Muscian's Friend? Really??

[crankypants]

+1 for Sweetwater

ProAudioStar has some good deals, too.

I gave up on MF/GC a while ago.

Bain Capital can S a bag of Ds.

 

[jeff7bass]

Isn't/wasn't that Mitt Romney's company? Seems I have heard that name recently. Ahh, found it - this is Rolling Stone's take on how Bain Capital destroys companies: The True Story of Mitt Romney and Bain Capital - wonder if that is still going on with places like GC?

Don't believe it. GC was sucking eggs before BAIN came aboard and resuscitated them. That's how they made money.

 

[murph7489]

You got a relicd amp head...how sweet, looking like a touring pro with years and miles of travel on your rig..lol...and they didn't have an upcharge for that service also very kind of them..so even if you decided to keep it where is the warranty card you fill out and send in.?? what a crock of poopie..However one silver lining in this; the rep didn't lie to you and admitted that they have had this happen before..its not much but its something.

 

[And I]

Bain Capital sold controlling interest to Ares Management in 2014.

After having ruined the company.

 

[Jon McBass]

Bain Capital destroys companies...

Yes, that’s Bain’s business model.

 

[kerrycares]

MF = GC = Music123.com
Either take a nice discount for keeping it, or return it for a new one.

This has always been my experience when human error is involved with GC.
And yeah the two companies are one in the same.
Multiple distribution channels is very common.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

I've had good experiences with GC, MF, and Music123. Been shopping online for 20 years and never experienced any of these horror stories.

I used to work at a pulp mill. They had a sign up that said, "X Number of days without an Accident." Never could get past 30 days. I think TB should have a Sticky Thread on "How Many Days Since the Last MF/GC Bash Thread." I'll bet it will never make it past 30 days.

 

[Redbrangus]

I bought a TC amp and 208 cab as 'open box' items from the GC web site a couple of months ago. Both items came in their original packaging and it appeared to me that the amp was actually new and unopened. The cab had been re-packed, but it had all the literature, etc., so I didn't have any complaints. I'm no particular fan of GC, but this transaction was fine in my book. I don't buy much MI-type stuff, but I've never had any complaints when I've purchased pro audio gear from Sweetwater--they're great in the customer service area...plus, you get candy. OTOH, the last time I ordered Tomastik strings from Prime, I waited weeks for them to be delivered and ultimately, they shipped from the UK -- that transaction mystified me.

 

[levis76]

I had something similar happen at a local GC when I wanted to buy the same amp, and this was over a year ago, so no shortages or anything like that. Matter of fact they had too many of them on hand, hence the sale and the reason I wanted to buy. I told the guy I’d take one, he goes in back, comes out with a Markbass box and proceeded to box up the floor model that I had tried out. I asked him what he was doing and with a very confused look told me he was boxing up my amp. I said I was not interested in the floor model, I want a new unopened box. He tried to tell me that those weren’t to be sold at the sale price. I asked to see the manager who also tried to tell the sale was for floor models only, I asked him to show me where it stated that. He couldn’t, and refused to give me the sale price for an unopened amp. The floor model was as the OP described, scratchedX a dent or two as well, which told me it had dropped a few times. I left the store and went to another across town. Same model amp on sale, they sold me a new unopened box at the sale price, no sweat no hassle. With GC, as with most stores, it’s all about the people that work there.

Since the OP was naming names on the store, the rip off artists at the Southfield,MI location will not get any of my money ever again. Roseville GC, keep up the excellent customer service.

 

[garp]

I bought a TC amp and 208 cab as 'open box' items from the GC web site a couple of months ago. Both items came in their original packaging and it appeared to me that the amp was actually new and unopened. The cab had been re-packed, but it had all the literature, etc., so I didn't have any complaints. I'm no particular fan of GC, but this transaction was fine in my book.

I agree, but the applied "open box" descriptor and a nominal discount go a long way in helping to manage consumer expectations.

Over a decade ago, I bought a piece of gear in a retail store that was marked as new, and I paid full retail price in cash. Didn't think to open the box – who does? When I got home, I noticed that it had been similarly repacked, and the warranty/registration card was missing because it had already been torn from its perforation in the owner's manual. I thought about immediately taking it back, but the hour-long drive dissuaded me. It worked fine from what I could tell, and I envisioned potentially having to deal with a different salesperson or manager who might question my complaint. In the end, I just kept it. But it was the last piece of merchandise I ever bought from that chain.

 

[Biggbass]

I would have called them and explained the issue, then, if the amp works fine, negotiated a sizable discount to keep it and avoid return shipping, restocking.
Maybe end up with a $100 amp instead of a $330 amp.

 

[dponbass]

"Open Box" can also be code for "We are not selling at the required MAP Price". Pro Audio Star has become my new favorite online retailer but I hope people really start to reconsider spending a few extra dollars and keep their local shops alive now more than ever. GC isn't the devil, staff just don't have the same knowledge base top to bottom that an established local shop would generally.

 

[DrMole]

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.

"music store in your town"
That's a good one!

You make a good point but in many places this has already happened.

My county has a population of over 120k. When i moved here 18 years ago there were at least 3 music stores. As of 2016: Zero.
2 hour round trip to buy strings or cables.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Sweetwater gets the majority of my online business. I’ll use GC for in person purchases or around the holidays when you can usually ask and get 20% off if you get the right guy.

 

[Joecooch]

I think there's a shortage of new amps due to slowdowns in manufacturing because of the "virus". That doesn't justify what they did to you, which is despicable. I've been seeing lots of "currently not available" on websites like GC, MF, and Amazon for gear that is current. There's probably lots of this going on and they're banking on people not sending the stuff back.

I know a lot of the problem here in the US is very little is manufactured here anymore. I can think of only a handful of commercially produced bass amps that are made here. G-K, Mesa, some Ampeg's. Traynor is made Canada. Most Fender's are made in Mexico. I had a Mark-Bass once that said made in Italy?? I work PT for a vending machine and gaming company. All those plastic capsules with the little toys inside, stuffed animals for those crane games and the cheezy electronics that go in those cranes....100% made in China. There's a shortage on all that stuff. Tariffs have doubled the price so they quit buying until they can setup something elsewhere in Asia.

I don't know why anyone would buy anything new from MF or GC. Their service is terrible, half of what they sell as new was on display on the sales floor at some store, no box, no warranty cards, no manual and has been constantly played by 14 yo shredders every weekend. You can buy the same thing almost anywhere else for the same price from companies that actually care about their customers.

 

[beaglesandbass]

2) I've only come across two people who were dissatisfied with Sweetwater (both here at TB). They're awesome to me. Philip gets all of my new gear business.

I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever ordered from sweetwater, I know I must have, I just can’t think what. My only “complaint” is that when I requested a price from a customer service agent, after he told me the price ($109.99) I asked if there were any coupons/discounts available. He said no, which was fine.

Guitar Center sold me the same item for $95. Brand new in box.

Not giving any kind of discount isn’t much of a complaint though.

 

[CGremlin]

"Open Box" can also be code for "We are not selling at the required MAP Price".

That's still not an accurate description to be given in the marketing text though, if it's not actually open box. Most sites I've seen will give either "call for price", or "price will appear in your shopping cart" to get around MAP restrictions.

 

[deff]

Bain Capital sold controlling interest to Ares Management in 2014.

I'm sure Mitt Romney is still in the shipping department though conspiring to make customers lives miserable.

 

[Redbrangus]

Another GC experience-- this one was not me, but a friend. He bought a used Crown XTi6000 amp via the online web site and it arrived promptly, in the original packing. When he plugged the amp in, it worked all right for a few minutes, then shut itself down...and did this repeatedly. My guy called GC and they said to return it to a local store. When he did that, the sales associate looked it up in their data base, and from what he could tell, that had been the story several different times with that same amp; it had been sold, returned and resold. My guess is, when it got returned to a local store, one of their sales guys -- either Beavis or Butthead...it doesn't matter which -- plugged it in, saw it worked, and it just went back into inventory to be resold as a used item. Again and again.

A manufacturers rep told me that what he saw across the country was when a GC came to town, most of the retail music stores dried up and went away. His observation was that in most markets, one decent local store would survive, but that most of the 'mom-and-pops' wouldn't. This is the story in many, many areas of commerce, not just music stores, but the 'vid-19 thing is hastening the inevitable end of much of the retail world as it once was.

 

[dponbass]

That's still not an accurate description to be given in the marketing text though, if it's not actually open box. Most sites I've seen will give either "call for price", or "price will appear in your shopping cart" to get around MAP restrictions.

Sure, I would say "Open Box" is the new "Call for price". All are used for sure.