My Music 123 great deal crashed and burned.

[Hoss Groovealot]

I ordered 2 Ampeg PN-410HLFs from Music 123, one a “scratch and dent” and the other a “blemished”. The “blemished” one showed up as a brand new Acoustic 810 worth half of the cabinet I ordered. It was an 8x10, I ordered a 4x10, those should be hard to mix up. I asked if they could do some research and figure out where my item was as I still wanted it and it was a great deal. They said there was nothing they could do and would not research my item’s location. The “scratch and dent” one was pretty busted up and was more than scratch and dent, plus without the matching 4x10 that was to go with this, it was of no use to me. They set up a return shipment with UPS scheduled to come pick up (3 attempt type deal ). I left work early twice and missed them. That is not Music 123’s fault, however, to catch UPS I had to leave work early anyway so Music 123 did cost me a few hours of pay. I eventually had to borrow a truck because the 8x10 didn’t fit in my car, and bring the packages to UPS myself. Now the packages have arrived at Music 123 and when I called to inquire about my refund, they said they are busy and it will be another week before they process it! I am willing to bet it won’t be for the right amount and I will have to call them back again. I was charged the minute the shipping tag was created, I should have been refunded the minute this was in UPS hands for return! I needed new cabinets, this whole process will end up costing me over a month with no gear and I can’t order somewhere else until they give me my money back.

When I have my money back I am ordering two Avatar 410s with Neos and the Line X coating. These will come to about $700 per and be rated at 1000 watts each compared to the Ampeg 850. The website says that can take 10 days. Someday I may have some new cabs.



I wanted to share my experience and suggest you keep in mind there are lots of alternatives to Music 123, online, you might want to use them.

 

[rufus.K]

Wow, what a drag

 

[jnewmark]

That sucks. I've been having pretty good luck with Sweetwater; they practically hit you over the head with customer service, and even include a package of candy in your order. The service rep who took my order personally called me to see if I was satisfied !

 

[jlepre]

That sucks. I've been having pretty good luck with Sweetwater; they practically hit you over the head with customer service, and even include a package of candy in your order. The service rep who took my order personally called me to see if I was satisfied !

+1 on Sweetwater. Over the top customer service.

 

[micahwc]

I've used Sweetwater and Music123 recently and had great customer service with both. I always look to Sweetwater first when I want to buy something because of their customer service; Music123 is my second choice.

 

[Hoss Groovealot]

I have had good service from Music123 in the past. They just don't seem to care this time.
I have had good luck with Zzounds in the past.

 

[MidnightRadio]

Check out Guitar Center's used cab section....you can see their entire used inventory from all of their stores. I just bought 2 Genz Benz cabs from them and had them shipped to my local Guitar Center (they will also ship to your house for the same price). That way you can check them out first and if there are issues, you can return them right there. Their 45 day return policy applies to their used gear as well. I just checked the Ampeg cab selection and they currently have over 100 available. Also-their used stuff usually qualifies for no interest if you use your GC card. I'm not a big GC fan, but I'm super pleased with my recent purchases from them. Good deals on some good cabs.

 

[Hoss Groovealot]

Thanks, I will check them out. I didn't see the pro neos last time, but I will look again.

I ordered a used Warwick Streamer LX PS just yesterday from them.

 

[Hoss Groovealot]

Well, it looks like GC has two. I worry about buying used speakers though. But, they are only $549 (new ones are $1249). New AVATARS are $700. Hmm decisions.


Well they may not even be there by the time I get my money back.

 

[bobcruz]

If Music123 charged your credit card, maybe you can get the card issuer to do a chargeback instead of waiting? Good luck, Bob

 

[Hoss Groovealot]

It was a debit card. Not a bad idea, but probably works different on the debit.

 

[bobcruz]

Yeah, no chargebacks on debit cards so credit cards are superior as long as you pay them off completely every month.

 

[Helaskold]

Never ordered from Music 123 before and now I know not to. Will stick to GC and, of course, TB for online orders. Sorry you've gotta deal with such poor customer service!

EDIT: Was not aware that Music 123 was also a subsidiary of GC. I only knew of MF and Music and Arts. Ordered a million things from GC and never had an issue like this... surprised to say the least.

 

[brianrost]

In defense of Music 123, I bought a "blemished" Moog synthesizer from them for 1/3 off two years ago. When it arrived it looked brand new, had all the candy in the box. Roll of the dice, I guess.

 

[jbd5015]

Sorry to hear about the troubles!

Sweetwater!

Their demos are shipped in the factory package and appear to be near mint for like 10% off their already good deals. Shipping is free, customer service is great. I deal with Mark M. over there and he is a bass player as well. Great guy to work with.

 

[mojomike001]

Never ordered from Music 123 before and now I know not to. Will stick to GC and, of course, TB for online orders. Sorry you've gotta deal with such poor customer service!

Music 123 and Guitar Center are really one and the same. Music 123 is kind of a subsidiary of Guitar Center.

 

[Pat C.]

Music 123 and Guitar Center are really one and the same. Music 123 is kind of a subsidiary of Guitar Center.

Is this something new? I knew that Guitar Center and Musicians Friend were part of the same company, Music123 is as well?

How many online music retailers does one conglomerate need?

 

[Killed_by_Death]

MF, GC, & Music123 all use the same invoices.

 

[thebassguy86]

That sucks. I've been having pretty good luck with Sweetwater; they practically hit you over the head with customer service, and even include a package of candy in your order. The service rep who took my order personally called me to see if I was satisfied !

GC used to inquire with customers about their orders. They don't do that anymore because it was costing the company too much money on labor, spent on "meaningless endeavors".

 

[Nev375]

GC used to inquire with customers about their orders. They don't do that anymore because it was costing the company too much money on labor, spent on "meaningless endeavors".

Is that a true actual quote or just sarcasm?