Heres Why I Like Sweetwater

[PowerDude]

Thanks PowerDude, ...and thanks for your business, too. Chuck

 

I don't hand out undeserved praise (just ask the folks that work for me ).

And you're welcome.

[thankyou]

I bought a Zoom H4 from Sweetwater a few weeks ago. It was the first time I'd called them and I must say the service was fantastic. My sales rep, Robert Williams, was very knowlegable and we had a nice conversation.

 

The order came much faster than I expected and I've just begun to explore the possibilities of this little machine. Kudos to Sweetwater's business model.

[Duddits]

I know I may just be a cat, but I like Sweetwater. Great store. I do wish they'd substitute Tender Vittles for candy, but I guess you can't have everything.

 

Since customers tend to rate Sweetwater on the basis of their experience with their representative, and not all representatives are created equal, it would be helpful to have a guide to current representatives so that potential customers could choose the one they think would make a good fit. Everything else is rated on the web, from books on Amazon to doctors on whatever site rates doctors, a Sweetwater representative feedback site would be deliciously helpful for potential customers.

 

meow.

[Paully]

I know I may just be a cat...

Welcome over to HC. It's the nearly purrfect site. Remember you from MP. What took you so long? With four legs, you should've made it over years ago .

 

Best, Paul

[Rabid]

Since I posted in the other thread about why I don't like them, I might as well post in this one why I do like them.

 

They have things I cannot find at other online stores. (Like the big V-Drum rack/stand I just bought.)

 

They have repair techs. If I am going to buy an expensive keyboard I like to buy from someone that can work on it.

 

I usually get things in two days, and they ship to my office without making a big deal about office address not being my credit card billing address.

 

After I complained about the calls a few years ago I got a new rep.

 

They are within driving distance, ..., sort of. (750 miles round trip.) I drove to Fort Wayne after work one Friday night and went to Sweetwater on a Saturday. It was very different from what I expected but they were very nice.

 

And the main reason I like Sweetwater ... They are in the same town as the old WYGO station that I listened to as a child. The only rock and roll I could pick up after dark in my small southeastern Kentucky town.

[franknputer]

I just did a deal with Sweetwater too. Had a very bad experience with another retailer (whose name sounds like Slam Trash...), so after 2 RMAs with them I went back to Sweetwater.

 

Now, it wasn't an entirely perfect transaction. I bought some studio monitors that I discovered didn't have the manufacturer's feet in the box. (They were supposed to come in 2 small boxes on either end of the original box.) Also, one of the stick-on "badges" on one of the speakers was not stuck in place, but stuck up the face of the speaker - just barely missing the cone, but it did.

 

I was a bit surprised that they shipped them in only the original carton, but the speakers survived (unlike the previous 2 times). I know that they opened the box to put their literature in (no candy this time, either...that was a minor disappointment but at least it didn't mess up the speakers...) so it's hard to say if the lack of the feet is their mistake or just something that was missed at the factory. I would assume the latter, because there would be no need to take them out just to slip some papers in at the top.

 

At any rate, I sent an email telling them about the missing feet. The rep I deal with there looked into it, and said that the manufacturer was shipping them to me. (Haven't seen them yet, but this was only a few days ago.)

 

Today...I got a hand-written thank-you postcard in my mailbox from the rep. That was a surprise - and a nice touch.

[Phait]

For my first order with them I was happy to have a sales rep who knew what we were talking about.

 

Also I'd bought a Tascam FireOne interface at $130 2 weeks ago and noticted it dropped to $100. I inquired about a $30 refund - they said while they don't formally do this, he wanted to help and refunded me it.

 

Love 'em!

[Lawrence Farr]

My sales engineer calls about roughly once or twice a year (even when I don't order) which is fine by me. Of course they're going to have your phone number since they probably need it for delivery info when you do order.

 

If something goes screwy with the delivery (address typo at UPS?), how would they inform you? They'd have to send it back.

 

I don't mind the infrequent calls... "PT seminar in your area" or whatever. He's never tried to sell me anything during these calls, just checking in to make sure that my last purchase went ok... and to (I assume) remind me that even though I haven't spent a fortune there I'm still a valued customer.

 

I think that's good service if not taken to the extreme. I like Sweetwater and I appreciate that the owner, who is certainly a very busy man with lots of other really important stuff to do (like watching his stock ), takes the time to drop into an Internet forum and address user concerns directly. He could tell someone else to do that no?

 

Well done.

 

Can't really blame SW for a boxed up new product defect (or the occasional lazy or over-eager employee... it happens...) that they may not be aware of yet.

 

Honestly, the guy- my "engineer" - called me to make sure I got my delivery of Sequel for god's sake, and if I was happy with it. He couldn't have gotten much of a commision on that.

 

Well done. I *much prefer* talking to the same person every time I order or inquire about an order, even if he has to call me back to make that happen.

 

With all that said, there should be a way to note "do not blind call" on the accounts of customers who don't like that. Surely they're on a computer system?

[rasputin1963]

My rep at SWEETWATER, Randy Akins, has always been tremendously thoughtful and helpful, going out of his way to make sure I'm happy with my merch, and to make sure I have the right product for me needs.

 

Service does matter, and I'll be going back to SWEETWATER when the time comes to buy more toyz...!

[UstadKhanAli]

I think i'm going to be buying my next audio computer from there in the next month or so. I'm going to try and give them a call this week to try and get things moving and get some ideas.

[Dean Roddey]

I've bought from SW quite a bit. My rep called a little too much at first, but he soon got the point that he was over doing it and now just drops me an e-mail now and again and follows up with a call after any actual purchases. There's nothing wrong with that. It's better than being completely ignored, which is what most companies would do, where every time you need something you speak to someone who has absolutely no idea who you are and what business you've done with them in the past and so forth.

[scud133]

I've got a praise story:

 

ordered a small PA a year ago from Sweetwater. The FedEx driver that delivered it drove 2 hours just to deliver my PA, the rest of the truck was empty. He recognized the Sweetwater tags on the boxes and raved about them.

 

Anyway, my speaker cables "disappeared" at a gig a few weeks ago and I called up the rep to get a few more. And somehow, 12 months later, he remembered me and all the equipment I bought and everything and chatted about it for while (didn't have to give him an order # or anything like that).

 

Anyway, it's always been a pleasure dealing with SW.

 

 

The only thing that bugs me is that they don't stock certain big-name brands and you have to go elsewhere to get stuff...

[Duddits]

Since this thread has been resurrected, and I notice I sung their praises above, for the record, I have to reluctantly, and sadly, change my vote.

[Phil O'Keefe]

 

I like Sweetwater for three reasons: 1. Mitch Gallagher works there and he's a cool guy. 2. Chuck Surack has always supported and participated in SSS, even when it was bought by a competitor (although admittedly, the people at MF have a high opinion of Chuck so it's not exactly like they're enemies). 3. I've given some seminars there and they always treated me right. I've purchased things from several companies online, but never from Sweetwater so I don't know about the "sales engineer" experience. The ones that were the fastest in terms of dealing with an order were Newegg.com, a place in Atlanta that sells specialized light bulbs (I forget the name), and (I realize this looks suspect, but what can I say?) Musicians Friend.

 

 

+1 to all of the above...

 

...except Sweetwater has never had me come out to do a seminar, and I've never purchased from the specialty lightbulb shop in Atlanta, although unlike Craig, I have purchased from Sweetwater, and I was treated very well.

[Phil O'Keefe]

BTW, a little secret - if you're unhappy with the rep ("sales engineer") you were assigned, you can always request a different one.

[Gus Lozada]

I like sweetwater because Chuck Surack is a VERY nice guy. And he is a Capricorn, too.

 

And as Craig said, another friend of mine -and friend to many others in here-!, Mitch, works for sweetwater, too.

 

I really like when I know who is behind a company. Specially when that people happens to be as nice as Chuck and Mitch.

[Lawrence Farr]

"Interesting" turn of events...

 

I posted the link to the SW mic giveaway on a music forum and at least 3 guys there recieved calls from their sales engineers within minutes after registering.

 

"I see you registered for the contest. Can I help you with a purchase today?"

 

I didn't get any such call so I can't verify.

[Jotown]

Sweetwater has always been cool with me. Mike Faz bends over backwards to make sure that I am happy with what they do. I have never had a bad experience with Sweetwater. But that's just me.

[nerol1st]

Candy in the box is always a winner to me!

 

Truth be told I have never had a bad situation with any of the fallowing:

 

BSW, MF, SW, AMS, or SA. I have ordered from all of them. I will say that any company (SW) that uses Fedex is a winner in my book (I love getting my stuff at 10am instead of 4pm).

[Super 8]

I really like Sweetwater.

I've dropped in a couple of times when I've been going through Forte Wayne just to check the place out, and everyone was very nice to me. The employees really seem happy there, and their new building is really cool and environmentally friendly.

 

I've never had any problems doing business with them and their calls/emails, while unnecessary, have never been frequent enough to be bothersome.

 

My first choice for music stuff is my home town store Guzzardo Music who have survived the arrival of a GC store and I'm starting to suspect will outlast them. If price and availability become an issue then Sweetwater really is the next best thing.

 

Bad thing about Sweetwater; no acoustic drums.

[shniggens]

Zzounds!

[deanmass]

I have not purchased a ton of gear recently, but I can honestly say, I TRUST Sweetwater. I tell people about them all the time because I know friends I send there will get the correct information.

[Lee Flier]

Kinda funny to see this thread resurrected, for two reasons:

 

1) I recently ordered a mic clip from Sweetwater and was bombarded shortly thereafter with emails and phone calls from my "sales engineer." I wrote a polite email to Chuck, explaining that while I appreciate personal attention from knowledgeable sales people and I could understand the followup calls if I'd bought a high-ticket item, I didn't think it was appropriate for a mic clip. Chuck responded right away and said he agreed that the response had been too much, and he'd see to it that it wouldn't happen again.

 

2) It was funny to see Craig's mention of Atlanta Light Bulbs, because as it turns out, they're just a couple of miles from my house. I'd never heard of them until a couple of months ago when I needed to find an odd fluorescent bulb, and someone recommended that I try them. They had the bulbs I needed in stock and I went there in person to pick one up. Great place.