Daddy's Junky Music closing all stores

[fourstringdrums]

Every indication is that there was no mismanagement beyond failure to fully adapt to general changes in the economy. I doubt lawsuits about extended warranties would hold much water.

This isn't Dr. Bass. The economy took down a venerable, quirky, and well-loved institution. Lawsuits? Come on.

If I paid for something that I never received, even if that was an extended warranty, or put a down payment on an order that never came in, I sure would be thinking of legal action. It doesn't matter if they didn't purposely set out to swindle people ala dr. bass.

 

[logicman69]

If I paid for something that I never received, even if that was an extended warranty, or put a down payment on an order that never came in, I sure would be thinking of legal action. It doesn't matter if they didn't purposely set out to swindle people ala dr. bass.

Correct. It might not be a pleasant thought, but it will probably have to come to that at some point. Especially if GE drags their collective butts getting people the money that is owed to them

 

[dangnewt]

......................... Daddys RIP! IT'S THE OBACONOMY STOOPID!

The last thing that we need is for the thread to turn political and get shut down.

This thread has already contained some great insight and information and with the number of folks close to the situation posting, it will likely remain one of the better sources of info at least until Daddy's and/or GE Capital starts getting info out to the public.

 

[dougjwray]

A couple of days after Daddy's closed, I went to Sam Ash to try out a particular stomp box. They didn't have it, but they very aggressively tried to get me to special order it through them.

I didn't, because I always like to try things before I order; I got the vague sense that they had seen what had happened to Daddy's, and are now hellbent against letting people try things out in their store and then order from Musician's Friend (to name just one online store).

For people like me who like to play things first (especially when selecting a Fender bass ), the prospect of all brick and mortar places dying is frightening.

Daddy's was always one of my favorite places. Not only did they have that humane customer service attitude, but I loved their used inventory and the fact that they'd happily ship anything to your local branch in order for you to play it and decide. No hassle at all.

 

[dalkowski]

Some of you may find this helpful (from the Lawrence Eagle Tribune, 11/2/11):

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Good luck to everyone with skin in this game.

 

[Dan B]

It is a crying shame the only decent larger regional chain in my area is closed. I live in Amherst, MA; with the exception of 2 or 3 local guys, who are quite good, they rarely had the selection of used equipment Daddy's had at a reasonable distance. The service was great, the selection was great, and I did like how I could buy online from them and pick up whatever it is that I wanted at the store.

The majority of my stompboxes came from Daddy's. My amp, a Peavey TKO came from Daddy's. My Tune TWX came from Daddy's...you get the point; wherever I needed musical equipment, Daddy's was the best place to go to. That, and I had excellent service from everyone in the store.

I do remember overhearing the employees talking about how some event (don't remember what it was) would drive away customers from their store. I don't know if this was a sign of things to come.

I will miss that store. It was a great resource while it lasted.

 

[SurferJoe46]

Time after time I hear people proudly post here that they love to go to GC (or any other store) and pound the crap outta the gear there, complain that it's not set up or has greasy fingerprints on it and then leave and order a fresh, new whatever it is they liked - online.

I think anyone who has done that is responsible in their own small way of causing the stores to close - Daddy's being the object of attention at the moment.

It'll be the same if/when GC or Best Buy goes the same way. Larger retailer stores can absorb the losses for a while - but not forever.

When GC folds it's tent or your mom-n-pop stores can't hack the losses any more, they'll be gone too. Then where is 'one' gonna test drive a bass - huh?

Too bad that by then there will be nowhere to test drive a bass or a bunch of basses and then walk out and go buy it online.

No-one will be able to try a bass and they will have to order it sight-unseen. Online will be the only open venue.

Maybe Daddy's isn't the first domino, since I've heard of lots of other music (and other) stores folding - but Daddy's is the first domino however for our musical intents and purposes.

If 'one' (greedily) buys things online for whatever reason - taxes, free shipping, freshness in merchandise, etc, - well then 'one' is also gonna see a lot more closures and loss of salable merchandise soon.

 

[dukeisdog]

Time after time I hear people proudly post here that they love to go to GC (or any other store) and pound the crap outta the gear there, complain that it's not set up or has greasy fingerprints on it and then leave and order a fresh, new whatever it is they liked - online.

I think anyone who has done that is responsible in their own small way of causing the stores to close - Daddy's being the object of attention at the moment.

It'll be the same if/when GC or Best Buy goes the same way. Larger retailer stores can absorb the losses for a while - but not forever.

When GC folds it's tent or your mom-n-pop stores can't hack the losses any more, they'll be gone too. Then where is 'one' gonna test drive a bass - huh?

Too bad that by then there will be nowhere to test drive a bass or a bunch of basses and then walk out and go buy it online.

No-one will be able to try a bass and they will have to order it sight-unseen. Online will be the only open venue.

Maybe Daddy's isn't the first domino, since I've heard of lots of other music (and other) stores folding - but Daddy's is the first domino however for our musical intents and purposes.

If 'one' (greedily) buys things online for whatever reason - taxes, free shipping, freshness in merchandise, etc, - well then 'one' is also gonna see a lot more closures and loss of salable merchandise soon.

I can agree, but Im not going to be paying $1000+ for a store demo product. Just not gonna happen.

 

[Standalone]

If I paid for something that I never received, even if that was an extended warranty, or put a down payment on an order that never came in, I sure would be thinking of legal action. It doesn't matter if they didn't purposely set out to swindle people ala dr. bass.

Fair enough But the buck should eventually stop with GE capital, I think, not Daddy's Mgt.

I still get the idea that mgt. is doing their best at this point. Maybe I'm defending the chain b/c I liked it so much, and I sure hope folks gan get their gear and down payments back w/o a lawsuit. An extended warranty seems to me like something folks should consider a write-off. What can be done about that???

Unless you run say a church or a venue with many thousands of dollars of Daddy's supplied gear, complete with extended warranties...

But otherwise, sometimes there is bad luck in life, and lawsuits, however legal they may be, aren't worth it.

 

[AltGrendel]

If I paid for something that I never received, even if that was an extended warranty, or put a down payment on an order that never came in, I sure would be thinking of legal action. It doesn't matter if they didn't purposely set out to swindle people ala dr. bass.

Well, if you are lucky, the extended warranties could be considered an asset and sold off or already under a contract to a third party.

However, having sold extended warranties in the past, I consider them bogus and won't buy them. YMMV.

 

[Thorsoundcore]

they also had a few locations in new york, idk why they left that out. ours closed towards the end of summer.. i figured they were going under after that. i could tell it was slow before that too though cause they weren't getting too many things in used. and if they did it was something common (like that metal zone pedal, they had to have almost a dozen of those) but it was a good store while it was around. why do they have to keep closing great places?? first friendly's now daddy's ugh...

 

[Thor]

If I paid for something that I never received, even if that was an extended warranty, or put a down payment on an order that never came in, I sure would be thinking of legal action. It doesn't matter if they didn't purposely set out to swindle people ala dr. bass.

That brings up a pretty interesting point. You pay for an extended warranty and what does that mean?

I suspect the extended warranty is really an insurance policy. You buy a guarantee that if your product fails past the usual warranty period, you are going to be covered on the charges as specified in the extended warranty contract.

The unkown is who is making this guarantee? Is it Daddy's - now allegedly legally bankrupt - or a third party insurer offering the protection? In bankruptcy, Daddy's is basically freed from all unsecured claims now and in the future in favor of the legally secured creditor.

You will have to read the fine print of the ext. warranty carefully to see what the contingencies are. I suspect though that when Daddy's died, so did your insurance policy.

 

[logicman69]

That brings up a pretty interesting point. You pay for an extended warranty and what does that mean?

I suspect the extended warranty is really an insurance policy. You buy a guarantee that that if your product fails, you are going to be covered on the charges as specified in the contract.

The unkown is who is making this guarantee. Is it Daddy's - now allegedly legally bankrupt - or a thrid party insurer offering the protection. In bankruptcy, Daddy's is basically freed from all unsecured claims now and in the future in favor of the legally secured creditor.

You will have to read the fine print of the ext. warranty carefully to see what the contingencies are. I suspect though that when Daddy's died, so did your insurance policy.

This is a great point Thor. I doubt it will stop the lawyers from trying to make a buck off this tragedy. I have a feeling Daddys wont stay dead for long. Or maybe another company will come and fill the void (Music Go Round??)

 

[hrodbert696]

Well, if you are lucky, the extended warranties could be considered an asset and sold off or already under a contract to a third party.

However, having sold extended warranties in the past, I consider them bogus and won't buy them. YMMV.

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm wondering just what you saw that made you decide warranties were bogus. My wife always wants to buy warranty plans on stuff but my dad (who was a lawyer) used to say that warranty contracts often LIMIT the liability of companies to fix defective products more than they would do under your basic lemon laws.

 

[Standalone]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm wondering just what you saw that made you decide warranties were bogus. My wife always wants to buy warranty plans on stuff but my dad (who was a lawyer) used to say that warranty contracts often LIMIT the liability of companies to fix defective products more than they would do under your basic lemon laws.

stores sure wouldn't push them so hard if they were really that much of a good deal for you...

sometimes a store clerk will even reduce the price of something just so s/he can tack on an extended warranty b/c it looks so good on the books and in their commission.

I've NEVER used one, although I've wound up with two or three over the years. I bet statistics are similar with other people, even those who always get them.

 

[SurferJoe46]

When I buy at GC from my favorite bass expert, I always get the Pro-Coverage warranty.

It goes on the books for the salesman and I have no problem with that at all. He gets a kick and I get a bass and re-enforce the friendship I have with him.

Times are tough and when I can, I share with people who matter to me.

 

[jwbassman]

Definitely a bummer. A good friend of mine that I played with in a cover band for a few years worked at the Candia Road Warehouse. He started at Daddy's in sales over twenty years ago and was one of their guitar techs. Great guy and he did excellent work. His wife was head of returns at Daddy's and also worked at Candia Road.

Talk about a 1,2 punch. Him and his wife lost their jobs same day

But, look on the bright side I guess. That's where they met and had they not worked there they might not be married today.

 

[dangnewt]

This is the best article I could find on the subject - it is 2 pages long. It basically goes into more detail about the things that Thor's post mentioned which is a great summary.

How consumers can cope with a bankrupt business

I had an aupair once who was able to get some money back on a gym membership that she bought three days before it closed. IIRC, she took a 25-50% loss on a 6 month or 1 year membership.

If there is money left over after the secured creditors are paid, you may get something, but you will be standing together (and probably behind) a lot of other unsecured creditors.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Note to self:

Why not a store where you go in and play on stuff with full knowledge that the stuff you're playing on is basically DEMO (kinda like a GC )

BUT everyone knows that and, the few that are out are set up pretty good.

Then when you find sumethin' you want THEN go back in the back and bring out maybe two AFTER we have established a VERY GOOD CHANCE at a SALE.

Thoughts?

 

[DJ Bebop]

Now I have done that kinda at GC, played on something in the store, liked it, have them order for in store delivery, checked it out in store. If I liked I keep, if not, it stays in store. Either way, they make a sale.