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Guitar Center at it again
- Thread starter ethikz
- Start date
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- guitar center
Maybe I'm lucky. I've gotten great deals at GC. My best story is I bought an AV 57 Reissue P-Bass from them. Paid with credit card. Took bass home. 3 weeks later I get my credit card bill.
No Bass on it. Charge did not go through. I call GC and tell them My charge did not go through. They tell me they would never make that mistake. I assure them they did. and as to talk to the manager.
Manager says I'm wrong. I tell them thanks for the free bass. Well I tried .
No Bass on it. Charge did not go through. I call GC and tell them My charge did not go through. They tell me they would never make that mistake. I assure them they did. and as to talk to the manager.
Manager says I'm wrong. I tell them thanks for the free bass. Well I tried .
Sorry, if I "can't be bothered" to show up at a store on the other side of the country. GC supports the online sales concept, so I don't think they consider their online customers second class citizens. And I don't give a rat's behind when a store charges my credit card, when I click the "buy it" button, I've bought it and expect to get it unless something VERY unusual has happened to the item.
Anyone who remembers pricing in music stores before GC moved in to their areas realizes the impact they had on the market, so IMO, yes, we are better off now. Others followed after they paved the way but I'm unsure if pricing would've dropped as fast as it did.
I used to have to negotiate for a better price down from MSRP. GC changed that.
That being said, I haven't been in one for years, because local stores here match online pricing and I prefer to give money to smaller places. GC was a pleasant place prior to the takeover/buyout and they may never recover.
"Ohhhh, you almost had it! You've gotta be quicker 'n that!"
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Probably because when they put your sale into the computer, they saw the issue.
We created the monster ourselves. Yes, GC has poorer service, and better prices. Smaller stores have higher prices, and (generally) better service. The market was/is unwilling to pay a few dollars more for better service (people here get @#!$@#ed when they talk about the M&P stores charging more than GC/MF/etc.). As I said, you can't have it both ways.
I see no problem with them not selling you something had had been paid for online. If I were the person who made the online purchase and I received word that I was no longer going to get the bass because they had sold it to someone else in person after me, well then you all would maybe be reading my threat instead of this one. I'm actually more concerned with how long that purchased bass has been sitting there. If it was purchased earlier that day no big deal. If it is more than that I'd be questioning GC's shipping practices. We all know when we order stuff we want it shipped ASAP.
Not many bad experiences at GC for me, I shop there often and I like it when I need something big or something ASAP. I know the knowledge level of most of the employees and I usually know more than they do because I put plenty of research in before I make a purchase. So I don't ask and I try to avoid the salespeople. The only time I found them frustrating was when I was shopping around for an Ampeg 610. They didn't have one in town but they were willing to order one for me. The sales rep I was talking to was going to make me pay for the shipping though. I found that ridiculous. I went to Samash a few miles further and they ordered it for me and didn't charge me any shipping fees. Even gave me a slight discount. I probably could have talked to a different sales rep or manager at GC but that initial conversation turned me off from GC for that purchase.
Not many bad experiences at GC for me, I shop there often and I like it when I need something big or something ASAP. I know the knowledge level of most of the employees and I usually know more than they do because I put plenty of research in before I make a purchase. So I don't ask and I try to avoid the salespeople. The only time I found them frustrating was when I was shopping around for an Ampeg 610. They didn't have one in town but they were willing to order one for me. The sales rep I was talking to was going to make me pay for the shipping though. I found that ridiculous. I went to Samash a few miles further and they ordered it for me and didn't charge me any shipping fees. Even gave me a slight discount. I probably could have talked to a different sales rep or manager at GC but that initial conversation turned me off from GC for that purchase.
Total contradiction. It makes no sense to me at all. You should have said people in the store USUALLY play instruments they don't plan to buy, because that's closer to the reality. Most "customers" in GC are either kicking tires or killing time.
The assumption should be, the first person who paid for it wants and gets it. You're way over-thinking this and putting an unreasonable expectation on the store and employees, and I have high standards for good customer service.
This is just another lame GC bashing thread. I know they're not perfect and I actually benefit from reading threads where GC legitimately screwed the pooch. This is not one of them.
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Huh??ETHIKZ-HEY BUDDY MY BASS TECH WORKS AT GUITAR CENTER,THEY ARE THE BIGGEST JERK AROUND,,,,I ,M A STUDIO MUSIAN ,PLUS I PLAYED WITH JON LOWERY, ,,JON5 -BEST FRIENDS-(HE GAVE ME THE NAME(- 4 STRING MASTER OF DISASTER)-I PLAYED TOGETHER FOR 8YRS,,,,AND STEVE DUREN, AKA BLACKIELAWLESS - VOCALS ,VINNIE PAUL, DRUMS -(PANTERA)- GOING IN TO RECORD IN OCTOBER JON BE BACK IN SEPTEMBER, ,,,,WELL THE MEANING OF THE STORY IS WHEN I WAS A KID THEY TREATED ME LIKE A PEACE OF POOP,,,NOW THAT I AM A PROFESSIONAL. METAL MUSICIAN, THEY TREAT ME LIKE GOLD ,THE HELL WITH THEM,,,,THE HEY BAG I PUT A BASS CLINIC, ,I TOLD THEM HELL KNOW,,,WHEN I NEEDED THEM ,THE HEY HEY WHERE NOT THERE FOR ME, ,,,,AND NOW THEY WANT HELP,,,BLOW ME,,,,I OR MY TEC,I TOLD HIM,I,M NOT BEING A BIG SHOT BUT QUIT,,,NOW HE HAS BETTER JOB AT STORE MY WORK 4 ME,,,,I DON'T WANT MY STRING FROM THERE I,M ENDORSED, GET STRING FREE NOT FROM THERE,THEHEYHEYHEY R MEAN PEOPLE, ,,-(4 STRING MASTER OF DISASTER
Fact is despite all the horror stories I've read, I'd still love to have one that wasn't a day trip away from me.
This used to happen from time to time at Daddy's. Unfortunately its one of those things that happens when you have online sales. I always tried to make sure that the person who actually took the time to come into the store got preference, but often it would require me going to battle with another sales person and often getting upper management involved. Its a tough situation for sure.
I'm willing to hang some blame on GC for this one. Objects that are on sale through another medium should not be on sale on the floor. Same applies to selling items on craigslist and eBay simultaneously. You are just asking for something like this to end up disappointing a customer.
At the very least there should be a large disclaimer on the hang tag and a large sign that says "Customers be advised that items are currently on sale via internet and could be previously sold before it is rung up at the register." But I think it's a better idea to just not do it.
I don't shop at GC anymore and I don't advise anyone else to. I try to spend my cash at places with excellent customer service (IME) like Sweetwater or local stores when possible.
At the very least there should be a large disclaimer on the hang tag and a large sign that says "Customers be advised that items are currently on sale via internet and could be previously sold before it is rung up at the register." But I think it's a better idea to just not do it.
I don't shop at GC anymore and I don't advise anyone else to. I try to spend my cash at places with excellent customer service (IME) like Sweetwater or local stores when possible.
Conversely I had a small boutique let me test a 1969 Marshall Major and straight front 100w cab then when my card came out they called owner who said it was sold. I was a bit miffed. No sold sign.
That's at least better than what they are doing. I certainly don't see them separating their inventory into online and store only any time soon so some signage like that is probably more than we could hope for.
So you would give preference to someone in person versus someone online, even if the online person was the first to make the purchase? That makes no sense to me.
no, I am speaking from the POV of a retailer with experience of these transactions. This specific scenario is pretty common and most companies have SOP for it, and it sounds like GCs is to say FU to the person in the store.
also, people at guitar center play instruments they have every intention of buying, that's why "to take it from someone's hands without determining that first" is poor customer service.
I like my local GC, so I'm not bashing them, just calling it like I see it. They pissed off a customer so badly he went on social media to complain, and that is a cardinal sin in retail.
"I'm willing to hang some blame on GC for this one. Objects that are on sale through another medium should not be on sale on the floor."
yes because it is good business practice to limit sales oppertunities
the online person is only the first to the extent they make the purchase in time for the staff to remove it from the floor before someone buys it.
The OP was buying the bass when the order was placed. Until he puts it down, he's buying it.
If I was an on-line shopper and learned that after I was the first to see and pay for an item, you jerked it out of my hands and sold it to an in-store shopper, you would lose my business permanently and I would be bashing you on social media.
Who would you rather alienate? Your "SOP" makes no sense. First-come (to your store or website), first-paid, first-served. If you're going to offer an item to both on-line and in-store shoppers, there is no other way. It's hardly an "FU." It's called "get in line" and has been the rule since the dawn of mankind. It just so happens in this scenario, the line consists of customers on-line and in the store and the deciding factor is who puts their money down first. The rest is just so much BS.
In your system, an on-line shopper purchases an item and gets a message: "Congratulations on your purchase! Well...maybe. Wait, we might have someone in the store who wants it and they will get preference. Give us a few hours, we'll get back to you." LMAO. There is no way in hell I'd do business with a company with such a policy.
In addition, in this industry, a company would be slitting their own throat with such a policy due to all the tire kickers and time killers who go to music stores and flail away on instruments with no intention of making a purchase.
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