Guitar Center Nightmare

[dalkowski]

A lot of these "nightmare" threads disappoint. Sounds like you actually got treated pretty well.

Another +1. I'm happy your problem was resolved satisfactorily.

 

[Munjibunga]

Hardly a nightmare. Sounds more like a slightly bad dream. Nightmare, at least, would have included not getting all of your money back.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

So you got dumped on by a RI GC and your local GC apparently did everything they can to remedy the situation, which they successfully did, and this is a nightmare?

Somebody please post some links to John's Ritter bass GC debacle, show this guy what a true insult is...

 

[Phil508]

Had the same problem with a new Harbinger 18" Sub, got it home, blown, checked out 2 more no good. all shipped from lazy GC on east coast to Millbury store.
Ordered 1 more, been dropped. 5th one was ok and still is to this day.
If I were in magagment, I would go to the shipping store and fire a few of the bozos along with their managers. (failed to tell you , they cut out a square in the back of box to plug in and test, still did not work , so they just shipped to another store) So these people knew they were passing on bad equipment.
All Guitar Centers are not equal.

 

[fourstringdrums]

This happened to me with a well know bass shop that has it's own thread (I won't say who). I ordered a Tobias Growler that was on the website used. It was described as being in excellent condition with hardly any flaws. When I got it, the frets need to be level, the neck was twisted and the playability was so bad that some notes were choked out completely. Excellent condition? I don't think so. The worst part is they wouldn't take it back. I wound up selling it to a local store for what I paid for it..I still don't know how I managed that one.

 

[SolarMan]

How can you complain about that? So you were dissapointed, big deal.

Also, I will bet dollars to donuts that you WILL go back to GC. Why wouldn't you?

I can't believe that so many here complain about a company that has such great customer service as far as returns and refunds go. You want the employees to be Einstein but still want to pay bottom dollar.

Really now.

 

[JimmyM]

How can you complain about that? So you were dissapointed, big deal.

Also, I will bet dollars to donuts that you WILL go back to GC. Why wouldn't you?

I can't believe that so many here complain about a company that has such great customer service as far as returns and refunds go. You want the employees to be Einstein but still want to pay bottom dollar.

I don't even think it's the employees. I think it's shipping damage.

 

[punkrockmike]

Haha yea i guess "guitar center nightmare" is kind of a redundant statement. And it all turned out for the best in the end. I wound up selling my 400+ after that and got my old svt-2 pro back, and now have an ampeg 810 to go with it, which is the exact same set up i started with. Now that i have my baby back, i dont know why i every sold it in the first place. Back on the ampeg band wagon to stay. (Until i get another horrible fit of gas, that is haha)

 

[MatticusMania]

yea i paid with my debit card. as i said, the dudes at my local store were very apologetic and were very helpful getting me my money back right away. they gave me a refund right there and it was back in my account the next day. there was no way i was gonna leave there without my money.

Well, that sounds like a reason to continue giving GC your business to me.
I think the true lesson to be taken away from this is to never buy used gear without trying it before hand.
This same situation could have occured without the involvement of GC... how many people on Craigslist would have told you the same just to make a sale?

 

[skychief]

dont buy any used gear from them unless you can physically go to the store and see it for yourself.

^ Very sound advice ^

I think this rule could apply anywhere, not just GC.

 

[Waldo19]

I have been to that RI Guitar Center and this sounds about right. It just feels lazy in there.

If you are in south RI you're better off heading to some of the local shops like Wakefield Music.

 

[ksandvik]

Isn't this true of any used gear purchase over Internet and with the GC you have the bonus of getting money back, something that is much harder with a let's say craigslist or private eBay purchase?

 

[Levin Hannaford]

Peice of advice an old man gave me once...

"If you took two aluminum cans, one being full and brand new, the other one being empty and smashed, and put them side by side on a table, there are people in this world who could not tell the difference"

profoundly true says I

 

[JimmyM]

Haha yea i guess "guitar center nightmare" is kind of a redundant statement. And it all turned out for the best in the end. I wound up selling my 400+ after that and got my old svt-2 pro back, and now have an ampeg 810 to go with it, which is the exact same set up i started with. Now that i have my baby back, i dont know why i every sold it in the first place. Back on the ampeg band wagon to stay. (Until i get another horrible fit of gas, that is haha)

Bah, who needs GAS when you own THE amp rig?!

 

[DrumsAndBass]

We need another nation wide music store to give Guitar Center some competition. They've got the lion's share of the walk-in music store business. The better store would have the same inventory (or more), competitive prices, better customer service, more walk-in locations, better product informed employees, better treatment of employees and much more. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. Yet, I shop there too when need be.

 

[JimmyM]

We need another nation wide music store to give Guitar Center some competition. They've got the lion's share of the walk-in music store business. The better store would have the same inventory (or more), competitive prices, better customer service, more walk-in locations, better product informed employees, better treatment of employees and much more. Maybe that's just wishful thinking. Yet, I shop there too when need be.

Ya, good idea...I wonder what you could call it...I don't know...maybe Sam Ash???

 

[davidjbass]

I have bought a lot of gear from G.C. and to their credit they have always returned my money if the product didn't work or fit my needs. With that said I do want to say that when you buy a used product sight unseen you are taking a real big chance when you buy it from G.C. Unless you really know the salesman well most of the sales people at G.C. don't have the knowledge to open and close the front doors of the building. Now I say most. There are exceptions. I have gotten many new and used pieces of gear from G.C. shipped to me from other stores. And I have to be honest in saying that 9 out of 10 of them either didn't work to my satisfaction or were not as described.

For an example I bought a new Musicman Classic 4 from a store out west. I had the salesman weigh it for me and tell me that it weighed 8lbs. Jumping for joy with the thought that I had finally found that nice lightwieght Musicman I was looking for. I paid for it and had it shipped. When it got to me I weighed it and sadly discovered that weighed 10lbs not 8lbs. Very P.O.'d I debated on wether I should return it or not. But it played and looked so nice I decided to keep it. I eventually sold it here because I could not handle the weight. Kicking myself for not returning it. But it did teach me a very valid lesson about buying sight onseen from G.C.

I had another good friend and TB'er buy a used Mo Mark from a store in the mid west. He got it and it didn't even work. G.C.'s return policy covers most these disasters but what G.C. does not realize is that the buyer of these products has to not only wait for the product to arrive but it ties up their money for the time it takes to not only get it but to have it refunded to you. Not to mention the time it takes to actually return it to a local G.C.

G.C. better get it's act together in regards to this matter. It takes a lot of time for a salesman or manager to process a return from another store. It's not fair to them because they nothing have to gain from it. Most G.C. employees work on commission. And I am sure it's a big burden on G.C.'s office staff who have to process all the paperwork.

I know I won't buy anything used from an out of state store unless it's something that I can't get anywhere else. And even then I am going to be very dubious about it.

To the OP. Did you get your shipping charges refunded? I am sure for that big of a cab it must have cost a lot. Sorry it didn't work out for you.

 

[Dave W]

what G.C. does not realize is that the buyer of these products has to not only wait for the product to arrive but it ties up their money for the time it takes to not only get it but to have it refunded to you.

This is exactly how every purchase or return on the face of the planet works.



What are they supposed to do? Give you the item for a 30 day trial period for free?

 

[JimmyM]

This is exactly how every purchase or return on the face of the planet works.



What are they supposed to do? Give you the item for a 30 day trial period for free?

Of course that's what they're supposed to do! They're in business to lick customers' butts, not make money.

 

[brother21]

GC does have a good return policy and lifetime warranty on some cables you can exchange without a reciept. thats good, it is the walmart of music stores and their salespeople mostly don't know much about anything which is not good.