I hope it's OK to post about another excellent guitar company

[Notes_Norton]

A tale of excellent customer service from a great company with an outstanding guitar. We all know about Gibson's legendary quality and customer service, and I still love my Gibson and Epiphones, but like many of us, I've spread my money around a bit....

 

In November of 2010 I took delivery of a Parker DF524 Guitar. I immediately bonded with it. The Sperzel locking tuners and straight string path from machine head to ball end gives me outstanding tuning stability – even better than the guitars that I own that do not have a whammy bar. The ebony fretboard and hardened stainless steel frets make bending strings like putting a warm knife through butter. The shape, light weight, and balance make the guitar comfortable to hold – or perhaps should I say wear – it’s that comfortable. The Duncan S-S-S/H magnetic pickups plus a Piezo under the bridge give the guitar a wide array of outstanding tones. And the 25.5" scale, the 14" radius, and the slim neck make for almost effortless playing.

 

The guitar came with a one year warranty. A few months after the warranty expired, the body developed a crack between the neck and the neck pickup causing the body to pinch the pickup. So I took some pictures and sent them to Parker asking what I could do to remedy the problem. Much to my surprise, Parker responded by saying to send the guitar back and they would fix it. So I did, and the guitar came back looking as good as new.

 

before:

 

after:

 

This is outstanding customer service. How many companies will fix a product that breaks after the warranty expires? Not many. Not only do I love the guitar, but I’m starting to feel the same way about the guitar company and the people running it.

 

Fast forward another year.

 

Now the guitar is in its third year, the warranty was for only one year, and the guitar cracks again in the same place. I’m devastated, I love the guitar, but I hate this cracking thing. So I take some more pictures, and send them to Parker asking them how I can address the reoccurrence of the problem.

 

Parker’s answer was that since the guitar cracked in the same spot, it must be defective, and if I could be patient they will replace the guitar. I can’t tell you how happy I was to receive that e-mail. Talk about customer service! Here is a company that cares about its products, cares for its customers and goes the extra mile to keep them happy.

 

On Saturday, April 6, 2013 I accepted deliver of a brand new replacement guitar. It’s beautiful, it came already set up (I did lower the action just a tad) and it feels, plays, and sounds great. The grin on my face is ear-to-ear.

 

Every company sooner or later will have a problem. The way the company handles the problem determines whether it gains a customer for life, or loses a customer for life. Parker has gained a customer for life.

 

I’m going to have another Parker DF made for me with a different pickup configuration (Duncan P-Rails). I know the guitar will be built well, I know it will be a dream to play, and I know the company will stand behind their product. Thank you Parker.

[btoth76]

...and a + to Parker too!

[Twang Gang]

That is outstanding - and fairly unusual in this day and age. Kudos to Parker for how they handled the situation. Many companies could learn something from this - mainly that you are ordering another guitar from them. Doubt that would have happened if they'd said "sorry bud your warranty is up nothing we can do".

[surfpup]

Excellent service! I can see that is a very narrow strip of wood and the grain being perpendicular makes it weak. I bet yours is not the only one to have had this problem.

[Pin]

That is outstanding service by any measure. Hats off to Parker!

[Izzy]

I have two Parkers. I love one of them, the other I'm friends with. I am so glad to learn they have rocking costumer service.

 

Good costumer service is what has kept me with my internet service even though I know I could get a better price from another company and bad service has made my girlfriend stop buying products from a particular computer manufacturer.

 

Never underestimate the power of good service. Price and quality ain't nothing without people to back the service or products up.

[Notes_Norton]

That is outstanding - and fairly unusual in this day and age. Kudos to Parker for how they handled the situation. Many companies could learn something from this - mainly that you are ordering another guitar from them. Doubt that would have happened if they'd said "sorry bud your warranty is up nothing we can do".

 

No, I wouldn't have purchased another Parker if they didn't handle the problem to my satisfaction. Although I dearly love the guitar, I wouldn't have purchased another.

 

I was looking for another 25.5" scale guitar with a 14" radius, the Parker is my only one. I sing on stage and often can't look at the guitar neck. When switching guitar scales, there is a period of adjustment where I either overshoot or undershoot fret jumps depending on which way I go.

 

I don't bring my ES-330 to the gig anymore. Now that it's a collector's item, it's too valuable to throw around in the van (I do one-nighters). The Epiphone Casino is nice, but lacks higher fret access and I don't want to bring a hollow guitar to my regular outdoor Tuesday PM gig, which happens to be on a deck over salt water. My LP is just too darn heavy as I switch instruments between sax, flute, wind synthesizer and guitar and while I like the P90 sound, I don't like the weight (I'm spoiled with lighter guitars).

 

The Parker weighs 5 pounds, and it is truly the most comfortable guitar I've ever played (not that I've played that many).

 

Excellent service! I can see that is a very narrow strip of wood and the grain being perpendicular makes it weak. I bet yours is not the only one to have had this problem.

 

Actually the strip of wood isn't that narrow, as it extends under the fretboard.

 

Plus the crack doesn't go through the guitar. The guy who repaired it the first time couldn't figure out why it cracked, best guess is that it's just a weird piece of wood.

 

I have two Parkers. I love one of them, the other I'm friends with. I am so glad to learn they have rocking costumer service.

<...snip...>

Never underestimate the power of good service. Price and quality ain't nothing without people to back the service or products up.

 

As I said, customer service can make the difference between making a customer for life or losing a customer for life.

 

The DF gives me all the Strat sounds I need, when the bridge is in the humbucker mode it satisfies that, and when mixing a little of the piezo sound with the bridge in the single coil mode, I can get some tele twang out of it. The only thing I'm missing is P90 sounds. The new Parker I'm going to have built for me should satisfy that.

 

I may eventually sell my 1970 ES-330 and get another Gibson, one I can bring to the gig without worry of destroying a collector's item. Perhaps an SG with P90s, I've always been attracted to them and have never had the experience (other than a small test drive in a music store).

 

But right now, my new Parker should cure my GAS for a while. Plus like Gibson, it's made in the USA by a USA company and like Gibson, Parker cares about its customers.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[milod]

I think the experience with Parker shows three things:

 

1. You treated them with courtesy explaining the problem.

 

2. They treated you with courtesy in taking care of the problem.

 

3. Wood is not always perfect no matter how well it's aged, cut and inspected.

 

That last is one of the reasons I personally hate to hear the howls about guitar "imperfections," especially before there's been proper research and corporate contact.

 

And the first led to the second. I think sometimes the grouchy howlers get what may appear to be relatively poor "customer service" because they seem to anyone that they'd complain if they weren't hanged with a new rope.

 

m

[sgplayers]

I have to say way to go parker. it pays to be courteous.

[rocketman]

Great story! My guitar tech told me that PRS and Taylor are the same way. One time the Expression System of a Taylor went bad, years after the expiration date. He sent it back to Taylor and they replaced it at no cost. Unfortunately, he didn't have any good things to say about Fender and Gibson. He told me a story where he ended up paying for the whole pickup system of a Fender because THEY misplaced it.

[Notes_Norton]

I think the experience with Parker shows three things:

 

1. You treated them with courtesy explaining the problem.

 

2. They treated you with courtesy in taking care of the problem.<...>

 

m

 

It's just civilized to treat others with courtesy, unless they give you good reason to do otherwise. Most people will respond in kind.

 

I'm a businessman, and as a businessman I always assume the company wants to keep their customer, and to do so they should provide good customer service. I never make demands first, but explain the problem and let them tell me what they recommend. Most good companies will recommend something proper the first time, as they want to keep their customers. In the rare occasion someone has a problem with my products, they usually approach me in a civilized manner, and I go out of my way to make sure they are happy with the resolution of the problem.

 

There are of course exceptions. When plan "A" doesn't work, it's time for plan "B".

 

Example:

 

I bought a PEMFT device (pulsed electromagnetic field therapy) to cure my arthritis and bursitis. I've had the bursitis since I was a kid (hereditary) and at one time I thought I was going to need a hip replacement. I heard about PEMFT and along with a few minor dietary changes the bursitis is completely healed. I injured the little finger of my left hand years ago, and it pained me for years, so much I'd avoid playing G#s on the sax (just skip the note whenever possible) and it made the guitar challenging.

 

The first company I bought one from needed plan "B". It broke after about a month, and the first thing they told me was I didn't have a valid warranty because the salesman didn't file the proper paperwork. Then excuse after excuse, so I initiated a dispute/chargeback on the credit card - that finally got their attention. The second time it broke they fixed it promptly. The third time it broke it took weeks to get them to fix it again. I loved the technology, but hated the company.

 

So I no longer do business with them. I found another PEMFT device with better specifications and at a much lower price. My bursitis is still gone, my hands feel great, and to my surprise my eyesight has improved, my mind is clearer with fewer 'senior moments' and my high frequency hearing has improved. After doing much research, reading peer reviewed scientific abstracts at the US National Institute of Health / Library of Congress I find that PEMFT does all of this and much more. It is used in many different countries with very good results. It has fewer approved uses in the USA because our FDA works for Big Pharma and Big Hospital, and a device like this cures the problem with comparatively little expense.

 

I bought one for me, one for my wife, and one for my mother-in-law (it's relieving her Parkinson's Disease symptoms - it's also had good results with Alzheimer's Disease in Europe). One of them broke, the company immediately honored the warranty and in about two weeks another brand new unit arrived from India (where they are manufactured).

 

I spread the good words about the good company, and if someone asks, I tell them which one to avoid.

 

In fact, I've sold at least 3 additional PEMFT devices from the good company simply by reporting my experiences with them.

 

I'm loyal to the companies that treat me right, and avoid the ones that don't.

 

This is my philosophy in a nutshell: "Hit me once, shame on you. Hit me again, shame on me."

 

Good service after the sale is the surest way to get a repeat customer.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[pippy]

Milo is right on the button.

 

And I'd never heard of the PEMFT thing before but I'm probably fast approaching the age where I should be asking you, Notes, about the good one.....

 

Good work.

 

 

P.

[Notes_Norton]

Milo is right on the button.

 

And I'd never heard of the PEMFT thing before but I'm probably fast approaching the age where I should be asking you, Notes, about the good one.....

 

Good work.

 

 

P.

 

You can PM me if interested. I did a lot of research on this before I tried it.