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it's about James Reed. Need some help brothers.

Ijtraista

Ijtraista

Feb 26, 2012
163
67
MA
#1
I would appreciate some feedback about what/if I can do anything to get this guy to honor his commitment. I searched the forums and read pretty much everything posted and realized that I am not the only one in this situation.
Here is my short/long story: I came across Jim Reed pickups and have to confess I fell in love with his RJ Neo pickups sound. So I talked to him and ordered a set of dual coils for my six stringer. Payed him what he asked, $257 for the set, back in April 28 /16. He told me:
" Cool as soon as i revive it ill ship out your set of pickups". Then the waiting game started, first he told me that he's grandma died, then nothing at all for a long time. And somehow I managed to get him back on line by buying a set of new RJ Neo on ebay. Then the delivery time passes with nothing at hand other than a non-functional tracking number. First he blamed the USPS only to admit finally that the package was just sitting on a shelve somewhere in the shop. When I finally asked Ebay to step in, I was called (on ebay message), c@&K suc&@r, m f*&%er etc. When I finally got the package, it was the wrong pickups, 5 strings split coils instead of 6 strings dual coils. Got back to him, he said was a mistake and that my pickups were sitting there. Afraid of losing even those wrong pickups, I stupidly fell for paying again for them to which he promised he will ship as soon as he receives the payment. That was June 17...
Then, between all sort of excuses and long silence from him here we are in Sept; same non-working tracking number, blaming USPS, periods of completely ignoring my calls etc... and again another quite colorful language/verbal abuse from him, and few other pearls that honestly I have a hard time believing that anyone in the right mind would use while replying to an ebay open case?? Anyhow, you get the picture.
So I am asking you TB'ers, does anybody have some advise for me on how I can finish this peacefully? There must be some of you with past experiences that might help.
It's really hard for me to understand that somebody that creates something, a product with such a beautiful sound can be so painfully gross and such a pathetic liar. I have read some of you saying that he's actually a nice guy etc which I would really like to believe, but how can I reconcile with the side I see or was revealed to me? How can I open that door and trigger that nice side in him? I just feel that I would like to end this in a peaceful and decent way. Also, I would hope that by reading this some unsuspecting guys (like me) would repeat same mistake I did with this guy no-matter how appealing the sound of his pickups might be.
Any help, ideas, advice etc would be soooo welcome.
Thanks
Julian
 
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#5
You could start by not sending him any more money! Why on earth would you keep ordering stuff from him when he never sends anything save for utterly unacceptable abuse?

File complaints with PayPal, eBay and your credit card provider and walk away. The money's gone. You're never going to get what you ordered, he's never going to "make this right" so just walk away and look at it as a fairly inexpensive life lesson. That's the only way you'll "finish this peacefully".

ETA: I don't normally dig deep on TB complaint posts but I had a look at this James Reed guy's Facebook page and...damn. Tells the tale right there, doesn't it?
 
Last edited:
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#6
Also file a formal complaint with the shipper. Let them know he insists he shipped it through them and give them the bogus tracking number he gave you. Save the response you get back (which will say whatever you were told, it didn't happen and take it up with the guy who gave it to you - but enough of those might put him on their radar - because UPS, Fedex and the USPS especially don't like seeing their name be taken in vain) and use their reply as part of your claim filing for your CC and Paypal account.
 
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#7
arbiterusa said:
You could start by not sending him any more money! Why on earth would you keep ordering stuff from him when he never sends anything save for utterly unacceptable abuse?

File complaints with PayPal, eBay and your credit card provider and walk away. The money's gone. You're never going to get what you ordered, he's never going to "make this right" so just walk away and look at it as a fairly inexpensive life lesson. That's the only way you'll "finish this peacefully".

ETA: I don't normally dig deep on TB complaint posts but I had a look at this James Reed guy's Facebook page and...damn. Tells the tale right there, doesn't it?
Click to expand...
Thanks so much guys. It's so sad to realize what you are just confirming; I wrote in the hope that there was some hope. Not as much for my lost amount of money, as much in the hope that an artist cannot/could not do such a thing to other fellow. And yes I wish I have stayed with paypal or credit card; instead I have used USPS MO which I guess it will be gone without anything in return. Yeah, 't was my lesson to learn I guess. Money is money after all, it comes and goes. What's so hard still for me to grasp is how in the world one can be so gross and self-defeating. He had such a good product in this hands and then he destroy it in such a way. I was (still am) a great fun of Delano's until I came across his pickups. It just gave some body to my sound that Delano's didn't have. Plus, RJ Neo are quite a bit lighter.
 
#8
The guy is a complete con man. I'm not sure if it's on purpose or just sheer incompetence. He can make nice pickups, but he can't run a business. He brought on a partner to handle the business side and from all appearances, that's not going very well. There are too many other reputable pickup manufacturers out there to deal with him.

OP - I'd clean up some language in your post. I don't want to see you on a temporary ban even if it's just quoting him.
 
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#9
MultiScaleMale said:
The guy is a complete con man. I'm not sure if it's on purpose or just sheer incompetence. He can make nice pickups, but he can't run a business. He brought on a partner to handle the business side and from all appearances, that's not going very well. There are too many other reputable pickup manufacturers out there to deal with him.

OP - I'd clean up some language in your post. I don't want to see you on a temporary ban even if it's just quoting him.
Click to expand...
Thanks brother, I didn't think of that; I just fudged some words, leaving just enough for others to see how 'colorful' this guy can be.
And yes, I have tried most of the high end pups out there, Nords, SD, SGD, Delano's etc settling with the later, but as I said, I was intrigued by his, at least his RJ neo's.
Thanks again.
Julian
 
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#15
Ijtraista said:
Thanks brother, I didn't think of that; I just fudged some words, leaving just enough for others to see how 'colorful' this guy can be.
And yes, I have tried most of the high end pups out there, Nords, SD, SGD, Delano's etc settling with the later, but as I said, I was intrigued by his, at least his RJ neo's.
Thanks again.
Julian
Click to expand...

You need to do a more thorough job of cleaning that up. Here is a copy/paste of part of a love letter I got from PacMan along with some demerit points:

----------------

This is in violation of the following rule:

Rule #2: Do not post profanity. Because this forum is viewed by bassists of all ages, all posts must be suitable for viewing by minors. All profanity must be completely covered with asterisks, completely substituted with "@%$#" symbols. Better yet, leave it out. Any use of creative lettering or partially masked profanity is not allowed. Obscene material is not permitted, nor are links to websites containing such material or anything deemed inappropriate for minors. If what you have to say wouldn't be suited for network TV, don't post it here.
----------------

If you have any questions or if you'd like to appeal, please leave a ticket at our help desk at http://www.talkbass.com/misc/contact

Thank you,

The TalkBass Forum Staff

Groove is Everything
Jon Packard
 
#16
Ijtraista said:
I would appreciate some feedback about what/if I can do anything to get this guy to honor his commitment. I searched the forums and read pretty much everything posted and realized that I am not the only one in this situation.
Here is my short/long story: I came across Jim Reed pickups and have to confess I fell in love with his RJ Neo pickups sound. So I talked to him and ordered a set of dual coils for my six stringer. Payed him what he asked, $257 for the set, back in April 28 /16. He told me:
" Cool as soon as i revive it ill ship out your set of pickups". Then the waiting game started, first he told me that he's grandma died, then nothing at all for a long time. And somehow I managed to get him back on line by buying a set of new RJ Neo on ebay. Then the delivery time passes with nothing at hand other than a non-functional tracking number. First he blamed the USPS only to admit finally that the package was just sitting on a shelve somewhere in the shop. When I finally asked Ebay to step in, I was called (on ebay message), c@&K suc&@r, m f*&%er etc. When I finally got the package, it was the wrong pickups, 5 strings split coils instead of 6 strings dual coils. Got back to him, he said was a mistake and that my pickups were sitting there. Afraid of losing even those wrong pickups, I stupidly fell for paying again for them to which he promised he will ship as soon as he receives the payment. That was June 17...
Then, between all sort of excuses and long silence from him here we are in Sept; same non-working tracking number, blaming USPS, periods of completely ignoring my calls etc... and again another quote from him: "ok c@&K suc&@r i shipped you f@*&!ng package..." and few other pearls that honestly I have a hard time believing that anyone in the right mind would use while replying to an ebay open case?? Anyhow, you get the picture.
So I am asking you TB'ers, does anybody have some advise for me on how I can finish this peacefully? There must be some of you with past experiences that might help.
It's really hard for me to understand that somebody that creates something with such a beautiful sound can be so painfully gross and such a pathetic liar. I have read some of you saying that he's actually a nice guy etc which I would really like to believe, but how can I reconcile with the side I see or was revealed to me? How can I open that door and trigger that nice side in him? I just feel that I would like to end this in a peaceful and decent way. Also, I would hope that by reading this some unsuspecting guys (like me) would repeat same mistake I did with this guy no-matter how appealing the sound of his pickups might be.
Any help, ideas, advice etc would be soooo welcome.
Thanks


Julian
Click to expand...

I feel your pain, brother... I myself had a 12 hour roundtrip to Harrisburg, Pa., and came home empty handed... I'm not sure if these people fall under the phrase, 'It takes all kinds'... If so, they can kindly live on Mars.

Check it out... no profanity, and this post still qualifies as therapy.
 
#17
Ijtraista said:
I would appreciate some feedback about what/if I can do anything to get this guy to honor his commitment. I searched the forums and read pretty much everything posted and realized that I am not the only one in this situation.
Here is my short/long story: I came across Jim Reed pickups and have to confess I fell in love with his RJ Neo pickups sound. So I talked to him and ordered a set of dual coils for my six stringer. Payed him what he asked, $257 for the set, back in April 28 /16. He told me:
" Cool as soon as i revive it ill ship out your set of pickups". Then the waiting game started, first he told me that he's grandma died, then nothing at all for a long time. And somehow I managed to get him back on line by buying a set of new RJ Neo on ebay. Then the delivery time passes with nothing at hand other than a non-functional tracking number. First he blamed the USPS only to admit finally that the package was just sitting on a shelve somewhere in the shop. When I finally asked Ebay to step in, I was called (on ebay message), c@&K suc&@r, m f*&%er etc. When I finally got the package, it was the wrong pickups, 5 strings split coils instead of 6 strings dual coils. Got back to him, he said was a mistake and that my pickups were sitting there. Afraid of losing even those wrong pickups, I stupidly fell for paying again for them to which he promised he will ship as soon as he receives the payment. That was June 17...
Then, between all sort of excuses and long silence from him here we are in Sept; same non-working tracking number, blaming USPS, periods of completely ignoring my calls etc... and again another quote from him: "ok c@&K suc&@r i shipped you f@*&!ng package..." and few other pearls that honestly I have a hard time believing that anyone in the right mind would use while replying to an ebay open case?? Anyhow, you get the picture.
So I am asking you TB'ers, does anybody have some advise for me on how I can finish this peacefully? There must be some of you with past experiences that might help.
It's really hard for me to understand that somebody that creates something with such a beautiful sound can be so painfully gross and such a pathetic liar. I have read some of you saying that he's actually a nice guy etc which I would really like to believe, but how can I reconcile with the side I see or was revealed to me? How can I open that door and trigger that nice side in him? I just feel that I would like to end this in a peaceful and decent way. Also, I would hope that by reading this some unsuspecting guys (like me) would repeat same mistake I did with this guy no-matter how appealing the sound of his pickups might be.
Any help, ideas, advice etc would be soooo welcome.
Thanks
Julian
Click to expand...

Julian,

I copy and pasted this from JR's site:

LEAD TIMES FOR CUSTOM ORDERS

Expect a longer lead time to process custom orders. Unfortunately, once an order is processed, NO CHANGES MAY BE MADE. (Please ask any questions before finalizing your order!) Lead times may exceed 6-12 months, but that is extremely rare. For custom orders, 4-6 months is not uncommon, but we do our best to get custom orders out in 3-4 months.



CANCELLATIONS

Reed James Engineering does not accept returns or cancellations on any custom or made to order pickups. Store credit may only be issued on stock items. Returned items must be in perfect condition, and returned within 30 days. By placing your custom order you agree that all sales are final and that there are no charge backs or cancellations.



DELIVERIES

Delivery times vary. Currently all orders are shipped USPS. It is possible for packages to get held up at times shipping to certain locations. All packages are insured in case they are lost are damaged. If you wish to use a different shipping company, please make that request at the time you place the order.



PayPaleBay's service to make fast, easy, and secure payments for your eBay purchases!

Believe me, I'm in your corner, not his... just sayin'.
Good luck, though.
 
#19
mmbongo said:
Boggles the mind as to why people keep ordering pickups from this Reed James clown. How many ripoff horror stories do we need?
Click to expand...
because I didn't know it bro! Stepped into one of his RJ neovibe and loooooved it. And because I am an instrument builder myself, I fell for it. Now I feel that I have to 'sage' the instruments before I touch it:)
 
#20
charlie monroe said:
You need to do a more thorough job of cleaning that up. Here is a copy/paste of part of a love letter I got from PacMan along with some demerit points:

----------------

This is in violation of the following rule:

Rule #2: Do not post profanity. Because this forum is viewed by bassists of all ages, all posts must be suitable for viewing by minors. All profanity must be completely covered with asterisks, completely substituted with "@%$#" symbols. Better yet, leave it out. Any use of creative lettering or partially masked profanity is not allowed. Obscene material is not permitted, nor are links to websites containing such material or anything deemed inappropriate for minors. If what you have to say wouldn't be suited for network TV, don't post it here.
----------------

If you have any questions or if you'd like to appeal, please leave a ticket at our help desk at http://www.talkbass.com/misc/contact

Thank you,

The TalkBass Forum Staff

Groove is Everything
Jon Packard
Click to expand...
Got it. I took it out altogether. Thanks for letting me know.
 

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