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Club Alleva Coppolo (Part 8)

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#521
CelinderMotoMan said:
Well I finally got my Rootbeer LM4 today and its a great bass but there are a few issues.
The bass has 5-6 hair-thin, fine scratches on the front upper horn(one almost 10 inches long) they can only be seen in the light but still...
I ordered it with(and paid for) a Badass bridge which wasn't included and finally the rear control plate is a piece of textured(ugh) plastic and isn't even cut to fit the cavity, there are gaps in 3 places.
Considering how much I paid for the bass and how long I waited, I expect excellence and got, well......sub quality.
I sent Jimmy an email and am waiting to see what he says about it. I just wanted to build a great relationship with a luthier that I believe in (like I had for 10 years with Fodera which unfortunately, I had to sell during a divorce and can't afford to replace). What can I do?
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Honestly this makes me feel a little sick!

I'd insist on shipping it back, round trip on his dime. I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be perfect the second time around..
 
#522
jonno1707 said:
I bet he can buff the clear coat out and your scratches will be gone than just install a badass bridge and cut a new control cover...He is swamped and gearing up for bassplayer live and NAMM just around the corner which is probably how this one slip thru the cracks...
Call him up...
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I assume that is what he'd do in the very least, but as you said, he's so busy how long will I have to wait? Plus paying to ship it back.
There's also the principle of the matter, once you get over a certain dollar amount,the bar is raised and your expectations of quality go up, or at least should.
 
#523
CelinderMotoMan said:
Jimmy told me that he doesn't give refunds. Period. The first time was when I bought a LM5 and didn't like it, he said no refund so I sent it back and traded if for the Rootbeer 4 (which he also told me was against his policy)
The 2nd time that I was told "no refunds" was when, on the advise of a TBer, I mentioned a refund because my replacement LM4 was taking so long(almost a year to the day from when I ordered it)
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Wow...that is not cool at all...
 
#524
CelinderMotoMan said:
Jimmy told me that he doesn't give refunds. Period. The first time was when I bought a LM5 and didn't like it, he said no refund so I sent it back and traded if for the Rootbeer 4 (which he also told me was against his policy)
The 2nd time that I was told "no refunds" was when, on the advise of a TBer, I mentioned a refund because my replacement LM4 was taking so long(almost a year to the day from when I ordered it)
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Thats horrible. I can see no refunds on a custom spec bass, but on a standard jazz clone? Bad business when there are so many other options and builders who take customer service almost to the extreme.
 
#526
jonno1707 said:
Dont sweat it bro Jimmy is a stand up dude and fantastic at adressing issues plus it sounds like yours are fairly simple;
I bet he can buff the clear coat out and your scratches will be gone than just install a badass bridge and cut a new control cover...He is swamped and gearing up for bassplayer live and NAMM just around the corner which is probably how this one slip thru the cracks...
Call him up...
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+1....nothing there that can't (shouldn't) be made right.
 
#527
Things happen and mistakes take place at times...
Question is .. was there anything in the case no matter how small, that may have floated around during shipping to cause the scratches???
also is it Nitro or Poly Finish?

I know Jimmy personally and i know how meticulous he is about having the product perfect and above all making sure his customer is very happy with his/her instrument.
Like another poster has said, he may be in a crunch mode right now with alot of pressure. I dont know
.. He does do almost everything on his own, without help, that includes answering email , phones= millions of questions, and paying the bills and lunch runs too.. i cant and wont speak for him...and im in no position to make any excuses .. But call him on the phone and tell him your plight.. and leave message.... Im sure he will make you a satisfied person in the end.

I was going though a phase a while ago where similar things were happening to me with products that i bought.. It was just the luck of the draw that month...
So things happen.. And i hope he gets that shinny and new for you..





CelinderMotoMan said:
I assume that is what he'd do in the very least, but as you said, he's so busy how long will I have to wait? Plus paying to ship it back.
There's also the principle of the matter, once you get over a certain dollar amount,the bar is raised and your expectations of quality go up, or at least should.
Click to expand...
 
#532
Chef said:
Many people won't take to trying to fix a problem in forums without having personally talked to the builder either.
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I sent him a email on friday and haven't heard anything. I'll call on monday, as far as the forums go...just giving a review of my experience since after all, THIS FORUM is where I learned about AC and why I bought an AC. Sorry if me feeling a "no refund" policy is ludicrous offended you.
 
#533
I'm not offended. My personal opinions are just that: mine.
You're entitled to yours.

I understand you being upset; I would be too.
I don't understand why you're publicly dragging someone over the coals prior to even speaking to the man who can make it right.
That doesn't seem helpful to amicable problem resolution, to me.

Your call though.
 
#534
Sometimes it is best to try to deal with the company or person directly at first. before going to post on a board and airing possible dirty laundry... you may be suprized how that works..

Im just saying


EDIT.. Chef beat me to it...

CelinderMotoMan said:
Many companies won't send out sub par products (especially for the price)
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#535
I dont know of one custom builder that offers a refund policy on a custom bass.. and your bass is custom order form what you described here.

Im not siding against you.. im just trying to point out the way it is in the custom bass world. and it does not revolve around only you...:smug: you said you sent an email on friday.. that was yesterday.. he is on PST.. and may not have even woken up yet...
If it was as critical to you as you are leading i think if i were you i would have picked up the phone and called the person..

Email is very unreliable.. Roger Sadowsky even says that on His website about email being unreliable .. and he is a MAC user:D.. so Call by phone.... i bet it can be ironed out real easy... just calm down.. you catch more flies with honey than vinegar they say


CelinderMotoMan said:
I sent him a email on friday and haven't heard anything. I'll call on monday, as far as the forums go...just giving a review of my experience since after all, THIS FORUM is where I learned about AC and why I bought an AC. Sorry if me feeling a "no refund" policy is ludicrous offended you.
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#536
this forum creates business for builders. if you dont want people talking about it, dont let it happen. ive dealt with shops when ordering custom ordering basses that if i didnt post about it, i wouldnt have gotten any response since my initial response was usually "tough ****". im not saying thats what would happen here, but if you your dropping this kind of money it shouldnt happen period. so often, guys wont even post negative experiences because they know theyre just going to get dog piled.
 
#537
svtb15 said:
Im not siding against you.. im just trying to point out the way it is in the custom bass world. and it does not revolve around only you...:smug: you said you sent an email on friday.. that was yesterday.. he is on PST.. and may not have even woken up yet...
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Hmm...endorsing artist, you're neutral?

I wouldn't call Jimmy's customer service into question over this in a public forum, yet, as it's only been a day and he should absolutly speak with Jimmy. But, give the guy a break. He's upset for valid reasons. I don't care how much Jimmy is stressed out gearing up for NAMM or Bass Day or whatever. Maybe he should hire someone if he is getting too many orders. I certainly wouldnt let my QC suffer.

And, public forums are for expressing dissatisfaction as well as excitment. Anyone reading the AC threads certainly couldn't miss the fact that there is everwhelming adulation by AC owners around here. I'm glad to now know of the no return policy.

Keep us posted MotoMan, my guess is that it will all work out well enough that all the AC fans and endorsers will be happy.
 
#538
As someone who was literally planning on calling Jimmy Monday morning to send the funds for an order, I REALLY appreciate hearing about the total experience that someone has when ordering an A-C, whether it's positive, negative, or somewhere in between. That's the great thing about talkbass...we get a chance to make educated buying decisions and use the experiences of others as part of the equation when making that decision. Of course, you have to filter out the extremes on both sides - the people who have agendas against companies and bash them every chance they get, and also the people who are fanboys and will deny/defend anything negative at all about a given company.

I have to say that the quality issues, build time delays, and the "no refund in any circumstances" policy that CelinderMotoMan experienced are giving me a bit of pause in placing my order. I've been thoroughly impressed with the 3/4 A-C's I've played though, so I really want this to work. I'm gonna wait to see what the resolution of the situation is before dropping that much cash on a custom bass, especially from a customer service standpoint.
 
#539
narud said:
this forum creates business for builders. if you dont want people talking about it, dont let it happen. ive dealt with shops when ordering custom ordering basses that if i didnt post about it, i wouldnt have gotten any response since my initial response was usually "tough ****". im not saying thats what would happen here, but if you your dropping this kind of money it shouldnt happen period. so often, guys wont even post negative experiences because they know theyre just going to get dog piled.
Click to expand...

Exactly, I am simply stating what has happened, all truth, and I'll also report how Jimmy handles it. If I were about to drop $4000-$5000 on a custom bass, I would want to know the good and the bad. I used Talkbass to research AC before making my purchase and know that others do the same. Dirty laundry is dirty laundry even when it is not aired.
 
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