Some of the worst service I've had

[neurotic]

Hello all,

I just wanted to take a moment and share my experience, in hopes that EB steps up their game.

I purchased a Majesty Arctic Dream 7 string guitar, and it's absolutely gorgeous in every way.

Unfortunately for me, one of the piezo pickups was DOA and did not pick up anything from one string.

I promptly contacted EB via phone, who advised that I needed to email their support team.

It took 13 days....to get a mere reply, just acknowledging my issue, also asking me to partially disassemble my bridge to retrieve a color code in order for them to know what part to send.

Now one would think that the serial number and purchase receipt would provide EB with enough information to know what parts are in my guitar? but this was clearly now the case.

So now.. 23 days later!!! I got an email from UPS stating a package had shipped, my emails asking for updates on when/if my item has shipped never did get answered.

To be honest, for a guitar that cost $5,000 CAD, and a reputation such as Ernie Ball, I really expected 'white glove' service.. and was shocked to find out, it was sub-par at best.

Just sharing my own feed back, perhaps this is a fluke.. who knows.

Cheers!

~N

 

[mystixboi1]

Yikes... I’ve never had anything but great CS from music man. I’m sorry to hear about the guitar not working correctly.

Hope you can enjoy it fully when it is fixed

 

[Tollywood]

Welcome to forum. Good luck with your problem.

 

[beej]

The worst service I've had was by a waitress I fondly referred to as "Surly". After bringing me the wrong food, she lipped me off when I asked her about it and then spilled my drink all over me. But hey, maybe I bring that out in people ...

Sorry that you've had issues. They are generally great. Rather than email - which can get easily lost or trapped in spam filters - your best bet is to generally pick up the phone and call them on Monday. (Link in my signature.) I'm sure they can fill you in on the particulars.

As to the cost, outside of the US the costs increase to cover the dealer/distributor in your region who is supposed to help with warranty issues. That is generally supposed to be your first point of contact when something goes wrong when you've purchased a new item.

Hang tight- I'm sure this will get sorted out shortly, and you'll be very happy with the instrument.

 

[Dead-Eye]

Rather than email - which can get easily lost or trapped in spam filters - your best bet is to generally pick up the phone and call them on Monday. (Link in my signature.) I'm sure they can fill you in on the particulars.

According to the original post he did call and was directed to email them.

 

[tbonesullivan]

Sorry that you had that kind of experience. However, often things behind the scenes can delay responses. Would you rather have a "hey we're trying to figure this out" email, or one when "we've got a solution for you"? I work in customer service and UPS claims for a company that sells antiques, ranging in price from around 20 bucks to around 40K. Everyone seems to think that's just a simple thing to fix, but often it is not.

As stated before, you're an international customer, but even domestic customers should usually contact their dealer first with items received DOA. I'm assuming you ordered it and had it shipped to you? Did you contact them?

EBMM could have been having trouble contacting the dealer, who is usually the primary contact.

I don't believe EBMM makes the piezo saddles in house. They may not make the bridges either, so if they are received as complete units, there is no way that EBMM would have a record with the serial number indicating what part numbers were used in the bridge. There may be several companies that need to be contacted regarding that, and maybe the end result was that it was easier to simply get the part number off the saddle than to take a chance on SENDING THE WRONG ONE.

Getting the wrong part out would be what I consider "worst case scenario to be avoided at all costs".

Lack of communication? Well, sometimes people get busy. Giving a customer constant updates can in the long run DELAY RESOLUTION OF THE ISSUE.

 

[beej]

According to the original post he did call and was directed to email them.

Yes, but I'm suggesting that for follow-ups, especially when you don't receive a response in a time frame that you're happy with, that the phone is often the better channel to get a response.

 

[kbaim]

The worst service I've had was by a waitress I fondly referred to as "Surly". After bringing me the wrong food, she lipped me off when I asked her about it and then spilled my drink all over me.

Hate that.
Was in Barnes and Noble (bookstore) the other day buying a book on the making of "Kind Of Blue" when i go to sit down on one of the wooden chairs they have there to browse it first.

Whoever was there before me spilled their fruity flavored drink on it.
Which of course i don't notice.

Until right after i sit down in it.

Worst part was having to wait in that long line to check out with what must have looked like a Depends fail.

 

[beej]

I've been buying stuff from EBMM a long time, and I've never had an interaction with anyone there I would describe as arrogant.

TB- you certainly get to vote with your dollars, but as far as I know, there are no guaranteed delivery dates ... if a dealer told you that, you need to take issue with them.

 

[tbonesullivan]

I wasn't aware you could order guitars and basses direct from the factory.

 

[JamieCrain]

I live outside the US and ordered my Maj from a US dealer. Guitar arrived in perfect condition. I later had a minor warranty issue and contacted EBMM for assistance who grumpily told me my warranty wasn’t “technically” valid because I purchased outside the US. They also said the dealer was in big trouble for selling it to me.
The whole thing was bizarre. Firstly, I bought the guitar in good faith (and I believe the dealer sold in good faith too). Secondly, any issues EBMM has with their dealer is a matter for them and the dealer. Keep the customer out of it! Thankfully the warranty was honoured, but they made me feel like I’d done something wrong and by honouring it they were doing me a favour. Anyway, it’s all good now but I can see why some might think they are rude or arrogant.

 

[Big Poppa]

great...at some point the benefit of the doubt First off Im finding out if the facts are correct...if so we will handle it.

Twang Banger...So we called you to beat you up and treat you unfairly? We reached out to you to advise you that your guitar would be late. (By the way we do not give delivery dates....approximate only....) We asked for your patience and offered to send you a shirt....I apologize if that was not good enough. BTW Your dealer is paid handsomely to handle these issues. Did anyone in anyway specifically articulate that we put your guitar at the bottom of the stack?

Jamie you intentionally circumvented our international distribution network. It is very clear that if you bootleg you dont get the warranty service. If you had bought it in your country you would have had a warranty (which you traded for price) and a team over there dedicated to make you happy. Buyer beware...if you buy grey market you will not get warranty service.

 

[DrKev]

(I see BP posted in the time I took to reply but I'll leave it here)

No EBMM dealer is allowed to ship new instruments to customers outside of their territory. It's part of their contract. The same rules apply to many other brands, e.g. Fender, Gibson, PRS, so they all know about it. If a US dealer sold to you overseas and did not tell you your warranty would only be be valid in the US with that dealer, it was a major error on the dealer's part, assuming it wasn't in bad faith.

This kind of thing comes up a few times a year here, and we warn non-US people planning on buying in the US that your warranty is ONLY valid in the US. That usually means shipping the guitar at your own expense to and/or from the dealer to get an issue fixed, e.g. a lot of time and a lot of money. Yes, buying outside the US is expensive and at times difficult, but if you buy in the US to take it back to your home country you are taking a risk.

Thankfully the warranty was honoured, but they made me feel like I’d done something wrong and by honouring it they were doing me a favour.

The only thing that you can perhaps be blamed for is not realising what I have just written above but EBMM absolutely did you a very big favor!

Folks, at all times, no matter where in the world you are, if there is a warranty issue CALL YOUR DEALER. It is their job to look after you. If you need advice on how to proceed, or help with a dealer, or help with non-warranty issues (e.g. spare parts), call EBMM Customer Service. That's their job.

 

[beej]

That's not aggression, that's the CEO taking time to answer your posts and try to understand what's happening.

Perhaps you don't see the aggression in your own posts on this forum.

 

[Magic Jason]

When I bought my AL Starry Night in NY (from Pete), I knew the warranty wouldn't apply here in Belgium. Should I ever have a problem, I won't have anybody to blame but myself.

When touring the USA the summer before last, I had been warned that MM doesn't offer factory tours. Being 3 miles away, I HAD to see the place where it all happens and gave it a shot. The answer at the door was a polite yet definitive "NO". Didn't even get a sticker. Do I complain? NO. It was my choice not to listen.

Of course some won't like MM politics but they are a successful company ... and the only one that I know of whose CEO adresses complaints!

 

[Big Poppa]

you know this is why Im not here often. A few poison it. I know who the customer is. I learned the most insensitive are the most sensitive. Billy and AJ and the guys in customer service are good guys who care.

Its not ok to use this forum to blast us unfairly. If you do we get to respond

 

[JamieCrain]

Big Poppa, to be clear, I didn’t “intentionally circumvent” any rules. If anyone circumvented the rules it was the dealer, which to my point should be the focus of EBMMs concerns, not the customer. I simply purchased from an international seller as there was no one in my area who was selling the instrument, let alone stocking it. In this era of the internet, i searched a small number of dealers who were selling and called them up and bought from the first one who had the guitar in stock.

The guitar is great, I have no regrets, I am just telling my story and what happened subsequent to that.

 

[Magic Jason]

BP, thanks to you all @ MM. Now that my road has crossed the AL model, I'm much happier than ever before. Thanks for making my life better.

 

[mikeller]

Many moons ago I was near Kalamazoo doing a gig and happened to pop in at the Gibson factory in high-hopes for a tour. Didn't make it past the reception room (which did have several prized and rare models behind glass cases).

I have never had less than stellar service and treatment from everyone at MM.

 

[Magic Jason]

You bet Mike. Everytime I requested information or help, I received fast, accurate and polite answer within hours!