I have played an AMT double bass microphone for at least ten years and love it. I think it is a great product. For me the best part of the whole system is the gooseneck that allows an extremely flexible placement of the microphone. It's a great product. My old one began failing and I decided it was time to get a new one. When I googled it I realized that it was available for $544 dollars from multiple sources. I was about to go out on tour again and needed the mic within about two weeks time. I decided to purchase the mic directly from AMT which seemed to me to be the smart move considering a personal relationship with a small local company is better business than say purchasing from Sweetwater or something like that. AMT is not far from my address in NYC. I contacted AMT and ordered the microphone from Luke adding a message in my order that I needed the microphone by a certain date and prepauthorize expedited shipping charges if there were any. The next day I received an email saying my order was being processed. The date was August 14th.
What followed for the next two months was an absolute nightmare. Every week or so I would write an email and ask when I should expect to receive the mic and every time I got a response that "it was being processed and would be going out in a few days". This back and forth continued for TWO MONTHS. I would enquire, Luke would respond, nothing would happen. Over time I tried to stress the need for the mic, remind him that he had already taken my money and that I was being forced to rent and borrow DPAs for tours because my AMT never materialized. He would respond "it's definitely being shipped tomorrow, look for it Monday". The whole charade became totally ridiculous. I can't tell you how stressful it was being lied to over and over again, not knowing if I was ever going to get the mic, trying to research what recourse a person has when a seller takes your money but doesn't send you the product.
My emails became more and more terse as is to be expected. I did stay civil but towards the end I said I may have to take some kind of legal action against the company. Finally after months I got this odd response...
As if 'band season' has anything to do with me. As if I should have known it was 'band season'. I mean the guy acted as if two months had not passed of my politely pleading with him to give me my mic. It seems that I needed to be more understanding and patient. Again, I can't tell you how stressful this became. I eventually went back to Japan, where I live, no mic, no hope of ever getting my mic, knowing I was going to have to get my lawyer to start drafting letters. The nerve of this guy.
Well. It seems that a package finally did arrive. I am still in Japan so I won't be able to open it until a month or so. I just have to warn fellow TBers. Do not order a mic from this guy. If you need to buy one, order through Sweetwater or another reputable retailer. Save your self this enormous headache and runaround. I can't say a bad thing about the product. I think it's a good mic. But damn.
What followed for the next two months was an absolute nightmare. Every week or so I would write an email and ask when I should expect to receive the mic and every time I got a response that "it was being processed and would be going out in a few days". This back and forth continued for TWO MONTHS. I would enquire, Luke would respond, nothing would happen. Over time I tried to stress the need for the mic, remind him that he had already taken my money and that I was being forced to rent and borrow DPAs for tours because my AMT never materialized. He would respond "it's definitely being shipped tomorrow, look for it Monday". The whole charade became totally ridiculous. I can't tell you how stressful it was being lied to over and over again, not knowing if I was ever going to get the mic, trying to research what recourse a person has when a seller takes your money but doesn't send you the product.
My emails became more and more terse as is to be expected. I did stay civil but towards the end I said I may have to take some kind of legal action against the company. Finally after months I got this odd response...
As if 'band season' has anything to do with me. As if I should have known it was 'band season'. I mean the guy acted as if two months had not passed of my politely pleading with him to give me my mic. It seems that I needed to be more understanding and patient. Again, I can't tell you how stressful this became. I eventually went back to Japan, where I live, no mic, no hope of ever getting my mic, knowing I was going to have to get my lawyer to start drafting letters. The nerve of this guy.
Well. It seems that a package finally did arrive. I am still in Japan so I won't be able to open it until a month or so. I just have to warn fellow TBers. Do not order a mic from this guy. If you need to buy one, order through Sweetwater or another reputable retailer. Save your self this enormous headache and runaround. I can't say a bad thing about the product. I think it's a good mic. But damn.
Crazy when sellers - or anyone - think meaningless BS is preferable to accurate info.
