rocketman 176 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Yeah, I know they have good sales. But I can always get the same deal at my local GC if I bring in their sale price. The owners at the HOG are really good to me, which is where I get all my big purchases. So, yeah, I've very lucky in that sense too. But they are an hour away so I don't get there that often. I used to buy all my smaller purchases at the local GC. But I couldn't stand that the salespeople pretty much didn't know much. I'm not saying all GCs are bad though. The Sweetwater staff are very knowledgeable, which is why I like using them. When I made my first purchase from them they "assigned" me a salesperson. I've made a number of purchases with them since that time. But, here's my issue. I call the salesman's direct line but he never answers. I leave messages but he's never called me back. Not ever! After a few rounds of this I end up talking to someone else. They are fine but then it seems as though the original salesperson gets the credit for the sale because I get an email from him. Last week I bought some small stuff going through this now "usual" procedure. But I forgot about a few things. So I left the original salesman two messages on two different days. He still hasn't called me back. As I said in the past I just talked with someone else. But, this is getting silly now. Yeah the candy is cute. But, they are certainly not making me feel special in terms of a valued customer. This time I'm going to complain. Am I the only one who feels this way and/or getting this treatment? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Karloff 528 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Yeah, I know they have good sales. But I can always get the same deal at my local GC if I bring in their sale price. The owners at the HOG are really good to me, which is where I get all my big purchases. So, yeah, I've very lucky in that sense too. But they are an hour away so I don't get there that often. I used to buy all my smaller purchases at the local GC. But I couldn't stand that the salespeople pretty much didn't know much. I'm not saying all GCs are bad though. The Sweetwater staff are very knowledgeable, which is why I like using them. When I made my first purchase from them they "assigned" me a salesperson. I've made a number of purchases with them since that time. But, here's my issue. I call the salesman's direct line but he never answers. I leave messages but he's never called me back. Not ever! After a few rounds of this I end up talking to someone else. They are fine but then it seems as though the original salesperson gets the credit for the sale because I get an email from him. Last week I bought some small stuff going through this now "usual" procedure. But I forgot about a few things. So I left the original salesman two messages on two different days. He still hasn't called me back. As I said in the past I just talked with someone else. But, this is getting silly now. Yeah the candy is cute. But, they are certainly not making me feel special in terms of a valued customer. This time I'm going to complain. Am I the only one who feels this way and/or getting this treatment? the sales guy there that is my contact, Joe James, calls me even if I just order a strap or a multi-pack of strings. they seem like a decent co. I always try to give my local family owned music store the bulk of my business, but I've never had an issue with Sweetwater. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
2chord wonder 0 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 I got a cold call from my sales rep. He asked me if there was anything he could do for me. I told him "sure, you could help me convince my wife that I need another guitar!" He laughed, but I haven't seen any help from him yet! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
glp2012 23 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 My "sales rep" cold called me the other day too. I was at work and it was not the right time to talk about gear. I shoulda' let it go to voice mail. However, I appreciate the fact that whenever I do have a question, he does respond. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MichaelT 309 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 My sales rep called me a few weeks ago to see if I needed anything and to see if I wanted to receive the winter catalog. I said yes. It was almost like getting the Sears catalog, back in the day! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrNylon 172 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 I've been going through Brent at Sweetwater for a few years now. My orders through him have been correct, and shipped when I'd like them to be shipped. One of the things I do like about Sweetwater, is the Guitar Gallery. I don't do all my bass purchases on line, but when I do, it's nice to see the bass I am ordering. Having a choice from one bass to another is welcomed. They don't charge me sales tax since I don't live in Indiana. With some of the basses I purchase, sales tax can add a considerable amount to the cost. They don't charge shipping, and use FedEx. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Bill 1,357 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Great selection Interest free financing Pics of the guitar your buying Quick delivery. Best customer service Candy in every box Hand jobs upon request Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kelly campbell 293 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Never had any issues what so ever, I have had Zach Garrison since I started buying there and he is outstanding. I rarely have to deal with him because I choose to drive the 55 miles to visit the actual store, I love the people who work there they know what they are doing and the culture that Chuck has cultivated is phenominal, Other companies should be looking at the way SW is ran. I visited yeserday and had my hair cut, had lunch and bought a guitar, thats a good day. I visit them at least twice a month. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jedzep 151 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 3 bucks and change per set for bulk pack Dunlop 80/20's shipped free. The candy goes right in the garbage. My sales guy Dave Walent calls me every time I buy, even though I tell him I only use old old guitars. He's knowledgeable about everything above my technology level, which is Flintstonian. I almost feel bad not having any questions for him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rocketman 176 Posted November 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Just got an call from the Director of Customer Service. He's not sure why my phone calls were never returned but he did state that it's unexceptionable. I told him that I don't take things personally, but business is business. He's working on it and promised it won't happen again. So hopefully there will be a good resolution to all this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Karloff 528 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Great selection Interest free financing Pics of the guitar your buying Quick delivery. Best customer service Candy in every box Hand jobs upon request Is that what they mean by "happy ending" ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jedzep 151 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Yeah, but you have to spend $3,000 or more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dennis G 319 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 But, here's my issue. I call the salesman's direct line but he never answers. I leave messages but he's never called me back. Not ever! Am I the only one who feels this way and/or getting this treatment? IMHO you need a new sales guy. I've had the same one for years now, and if he's not working, I get a voice mail message telling me so, and either he calls me back when he returns or someone else calls. He's very attentive to what I may/may not like or be interested in, and I don't get "waste of my time" phone calls. Yes, the occasional email or call with their "specials", but if I'm not interested I just email him back as such. Their customer service and quality control is by far the best on the "net" and they are my first option when it comes to buying anything. I've spent some coin there over the years and have never been disappointed. In fact, they even acted as a "middle man" on a repair to a G30 wireless system that I didn't even buy from them, but were happy to act on my behalf. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sparquelito 710 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 I have been lucky, I guess. Sweetwater has been very good to me. And my sales guy Dan is top-notch. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ceptorman 67 Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Great selection Interest free financing Pics of the guitar your buying Quick delivery. Best customer service Candy in every box Hand jobs upon request WOW.....that is full service Yeah, but you have to spend $3,000 or more. There's always a catch. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kenny V 8 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 I have only good thigs to say about Sweetwater. No issues with my sales rep. He is a nice guy and very knowledgeable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Twang Gang 430 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 Your salesman not calling you back is certainly the exception at Sweetwater. My guy always calls back when I leave a message, or if I use their chat room and ask a question he calls within about 10 minutes, and if he doesn't have the answer he gets it an calls me back again. I'm confident they will work it out and make sure you get the same excellent service that we have come to expect from them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blackdeuce 7 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 My sales guy is very good. I got a smoking deal on a Blackstar Artist 30 amp the other night. I ordered it online. Within 15 minutes I received a call letting me know that it was back ordered but due in soon. I already knew this, but appreciated the call. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Riffster 346 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 I frankly do not care if I get a call or candy or special treatment. When I order something I know exactly what I want. As far as inspection of guitars the only two guitars I have ever ordered there have been the ones that had the most finish blems. They ship fast but so does everybody else. I’m not knocking them down but I really do not put them above other online retailers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zigzag 341 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 Yo, rocketman! My experience is that Sweetwater sales can kinda go overboard. Not really a problem for me, but I hear people complain about that. And just yesterday, I got an email from them saying they haven't heard from me in a while (been about six months), wanting to know if they can help me with anything. Sweetwater's pricing is competitive, and their service is second to none. I've never had any issues with their merchandise. And you can often finance with no interest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
surfpup 529 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 Personally I prefer not to be called to find out how my gear is working, but Sweetwater always does. I get the feeling if I had a problem with something I purchased from them they would work to fix it. But basically I only buy there for the free interest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tx-ogre 365 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 I've purchased quite a bit of stuff from SW over the past 8 years or so. I've had three sales engineers over the years (my current one is Zach Garrison) and have always had good luck with all of them. Most of the time I know exactly what I want and just order through website without contacting them first. The only time I remember calling first with a question was when I was in the market for a new headstock tuner wanted to make sure I bought one that handled drop tunings and the low B on my 7 string and a 5 and/or 6 string bass that I plan to purchase in the future. (I'd had mixed results with different brands/models in the past. I wasn't in a hurry so I contacted Zach via e-mail. He got back to me within 24 hours and the tuner he recommended works perfectly. I've only had one problem where I needed to contact Tech Support. When I received my 7 string, I plugged it in and it played fine for about 15-20 minutes. Then I would get this terrible crackling sound coming out of the amp. Since it has active EMG pickups, the first thing I did was put a fresh battery in it. Didn't help. Then tried playing it through three different instrument cables (different lengths) and three different amps 2 tube and one solid state). Still no good. I called SW Tech Support and explained the problem and what I had done to troubleshoot it. I was given the option to send it back (free return shipping) for them to look at, or if I had a local tech, I could take it to him and they would credit me for repair costs. I chose the latter. My tech found a wire that wasn't fully shielded and secured that would move enough to ground out on my volume pot after several minutes. He also found an issue with the way the switch was wired at the factory. He contacted ESP, got a copy of the wiring schematic and with some soldering, fixed the problem. I contacted Tech Support with the cost of the repair. Within a day or so, the credit for the repair appeared on my AMEX account. Great experience. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kelly campbell 293 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 Personally I prefer not to be called to find out how my gear is working, but Sweetwater always does. I get the feeling if I had a problem with something I purchased from them they would work to fix it. But basically I only buy there for the free interest. I agree, I live close if there is a problem I can be back there in an hour. I like the interest free credit line. If they want to let me use their money for nothing I will, all the while I dont have to pull mine out of the bank. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
badbluesplayer 659 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 Ryan Murphy's excellent. X 1256. He'll call me even if I only buy 3 packs of strings. You can try switching over to him. I'm not sure how to go about switching your rep without maybe ruffling a couple feathers though..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pinch 410 Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 Big Bill always makes me laugh. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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