Sweetwater and Guitar Center Calling

[[skyraider]]

I've recently bought some fairly expensive gear from both Sweetwater and Guitar Center. Both of which have decided to start calling customers after purchases, which I am finding very annoying.

So far Sweetwater is easily the worst offender, basically calling me every day for weeks after I bought an American Jazz from them. It was bad enough to where I ended up blocking the number. They had sent an email to me asking me to take a survey and I just told them straight up that if they didn't stop with the calling I'd be blocking them and never buy from Sweetwater again. I also sent an email to a bunch of email addresses they had included with the survey asking them to stop. I got three or four more calls from them and blocked.

That was a little while back. Flash forward to yesterday I made another big-ticket purchase from Guitar Center day before yesterday. I get an email from some "Gear Advisor" at GC telling me they would be calling me and emailing me. I had gone to GC because I wanted to support my local GC, but also because they hadn't been calling me, like SW. I replied to the email saying simply "Please do no contact me unless I request assistance."

What is up with this new stupidness?? I know they are hoping to sell me more gear and hoping that I'll be thinking highly of their after the sale support I guess, but really?

 

[Alkali Ike]

All you have to do is politely TELL them (not ask) to please not call you.

The company holding my 401K funds used to cold call me trying to sell other investments. I told them "Please do not EVER call me unless there's a problem with my account because if you do I will move my account someplace else". The calls stopped.

 

[[skyraider]]

Telling them to stop doesn't work as I mentioned in my OP.

 

[Alkali Ike]

Telling them to stop doesn't work as I mentioned in my OP.

It worked for me. Maybe I was more forceful. *shrug*

 

[[skyraider]]

What worked for me was blocking them. Which I'm happy to do, but they can count me as a lost customer. Given the amount of money I spend on gear this is a problem for them to work out, not for me. But I reserve the right to publicly complain about it.

 

[Mike JV]

Within the last few weeks I made some smaller purchases at Guitar Center on 2 separate occasions.
They aren't calling me, but I can't believe how many emails have been popping up on my phone for various deals. Enough guys!!

 

[JKos]

Sweetwater calling is not new. They've been doing that for a very long time. Just ask them to stop. I only had to say it once.

They want to be more than another soulless online retailer.

- John

 

[One_Dude]

We get 6 to 10 sales calls a day on our landline. We do not answer our landline until we know who is calling. I try to never give out my cell number because I don't want to start getting calls on that number too. What ever happened to the " Do not call list"?

Thump on,

One_Dude

 

[WillyW]

 

[yodedude2]

Sweetwater calling is not new. They've been doing that for a very long time. Just ask them to stop. I only had to say it once.

They want to be more than another soulless online retailer.

- John

who are these soulless online retailers? they sound more appealing.

 

[Shaggai]

I have Sweetwater on my mobile phone and the caller id is set. If I don't want to talk, then I don't answer. They tend to leave a message and generally don't ring back for months. Once in a while it was a good thing, as when they did call I asked about the C4 pedal as it was coming out shortly and asked for a heads up. Called back in a few minutes and they were going to have in a day or two, so I pre-ordered it.

 

[Chrisk-K]

So far Sweetwater is easily the worst offender, basically calling me every day for weeks after I bought an American Jazz from them.

That's why I have no interest doing business with Sweetwater.

 

[Clark W]

I've recently bought some fairly expensive gear from both Sweetwater and Guitar Center. Both of which have decided to start calling customers after purchases, which I am finding very annoying.

So far Sweetwater is easily the worst offender, basically calling me every day for weeks after I bought an American Jazz from them. It was bad enough to where I ended up blocking the number. They had sent an email to me asking me to take a survey and I just told them straight up that if they didn't stop with the calling I'd be blocking them and never buy from Sweetwater again. I also sent an email to a bunch of email addresses they had included with the survey asking them to stop. I got three or four more calls from them and blocked.

That was a little while back. Flash forward to yesterday I made another big-ticket purchase from Guitar Center day before yesterday. I get an email from some "Gear Advisor" at GC telling me they would be calling me and emailing me. I had gone to GC because I wanted to support my local GC, but also because they hadn't been calling me, like SW. I replied to the email saying simply "Please do no contact me unless I request assistance."

What is up with this new stupidness?? I know they are hoping to sell me more gear and hoping that I'll be thinking highly of their after the sale support I guess, but really?

Maybe they just really, really like you.

I have spent a few grand with Sweetwater since Aug of 2018, I've had a total of 5 phone calls, 2 of those were me calling them. I've had 2 voicemails left as well. And I've had two email conversations, initiated by me, with my service/sales rep.

My last major purchase with Sweetwater was the first week of December 2019, a Zoom LiveTrak L-20, carrying case, stand, and a XLR cable or two, we're talking over a grand. Then last month I got a phone call from my sales rep. We talked about the board and some more recording gear I needed, he said he would get back to me the following week, not a peep since and we're now a month later since then.

Oh well, the gear I needed to talk to him about I went and bought used from a local store that specializes in used & new gear for live sound, lighting, and studio audio. Saved me a bundle going used on some stuff like studio monitors, Shure SM57 mics for mic'ing guitar cabs, etc.. basically 50% off everything I bought vs new retail and a 90 day warranty on all of it. XLR cables I got from them as well, but new, and 10 -12 bucks cheaper each vs GC or Sweetwater. It was the first time I've dealt with this local business, not in a great part of town, and 30 mile drive one way. But I'll definitely be a return customer. Thank you Sweetwater Rep for not calling me back!

Guitar Center, I have spent a couple of grand with them since July last year. And they're only 12 miles away from me. I also know some of the managers and sales reps there as they are all local musicians as well. Not a single phone call. Just an occasional email asking me what I think about my new gear and a link to review/rate it. But they do go out of their way for me when I'm in their store.

 

[rojo412]

I bought a rack shelf from Sweetwater, YEARS ago. It was $20 shipped. And that was all I ever bought from them.
To this day, they still call me at least 4 times a year. And I used to get their thick catalogs mailed to me, too, which probably cost the company more than the $20 I spent on that rack shelf. Paying the employees to leave me messages also adds to that total.
Like others mentioned, I keep their contact info in the phone so I know it's them calling. And I've never picked up.

When I worked at GC, many year ago, they had a thing called "CARD FILE". You'd take notes about peoples' needs and wants (like when they'd say "let me know if you find a used J for under $500" or "I want that Limp Bizkit tab book, bruh") and transfer them into the computer when you had down time. Sometimes they were about prospective customers, sometimes after you sold them something and wanted to see if they needed more stuff. If business was slow, you were supposed to go into the file and try cold-calling people to drum up business.

Pretty sure this is all just that sort of practice. And my guess is, it works well enough for them that the bean counters figured that they should keep doing it.

 

[whero]

I have bought several thousands of dollars (OK, only New Zealand dollars so basically Monopoly money, but still...) worth of equipment in the last few years and never had one phone call or email from a retailer. This is largely because I usually go into shops so I can try things out, then I pay with cash or a credit card and don't give the retailer my phone number or email address.

There must be a way to "unsubscribe"?

 

[bbh]

I'm a long time sweet water customer. I've had survey emails and done them, no big deal. My email and phone conversations were all initiated by myself. Maybe if you do the survey they leave you alone...

 

[Element Zero]

Calling you everyday for weeks? I HIGHLY doubt that.

 

[stonetone7]

Wink and nod, I actually like the way they do business. And they've were super great the one time I got a bad unit from them.

 

[2112]

Don't care who calls.. if I don't recognize the number, it goes unanswered. If they call too may times, it gets blacklisted.

I'll buy gear when I want, not when Junior calls.

 

[MynameisMe]

Some folks don't like anyone calling their cellphone, period.
I have an older relative who only turns his on when making a call and immediately turns it back off after.
I've bought numerous stuff from GC and one item from Sweetwater but have called them for advice on Some wireless microphones for our church. They have never been pesky after the fact with me.