I forgot about that Chace. I'm glad mine is at least usable. Sorry you got shafted :/
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WARNING: Oscar Prat Basses
- Thread starter benjobass
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- oscar oscar prat prat warning
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I forgot about that Chace. I'm glad mine is at least usable. Sorry you got shafted :/
This kind of thing is going to make new luthiers have a hard time.
As someone whose dream job is to be a luthier, this terrifies me.
Why should this terrify anyone? It's much harder to treat people poorly and maintain a guise (all the lies, excuses, etc.) then it is to simply be a good business person - say what you mean, mean what you say, deliver on what you promise and do right by the people who have invested in you and your business.
This thread, and the others like it on this Forum, reflect what happens when you treat your customers poorly. Plain and simple.
This thread, and the others like it on this Forum, reflect what happens when you treat your customers poorly. Plain and simple.
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benjobass, first of all I'm so sorry for what you've gone through. Something like this would really bug me. I haven't gone through the entire thread, just read your OP and then the last few posts.
But man, I gotta tell you... you think it would be harder for someone to do all the shifting and ducking and lying because you're a fundamentally decent and honest person. I don't think these people have have a hard time at all doing things like this. They're not wired like you. I think it's easier for them to scam than to sacrifice and work their butts off to deliver in what must be a hard industry.
And to follow up...
Chace90, you're a more forgiving person than I, and let me be clear, I think that's a great thing and says something basically good about you. But I have a different take. Whether it's 'intentional' or not, the guy has obviously taken money from people when he knew damn well that their product was not going to be delivered on time if at all. That's the facts. In this guy's case, it seems like he did it many times, not once. That makes him a scammer even if there's a good dose of 'irresponsible dreamer + weak willed procrastinator + ostrich' in there.
BIG P.S. - I scrolled back and saw that Oscar posted here. I'm really sorry, I know I come off as a hard-a**, but family issues aren't an excuse for being 3 years late in delivering. What you do is you refund everyone immediately and you say 'I won't be taking any more orders until I am fit to do so'.
We all have family/personal issues. But you do the gig with a smile or you bow out.
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This reminds me of a friend who just had to have a Warrior bass. After all, they're "hand anointed" He got the bass of his wildest dreams and couldn't wait to get rid of it. He was grievously disappointed the moment he picked it up.
Sad...
I was the biggest Warrior pusher there was on here and purchased 9 new ones. The dream build where I laid out everything I wanted in a bass ($6500) Build was the worst bass I’ve ever had over $1000. Sent back 3 times and each time it was sent back insame shape not addressing the quality mishaps that you wouldn’t expect in a sub $500 bass. The last 2-3 I had was all worse and worse quality and just overall value wise. I finally cut ties and lost big money and moved on. I also had a friend here that opened my eyes to a supposedly new bass that JD promised no one had ever owned. My friend on Talkbass showed me pictures of the exact bass I purchased in his living room. He sent it back due do a bad neck. I’ve moved onto Devon basses that are far superior in every level and perfection at every level. Plus they are half the price.
OI don't remember what he said that did it in for him, but I think it was the neck profile or maybe it was a bad neck. not sure...
Another update to further highlight how terrible Prat's behavior is. On Feb 5th he sent me an email stating he could pay down the remaining money he owed me in a single payment. He asked for my PayPal email (again) and total amount due (how can you not remember?). It's now Feb 27th and I've still not received anything and he's ignored my emails asking for an update.
Ohh man, I'm so sorry you are going through this. I hope you're able to recover your $.
At long last, I woke up to an email from PayPal stating I'd finally been paid back in full (well, sort of...fees cut into what I actually paid him...): "After this payment I do not owe you anything, and our business relationship ends here." Yes Oscar, yes it does. At long last and good riddance.
I sincerely hope the rest of you who are waiting for refunds and basses get some resolution sooner than later. And in the meantime, please continue to use this pinned thread to update us. Just because he's refunded me (only one of many in similar situations) does not mean his behavior should be dismissed. Others should remain as informed as they can be when considering whether or not to do business with this luthier.
I sincerely hope the rest of you who are waiting for refunds and basses get some resolution sooner than later. And in the meantime, please continue to use this pinned thread to update us. Just because he's refunded me (only one of many in similar situations) does not mean his behavior should be dismissed. Others should remain as informed as they can be when considering whether or not to do business with this luthier.
Glad you got some resolution. My blue Prat just hangs on the wall looking pretty but useless.
I love that he had to try to get in the last word with you, like this is somehow your fault. He did the same to me and I just stopped replying to him once I got my money back.
Yeah, it's just the perfect way to highlight his ethic at the very end of it all. What a mess.
- Jun 6, 2004
- 6,351
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- Owner and builder Clementbass
Thanks I hadn't heard about Oscar. That is a real shame it hurts all us little guys.
Worst investment I ever made on a build was a Prat and I’ll leave it at that ....
I received my Prat Bass from Oscar today. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it because it was finished in Akron, Ohio due to Oscar’s respiratory problems from growing up in a furniture shop.
I ordered bass last February. 13 months later and constant emails and talks with Oscar, I received bass today from Lays Guitar(great guys). This build is beautiful. Exactly what I asked for........4 string Jazz, active as F$&k. The build is absolutely gorgeous. No fret markers, no headstock logo, just a really nice crafted bass. The neck is perfect. Super playable and flat. Yep. Flat. I’m sorry you guys didn’t get what you wanted or anything at all. It hurts my heart that he’s done this to you guys. The Bass community is strong and powerful. I have a 5 string SC from Oscar that is also a beautiful instrument. I manifested this bass. Seriously. I was nice, cordial and also relentless on getting what I asked for. I got it. Anyway. I’m very sorry to those who aren’t happy. I guess I’m just lucky.
This is what makes me sad--they're capable of being awesome basses. Glad you got lucky!
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