My HORRIBLE Alleva-Coppolo experience...

[guy n. cognito]

Reposting from the Alleva-Coppolo Club thread:

Good to see that Addison will get a refund. DISGUSTING to see Jimmy try to blame him or accuse him of doctoring photos or manipulating the bass, especially when those of us that have actually dealt with him recently KNOW what kind of junk he is willing to let out of his shop.

 

[Addison]

Uhhhhmmmm... OK... ?

That was interesting.



Well, unless the mods think this should stay open for some reason, I guess you can go ahead and close it for now.

I'd like the opportunity to post one last update at a later date, just to let everyone know the refund was finally processed and the case is officially closed.

Then I'll close it up again.

I hope that will be OK.

Thanks for the support everyone.

Chris

 

[20db pad]

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1996 standard jazz, $200

iPhone with flash

You didn't use Narud's file marks app, apparently...

 

[fleabee]

He should have just not said anything. Now he looks like beyond a something I cant say on here. Major FAIL

 

[nicopiano]

Nightmare for the OP.

I can't wait to hear Jimmy's version.

Everything have been said.

There is always two side of a story.

I tend to believe to OP more than Jimmy, but who knows?

I wish a good ending to this story to both the OP and Jimmy. I'm sure they can arrange something together.

 

[LowBSix]

I'm shocked.... The pictures match the experience of the OP.

Jimmy's reputation is NOT of this example. I've been to the AC West coast shop and Jimmy's guest at local events. He's never been anything other than a confident gentle man in my experience.

I too am concerned that such a gifted artist/builder is well.

I'm not a fan of "public lynching". It would be nice to hear from him or a representative, his "understanding" of the transaction.

I'm hopeful the OP is made whole and the result to be nothing other than positive for all.

I go back to my first post in this thread. Jimmy did the right thing.

When I consider the "public lynching", I can certainly understand Jimmy being upset, defensive, hurt resulting in anger, comming off "cocky".

I ask the "haters" to please put down the microscope and pick up a mirror. Unless of course you are one to "cast the first stone". I agree ALL luthier/owner/builders have had this type of experience. Addison deserved and received lots of support and many of us were confident that Jimmy would "do the right thing" and he did.

Addison asked, Jimmy came through.

I use a pick 99% of the time. But when I do, I feel like the most interesting man in the world.

I'm pleased with the result!

 

[JoeWPgh]

You obviously haven't downloaded the played like a man with a pick filter!

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1996 standard jazz, $200

iPhone with flash

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Glad to see this has hopefully been resolved

 

[ggvicviper]

So allusions to the OP photoshopping his photos is his stance?

I did no blind bashing in this thread, but my God do I find that unbelievable. I am glad the OP is getting a refund. Wow.

I have no horse in this game but the professional luthier's attempt to reverse blame and his complete disregard for paragraph structure doesn't do him any favors, imo. If he actually does issue a refund I think that would be the fair and right thing to do, based on the limited information I have coming solely from this thread.

I will never never buy one of this guys basses, he comes off arrogant and doesn't care about his reputation, I think Addison is telling the truth and the builder can't admit to his mistakes and doesn't seem to want to take responsibility, this type of attitude is unacceptable.

Well, those who said Jimmy had nothing to gain by posting were certainly right. I've been casually following this like one watches a Lucy movie, watching as everything goes wrong and then cheering when all is set right at the end.

The refund is fine, but the testy comments about "in the wrong hands" ruin everything.

+100 to everything said in these quotes. Jimmy Coppola posted a rather nasty response on this forum, and he didn't need to - and the person who said he has nothing to gain by throwing himself into the hornet's nest was 100% correct. The photoshopping semi-accusations were ridiculous, as were the "in the wrong hands" comments. Enjoy CA, Jimmy.

However, Addison is getting a refund, and that's fantastic news. Now it's up to him to send it back and get the refund to make everything complete.

Great job, Talkbass.

 

[narud]

However, I will say that if the OP bought the discounted AC knowing it was lightly damaged hence the discount, it's a little unfair to buy a "shop" bass like that, that has seen several guitar shows and several hundreds of hands, sight unseen and then want to give it back.

He was told it had shop wear. That ain't shop wear. That's a ****** finish. Corner music just sold a brand new ac at a deeper discount because of finish issues. And come on, its left handed. How many people REALLY played that thing?

Then there's the fretboard issue.....

 

[Anomie]

Addison deserved and received lots of support and many of us were confident that Jimmy would "do the right thing" and he did.

Addison asked, Jimmy came through.

I don't consider it "doing the right thing" when you have a gun to your head (figuratively), and especially not when you announce publicly that you're doing it under duress and against your will. He may actually be a nice guy, but based on his post this Jimmy character sounds like a real schmuck to me. Newsflash to small business owners: What you say on the internet sticks with you for the life of your company. Don't be an emotional idiot online.

 

[jpeck02]

At $5000.- $6000. It should be flawless! Notforthcoming.ver the place. AND yes , at that price he should inspect every one of them. I have (at a 10th of the cost) a G&L Tribute L2000 and Sterling SB-14(both off shore made), and they are impeccable. This should have been handled right away. There is no excuse. When I bought an Alembic "Epic"(the lowest priced Alembic) years ago, Mica Wickersham(the grand Daughter of the owner) called me personally 3 weeks later to see if I was happy with it! That's what you should expect.

I am still waiting for Mica to call me regarding the Alembic Essence that I purchased with my life savings back in 1991. Maybe next week.

I thought Jimmy's response was inappropriate. Glad that a refund is forthcoming

 

[BillyRay]

I go back to my first post in this thread. Jimmy did the right thing.

When I consider the "public lynching", I can certainly understand Jimmy being upset, defensive, hurt resulting in anger, comming off "cocky".

I ask the "haters" to please put down the microscope and pick up a mirror. Unless of course you are one to "cast the first stone". I agree ALL luthier/owner/builders have had this type of experience. Addison deserved and received lots of support and many of us were confident that Jimmy would "do the right thing" and he did.

Addison asked, Jimmy came through.

I use a pick 99% of the time. But when I do, I feel like the most interesting man in the world.

I'm pleased with the result!

He did the right thing while insulting OP at the same time. He doesn't owe me an apology, or to any of us for that matter, except to the OP but he still managed to be an ******* while giving out his refund.

 

[suddenlysane]

Do you guys REALLY think that offering a refund in return for bashing your credibility is fair? I can only speak for myself but what Jimmy said would have opened a can of sh*t MUCH bigger than had already been opened. I wouldn't trade my credibility for a refund.

I'd have Mythbusters examining Jimmy's claims! Addison, I believe you said earlier that you weren't comfortable with conflict or something to that affect.....I understand that. But don't let this dude slam you because he thinks he can for agreeing to refund your money.

You've already proven that the little guy can wield a MIGHTY BIG STICK!

 

[HeavyRockBasser]

Assuming that was really Jimmy's response (maybe Chef can confirm) then, he's doing the right thing in refunding the OP's money.

However, what is still troubling is his criticism of the OP, his and making it sound like the OP doesn't even deserve one of his basses. It's this kind of treatment that the OP doesn't deserve.

Additionally, I'm shocked that he is still standing behind the build quality of this bass. Aside from the superglue issue and a neck that very well could have been damaged during shipping, it's clear that the body went directly from rough cut to finish. It never received a final shape and sand, prior to finishing. And, there is no way you can make any bass look like that with photographic techniques or Photoshop.

In business, if you make a mistake, you apologize, and you fix the problem. You make it right, and you move on, despite your margin taking a hit. Cost of doing business. You don't put it on your customer.

Might be resolved, but it still ain't right. hrb

 

[Baird6869]

This is an excellent case study in brand management within social media.

+1

The company I work for sells media management solutions to large customers (airlines, car companies, hotels, large retail, etc.) to allow them to watch and deal with customer comments (good and bad) on Twitter, Facebook, forums, etc. Rule #1 is to reach out to the customer immediately and fix the problem. The longer you wait, the harder it is to contain the problem.

The bass in question does have obvious issues and AC should have fixed this quicker. I feel sorry for both parties at this point regardless of all of the posts in this thread. The OP deserves to get his money back and Jimmy doesn't deserve to seriously hurt his entire business over a potentially isolated incident.

I won't be buying one of his basses now, but that is just me.

Hey, I'm even feeling better now about my dealings with Ken Smith!

Come on Greg, that's crazy talk!

 

[gregbackstrom]

I guess the celebration---or maybe just relief---really shouldn't start until Chris has his $$. But it looks like restitution may be coming. In the meantime, I have a much greater appreciation for builders like Mike Lull, Carey Nordstrand, Roger Sadowsky, George Furlanetto, and others whose basses I'm proud to own and play. These guys consistently build great instruments AND consistently take great care of their customers! Hey, I'm even feeling better now about my dealings with Ken Smith!

Once again, Chris, I feel I owe you a debt of gratitude for helping me avoid the kind of treatment you received from Jimmy. In my opinion, no bass is worth that kind of grief. I hope you receive your refund promptly!

 

[ggvicviper]

Do you guys REALLY think that offering a refund in return for bashing your credibility is fair? I can only speak for myself but what Jimmy said would have opened a can of sh*t MUCH bigger than had already been opened. I wouldn't trade my credibility for a refund.

I'd have Mythbusters examining Jimmy's claims! Addison, I believe you said earlier that you weren't comfortable with conflict or something to that affect.....I understand that. But don't let this dude slam you because he thinks he can for agreeing to refund your money.

You've already proven that the little guy can wield a MIGHTY BIG STICK!

-1. What's done is done, and there's no reason to continue the fight.

Don't do anything else, Addison. It's done, send the bass back, get your money back and don't ever deal with this guy again.

 

[froghat]

I am still waiting for Mica to call me regarding the Alembic Essence that I purchased with my life savings back in 1991. Maybe next week.

She was probably 6 years old when you bought it. I bought my Orion used, and when I called Alembic with a question she was very interested in it. She provided me with some build information and setup tips. You should call and introduce yourself to her.

 

[Smoove-Groove]

And Addison, what ever you do, make sure you pack this bass up very well when shipping back to Coppolo. Or better yet,you could just snap the neck in half and tell him it was "regular shipping wear"