They took my cc info for something that was purchased by someone else the evening before...
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Guitar Center Screwed Me Again
- Thread starter rogerbmiller
- Start date
They took my cc info for something that was purchased by someone else the evening before...
Doesn't it cost GC money to do this e.g. a fee associated with the credit card transaction?
Unless one is a software developer, computer science major, or software engineer, these types of posts show just how ignorant one can be of how this stuff works. "If only...", "In this day and age...", "With cutting edge technology they should...". Perhaps those complainers could enroll at MIT or Stanford and create a whole new relational database system. Society rewards those very handsomely who can create such and then have the whole world adopt it.
Now, GC could use the opposite form of database locking where if one person browses an item, no one else can browse it. The item either gets flagged as "Sold" or "No Longer Available". Some on-line merchants use this method, perhaps those you mentioned above. The problem for many merchants, is that if customer #1 decides not to complete the transaction for whatever reason, the sale is lost as customer #2 already moved on.
For some merchants, this is an okay scenario, part of what developers call their 'business rules'. But for large merchants, those lost/delayed sales can add up into serious dollars. If an item sits and sits, it costs a retailer money. So big retailers use database locking that allows two people to browse an item, but the one that gets processed first gets it. (There is even more stuff going on behind the scenes that determines what gets processed first, and it's not as obvious or cut-and-dry as one might imagine.)
Imagine this scenario: Customer #1 walks into a store and sees at an item on the shelf where only one is available. We don't know if he will actually buy it, is just kicking the tires, window shopping, etc. Do you let a second customer "see" that item on the shelf also, or should a cone of blackness shroud that item while customer #1 is staring at it? Some say yes, so customer #2 will then move on to another store. What happens if customer #1 cannot complete the transaction for whatever reason. His card is declined, wife shows up and forbids it, etc., etc. Now the retailer lost that sale until another customer, perhaps customer #2, perhaps another customer, comes in at a later time, maybe even months later to buy it. That merchant lost money having the item sit on the floor longer than necessary than if he allowed both customers to "see" the item at the same time.
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Ah, the entitlement attitude of us Americans. My wants were not fulfilled so I respond as if my rights have been violated.
Did they charge the credit card or just collect the card info? I suspect the latter therefore no fees.
The reason why issues like this are less common on sites like Amazon, Reverb, or EBay is due to those marketplaces having rules to play in their sandbox. Having to cancel orders due to stock outs can cause a company to lose their position on the front page or it can cause them to completely lose their buy box. Once that happens, it can be nearly impossible to get it back unless you have a monopoly on an item.
That said, some companies will allow some overselling of product on certain marketplaces if there are minimal repercussions that might exist or if a product is something that can't easily be substituted. This helps the company generate more sales, and nine times out of ten the company will be more than happy to throw that waiting customer 15-20% off that order for the inconvenience if it will lock the buyer into the purchase.
As others have said, you also have the tech piece to consider. It was considered a huge accomplishment when one of the companies that I currently work for, who is in the ecommerce realm, lowered the time it takes their listings to update to reflect the inventory system from 20 minutes to 15 minutes. Once we remove the middle, redundant client we are hoping to lower it down to 7-8 minutes. Again, this isn't a small task and this is reflective of current tech.
That said, some companies will allow some overselling of product on certain marketplaces if there are minimal repercussions that might exist or if a product is something that can't easily be substituted. This helps the company generate more sales, and nine times out of ten the company will be more than happy to throw that waiting customer 15-20% off that order for the inconvenience if it will lock the buyer into the purchase.
As others have said, you also have the tech piece to consider. It was considered a huge accomplishment when one of the companies that I currently work for, who is in the ecommerce realm, lowered the time it takes their listings to update to reflect the inventory system from 20 minutes to 15 minutes. Once we remove the middle, redundant client we are hoping to lower it down to 7-8 minutes. Again, this isn't a small task and this is reflective of current tech.
You're still not understanding that there is a delay between the systems. Most of the times it works, but sometimes it doesn't and there is literally no way to shrink that window to zero. The in store customer is given priority. You got your money back, you were not screwed and then you want a cookie because you were "wronged". Sure, you're disappointed because someone beat you to the purchase, but such is life.
I expect them to charge the cc only if the item is actually available and sold to me. Any competent online retailer should be able to manage this properly.
Why are YOU so serious? Nothing happened to you which wasn't fixed in quick time. There is no pattern of GC screwing people out of money as you continued to suggest.
I'd say that your repeatedly arguing about this piddly crap 11 pages in is pretty serious. Seriously ill. *Note- I just saw this thread for the first time this morning. This is my second and last post on this thread as I've read a lot of other replies and clearly the people in here have already explained to you your hypocrisy, etc. And I see you are still not getting it as I type this. They have words for you but I would like to remain on TB to actually share info with useful people.
Major overreaction IMO. Stuff happens. This mistake is understandable, as several others have pointed out.
As you proudly boasted, you've gotten over 200 basses from them (wow! Super impressive!) and there was a slight hiccup with this purchase. Seems like they are hitting the mark really well for you. Even on TB if someone bought 200 used basses, they are likely to run into an issue with one. It's just the odds.
Me. Me. Me. Me. I'm such a good customer in my eyes! I'm the only customer in my eyes! Why don't they see me through my own eyes?
As you proudly boasted, you've gotten over 200 basses from them (wow! Super impressive!) and there was a slight hiccup with this purchase. Seems like they are hitting the mark really well for you. Even on TB if someone bought 200 used basses, they are likely to run into an issue with one. It's just the odds.
Me. Me. Me. Me. I'm such a good customer in my eyes! I'm the only customer in my eyes! Why don't they see me through my own eyes?
Well that's the thing. Even once the tech is there a company might still decide to oversell stock. It's very common during promotional periods for this sort of thing to occur as a customer is typically more than willing to wait if they are getting something for 25+% off.
I swear we aren't all like this. SMH. Unfortunately, most really are. But look through this thread. There are several people pointing out that the OP is being ridiculous here. People like him are just the loud ones that make all the noise so you hear them the most.
We aren't all that ridiculous.
I don't know man.
First off, this sucks. And I would be pretty pissed as well. For sure.
That being said- I don't know man. There are no guarantees when your doing dangerous things. And art and music are dangerous. Musicians and artist delve into the arts of messing with people's emotions and minds. Instrument shops are nothing short of arms dealers for sonic warriors.
Then you add in the realities of technology and our preconceived notions of how well it should work and you have a recipe for inevitable disappointment from time to time. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more often, to be honest. Its like childbirth- a historically super risky business that we now just assume should go off without a hitch. And when we hear something went wrong, we are shocked. Fist of furry to the universe if my iphone glitches out even though what this tiny device does is short of miraculous. Loose my cable signal in the middle of the playoffs? Nuclear!
I've worked retail quite a bit. I even once worked at guitar center, and to be frank, I find it amazing that physical retail stores are still alive. In-congruent and antiquated software systems are a plight of operations such as GC.
All that being said- as another TB Member posted here- if ebay can do it right......
Sorry OP. Not a fun experience, I'm sure.
First off, this sucks. And I would be pretty pissed as well. For sure.
That being said- I don't know man. There are no guarantees when your doing dangerous things. And art and music are dangerous. Musicians and artist delve into the arts of messing with people's emotions and minds. Instrument shops are nothing short of arms dealers for sonic warriors.
Then you add in the realities of technology and our preconceived notions of how well it should work and you have a recipe for inevitable disappointment from time to time. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more often, to be honest. Its like childbirth- a historically super risky business that we now just assume should go off without a hitch. And when we hear something went wrong, we are shocked. Fist of furry to the universe if my iphone glitches out even though what this tiny device does is short of miraculous. Loose my cable signal in the middle of the playoffs? Nuclear!
I've worked retail quite a bit. I even once worked at guitar center, and to be frank, I find it amazing that physical retail stores are still alive. In-congruent and antiquated software systems are a plight of operations such as GC.
All that being said- as another TB Member posted here- if ebay can do it right......
Sorry OP. Not a fun experience, I'm sure.
Their system could still be showing inventory when you place your order even if it's no longer physically there - and there are a number of reasons why that might be the case.
It wasn't me that it happened to pancake. Now get off your high horse before you fall and break something.
I suspect that the nature of a major retailer who does not rely on used gear transactions in the least and does so out of a courtesy, but still trying to deal with used merchandise in their system, has something to do with this. It's true every single item at GC is bar coded, so it's easy to struggle for a logical explanation why, when an order is made, the entire system doesn't update immediately so that subsequent attempts to purchase the item fail immediately and an appropriate prompt is given to the customer on the spot.
First, let's not forget that GC doesn't like to immediately state, "This item is out of stock." It's like saying, "Go away." They don't like to use negative language that encourages the on-line shopper to go to any one of several other on-line retailers stocking the same item. They certainly won't give you that prompt with new gear. They almost always tell me "backordered: stand by" and it appears they did not take the additional step of amending that response with unique single used items.
On that point, a good amount of GC's used stock across the country is *not* unique single items. They have multiples of all nature of identical used gear in stores across the country. Their system is designed to direct you to a purchase, and if the used Crybaby Wah in Denver got sniped by the customer before you, they'd like to have the ability to direct you to the used Crybaby Wah in twelve other stores. Just another possible explanation for why you don't immediately get the "Item sold, go away" prompt with used gear.
I know people who have made a used item purchase at a remote GC, then had second thoughts and called the store and asked them to refund the purchase and not ship the item. In that context, GC is smart to have another potential buyer waiting temporarily in the wings. Again, rather than saying, "too late, go away," they'd rather be sly and give you hope in the event the first purchaser backs out.
All that being said, my personal .02 cents: That's their system, it is what it is, nothing unethical or sinister going on here. It's a bit of an anomaly for an on-line big box retailer to even waste their time and resources on something so potentially problematic as used gear, and that GC does it can be a real bonus for customers (and has many times, there are countless success stories here on TB). I would wager that if you factor in the time and resources it takes GC to deal in used gear (including tire-kickers and disgruntled sellers), and intangibles like the floor space it takes to stock some of that crap, they are probably breaking even on the used gear. So accept it for what it is. If you're the purchaser who wins the day, celebrate. If you're the guy who pushed the "purchase" button a little to late, suck it up, better luck next time. GC is still an incredible resource for savvy, and yes, sometimes lucky, shoppers. I have saved so much coin shopping at GC, using a variety of strategies that I never could have pulled off with any other on-line (or brick and mortar) store, it's not even funny. I've cleaned their clock so many times, when something falls through or doesn't bounce my way (new or used), it's easy to shrug it off.
First, let's not forget that GC doesn't like to immediately state, "This item is out of stock." It's like saying, "Go away." They don't like to use negative language that encourages the on-line shopper to go to any one of several other on-line retailers stocking the same item. They certainly won't give you that prompt with new gear. They almost always tell me "backordered: stand by" and it appears they did not take the additional step of amending that response with unique single used items.
On that point, a good amount of GC's used stock across the country is *not* unique single items. They have multiples of all nature of identical used gear in stores across the country. Their system is designed to direct you to a purchase, and if the used Crybaby Wah in Denver got sniped by the customer before you, they'd like to have the ability to direct you to the used Crybaby Wah in twelve other stores. Just another possible explanation for why you don't immediately get the "Item sold, go away" prompt with used gear.
I know people who have made a used item purchase at a remote GC, then had second thoughts and called the store and asked them to refund the purchase and not ship the item. In that context, GC is smart to have another potential buyer waiting temporarily in the wings. Again, rather than saying, "too late, go away," they'd rather be sly and give you hope in the event the first purchaser backs out.
All that being said, my personal .02 cents: That's their system, it is what it is, nothing unethical or sinister going on here. It's a bit of an anomaly for an on-line big box retailer to even waste their time and resources on something so potentially problematic as used gear, and that GC does it can be a real bonus for customers (and has many times, there are countless success stories here on TB). I would wager that if you factor in the time and resources it takes GC to deal in used gear (including tire-kickers and disgruntled sellers), and intangibles like the floor space it takes to stock some of that crap, they are probably breaking even on the used gear. So accept it for what it is. If you're the purchaser who wins the day, celebrate. If you're the guy who pushed the "purchase" button a little to late, suck it up, better luck next time. GC is still an incredible resource for savvy, and yes, sometimes lucky, shoppers. I have saved so much coin shopping at GC, using a variety of strategies that I never could have pulled off with any other on-line (or brick and mortar) store, it's not even funny. I've cleaned their clock so many times, when something falls through or doesn't bounce my way (new or used), it's easy to shrug it off.
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