Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Muscian's Friend? Really??
- Thread starter Zoffy
- Start date
They’ve been a breath away from death for at least ten years.
Bain Capital sold controlling interest to Ares Management in 2014.
I totally agree... but this climate is different. They went public to private (Bain Capital) and added a ton of debt to go public again and saddle the shareholders with the debt. Issue was, that was around the crash of 2008. No IPO happened, they are stuck with the debt and slowly being strangled. ARES owns the majority now, they will resturcture soon and possibly go bankrupt with the economic news/stock market reaction of today and the near future.
ARES owns the inventory, far more likely to liquidate and move on.
I generally avoid the GC/MF/B&W/Music123 complex when I can, but I *have* ordered stuff from them over the years (definitely put money through various brick-and-morter GCs) and never had anything like your experience. This may be yet another End of Days for GC before they slip into the peaceful waters of bankruptcy.
Dern, if this isn’t biggest bag of cow puckey... Good for you for sending it back. I’d take a pick and contact a manager at Muscians and explain what you just went through is a classic case of bait and switch and unless a brand new Mark Bass doesn’t show up on your door step like now, you are filing a criminal complaint.
Agreed! I used to hang out at Elderly when I attended Michigan State University. Great place. They would tolerate me noodling on an old beat up double bass for about fifteen minutes then give me the ol' stink eye!!!
Anything I buy from Guitar Center, I pick up at the store, for exactly the same reason the OP posted. Makes settlement a whole lot easier.
happens.
There is a local music store near me that takes tremendous pride in taking business from GC based on price and customer service. If they don’t stock it, they’ll get it. I might have to wait a week or two, maybe spend a few extra bucks, but it’s worth it. Support your local music stores!
Bait & Switch happens with most any music merchant especially web sellers. My last purchase from Sweetwater was a GK Combo that was supposed to be new but was clearly a demo. I bit the bullet putting into consideration that the item was a 1st run model . I am happy with the amp but I will definately keep the specifics in the memory banks.
Bait & switch sure does happen. I've had the exact same thing happen at SW more than once. I've also had it happen with MF as well.
The same thing happened last summer to me. Ordered a new StingRay Special from Sweetwater and the box arrived with an RMA number written on it. Plastic off the pick guard and fingerprints all over the bass. Turned out the instrument was a "demo." I guess demos are sent to customers with an RMA number? Most likely a customer return.
I sincerely hope they make things right for you. I’d be mad if they advertised and charged you as new.
That said, I’ll bet there’s a music store in your town where they have always been really nice to you but they were wanting $20 more for the same amp only it would actually be new. And I bet they are now right on the edge of closing forever. So get used to that MF-GC service model.
That said, I’ll bet there’s a music store in your town where they have always been really nice to you but they were wanting $20 more for the same amp only it would actually be new. And I bet they are now right on the edge of closing forever. So get used to that MF-GC service model.
Sorry for your bad experience. I have never had a bad experience ordering anything with Musicians Friend. I even bought one of the Markbass Blackline 250 head as part of their "Stupid Deal of the Day" for $250. I still have the amp and it sounds great. I play in a hard rock band and it keeps up with 2 loud guitarists and a loud drummer. I would give MF a chance to make it right.
Wow. Bummer. Totally unacceptable.
They do make decisions that harm themselves as well... Dig this:
Probably close to a decade ago now, my buddy ordered a fancy Soldano guitar amp off Musician's Friend. It shows up, he plugs it in, sounds great, happily ever after. Then, some days later, another box shows up, with another identical Soldano amp in it. He checks his financial statements, he was only charged once. He emails Musician's Friend and tells them they sent another one by mistake, gets a response back saying they will send shipping label to him to return it. He waits around for weeks, never gets the label, so he lists it and sells it for a pretty tidy profit.
Anyways. Bunch of goons.
They do make decisions that harm themselves as well... Dig this:
Probably close to a decade ago now, my buddy ordered a fancy Soldano guitar amp off Musician's Friend. It shows up, he plugs it in, sounds great, happily ever after. Then, some days later, another box shows up, with another identical Soldano amp in it. He checks his financial statements, he was only charged once. He emails Musician's Friend and tells them they sent another one by mistake, gets a response back saying they will send shipping label to him to return it. He waits around for weeks, never gets the label, so he lists it and sells it for a pretty tidy profit.
Anyways. Bunch of goons.
In a similar boat with amp luck; ordered a used combo from GC a month ago, when stores were still closed. Figured "okay, this might take a bit, but if they're still taking orders they must have someone fulfilling them."
Fast forward to a couple days ago. The state where my amp was allegedly located seems to be back open for business, and my combo was listed as being "Backordered." Huh? But it was an in-stock used amp? There were pictures of it online? Doesn't "Backordered" mean "we're waiting on more stock"?
So I used the chat function on GC's site and asked what the deal was — was the amp in stock? Were they going to wait until they got another used one in similar condition delivered? Were they going to send me a new one instead?
The dude on the other end just told me that it "Looked like the amp wasn't available
" and I assume that meant "We sold it out from under you and/or forgot to take our listing down." Guy didn't offer me a discount or a solution or anything — just said he was sorry, threw me a pity frowny face, and then ended the chat. Sweetwater would never!
Anyway: I ordered a replacement (for cheaper!) from Reverb; was supposed to be delivered today, but the UPS dunce didn't realize my apartment was on the backside of the building. "Tried" to deliver it to my neighbor's business and then left a slip (on my neighbor's door) telling me they'd "try" again tomorrow. I just paid $6 to have it rerouted to a nearby UPS store because I don't want them to "try" again and then eventually return to sender because I "can't be reached." God forbid the dude takes a couple steps around the corner to find my door.
Fast forward to a couple days ago. The state where my amp was allegedly located seems to be back open for business, and my combo was listed as being "Backordered." Huh? But it was an in-stock used amp? There were pictures of it online? Doesn't "Backordered" mean "we're waiting on more stock"?
So I used the chat function on GC's site and asked what the deal was — was the amp in stock? Were they going to wait until they got another used one in similar condition delivered? Were they going to send me a new one instead?
The dude on the other end just told me that it "Looked like the amp wasn't available
" and I assume that meant "We sold it out from under you and/or forgot to take our listing down." Guy didn't offer me a discount or a solution or anything — just said he was sorry, threw me a pity frowny face, and then ended the chat. Sweetwater would never!Anyway: I ordered a replacement (for cheaper!) from Reverb; was supposed to be delivered today, but the UPS dunce didn't realize my apartment was on the backside of the building. "Tried" to deliver it to my neighbor's business and then left a slip (on my neighbor's door) telling me they'd "try" again tomorrow. I just paid $6 to have it rerouted to a nearby UPS store because I don't want them to "try" again and then eventually return to sender because I "can't be reached." God forbid the dude takes a couple steps around the corner to find my door.
This was all old news in 2012. Romney left Bain in 2002 and Bain bought GC in 2007 and sold it in 2014, so what the heck does Romney have anything to do with GC's status in 2020? I'm not a Mitt Romney fan, but the complete irrelevance to anything going on at GC in 2020 is kinda ridiculous. Just like it was 8 years ago.
