Hmm...Advice...buyer said pedal didn't work when he got it.

[mfergel]

I sold someone a Digitech Whammy pedal. Now, aside from the dry output not working, which I informed him of up front, it was working perfectly. I even plugged it in and tried it prior to sending it too him and it was fine. He says he was getting no output out of it when he got it, plus, his dad who's been an electrician for 35 years opened it up too look at it and could figure out why it wasn't working. Now, first....I don't know if his dad is an electrician or an electonics repairman because they are two different things. My father in-law is a commercial electrician but I would never trust him to open up an effects pedal to see what's wrong with it. That's two different things. Second, he opened it up. How do I really know that he wasn't trying to fix the dry and then ended up breaking the unit when trying to open it? I've opened it before and it's no easy task to open up those whammy pedals as things need to be opened and pulled in specific ways.

 

I hate to leave a guy hanging with something that doesn't work but I know 100% that it worked prior to sending it to him so now if I refund his money, I'm out the cash plus I now have a pedal that doesn't work that did before.

 

Any thoughts????

[comfortablynumb]

I really don't know. The situation isn't fair to either of you if your buyer is legit. If he is, maybe refund him half of his money (require him to send the pedal back, first)? That way the loss isn't as great..

[Last Nerve]

Where was the transaction done? (here, ebay?)
How long after receiving the item did he contact you?
Did he say it EVER worked, or just showed up DOA?
Any insurance on the item when it was shipped?
Kinda sticky about opening up the pedal. Ask him point blank what his dad messed with when he pulled the thing apart.
Does anyone work on Whammys? Maybe have him ship it there and you two split the repair cost?

[waveman]

That's a tough one. I bought a rockman distorion generator off of a guy on ebay that showed not working - wouldn't power on or nothing. I was very tempted to open it up and see if I could see anything, but didn't because he said it was working before he shipped. I expected a full refund...if it's an older unit, it very well could have been tossed around a bit too much.

[mfergel]

Where was the transaction done? (here, ebay?) How long after receiving the item did he contact you? Did he say it EVER worked, or just showed up DOA? Any insurance on the item when it was shipped? Kinda sticky about opening up the pedal. Ask him point blank what his dad messed with when he pulled the thing apart. Does anyone work on Whammys? Maybe have him ship it there and you two split the repair cost?

 

 

It was done through one of the other sites (gear page). He just contact me today. It was sent to Canada. I sent it several weeks ago (1/9/07) but he said he just got it a few days ago. I show the tracking number as getting to Canada customs on 1/22. He says it didn't work at all (DOA). It was insured..........but, he said in order to avoid paying full taxes on the item to declare the value as being $35, not the full price paid, which was $100 + shipping. I guess anything could happen in shipping, although pedals are pretty durable and he didn't say anything about the box being beat up, etc. My most major concern is that he (or his dad) decided they should try to fix the dry output and ended up breaking the pedal or that for some reason, he is now having buyers remorse, finding that he doesn't really want the pedal. It just bothers me in that I know (and I realize anyone can say it was working) that it was working perfectly with the exception of the dry output, which hasn't worked since I got the pedal.

[ollenorin]

if u know it worked when u sent it....tell him it did and to get over himself and move on.
Nothing u can do.

[AbbeSauniere]

He opened it and tried to fix it. It's his problem now. He should have contacted you prior to attempting any home repairs. His dad's an electrician. Great! Doesn't make him qualified to repair a digital effect, especially one as complex as a Whammy Pedal. If the unit was brand new and covered under warranty, I'm sure Digitech wouldn't honor the warranty if they new someone tried to open it up and "repair" it themselves.

[sonic_tooth]

He opened it and tried to fix it. It's his problem now. He should have contacted you prior to attempting any home repairs. His dad's an electrician. Great! Doesn't make him qualified to repair a digital effect, especially one as complex as a Whammy Pedal. If the unit was brand new and covered under warranty, I'm sure Digitech wouldn't honor the warranty if they new someone tried to open it up and "repair" it themselves.

 

 

 

+1

[M900]

If you are certain that the pedal worked, I think you can, in good faith, tell him that it's his problem now, but you should probably try to arrive at a workable solution for both of you. The pedal is used, and was bought for less because it had issues. I think the buyer assumes the risk, specially since they opened it up, though you should try to assist him somehow, if anything, just for the good karma.

I had a somehwat similar situation with a VL trem I traded. When it got to the guy I was trading with, I was told that the switch was busted. I tested the pedal briefly before sending it out, but given the history of VL switches, I was not overly shocked that the switch failed, so I offered to arrange for the repair (the pedal was under warranty) and sent him $20 to cover shipping and to buy him lunch for the hassle. Maybe a similar compromise (through a reputable repair center) can be worked out...


c

[Last Nerve]

Was he a well established member over there?

[GuitArtMan]

...his dad who's been an electrician for 35 years opened it up too look at it and could figure out why it wasn't working.

 

An electricin and an electronics egineer are totally different things. That's like asking your barber to perform brain surgery. He opened it up, he fu@#ed it up.

 

PS Shouldn't that read "and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working"?

[mfergel]

My bad, it was actually Ultimate Guitar and not the Gear Page and it looks like he only, at this point, has 6 posts, so no, not a very established member.

 

I guess ultimately I'd have had less issue if he hadn't opened it up and if it had been insured for the full amount as I can't take it back and really file a claim for the full amount plus I have no guarantee it didn't get messed up when it was opened and as others have agreed, difference between electronics and electrician.

 

I guess maybe I'll tell him to send it back, look at it and then refund him appropriately.

[comfortablynumb]

My bad, it was actually Ultimate Guitar and not the Gear Page and it looks like he only, at this point, has 6 posts, so no, not a very established member. I guess ultimately I'd have had less issue if he hadn't opened it up and if it had been insured for the full amount as I can't take it back and really file a claim for the full amount plus I have no guarantee it didn't get messed up when it was opened and as others have agreed, difference between electronics and electrician. I guess maybe I'll tell him to send it back, look at it and then refund him appropriately.

 

 

 

Seriously, if I were you, I would not refund him the full amount. Its just not right for you to take that hit. I do see the buyer's point of view, though. If it was me I'd probably want a refund, but you buy used, you buy used.. Sometimes things happen, it's just one of those risks..

[lostandfoundpdx]

DO NOT REFUND.


you tested it, he {censored}ed with it when it got there after it had arrived. not your problem.


its a damned shame that it doesn't work for him, but if you tested it before it left your hands, then whatever damage occured during shipping falls on the recipient to file claims, etc.

the worst that can happen is he trashes you about it on the forum, but the burden falls on him to do something about it.

[S.L.B.]

I would tell him he gets $35 back or he can keep the pedal. He is the one that opted for that amount of shipping insurance not you. If you were planning on making him have $100.00 I think you can free of concious point to that fact and tell him, you can not file a claim. Once you get the pedal back you can file a claim if it is indeed broken.

[PeelingPaint98]

He opened it and tried to fix it. It's his problem now. He should have contacted you prior to attempting any home repairs. His dad's an electrician. Great! Doesn't make him qualified to repair a digital effect, especially one as complex as a Whammy Pedal. If the unit was brand new and covered under warranty, I'm sure Digitech wouldn't honor the warranty if they new someone tried to open it up and "repair" it themselves.

 

 

+1 and he asked you to underinsure which left you exposed, I'd say it's his problem now since you are out money as you cannot collect insurance.

[PeelingPaint98]

If it's DOA that's one thing but if you said outright that you tried opening it to repair before contacting seller, all bets are off in my opinion.

[MrSage]

Yeah, it was a bad move to open it up.

 

If it didn't work, he should have just sent it back to you.

[paperhouse]

DO NOT REFUND. you tested it, he {censored}ed with it when it got there after it had arrived. not your problem. its a damned shame that it doesn't work for him, but if you tested it before it left your hands, then whatever damage occured during shipping falls on the recipient to file claims, etc. the worst that can happen is he trashes you about it on the forum, but the burden falls on him to do something about it.

 

 

actually, shipping insurance is a deal between the sender and the post office, not between the recipient and the post office. in this case, however, the seller is screwed because he insured it for a lower amount than it's really worth. i'd offer to refund $35 because that's what he insisted on insuring it at.

[BP90]

Im an electrician and I have fixed my fair share of pedals but that doesnt mean any electrician can do it... Not all of us are trained in electronics, some electricians couldnt tell you the difference between a diode and a resistor, but some can...

 

thats neither here nor there though... I wouldnt know what to do in your situation.

[thenakedarab]

It was done through one of the other sites (gear page). He just contact me today. It was sent to Canada. I sent it several weeks ago (1/9/07) but he said he just got it a few days ago. I show the tracking number as getting to Canada customs on 1/22. He says it didn't work at all (DOA). It was insured..........but, he said in order to avoid paying full taxes on the item to declare the value as being $35, not the full price paid, which was $100 + shipping. I guess anything could happen in shipping, although pedals are pretty durable and he didn't say anything about the box being beat up, etc. My most major concern is that he (or his dad) decided they should try to fix the dry output and ended up breaking the pedal or that for some reason, he is now having buyers remorse, finding that he doesn't really want the pedal. It just bothers me in that I know (and I realize anyone can say it was working) that it was working perfectly with the exception of the dry output, which hasn't worked since I got the pedal.

 

 

If he decided not to insure the full value, so he didn't have to pay taxes that's his problem, not yours. End of thread.

 

Also, I am not just being tight about this. When I traded my Ibenez 540 LTD + cash for a Bogner 4x12 I gave the buyer a full description of all wear, but when he got it he voiced some concern that it was not quite what he thought. I sent him another $35-$45 (I can't remember, it was like 4 yrs ago) plus a Crybaby I had laying around to help him feel satisfied. He wanted another $100 or so at first and I said no way, but I will compromise.

[4STYXS]

Was there a power supply with it?Or did he try to power it up with an incompatable one?

[inscho]

He opened it and tried to fix it. It's his problem now. He should have contacted you prior to attempting any home repairs. His dad's an electrician. Great! Doesn't make him qualified to repair a digital effect, especially one as complex as a Whammy Pedal. If the unit was brand new and covered under warranty, I'm sure Digitech wouldn't honor the warranty if they new someone tried to open it up and "repair" it themselves.

agreed.

I've had 2 pedals arrive DOA through ebay.....the first one was a vintage ibanez phaser and I notified him as soon as I tested it out...he didn't respond for a couple days, so I started fiddling around the inside to figure out if it was something simple.

after I did, I realized what I'd done and sent him another message saying that the pedal still doesn't work, but I've opened it up and tried to troubleshoot the problem so I'll have to keep it. I don't think it would be right to prod around the inside of a pedal in this situation.

the second time...I just contacted them and said it was DOA, and if they wanted I could try to fix it....but if I couldn't get it working I'd want a full refund.

they said it was fine, refunded me the money and I kept the pedal

[Howard Davis]

I sold someone a Digitech Whammy pedal. Now, aside from the dry output not working, which I informed him of up front, it was working perfectly. I even plugged it in and tried it prior to sending it too him and it was fine. He says he was getting no output out of it when he got it, plus, his dad who's been an electrician for 35 years opened it up too look at it and could figure out why it wasn't working. Now, first....I don't know if his dad is an electrician or an electonics repairman because they are two different things. My father in-law is a commercial electrician but I would never trust him to open up an effects pedal to see what's wrong with it. That's two different things. Second, he opened it up. How do I really know that he wasn't trying to fix the dry and then ended up breaking the unit when trying to open it? I've opened it before and it's no easy task to open up those whammy pedals as things need to be opened and pulled in specific ways. I hate to leave a guy hanging with something that doesn't work but I know 100% that it worked prior to sending it to him so now if I refund his money, I'm out the cash plus I now have a pedal that doesn't work that did before. Any thoughts????

 

 

Occasionally I do a mod or repair job, test the unit thoroughly, then ship it - and later hear from the customer that it wasn't working when he received it.

 

Sometimes there was damage due to rough handling in shipping, but sometimes it was tampered with or damaged by the customer, who then tries to get free service he is not entitled to.

 

For this reason, it is absolutely necessary that you specifically spell out the terms of sale or service for the business you do before doing it.

 

An electrician is not qualified to service electronic equipment, so the unit could be considered as tampered with. As you had set no terms of sale prior to shipping, your best course of action would probably be to have the unit sent back, and refund the purchase price only if there is no evidence of damage having occured after you shipped it. You can then have it repaired professionally and resell it, or sell it "as is."

 

Guitar pedal design engineering, repairs, and custom mods:

http://howard.davis2.home.att.net/

[SpectralJulian]

I sold someone a Digitech Whammy pedal. Now, aside from the dry output not working, which I informed him of up front, it was working perfectly. I even plugged it in and tried it prior to sending it too him and it was fine. He says he was getting no output out of it when he got it, plus, his dad who's been an electrician for 35 years opened it up too look at it and could figure out why it wasn't working. Now, first....I don't know if his dad is an electrician or an electonics repairman because they are two different things. My father in-law is a commercial electrician but I would never trust him to open up an effects pedal to see what's wrong with it. That's two different things. Second, he opened it up. How do I really know that he wasn't trying to fix the dry and then ended up breaking the unit when trying to open it? I've opened it before and it's no easy task to open up those whammy pedals as things need to be opened and pulled in specific ways. I hate to leave a guy hanging with something that doesn't work but I know 100% that it worked prior to sending it to him so now if I refund his money, I'm out the cash plus I now have a pedal that doesn't work that did before. Any thoughts????

 

 

I was on the buyer end of something like that- my Danelectro PB+J delay I got off ebay wasn't working. He told me contact Evets, and I got a new one. Digitech probably isn't as awesome.