Certain Bass

[WesTx]

i just had dealings with David at Certain Bass. Needless to say I will never deal with him again. Very unprofessional. I had an idea in mind. We conversed back and forth. And I told him it was a gift. Well my grandmother who was purchasing it for me, kind of got in over her head. So I informed him I was placing it on hold until I could figure some finances out. Nothing had been started. Just ideas back and forth. That is it. He informed me not to ever contact him and that I wasted his time. He was completely rude and not what I expected from a business man. Shameful and pathetic. You have all been warned. I was also warned, but thought maybe he just needed a chance. He blew it.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I can sort of sympathize with the builder, because he probably gets the runaround sometimes & can't tell a legit buyer from a "temperature tester".
Bad form to cut the cord on a possible deal, though, and even worse to get the bad word of mouth spread.

 

[WesTx]

He literally exchanged 6 emails and sent pics of prior work. That’s it.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

The scourge of the sole proprietor is having to spend time with tire kickers or someone who doesn’t have their finances together.

We all have limited time we spend on this earth, and have to be careful how we spend it.

Attorneys used to give you a courtesy 15 minutes on the phone or in their office. Now you have to go in and they charge right away and many have card swipers so you have to pay for that 15 min or 1/2 hour right away.

Remember, it’s not only you, it’s you + 100 more just like you that can rob a sole prop of the only thing they have to sell, their time.

 

[WesTx]

I asked questions. Pertaining to the type of necks, pickups etc. To make sure he could do what I wanted. And an estimate. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.

 

[Gorn]

The problem is probably about putting things on hold, not questions about the bass. I've heard negative things about this guy before but it's unfair to judge this situation without more details.

 

[JGbassman]

You told him you wanted to buy a bass, set up plan to purchase it, drew up plans then backed out.

I don't see where he was in the wrong. Maybe a bad bedside manner but I don't see any fault in his business practice.im sure you knew approximately how much a build by him would cost before you even started. If not that is your bad, you should have got a ballpark idea to put together finances.

Regardless of what happened, you should have outlined what kind of budget you had, and would that fit a build he does. That should have been the first conversation. If that did happen and gramma backed out, that's still your bad, not his.

 

[Bass Man Dan]

I can see this one both ways. I get that he feels like his time got wasted. Still, is it acceptable for a proprieter to say "don't contact me again"? I feel the professional response would be "let me see how we can fit this in your budget parameters" or "call me when you have the cash to move forward." The time spent was already gone. The rudeness did no good for anyone.

 

[WesTx]

Here’s the details. I asked him what he could build. Configuration. Color etc. he told me. I got an estimate based on my budget at the time. I told him I needed to double check to make sure finances were still good to go before we actually started anything. He said ok. I informed him I was putting it on hold for a bit. That’s about it

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

So, that's the new standard? Ask for some info, make a decision based on that info, and get slammed with a rude attitude? Sometimes I spend an hour or more talking to clients, free of charge. It's called running a business.

 

[WesTx]

So, that's the new standard? Ask for some info, make a decision based on that info, and get slammed with a rude attitude? Sometimes I spend an hour or more talking to clients, free of charge. It's called running a business.

Exactly.

 

[Member8675309]

Deals fall through. It’s best not to burn a bridge to make sure they don’t come back around....that goes for both buyers and sellers.

 

[WesTx]

Agreed

 

[mpdd]

"Ok, let me know when you want the work done."

That is all one has to say.

 

[JGbassman]

Here’s the details. I asked him what he could build. Configuration. Color etc. he told me. I got an estimate based on my budget at the time. I told him I needed to double check to make sure finances were still good to go before we actually started anything. He said ok. I informed him I was putting it on hold for a bit. That’s about it

This paints a little different picture than your original post. Getting an estimate and committing to a build are two completely different things. If all you did was get an estimate then say you needed time to put finances together, that was a reasonable request and shouldn't have been met with such rude behavior.

 

[CZGunslinger]

"Ok, let me know when you want the work done."

That is all one has to say.

This +a lot...

I own multiple customer facing businesses. I use that line all the time. When the customer is ready, we are ready. How hard is that?

 

[Turnaround]

Here’s the details. I asked him what he could build. Configuration. Color etc. he told me. I got an estimate based on my budget at the time. I told him I needed to double check to make sure finances were still good to go before we actually started anything. He said ok. I informed him I was putting it on hold for a bit. That’s about it

I'd like to hear his side of the story.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

If you did any research before contacting him, you would have known to expect the response you got.

On a completely unrelated note, I’m off to wheel and deal on a car I know I can’t afford.

 

[electracoyote]

I own a Certain Bass, it's one of my favorites out of dozens in my collection. David is pretty serious and to the point. I can tell had I been wishy-washy, he probably would have lost patience and blew me off too. Fortunately, I know basses, I understood what he could and could not do, I had my finances together and knew I wanted him to do my build, so I knew what I wanted and got to the point pretty quick. This builder is not for folks who ask too many questions and aren't sure what they want or if they can commit. I'm sure he has wasted a lot of time with those kinds of shoppers. That's not an indictment of OP, but just a way to say OP stumbled into a trap in a sense. I love my Certain Jazz bass with custom flip-flop orange finish and David's unique vari-tone option. That bass has seen lots of stage and studio time.

I'm sure there is a chemistry and mutual respect between buyer and custom builder that must develop in order to facilitate a satisfactory transaction. Sometimes it develops, sometimes not. No need to cast blame on anyone. The fact OP's grandmother "got in over her head" with the build probably didn't help matters.

 

[Member8675309]

If you did any research before contacting him, you would have known to expect the response you got.

On a completely unrelated note, I’m off to wheel and deal on a car I know I can’t afford.

I don’t think it’s the best analogy, no offense. The OP stated that a third party was purchasing/helping fund the bass. Deals are more likely to fall through in those situations.....one more person who can change their mind. He thought he could afford it.

I do agree though. The fault I see as well in the OPs situation is that maybe he failed to explain the realistic cost of the bass to his grandmother. He should have known a max amount. But, knowing grandmothers, she probably said, “Get what you want dear.” Seriously, she probably thinks a custom bass is like two hundred bucks. I’m only speculating here.