Music Store Failure Thread

[Bbreaker]

The only people that can walk in and {censored} around with the {censored} are those that have alot of cash(like you), and have a rep for liking the finer things in music gear. Sheesh...

sheesh.......

[m90guy]

sheesh.......

Exactly! Elitist snobby weirdness.

[Bbreaker]

Exactly! Elitist snobby weirdness.

so that's what you meant all along.

[D_Bird]

Such is the world of retail sales. What do expect from disgruntled employees making a pitance of a wage. They aren't paid enough to care. And if they were paid enough to care, the price of the gear would reflect their increased wages. So would you rather have cheaper gear and lousy service, or great service and premium prices. The majority of people on this forum educate themselves when it comes to gear, so what is the role of the salesman other than fetching you product and stroking your ego?

[etawful]

I was then told that when I wanted to pay by credit card that I had to pay an extra 2% to offset the credit card merchant fees.

 

 

That's a violation of his contract for accepting credit cards. I would have reported that to Visa, MC, whoever. They can yank his agreement for that.

 

Note: It's also a violation of the merchant agreement to request ID for a signed card, the merchant agreement states that all they can do is verify the card signature against your signature on the receipt.

[paulbaribeau]

D_Bird, I see where you are coming from with your argument about pay reflecting performance. Usually, I just laugh off a stupid employee.

However, I have the most trouble with store owners. They are the ones who screw you on prices and repair charges. They are the ones who hire the lazy people who don't enjoy selling music gear. The owner is the one who makes me decide to never go back.

But man, there are some bad employees out there. I just don't think it is the pay that makes them bad. Perhaps it is be the {censored}ty owner that makes the {censored}ty employee not care if they sell anything that day or not.

[Bro Blue]

I moved back to my home town a week ago. I went in to one of the two music stores to get strings. I see MIM Standard Strats priced at $800. No {censored}. I asked the salesman how much they would come down off that price. His reply, "If you're serious about buying, I'll come down $200. That's better than what you'll get on the internet."

I started laughing, not to be a dick, but because he was so serious and said it with conviction. I put the strings down and walked out.

[m90guy]

so that's what you meant all along.

Well it is what it is...

I got no problems with the store being like it is or the clientele they get. Best selection of the best gear probably in the entire midwest. Got no problems with you either. Only ever meant that the type of people that go there are probably the same as you. I covet a Suhr they have up on their wall, but at 3k(and they never budge on price), It will never be mine.

[Longhair]

That's a violation of his contract for accepting credit cards. I would have reported that to Visa, MC, whoever. They can yank his agreement for that. Note: It's also a violation of the merchant agreement to request ID for a signed card, the merchant agreement states that all they can do is verify the card signature against your signature on the receipt .

I guess I better start signing all my CC's "Photo ID Required"

[docjeffrey]

Went into GC today as I am looking to purchase a $2200 LP. Waited to get the staff's attention for ten mins but they were all too busy helping junior and their moms with their Squiers and Line 6 amps. Going back Tuesday during my lunch break, hopefully all the kids will be in school.

 

 

I'm not sure where you live, but if I had $2K to spend, as much as I love Guitar Center, that would be my last stop. Of course, we have Wildwood just up the road, so I'm kind of spoiled.

[etawful]

I guess I better start signing all my CC's "Photo ID Required"

 

Nope, without signature, your card is not valid (read the card itself, see where it says card is not valid without signature).

 

MC, Visa, etc. GUARANTEE all transactions both for the vendor and the cardholder if those guidelines are followed.

 

Of course, none of these rules are followed regularly, and if you want to hand over your ID with all your personal information on it without necessity, go ahead. Why would you WANT to voluntarily hand over information that someone else has no business knowing when the transaction is already guranteed and insured by the cardholder agreementt?

 

Personally, I'll keep my personal information personal in most every case.

 

Here's a decent article, although it does say they can ask for ID, they can NOT use that ID as a term of acceptance of the card for payment, plus, as I said, the back of your card explicitly says that it is not valid unless signed. It's the vendors job to make sure the signature on your card and the receipt match:

 

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/merchants-who-violate-credit-card-terms-1275.php

[Longhair]

Nope, without signature, your card is not valid (read the card itself, see where it says card is not valid without signature). MC, Visa, etc. GUARANTEE all transactions both for the vendor and the cardholder if those guidelines are followed. Of course, none of these rules are followed regularly, and if you want to hand over your ID with all your personal information on it without necessity, go ahead. Why would you WANT to voluntarily hand over information that someone else has no business knowing when the transaction is already guranteed and insured by the cardholder agreementt? Personally, I'll keep my personal information personal in most every case. Here's a decent article, although it does say they can ask for ID, they can NOT use that ID as a term of acceptance of the card for payment, plus, as I said, the back of your card explicitly says that it is not valid unless signed. It's the vendors job to make sure the signature on your card and the receipt match: http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/merchants-who-violate-credit-card-terms-1275.php

 

 

With that logic, how are people suppose to order stuff online or over the phone?

 

It's not like the secure web page / operator is able to validate the signature on the back of the card.

[n9ne]

Not really a music store fail, but kind of a funny story.....

Several years ago, I was looking for a Marshall 4x12 cabinet. The local family-owned music store didn't have one in stock, but Mark (the younger brother in the family) told me, "If you're interested, I'm selling one of my 4x12's from my personal rig. It'll have to be a cash deal, though...no trades." So I ended up meeting him at his house and we made the deal.

A couple years later, I worked out a trade at that same store....my Marshall half-stack for an Engl combo they'd gotten in. As I roll the cabinet through the front door, I'm stopped by Jay (the older brother in the family).

"Wait a minute....

this

is the cabinet you're trading in?"

"Ummmm....yeah. This is it."

"Where'd you get it? This cabinet was stolen from me a while back, right out of this store."

"Stolen?! Jay, I bought this cabinet from Mark about two years ago."

"Bought it? You got a receipt?"

"I didn't buy it here. He told me it was part of his personal rig, and I paid him in cash at his house. No receipt."

At that point, Jay cooled off a bit...apparently this wasn't the first time he'd heard this story. Turns out Mark (the younger brother) had developed a considerable fondness for nose candy a few years earlier, and had supported his habit by "borrowing" equipment from the store....and selling it out of his living room. My cabinet was just one of many backdoor deals.

Truth be told, I kinda miss the old days. Sure, it's nice having places like GC/MF with incredible selection and the rock-bottom prices....but they just don't have the character or personal touch of the locally-owned mom-and-pop stores.

Sure, there were some knuckleheads and shysters....but there were also an awful lot of damn good people who were in it for all the right reasons. And now an awful lot of those folks are struggling just to keep their doors open, or have already thrown in the towel and closed up shop. It may not be as noticeable in major cities....but in a lot of the smaller cities, the arrival of GC has pretty much wiped out the local music stores.

[pjackson92]

At that point, Jay cooled off a bit...apparently this wasn't the first time he'd heard this story. Turns out Mark (the younger brother) had developed a considerable fondness for nose candy a few years earlier, and had supported his habit by "borrowing" equipment from the store....and selling it out of his living room. My cabinet was just one of many backdoor deals. Truth be told, I kinda miss the old days. Sure, it's nice having places like GC/MF with incredible selection and the rock-bottom prices....but they just don't have the character or personal touch of the locally-owned mom-and-pop stores. Sure, there were some knuckleheads and shysters....but there were also an awful lot of damn good people who were in it for all the right reasons. And now an awful lot of those folks are struggling just to keep their doors open, or have already thrown in the towel and closed up shop. It may not be as noticeable in major cities....but in a lot of the smaller cities, the arrival of GC has pretty much wiped out the local music stores.

[evh1984]

Not really a music store fail, but kind of a funny story..... Truth be told, I kinda miss the old days....

Same here.

I don't really have a failure either. 99.9% of my music store experiences have been positive, with the exception of one pawnshop that wouldn't let you play the guitar before buying it

But, I do have a cool story.

Back in highschool, the 'Southeast's Largest Music Dealer' was a much smaller mom-n-pop establishment. We had a fledgling metal band and I wanted to buy a Marshall stack. I didn't know jack about wattage or any of that, I just went in looking for something loud. I went in and it was a weekday evening, so not many people there, just the staff. I told them I wanted to try that Marshall stack sitting there.

The guys all kind of laughed at me and asked what in the wolrd I'd need something like that for? I told them I needed a loud amp for my metal band. The sales guy, Ernie, just chuckled at me and said, "You know what son, that 50 watt halfstack will peel your scalp back on four."

But, he plugged me in, hooked me to a Strat and had me stand about 10 feet away. He dimed that Marshall and ran...

Needless to say the feedback through the single coils literally had every cymbal on every drum set in the store rattling, as well as making me feel like a hammer had just caught my head from behind.

I unplugged the cord from that guitar so fast it'd make your head spin!

The gang got a little laugh out of it and he took me over and showed me some kinder, gentler 15w solid states. I was particularly receptive to his customer service after he informed me that the Marshall in question was a little (oh by about a G) out of my price range.

Ha ha, I'll always remember that humbling experience!

[etawful]

With that logic, how are people suppose to order stuff online or over the phone? It's not like the secure web page / operator is able to validate the signature on the back of the card.

 

Electronic transactions are processed differently than in person transactions. See that 3 digit code on the back of your card? That is requested most times for on-line purchases to insure that the person performing the transaction is actually in possession of the card.

 

I don't make the rules, I just know them .

 

If we're going to follow your argument . . . how would they see your ID over the phone or on line?

[pickinatit]

Mmmmhmmm. So the answer is NO, you did not call. Thanks for playing. One of the main rules of shopping for anything beyond a couple of miles from home is to call and make sure said item is in stock before going to store. If it is, and it's in short supply, asking them to hold it for you until you get there is also common sense. You failing to call the store and verify stock isn't a failure on their part.

 

 

Yeah, but even the call is no guarantee. I was looking to buy (and I mean looking to BUY; had the cash in my pocket) a Fender Aerodyne Bass. I called my local GC (which is 40-45 minutes away) to make sure they had one that I could play. Yeah, yeah, talked to ----- who seemed like a real nice guy, "just ask for me when you come in".

 

I did that and when I got there -------- finished waiting on a customer....ok, no problem....then wandered around the bass section.....came back to the counter & checked the store inventory....."yeah, the inventory says we should have one....finally found it, three rows UP on the wall. I waited for ten more minutes for him to come back with this ladder type thingy. He goes up and gets it down.

 

Now most of the Aerodynes were black with no pickguard...so he comes down with this ugly monstrosity, covered with finger prints and palm prints, dusty, scratched.....well, I'm thinking either money off or I have them order me one from the factory or something. But, when I go to play it, the Tone knob is twisting around, hanging three quarters of the way off, ready to fall off, so I can't check out the tone variations that you can dial in the bass (which is what I wanted it for; it has both P & J pick-up configuration like a Fender Deluxe except they're passive pups).

 

Now he knew I was coming to play this bass because I wanted to buy one....you'd think he would have checked out it's condition before I got there wouldn't you?

 

---------ended up promising me he'd have their techs fix this bass up and I should come back in two days. I did....they didn't....I ended up buying a

NOS P-Bass off of E-Bay later that week.

[joeismyname]

im lucky i live in in Lexington KY. Our GC sucks, but Wilcutt Guitar Shoppe is a true guitar player's guitar store. They have an almost unbeatable selection of amps, guitars, and pedals when compared to other stores, their customer service is fantastic, and Bob Wilcutt has his own repair shop across the street.

 

Im just lucky I guess.

[cBc]

Went into GC today as I am looking to purchase a $2200 LP. Waited to get the staff's attention for ten mins but they were all too busy helping junior and their moms with their Squiers and Line 6 amps. Going back Tuesday during my lunch break, hopefully all the kids will be in school.

 

 

You need to take out the wad , spread it out like a deck of cards, and hold it high over your head , waving back & forth , in the middle of the store.

That usually works for me.

[etawful]

Yeah, but even the call is no guarantee. I was looking to buy (and I mean looking to BUY; had the cash in my pocket) a Fender Aerodyne Bass. I called my local GC (which is 40-45 minutes away) to make sure they had one that I could play. Yeah, yeah, talked to ----- who seemed like a real nice guy, "just ask for me when you come in".

 

 

That's a completely different situation than his though.

 

If you call and they bull{censored} you, you have a legitimate gripe.

 

If you don't call, then you have nothing to bitch about.

[hellion_213]

Truth be told, I kinda miss the old days. Sure, it's nice having places like GC/MF with incredible selection and the rock-bottom prices....but they just don't have the character or personal touch of the locally-owned mom-and-pop stores. Sure, there were some knuckleheads and shysters....but there were also an awful lot of damn good people who were in it for all the right reasons. And now an awful lot of those folks are struggling just to keep their doors open, or have already thrown in the towel and closed up shop. It may not be as noticeable in major cities....but in a lot of the smaller cities, the arrival of GC has pretty much wiped out the local music stores.

 

 

There's one cool store and one ok store within 30 miles of me. The 4 closest to me pretty much suck. All are local stores, not GCs or anything.

[Bbreaker]

Well it is what it is... I got no problems with the store being like it is or the clientele they get. Best selection of the best gear probably in the entire midwest. Got no problems with you either. Only ever meant that the type of people that go there are probably the same as you. I covet a Suhr they have up on their wall, but at 3k(and they never budge on price), It will never be mine.

Boutique gear like that Suhr are best to buy used unless you get a super deal.
Almost all of the boutique gear that I own was bought used.
I think that's the best way to buy.

[Grantus]

I've told this story before:

 

Me, looking at a cheap Jay Turser: "Can I play that guitar?"

 

Saleman: "Are you planning to buy it?"

 

Me: "Not anymore."