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guitar center and markbass--%$@#!!

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PB+J

PB+J

Mar 9, 2000
1,647
153
arlington va
#1
Yesterday late afternoon, about an hour and a half before I was due to leave for a New Year's gig, my trusty AI Focus Power amp fried--funny smell, magic smoke escaping, the whole deal.

So I went to the local guitar center to see if I could find a god replacement. I used to have a markbass 1x12 combo I liked a lot--it got stolen. I bought it at Guitar Center. I thought I'd get a littlemark head.

So I go in, they have the head, they quote me price of $599, I say "i'll take it." But then at checkout they won't let me buy the amp without the $80 "service plan." I say "I don't want a service plan, I want the amp." But they won't sell it without the service plan. I complain to the manager. He says "let me tell you why." I say "why is not my problem or my concern--i don't want the service plan." I tell them that tomorrow I'll go to another store and buy another amp.

Yeah, it's only 80 bucks, but it's a sleazy annoying practice. Markbass, you lost a customer. Guitar Center, you lost a sale.
 
#3
It wasn't a screw up, it was policy--they could not clear the extra 80 bucks from the register, and I went to the manager's office to complain about it, and he gave me the same song and dance
 
#4
The price of $599 includes the service plan. When you buy it, the receipt will be broken down to two components (amp 520 and svc plan 80).

Send a message to Peter Murray and let him know which store.

While I'm at it, I should let him know that a local GC here in MA (Natick) has the LMKII heads with printed out signs (priced at $680) as they are also trying to double charge for the service plan. They had a sale and it was marked down (with sign) to something like $639). I've talked to them about it but they don't want to listen.
 
#6
Thanks Freddels--I sent and email to Peter Murray. I had been really high on Markbass before, I loved the mini CMD 1x12 and I've been mulling getting a little mark since the 1x12 was stolen. I hope it was just my local GC being sleazy/inept and not Markbass's policy
 
#7
I was in a GC once trying out some amps and at least 3 or 4 of the basses that I picked up had intonation issues or actual functionality issues (warped neck, fret damage, intermittent electronics on passive basses). When I finally found a bass that was playable, 3 or 4 of the amps sounded as if they had blown speakers or worse. I refuse to set foot in guitar center anymore, let alone actually shop there. I'm more than willing to pay slightly more at local music shops to keep GC from getting my money.
 
#8
I just baught a cmd 121p yesterday and GC zero'd out the the amount for the plan. The sales guy must have been aware of the problem cause he told me at the register that it was there but he was not charging me for it. Sounds like that particular store just sucks!:scowl:
 
#9
I guess I'm luck. We have 2 G/C within 2o miles of the house and they both treat me good. Christmas eve I walked in to one and bought a Ampeg SVT-410HLF for $650.00 OTD.
 
#10
I think PB+J just ran into a really crappy GC. The GC here in Dallas that I normally frequent (635 and Midway) has been surprisingly professional, has provided excellent service and was totally up to speed on all things Markbass (products, pricing, service policy, etc.).

I had about given up on GC after dealing with the stores in the northern Virginia/Washington D.C. area, but here in Dallas both the GCs are actually decent stores with good employees!

I'm confident that Mr. Murray will clear this unfortunate situation in short order.
 
#12
Same thing happened to me in So. Cal. last week. Even worse, cuz I negotiated the price with them on one visit & came back to buy it the next day at the agreed price. It wasn't till I was standing at the counter to pay for it, with 3 people behind me, that he sprung it on me. Oh, and my add on warranty fee was $120!!! They must have liked you better.
I took the amp home played with it for a few days, and tried to put it out of my mind. It just bugged me so much the way it went down, I returned the amp the following week.
 
#13
Maybe the $599 was an introductory price and now it is $680.00. It seems like it is happening at a lot of stores. Maybe now that the Holidays are over it is going up to $680.00.

$680 is still a great price for that amp and since MB is in Italy, getting the service plan is probably worth while since getting it serviced would be next to impossible if something happened. I have heard though that the few people who did have problems did not have good experiences getting the problem taking care of at some of the GC locations.

Unfortunately, when businesses get big, customer service almost always goes down the crapper. Some companies do a better job than others but most suffer in terms of customer service.
 
#14
jbird said:
Same thing happened to me in So. Cal. last week. Even worse, cuz I negotiated the price with them on one visit & came back to buy it the next day at the agreed price. It wasn't till I was standing at the counter to pay for it, with 3 people behind me, that he sprung it on me. Oh, and my add on warranty fee was $120!!! They must have liked you better.
I took the amp home played with it for a few days, and tried to put it out of my mind. It just bugged me so much the way it went down, I returned the amp the following week.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised that you were able to negotiate at all, they wouldn't budge on any of the MB stuff even the floor models. They said because they are an exclusive dealer and have a strict agreement with MB, they cannot budge on the prices. I know that's a load of junk but where else can you get MB stuff?

Since they are exclusive, I would expect MB prices to skyrocket once the brand is fully established in the market. Get what you want now while the prices are still low. I'm GASing for a combo and will probably make a move on one very soon. I like the Jeff Berlin combo a lot.
 
#15
The pricing hasn't changed for the LM II at my local GC and they don't charge extra for the performance guarantee. It should be the same at each GC. If you can't come to a conclusion with a particular GC, call another one anywhere in the U.S. for pricing and have yours price match.
 
#17
all throttle said:
The pricing hasn't changed for the LM II at my local GC and they don't charge extra for the performance guarantee. It should be the same at each GC. If you can't come to a conclusion with a particular GC, call another one anywhere in the U.S. for pricing and have yours price match.
Click to expand...
But you shouldn't have to do this at all. That's a pain in the ass to get the price you're suposed to get without turning tricks on the sales floor.

I understand that MB was trying to break into the US market, but it seems they chose a piss-poor business partner. This has been a recurring problem since the beginning. The members here and those that lurk are generally more aware of what the price is supposed to be. How many people that don't read this forum have been blind-sided by the "performance guarantee" crap at the register? How do you think they view the situation?

I'm not in the market for a new head, but when I am the MB won't be on it just because of where I have to buy it. I've run into multiple problems before with my local GC and I'm positive they couldn't accomplish the task of charging me the correct price for the LM2. I simply don't shop there anymore. It saves me a huge headache and a decent little drive. Sorry.
 
#18
BryanM said:
I was in a GC once trying out some amps and at least 3 or 4 of the basses that I picked up had intonation issues or actual functionality issues (warped neck, fret damage, intermittent electronics on passive basses). When I finally found a bass that was playable, 3 or 4 of the amps sounded as if they had blown speakers or worse. I refuse to set foot in guitar center anymore, let alone actually shop there. I'm more than willing to pay slightly more at local music shops to keep GC from getting my money.
Click to expand...

Go check if they can get you Markbass gear (answer = No, get off the wagon)
 
#19
BTW, when I bought my MG I ran into the same issue. I paid the warranty as extra, emailed Brian Harsh, went back to GC and showed them the email. Guy gave me a refund and a set of strings.

I work for a company of half a million people. It ain't easy to get the word out for new policy so I guess my tolerance is a little high.
 
#20
My advice: call ahead to the local store and make sure they are sorted out on MarkBass purchase details, then go.

EDIT: Compared to some of the products I search out that aren't readily available in the US but have the performance and features I want, this shouldn't present much of an obstacle.
 
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