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Story 1 from saturday
This just happened at guitar center in mayfield heights, ohio...
I wanted to buy an alto TS412 powered cab. Web said they had them in stock. The drone there said, we don't carry alto. It's an exclusive brand that you can only buy direct. I told him the website said they had them in stock and he said , "what is it, a guitar cab?". I replied. "no , it's a powered pa cab", and he said, "Raw speaker?". I replied, "look, it doesn't matter what it is. Look it up in your inventory. Unless the site is wrong you have them in stock." He replied, we don't carry them. Finally the manager overheard and said, "we have 5 in stock. They are right over there"...
Then after I paid for it the guy asks me to buy the extended warranty and I said no and he replied, "Why not? You don't care about your gear?". I was ready to punch him. I told him extended warranties were a rip off so he said, "Fine, your loss. Don't come crying to me if it breaks the as soon as you get home. " So I said, "Wait, it comes with a 45 day money back guarantee, doesn't it?" He replies, "Maybe". And I said "look bruh, either it does or it doesn't and I walk". Finally he admits it does.
And then he watched me struggle to carry this big-ass box out the door and didn't offer to help or lend me a cart...
Story 2 from several years ago
About 5 years ago, i went into guitar center in mayfield heights ohio and there was a rare respite from the usual $300 instrument line they normally have hanging there.
There was an Ibanez LGB30 which is the more reasonably priced (chinese made) version of the very expensive LGB-300 guitar.
It was used and they wanted about $800 for it which was reasonable for (retail) used.
I played it and it sounded REALLY good. Except that it was a buzz-fest. Sounded like a sitar if you dug in even a little. I asked them if I could get a free fret level and they said I could not but that the repairman was relatively inexpensive.
So I bought it and left it for the repairman to work on. I figured if I could get a great jazz axe for $900, it would still be a great deal.
A week later, I get a call from the repairman saying that there was no buzzing and he didn't know what I wanted done on it. I was kind of shocked and offered to come in and demonstrate the issue. I was kind of puzzled because it wasn't just one or two frets. The buzzing was all over. I'm guessing the nut was cut way too low or that there was a high fret, very low on the fingerboard.
At any rate, I come in and he plugs it into a little SS marshall with the preamp dimed, and proceeds to play a bunch of chugga-chugga and metal riffs on it at high gain, on the bridge pickup and says, “See, there's no buzzing”.
I asked him for the guitar, adjusted the amp so that the master was all the way up, the preamp was down around 9 O'Clock, put the guitar on the neck pickup and played a few jazz lines and chords.
He replied, “What is that??? I don't even know what that is. WHO PLAYS LIKE THAT???”
I asked him if he was familiar with jazz guitar or clean sounds and he said he was not but that he knew some people played without gain.
NOTE - THIS IS GUITAR CENTER'S REPAIRMAN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
He told me, “I would have no idea how to fix something so that playing that stuff sounds good”. I thanked him for his time and immediately took the guitar back to the sales counter and initiated a return.
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04-29-2024 09:46 AM
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Yeah, that would be a place to which I never returned.
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I heard they're changing the name of the Mayfield Heights Branch to "Mess With Zucker Center" ...
IME the people in the Manhattan GC are mostly fairly nice and don't pull shenanigans like that, if you can find someone. The problem is that the staff is invisible, and it's difficult to actually buy something there. I tried to buy a bass and amp they had on sale not too long ago. I literally could not find a single person in the store to take my money. After 15 minutes of flagging down every person I saw there and telling them I wanted to buy this instrument and that amp right now, I gave up and walked out. Found the same thing as a package deal on Amazon (which is a whole other story ...). I recently bought a gig bag there, and it took 20 minutes to bring it to me from the stock room.
Same thing has happened with other stuff (pedals, accessories, etc.). I WANT to buy things from a store, but they clearly are not there to sell stuff. Interestingly, I've sold stuff to them, and also picked up stuff I bought online from them in the same store, and the service has been prompt and polite. I think what's going on is that GC is just morphing into a place to demo (self-service) and pick up stuff that you then buy online.
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The first story is a show of pure 'douche-baggery'.
The 2nd, hysterical!
you can't make this stuff up~
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Yeah, my preferred local GC is pretty good. Actually, there's two within 5 miles of my house which I realize makes me pretty lucky. Neither is bad, but the one is better...but also much less busy, which always worries me...eventually they might decide they don't need two so close together...
Originally Posted by John A.
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My first job in NYC was at the Union Square one. Originally Posted by John A.
Smack in the middle of their big union fight too.
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They don't call it "Union Square" for nothing ... But I bet even Emma Goldman would have been annoyed by the slow service Originally Posted by pamosmusic
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to me GC is a corporate idea that did not include low pay employees who thought working there would be cool,
and found out it was not.
My most recent trip to GC was to obtain an Ibanez super strat type. I noticed that many of the wall hangings were low cost/quality non brand names.
and no top of the line brand names..as they did years before.
The sales staff was sparse..only one guy I could see helping a customer and two others behind the service counter. Perhaps it was a slow day..
but I sensed this was the norm.
The guitar I wanted was not in stock at this store..I lucked out-I found a sales guy that knew about the guitar I wanted .. found it on the computer and
ordered it. It was delivered a week later at my home and all was good.
In seeing GC breathing is dying breath I realize it will not be missed by many.
Buying a guitar on line has some nice features..checking the return policy first..and a good customer service credit card.
The other thing I wont miss at GC..hearing "stairway to heaven" being played out of tune.
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Sounds normal for a GC to me.
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The only reason Guitar Center is still in business is because of their liberal return policy.This policy leads to them trying to pawn off a used item at new level prices on customers.
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Awhile back, I stopped into a fairly large GC about an hour north of me while waiting to pick someone up at the airport. They had almost nothing in the acoustic room, no archtops, and the classics which I might have had an interest in were relatively non existent. While wandering around, I saw an employee giving a new hire the grand tour and heard him giving her some pointers on how to avoid dealing with warranties. I've got a GC 30 minutes or so from my house and have bought a few simple sound gear things from them but Sam Ash is closer and has about the same quality people working - kids who think it would be cool to work in a music store. If I can't build it, I'll order online.
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There's nothing wrong per se with kids who think it's cool to work in a music store working in a music store (granted, my definition of "kid" gets older and older with the years ...). They're enthusiastic, usually into learning about gear, and if they're well managed and trained they're good at their jobs and nice to their customers. Just like in any other business. The problem is with the values of the employer, who in the case of GC clearly does not manage and train its employees well, and leaves shorthanded crews to fend for themselves. Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
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And I just found all of these interesting Gibson archtops on the GC website:
1949 L5 and other vintage Gibson archtops at Guitar Center
LOL
GC is also moving to prioritize premium guitars
“If you walk through a Guitar Center, you see an awful lot of $300 guitars. If I’m a serious musician, it doesn’t feel like the right place for me anymore”: Guitar Center’s new CEO explains why the firm’s future must prioritize premium guitars | Guitar World
We'll see ...
Good Luck to all
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Are you sure you weren't in Tonawanda, NY? Sounds EXACTLY like the GC repair guy I dealt with there. Completely botched the guitar. At least the manager refunded my repair cost. Originally Posted by jzucker
Last edited by Woody Sound; 04-30-2024 at 10:12 AM.
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I have used the GC in Fairlawn 4 times in the last 5 years. Of course I do my own repairs to I can't comment there. For the purchases, I bought on line, then went there to pick it up and out the door quickly.
Gibson Les Paul Traditional blowout (bought on line, went there to pick up... it was awesome)
Old Peavey Bass amp, they paid me what I asked no-hassle. I was happy.
Baldwin era Gretsch Tennessean 1974 they gave me no-hassle $1100 cash, what I had asked. I was happy.
Used but like-new with all the case-candy, 1967 Telecaster Custom Shop, bought on-line and picked it up. Again it was fantastic.
Maybe the key is to have the lowest expectations imaginable, then if things go OK I'm happy.
In terms of selling to GC with low expectations. You know already they require a 40% commision to deal with all the nut-cases and shipping issues to sell your guitar. I'm happy to pay that. It is not hard to look on-line, find the usual selling price and ask for 60% of that for yourself.Last edited by icr; 04-30-2024 at 09:02 AM.
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It's a bit weird, I have never had a problem at my NYC store in Manhattan. Sometimes I need to go to the Brooklyn store for what's in stock there. I've bought 6 guitars there and returned one because the manufacturer had a run of guitars with the same problem.
I even bought a LP at the Tonawanda store once!
I did have a problem with the Sam Ash store here in NYC, and had to leave! But they are closing soon. I wonder why!!!
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I like GC, and mostly for the return policy. I've never had any hassle with a return.
At my local GC the staff members are musicians. They don't necessarily know much about the products, but I don't depend on them for advice. They generally try to be helpful. I had a minor exception recently, but it was the kind of thing that can happen in any customer service situation.
I'm happy to buy gear at GC when they have the products I want.
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About two years ago I applied to my local GC. When I went in for the interview, I explained to them that I'm a huge gear nerd and I love helping people with purchases. I have a ton of experience helping friends and acquaintances buy their first guitar, and not only am I very aware of the current guitar, bass, amp, and pedal markets, but I am sure that with a few questions I could recommend any customer looking for one of those a product that not only works for them but fits their budget too. The manager responded by asking me if I can convince people to sign up for the Guitar Center Credit Card. I said sure because I know its required but I'm more comfortable selling the gear. I guess I wasn't convincing about the credit card part because I ended up not getting the job.
About six months later, I went to that GC to try a delay pedal. While I was trying it out, another customer asked an employee to recommend a delay pedal. After the employee said some blanket statements that were mostly incorrect, he asked me, another customer, to recommend a pedal to this person. I don't think Guitar Center values knowledgable employees. Unrelated, but I once overheard someone at GC ask why the Mexican Fender Tele costed more than the Squier Tele, and the employe responded "Oh theres some differences like the Fender having a better pickguard".
I agree with nyc chaz's point about the return policy. I only buy from Guitar Center if I don't have a chance to try the gear beforehand and know I might return it. GC is the only music store I can return things in person and not worry about return shipping. Sometimes theres hidden gems in their used section, but overall they're not a store worthy of their customers.
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I haven’t darkened the doors of a Guitar Center in 15 years. Don’t miss the shredders tearing it up while I’m trying to think…
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That's hysterical. We must live pretty near each other because that Mayfield Heights Guitar Center was also a crapshoot. Awful customer service and I always preferred going to the Sam Ash down the street or the Guitar Center in North Olmstead. Too bad it closed. On another note the Sonic next to that GC was always just downright terrible lol
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I suppose there is a greater supply of qualified people in NYC. Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
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I know the guy in charge of teaching at my GC. He knows I just retired from my day job, and asked me if I wanted to teach there. I said "Thanks for the offer, but I don't really enjoy teaching this kind of stuff."
(I once had a first day guy, maybe 20-ish, couldn't play a note yet, brought with him a recording of Journey "Who's Crying Now." As if I had never heard it - I do like his dramatic use of the bM3M7/m9 in the solo. He said "I want you to make me play like this guy right away." I had been annoyed with teaching in music stores for a while, but that pretty much pushed me over the edge.)
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I saw this on line and thought that GC came to the realization that there is no money in the low end of the market. Competing against the internet dealers is a lossers game. There are higher margins on the more expensive gear. Originally Posted by Bluedawg
If they follow through, they will have to do something about the staff.
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I think Sam Ash's business model (at least in Manhattan) is to hoard space in order to draw a buy-out from landlords/developers. They seemed not to even be trying to sell anything in their last few years on 48th Street and the entire time on 34th. Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
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Yup Originally Posted by FRRGC_
Most of my business with GC the last few years has been online.
If I don't like what they send me, I can return it in person.
If I'm nervous about shipping an expensive item, I can also have it shipped to my nearest store. Then the hassles are all on GC if there are any problems with the shipping. When I pick up my order, I can give it a thorough inspection before I complete the purchase and take it home.
The last few times I've visited my nearest GC just to look around, the few employees they still have on the floor seem overwhelmed and distracted. They are also down to only 2 or 3 employees now.
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