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Sam Ash wouldn't take my money!!!!!

P

palm grease

Dec 10, 2007
659
4
47
NYC
#1
I posted this in the GC thread....but I think a dedicated Ash thread is in order after my latest visit.
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I apologize for the format of this post, as this is also an email to the retailer-

Well, yesterday I was in NJ (Paramus) on sales calls for my job. The day earlier, I had spent some time at GC and surprisingly got some knowledgeable, attentive service. Well the new US Fenders have caught my ear! I played a P at GC and was very pleased!
I went to my hotel that evening and I couldn't get that bass out of my mind. I decided to buy one. The next morning during my travels I stopped by Sam Ash (Paramus) to see if they had one. I can't say I'm a loyal GC customer or to any retailer for that matter, but a bass is a bass. Sam Ash had one! B&W w/ rwood board... a classic P! Price was over a G but, that's what they go for!

Anyway, let me back up a bit.... So I parked my car, walked into Ash (aprox 12pm) and I was greeted by this older man with a Phil Spector hair doo... I said "hey".... he says "uugh"...I kid you not! I did hear correctly and I was greeted with a sigh of disgust!!!!
Ok, tax season, stimulus check...yadda yadda...I guess he made his draw for the week...or maybe he was the manager...who knows!!?

So after my warm greeting I proceeded to wander the store aimlessly, looking for some basses.... yep, I found em!

I picked up the P that I mentioned above, found a cable and a working rig, played the thing for 20 mins! One loose knob was all this brand new instrument needed in terms of tweaking! Well this was an easy sale for who ever was at the register!!!! So I unplugged, gathered my things and headed over to make my purchase!!! I was thrilled! I was looking forward to going strait to the studio to plug in!

There I was, at the counter, bass in hand, wallet burning a hole........and nothing............nobody! Three "sales people" walked by, not one even said hello! Two of them were yelling at each other about their stage names ..."no I'll be bigrat". One of them passed right by me and went into the drum room to tap the cymbals with his fingernails....I'm guessing he wanted to see if they were still plugged in...who knows!

I'll be honest...I grew up with a colorful background and it did cross my mind to simply walk out with the bass!!!! The only thing to prevent that was the awesome, full of life greeter at the front desk. I really considered it! I was 4 spots from the front door and it didn't seem that anyone would have really cared either way. Well, I decided against it......surprisingly!!!

Well, I waited at the desk to fork over my hard earned thousand bucks...2 mins, 5 mins, 10mins!!!!!!!! nothing!!!!

I fought my urges, returned the cookie cutter bass to the wall and walked out.

The only communication I had during my experience was "uuugh". Not a "hello", not a "can I help you"..... not even a "dont buy a fender, look at these awesome Hartke basses"......just "uuugh"!

I placed an order with Fender this morning!
 
#6
GeneralElectric said:
They must hate you.;) Do you look young? Perhaps they thought you weren't going to buy it (even though you were at the counter...)
Click to expand...

im a clean cut, suit wearing professional.... i look my age and have a very nice pair of loafers!

i would expect better service even if i was 16, with some dirty "air force ones" on!

edit: im 30 yrs young... with a full head of hair (thankfully!)
 
#7
Perhaps you had butthole written all over your face? I typically get the most horrible service from ALL places I visit. My wife tells me I have butthole (the uncensored version) written on my face. I've learned to just accept horrible service as the norm.
 
#9
palm grease said:
im a clean cut, suit wearing professional.... i look my age and have a very nice pair of loafers!

i would expect better service even if i was 16, with some dirty "air force ones" on!

edit: im 30 yrs young... with a full head of hair (thankfully!)
Click to expand...

im 17. i've never been treated like that at a music store..atleast not after they hear me play.

sam ash specifically, ive heard nothing but horror stories from them. sure guitar center can be a pain, but atleast you can get what you want from them...
 
#10
bassbrock said:
Perhaps you had butthole written all over your face? I typically get the most horrible service from ALL places I visit. My wife tells me I have butthole (the uncensored version) written on my face. I've learned to just accept horrible service as the norm.
Click to expand...

maybe so.... but its really beyond a service issue IMO.... i didnt expect any service....i did however expect someone to accept my money. i have a thing where I WONT ASK SONEONE TO TAKE MY MONEY!!!!

all i needed was a clerk to ring up a sale.... i didnt need any love...

at my job, if i "avoided" a sale...i'd get fired....in fact, if i didn't care about my clients my business would fail...
 
#11
Unreasonable service...

I hope you're contacting this Sam Ash store, or at least complaining to a higher-up. I've been in that VERY same situation at Guitar Center on a couple occasions. Money in hand, no one there to take it - so I just end up walking out. And I appear to come off as a poor college stoner kid - scraggly beard, scrubby longer hair - and I'm only 25. Little do they know I probably make twice as much money at my 9-5 day job than those monkeys at GC or SA.

Sounds like you're a guy who knows what he's looking for. I say, Craigslist, Ebay, or Mom & Pop stores. You might even save a couple (hundred) bucks - and some dignity.

If I were you, I probably would've set the $1000 cash down with the greeter and walked out to my car w/ the new bass in hand.
 
#13
Spinal Tapper said:
Unreasonable service...

I hope you're contacting this Sam Ash store, or at least complaining to a higher-up. I've been in that VERY same situation at Guitar Center on a couple occasions. Money in hand, no one there to take it - so I just end up walking out. And I appear to come off as a poor college stoner kid - scraggly beard, scrubby longer hair - and I'm only 25. Little do they know I probably make twice as much money at my 9-5 day job than those monkeys at GC or SA.

Sounds like you're a guy who knows what he's looking for. I say, Craigslist, Ebay, or Mom & Pop stores. You might even save a couple (hundred) bucks - and some dignity.

If I were you, I probably would've set the $1000 cash down with the greeter and walked out to my car w/ the new bass in hand.
Click to expand...


i agree, i do very well at my 9-5.... leavin the grand would mean the sale most likely would have gone to the house account....
i love working with the Dave at the Groove Shoppe... but this was a P bass... regular cookie cutter P bass, an impulse buy... i did order it, simply out of spite i guess... but i'll post pics and all that fluff when i get it.

needless to say.... SA has lost my biz!

FYI- i did email Ash
 
#14
I have had many a similar experience. I don't understand why so many of the sales clerks won't even bother with a "hi, can I help you with anything?" It's not intrusive, especially when someone knows what they want. It's especially a shame for me because I live down the street from a Sam Ash, and if they had better service, I would frequent the store a helluva lot more than I do now.
 
#16
bassbrock said:
Perhaps you had butthole written all over your face? I typically get the most horrible service from ALL places I visit. My wife tells me I have butthole (the uncensored version) written on my face. I've learned to just accept horrible service as the norm.
Click to expand...

I think I have that look too! :hmm: But my Momma taught me how to be persistent. The bad part is... I know full well that I am being a butthole sometimes, but I know it is needed in those situations. I just have never been good at "putting-on-airs".
 
#18
Back in the day I used to have to fight off sales people...last time I was in Sam Ash (Edison, NJ) I had to stand at the counter waiting for someone to get me strings that where 4 feet away from me... Eventually I went behind the counter and started reading packages...Of course then the sales guy came over.

The guys in the sheet music / classical section always do their jobs though, its like you open those glass doors and are transported to a magical land where the sales staff at a music store isn't stoned.
 
#19
Yeah, when I went to buy myself a J at Sam Ash I had the same experience. The guy gave me this "ugh, not another one" look. It was SO much work for him to sell me a bass I was going to buy. I didn't foreward this but I'm hoping customer service isn't reserved for those with money stapled to their forehead.

I was checking out a J that caught my eye. I was playing it without bothering to plug it in yet, and he actually brought me a cable without asking! That impressed me actually. But out of 6 sales staff wandering around, this guy was the only one who even gave me a word. The others refused to even look at me, so I went with mr ugly look.

Other than that, it was a pain in his ass to make a sale and he did a good job making it a pain in mine. He took his time and dicked around while I stood there for 10 minutes waiting for him to come back up and ring me up, AFTER I told him I'm buying it.
 
#20
Sam Ash recently lost my business as well.

They really need to tell their live sound guy to shut the hell up and just sell people what they want to buy.

Went in their for maybe a small two channel mixer and some cables we needed to run stuff out from my bose systems to a DI because we were playing a larger place.

I ask for a monster cable and this asshat goes on a tirade of how monster cables are crap and why he likes x brand, he pretty much talks down to me about using monster cables. Whatever I just need a cable shut the f up.

So after said gig I left behind one of my dongle cables for my bose bass bin. No one carries them, so I was checking at sam ash.

I made the mistake of telling him what it was for, my bose L1 amp. I guess he's a sound guy for a couple of places and does installations...... You know the huge PA's that are godawful loud and can't talk over even if you have your mouth right in someones ear.

Without me even asking his opinion he starts belittling my sound equipment with every bose related saying he can remember, "bose = bring other sounds equipment, ect...." and how they should stick with radios.

I just looked at him and told him that's BS because I've used them at dozens of gigs with nothing but compliments on my bands live sound. I then tell him they are only for small and mid sized gigs not the loud arena type stuff you have sitting in here. He cuts me off and says, "no you can't use them for even small or mid sized gigs." I just laughed and again told him that was BS and he didn't know what the F he was talking about.

Guess my first hand experience with the product holds no merit against his, "uber sound guy I set up sound for the house of blues," experience. I guess I and my audiences must be experiencing auditory illiusions. Gee I'll be back when I sell my bose stuff and can buy a gigantic PA off of you.........doosh

Said thanks for the help on the cord and walked out.

Mind you all of this was without asking his opinion on my bose amps or trying to start any sort of discussion on live sound.

All he had to say was sorry we don't have that cable, but he had to add that they don't carry bose stuff and he refuses to stock it............like I care.

By the way this is the Sam Ash in chicago on cicero Ave. If you know said sound guy tell him I said he's a doosh.
 

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