Another Chance or No?

[prs19]

Should I put my big boy pants on and just get over it or would you think twice about working with this dealer again?

Just wanted to post about a recent dealer experience I had to see if being this bummed means I should never buy from this dealer again or give them another shot in the future.

A dealer I’ve purchased a guitar from in the past had a very interesting guitar come up as used for sale. I’ve had my eye out for one of these guitars for quite some time. It’s not highly collectible model or color but just one I missed when it cycled around new and is not a production offering.

I was excited and reached out to the dealer to see if they would take slightly less than what they were asking. Not substantial off but any amount always feels good and makes me feel better about any purchase. They countered and I accepted.

We did all this over email. I asked should I buy direct from their site and then they could refund the small difference. They replied to contact the store directly to process payment and asked for a copy of my driver’s license. I had no idea why but went ahead and did it thinking it was their way of ensuring I was serious about the purchase until I could call live. I had meetings at work all morning; using email and online ordering is something I can multitask with in those meetings but not a separate phone call.

Got an email about 4 hours after all this went down and before I could call stating the guitar had sold directly on their website and they were sorry.

It got off with me I must admit. I thought we had a deal and even offered to buy direct from the site but was told to call (which I was when I got free). It perplexed me that I could be told sorry that the guitar had sold but we could not tell the person that bought it on the site that it had already been sold and was still listed in error.

Would you deal with a dealer again or enjoy working with the others you’ve built relationships with?

Man that guitar would’ve been sweet! Maybe another one will come up in the not too distant future.

Have a great weekend all!

PS I asked about wanting a copy of the driver’s license. They wanted a copy of my driver’s license to make sure it matched my billing address and they would only ship to this address due to recent fraud issues they had with online purchases. Not a huge deal but seems strange to require on a customer that’s already purchased a guitar and some accessories from the store in the past.

 

[RickP]

Personally, I’d move on. It’s not unusual for an item to remain for sale until it’s paid for, as people fail to follow through all the time on making that payment call. But they should have made clear that it was remaining available until you paid for it so you’d have the choice. What they did wasn’t wrong or unscrupulous, it was more inconsiderate and indifferent to the customer; two traits that don’t get me excited to deal with a particular seller.

There are too many customer-centered sellers, many that post in this very forum, to deal with someone who makes you feel unimportant as a buyer. My vote would be “Move on, there are greener pastures around the bend.”

And Ish Guitars will do a 4 month layaway. (JUST KIDDING!!!)

 

[andy474x]

Yeah... that sucks, especially if you had sent a copy of your ID. I wouldn't deal with them again. I think there are (sadly) some stores that have fully embraced the "online retailer" thing, and by that I mean things go up for sale on their website, you hit the buy button, they ship it to you, end of story. No human interaction. Basically a guitar warehouse. Sounds like this place is complacent in just selling to people who hit buttons and no interest in conversing with or building relationships with customers.

 

[dmatthews]

Kinda reminds me of a Reverb item "already in a cart".
It would have been good if they'd told what could/might happen.

 

[Wakester]

Most any store won't hold an item, unless you put a deposit down. A Gentlemans Handshake doesn't mean much anymore.It's all about currency anymore. Like the others said, it sucks you missed out on what might have been a great guitar, but that is what happens if you don't jump fast enough.

I am sure something else will pop up that meets your fancy. Move on its not worth the heartburn.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Before I would make a decision to not deal with them again, I would write them a letter explaining what happened and how you feel that impacts your relationship with them. Their response to that communication is what would make my decision on whether to deal with them ever again.

Sorry you had such a let down, but it was not meant to be and the one you finally do find will be "the one"!!!

 

[WEDGE]

Same thing happened to me just recently at Brian’s but they were awesome about it and got me another one of my choice. I guess it’s all about the follow up and how they deal with it because every dealer can have an issue or a bad experience there just human but the guys at Brian’s are awesome

 

[Frank McNerney]

Interesting I think about this type of thing a lot

Fair warning What follows might be considered a RANT

The days of “the customer is always right” seem to be long gone But I feel the fault is with us - the customers
If one person tells a business that the relationship is over No Big deal But if many of us respond to getting treated in a way we don’t appreciate them it might be a Different story
Am I naive ? Lots of people say so but I don’t think so
How do you make the decision to stick with a business or flush them ?
I don’t know But for me I either believe them or don’t Trust them or I don’t like them or not

Ps There are a lot of business’s out there that understand this
Let’s deal with them Encourage them Pass the word around about them

 

[dogrocketp]

My guiding light is never whether or not there is a problem, but how is the problem solved when it comes up. I think Moondog has the right idea. Let them know you’re pissed, and that you’ve bought from them before. It’s possible that you talked to the wrong people at the store. It’s probable that management will be very unhappy with how this has been handled for you.

 

[11top]

But they should have made clear that it was remaining available until you paid for it so you’d have the choice.

This

 

[Drew]

Personally, I’d move on. It’s not unusual for an item to remain for sale until it’s paid for, as people fail to follow through all the time on making that payment call. But they should have made clear that it was remaining available until you paid for it so you’d have the choice. What they did wasn’t wrong or unscrupulous, it was more inconsiderate and indifferent to the customer; two traits that don’t get me excited to deal with a particular seller.

Maybe the OP should have explained to the seller that he couldn't call in for several hours? If the seller agrees to hold it on those terms and then sells it from under him, that puts it in the unethical category. How many times have each of us tried to sell something privately and then get cricket sounds? There are a lot of people out there that are flighty, change their minds on a whim, and I'm sure the seller has encountered a fair number of them. I don't blame the seller at all. We all do what we have to do to survive.

These are business transactions and they aren't personal. I'd go back and hammer the seller for a great deal the next time and bring up the whole "well remember that time we had an agreement and you sold the guitar...." thing to my advantage for an even better deal.

 

[RickP]

Maybe the OP should have explained to the seller that he couldn't call in for several hours? If the seller agrees to hold it on those terms and then sells it from under him, that puts it in the unethical category. How many times have each of us tried to sell something privately and then get cricket sounds? There are a lot of people out there that are flighty, change their minds on a whim, and I'm sure the seller has encountered a fair number of them. I don't blame the seller at all. We all do what we have to do to survive.

These are business transactions and they aren't personal. I'd go back and hammer the seller for a great deal the next time and bring up the whole "well remember that time we had an agreement and you sold the guitar...." thing to my advantage for an even better deal.

Nothing wrong with that if that’s how you see it. I covered all of that in the reply.

Personally, I enjoy dealing with people where business and a friendly relationship come together, and there’s some mutual benefit happening. It’s worked for the forty-something years I’ve been buying and selling gear. I’ve also sold online, with over 1100 feedback on EBay since 1998, and another 50-ish on Reverb since 2015, all positive. So I’ve been on both sides of the sales many times, and in all types of situations: stores, online, local paper, Craigslist, face to face, across town, across the country, and around the globe. Sometimes my relationship is only one sale or purchase in length, but I go the extra few steps to make it a pleasant transaction all around. This has kept my reputation clean for a long time, on both sides of the counter, and that matters to me.

Again, that’s me. And as I said, a seller that does as the OP indicated did nothing “wrong” but his ways aren’t mine and I’d move on to someone who understands business transactions have more than just money and product involved.

 

[11top]

……….We all do what we have to do to survive……..

……..I’d move on to someone who understands business transactions have more than just money and product involved.

 

[Drew]

Yeah...I see what you did there.

Successful relationships of any kind are a 2 way street. The dealer was so kind as to cut the OP a break on said item. The OP's duty then was to get on the phone and complete the deal. Not leave the dealer hanging for multiple hours. I've done this same exact thing with my own dealer. Called up to see if an item was still in stock and asked them if they could hold it for an HOUR. You bet I got my butt down to that dealer in less time than that. There is also no work situation in this world that one can't escape for 10 minutes to take care of a personal matter.

 

[toothace]

My two cents is how does the dealer respond to your comments about this...that's what's important here.

 

[prs19]

All great points folks. Thanks for the insight.

A little more context for some of the posts. The initial emails were before the store opened so I couldn’t call immediately. I also offered to just buy it on their website but was told to call the order in by the store owner and the owner was also who I had been communicating with via email.

I’ve slept on it since yesterday. Sucks for sure, but I’m over it. Wasn’t meant to be I guess. Just expected more from this dealer (which is one you would all know by the way).

My lesson is stick to the dealer’s I’ve built a relationship with that are great like Brian’s Guitars, Ish Guitars, C&M Music, Northeast Music, Dave’s Guitars, and my local dealer The Guitar Shop (aptly named right!). Too many good dealers out there to support that have great customer service than be disappointed as a customer with this one.

Again, thanks for the feedback and have s great rest of the weekend!

 

[aphantomvaper]

Wasn't meant to be...that is awesome exactly how I gauge these things!

You may have avoided a problem altogether by not getting this guitar. Who knows?

I know it sucks to be so close to getting "the precious" and glad you didn't go the Golem route

The next one will be sweeter because you will be sure to nab that one!

 

[AP515]

The guitar wouldn't intonate anyway....

 

[Aahzz]

I'm not seeing where the dealer did much, if anything, wrong. One can always just buy the guitar by clicking on the website. The OP was trying to get a better deal - fair, but takes time and effort from both the purchaser and the seller. Further, he was negotiating outside of business hours. I'd say the owner was already going above and beyond by engaging in business communications when his store wasn't even open as yet. In the meantime, someone clicked the purchase button and paid full price. I think it's fair to assume an item is still available for sale until paid for. As for offering to buy on the website and ask for a partial refund, that's also creating additional work for the seller that's probably more of a pain than processing the sale over the phone. I suppose they could have better communicated the fact that it was still for sale until paid for, but really that's the only issue I see here.

 

[RickP]

You’re going the right direction, @prs19

Just let it go, move along. As you can see, opinions vary on how people do business. Lesson learned, it’s a new day. Enjoy your weekend!