Warmoth Order Disappointment- RESOLUTION UPDATE IN OP

[dusterdan70]

STFU. You’re welcome, only 6 pages in

I’m all seriousness, @dopejohnpaul is good people’s here on TB and it would be refreshing to see Warmoth take care of him even if that means a return with 0% restock. Hoping for the best for you bud!

 

[arbiterusa]

Everything about this statement is false, and can be counter-proved if you read through this thread.

Forgive me, I did get a detail wrong. It is true that you cannot select the neck shaft by photo. What you can do is not order A grade flamed maple, standard RFM, which looks like what you got (and you can see that on their neck builder thing) and instead pay the staggering premium for 3A grade maple, which from your complaint is what you wanted in the first place.

But I do apologize; details matter and I got that wrong.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

Well yes, If they admittedly “jack up” an order that’s understandable. But in this instance, they technically didn’t do anything wrong other than misrepresenting the amount of figuring I was paying for. It’s a weird, and one off circumstance that they may say comes down to “preference.”

I believed it was poor craftsmanship, they believed it was purely cosmetic. They definitely felt that it was not a botched neck. That was my assessment.

 

[captainofsmooth]

Forgive me, I did get a detail wrong. It is true that you cannot select the neck shaft by photo. What you can do is not order A grade flamed maple, which looks like what you got (and you can see that on their neck builder thing) and instead pay the staggering premium for 3A grade maple, which from your complaint is what you wanted in the first place.

But I do apologize; details matter and I got that wrong.

That is also inapplicable to my circumstance. You’re looking at the new website’s builder which may provide more options on certain flame neck options. At the time of my ordering on the old website, there were no separate grade options for roasted flame maple. I did not order “A flame maple”

 

[arbiterusa]

I would not insult those that put in countless hours building a bass by calling that a build.

As a builder I agree. But everybody’s got to start somewhere. You could do a lot worse than bolting together Warmoth parts. You learn a lot of what matters that way.

And then you buy your first router and learn some life lessons.

 

[captainofsmooth]

STFU. You’re welcome, only 6 pages in

I’m all seriousness, @dopejohnpaul is good people’s here on TB and it would be refreshing to see Warmoth take care of him even if that means a return with 0% restock. Hoping for the best for you bud!

Thanks, fellow TB’er! I definitely try to just be a nice and honest guy

 

[rockdoc11]

OP, I'm sympathetic to your situation. You did not receive what you believe you were clear about in your order.

BUT . . . you mention a phone conversation for your order from them. Do you have any sort of communication with Warmoth in writing (email, paper, text) about your order?

If not, I can see them denying that there was anything "special" about your order.

 

[captainofsmooth]

As a builder I agree. But everybody’s got to start somewhere. You could do a lot worse than bolting together Warmoth parts. You learn a lot of what matters that way.

And then you buy your first router and learn some life lessons.

Im not discounting the amount of hours that go into forming and shaping bodies out of wood slabs. Just like I don’t think anyone should discount the amount of hours that go into winding custom pickups, choosing the right components for wiring, and fret leveling/dressing, etc.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

So I tend to agree with all of the opinions here. I very nicely contacted customer service by phone, and they asked to see pictures. I sent them photos, along with the comparison photos I showed here. Their CSR’s initial response:

“We cannot guarantee the flame figuring in any of our products. Wood grain varies piece by piece. We will have multiple eyes look at this to see if we are at any fault here. If we decide we’re at fault, we’ll rebuild your neck with a 20% restock fee for the first one. But if our builders say it looks fine, you’re welcome to reorder a neck to your liking for the cost of the new neck, plus the restock fee for the first neck.”

Oof.

Disappointing delivery, much more disappointing answer (something like a weasel would say). This is definitely a communication issue! The order taker had dropped the ball and had not the balls to own up to the mistake.

My experience with Warmoth is mixed: roasted maple neck looks underwhelming but functionally satisfying, so I still have it. Another order I placed with Warmoth last year, during the height of COVID was filled by the owner (due to staffing issues I guess) and didn't take long under the circumstances. So perhaps if the employees were more like the boss you'd be golden.

Sorry for your problem OP though not a bad looking neck, it is not what you have ordered.

 

[captainofsmooth]

OP, I'm sympathetic to your situation. You did not receive what you believe you were clear about in your order.

BUT . . . you mention a phone conversation for your order from them. Do you have any sort of communication with Warmoth in writing (email, paper, text) about your order?

If not, I can see them denying that there was anything "special" about your order.

Fair enough. If you look at the OP, you’ll see the mock up I was given by putting my order options into the site builder. For full disclosure, here’s my order sheet, with all of the costs, along with what these exact specs produce in the site builder.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

OP, I'm sympathetic to your situation. You did not receive what you believe you were clear about in your order.

BUT . . . you mention a phone conversation for your order from them. Do you have any sort of communication with Warmoth in writing (email, paper, text) about your order?

If not, I can see them denying that there was anything "special" about your order.

Weaseling out of a situation is not how customer service should be practiced and in this case it involves calling the customer a liar.

 

[rockdoc11]

Fair enough. If you look at the OP, you’ll see the mock up I was given by putting my order options into the site builder. For full disclosure, here’s my order sheet, with all of the costs, along with what these exact specs produce in the site builder.

Well done! Your order clearly states, "Roasted flame maple."

It seems impossible that the neck you received could be accurately described that way by any objective observer.

Good luck! We're all pulling for you.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

@TimmyFbass
As I was told, those stipulations pertain to in stock orders and not custom orders.

Ok. So, ordering custom from Warmoth is a form gambling, then. You are charged a premium for the excitement and anticipation of finding out whether you'll receive what you ordered (wanted).

A policy like that can negate a lot of advertising dollars..

 

[Paul New]

Am I missing something?

OP paid a premium for flame maple, and after a long wait, got something else. And Warmouth says they can't guarantee that you will get what you paid for, and will charge a restocking fee if you return it?

How does this company remain in business? Aren't there others? The one time I contacted Warmouth years ago, the CS guy was very rude. As far as I'm concerned, this company sucks, and I don't understand why they haven't been displaced by a good company.

 

[JonathanPDX]

Warmoth is a multi-million dollar company. You aren't screwing over some mom-and-pop store by complaining. Getting a refund or return is not going to prevent their staff from buying groceries. They can afford to make this right and you should accept nothing less.

You made a purchase and received something different than what you ordered, the nature of your purchase was a high-end speciality order which one would assume will be delivered at a high level of care and quality. You even contacted them directly to ensure you would get what you wanted and made your expectations clear.

I'm so tired of all of us acting like big companies should get to walk all over us just because it's easier than holding them accountable. Screw Warmoth, they need to make you whole and end this sale with a full refund or a satisfied customer. If not, raise hell! If you don't, not only are you letting them screw you over, but you're empowering them to do the same thing to the next guy who places a high-end specialty order.

 

[BAG]

Wow.... If I was spending that much I'd have stumped up the extra cash for graphite rods. A little less weight, a little less chance of neck dive.

I hope they do the right thing for you OP.
I have two Warmoth necks (both bought second hand) and they are excellent. My only criticism is that the fretboard (and fingerboard on the fretless) edges were very sharp. I had an Aussie luthier roll them and they are as good as anything I've ever played. I'd love to put together a dream bass with Warmoth neck and body, but the cost of building and shipping to NZ would push the cost near $2000 (NZd) before adding any hardware or pickups. I keep telling myself i'm happy with the basses I have.

 

[captainofsmooth]

@JonathanPDX

Warmoth is a multi-million dollar company. You aren't screwing over some mom-and-pop store by complaining. Getting a refund or return is not going to prevent their staff from buying groceries. They can afford to make this right and you should accept nothing less.

You made a purchase and received something different than what you ordered, the nature of your purchase was a high-end speciality order which one would assume will be delivered at a high level of care and quality. You even contacted them directly to ensure you would get what you wanted and made your expectations clear.

I'm so tired of all of us acting like big companies should get to walk all over us just because it's easier than holding them accountable. Screw Warmoth, they need to make you whole and end this sale with a full refund or a satisfied customer. If not, raise hell! If you don't, not only are you letting them screw you over, but you're empowering them to do the same thing to the next guy who places a high-end specialty order.

I get that. I totally do. And if I had been given a total piece of crap, I’d be more upset. But they provided an Excellent product, albeit just not what I thought I’d ordered. Do I want them to run all over us? No. Do I think they had any ill intentions with fulfilling this order? No. I choose not to be too inflammatory towards folks providing us a service in this current climate (I own my own business, and know how hard it is right now). Hopefully, this will all be taken care of.

 

[Marc DLarosa]

Sooooo... I had "sort of" the same idea as you, when it came to assembling/building a bass. Had the neck that I ordered, and waited for, looked like yours... I'd be sending it right back. I'm gonna assume that you paid about 700+ bucks for yours, as it has more bells and whistles than mine. That's quite a bit of money to spend, and not be happy.
Here's what I got. I am extremely happy with mine. Feel free to send them the pictures of it.

Hoping that everything works out for you, BRUDDAH!!!

 

[Gothic]

That's partially/accidentally flamed and I'd be at best irked if I'd paid extra for it and got the short end.

Still, good to know how warmoth handles customer concerns and dissatisfaction. I was considering a full build from them in the future, even eating the customs and extra VAT charges but now... Not so much. Especially being from Europe, I can absolutely see how it can go sideways really easily.

Hope you get this sorted OP.

 

[captainofsmooth]

Sooooo... I had "sort of" the same idea as you, when it came to assembling/building a bass. Had the neck that I ordered, and waited for, looked like yours... I'd be sending it right back. I'm gonna assume that you paid about 700+ bucks for yours, as it has more bells and whistles than mine. That's quite a bit of money to spend, and not be happy.
Here's what I got. I am extremely happy with mine.

Exactly. I spent close to $800. Your flame is far beyond anything I received.