No Bogos and poor service @ GC

[strummer]

just wished shops like that where to be found in Europe as well..

Yeah, walking into a GC is a great treat for us europeans, they have so much stuff! And they all have more MM instruments than any store here in sweden.
The thing that sometimes gets me at a GC is that some staff act more like spoilt rock stars than sales persons, but that's not the rule

 

[Duarte]

Can't wait to go to the US of A this summer, purely for the GC's. Well that's not entirely true, but I want to go anyway.

 

[nicjimbass]

I wondered why I stopped seeing Bongos @ GC. That's kinda the reason I go there, so I guess I can stop! lol

 

[Randy]

I wondered why I stopped seeing Bongos @ GC. That's kinda the reason I go there, so I guess I can stop! lol

 

[WillPlay4Food]

I wondered why I stopped seeing Bongos @ GC. That's kinda the reason I go there, so I guess I can stop! lol

Didn't know that Bongos weren't stocked any more (the couple I saw after Xmas must be NOS), but the last time I was there, probably a 3rd of the enclosed bass room were EBMM models.

 

[T-bone]

GofE,

I too live in Portland and had similar experiences with GC. I would walk into a store and it was like I was invisible. I posted these frustrations here on this board, and Marty responded directly. His recommendation was to introduce myself to the manager of the store, and let him know I was a knucklehead and knew the secret handshake. I can't tell you what a difference that made.

Now, when I walk in, I'm greeted as a member of the family. I've since purchased 2 basses and a Markbass amp, and feel they go the extra mile to support me and my addiction. Feel free to pm me and I'll set you up with the manager of the Beaverton store.

tbone

 

[Big Poppa]

I think thats great TBone but hopefully people looking for our stuff that dont know the secret handshake should get attention too....

 

[Caca de Kick]

I'm the opposite...I want to be left alone in the store. I know how the bass works, and how the amp works, don't want to hear blah blah blah while I'm trying to listen to what I'm testing out. But that's just me....I know there are lots of people new to music that need all the help when they go there.

But all-in-all, all five stores around Seattle are consistant with someone greeting you, and someone walking by you within a couple minutes seeing if you do need any help.

 

[Slingy]

I just flash a stack of hundreds as I'm walking in, that way they know right away that I mean business. Seriously though, go pay cash for a big purchase, they won't forget you.

 

[oddjob]

What's really sad/bad is that I emailed a GC on Sunday about info on a used Bongo5 (since my deal fell through) in inventory - as of today... nothing. I call yesterday and left a msg for the guy in the department. This is like sending up a flare. I know the secret hand shake and no dice. I love GC (most of the time) but there is no excuse for this.

 

[Aussie Mark]

I'm the opposite...I want to be left alone in the store. I know how the bass works, and how the amp works, don't want to hear blah blah blah while I'm trying to listen to what I'm testing out.

+1

Retail outlets that get my business are the ones where the sales staff keep their distance and don't bug me, but are knowledgeable and can answer questions about the product if and when I have questions.

 

[Gordon of Eden]

I'm the opposite...I want to be left alone in the store. I know how the bass works, and how the amp works, don't want to hear blah blah blah while I'm trying to listen to what I'm testing out. But that's just me....I know there are lots of people new to music that need all the help when they go there.

But all-in-all, all five stores around Seattle are consistant with someone greeting you, and someone walking by you within a couple minutes seeing if you do need any help.

As far as I know GC is not a self serve operation. The 2 instruments I wanted to try were set very high in the back corner and I didn't want to climb on the speaker cabs myself to reach them. I also needed a guitar cable and speaker cable.
I'm also sad to admit that I don't know the settings on the 5 way switches on HH and HS Stingray 5's so it would have been nice if the associate knew the answer and ran through it quickly with me.

 

[Caca de Kick]

As far as I know GC is not a self serve operation. The 2 instruments I wanted to try were set very high in the back corner and I didn't want to climb on the speaker cabs myself to reach them. I also needed a guitar cable and speaker cable.

I usually serve myself everytime I go in. There's always a stack of 'green' instrument cables at the guitar counter, I just grab one. And there's always a pile of 'orange' speaker cables behind the cabs. 80% of the time there a stool/bench nearby....

It is mostly self serve, that's why most of the instruments are within reach and everyone randomly gabs and plugs-in. I've been in every store on the west coast from San Diego to Seattle, and it's always been like that for years - or decades in my case.

 

[Casey 2]

Some good comments. It's a mixed bag- There's a point where personally I prefer a Salesperson NOT to "help" me; I'd rather just look around, etc. But they should ALWAYS be available to provide a chord, batteries if needed, or get an instrument down from the wall, and the wait for any of that should NOT be more than a few minutes at most. It depends on the store and on the Manager- Years back I worked briefly at GC, and our Manager insisted we interact correctly- ASK if they needed help, provide it if they did, and if the guy just wants to look, back it off (still try to make the sale, of course!).

No Bongos is their Corporate decision, apparently they didn't sell fast enough, I assume if they did, they'd still be there- The Co. is very market -oriented, statistics-wise. FWIW- It's where I bought mine, so...

And on Page (1) here- Please penalize the poster who used the term "Warwank"- Humor aside, that &^^** denigrates the Forum IMO/IME.
I have a Sterling and a Bongo (and a whole lot more, kiddos!) as well as a "Warwank" which is a superb bass in every respect. As are my MM's.
End of lecture- now go to recess!

 

[Big Poppa]

good comments casey and I dont like negativity expressed regarding any of our competitors....well maybe a few.......

You are right about the sales of Bongos at GC.....My problem is that the sales people I have talked to rarely know anything about them or express their personal opinion about the shape not being to their liking...I ask if they have played it and usually get a "no"

This just creates a sales opportunity for a well informed indie

 

[bubbao]

Poor service @ GC

Gordon of Eden, I'm sorry to hear of your recent GC shopping experience. We're good at a some things but not as good as we could be at others. Still there's no excuse for bad customer service.

Regarding Bongo sales @ GC (story time).....

In 1995 when I worked at the Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks, our sales staff was comprised mostly of guitar players (including me). We all had one thing in common we were intimidated by high-end bass gear. Ask us about a Les Paul and you’d hear every fact and spec. Ask about a Stingray bass or an Eden amp (brand new at the time) and we turned into Homer Simpson. There was one bass player on the crew named Long Lee and he got EVERY bass related sale. Why? He was knowledgeable, he knew the sh*t.

The point is, now as it was in 1995, it all comes down to training.

This year coincidentally we've revamped our sales training to include a focus on high-end gear. In the coming months our sales staff will be certified on brands like Mesa Boogie, Markbass, PRS and Musicman.

Hopefully through this new focused training you'll experience a positive difference in attitude and confidence on your next visit to our stores.

Thanks for the feedback,

Ed Ocean

Buyer
Guitar Center
Weslake Village, Ca

good comments casey and I dont like negativity expressed regarding any of our competitors....well maybe a few.......

You are right about the sales of Bongos at GC.....My problem is that the sales people I have talked to rarely know anything about them or express their personal opinion about the shape not being to their liking...I ask if they have played it and usually get a "no"

This just creates a sales opportunity for a well informed indie

 

[Big Poppa]

Thanks Ed.........

Welcome back!

 

[Casey 2]

Gordon of Eden, I'm sorry to hear of your recent GC shopping experience. We're good at a some things but not as good as we could be at others. Still there's no excuse for bad customer service.

Regarding Bongo sales @ GC (story time).....

In 1985 when I started at the Guitar Center in Sherman Oaks, our sales staff was comprised mostly of guitar players (including me). We all had one thing in common we were intimidated by high-end bass gear. Ask us about a Les Paul and you’d hear every fact and spec. Ask about a Stingray bass or an Eden amp (brand new at the time) and we turned into Homer Simpson. There was one bass player on the crew named Long Lee and he got EVERY bass related sale. Why? He was knowledgeable, he knew the sh*t.

The point is, now as it was in 1985, it all comes down to training.

This year coincidentally we've revamped our sales training to include a focus on high-end gear. In the coming months our sales staff will be certified on brands like Mesa Boogie, Markbass, PRS and Musicman.

Hopefully through this new focused training you'll experience a positive difference in attitude and confidence on your next visit to our stores.

Thanks for the feedback,

Ed Ocean

Buyer
Guitar Center
Weslake Village, Ca

Hey, cool bit of history there!
I'm a Valley Boy, and S.O. GC is an institution here (...in more ways than one!)

Long later opened the LA BAss Exchange in Tarzana that was a haven for bassists; and he was and I assume still is, a great guy-
Dave of course works with Aguilar; spoke with him at NAMM-
AMong others, I saw/heard for FREE!! at Bass Exchange Victor Bailey, Abe Laboriel, (missed) GAry Willis, and TWICE!- Michael Manring- Holy cow-
He does things with the bass guitar that cannot be done.
And FWIW- I've made many purchases at S.O. GC, including BOTH my gorgeous Natural Ash Sterling, my tone-monster Bongo, and even my "Warwank", and every experience there has been totally cool and well-handled.
Thanks for posting btw, it shows that the big boys are in touch!

 

[strummer]

And on Page (1) here- Please penalize the poster who used the term "Warwank"- Humor aside, that &^^** denigrates the Forum IMO/IME.

Casey, good points made, but you have to cut us some slack here. The german oars are about as far from Musicman as you can get, so it's probably not surprising that a lot of us find them less than satisfactory. Also, I think we use misspellings as a kind of nod to the fact that they are good quality instruments;-)

 

[Casey 2]

Casey, good points made, but you have to cut us some slack here. The german oars are about as far from Musicman as you can get, so it's probably not surprising that a lot of us find them less than satisfactory. Also, I think we use misspellings as a kind of nod to the fact that they are good quality instruments;-)

Agree... to disagree.
IME the 'Wicks are not "as far from MM as you can get". Some are, however my $$ eg has some tonal and build characteristic very similar to an EBMM bass- The MEC pups are MM-style so-- point made.

If a player finds them "less than satisfactory" that is no prob whatsoever, that's why there are several makes from which to choose (a number of which, tho highly regarded, are unsatisfactory to me.) I'd see no reason to thrash on them with sarcasm, and at least from the overall tones I've heard, I didn't/don't particularly take it as a "nod to the fact that they are good quality instruments' which they are- personal preferences aside.

"Warwank"??! Doesn't denote admiration, at least in my lingo, and "German Oars?!" but look-
Point is- then I'm done
I'd hate to see this place, cool and fun as it is, and a group hug for MM which I'm glad to embrace- turn into a kick-fest about "other" basses-

I have:

12 Bass Guitars, due to be 14 when two builds are completed. I love e'm and play 'em ALL, and my MM's are right in there- THAT's the way a "group hug" should be done-

And with any luck at all, me & the lady will be in Scandanavia this Summer, something I'm looking forward to very much!