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Done with Sweetwater

Why would a customer have to talk to Sweetwater for 20 minutes to do a return?

If I need to do a SW return, I shoot an email to my guy, and usually a couple of email exchanges later to find out what i didn't like and can they fix it, I have the return label. Less than 5 min.

MF, I have no idea, other than the one time I tried to return something and it was so horrible i ended up keeping it. Hence why I do very little business with them.

A return to GC takes me 35 min to get there, then a 30 min wait for someone to help me, Then about 15 minutes while they dick around trying to figure out how to do it on their antiquated system, and another 5-10 for the manager to come and actually do it.
 
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If I need to do a SW return, I shoot an email to my guy, and usually a couple of email exchanges later to find out what i didn't like and can they fix it, I have the return label. Less than 5 min.

MF, I have no idea, other than the one time I tried to return something and it was so horrible i ended up keeping it. Hence why I do very little business with them.

A return to GC takes me 35 min to get there, then a 30 min wait for someone to help me, Then about 15 minutes while they dick around trying to figure out how to do it on their antiquated system, and another 5-10 for the manager to come and actually do it.

...Im sure G.C. holds the indoor record for the longest and most laborious customer interaction in US Retail History!

I just bring a sleeping bag and perhaps a puptent if it's a complicated transaction!
 
...Im sure G.C. holds the indoor record for the longest and most laborious customer interaction in US Retail History!

I just bring a sleeping bag and perhaps a puptent if it's a complicated transaction!
Try trading in gear... OMG, there are police forms to fill out, etc etc, in addition to them figuring out how much you now owe, and then applying any discounts (there are always discounts). It can take an hour. It's like buying a car.
 
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...Im sure G.C. holds the indoor record for the longest and most laborious customer interaction in US Retail History!

I just bring a sleeping bag and perhaps a puptent if it's a complicated transaction!

Their computer systems are circa 1990 and they have no money to update. I like shopping their used section, but it's a total crapshoot whether they actually have what they say they have.
 
Try trading in gear... OMG, there are police forms to fill out, etc etc, in addition to them figuring out how much you now owe, and then applying any discounts (there are always discounts). It can take an hour. It's like buying a car.

...and it's the ONLY music store I've ever encountered that has no idea about trade offset for Sales Tax reduction when "trading" your gear on another item. I guess, f---en their customers is all part of the winning strategy to get everyone on the backstage pass "savings" program...wurd up, that's an insurance policy agenst returns!
 
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Why would a customer have to talk to Sweetwater for 20 minutes to do a return?

People here keep raving about how simple a return is at Sweetwater. With sales people calling and their desire to be helpful, I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) that a return will be more of a discussion than a simple, "I need to return this." I mean, they're there to walk and talk you through everything...

20 minutes might have been an exaggeration, but maybe not, too.

At MF any time I ever had to return something the conversation went like this.

Me: There's an issue with the bass I bought and I want to return (or exchange) it.
MF. No problem. Give me your email address.
Me: [email protected]
MF. Got it. We'll send you a return label.

And why is calling MF merely a "simple step"? Genuinely curious.

Not sure I understand the question, but Sweetwater supporters are making it seem as though you have to jump through a dozen hoops 6' off the ground in order to get a 15% discount. All ya gotta do is wait for one of their sales and call (you don't get the discount if you try to use a code online, BUT THEY PROMPT YOU TO CALL when it says the code does not work for that item). That makes some people sweat for some reason. The same people that ironically like when their sales people call THEM :) .

Hence - the "simple step," to get 15% discount. Too much hassle for some.

Same with the 8% refund on purchases. If you go to the MF website their backstage pass thing is the first thing that pops up. Its super freaking simple, yet some don't want to or can't do it.

And people continue to passive aggressively attack with their lols and other smug comments.

I'm not doing anything to anyone outside of trying to help them save crap loads of money. And yes, I want to keep MF open. If people quit poking at this bee hive, the bees will stop coming out :).

Everybody is welcome to shop where they want.
 
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I'm assuming a return will be more of a discussion than a simple, "I need to return this."
With all due respect, if you've never returned anything to SW, why are you commenting on it, especially about how bad it "might" be? I'll tell you straight-up: I have tried to return things to MF and it was, indeed, an mf. Not easy and downright unpleasant. But I'll be honest enough to say that it took place years ago and things might have changed. Hopefully they have.
 
With all due respect, if you've never returned anything to SW, why are you commenting on it, especially about how bad it "might" be? I'll tell you straight-up: I have tried to return things to MF and it was, indeed, an mf. Not easy and downright unpleasant. But I'll be honest enough to say that it took place years ago and things might have changed. Hopefully they have.

Now in all fairness to the legacy of MF...1999 was a great year for the catalog and 12 ground stores with the folks in Medford, OR who started the thing!

THEN....it was swallowed by those looking to put Mars Music out of the compilation business and IT did!
 
With all due respect, if you've never returned anything to SW, why are you commenting on it, especially about how bad it "might" be?

With all due respect, here's why:

If I need to do a SW return, I shoot an email to my guy, and usually a couple of email exchanges later to find out what i didn't like and can they fix it

And now I'll say things I haven't wanted to....

A long time ago I asked to get off of Sweetwater's call list. More than once. They didn't take me off. I just started to ignore their calls and messages.

One day I got a message. "Hey Andrea, we'd want to know how that bass is working out for you," and some other friendly babblings. That bass was a surprise b'day present my wife had purchased for me. There was no surprise after that.

I spent many days on the phone with management after that, and they made it up to me by giving me a "deal" on my next purchase, which was an electronic drum set that I could have gotten the same price for at MF. I haggled on that until I was about to throw the towel in, and it was NOT an easy "we'll make this right." I can probably dig up emails from back then to show just how much I had to go through, but I won't do that.

That's MY experience.

My next shot with them they sold me a Fender VI that had a rattling bridge. I mistakenly thought it wasn't a big deal until it was too late for me to return it (I didn't play it much and thought it was just a loose screw or something). That's what I got with their 50 point check. The rattle was pretty bad, too. Only reason I bought it there was because they were the only place that had a black one left, and I really wanted a black one. I could have gotten 15% with another color at MF, but Sweetwater wouldn't match it. MF would only give me the 15% with a phone order, so they had nothing to price match.

That's also my experience.

My experience with MF has been the complete opposite, and yes. A couple of times I was sent defective gear. I returned it, and it wasn't an issue.

At all.
 
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Sweetwater does their thing.

Musiciansfriend does their thing.

They're both excellent companies to do business with, and people have varied experience with each of them.

I don't wish Sweetwater any harm. I don't think they're evil, nor trying to rip anyone off, nor anything like that. I in fact think they work hard at maintaining their integrity. I prefer Musiciansfriend because they always give me better deals and that's what's most important to me.

I'm outta here now, and though I ain't the one who started this thread I hope a mod will consider closing it because I've a feeling its exhausted its usefulness. My opinion.
 
I’ve returned to both SW and MF. Neither took more than a couple minutes. SW had a replacement out before I even got the return label. Both are good companies to do business with. People will have issues I’m sure, and to those I cannot comment, only mine.
 
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With all due respect, here's why:



And now I'll say things I haven't wanted to....

A long time ago I asked to get off of Sweetwater's call list. More than once. They didn't take me off. I just started to ignore their calls and messages.

One day I got a message. "Hey Andrea, we'd want to know how that bass is working out for you," and some other friendly babblings. That bass was a surprise b'day present my wife had purchased for me. There was no surprise after that.

I spent many days on the phone with management after that, and they made it up to me by giving me a "deal" on my next purchase, which was an electronic drum set that I could have gotten the same price for at MF. I haggled on that until I was about to throw the towel in, and it was NOT an easy "we'll make this right." I can probably dig up emails from back then to show just how much I had to go through, but I won't do that.

That's MY experience.

My next shot with them they sold me a Fender VI that had a rattling bridge. I mistakenly thought it wasn't a big deal until it was too late for me to return it (I didn't play it much and thought it was just a loose screw or something). That's what I got with their 50 point check. The rattle was pretty bad, too. Only reason I bought it there was because they were the only place that had a black one left, and I really wanted a black one. I could have gotten 15% with another color at MF, but Sweetwater wouldn't match it. MF would only give me the 15% with a phone order, so they had nothing to price match.

That's also my experience.

My experience with MF has been the complete opposite, and yes. A couple of times I was sent defective gear. I returned it, and it wasn't an issue.

At all.
Fair enough. If you had bad experiences, i don't blame you. my comments were written with the understanding you had little to no experience with SW, that's the way it came off to me.

And that thing about spoiling the surprise, that was bad, really bad.

Years ago, When I first ordered anything with Sweetwater, I had to dodge the rep's calls too. I hated them. I didn't buy from them for years afterward, not until after I discovered it was the go-to place used by one of my super-pro friends. I tried again, and this time I got a better agent/rep. Haven't had an issue since.

Diff'rent strokes. We all have preferences and it's good that we each have a place to go that we like.
 
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One day I got a message. "Hey Andrea, we'd want to know how that bass is working out for you," and some other friendly babblings. That bass was a surprise b'day present my wife had purchased for me. There was no surprise after that.

Now that's just funny right there. I'm sure she learned to use her own account when ordering birthday gifts so not a total loss. And to spend "many days" on the phone chasing down restitution?? I think LOL just about covers that. Life's too short man...
 
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Sweetwater does their thing.

Musiciansfriend does their thing.

They're both excellent companies to do business with, and people have varied experience with each of them.

I don't wish Sweetwater any harm. I don't think they're evil, nor trying to rip anyone off, nor anything like that. I in fact think they work hard at maintaining their integrity. I prefer Musiciansfriend because they always give me better deals and that's what's most important to me.

I'm outta here now, and though I ain't the one who started this thread I hope a mod will consider closing it because I've a feeling its exhausted its usefulness. My opinion.

Agreed.
 
I posted on this thread a while ago and after today, I'm ALLLLLLLL GOOD with Sweetwater (even if they call once in a while asking if I have any projects coming up). What I have a major problem now with is MF. They called today out of the blue (which they have NEVER done in my years and years of buying from them) and of course my wife answers the phone (yes, yikes). Basically they tell her that there were items left in the cart at checkout (which was a complete LIE) and also a good amount of stuff on wish lists (OK I do have some items on wish lists but why are they looking at my lists?) and if they could be of any help making some of these items a "reality for me". I guess I now know why they have public and private settings for wish lists but I really thought this was a very rude and pushy call to get me (or her) to buy something on the spot. I get they are linked with GC and that bankruptcy looms over that whole company but this is NOT the way to make friendly sales imo.
 

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