Instrument store nightmares.....

[timendous]

I think I've posted this before, but this thread is where this story belongs:
/
Before I begin, this was almost 10 years ago. I was young, addicted to drugs, not thinking clearly. So, the way I handled the situation was absolutely stupid, thank you in advance for all the advice on how I "should have" gone about things.

I was living in Alabama at the time and my father lived in Florida. I had a Fender Aerodyne Jazz (one of the earlier models; without the random strat-style input) that had a loose connection and had no output. Nowadays, I would just solder the thing back on, problem solved. However being young and inexperienced, I took it to a local mom and pop shop in Naples, FL. Dropped it off to get it fixed and headed back to Alabama, figuring I'd just pick it up when I came home around Christmas (which was a few months away, but I wasn't gigging in AL anyways).

So while in Alabama, I got at least 3 phone calls from the store telling me that the repairs were done and I could come pick it up whenever. When I told them that I was out of the state, each time they told me that if I wanted, they could sell it for me. Christmas was coming up and they could definitely move it if I just wanted to sell it. Each time I told them, "No, I'm coming to get it when I come home for Christmas. Don't sell it." The last time they called I was frustrated and even got the guys name, Doug.

Fast forward to me being back in Florida. I go in to get my bass, give them my receipt ticket. The guy looks at me funny and this is how it went down:

guy: we don't even use these claim tickets anymore, let me go look.
me: ok, well I know it was a while ago but I got a few phone calls and told them that I was coming to get it.
guy: let me check in the back.
10 minutes later.... the guy comes back in holding my empty Fender gig bag...
guy: sorry bro, we sold it. It had been sitting around for a long time and we tried calling you a whole bunch of times but never got an answer. we assumed you weren't coming back for it.
me: are you kidding? I got every one of those calls and told the person each time that I was coming back for it. The last person I talked to was Doug.
Doug: I'm Doug.
me: ok, well I talked to you and told you I was coming back for it. If you were going to sell it, I would have just told my dad to come pick it up.
Doug: sorry, its gone. While I was in the back I called the family that bought it for their son and they say he loves it. There's nothing we can do.
me: (speechless)
Doug: If you want to buy a new bass, I could knock maybe $100 off the price.
me: dude, I don't have the money to buy a new bass.
Doug: sorry man, there's nothing I can do.

And then I just leave.

Ok, I know. 1. I should have just had my father go get the stupid bass while I was in AL. But I had no reason to think that they'd sell it. 2. I should have freaked out and demanded whatever they sold it for. 3. I should have followed up with legal action.

All huge mistakes on my part. I regret it to this day. That bass had incredible sentimental value to me. I recorded our bands first album with it. It was the first bass I took on tour. It also was probably one of the nicest basses I've ever owned.

Anyways, horrible story. Now I'm depressed. Someone cheer me up.

 

[timendous]

Oh yeah.... and this was the same store I had bought the bass from about 2 years prior.

 

[centrefold]

the real question is how can they sell someone elses property?!

 

[b_carville]

Man, I've worked at so many music stores. I'm trying to think of some good examples but I try to block the bad experiences out.

Do I start with the guy that accused me of being racist because I told his kid to quit destroying a snare drum?
The guy that threatened to have me fired because I wouldn't "throw in" a $150 effect pedal?
The kid that insisted I sell him a "lead guitar"?
... too many to write here. I'll think about some good ones and come back with some stories.

All of the above except I was racist for not letting a kid weedwhack/ manhandle a 70's Jazz after he popped two strings & sent a bridge saddle flying. In my coffee no less. True story!

 

[Danni Moe]

.....with a twist. I know there is always stuff on here about (blank) store doing this and that but lets hear the other side of the coin. If you sell/sold instruments I wanna hear YOUR customer nightmares. I have a couple but I will start with my favorite.


It was the November of 2005 and this young yuppie couple walks in wanting a guitar for their 5 year old daughter whom they keep telling me is a musical prodigy and only the best for their reincarnated Mozart, I ask them how long she's been playing (I was honestly curious, because I know parents all tend to think their kids are special but the things they were saying made me assume their daughter actually played i.e "the things she does musically Ive never heard done before" ect ec ect.)

them: "well, she hasn't started yet"
me: "ok, well what other instruments does she play?"
the mother "none this is going to be her first, she sings and hums now"

I do my best salesmen smile and show them some squier starter sets the usual amp,guitar,cable,dvd thing and give them my usual routine when I showed these to customers. Something akin to "Think of this in car terms, it's a kia, its not flashy, it dosent have the best featuers but its great to start out with and will get her comfortable with the guitar" so the dad looks at me dead in the eye and in complete seriousness says "I would never dream of having her drive in a kia, her first car is gonna be a bmw, show me a bmw" now normally I would have seen dollar signs but seeing as their daughter was 5 I knew there was gonna be a 95% chance whatever they got was going to be returned but i showed them some P.R.S, 2 used F.C.S we had all the while telling them I didn't think a child that age would be able to benefit from those guitars. The wife at this point was going up to people trying out guitars and telling them in the most nose in the air kind of way they sucked and to please stop playing (In one of the few days there was no wanking in the store) turns to me and says "what they're to big for her?" I explain that no its not a size issue its the fact that a kid won't appreciate hand wound pickups, and book matched tops ect ect; but she got it in her mind that its a matter of size and walk over to a novelty 10 fret mini guitar we have on the wall that's not even for sale and we proceed to have the following descussion

her: why would we want a full sized guitar, this is better for a child her size
me: well that's more a toy, and this (the starter pack) is more a real instrument and if you want her to be serious about it, you need a real instrument
her:but she is only 5
me:I know but this is not a real guitar, if you want her to learn guitar she needs a real guitar
her:but she's only 5

at this point I lose my cool alittle and explain to them with the smallest bit of harshness that they didn't play music so if they could kindly stop talking down to me, I was trying to help them get the best thing suited for their daughter....and here the nightmare begins.....

all of a sudden the wife starts screaming over and over again "WHATS WRONG WITH YOU, SHE'S ONLY FIVE!!!!" as if I had just told them I thought their daughter was sexy or something to that effect and she begins telling me how I'm disgusting, running over to customers telling them "he's a monster my daughter is only 5 years old!!!" while her husband repeatedly pokes me in the chest repeating "you got alot of nerve, I make more in a day then you make in a year" the entire store is staring at me, so about 3 managers run over and tell me to go on lunch break, looking at me like I'm a pedo, I come back a half an hour later to find out they left and had gotten the strat pack for $10 and the woman was so hysterical and the husband so angry that management could not get out of them what had happned, when I explained it to them it became obvious the store just had one pulled over on them.....Oh yea the day after Christmas the next month they came back wanting a refund for the full amount of the strat pack ($200) because it didn't matter what they paid for it, that's how much it was worth. THE END

alittle long winded I know but whenever I think about it I still laugh, ok who's got one?

^ One of those things I'd smack someone twice for.
You sir deserve a sick/personal month for that.
I feel like everyone should pay more respect to the people that sell instruments. Even me.

 

[Bredian]

All huge mistakes on my part. I regret it to this day. That bass had incredible sentimental value to me. I recorded our bands first album with it. It was the first bass I took on tour. It also was probably one of the nicest basses I've ever owned.

Anyways, horrible story. Now I'm depressed. Someone cheer me up.

A small price to pay for not being sober.

You leave your property anywhere for longer than 30 days, bass, car, whatever..... its gone, depending on the laws. They gotta pay the rent on the space your stuff is taking.