I am unfamiliar with Bass Northwest in that I have no transactions with them. I have a multiple year relationship with Sheldon Dingwall, flirting with buying something new, and then miraculously finding exactly what I want on the secondary market. Sheldon has been more than accomodating guiding me through my requests and small purchases to get each of these secondary acquisitions up to my expectations. Knowingly, or unknowingly, he has adopted the "Toyota" way of being as concerned with the second, third, and subsequent buyers of his product, in addition to the first buyer of his product. Extremely wise business protocol on his part, no matter who winds up with one of his basses, he genuinly seems to care that the downstream owners are as happy as the original owners.
To our new friend gillesgc, it's way too late to go back in time, but if I had the same set of misfortunes strike me in the middle of a purchase, I would have set out being up front and honest with all parties, rather than attack Bass Northwest and in an incilliary fashion, Sheldon Dingwall. Sheldon and his crew are number one on customer care and honesty and are extremely forthcoming on solving any customer dissatisfaction to the point of their detriment if necessary.
I contend that if your actual circumstances were revealed at the onset, your response from BNW would have looked different than attacking the work performed by Dingwall, demanding absolutes based on "their" lack of meeting expectations and publishing on a public forum where withdrawel of statements made are at best insufficient. You would have gained my sympathy as well as perhaps BNW and DW had you come forth with this career ending injury, and the subsequent no further need for the project, as well as more of an accomodating stance when it came to the refund of your down payment. A Dingwall bass is going to sell even in this rough economy, so no harm no foul.
A more conciliatory response regarding your situation would have more than likely met with a resolution in your favor as opposed to what went down in these few responses on this thread.
Good luck to you gillesgc, I hope your condition does not prevent you from playing bass in the future, and it is my sincere hope that no negative feedback fall on BNW whom I have no dealings with , nor my friends Sheldon, Barry, Jeff and crew at the Dingwall shop. I haven't met them personally, but consider them friends, as they have gone out of their way to answer questions and sell me exactly what I needed to update many second hand purchases.
Blessings on you all!
Jeff
