Mislabeled Instruments at Guitar Center (Resolved)

[Ooba Tooba]

It would be unethical to lie to a seller to convince them to lower their price, but accepting the deal they offered you is fine, especially when it's a company that is supposed to have knowledgeable staff.

Here in Australia I believe a retailer is entitled to withdraw an item from sale if they realise it was incorrectly priced before the sale is completed, but in an online transaction where they've already accepted your money I would think it could be argued the sale has already happened even if the item hasn't been shipped or collected yet.

Not to derail the thread, but you guys are in our thoughts here in the U.S. It’s really horrifying to see what is happening there right now.

 

[mrjim123]

In this case it's not caveat emptor, it's caveat venditor.

 

[Jackcrow]

Yeah I have seen where GC puts the wrong photos on. You’ll probably get what it says in the description.

 

[felis]

I suppose it’s also possible that the photo is incorrect, not the listing info. I’m interested to see what you receive!

I see that happen quite often.
I've even contacted them about a couple things I was interested in because I knew they were mis-labeled,
and didn't want to receive something I didn't want.

 

[bwildt]

I picked up a used American G&L L2500 that was listed as a Tribute (and priced as such) on Ebay. The headstock didn't show any Tribute labeling and the control switches moved in a horizontal direction. The switches on a Tribute move vertically. I took the chance, as it was a decent price for a Trib. I lucked out when I received a American model.

Now, if we were talking about a private owner not knowing that her deceased relative's old instrument was a vintage model and worth a lot more than it is listed for, I don't think I could take advantage of that.

 

[Element Zero]

For online orders, usually the warehouse crew or operations manager grabs the gear off the floor and takes it to the back so it can be prepared for shipment... just because someone works at guitar center doesn’t mean they’re a musician or knows anything about gear.

 

[BobKos]

I will give the OP a 50 / 50 chance of getting the smokin' deal he's hoping for. Yes - it happens. More often there is an error in the listing that goes in favor of GC. The previous advice to capture all photos and ad copy on website regarding the item is great advice. When you discover you bought a used $850 bass or whatever that you THOUGHT was worth $1600 and receive an item that cost $700 new, you will want to return it. When you try to return said item understandably there may be flags raised. Have your ducks in a row in case that happens.

 

[Sid the Kid]

I nabbed a Broadneck bolt on thumb bass for a song once from G.C. used. Had it labeled 5 string Warwick. It was several hundred dollars cheaper than the next used bolt on thumb.

What the heck, go for it. Returns are painless and being the wrong item is a great reason to return anyway.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

If you were checking out at Kroger and noticed that your prime rib rang up at 0.13/lb, would you go back and get all 20 pounds?

 

[InhumanResource]

I suppose it’s also possible that the photo is incorrect, not the listing info. I’m interested to see what you receive!

I see this a lot in particular with the several hundred Sterling by Musicman Ernie's Balls Sub Series Ray35.5 basses. Often mismatched labels and pricing/photos.

 

[TheReceder]

I was in store at a GC and they had a rackmount power strip that usually sold for $129 marked at $19.99. I asked about it, they said that everything in the store has to be tagged and because it was a display model they had to put something on it.

I told them I'd take it. The salesman looked confused so he got the manager. It took some time but I got it after they removed it from the rack.

I felt no guilt, and if anything maybe they got a little smarter?
In your case I'd keep a copy of the add, and make sure you got what was pictured.

 

[2strings2frets]

In 2017 I spotted the drum machine I wanted for demos at a GC out of state, and like you describe the listing was wrong and the price was much lower than it should have been. Order went through, credit card was charged. I was taking a shot at saving 60%.

The next day someone at GC must have caught it because the order was cancelled and my card was credited back.
Probably the person who pulled the item from the floor and was going to pack and ship it noticed the mistake.
One of those people who care about doing a good job and are paying attention to details.

One of my favorite online transactions.

I have noticed GC comes up a lot here but other retailers have similar issues. CME advertised high end basses with the stated price of $0000.00. I placed my order on Friday and Monday got an Email stating apologies but they could not honor the price and we’re canceling the sale. I figure if you don’t ask you get the same answer. Long time gone I ordered a bass cab from Seismic for a stated price that was obviously too low. The rep took a minute to check the web page, said ok and made the shipment. I checked later and the full price had been restored.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

GC is monitoring these forums.

 

[Maxdusty]

There is a good chance that GC attached the wrong photo and you will get what the description indicates.

Exactly this.... on a couple of occasions I wanted to buy a bass but the description and price did not match what was in the picture so I called the store to confirm both times. Sure enough, wrong picture was used. I would highly recommend calling the store to confirm you're buying the right bass in the picture, if you feel they priced it incorrectly but it's the right bass , then it's really not up to you to correct them if you feel it should be priced higher. That's on them and who knows, maybe they did want to price it lower just to move the merchandise OR there could be some flaw or defect not mentioned in the listing that caused them to lower the price.

 

[Element Zero]

GC is monitoring these forums.

I doubt it

 

[selowitch]

My guess is, that you can count on a refund when you're not pleased - I hope you made screenshots of the Item on the website when you ordered, so you can do the equivalent of 'talk to the manager' later, should you bump into problems.

Yep, I took screenshots. Somehow I doubt that if they send me the correct (lower-value) item I won't be able to return it and exchange it for the higher-value one I intended to order ... but you never know.

In this case, the item is a guitar (I know, sacrilege). The listing is for a D'Angelico priced at $850 but the image is of a Rickenbacker worth about $1,700.

Exactly this.... on a couple of occasions I wanted to buy a bass but the description and price did not match what was in the picture so I called the store to confirm both times. Sure enough, wrong picture was used. I would highly recommend calling the store to confirm you're buying the right bass in the picture, if you feel they priced it incorrectly but it's the right bass , then it's really not up to you to correct them if you feel it should be priced higher. That's on them and who knows, maybe they did want to price it lower just to move the merchandise OR there could be some flaw or defect not mentioned in the listing that caused them to lower the price.

But by drawing attention to the transaction, don't I risk blowing a great deal?

It may depend on local / state laws, but I believe here in NY, if you catch their mistake and order it, they are obligated to complete the deal. Truth in advertising type stuff.

But which state’s laws apply? The GC store in question is in one state and I am in another.

I think I have one of two main choices:

1. Keep my mouth shut and hope they send me the Rickenbacker in the picture, in which case I keep it. If they send me the D'Angelico, I get to decide whether to keep or return it.
2. I could call them today and inquire. That might increase the chances that I get the Rick, but it also might up the risk that they discover the discrepancy and cancel the order.

 

[Garret Graves]

Now that you clarified, I doubt they are going to send you the Rick, you’ll get the D’Angelico- but it’s returnable (unless there’s a disclaimer). You can return it to your local GC, btw. They will go by item number and it’s far more likely the photo was mismatched, than the Rick being associated with the listing by item number.

 

[el murdoque]

Yep, I took screenshots. Somehow I doubt that if they send me the correct (lower-value) item I won't be able to return it and exchange it for the higher-value one I intended to order ... but you never know.

In this case, the item is a guitar (I know, sacrilege). The listing is for a D'Angelico priced at $850 but the image is of a Rickenbacker worth about $1,700.

I can't tell you anything about GC policies since I am from across the pond, but I'm in retail. When my company sells something online in a case like yours, with the pic of an expensive item and the description of a cheaper one and the customer gets the cheap one and starts complaining about this not being the item we had shown in the picture, I'd personally apologise for the inconvenience and offer a full refund, among other things.

When a customer demands something out of line, our case has to be absolutely waterproof or we'll cave in rather than risking someone being unhappy and expressing that on the www.


I've just had someone who bought a 2015 article from us in September. These things have a 12 month cycle so he bought something four models older than current, with a hefty discount of around 60%.
That thing failed after a couple of uses, so he contacted me. I filed a warranty claim and after a couple of phone calls (filing warranty for something that old is rather uncommon) I got the manufacturer to replace that item with a new one.
So this customer bought a 2015 model in 2019, placed a warranty claim and got a 2020 model for free. They even let him keep the old one, which is not broken, only a bit damaged which can be fixed with household materials. The manufacturer did a few modifications when they changed from 2016 to 2017 models and my customer now complains about these changes.
That is a case where I tell him to be happy with what he got and not move an inch from my position.

 

[selowitch]

Now that you clarified, I doubt they are going to send you the Rick, you’ll get the D’Angelico- but it’s returnable (unless there’s a disclaimer). You can return it to your local GC, btw.

Fingers crossed. I guess if the D'Angelico arrives and the store still has the Rick, I could call and ask to exchange the D'Angelico for the Rick. Not sure what the odds of success would be.

 

[Aqualung60]

I bought this Squier Cabronita off of GC's used site, it was listed as a Squier Affinity P-Bass and was priced at $119.99. I figured if it was the wrong photo on the listing and they actually sent me an Affinity I would just return it saying it was not the Bass shown in the listing and get my money back, well surprise, it was indeed a Cabronita.