This guy sold me a used Surine bass that he represented as new. I have correspondence from the builder stating the dealer bought the bass, sent from the finisher with a finish flaw, to keep for himself. The builder offered to have the finish repaired, but the customer (dealer) opted to not have the flaw fixed and he took delivery to keep for himself, since it would never sell with the flaw. Crazy, right? Then he listed it for sale through his store, Bass Southwest. I bought it, received it, and immediately noticed the finish flaw. The dealer denied that the flaw existed at all, but it had been edited out of some, but not all, of the pictures he posted. As I said, the builder told me about the flaw. It was shipped to the dealer with the flaw. The builder also told me that now my bass doesn’t have a warranty because the dealer is the original owner, and the warranty doesn’t transfer. Used bass. All I got was BS excuses from the dealer, denying everything, but eventually offering to have the finish repaired. I decided not to send it back because the guy sold it as new when the builder confirmed it was used when I purchased it. I decided he couldn’t be trusted. He’s in California, I’m in Texas. My dear friend is a lawyer. He told me that I would spend even more money to pursue the guy legally. He said it probably wasn’t worth the hassle for $4200. So I dropped it. I had my local guy, who is very skilled, repair the finish perfectly for $75. It’s a killer bass, and I love it. So there you go. A tale about a $4200 used bass deal with A BUNCH of drama.
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Warning- Bass Southwest
- Thread starter Mark_L
- Start date
- Status
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,589
- 221,970
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
That sounds pretty unethical of the shop owner - but it sounds like you had it repaired for a nominal cost so it's best to just enjoy your new bass. Just airing it here on tb is enough to warn at least some potential clients to steer clear of his store. Anything else will just open a can of worms. Looks like a very nice bass.
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
Good to know, I'll surely avoid them. Just makes me miss great stores, like Bass NW, that much more.
another no-drama solution to propel you on your way! good luck with your new ax!
I'm surprised the dealer sold it as brand new even though his was the owner and knowingly knowing there was going to be no warranty when he sold the bass, SERIOUSLY SHOCKING!!!! HOW LAME!!!!
I will surely avoid BASS SOUTHWEST.
I will surely avoid BASS SOUTHWEST.
This is the part that would really get to me....trying to sell a bass and purposely trying to hide a flaw by editing pictures. Sorry, that's getting pretty low in my book. Karma does come round especially in a store's reputation for pulling off things like this.
Congratulations OP on a very nice bass, and for finding an inexpensive solution to this.
Yeah. I miss Evan and the guys at BNW.
You are free to post of you're experience dealing with a shop, good or bad.
songwriter21
I have an obsession for wood. The musical kind.
You know that he was friends with Alice in Chains, being solely responsible for the bass tone on their first two albums? I didn't (found out from a bio I'm reading).
That place sold me a used bass with missing bridge height adjustment screws, the G string was flat to the fretboard. If you remember, they stated that every bass they sold went through an inspection.
I may be the only unsatisfied customer they ever had, but my point is, every "great store" has one. I had to argue tooth and nail with them to take it back.
I completely get where the OP is coming from.
What was the finish flaw? Do you have pics?
Do you have the pics the seller posted that showed the flaw?
Do you have the pics the seller posted that showed the flaw?
I did not know that. The bass sound on Dirt is one of my favorites ever.
Did you pay with a credit card? You could have done a chargeback on the basis of the bass being defective/not as described. I would have threatened that on the hopes that the seller would do the right thing, and then would have executed on the threat if the seller was uncooperative. Chargebacks can be painful for merchants, so paying with a credit card can give you the upper hand in these kinds of situations.
No, the scumbag dealer should be worried about posts like this.
Nope. Truth is a complete defense. Letting others know is a good community service, like a Yelp review.
If you've got photos post them, they would be more impactful for your warning.
I believe an honest retelling of events is not considered slander or libel by law. However, I'm not a lawyer so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Now if you start making allegations about his and/or his parents acts of sexual or moral deviancy as many disgruntled customers often do you might potentially create a problem.
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