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Multiple levels of fail at work here. I guess quality control doesn't mean much when the goal is just to move as much hardware out the door as possible.
Look at the upside. If you want a real Fender, next time you'll know to buy a Squier or a Sire. 
As a Sadowsky fan I will disagree and say you can go wrong with Sadowsky, just as you can go wrong with any company. You're just less likely to go wrong with a company (like Sadowsky) that has superior QC and customer service.
I guess I've been lucky with my couple of online bass purchases. Just got a Fender Amer dlx Dimension HH from American musical supply, which happened to be a scratch and dent piece. Minor scratch on the back, a not so perfect tuning key. Straigthed the tuning key and it's been a gem. Sorry you had such a bad experience.
I just returned a custom shop 64 that had a wicked bow, and when I tried to adjust the truss, it maxed out at about 1/2 a rotation. Inexcusable.
FWIW I've ordered two basses from Zzounds and not only were they flawless in fit and finish they required no setup. They have a good return policy and I've used their pay to play deal several times. I have nothing but good things to say about them.
I bought a P bass from Sweetwater and the nut was all wonky out of the box. They swapped it for a new one that required a small neck tweak, but other than that it was good.
Just my 2 cents. Sorry about the bummer bass. I hate it when that happens.
Even they can miss things. I received a bass with a dead pickup from Sweetwater. To be fair, it was an in-demand, back ordered bass, so they were probably overwhelmed with orders. They sent me another bass immediately with a box to return the defective bass in and paid for all the shipping. Overall I'm pleased with Sweetwater. Stuff happens with any business.
But there is NO difference between MIM and MIA Fenders... right?
Sweetwater's service is so good it's embarrassing. I ordered some strings and I get a call (from a human) a few days later just to check and see how it went.
Well I have a Fender American Special Telecaster, which I love. I will say the pickup switch knob fell off as soon as I touched it but other than that it's been great. I think it's a roll of the dice really. I've heard praise and horror stories for both MIM and MIA. There needs to be more consistency IMO. When I think of quality control assurance now, I really think Ibanez and Schecter. That's been my experience, which is also shared by many. I don't worry at all with those. They are darn near set perfect and ready to go right out of the box.
The ONLY thing I don't like about Sweetwater is they RARELY ever have sales that other people do. I do love them though. I went to Gearfest 2016 and it was freaking AWESOME!!! Great educational classes, one after another and product reps for 3 days straight... for FREE!!! I was blown away and flattered by the new TASCAM director of customer Relations and Marketing and something else (a big wig). We talked for a while and I shared some ideas I had with him and he said 'I'd love to put a camera crew with you.' I was totally blown away but hugely let down at the same time because my job does not allow me any kind of time to do anything really... hence the mobile recording studio I just assembled. Very depressing but flattering at the same time
Tele's pickup knobs have been falling off since the 50s - it's just a poor design (Mine did too!).
It is odd that Fender, who did such a good job integrating real QC into their products, is letting things slip. Maybe not so odd - every company I've worked for, the 2nd thing to get cut when times are tough is Quality (the first is customer service).
Check out their ebay store for dealsThe ONLY thing I don't like about Sweetwater is they RARELY ever have sales that other people do. I do love them though. I went to Gearfest 2016 and it was freaking AWESOME!!! Great educational classes, one after another and product reps for 3 days straight... for FREE!!! I was blown away and flattered by the new TASCAM director of customer Relations and Marketing and something else (a big wig). We talked for a while and I shared some ideas I had with him and he said 'I'd love to put a camera crew with you.' I was totally blown away but hugely let down at the same time because my job does not allow me any kind of time to do anything really... hence the mobile recording studio I just assembled. Very depressing but flattering at the same time
True about the knobs lol. Yeah, I even heard Greg Koch mention how Fender is slipping in a recent 'No Guitar Is Safe' podcast (AWESOME podcast!!! GET IT!!!)
I have never played a Fender I like - save for a Japanese made Geddy Lee. If I wanted a P or J type bass I'd get a G&L or Lakland. If I wanted to spend a little more, a Sadowsky. I have had all of them. Superior to Fender in most every way - except the name on the headstock for some people.
