mads1980 Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 Sent an email 5 days ago to service@gibson.com regarding a Hummingbird pickguard (the guitar is brand new and under warranty). No reply at all. Not even “we’ll get back to you”. This is the first time I ever contact Gibson for service. Is this normal or expected? Any info appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted July 3, 2021 Share Posted July 3, 2021 Email seems to be hit and miss, give them all after the holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 That’s why you need to call them on the Phone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 If the guitar is new you should probably contact the dealer. That's how it's done. That may be why they're not bothering responding. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 I'd guess BBP is right. Sort of like calling GM when your Malibu's sideview mirror wiggles. Part of the reason Gibson doesn't sell through retailers that are clueless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 I agree with the other responses - you need to contact the seller. I emailed them once on a Sunday with a question about pickups. Within 20 minutes I got an answer back that fully explained and gave the information I was looking for. So they can be very responsive. I'm surprised they didn't respond to you at all, but maybe the 4th of July long weekend had something to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 (edited) No! Been there done that! If it’s a Warranty Issue call Gibson on the Phone.. Do not waste your time with Emails.. They’ll take forever or you won’t get a response.. Arrange to send it to Gibson Factory for Repair or Replacement.. Everything else is a road to nowhere but frustration, a less than perfect repair by who knows who & nothing will get done correctly… If you want to return or exchange your Guitar call the Seller… Edited July 4, 2021 by Larsongs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mads1980 Posted July 5, 2021 Author Share Posted July 5, 2021 Thanks for all the suggestions. I figured going through the dealer would be a waste of time, since they would only turn around and contact Gibson anyway. I don't need to send in the guitar for repairs (that would be a whole different story). My issue is that the flubberguard pickguard I received with my 2018 Hummingbird was defective (curled up all over the place and wouldn't stay stuck, even after clamping it down for two weeks), and when I removed it to attempt regluing, it came apart and became ruined. So basically I need a replacement pickguard to be shipped to me (I guess at no cost since the guitar is brand new and under warranty - I registered the purchase and provided proof of purchase to Gibson by email as well). One further comment: I am located overseas (Argentina) and local "dealers" (more like importers, really) have notoriously bad customer service. So I skipped the hassle and went direct to Gibson figuring it would be faster. In any case, I would expect Gibson to reply "you must go through your dealer", but I am surprised that I still got no reply at all. Perhaps the 4th of July holidays has something to do with it ... I wouldn't know. Perhaps I am spoiled because I am in tech industry, and every company I work with has some kind of automatic CRM that replies and tracks every customer service issue. We do this ourselves at our company. Maybe I'm just not used to dealing with "old school" manufacturers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 The plot thickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 1 hour ago, mads1980 said: Thanks for all the suggestions. I figured going through the dealer would be a waste of time, since they would only turn around and contact Gibson anyway. I don't need to send in the guitar for repairs (that would be a whole different story). My issue is that the flubberguard pickguard I received with my 2018 Hummingbird was defective (curled up all over the place and wouldn't stay stuck, even after clamping it down for two weeks), and when I removed it to attempt regluing, it came apart and became ruined. So basically I need a replacement pickguard to be shipped to me (I guess at no cost since the guitar is brand new and under warranty - I registered the purchase and provided proof of purchase to Gibson by email as well). One further comment: I am located overseas (Argentina) and local "dealers" (more like importers, really) have notoriously bad customer service. So I skipped the hassle and went direct to Gibson figuring it would be faster. In any case, I would expect Gibson to reply "you must go through your dealer", but I am surprised that I still got no reply at all. Perhaps the 4th of July holidays has something to do with it ... I wouldn't know. Perhaps I am spoiled because I am in tech industry, and every company I work with has some kind of automatic CRM that replies and tracks every customer service issue. We do this ourselves at our company. Maybe I'm just not used to dealing with "old school" manufacturers? You need to realize Gibson is NOT a Tech Co. Been there done that….. Emails were a waste of time… Do what you want…. Good luck… I bought some Products from a Store in Liverpool, England. I live in the USA. I made a phone call to them, resolved the issue over the phone. I sent them back the wrong Product they sent me & they sent me the right replacement… Fast, easy, no hassle… Dealing via Phone overseas is not that hard…… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mads1980 Posted July 5, 2021 Author Share Posted July 5, 2021 @Larsongs I hear you. But given that English is not my first language, and that I need to furnish proof-of-purchase for service under warranty (would Gibson expect me to fax the invoice over the phone?), I thought that email would be a better choice. It's 2021 after all. In any case, I will call Bozeman if I don't hear back from them over the next few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 4 minutes ago, mads1980 said: @Larsongs I hear you. But given that English is not my first language, and that I need to furnish proof-of-purchase for service under warranty (would Gibson expect me to fax the invoice over the phone?), I thought that email would be a better choice. It's 2021 after all. In any case, I will call Bozeman if I don't hear back from them over the next few days. I wish you the best of luck… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 From Gibson's own warranty page: Quote **Customers who purchased product outside the U.S should contact their local distributor for the handling and resolution of all warranty issues as the above-described Gibson Gold Warranty is not applicable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 (edited) 11 hours ago, pohatu771 said: From Gibson's own warranty page: **Customers who purchased product outside the U.S should contact their local distributor for the handling and resolution of all warranty issues as the above-described Gibson Gold Warranty is not applicable. The best place to start is at the beginning! Mads I think 2 of your 5 days were part of our 3 day Holiday Weekend. Many here were also celebrating seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with travel restriction due to lockdowns, nearly 50 million people left town. Many of those took more than the 3 day weekend. So, I think your plan to give them a few more days to get caught up and call them is a good one. Do not be surprised if they expect good evidence of your being the original owner - replacement pick guards might be new and improved over the one that was on your 3 year old/NOS guitar. They're surprisingly expensive if not under warranty. G'Luck. Edited July 7, 2021 by fortyearspickn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdecantoo Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 1 hour ago, fortyearspickn said: , nearly 50 million people left town Did your power go out again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 I don't think Montana has 50 million people over there by the dental floss bush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 36 minutes ago, SteveFord said: I don't think Montana has 50 million people over there by the dental floss bush. had to be done 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 1 hour ago, gdecant1 said: "nearly 50 million people left town" Did your power go out again? Trying to help the OP from Argentina understand that nearly 50 million people in the US were traveling during this US Holiday, while he was waiting for a response for his pick guard problem, and so Gibson's Service Desk may have been under-staffed. Sorry if that wasn't clear to you. Bet it was to the OP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdecantoo Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 (edited) He clamped it. Broke it trying to remove it. There is no way Gibson will warranty this. Maybe have a little luck with the county’s distributor but he’s screwed. Not because of the holiday or the virus. His email was 5 days before the holiday. I also find it hard to believe that one out of six people in this country left town for the holiday. Actually that might be correct as anyone in the city I live in has to leave town just to go to a grocery store. Edited July 7, 2021 by gdecant1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 4 minutes ago, gdecant1 said: He clamped it. Broke it trying to remove it. There is no way Gibson will warranty this. Maybe have a little luck with the county’s distributor but he’s screwed. Not because of the holiday or the virus. His email was 5 days before the holiday. I also find it hard to believe that one out of six people in this country left town for the holiday. Actually that might be correct as anyone in the city I live in has to leave town just to go to a grocery store. Yes.. if you break it, the Warranty is void. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mads1980 Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 Yes, I understood what the different posters meant. I just did not realize just how many people would be off considering 4th of July was on a Sunday. Hard to know local customs from afar. Anyway, it's been 10 days already and still no reply from Gibson. I did contact the only authorized dealer in Buenos Aires today and they called me back within one hour. So hopefully I'll get some kind of response soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mads1980 Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 Even if this were not covered by warranty (I'm not claiming it is), I would still expect a response from Gibson. Not replying at all would be just plain rude according to my customer service experience (which of I have a fair amount). But I still give them the benefit of the doubt given the long weekend and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mads1980 Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 I wouldn't be so sure. The item was defective before "I broke it". In any case, I wouldn't mind paying for it. But replacement original Hummingbird pickguards are nowhere to be found. My first reaction was "well, I'll just buy a new pickguard and be done with it", but when I found I couldn't do this, that's when I figured I would contact Gibson. Other posters have expressed similar problems with flubberguard-type pickguards. So much that there are entire threads on this topic: In some cases Gibson eventually provided replacement pickguards at no cost, even the true historic "celluloid" type, instead of flubberguard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mads1980 Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 (edited) FYI the local authorized dealer spent 30 minutes with me on the phone and will get things sorted out (even though I bought the guitar somewhere else). So I guess it should be resolved soon. Thanks for everyone's input. Edited July 7, 2021 by mads1980 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Proving it was defective after you broke it may be hard to get them to buy… Good luck.. In 2 separate Warranty situations on 2 different Guitars Gibson didn’t respond to any of my emails.. Until I contacted them via Phone… And, I live in the USA! In any case I hope you get it resolved & love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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