Still haven't been refunded for the damaged benedetto bambino i returned

[jzucker]

Another viable option is Guitar Center Used Gear. Descriptions are vague or non existent but last time I went this route the return policy was 45 days (for non vintage guitars < than 25 years old). Risk free really. I got my Golden Eagle that way (aided by an enabler here on the left coast).

They are a risk free way of trying gear but my experience is that buying anything used and expensive is a gamble from them. Their archtop guitars are typically in really bad shape, light guage strings, necks needing a trussrod adjustment, etc. It seems they take trade-ins and don't bother doing even a rudimentary setup or adjustment. Same with tube amps. I've bought used tube amps from guitar center that were missing tubes. Clearly , they never bothered to even plug it in.

In general, guitar center is a horrible place to buy an archtop. I've told this story before but once I bought an archtop from them which buzzed really badly (i mean - like a sitar) and when I took it in to have them do a fret level, the repairman said it was fine with no buzzing at all. When I came in, he demonstrated to me by playing it through a small marshall with the gain turned all the way up and playing chugga-chugga chords. I asked to see the guitar and turned the gain to 1, master on 10 and demonstrated the issue playing some jazz lines. He looked at me with deer in the headlights look and replied, "yes, i hear that but who would play like that??"

[jzucker]

Now they are telling me it may take 30-45 days to resolve the issue...

[furtom]

In general, guitar center is a horrible place to buy an archtop. I've told this story before but once I bought an archtop from them which buzzed really badly (i mean - like a sitar) and when I took it in to have them do a fret level, the repairman said it was fine with no buzzing at all. When I came in, he demonstrated to me by playing it through a small marshall with the gain turned all the way up and playing chugga-chugga chords. I asked to see the guitar and turned the gain to 1, master on 10 and demonstrated the issue playing some jazz lines. He looked at me with deer in the headlights look and replied, "yes, i hear that but who would play like that??"

No way! This story is literally too good (bad) to be true! Even for GC! I kinda love it, though...

But more to the point, if you bought it at a physical location, didn't you notice the buzzing before you bought it?

[jzucker]

No way! This story is literally too good (bad) to be true! Even for GC! I kinda love it, though...

But more to the point, if you bought it at a physical location, didn't you notice the buzzing before you bought it?

Yes, but they told me i had 45 days to get it repaired and it was a nice sounding instrument except for the buzzing at the neck joint so I figured if I could get it repaired for cheap it would be a cool instrument for a reasonable price.

[osloutah]

Now they are telling me it may take 30-45 days to resolve the issue...

One of the times they stole money from me, they told me they were looking into my claim and would reply within a certain period of time. That time period came and went, so I reached out again. The person I reached told me that I was time barred from pursuing my claim. I burned a lot of time escalating before I finally got on the phone with someone very high up the customer service chain. He told me that I was time barred from pursuing my claim, and also thanked me for bringing up the “communication” problem within the customer service department.

Not to add to your stress, but:

If you haven’t already, try to track down any policies they’ve published regarding timeliness of claims. Also, try to pin down any of the customer service agents in writing regarding the timeliness of your claim, the potential lapsing of any claim period, etc.

I’m encouraged by the fact that they’re engaging you. Hopefully they’re acting in good faith, which will probably result in you getting your money back.

Fingers crossed for you.

Mark

[jzucker]

One of the times they stole money from me, they told me they were looking into my claim and would reply within a certain period of time. That time period came and went, so I reached out again. The person I reached told me that I was time barred from pursuing my claim. I burned a lot of time escalating before I finally got on the phone with someone very high up the customer service chain. He told me that I was time barred from pursuing my claim, and also thanked me for bringing up the “communication” problem within the customer service department.

Not to add to your stress, but:

If you haven’t already, try to track down any policies they’ve published regarding timeliness of claims. Also, try to pin down any of the customer service agents in writing regarding the timeliness of your claim, the potential lapsing of any claim period, etc.

I’m encouraged by the fact that they’re engaging you. Hopefully they’re acting in good faith, which will probably result in you getting your money back.

Fingers crossed for you.

Mark

Wondering if I could trust Chase Visa to handle the claim?

[osloutah]

Wondering if I could trust Chase Visa to handle the claim?

I imagine they’d be much more responsive and would likely err on the side of not flushing money down the toilet.

The only potential downside: I did that once with PayPal, got my money back from my credit card company, and PayPal blacklisted the card without telling me. I found out during a subsequent transaction. PayPal refused to process the transaction with the same card and asked for a different form of payment.

[jzucker]

i looked back at my documentation and on Jan 18th paypal said that pending receipt of the item back, they would give me a full refund and that it would take up to 5 days after the seller received the item. It's now been 10 days and they are now telling me the claim needs to be reviewed and it could be another 30-45 days.

I now have 10 pages of documentation on this purchase and the associated problems and communication with the seller, paypal, etc...

[jzucker]

Now their support says they are awaiting the seller to upload additional information. I told the guy, "look - i have an email from you dated Jan 18th saying i needed to return the item and that within 5 days I would receive a refund. I uploaded the tracking number that day (Jan 18th) and the seller received the item back on Jan 21st, I uploaded the FEDEX proof of delivery and the delivery confirmation signature. Why do you need 'additional info' to be uploaded by the seller? I have sent you every piece of documentation proving that I lived up to the refund offer you sent me in email."

[osloutah]

Now their support says they are awaiting the seller to upload additional information. I told the guy, "look - i have an email from you dated Jan 18th saying i needed to return the item and that within 5 days I would receive a refund. I uploaded the tracking number that day (Jan 18th) and the seller received the item back on Jan 21st, I uploaded the FEDEX proof of delivery and the delivery confirmation signature. Why do you need 'additional info' to be uploaded by the seller? I have sent you every piece of documentation proving that I lived up to the refund offer you sent me in email."

I was literally just typing something along the lines of: maybe nudge them with a reminder of the 5 day refund window, subsequent actions and correspondence, etc. Hopefully they’ll reply quickly.

I might reach out to Chase and ask about their timeframe for filing a claim, just to be safe. Even better, just look for their policy online. They’re almost surely going to have it published in an FAQ or something, since they’re heavily regulated in a way that PayPal is not. That way you can have Plan B ready to go, just in case.

It’s really hard to work with people or companies who have no scruples; you’re just at a disadvantage when people are willing to deal in bad faith, misrepresent, lie, etc.

Man I’m really sorry you’re going through this. I’m rooting for you all the way.

[Stringswinger]

EBay, Reverb and Paypal are a risky way to buy and sell gear these days. Anyone reading this thread should take heed.

JZ, it is time to lean on your credit card for sure.

[skiboyny]

Now their support says they are awaiting the seller to upload additional information. I told the guy, "look - i have an email from you dated Jan 18th saying i needed to return the item and that within 5 days I would receive a refund. I uploaded the tracking number that day (Jan 18th) and the seller received the item back on Jan 21st, I uploaded the FEDEX proof of delivery and the delivery confirmation signature. Why do you need 'additional info' to be uploaded by the seller? I have sent you every piece of documentation proving that I lived up to the refund offer you sent me in email."

The seller must have a compelling argument.

[jzucker]

[73Fender]

They are a risk free way of trying gear but my experience is that buying anything used and expensive is a gamble from them. Their archtop guitars are typically in really bad shape, light guage strings, necks needing a trussrod adjustment, etc. It seems they take trade-ins and don't bother doing even a rudimentary setup or adjustment. Same with tube amps. I've bought used tube amps from guitar center that were missing tubes. Clearly , they never bothered to even plug it in.

In general, guitar center is a horrible place to buy an archtop. I've told this story before but once I bought an archtop from them which buzzed really badly (i mean - like a sitar) and when I took it in to have them do a fret level, the repairman said it was fine with no buzzing at all. When I came in, he demonstrated to me by playing it through a small marshall with the gain turned all the way up and playing chugga-chugga chords. I asked to see the guitar and turned the gain to 1, master on 10 and demonstrated the issue playing some jazz lines. He looked at me with deer in the headlights look and replied, "yes, i hear that but who would play like that??"

I guess I was lucky. Obviously GC has its issues. But the easy return policy is cool. Good luck.

[osloutah]

Hell yeah, congrats!

[jzucker]

So this morning, i re-uploaded my 10 page document where I added the jan 18th email and indicated that it's been 10 days since he received the item and that their email said I'd be issued a refund in 5 days. I also called them twice today. Not sure if my updates contributed to the issue being resolved...

[vintagelove]

So this morning, i re-uploaded my 10 page document where I added the jan 18th email and indicated that it's been 10 days since he received the item and that their email said I'd be issued a refund in 5 days. I also called them twice today. Not sure if my updates contributed to the issue being resolved...

Hello, I see you have a refund pending which is good, but I figured you might want to know this for future reference.

The last $$$$ return I made with PayPal, I went through a large hassle with them and was given false information numerous times.

Long story short, the seller tried to lie from the onset. I know the rules, and I received a defective item, but it went like this. I tell seller I'm returning the item. He claims he already spent the money typical bs sob story). PayPal instructs me to return the guitar. I make sure I "follow the rules". He gets the guitar back (here's the important part). PP tells me I'll receive my refund on x date. That passes, nothing. I call back, same thing. This happened about 4-5 times. Just like with you I was told it was "under review" (or something to that effect). Anyway, I eventually got the money back. Here's what I think they do. I think they try to delay as much as possible until the seller puts the money back in the account, before refunding you, so they don't take the hit.

I could be wrong of course, but I don't see why else they would lie to me numerous times about when I would receive the refund. So, in the future, you will most likely receive your refund, but don't believe the timeline they give you. They will string you along for a great length of time. In my case it was over 2 weeks.

Good luck in your future purchases.

[Woody Sound]

I had a very bad experience with PP and an outright fraudulent scam seller. I will never use PP unless I absolutely have to.

[st.bede]

If had the patience to tell of all my experiences with GC, it would be depressing. You remember the feeling of the first time you became so drunk that things got painfully ugly. Remember how you felt when you thought about the alcohol you had over consumed. Ever time I walk into GC, I get that feeling. Consciousness tries its’ best to keep us safe.

The statement, “it might work right” is an overly generous and self delusional thought when dealing with GC.

[skykomishone]

Glad you got the refund Jack, and once more want to say that I don't like how you were treated by the seller. If we were to somehow know who it is, then we can blacklist the sob.
You're a good guy Jack. And this guy is no friend of ours.
If this guitar shows back up on Reverb, please, someone take note of who it is!

[Archie]

Glad to see things worked out, kind of.

[jzucker]

well, i don't have the refund yet. No sign from my bank of a pending deposit. I hope I don't have the situation that @vintagelove described...

[Archie]

well, i don't have the refund yet. No sign from my bank of a pending deposit. I hope I don't have the situation that @vintagelove described...

Paypal are often just as good as the person on the end of the phone. If you get a good employee, they do a good job. If you get a bad one or a slightly rogue department, that can cause a bit of chaos.
communication within Paypal is not great. Or as good as you would think it is.
As long as you keep herding the cats over there, you should be fine.
Painful no doubt.

[jzucker]

Paypal are often just as good as the person on the end of the phone. If you get a good employee, they do a good job. If you get a bad one or a slightly rogue department, that can cause a bit of chaos.
communication within Paypal is not great. Or as good as you would think it is.
As long as you keep herding the cats over there, you should be fine.
Painful no doubt.

Reverb is even worse

[bendingtens]

In general, guitar center is a horrible place to buy an archtop. I've told this story before but once I bought an archtop from them which buzzed really badly (i mean - like a sitar) and when I took it in to have them do a fret level, the repairman said it was fine with no buzzing at all. When I came in, he demonstrated to me by playing it through a small marshall with the gain turned all the way up and playing chugga-chugga chords. I asked to see the guitar and turned the gain to 1, master on 10 and demonstrated the issue playing some jazz lines. He looked at me with deer in the headlights look and replied, "yes, i hear that but who would play like that??"

Did you buy a new or vintage archtop from Guitar Center? In either case, a fret level is something that would be covered in a setup, which you'd have to pay for.