PRS OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE

[Ampguy]

PRS Guitars is one of the finest companies in the US!

Over the years, I have had a couple of finish issues on core models that I bought new from authorized dealers. PRS stepped up to the plate and not only corrected the problems in a timely manner, but did an amazing job. I even had a 2008 Custom 22 rebuilt and re-finished, after it was damaged by a large rock being thrown at it, during a break-in to my house. They did an incredible job replacing the ebony fingerboard, re-creating the abalone shadow birds, while changing the color of the guitar to a color which I had requested. I currently own twelve PRS Guitars and two of their amplifiers.

I can't say enough about how great this company is. Would Gibson or Fender take care of their customers like this, I doubt it. This is all the more reason to buy new PRS Guitars that have a life-time warranty. Thanks Paul for creating a 1st Class company.

 

[Boogie]

It’s perfectly ok to preach to the choir!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Amen

 

[bodia]

I feel the same way. I've had two warranty issues that were taken care of promptly. One took a little longer as they waited until Paul got back from he road so he could sign it. I've also had two refinishes done. Couldn't be happier about the support I've had.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

And I sit on the other side of their excellence. I have 5 guitars and have had 3 amps, and have never had one thing go wrong with any of them.

I had a fret marker inlay just fall out of another premium brand guitar, when the guitar was 16 months old. I won't mention the name, but you guys know what I have and I'll give you a hint, it's the JP12BFR. "The company" replied to my email... "It is well out of warranty, but we agree that this shouldn't happen, so if you pay shipping both ways, we'll fix it for free." Needless to say, I was underwhelmed and disappointed. (And no, I didn't go to EBMM forum and start complaining. ) In fact, my email had mentioned that I had 3 EBMMs including another one I had just bought new (Cutlass). So I dropped $7K on new EBMM guitars in less than 2 years, and they wanted me to pay shipping to and from California.

I mentioned that I bought it at Willcutt, and asked that since they had such a good repair shop and I was 2 hours away, if I took it there in person and had them do it, would they pay for the repair. (Seemed logical to me... ) The answer was no. Ship it to them, pay for shipping back, and they would fix it for free, or else I'd have to pay for the repair. I even took pics of the guitar to show that there wasn't one mark on it, so they knew it was not being abused or something. Didn't matter. I figured shipping to and from California costs more than the repair would, so I dropped it and never mentioned it again, until you just ripped the scab off again! HAHAHAHA

Compare that to the stories I hear about PRS here, or my own with Taylor, and they clearly aren't ready to play in the big leagues when it comes to service. I had a finish issue on my 16 year old Taylor, and they offered to send me a shipping box with prepaid shipping to the factory, to repair it, and send it back. For all they know, I could have spilled something on the guitar or something (I didn't). But like I said, they not only offered to cover shipping both ways, but they ship you a box to ship it in! THAT is getting done, boys. PRS and Taylor are THE examples for premium brand service, that others should aspire too. I'm sure there are others that DO. But not all... that's for sure.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Side note: I'm sure this doesn't mean a thing to anyone (meaning EBMM), and again NO I didn't go to their forum and say this, but this above is the ONLY reason I don't also own a Majesty. Not that I never will... these guitars I have are great! But that left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[László]

I had a new Singlecut Artist with an unusual problem. I didn't even contact PRS' customer service. I mentioned it to Jack Gretz, and he thought it should be looked at. I made no stink over it. I posted nothing here. Truthfully, I didn't think it was a big deal, I knew PRS would fix it.

Well, PRS arranged to take a look at it, and much to my surprise, I got a phone call from Paul R. Smith (the person), who conferenced in the PTC team to discuss what was going on with the guitar.

I did not even remotely expect anyone from PRS to call, and about fell off my chair when the voice on the other end said, "Hi Les, this is Paul Smith."

This was quite a few years ago. Paul didn't know me from Adam, there's nothing special about me that prompted that call. The problem was simply so unusual that Paul wanted to discuss it.

No one gets a call from Leo Fender or Orville Gibson, right?

"Because they've been dead for quite some time now, Les."

"Fine. How about a call from Henry Ford the Fifteenth or whatever number they're up to now? He callin' anybody about their car? Anyone here ever hear from Bob Taylor, or Chris F. Martin the Umpteenth? No. But I got a call from Paul R. Smith (the person)."

That's about as good as it gets when it comes to treating customers like their problem matters. Because this stuff is important to PRS.

 

[Moondog Wily]

And Martin won't even respond to my emails about resetting the neck on my 1971 D12-20! I have lost a lot of love for them in the past two years for a couple of reasons. Like Harley Davidson, this American icon has lost it's way IMO ;~(( I had an issue with EBMM as well, but not a warranty one. I too want a Majesty, but not ready to give them any money because of the way I have been treated in the past as a customer.

Power to the Paul!!!! And my money! Lucky for me, all three of my PRSi were purchased brand new so I have warranty for life times thrice!!! Good to know they are ready to handle it properly if it is ever necessary!

If anyone has a recommendation on who to use to set the neck on my Martin, feel free to chime in ;~))

 

[dmatthews]

I'm a guy who didn't deserve warranty in a classic sense.
I got it twice with absolutely no questions asked.
Didn't expect it at all.
Customer for life.

 

[Drew]

Side note: I'm sure this doesn't mean a thing to anyone (meaning EBMM), and again NO I didn't go to their forum and say this, but this above is the ONLY reason I don't also own a Majesty. Not that I never will... these guitars I have are great! But that left a bad taste in my mouth.

I've had direct experience with EBMM customer service/warranty. They've always been top notch. Yeah, they won't pay for shipping outside of warranty. There are reasons for this. They've tried really hard to keep their pricing out of the stratosphere in the past few years. You can still get a Majesty in the mid 3k range. Equivalent PRS guitar to that would be a 10 top CU24 which is nearly 1k higher. So, while PRS will do more for you in these kinds of situations, you are definitely paying for it on the front end. In getting back to EBMM service, not only would they have fixed the inlay issue, they would also have completely set your guitar up, cleaned it, rewaxed the neck (if maple) and generally sent you back a factory spec brand new playing instrument. Having shipped guitars to MM (sometimes just for their stellar setups), I can say that the shipping cost is really not much at all.

You definitely want a Majesty. The 20th anniversary is out of this world good if you can still find one.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Yeah, they won't pay for shipping outside of warranty.

The warranty is one year. My guitar was 16 months old when the inlay fell out. Played in rotation with many others, this thing had maybe a months worth of playing on it.

Like I said, shipping to and from California cost more than the repair, so in essence what they offered was worth nothing... If they'd even said they'd ship it back, I would have done it. I'm sure they get discounts and can ship cheaper than I can.

 

[Tom Bradovich]

I had a new Singlecut Artist with an unusual problem. I didn't even contact PRS' customer service. I mentioned it to Jack Gretz, and he thought it should be looked at. I made no stink over it. I posted nothing here. Truthfully, I didn't think it was a big deal, I knew PRS would fix it.

Well, PRS arranged to take a look at it, and much to my surprise, I got a phone call from Paul R. Smith (the person), who conferenced in the PTC team to discuss what was going on with the guitar.

I did not even remotely expect anyone from PRS to call, and about fell off my chair when the voice on the other end said, "Hi Les, this is Paul Smith."

This was quite a few years ago. Paul didn't know me from Adam, there's nothing special about me that prompted that call. The problem was simply so unusual that Paul wanted to discuss it.

No one gets a call from Leo Fender or Orville Gibson, right?

"Because they've been dead for quite some time now, Les."

"Fine. How about a call from Henry Ford the Fifteenth or whatever number they're up to now? He callin' anybody about their car? Anyone here ever hear from Bob Taylor, or Chris F. Martin the Umpteenth? No. But I got a call from Paul R. Smith (the person)."

That's about as good as it gets when it comes to treating customers like their problem matters. Because this stuff is important to PRS.

This story is truly phenomenal. I would have choked to get a call like that from PRS himself. So great to read these positive examples of world-class customer service.

 

[László]

This story is truly phenomenal. I would have choked to get a call like that from PRS himself. So great to read these positive examples of world-class customer service.

Tom, the word, 'flabbergasted', applies here.

I'd never met Paul at that point. I hadn't even raised the issue with customer service! I figured it was a simple fix, and that would be that.

When Paul R. Smith's voice appeared at the other end of the telephone, I was literally blown away and felt like my tongue was nailed to the roof of my mouth. To be frank, I felt I wasn't even worthy of getting a call from The Man.

I have a long time-friend (40 year friendship) who's now a dealer for a highly respected competitor, and he offered me good deals on their guitars and amps. I thanked him for the offers, and told him if I wanted the brand, I'd surely have one, but I'm only buying PRSes, regardless of the deal.

So, yes, I'm paying retail for PRS when I could get a better deal on another very highly regarded brand. Call me crazy. That's how strongly I feel about being a PRS customer.

Edit: OK, yes. I'm a little on the extreme side of PRS fanboihood. . Are you surprised?

 

[Tom Bradovich]

Les, your story made my day. And no, not surprised on your PRS fanboihood. There are far too many companies today that follow some twisted calculus leading them to believe that customer service doesn't matter. Refreshing to know that PRS does not subscribe to that.

 

[HANGAR18]

...while changing the color of the guitar to a color which I had requested...

I'm glad that worked out for you. I on the other hand had a guitar refinished by PRS but did NOT get the color I wanted. I didn't say anything when I opened the case right there in the lobby. I just said thank you very much and went on my way... and then traded in the guitar because I didn't want it anymore. I still love PRS but I think that getting the requested color right is still a weak spot in their capabilities. (Insert Tag's story here.)

 

[László]

I still love PRS but I think that getting the requested color right is still a weak spot in their capabilities. (Insert Tag's story here.)

I won't say that color shouldn't be important to someone else. Every iteration of Tag's guitar looked beautiful to me.

They've certainly gotten my special orders right over the years (there have been ten or twelve, usually I just pick something from dealer stock, including a couple of PS models I've got).

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Another interesting topic...Its been written many times before...when a chosen wood/top is carved into, it can absolutely take on a totally different figure.
Of course, this is out of their control. Especially if the customer picks a specific top from flat maple billets.

The same can be said, maybe to a much lesser degree, on stains on wood. Like Les, I would have been thrilled with ANY of the different shades on Tag's "Pomegranate" guitar.
(My only complaint would have been if it was too dark, and the figure didn't stand out enough.) Staining is such an artform, and it's absorbed differently into each piece of wood.

Personally, I see myself doing something similar to Hangar18, if its not close to what I expected.

Edit: IIRC: Tag was taken care of , so the Thread topic is involved with this entry...I think I was getting off topic.

 

[HANGAR18]

I won't say that color shouldn't be important to someone else. Every iteration of Tag's guitar looked beautiful to me.

They've certainly gotten my special orders right over the years (there have been ten or twelve, usually I just pick something from dealer stock, including a couple of PS models I've got).

Well in my case, I now know exactly what went wrong. (Hindsight being 20/20.) I had two quilted red guitars in the PTC for service/repair/upgrade at the same time. The first guitar was an older rotary switch era guitar which had a stunning red color to it which was called Black Cherry. The second guitar was newer and it too had a red finish but it was a different kind of red which had also gone bad with a cloudy white haze inside the finish. So I said that I wanted the refinish of second guitar to be the same awesome black cherry finish of the other guitar. The problem was that in 2013, PRS was also offering a black cherry finish but it was a lot darker and not at all what I had in mind. So, the message that got sent to the paint booth was "Black Cherry" and nothing else. So they finished it in a 2013 Black Cherry and not a rotary switch era Black Cherry. When I picked up the guitar, THEN I was told that finish colors are limited to the current production year. HAD I KNOWN THAT... I would have selected a different current production finish color.

 

[Hesh]

I seem to be the only person experiencing issues with their quality and customer service. I decided to purchase a Silver Sky as my first ever electrical guitar based on the countless reviews raving about their even production, quality control and customer service.

I've had the neck replaced twice now due to different defects and oversights but still can't claim the third one lives up to expectations.

 

[SinSir]

I seem to be the only person experiencing issues with their quality and customer service. I decided to purchase a Silver Sky as my first ever electrical guitar based on the countless reviews raving about their even production, quality control and customer service.

I've had the neck replaced twice now due to different defects and oversights but still can't claim the third one lives up to expectations.

If a company replaced my neck twice on a guitar I'd think the customer service was doing a bang up job. That's three necks! Maybe the SS isn't for you is the real solution.