Another Musician's Friend Scam

[Iridescentone]

Retailers seem to hope that folks will lose or forget about gift certificates, because it's a sweeet profit for them to sell them and hope that happens.

That's exactly right. What makes it a scam is the built-in difficulty in trying to claim one's remaining balance, like Roger.

I wonder how many compaints MF fields per week over this very issue.

I hope you get your money and thanks for letting people know that Gift Certs from MF......aint such a hot idea.

 

[rogerbmiller]

That's exactly right. What makes it a scam is the built-in difficulty in trying to claim one's remaining balance, like Roger.

I wonder how many compaints MF fields per week over this very issue.

I hope you get your money and thanks for letting people know that Gift Certs from MF......aint such a hot idea.

Amen.

FWIW, I got my money back. But I spent a lot of time on the phoen with the Acct Manager and let me assure you, they are well aware of this policy and do get copious complaints. Only after I disarmed him did he open up and admit that he could not understand why and how they do things they way they do, i.e. it is deliberate. I told him point blank that the music community is small and communicative via chat sites so they would be well advised to address this. We'll see what happens.

FWIW, I am not wealthy, but I have recently discovered that for all the money you think you save at "big box" or "catergory killer" retailers, you are actually losing money big time. Think of the time and aggrivation that went into all of this.

That is why I, in all ernest, will likely never buy from MF again after I spend my $55. My time and mental well being is worth so much more than the 5% more it costs to buy from an independently owned shop. And you know what-- the 5% difference is just sales tax tha cancels out shipping costs since the manufacturers set the prices these days anyway.

That is why I have dropped Rite Aid in favor of the local chemist, and ditched Home Depot in favor of the local lumber shop. The price is basically a wash and even for more money, life is so much easier. I've literally missed days of work dealing with Home Depot. Not missing work more than makes up for the difference is list price.

We think that corporate aggregation and roll-ups are saving us money but they are costing us dearly.

If I had the personal funds I'd advertise this post on TB. Just please share with as many folks as possible. Not because I want to give MF a black eye, but because we musicians have fewer and fewer choices given all the consolidation in music retailing and manufacturing.

If we don't look out for each other, no one will. You think the DOJ will blow the anti-trust whistle on guitar-makers? No way! It's just hobbies and entertainment from their viewpoint, for goodness sake. So unless we are educated consumers, we are likely to get exploited by Bain Capital.


RBM

 

[newguitarist4]

I work for Musician's friend and, frankly, I'm definitely on rogerbmiller's side regarding his dissatisfaction over the hassle he had redeeming the unused portion of the $150 gift certificate he received. My personal apologies to rogerbmiller.

Right now the system is supposed to issue the customer an in-store credit and automatically send out an email notification of the new redemption codes. But, hey... the mail server has a coughing fit, a new customer service rep isn't fully versed in the process (and lacks access to the codes), and a customer if left unserved. It feels bad, looks bad, and is bad.

So, guys, please; do me a favor and note this email address: forums ( at ) musiciansfriend ( dot ) com . This will put you in personal touch with a crack resolution team that has the experience and the authority to fix anything. They don't have to go talk to the "Boss"; they ARE the Boss. Any unresolved issue -- gift certificates, messed up refund, anything -- email your name, address, phone, or other information they'll need to find your order history. They'll get back to you with the fix, and fast.

IMHO, this "new code" biz is just a problem waiting to happen. Fortunately, I'm in a position to see that we update the feature so that it works like gift cards anywhere.

Again, my apologies for the hassle. We'll fix it.

Bob (at Musician's Friend)

 

[Tapout73]

I like Musicians Friend, but Roger is correct on this case.

 

[RED5]

Has anyone ordered from GC online and had to deal with MF on the phone? Happened to me round christmas I ordered some pegs from Guitar Center Online and was short shipped, when I went to call the shipper I found it to be Musicians Friend! Imagine my surprise! it took 2 more shipments to get the order right, but that's another story not worth telling.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Well, I am pleasantly surprised. I received an email from a customer service rep at Musicians Friend who read this thread and reached out to me personally.

Here is the chain of emails:


> Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 15:30:19 -0600
> From: Beau Larson
> To: Roger Miller
> Subject: Problems regarding your gift certificate
>
> Dear Mr. Miller,
>
> My name is Beau from Musician's Friend. I recently visited talkbass.com
> and noticed you had some problems with a gift certificate you had used
> on a recent order. I would just like to apologize for the inconvenience
> you experienced regarding this. It isn't entirely clear at this point,
> as to why another code was not sent to your e-mail. This is what should
> be happening to the remaining balance of a certificate.
>
>
> We understand your concerns and can assure you that we would never try
> to intentionally withhold the amount of an unused certificate. We're
> currently looking into this to determine possible causes for this
> problem. We really appreciate your business and would hate to lose you
> as a customer. The remaining amount ($55.07) of your certificate can be
> redeemed at any time. You would just need to give us a call at
> 1-800-391-8762. Your coupon code is XXXXXXXX. Feel free to let me
> know if there's anything else we can do. Thanks!
>
> Beau
>
> Musician's Friend Inc.



And here is my response:


Beau,



Thanks for the email. I appreciate your taking the time to write to me. I also noticed that one of your colleagues, Bob, took the time to reply to my post on TB to advocate my position and POV on the experience. That was a highly professional, courteous and dignified thing to do and it also much appreciated.



For what it's worth, I would not have felt so strongly about the matter had it not happened to me 3 times in a row, and required me to virtually beat the new code out of the service rep who I spoke to. So needless to say I am quite relieved to see that Musician's Friend takes its customer's concerns to heart and is taking measures to immediately address this problem with its gift certificate system.



I will no doubt use the balance of my certificate in short order, and feel compelled to give MF another chance for addressinig my grievances.



Regards,





Roger Miller




Folks, there are almost 1,400 views on this post. If the average viewer spends $200 each year on MF and decided not to because of reading this, that would cost MF over $250,000 in revenue. Clearly, it is in the consumer's best interest to flush out these issues as it ensures that retailers take complaits seriously and take measures to bring their products and customer service up to snuff.

I applaud MF for talking such steps and am cautiously optimistic about my next purhcase with them.


RBM

 

[hbarcat]

...am cautiously optimistic about my next purchase with them.

The business world has never been so competitive and all companies should consider that all their customers are perpetually "cautiously optimistic".

 

[Alan U]

To rogerbmiller

You will note that his company repeatedly let you down!
He replied to you only because of the bad publicity you were generating!

Good service is taken for granted, and doesn't come up in conversation.
Bad service winds one up, and we will tell anyone who will listen.

These days we tell the whole world via the internet.

That is why you got the reply you did.
Companies are monitoring what is being said about them.

Please don't feel satisfied that they served you well.
They were doing 'Damage Limitation'.

Bad service is bad service.
Patching it up afterwards is not really good enough, is it?

ps. caveat emptor

 

[rogerbmiller]

To rogerbmiller

You will note that his company repeatedly let you down!
He replied to you only because of the bad publicity you were generating!

Good service is taken for granted, and doesn't come up in conversation.
Bad service winds one up, and we will tell anyone who will listen.

These days we tell the whole world via the internet.

That is why you got the reply you did.
Companies are monitoring what is being said about them.

Please don't feel satisfied that they served you well.
They were doing 'Damage Limitation'.

Bad service is bad service.
Patching it up afterwards is not really good enough, is it?

ps. caveat emptor

You are right and I agree, but nonetheless it should be on record that they reached out. Bump this thread so they fix this problem.

 

[AllenBass7]

i will never buy from that crook site. my friend bought a drum set from them and it was put on back order for like half a year and sent him a bunch of BS emails lying to him for three months before he finally called and argued with them for two hours to cancel the order because they were still back ordered for six months. CONMEN!

 

[newguitarist4]

Allen,

This is Bob, again, from Musician's Friend, the guy who replied to Roger Miller.

It's true that during our warehouse transition last year we had some problems shipping certain types of products, including drum sets. Your friend may have had a frustrating experience with us during that time. We invested heavily in the new, high-performance warehouse precisely to provide better, faster service to our customers. Unfortunately, the reverse situation happened while we got the new systems all tuned and running to speed.

But having a performance problem is a lot different than operating as "crooks." Crooks are people who purposely aim to enrich themselves at the expense of others.

I tell you with absolute honesty, I've never met a single MF employee, from the CEO suite to the shop floor, who shows up with the slightest intention of ripping anyone off. That doesn't mean that mistakes aren't made.

That's why I'm taking the time to respond: We're also musicians and we want to do right by other musicians.

Please have your friend contact our resolution team at forums ( at ) musiciansfriend ( dot ) com. They can and will fix any outstanding issue.

Yours in music,

Bob (at Musician's Friend)

 

[rogerbmiller]

Bob,

rogerbmiller here. Hope you are well.

It has been a few months now so I wanted to check in to see if MF has resolved this problem yet?

We would all like to know as surely there are many of us who will be receiving MF gift certificates for "The Season".

WOuld appreciate an update from you.

Thanks.


Roger

Allen,

This is Bob, again, from Musician's Friend, the guy who replied to Roger Miller.

It's true that during our warehouse transition last year we had some problems shipping certain types of products, including drum sets. Your friend may have had a frustrating experience with us during that time. We invested heavily in the new, high-performance warehouse precisely to provide better, faster service to our customers. Unfortunately, the reverse situation happened while we got the new systems all tuned and running to speed.

But having a performance problem is a lot different than operating as "crooks." Crooks are people who purposely aim to enrich themselves at the expense of others.

I tell you with absolute honesty, I've never met a single MF employee, from the CEO suite to the shop floor, who shows up with the slightest intention of ripping anyone off. That doesn't mean that mistakes aren't made.

That's why I'm taking the time to respond: We're also musicians and we want to do right by other musicians.

Please have your friend contact our resolution team at forums ( at ) musiciansfriend ( dot ) com. They can and will fix any outstanding issue.

Yours in music,

Bob (at Musician's Friend)