Warmoth Order Disappointment- RESOLUTION UPDATE IN OP

[Corigan]

He already got a response, and it was complete garbage. This thread doesn't shine a good light on Warmoth. I had read here on TB thousands of times, "just get a warmoth". Now I read this thread and hear about crappy customer service, restocking fees for items that didn't meet expectations, and how they have grown too big and don't really care about CS. The whole email about we are going to get a team to determine if we are at fault is a load of junk.

Thanks for posting this. I had planned on piecing out something from them, now I'm pretty sure I won't. I would hate for something to show up that was subpar and then told I had to pay a restocking fee for them sending me something that wasn't up to snuff.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Based on this information I don't think I would ever order anything custom from Warmoth. And maybe not even something in stock.

They can take it back and still easily sell it for a profit, and make the customer with a legit beef happy. The fact that they choose a few dollars for a company that big over the customer is cause for concern.

Have you gotten a response from the builders yet?

I am exactly on par with you on this... I will be looking somewhere else in the future.

 

[7dollarbologna]

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.

Here’s my invoice:

 

[B-Mac]

Ok Bassists, I want some opinions. I recently ordered a custom neck from Warmoth for a bass build I’m doing. It arrived today. It’s a gorgeous, well built neck. BUT- I ordered roasted flame maple for the shaft, and I made it very clear ordering on the phone that the flame was of utmost importance to me. The CSR agreed and mentioned how my gloss choice would make the flame pop. After seeing all of the RFM in their stock showcase priced under what I spent, seeing their hundreds of RFM necks in Instagram posts, putting my order into their site builder, etc I thought I knew exactly what to expect. Well after a 12 week wait (on week 18 waiting for my body), it arrived today, and the flame is so underwhelming. Like, even my 65 year old mother (who’s listened to me talk about this build for 6 months) said, “Where’s all the stripes?” Not at all what I was led to expect. I know all wood is different, and they can’t guarantee the amount of flame styling, but am I wrong to be bummed about what I received? It’s like 75-80% not flamed on the shaft. Would you contact them? Should I suck it up and enjoy this beautifully made neck even though it’s not what I paid for? I feel like I was very misled. Here’s a picture of what I received vs what the site builder showed my specs as, their current showcase offerings priced hundreds less than what I paid, and a recent IG post showcasing their flame maple options.

Gross misrepresentation
Nothing flame about that neck except flaming lied to.
Return it

 

[nickpc]

I think sending a link to this thread to the CSR may help. And you can always escalate.

I left a voicemail for the CEO of a car rental company last week - I didn't hear back from him but my issue suddenly got resolved!

 

[31HZ]

@dopejohnpaul , I am impressed with how you are handling this, and I too would be dismayed at any outrage-fueled "advocacy" on my behalf. Hope you get an acceptable outcome, and thanks for taking us along.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I would ask to speak to another CSR or to a manager for the department. I get it from a business perspective that when you’re dealing with wood (or any material that has extensive variability) that there will be variability, but this isn’t what I’d consider flamed. It’s a regular neck with some flame to it and not a flamed neck with some regular spots.

 

[Durham52]

I’ve talked to this guy via EBay (Tucker Freestone) after being fed up with Warmoth and their lack of decent customer service. He’s got some pretty cool stuff on there albeit very limited, and he’s said that he hopes to offer buy it now options in the future. Is your neck holding up well? Any issues?

All good so far, the first one I got was a couple or 3 years ago, in their early Hilimire branded days. They use pretty standard features like double action truss rods. (all I've handled have well set frets, half an hour finishing the nicely angled, but not rounded and smoothed fret ends, is all any have required) The ones I've used have had precisely cut nut slots and cleanly drilled tuner holes. All round finishing has been as clean and precise as any necks I've had from any of the well known USA, or Japanese brands.

 

[TyBo]

Warmoth has been slipping a bit, imo. Maybe partly pandemic related, as has happened with a number of businesses. I ordered a Strat body from them, with a "Unique Choice" top (which looks great, just like their picture of it). The underside of the body, however, came with a noticeable blemish on the upper relief cutout ... not something I ever see while playing, not a dealbreaker for me as the body as a whole is great, and is one of a kind with that genuinely unique (canary wood) top. I was surprised to see it though, previous orders I've made with them have been flawless. I guess we'll see how things go with them as time passes.

 

[bassclef112]

@dopejohnpaul - Something I learned from back in my days dealing with corporate giants like GE and IBM: written communications have persistence. Write a letter.

Write a carefully reasoned and politely worded letter, and address it to the CEO. Explain the situation, your experience with CS, question the ambiguity of the “looks okay” gotcha, the draconian restocking charge, etc. Then (and this is the extremely important part) clearly spell out what you want them to do about it. DO NOT leave it open. Top management doesn’t have the time or inclination to play Judge Judy with a customer complaint. If you don’t tell them exactly what you want done, it will only get your letter kicked down to a lower level for someone to “look into.”

However, if your complaint is reasonable and justified - and we’re giving Warmouth the benefit of the doubt they’re a company committed to customer support - and you clearly state what you want them to do about your problem - then you’re extremely likely to get the resolution you’re asking for.

If I received a letter like that and were upper management, I’d just write a note on the bottom of it that read: Make this guy a new neck, no charge - and have him send the old one back. Skip the restock fee. And this time make sure he can see the bloody flame on it.

But that’s me.

So write the letter. Let’s see what happens. Luck!

I have to say +1000. In this day of digital chaff a handwritten letter carries A LOT of juice. Years back when I had an issue with my Ampeg SVT3 warranty and a bogus repair man listed on their site I did exactly that. I sent off my issues and concerns figuring that's that, like throwing it in a hole.

The very next week I received a call from the secretary for the regional vice president and they made it right. I got an open ended RMA. Other than the cost of shipping the amp to them they did a complete restoration and shipped it back for free.

Take the time to express your concerns as a customer in a business like way. Follow the advice above. It worked for me and you have nothing to lose.

Stay with it. Your complaint is legit. Good luck.

 

[1958Bassman]

I haven't read the whole thread, but you need to know that flame and other figured woods aren't as stable as flat-sawn. If you want stability, don't buy something that looks great- it won't sound better and it won't make you play better. It's great to look at- you won't get any argument from me about that but it can go very badly when it starts to move because of drastic humidity changes in a short time period.

 

[Koshchei]

My Jazz Bass Special has flamed maple - I think just a happy coincidence. What does it actually do for tone and stability?

It compromises stability and does nothing for tone. It does look pretty though.

 

[2112]

You don't go thru the trouble and expense of ordering a custom piece unless you have your heart set on getting specifically what you asked for. If they don't deliver, then you'll never be happy. It needs to go back.

 

[logdrum]

It compromises stability and does nothing for tone. It does look pretty though.

First time I am hearing this about stability. Well my 130 year old upright has a flamed neck as well and this Electric Bass was made in 1984 37 years. I guess both are past the snap date.

 

[Koshchei]

First time I am hearing this about stability. Well my 130 year old upright has a flamed neck as well and this Electric Bass was made in 1984 37 years. I guess both are past the snap date.

I wouldn't worry about it. Maple is plenty strong. Figuring makes it less strong, but less strong is still plenty strong. It probably moves a bit more over the year than your other necks, if you live somewhere that has seasons, but that'd be about it.

 

[mrperkolator]

Can we get someone from Sweetwater CS to do a masterclass on CS for Warmoth?

 

[Max Bogosity]

“We cannot guarantee the flame figuring in any of our products. Wood grain varies piece by piece.

It’s true that they can’t guarantee that any given chunk of timber will deliver the figure you want. But they certainly can control what goes out the door and whether or not it fulfills their obligation to deliver what you paid for. When it got to the end of the line they should have checked it against the order, seen that it didn’t measure up, and called you with a choice between taking it anyway at a reduced price or starting again.

 

[Gothic]

It’s true that they can’t guarantee that any given chunk of timber will deliver the figure you want. But they certainly can control what goes out the door and whether or not it fulfills their obligation to deliver what you paid for. When it got to the end of the line they should have checked it against the order, seen that it didn’t measure up, and called you with a choice between taking it anyway at a reduced price or starting again.

Logic. Such a rare thing, it seems.

 

[Max Bogosity]

Logic. Such a rare thing, it seems.

I try to avoid it, but a little bit slips out now and again.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

He already got a response, and it was complete garbage. This thread doesn't shine a good light on Warmoth. I had read here on TB thousands of times, "just get a warmoth". Now I read this thread and hear about crappy customer service…

I was an advocate for Warmoth. I’ve bought seven necks and four bodies from them to complete two of the best playing basses I’ve owned.

BUT…

I had a bad experience with Warmoth not delivering in the CS department. I believe the OP is far too forgiving. Once a company treats me how I was treated, I am done. I didn’t start a thread, and I haven’t mentioned much about it. Warmoth simply won’t ever get another dime from me, and they certainly won’t receive praise.

As for the best playing basses, a ‘51 and a Jazz…they both have Fender necks on them now. The bodies remain Warmoth, but their quality isn’t likely any better than a Squier or MIM.