JeezyMcNuggles
Inactive
- Feb 23, 2018
- 14,723
- 20,970
- Disclosures
- I suck, but nobody really notices
Zzounds mostly. But, I have been known to venture out if what I'm looking for isnt in stock.
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Done with Sweetwater
- Thread starter minddrain
- Start date
They are very limited in their left handed selection also.
I can sympathize with the OP. This is kinda how I feel about GC. Back in February I ordered a bass that wasn’t as advertised when it arrived. Took it back to the store for exchange or refund. Salesmen got tech to look at the problem and gave an off hand rude reply saying ”this is not going to be a quick or cheap repair. Just refund his money”. Not only electronics “problem” but had damage from shipping because of a piss poor packing job. Salesman found bass at another store that was what I wanted for less money. Got it on the way in minutes. Bass I returned was back on the web site later that day. Either was never fixed or was a very simple fix. Kinda felt like tech maybe didn’t want to fix it for some reason. Kinda made me go hhhmmmm.
Last Friday I carried a seldom played bass to trade for another that I had my eye on. The bass I carried in usually brings $275-$350 depending on condition. The whole time he was pecking on the computer talking about the bass being in such excellent condition. Then he said that he could only give $105 for it. I asked if he could bring the price up some. He said I was fortunate to get what he offered. I packed up my bass and left. No way I would accept that lowball price. Plus he was extremely rude.
I am done with GC from here on out. Used to get some great deals but the past 2 experiences have soured my desire to deal with them. At least in my local store. May order online if I really need something.
Last Friday I carried a seldom played bass to trade for another that I had my eye on. The bass I carried in usually brings $275-$350 depending on condition. The whole time he was pecking on the computer talking about the bass being in such excellent condition. Then he said that he could only give $105 for it. I asked if he could bring the price up some. He said I was fortunate to get what he offered. I packed up my bass and left. No way I would accept that lowball price. Plus he was extremely rude.
I am done with GC from here on out. Used to get some great deals but the past 2 experiences have soured my desire to deal with them. At least in my local store. May order online if I really need something.
I’ve just read the first page and I can only echo the good experiences with SweetWater. Anyone can have someone with a poor customer service ethic, but would agree that an escalation will resolve the issue. I could be wrong, but that’s my opinion.
As far as another option, I’ve been very pleased with Chicago Music Exchange. I’ve purchased 2 Basses and everything has been exceptional from start to finish. I asked for information on both basses and the folks took the time to play the bass, document and relate their findings, and also call me back promptly. I also really like that they have vintage instruments.
To be fair, I buy what I want from whomever has it. Still, I’d buy from either of them without concern.
As far as another option, I’ve been very pleased with Chicago Music Exchange. I’ve purchased 2 Basses and everything has been exceptional from start to finish. I asked for information on both basses and the folks took the time to play the bass, document and relate their findings, and also call me back promptly. I also really like that they have vintage instruments.
To be fair, I buy what I want from whomever has it. Still, I’d buy from either of them without concern.
I’ve bought a few things over the years from Zzounds, including a defective amp. Easy return. They sent label, I taped up the box, slapped on the label and dropped it at the UPS store around the corner from the office (they woulda had it pick up if I wanted). By the time I got home twenty minutes later, they sent an email confirming UPS notified them of the drop and they immediately shipped out the replacement. It arrived the next day.
Pretty much the same way I feel about Sweetwater and my rep. I view him as a valuable resource rather than an annoyance.
Same here. But I date back to before the hiding behind your computer screen and texting era. Y’know…way back when, in the days when people skills were still taught. And personal interaction and verbal communication didn’t make certain people so acutely uncomfortable.
I am in sales and have had excellent service at Sweetwater. Price is not everything people. There are many intangibles worth paying extra for. I bet this could be resolved easily with a phone call to a manager.
It is more the number of bad experiences. Everyone says that one is out of the norm for them. Count them up. It is exceptionally bad. I am trying them one last time after speaking to yet another manager. It shouldn’t be necessary to always get to that level. In the agreement, basic form, I give them money they give me stuff. Imagine if I had the problems giving them money that they have had giving me stuff.
Pretty much the same way I feel about Sweetwater and my rep. I view him as a valuable resource rather than an annoyance.
Same here. But I date back to before the hiding behind your computer screen and texting era. Y’know…way back when in yhe days when personal interaction and verbal communication didn’t make some people acutely uncomfortable.
Telemarketers do not make me uncomfortable. They waste my time and cost me minutes on my phone. I don't like that. If I get a legitimate call from a legitimate business or person, I have no problem responding to it. The thing is, there are very few legitimate telemarketers these days (i.e. working for a legitimate company). Telemarketing is a no-go thing of the past as far as legitimate business marketing investment, and most companies know it is a waste of time to pay for people to cold call. Most companies know that telemarketers tick potential customers off and cause them to go out of their way to NOT buy from said company.
So, what you generally get now are scam calls: "I'm calling to inform you that your computer has a virus/has been compromised/is off its warranty/etc" (it has no warranty and is backed up on an external, non-connected hard drive), "I'm calling from the social security administration." (yeah, sure and I'm Marie Antoinette), "I'm calling from the IRS" (the IRS doesn't make those sorts of calls, much less hire folks who can barely speak English to make those calls. They send registered letters. I know, I've been through it once or twice.
) "I'm calling about your past due credit card.. could you give me the number so I can verify that?" (I have no credit card, dufus. But here's a number for you... 8 6 7 5 3 0 9. Name on the card is Jenny. ), so on so forth. I used to answer those calls, once upon a time before I brightened up. It's far better for my health, sanity, and blood pressure if I simply do not answer them, rather than answering, calling the scammer a dirty son of a *****, and hanging up.My first representative (after first purchase) kept calling. On the second call, I used my tactics "wasting your time", kept talking about unrelated stuff forever. Soon after, I was assigned for the other representative, who was great. I ordered instrument, which was not on their list, and waited to arrive. Meanwhile, they had 48 moths special. He sent an e-mail asking if I wanted it. Yes, I do. Then he sent pictures of instrument and gig bag. When I received instrument, gig bag was different. I asked, what happens. They said, it's their mistake. They will send me advertised one and told me to keep "wrong one". After that exchange, no solicitation. Just regular e-mails what's going on. I had a small issue with first instrument and did not want to complain. I just fixed it myself. Nothing serious. So, SW was good experience for me.
I have a "personal sales rep" at Sweetwater, who when I order from direct over the phone, gives a discount, throws in freebies, depending on the size of the purchase. Also, if there's a problem, I call him directly and he handles everything for me personally, and is accountable.
I've been working with Sweetwater for probably 10 years, and my experience with them has been fantastic. To be fair, i've never had to return anything. At first I got far too many calls from them, so I let them know I wanted to get less calls and they stopped calling, except to let me know when an order was being shipped. That's good customer service, in my book (and I work in the customer service industry).
I had a friend order a tuner or something randomly small as a gift for his nephew, and they forgot to send candy, and he was like "Hey, they didn't include any candy in the box" and so I had him send an email, and they shipped an entire box of JUST CANDY to his nephew, with some picks, stickers, and random small stuff.
I had a friend order a tuner or something randomly small as a gift for his nephew, and they forgot to send candy, and he was like "Hey, they didn't include any candy in the box" and so I had him send an email, and they shipped an entire box of JUST CANDY to his nephew, with some picks, stickers, and random small stuff.
I ain't going back to SW unless they get rid of the "sales engineer" thing and 55-point inspection. SW feels more like a used car dealer than a musical instrument dealer.
Well I haven’t bought anything from Sweetwater, but ever since Musician’s Friend was taken over by GC they have been awful. I also like to have fun on guitar, so for my 50th my wife bought me a guitar I was interested in. Got it, and the box is destroyed, they didn’t overpack it. Guitar is only in a gig bag in the box. Open it up, corner smashed, pickup loose, and the pickup selector switch damaged. Called for a return, had to bring it to UPS myself, they wouldn’t set up a pickup. So 2 weeks go by, get the replacement and they sent the wrong model! And to top it of, this guitar was damaged too! This one didn’t even have a gig bag, and the guitar had no bubble or anything around it, just the box as it came from the manufacturer. So, another trip to UPS. They say they have the guitar I want in stock, but refuse to shop til the damaged wrong guitar arrives to them. Fine. 3 weeks pass, and I call to find out what’s up. Turned out they didn’t have stock like they said they did, and guitar is now back ordered 3 months lol. Just gave up and cancelled the order.
I hate the way Sweetwater delays the process until they get you on the phone to see if you have any questions or need another string winder or something. Also the follow up calls are super annoying and if you do have an issue, it seems harder to resolve through them than other companies.
I prefer AMS, they are my go to online gear seller. order something and pay for it, it ships that day, no phone calls no stalling, no phony 55 point inspection and no stupid candy
I prefer AMS, they are my go to online gear seller. order something and pay for it, it ships that day, no phone calls no stalling, no phony 55 point inspection and no stupid candy
gregbackstrom
These aren't stock curves--things move around!
I’ve bought a ton of gear from Sweetwater without any problems. They even sent a 2nd Gibson EB5 bass to me to compare to the one I had just received without a 2nd charge. (I sent the 1st one back w/in 10 days as agreed.) I’ve also been treated well by MF, Zzounds, CME, and especially by Van Gelder in NYC. Gregg’s a great guy to do business with!
