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Guitar Center Screwed Me Again

#301
By the way- no kidding this same thing has happened to me with GC since posting this last time. I have just chosen to stay silent about it.

It's a quirky system indeed. But based on the feedback received here and from them, there isn't much they can do about it.
 
#305
el_Bajo_Verde said:
Pardon my...ignorance..? But aren't they the same thing?
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Really matters of perception. While you are correct that the two words are technically synonymous, there is a perception by many that ignorance is a negative term whereas uninformed may be more likely to be perceived as being unaware of information. I was oferring the term as an option that may be received by more people as less of a perceived insult. The beauty and peril of the English language is that there can be many words that have the same meaning yet be received very differently. I doubt any insult was intended by amyone so was offering a possible milder word. A bit like how a songwriter may agonize over just the right lyrics for a song to convey the message they want to the listener. (Tries to bring thread back to music).
 
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#306
The OP online purchase issue happened to me last year. I saw an available in-stock high-end boutique bass online being offered by this store based in San Bernardino. Payment was sent and I received a confirmation. The next day I called them asking for the ship date and the rep asked me, 'which website did I use to buy the bass?' (they have at least two different websites). I told him the one that had the bass for sale and available! He tells me initially that the bass was at the managers home and not in the warehouse. The next day I get a call from the rep saying the bass wasn't at the managers house and they can't find it, but the bass builder is shipping more basses in about 3 months!
Needless to say I asked and got a full refund, and I have not done business with that store again.
 
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#308
rogerbmiller said:
This morning while perusing the GC used website I found a MusicMan USA Sub bass in Blue for a good price so without hesitation, I pulled the trigger and ordered online.

Immediately after placing the order, as I would expect, the listing on their website changed to read "This Item Is No Longer Available."

I go about my day only to receive an email later saying "Your Order is Out of Stock."

GC Sold the bass to someone else. They had the bass listed as abailable, took my CC payment, and later told me they sold it to someone else.

This has happened to me several times even though once is far too many times.

There were no other 4 strings in inventory and even if there were, they would not guarantee giving me one at the same price because it is up to each and every store. Which is the line I got the last few times this happened.

This makes me wonder what is the point of using their website. I am livid and wanted to share this with the world because this is horrible customer service.

They told me that several people could order the same item online so they take the first one that comes up in the queue.

We read about them being in financial duress so I wonder if this is a ploy to trap cash.

Livid! I have bought over 200 used basses from them. You would think they would want to help me figure something out...
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Not to defend GC or anything, but how about just calling the store where the item is located and asking them if they still have it before you buy it online?
 
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#309
rogerbmiller said:
This morning while perusing the GC used website I found a MusicMan USA Sub bass in Blue for a good price so without hesitation, I pulled the trigger and ordered online.

Immediately after placing the order, as I would expect, the listing on their website changed to read "This Item Is No Longer Available."

I go about my day only to receive an email later saying "Your Order is Out of Stock."

GC Sold the bass to someone else. They had the bass listed as abailable, took my CC payment, and later told me they sold it to someone else.

This has happened to me several times even though once is far too many times.

There were no other 4 strings in inventory and even if there were, they would not guarantee giving me one at the same price because it is up to each and every store. Which is the line I got the last few times this happened.

This makes me wonder what is the point of using their website. I am livid and wanted to share this with the world because this is horrible customer service.

They told me that several people could order the same item online so they take the first one that comes up in the queue.

We read about them being in financial duress so I wonder if this is a ploy to trap cash.

Livid! I have bought over 200 used basses from them. You would think they would want to help me figure something out...
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Seems you have answered your own question. If you are not being treated the way you feel you should as a customer, then find another place to do your shopping. If you are buying in quantities of 200 basses from a single place and not getting any sort of perks, then it's time to shop elsewhere. Many local businesses would fall over themselves to work with you at those volumes, I'm sure incentives as a frequent flyer would happen as well.

Big box stores are just that, and you have to understand that in the foreground. Sweetwater really impressed me with their attention to detail and customer service when I toured their campus last year. They sometimes cost a little more, but I've never had any customer related issues with them either. I'm sure there are circumstances on both sides, and if you have multiple people bidding on a guitar, only one will walk out with it. That's just part of what you have to deal with when you aren't in a showroom with said guitar in hand.

You want the best deals and the best prices, we get that. But in doing so, you have to deal with situations like this occasionally. True customer service costs a little more, but they know your name in the music store I frequent, and they take care of me. Do I pay a little more for the customer service? Sometimes. But it's worth it to me.
 
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#310
rogerbmiller said:
The strange part is the guy that beat me to the punch bought it the night before. But it was still online and listed as available. It only went "No Longer Available" after I finished the check out process this morning.

And they admitted there can be numerous orders in the queue. They say they take the first one.

That is crazy to me (that they can let numerous people buy the same bass).
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Sounds like they run on a really crummy database...
 
#312
MultiScaleMale said:
Not really. It's mostly a problem with the item sitting on a showroom floor where people can purchase the item instead of it sitting in a warehouse in a known state.
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Remember how many locations they have. If/when a sale is made at the store, the person at that store has to take care of the sale, and then go into the system and mark that it is done and remove it from the system. If the sale is made on line, the person has to confirm that it is still there, then complete the sale, and then remove it from the system. Meanwhile, millions of potential buyers are going onto the website and looking at it. It isn't like there are 500 identical widgets - every used instrument in unique.
 
#313
buldog5151bass said:
Remember how many locations they have. If/when a sale is made at the store, the person at that store has to take care of the sale, and then go into the system and mark that it is done and remove it from the system. If the sale is made on line, the person has to confirm that it is still there, then complete the sale, and then remove it from the system. Meanwhile, millions of potential buyers are going onto the website and looking at it. It isn't like there are 500 identical widgets - every used instrument in unique.
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Right, the same issue would come up if it were only online. You and I are both looking around the site, we both put the one of a kind bass in our carts and look around for other things and check out. Who gets it? Guitar Center's system isn't perfect, but at least you can have access to make an attempt to buy used items all over the country. Most of the times, it works. Sometimes there are snags.
 
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#314
I found an Ibanez Potamento 5 on their "Used Gear" page that was at my local store, within an hour I was at the store to make the purchase, and by the time I got back home (about a half hour later) it was off the site. That may have been a new record for them.
 
#315
MultiScaleMale said:
Right, the same issue would come up if it were only online. You and I are both looking around the site, we both put the one of a kind bass in our carts and look around for other things and check out. Who gets it? Guitar Center's system isn't perfect, but at least you can have access to make an attempt to buy used items all over the country. Most of the times, it works. Sometimes there are snags.
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I think this was covered 10 pages back :)

The system is far from perfect, but it would cost GC a bajillion bucks to fix it. Not gonna happen any time soon.
 

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