Consumer law in the UK says that goods must be as described. There's been a breach of the Trades Descriptions Act. Stand up for your rights.
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International order, arrived with wrong neck
- Thread starter project_c
- Start date
I'd ask for a (BIG) discount/refund for their mistake, and learn to love the RW, but I prefer it to maple anyway so there is that.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
Do not spend any of your own money to rectify their mistake. It sucks financially for them - not for you. They need to spend the money to ship the bass back. What sucks for you is the loss of time. It sounds like it could be a lengthy delay for you to receive the product. Really though, any company worth their salt will hook you up with a t-shirt (or maybe a discount) for your patience.
I would doubt the company would want an unknown/unqualified tech on their bass which they then need to warranty. Seems like a can of worms for all parties.
Good luck with it all.
If it was me, this would be my order of preference:
1) They offer an acceptable discount, and I learn to like the Rosewood.
2) They send me a Maple replacement neck (no hardware), and I swap it out (return Rosewood on their dime).
3) They request return for full refund (and pay shipping back).
1) They offer an acceptable discount, and I learn to like the Rosewood.
2) They send me a Maple replacement neck (no hardware), and I swap it out (return Rosewood on their dime).
3) They request return for full refund (and pay shipping back).
I would advise spending some time with that bass before making any changes. If the bass plays great and sounds great, you may just want to consider keeping it. I remember ordering a bass before that showed up with a small dent in the back of the neck. Wasn't anywhere my thumb hit it, and the bass sounded fantastic, but it bothered me to spend $5k on a bass with a small defect. The builder was apologetic and agreed to send another neck. The new neck showed up with no issues, so I installed it and much to my surprise found that the tone was noticeably different and that the new neck didn't have the "magic" that the first neck did, even though they had the exact same specs (and wood doesn't make a difference...yeah, right). Point being, if you really love the bass as is, it may be a crap shoot to send the neck back for an exchange, as there's no guarantee you will like the new neck as much.
Wow!
This is the spectacular cherry on top, of the icing they'd already managed to put on this fiasco of a cake.
I wonder if the reason it kept getting returned to them was because their customs documentation described maple, but the instrument used rosewood (maybe somebody suspected a CITES violation)?
Just wondering how this is enforced though if the seller is in another country that doesn't have their consumer rights aligned to the UK's? If the OP bought from an International website or such, who's consumer rights are different then I'm not sure where he'd stand? IF the product was advertised in the UK then I think you have a point.
D
But consumer laws in the UK do not apply if the bass has been purchased from a US store, in US currency and shipped from the US. Consumer laws in the US are generally much weaker than in Europe.
D
One thing to be aware of (depending on which carrier was used and on UK tax laws):
If there were any customs fees or UK import taxes/VAT involved you can't expect a US store to give you a refund for these.
Any customs processing fees will be lost, and there will most likely be additional customs processing fees for the replacement.
I'm not familiar with UK tax laws so take this with a grain of salt, but if it's anything like other European countries the following should be more or less the procedure for a return/replacement to a country outside the EU:
If you paid import tax/VAT on the original purchase (and I believe there's 20% VAT on imports from the US to the UK?) you will have to pay this again for the replacement. If you return an item for a replacement it can't be declared as a warranty repair. You will probably have to get a credit note for the original purchase and a new invoice (for the full value of the item) for the replacement. This means you may have to contact your local tax/customs authorities to get a VAT refund for the returned item. This will most likely require a bit of paperwork and the correct documentation. Make sure you declare the return shipment correctly and that you keep all documentation, like the original invoice for the purchase and the customs paperwork from the original import (the carrier should be able to provide you with this). You will probably also need a credit note from the seller, which you obviously won't get until they have received the return.
If the bass is great and you don't HATE rosewood you will probably save yourself a lot of hassle by keeping it, and maybe get a discount? The dealer will obviously save both time and money if you decide to keep it so they should be able to offer you something as compensation.
If there were any customs fees or UK import taxes/VAT involved you can't expect a US store to give you a refund for these.
Any customs processing fees will be lost, and there will most likely be additional customs processing fees for the replacement.
I'm not familiar with UK tax laws so take this with a grain of salt, but if it's anything like other European countries the following should be more or less the procedure for a return/replacement to a country outside the EU:
If you paid import tax/VAT on the original purchase (and I believe there's 20% VAT on imports from the US to the UK?) you will have to pay this again for the replacement. If you return an item for a replacement it can't be declared as a warranty repair. You will probably have to get a credit note for the original purchase and a new invoice (for the full value of the item) for the replacement. This means you may have to contact your local tax/customs authorities to get a VAT refund for the returned item. This will most likely require a bit of paperwork and the correct documentation. Make sure you declare the return shipment correctly and that you keep all documentation, like the original invoice for the purchase and the customs paperwork from the original import (the carrier should be able to provide you with this). You will probably also need a credit note from the seller, which you obviously won't get until they have received the return.
If the bass is great and you don't HATE rosewood you will probably save yourself a lot of hassle by keeping it, and maybe get a discount? The dealer will obviously save both time and money if you decide to keep it so they should be able to offer you something as compensation.
Last edited:
Thank you for all the replies! Quick update on this:
It now looks like the company seems to be confused about the order process on their own website. They told me I didn't specify that I wanted a maple board. This is not true. When ordering the bass, the website gives you the option to specify body colour, and fretboard wood (although they did spell 'fretboard' wrong..). I did this, and my order confirmation clearly shows this. (see attached pics)
The board the bass came with is actually wenge and not rosewood - my mistake. Either way, it should have been maple.
It's worth pointing out that the bass I received plays great, and there is fundamentally nothing wrong with it, but it is not the bass I ordered. I chose a maple board for this bass, and that's not what arrived.
To make the bass community aware, I should probably reveal the name of the company, but I don't want to name them until I see if / how they're willing to resolve this. I want to stress that none of this is about the quality of the instrument - the bass is fine. The problem is that it took 4 attempts and 2 months to get it shipped, and after all that, it wasn't the bass I ordered.
It now looks like the company seems to be confused about the order process on their own website. They told me I didn't specify that I wanted a maple board. This is not true. When ordering the bass, the website gives you the option to specify body colour, and fretboard wood (although they did spell 'fretboard' wrong..). I did this, and my order confirmation clearly shows this. (see attached pics)
The board the bass came with is actually wenge and not rosewood - my mistake. Either way, it should have been maple.
It's worth pointing out that the bass I received plays great, and there is fundamentally nothing wrong with it, but it is not the bass I ordered. I chose a maple board for this bass, and that's not what arrived.
To make the bass community aware, I should probably reveal the name of the company, but I don't want to name them until I see if / how they're willing to resolve this. I want to stress that none of this is about the quality of the instrument - the bass is fine. The problem is that it took 4 attempts and 2 months to get it shipped, and after all that, it wasn't the bass I ordered.
Let's leave it at this: Olga has no trouble getting the lid off a pickle jar...with no hands.
Riis
Well it's Olive Green, that much I do know from the order. So that narrows it down a lot.
If in your shoes, I would settle for the correct neck shipped to my locale provided I keep the existing neck. I would have no trouble installing or selling one or the other depending on preference. Ball is in your court: the last thing you or the seller wants is shipping the thing back 'n forth across the face of the globe...it's expensive and increases the likelihood of damage or loss. The seller will balk at the notion of paying a local shop to install the new neck...not to worry. Simply sell the wrong / unwanted neck to offset the expense. My righteous indignation has settled down and I'm viewing the scenario as a pragmatist.
Riis
