Why... WHY does Guitar Center suck so bad???

[Californiaman]

Yeah Neo,

now I want to go check her band out. I think she plays with one of the local youth groups on Wednesday nights.

[Howlin4Hubert]

Awesome stories! Very sad though since it just wouldn't have to be like that. Here is my sad little tale of the last time I purchased something at GC.

 

It was a little over a year ago. I went in because I saw that a Martin gift set of a rock's glass and acoustic string set was on clearance. I knew my wife had been wanting that gift set, she loves guitars as much as I do and was really wanting the glass, so I decided to get it and surprise her with it. I walked into the store and right there close to the front door was the gift set with a large sign advertising the clearance price.

 

I grabbed one and headed to the cash register. The price rung up as the original full price. I pointed it out and the kid, whom I had dwelt with before and has always been a jerk in the past, tried to argue that the higher price was the correct price it was just that they had forgot to pull the clearance sign. I laughed inside, wondering how many stores put something on "clearance" and then put it back to full price a few days later. I also knew that he was incorrect as it was in the latest add and had just gone on clearance that week so I argued the point. He finally relented and explained that the price was set in the computer and he couldn't change it but he would do something special in how he rang it up and give me the correct price. I handed over my card and kinda stopped paying attention. I signed on the bottom line and got the receipt. That's when I realized that he charged me more than the advertised price. I was mad, at him for lying to me and at myself for not paying attention.

 

I decided to not mess with the jerk any more and headed over to discuss the situation with the manager of the guitar area. He was a good guy that seemed to know his stuff, had always been helpful, and always seemed to be looking out for the customer. Right away he was very apologetic and refunded my money. He then went to ring up the gift set and again it came up as the full price. He tried to adjust the price but said that it was locked by corporate and there was no way he could change it. We discussed how stupid that was but concluded with him saying that there was nothing he could do. However if it was OK with me he would charge me the full price and then comp me the difference on my next purchase. Since it was a gift for my wife and I wanted to get going I decide to do it. Plus I also remembered that I wanted to get some wall hangers for my guitars so I asked if he would be OK with me getting them with the discount. He said yes so I went and grabbed 4 of the $15 ones. I think he felt really bad for all the hassle I had to endure and that what should have been a 5 min purchase turned into a 40 min nightmare so he charged me $16 for all 4 of the hangers. I was finally happy and knew my wife would be too, which she was.

 

On the way home I thought about it and I felt good knowing that at least some people working in the BIGSTORES were good people and looking out for the little guy. I even thought that maybe GC wasn't so bad and that I would do more business there, just being careful of who I let help me. That was until a few weeks later I stopped in and asked how the guitar area manager was doing since I didn't see him around. I was told that he had been fired for doing somethings that we not "according to store policy". I haven't really bought anything from them since.

[NeoConMan]

Yeah, no good deed goes unpunished, eh?

Bastards.

 

When I get it all typed up, I'll post my last guitar purchase from them in 2003.

The story would be hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic.

 

One good guy there DID get promoted though.

His name is Andy Besecke, and last I heard he was running the Summerlin store in Las Vegas.

I last spoke with him in 2006, and he remembered me.

I thanked him again for helping me out in 2003 at the Tempe AZ store.

[Californiaman]

What are the odds that some corporate puke from high up on the Guitar Center food chain is reading these wonderful posts about the company?

Do you think they might learn something from all of this?

Only when monkeys fly out of my butt!

[NeoConMan]

Part 1.

 

So, in 2003 there was a confluence of events that culminated in a showdown at the GC Corral.

Like so many good stories, this one has a number of elements combined to make it the tragic/comic tale it is….

 

I was on a P-90 pickup kick.

I had a cheapo SG Junior with one, gave it to the daughter of a lady I was dating.

I was looking at the Fender Strat O Sonic, basically a SG with a Fender Strat shape.

Really – Mahogany body in Crimson Red, shorter scale, set neck, Fender Dove P-90’s, very different from any of the usual Strats. Made in USA, and pricey at a little over $1,000.

 

Fender quit making them after a short run and I was waiting for Guitar Center to blow them out on clearance – then I would snag one. I rarely buy at GC for reasons too numerous to list here, but I wanted this Strat O Sonic and they could get it from another store.

Turns out I missed the blowout sale, and the last one was sold for $600 – so they said.

 

 

 

Okay,

I’ve always been a fan of the Guild BluesBird, it’s basically a chambered Les Paul with a slightly larger body.

A great local band, Roger Clyne and the AZ Peacemakers uses one, Steve Larson is the lead guitarist.

After talking to him (his has a Bigsby from the factory) I had decided I wanted one of them as well.

 

Then I saw they made a version of it called the Blues 90 with, yep, Duncan P-90’s.

I guess that would be cool too so I was researching them all I could and found production had stopped on the Guilds too.

DAMN!

 

Well, I asked the GC guys if they had seen such an animal.

They confirmed that they were out of stock with no more coming, and used was all I could hope for.

 

Disheartened, I went home and forgot about it for awhile.

Memory fails me here, but I believe I got a phone call from Llanno, one of the 12 Wise Assistant Manager Men.

He said he had located just what I wanted at another store and was SO EAGER to take my credit card number and have it shipped in for me.

Well, I thanked him for his efforts and told him I would come to the store in a few days to talk it over with him.

Of course, I immediately got the hard sale from him with “Ya know this guitar is perfect, it ain’t gonna last!”

He would NOT take no for an answer, I almost had to hang up on him…

 

 

 

I lived about 60 miles from the Tempe Guitar Center, I was way west of Phoenix out in the desert (still am) and Tempe is way east. On my next day off, I took a drive over there after calling to be sure the guy I spoke on the phone with was still there.

Oh yes, they couldn’t wait for me to get there, they found the PERFECT guitar for me….

Uh-huh.

 

Now, I’ve seen the dirty tricks GC pulls for over ten years at this point.

I KNOW they are young guys on commission with managers on their *** to make sales.

This is a recipe for disaster, most of these guys are so stupid and shameless in their sales approach it defies belief.

I’m a smart guy, I already smell a rat, and my Bullsh!t Detector is on Hi.

 

So I get to the store and they roll out the red carpet for me “Hey Man, good to see you! Glad you made it back!!!”

Okay, so tell me about this killer guitar.

 

“Well, it’s Trans Red with a killer flamed Maple top. It’s pristine, flawless, in the original factory hard case.

No wear at all, it was probably a collector piece and sat in the case all the time.

It has the Seymour Duncan P-90’s in it, and it sounds sweeter than ANY Les Paul with P-90’s!

It’s built better than a Gibson, ‘cause you know Guild builds a damned fine guitar.

This is the deal of a lifetime, you wanna get it shipped in from our other store?”

 

I ask them where it is, they get all cagey and elusive. “Um, it’s in another one of our stores…”

No sh!t.

 

I ask them if it was made in the Guild factory in Rhode Island, or the Fender factory.

(Fender bought Guild and closed the factory a few years later. The RI guitars are actually more desired.)

I mean, a Guild that’s not built by Guild? Something wrong with that.

Well, they don’t know the answer to that but they can call and find out.

Then one guy pipes up “It’s a Rhode Island guitar” and smiles real wide.

Sweet.

 

I tell ‘em to ship it in, and then I’ll take a look at it.

“Oh, no can do Man.”

Seems the guitar is in a GC store in Oregon, and they have to do an inventory swap or buy it outright.

 

Well, I’m not paying ten bucks for a guitar I’ve never seen so we have a problem here.

I just drove 60 fxcking miles on my only day off to get the song and dance from a whole store full of you fxckers…

I was ready to walk out, the only thing keeping me from going ballistic on the stupid bastards is my girlfriend being there.

 

They tell me it’s the deal of a lifetime and a rare piece, so hold on a minute and see what we can do.

I mention the fact that there’s one thing missing.

I haven’t heard a price yet.

What’s the number?

 

“Oh, well, we’ll get something worked up for ya – just hang on a minute, take a look around the store.”

I tell them I don’t want to look around the store, I’m here for one guitar, and one guitar only.

I’m working 90 hours a week, get two days off a month, I don’t have TIME for this sh!t.

Give me a number, cut the sh!t, or I’m outta here.

 

This is where Llanno, one of the 12 Wise Assistant Manager Men gets involved.

He’s from Texas like me, so we can actually see eye to eye it seems….

He explains that I can pay for the guitar in full, and it will be overnighted in from Oregon.

If I don’t like the guitar, I get a complete refund – no questions asked, no bullsh!t, no problems.

 

I had the cash in my pocket to buy it, but decided to use a card to have some extra recourse.

 

Okay, I’ll do it, but if there’s any issues with the guitar a refund ain’t gonna cut it – I’ll want a pound of flesh.

Llanno kinda smiles, then realizes I’m serious.

He says “Look, I don’t want MY *** kicked, okay? The guitar is perfect. My buddy up there tells me so.”

Alright, so I pay Guitar Center $1,300 for the guitar which is almost what they sold for new.

Hey, if it’s THAT rare and THAT nice….

I tell them not to bother with overnighting, save some money because it’ll be at least a week before I can get back to the store to pick it up.

 

 

To be continued...

[NeoConMan]

Part 2.

 

So I pay Guitar Center $1,300 for the guitar and the wheels are set in motion for me to receive my Guild Blues 90.

 

A few days later, I called Fender Customer Service to get the scoop on these guitars.

They tell me the serial number protocol to determine if it was made in Westerly, Rhode Island by Guild or in Corona, California by Fender. There are a few minor cosmetic differences with inlays, the neck profiles are a little different, but nothing serious. Fender confirms that there were indeed few of these built, especially with P-90’s.

 

 

Several days later I get a call from the Tempe Guitar Center while I’m at work.

“Hey man, you’re guitar just came in. Man, is it SWEET! When ya comin’ in?”

 

Well, I was building a new power plant and we had to beg to get days off during construction.

Long days, running my butt off 14 hours straight, I was very busy and wasn’t that excited at the moment.

I asked if it was everything they promised - remember all this?

 

Trans Red with a killer flamed Maple top. It’s pristine, flawless, in the original factory hard case.

No wear at all, it was probably a collector piece and sat in the case all the time.

Seymour Duncan P-90’s in it, and it sounds sweeter than ANY Les Paul.

Built better than a Gibson, ‘cause you know Guild builds a damned fine guitar.

This is the deal of a lifetime.

It’s a Rhode Island guitar.

 

It was their description that sold me on the guitar – after all, this is a fine piece and impossible to find.

 

I told them I would be over in a few days to pick it up, and the guy seemed puzzled.

“You wanna get it today?”

I told him that there was no way I could make it today, I’ll be over in a few days when I can take off work.

“Well, we’re open until 9:00, you could get it tonight. What time do you get off?”

 

(Heavy sigh…)

 

I explain to him that when I get off tonight I’m going straight to bed, and after six hours of sleep I’ll be at work again.

I’m 60 miles away across the fifth largest city in the United States and I’m frankly too tired to care.

“Well, you gonna come in this weekend and get it then?”

No, I’m working all weekend….

“You’re working the whole weekend?”

Yes…

I remind him that I already paid for the guitar in full, and that I’ll be over there in a few days to pick it up.

“Oh, okay man. Thanks!”

Grrrrrr……

 

No bullsh!t, I’m NOT kidding, I got at least three more phone calls that played out the same way.

 

To be continued...

[myspace.com/jessenoah]

this is gonna be SWEET!

*evil laugh

 

im off for a shower and a shave, looking forward to war stories of a ton of midwestern bad-assnessness and a GC floorboy shrimp getting a whoopin!

[NeoConMan]

Part 3.

 

When I finally got a chance to drive 60 miles back to Guitar Center to pick up my Guild Blues 90, it was a different story.

I told the first guy I could grab (they were busy) that I was here to pick up my guitar. They didn’t seem to care.

I had 3 or 4 people ask “Are you here to pick up the Guild?” but nobody was bringing it out.

Strange....

 

Finally one guy says “Yeah, they had it hidden in back. They found it.”

So he steps up to the computer and starts typing like a mad man.

He says ‘Yeah, this was big deal. All kinds of people involved here. We shipped 'em a Mesa Boogie Road King in trade.”

 

Wow, that’s a high dollar amp, eh?

 

Finally, one of the guys comes walking out of the back with a big square case and a huge smile on his face.

He makes eye contact with me and says “alright!!!”

 

I notice the case is a little beat up, certainly not new – and says Rickenbacker on it.

Hmmmm…..

I can hear the guitar banging and sliding around inside the case when they lay it down on the counter.

The open the case and then they all have this big smile on their faces.

 

The guitar looks like sh!t.

 

Really.

It looks like they pulled it out of a dumpster behind Taco Bell.

I looked at them, didn’t move a muscle, and they’re all still smiling the big stupid smiles.

I ask them if this is a joke, because they are ALL smiling way too big.

 

At this point, I’m seriously wondering if I’ve been punked.

Are there cameras in here?

I realize this is real about the time one of them says “What do you think?”

 

I think I’m in no mood for this sh!t. I haven’t had a weekend off in months, I’m tired, and this is completely unreal.

I’m trying to remain calm, and I quietly point out that the guitar looks like it’s had cheese and peanut butter rubbed all over it, it’s covered with greasy fingerprints and dirt, the strings look like barbed wire, and that is NOT the original factory hard case.

They just stand there, no response, like they can’t even see the guitar.

Am I crazy? What the fxck is wrong with these people?

 

I finally tell them with all the quiet determination I could summon “You call this pristine? Are you fxcking kidding me? Is THIS the kind of sh!t you call flawless and perfect? How does a guitar even GET that fxcked up and nasty? Somebody better come up with some answers pretty fxcking fast, this business transaction is hereby cancelled.”

 

Nobody says a word and all but two of the guys suddenly disappear like rats off a sinking ship.

 

I’m not interested in taking the guitar home in the least, and I’m about to tell them to refund my money since they didn’t seem to get the hint so far. I’m being quiet, saving loud for my next strategy if they don’t cough up a cash credit.

 

Finally, one of them figures out that maybe I’m not completely thrilled with this piece of sh!t, and says “So, are you saying you don’t want the guitar?”

It was all I could do to resist breaking his G@ddamned nose.

I told him that was indeed what I was saying.

 

He said “Well, let’s see if we can clean it up a little bit – see how it looks then – okay?”

 

I told him he could shove it up his *** for all I cared, I want my money back NOW.

“Oh, well, let me…. see…. who’s available to work with you on that…” and he starts to walk away.

I stopped him, leaned in real close, told him there will be no ‘working with me’ since Llanno said I would get a full refund.

He hauled *** into the back, along with just about everybody else working there.

 

Soon, one of the flunky kids comes out of the back, picks up the guitar and says “We’re gonna clean this up for ya, Boss!” and smiled as he walked away. I asked him if Llanno was here today and he didn’t even look back when he said “Llanno’s off today.”

Figures.

 

Now I’m standing at the front counter of the Tempe Guitar Center and I see NOBODY in the store except for a few clueless kids playing guitar.

The place is a ghost town, and there was nobody around that I could choke.

 

To be continued...

[NeoConMan]

Part 4.

 

I’m trying to decide what my next move is, whether assault is actually gonna be required to get my money back, etc.

In probably ten minutes, while I’m thinking this over and planning my statement for the police, a couple of them come marching out of the back carrying the guitar.

No kidding, it looks pretty good.

 

This is gotta be the fastest restring and polish job I have ever seen, and I’m actually impressed.

I take the guitar in my hands for the first time, and as I’m looking it over one of the guys keeps rubbing little spots with a polish cloth. Kinda irritating, but hey, he’s really trying to make sure it’s clean.

 

I check the obvious – headstock is cool and has Grovers, neck joint looks fine, no signs of stress or repair.

Neck is straight, fretboard no longer has dirt/peanut butter along each fret, and there’s no discernable fret wear.

The body is surprisingly free of dings, and the Maple top is indeed very flamey and uniform.

The ONLY flaw I see is the presence of swirls in the finish, probably from wiping all the sh!t off the guitar.

Pots all roll smoothly, selector snaps up and down firmly.

 

The guitar really is pretty damned nice.

It’s gonna take a little more effort to get the last of the CFS (crusty fxcking sh!t) off, but I’m thinking I might take it.

I would have never believed it without seeing it, but it really was what I wanted.

 

Here’s the deal, the guitar was only two years old so how did it get SO fxcked up?

I’m serious, it could have sat in the park with pigeons sh!tting on it for a month and still looked better.

How does a guitar get THAT bad? From gigs?

How did the strings get so rusty?

Nobody had touched that guitar since it was new, was it traded in at the other Guitar Center looking that bad?

 

 

“Okay, so is that good enough for you?”

I just sort of look at them, still pissed and now dubious that it actually cleaned up so well.

“Do you wanna plug it in?”

No. I was way too pissed to play a guitar.

 

I decided I might take it after all, but what about the case.

“Oh, yeah, we’ll get you a case.”

 

So they try to fit it in a factory Les Paul case, explaining that is probably better than the Guild case anyway.

Nope. The body is too wide, it won’t fit.

 

Now they’re off in the back trying to find a case that will work.

I finally catch one of them and ask about the ‘original factory hardcase’ it was supposed to come with.

“Oh, yeah, we were surprised it came in the wrong case too…”

 

I tell them I want the case the guitar came in, not some half-baked bullsh!t like the Rickenbacker case it shipped in.

“Do you want us to order you a case?”

If that’s what it takes, then yes, I want you to order one.

The guy gets on the computer and starts clicking around saying “I hope they’re still available since the guitar is out of production…” I don’t care, it’s their problem to get me the right case, so I just stood there quietly holding the guitar.

 

Then I get the classic Guitar Center line of bullsh!t;

The guy whistles while looking at the computer, leans back and says ‘Wow, that’s an expensive case.”

He then says slowly “Looks like it retails for $289… I can get it to you for a little… under… $200. Ya want it?”

I resist the urge to assault the guy and just say to go ahead and get it.

He clicks a few more times and says “Done! Should be here in a week or two.”

 

Okay, so I hand the guitar to the guy and tell him to call me when the case comes in.

He looks a little puzzled, so I tell him that every guitar I own has a factory hard case.

When MY Guild Blues 90 is in its hard case I’ll take possession of it and take it home.

He’s incredulous at this point and asks “You’re leaving the guitar here?”

I tell him that indeed I am.

They can work on getting the last of the CFS off the guitar, and when the case arrives they can call me.

 

I walk out the door, and get in my truck to drive back across Phoenix the 60 miles to my house – without my $1,300 or my Guild Blues 90. While on the road, I call Fender Customer Service to ask about the availability and cost of the case.

The guy says they still have plenty in the warehouse, and that the list price on it is $189.

That means a street price of 1/3 off, so the case should cost a customer less than $130.

This also means it cost Guitar Center $80 max, and they expect me to pay an additional $120 over THAT?

 

Looks like the Prison Sex never stops when you’re dealing with Guitar Center, eh?

I thanked the Fender guy for the info and hung up.

I don’t care what it costs Guitar Center, I ain’t paying for it.

These crooked thieving m@therfxckers have no idea who they’re messing with.

Then the phone calls started…

 

To Be Continued...

[myspace.com/jessenoah]

damn it

the suspense is killing me

!!!

[NeoConMan]

Part 5.

 

I get a phone call from Guitar Center that very afternoon, so I don’t answer it and let it go to voice mail.

“Hey, yeah, I uh… just wanna let you know your guitar is ready to go. You can pick it up anytime…”

 

I KNOW exactly what will happen if I carry that guitar out of the store.

I’ll NEVER get a case.

Once they get rid of me (they ALL hate me now) they won’t return my phone calls.

I’ll never get a straight answer out of them.

They’ll never spend $80 on a case to make the deal right after all this has gone down.

 

I don’t trust the bastards and they’ve proven that anybody who does would be a fool.

I don’t know who actually manages the store, but they’re ALL coordinating their efforts.

 

My phone then rings at least once a day from them, they always leave the same message.

It’s like they’re pretending they don’t know why I left the guitar there, or that there’s no case.

 

Finally, I answer one of their calls one day when I had some time to kill.

“Hey man, you’re tough to get hold of!”

I tell them that I’m a very busy man and I don’t have time for bullsh!t. Is my case in yet?

 

Now they start fxcking playing dumb.

“The case? Yeah, it has a case with it…”

You guys were supposed to have ordered the correct factory hard case from Fender a week ago.

“Oh, yeah, um, can you hold a minute while I go look into that?”

No, I’m at work. I gotta go. Call me back when you have some good news.

Click.

 

In a matter of minutes, my cell phone rings again and they leave another message.

This time it was a ‘manager’ and he’s expressing his concern for my guitar.

Seems that Guitar Center cannot be held liable if something happens to my guitar.

They ordered the correct hard case for it, but they would really like for me to come get the guitar and take it home for safe-keeping. It’s a very expensive guitar and he’s looking out for my best interests in case something happens.

The guitar is constantly being moved around and set aside, it’s confusing with all the inventory they have.

 

Aw, the poor bastards.

I continue to ignore their calls for another week or so, and they NEVER got the hint.

 

Finally, I get the message that the case has arrived so I call ‘em back.

I couldn’t resist, so I asked them if it was a Rickenbacker case.

:-)

 

The guy was confused, then I guess he got the joke.

“No, no, it’s the real deal Guild case. It’s really nice too. Definitely worth the money.”

I don’t say a word regarding the price, and I tell 'em that I will drive 60 miles to the store ONE MORE TIME to get my guitar.

 

Weeks have passed now, and when I get another day off I drive over there.

They were very matter of fact, the case was still wrapped in plastic and had shipping tags on it.

They carry out my Guild Blues 90 (which does indeed look good) and slip it in the case. Perfect fit.

Looks like we’re good to go.

 

The kid at the counter is looking through a huge stack of papers while a Wise Assistant Manager Man is running thru stuff on the computer a million miles an hour. I ask if we’re done, since I’m ready to go and he says “Hold… on… just… a minute… Almost done.”

They continue clicking and typing, flipping through paperwork, the kid at the register is clueless.

The Wise Assistant Manager Man finally says to the kid “Here’s the discount, ring this up like this, do that over there, etc.” and then walks off.

The kid is all alone now and he says “Okay, looks like your total is gonna be (around $200)”

 

I tell him that it’s paid in full, I don’t owe a nickel on the guitar.

He’s obviously uncomfortable realizing just now that his boss just fed him to the sharks.

The kid looks like he’s about to pee his pants and says “No, this is just for the case. You paid for the guitar.”

 

I tell him that this case is the case I paid for 6 fxcking weeks ago when I bought the guitar.

“No, you don’t understand. The case is priced as a separate item and is sold separately…”

 

ANYBODY WONDER WHY I’M SO HARD ON PEOPLE WHO DON'T GET THE CASE THEIR GUITAR WAS SHIPPED FROM THE FACTORY IN?

This is why.

 

I tell the kid that I’m won't beat him up because he’s just doing as he’s told, but his manager is about to get his *** kicked.

The kid looks at me like he’s about to cry.

I ask him what happens if I walk out that door without a receipt, I suppose I’ll be shoplifting, eh?

“Yes sir, that’s correct.”

Then I need a piece of paper stating that the case is paid in full, so I have a warranty on it and the whole nine yards.

I don’t care if you pull it out of your ***, or I have to take it out of the manager’s ***, but I want a receipt NOW.

Get your manager back up here.

“I think he’s busy”

 

Grrrrr.....

 

Okay, that’s it. I’m done.

I tell the kid to get the manager or call the police.

“Excuse me?”

I told him that I will be shoplifting here in a few seconds, and I will beat the fxck out of ANYBODY who tries to stop me.

I asked him if he would like to go get his manager now and he replied that the manager was with another customer.

I told him that as far as I was concerned, GC had no other customers at this moment, and I would clear the store to make sure.

 

The poor kid is now scared, and thinks I’m insane, so I see I’m finally getting through to them.

He goes over, interrupts the manager, has a short talk with him, then the manager comes stomping over – pissed.

He would NOT look me in the eye, and started banging away on the computer.

 

He mumbles something about not being able to print a receipt without a sale.

I tell him I don’t care if he writes in blood on a cardboard box.

He finally looks up at me and in a really smartass tone says “We’re giving you a huge discount on that case you know…”

You mean the case I ALREADY FxCKING PAID FOR WHEN I BOUGHT THE GUITAR 6 FxCKING WEEKS AGO?

 

He finally gets tired of beating on the computer and says “Go.”

 

Excuse me?

 

“Just go, take the case and just go. We’ll figure this out later, you can just get out of here.”

 

I tell him I’m not leaving until I have receipts with my guitar AND my case on them marked as paid in full.

I can see he’s getting really pissed and would probably welcome a fist fight with me.

This is where I finally felt like I was getting through to these m@therfxckers.

 

He WANTS me out of the store and can’t get rid of me without proper paperwork.

He KNOWS he can’t call the cops because he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

He NEEDS to get me out of his store because customers are starting to walk out.

He DOESN’T want cop cars in his parking lot.

He FINALLY realizes that he’s been out-*** holed by the biggest *** hole he’s ever met.

He REALLY wishes he could get the damned computer to cooperate.

 

Finally, he stuck a wad of receipts in my hand, pointed to the door and just said “Go.”

 

Okay, I turn to go out the door and the slutty little 90 pound tattooed Goth Chick starts to reach for my receipt.

Yeah, let’s see her make sense of THIS wad of sh!t!

:-)

 

The manager yells over “It’s okay! He’s fine! Let him go!”

Believe me, this guy wanted me out of that store like I was a Black Mamba.

Good.

 

 

 

So, I walk out to my truck thinking the case is really nice. Padded handle, thick Tolex.

After all these weeks, after all these trips across Phoenix, after all the voice mails, after all the lies, after all the bullsh!t, I’m finally done. This is where my bulldog tenacity is at its best.

 

These *** holes, and retailers everywhere else rely on the fact that 99 out of 100 people will eventually go away if you give ‘em enough bullsh!t. Businesses can engage in this sort of practice if YOU let them.

 

 

So, for $1,300 and all that bullsh!t I got this;

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have at least a dozen other Guitar Center stories, ya wanna hear them too?

:-)

 

Nah, this is by far the worst.

This shows how determined they are to fxck any customer they can, and the lengths you will have to go just to get them to honor the deal THEY MADE. I asked for NOTHING special, no favors, no freebies.

All I wanted was what they agreed to sell me.

All I wanted was a fair deal.

You guys out there thinking GC treats you okay, they will if you don't ask too many questions.

[FennRx]

more stories. i found that very amusing.

[NeoConMan]

Has anybody shopped at GC recently and paid for their "performance guarantee?"

 

I noticed this the other day.

When they ring ANYTHING up they ask the customer if they would like the performance guarantee.

 

What a sweet deal.

Selling people a warranty on something that already has a warranty from the factory.

 

If it's f-ed up and you bring it back to GC with a receipt, you'll get a new one anyway without the 'guarantee.'

Why volunteer to pay more money for something to get the very same service?

[callen3615]

Keep em commin neo. I love this!

 

Has anybody shopped at GC recently and paid for their "performance guarantee?"

 

 

 

Its a joke.

 

Last time I bought a crybaby from hell up there. I was paying for it and the dude wanted me to buy there "performance guarantee?". I said no thanks. Then they say something like " are you sure, what if it breaks??? Your going to be stepping on it alot...", the I say "I know how retail works....I dont want it."

 

[renin74]

Neo, that is why I buy from local dealers, like Bizarre. For real weird stuff, I will call Saul at Centre City music. I also like Cave Creek Guitars, he gets cool Fenders and PRS and cool used Gibsons. HIs prices are great too. FOr example, he had a Geddy LEe Bass for $899, when Sam Ash sells it for $1299! hopefully see you at Bizarre this afternoon...

[rocketman]

I told him that I will be shoplifting here in a few seconds' date=' and I will beat the fxck out of ANYBODY who tries to stop me.

[/quote']

 

Well Neo I know that I would never mess with you. This is exactly why I used to bring my drummer with me when I knew trouble was brewing (he's 6'4" and built like Arnold). Keep the stories coming. One of our goals should be to make this thread the first hit when someone googles "Guitar Center!"

 

Beautiful guitar!

[myspace.com/jessenoah]

how about some pictures of the case

:D

[callen3615]

More stories! I love this!

[NeoConMan]

Part 6.

The EDS-1275 Double Neck Story

 

So, the Guild Blues 90 with the case episode occurred in 2003.

I was back in the store looking around a few months later and one of the 12 Wise Assistant Manager Men remembered me. It’s funny, Llanno and everybody else were gone, there’s a whole new crop of promising young commissioned sales kids.

 

Anyway, the Assistant Manager today was a guy named Andy Besecke.

I had seen him a couple times before, but he wasn’t involved in the Guild fiasco.

He smiled and asked how I was doing, and all I could think is he probably feels like a seal swimming in a shark tank now.

I sort of chuckled, exchanged greetings and platitudes, and asked him if they had anything new and cool in stock.

 

He mentioned a few new Gibsons, Fenders, and another item or two – nothing terribly out of the ordinary.

 

Anyway, I was allowed to walk around the store quietly and completely unmolested by any of the “sales” staff.

I bought something from them, maybe a Warwick Rockstand for 7 guitars though I don’t remember.

I do remember I bought two from them about this time, got the floor display at a good discount both times with no fuss.

 

Anyway, my shopping experience this day I spoke with Andy was stress-free and pleasant for a change.

As I was at the counter paying my tab (always in cash) Andy came over and bumped the kid off the register, sending him on an errand. He quickly got me checked out and finally said something to the effect that he was sorry about the whole Guild/case thing.

He told me it was handled very poorly, that everybody was involved but nobody was doing anything.

EVERYTHING fell thru the cracks, so to speak…..

 

I explained to him that’s exactly why I deal with ONE PERSON when I do business anywhere.

I can expect that one person to know everything there is to know about my merchandise and money.

 

He agreed that was an excellent policy and said he encourages the same among GC employees, but it’s hard the way the managers jerk everybody around on hours. With a young workforce, people call in sick a lot or don’t show up.

When they do actually come to work they do stupid stuff (like theft) and get fired. This leaves a retail store with a constantly short staff, constantly calling people in to work, then giving them more days off to keep their hours capped. Nobody likes getting jerked around like that and you can’t blame them for quitting if they can’t even get 40 hours a week and their hours are changed everyday - thus a revolving door of fresh new “sales” kids…..

 

Anyway, I was most pleased after my brief conversation with Andy Besecke and felt a little better about the whole Guitar Center chain.

This was in 2003.

 

 

 

Fast forward to 2005, I was looking for a Gibson EDS-1275 double neck.

I had been all over Ebay for months and seriously considered two used ones at Bizarre Guitar.

Mike at Bizarre said they were both smoking deals though they cost as much as a brand new one.

They were approaching vintage age and were in excellent shape.

 

Before I could get my mind made up, they both sold.

Dammit.

Mike said I could order a new one, now they were coming out of the Custom Shop and had the logo on the back of the neck to prove it.

It would take a while to order one, but it was not a problem.

I had already ordered a PRS Custom 24 and had been waiting for months to get it, I wasn’t interested in another order.

 

Weeks later I was in a different Guitar Center in Phoenix and I see they have a new 1275 exactly like I was wanting.

They get it down and let me look it over, and wow…

This is NICE.

So, I ask them about a price and they quoted something well in excess of $3,300.

Hmmmm……

 

Well, it’s a rare guitar so price may be something I have to live with.

 

So, a few days later I’m talking with Mike at Bizarre again and asked him what it would take to get one.

He called Gibson and then called me back later that day.

He quoted me $2,475 and 6-8 months build time.

Hmmmm…

 

I think this over for a month or so, then decide to go back to Guitar Center and see if they will deal on the one they have.

I walk in and see it sitting on a display rack where every kid can reach it.

Great…..

I pick it up and I’m disgusted by the damage it has suffered.

It has scratches ALL OVER, dents and dings, even bent pot shafts on the volume and tone.

Remember, these guitars are very heavy and cumbersome. Without a strap, they are a b!tch to hold and play.

Here’s proof.

 

One of the ‘sales’ kids comes over and smiles, asking “What do ya think? Nice, eh?”

I hold it up and show him some of the obvious damage, and he’s oblivious.

I guess I’m supposed to be spellbound by the guitar and overlook its condition.

 

I don’t want the guitar, there’s no way I would buy one THAT beat up for any price.

Still, I’m curious what it would sell for so I ask him to get me a number.

“You wanna buy that today?”

Grrrrr…

 

Yeah, cash deal, what’s the best number you can give me?

After much effort and a little theater at the computer while he magically conjures up a special price for me, he tells me it will be $3,300. With the condition this thing is in? Are you kidding?

 

“Yeah, those guitars are made in the Custom Shop and impossible to get. This is the only one in town.”

 

I point out that there’s no Custom Shop logo on the headstock, and he asserts that it was made there anyway.

“So, you wanna take this Bad Boy home today?”

Um, no, certainly not for THAT price.

 

(Here’s where my Bullsh!t Detector started alarming inside my head.)

 

“Well, you can use Guitar Center’s in store credit if the price is a little scary. 12 months no interest – “

I cut him off and told him he was right about the ‘no interest’ because I have no interest in financing a guitar.

What about a cash price?

 

“Um, let me see….”

So he goes back to his high energy theatrics on the computer and says “Well, that’s about all I can do.”

 

Okay then, I thanked him for his time and left.

 

To Be Continued...

[callen3615]

Go Neo go!

[Bowdiddley]

Neo is the man! I bet they love to see you coming!

[kmartem]

Neo, Glad I made you smile.I did'nt feel unethical at all, they had the price on the guitar and thats that.I certainly would'nt ask to pay more.Here's another story for ya.We have 3 G.C.'s in the Denver area within 30 miles of each other.I work right in between so I used to visit them alot when they used to have good deals(untill they drove the mom and pops out of business.)They had a great deal on ES135 5 years ago and I was turning 50 so I decided thats what I was getting for my birthday.I went to all 3 store and played about 15 different 135's and found "the one".No flaws played like a dream.Once again I asked for the case and they had to check yes it did come with a case.I waited 10 min. and the salesman comes out with a beautiful brand new Gibson case with a veil and everything. We put the guitar in the case and whoa it was a tight fit just barely fit.I ask the fellow this can't be the right case can it it barely fits .He tells me they make them that way so they don't slip around.It was a nice case and it did shut so I took it and went home.Played the guitar for awhile and went to bed.When I woke up the next morning and got it out to play it it was cracked all the way down the 3 ply side.Do you know how hard it is to crack plywood.I took it back and insisted that the case was the wrong size only to get poo..pooed by the salesman.All that searching and leg work for nothing.I remembered there was another one at another store that was really nice but was'nt the color I wanted.(some of these were real trainwrecks mind you.)I went to that store bought that guitar and when he brought out the case low and behold it was a different case with quite a bit if room for the guitar to fit in.When I told the salesman there my story he said That must have been a ES 335 case because these 135's are thicker then the 335's.Thats just one more of my G.C.stories

[callen3615]

Ok. Part 7 lets go.

[?_?]

BWAHAHAHA.

 

I wonder how many of those kids must have soiled themselves. Good thing for your dynamic physique.

[dem00n]

BWAHAHAHA.

 

I wonder how many of those kids must have soiled themselves. Good thing for your dynamic physique.

 

 

...lol!