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Partial refund on a damaged bass, should I accept?

Would you

  • Keep it, take the $50

    Votes: 11 4.9%

  • Send it back

    Votes: 162 72.6%

  • Ask for more $$

    Votes: 50 22.4%
  • Total voters
    223
#82
Those dents did not happen during shipping . I could see if it was shipped in a cardboard box with no padding and rode in the back of a pickup truck from Mexico .....fell out of the truck into a storm drain in Texas and washed up on some shoreline in Miami..........other than that , I would not believe it .
 
#83
birminghambass said:
Hey TB, on the fence about this one. Received a used bass via Reverb, Spector Legend Custom. Plays great, BUT it has damage that supposedly happened during transit. Seller offered me a $50 refund to keep it. It had additional wear and a few chips in the neck, but this was not disclosed. See pics. Thoughts?
View attachment 4996657 View attachment 4996658 View attachment 4996659
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Lots of "on principle I'd do xyz" posts here. I think about it a little differently. If the bass inspires you to play - like you have that immediate connection with your creative muse - then keep it and negotiate a lager sum if you like. If it's a dud, then you'd normally not have a reason to send it back but you certainly could here. I'd put my focus on the playing experience first.
 
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#84
It's not a real expensive bass, it would depend on how much I had paid for it and if I really liked it whether I would take the 50 bucks and keep it or not, if I had paid 3 or 4 hundred for it and the seller offered me 50.00 back and I really liked the way the bass played and sounded, I'd probably go for it.
 
#85
That damage is spread across what seems to be a 3 or 4 inch area. If that happened in transit, then either the bass was moving around freely inside of the box it was packed in, the box itself would show substantially more damage, or both.

Otherwise you could see an ugly gash in one area, but not this.

Also, to my eyes some of those dents look newer than others.

I think this seller either did not realize the bass was damaged in this location (unlikely) or chose not to disclose it, hoping to complete a sale with a buyer who either would not care about the damage or who would accept a token refund, like $50. A bit crummy but that is how people are.

I see more than a $50 issue here though. If you like the bass, negotiate to $200.
 
#92
Hell no. And I’ve started video taping all unboxings as they come off the truck from FedEx/UPS. I can’t tell you how many “it must’ve happened during transit” even though the box was fine deals I’ve run into lately. Send that back and let him learn to sell with integrity or get off the seller’s block for all our sakes.
 
#95
If you decide to keep it, the refund should be how much you paid for it minus how much it could be sold for now in its current condition. Trying to base the refund on repair estimates is more difficult because you can get different estimates from different repair shops and who knows if they'd actually fully fix it or would if they could make it look less damaged. The fact that 3/4ths of this group say they'd return it shows that the devaluation is substantial. Something like 1/3rd of what you paid would probably be in the ballpark.
 
#96
birminghambass said:
Spoke to the seller, he's sending me a label and it's going back. Thanks for all the comments/opinions/advice.
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Good to know the seller is making it right. It could have been damaged in shipment if the box showed damage, or like in my case was missing entirely! Last month a UPS delivery driver tried to hand me a “new” Ampeg 50th Anniversary SVT head with no box, power cord draped around his neck, and a comment that it was still in bubble wrap when he arrived at my house. Despite that claim, it was busted on one side. I just told him to take it back. If I hadn’t been home and caught the driver at delivery time he would have left that on my porch. It’s still on back order and I’ll be sure to video unboxing that one.
 
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#99
Find a luthier or a furniture craftsperson, and get a printed bid for repairs. The dents may be able to be steamed out, but there is a refinish issue. And it may be as bad as steaming, then sanding out the dents, and a refinish. My guess is about $150 for repairs. Weight this against the hassle and costs of returning the bass. First question is, though, how does it play? Do you like it? If so, then try to get it fixed.
 
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