Exactly that. Either my phone or yours was simply Not working properly. You guys weren't hearing me over the bad connection.
So, she reacted emotionally, I reacted emotionally, and there you have it. Even After she approached me aggressively, I didn't kick anyone out of the store, but simply stated that if you Can't Understand my position, you're free to leave.
I'd Much rather recruit you and your wife as life-time customers of the store. I will work my butt off to do so as 1,000's of customers will attest to.
But I can Not spend time on a bad telephone connection, which I hope you can understand.
I'm Honestly sorry about that situation, as my wife, who saw me Lose Sleep over it that night, will testify. I hope you'll try to understand my position as well as accept my sincere apology.
***I DO Understand your take, based on your perception of this sutuation.
I hope you will at least try to understand mine as well, even if you don't agree with me....
***Regarding others who have been shown the door, the Only other one was in 2001, a lady who Demanded a Warantee Replacement for a case that her Dealth Metal Teenage son had beat to hell and back for 3 months.....
***Also know that we rely on Every Customer. We want to take care of Every Customer. We Value Every Customer.
I honestly hope that everyone who reads this takes time to consider the "Big Picture", as opposed to a potentially misleading "partial snapshot".
Beaver Felton / Owner
, then decided to see what they had new, rather than used. So, after about 15 mins. I found a New 55-02 Deluxe in 3 tone sunburst with a maple fretboard for a few hundred $ more. I called to order it...NOPE, don't have one of those either. But, like a other TB'er said, the salesperson said they could get one in a few weeks.
, but it made me feel like I was getting a bonus). I paid online, rec'd a confirmation, via e-mail within seconds. Within 2 hours I had an e-mail from UPS with a tracking # and a delivery date of...get this TOMORROW.
Granted, I live in the same state, but Tomorrow...WOW
Once bitten, twice shy. I'm DONE with them!!!
