Customer Service (AKA "WHY I LOVE MY DEALER") Thread

[michaelomiya]

Now I know that I've raised this issue in the past. BUT, I have to inquire about the forum's recent retail gear buying experiences, and what everyone thinks of those guys (and gals) who provide us w/ all of our gear, while managing to treat us like we were Eric Johnson, Eddie VH, (fill in your favorite guitarist here).

QUESTION:
Whether it's Steve at Wildwood, Dan at Dan's, Jack at Magdon, the dude's at Willie's, American Music, Gelb, Northridge, etc.. Who do you guys trust and go to, and why?? Got any stories?

STORY:
For example, I've been tracking a custom guitar order from waaaaaaay out of state. I ordered this axe from Brian Harris back in January, while he was still w/ his former employer. The axe has shipped and is enroute to Dallas.

Now been the anal, high-maintenance, detail-oriented, and generally insecure individual that I am, I've called everyone at the store (sales, receiving, purchasing) to alert them of the impending arrival of this custom shop jewel (mainly because the custom shop VP's executive assistant is either unwilling or unable to provide me w/ a UPS tracking number).

ISSUE:
Once I get to the store's head guitar buyer, he tells me that it's HIS policy to pop open the guitar box, take out the guitar and play it, to ensure it's quality before shipping it out. Moreover, he informs me that he and Brian perpetuated this all the time.:eek: :confused: WTF?!?

(BTW, I don't want a guitar w/ maple neck made in the south to be instantly opened in a high humidity warehouse, examined, played, boxed, and then shipped through the desert to CA. Additionally, the maple neck has an oil finish, and we all know that oil finished necks attract dirt and grease like flys to sh*t).

RESOLUTION:
Soooo........naturally I "run to Dad" and gripe accordingly. What does Brian do? (he should've told me to that he's at Charley's in Dallas and no longer able to address my situation). He promptly email's the guitar buyer, and "drop kicks" him in the proverbial nuts. AND he leaves a voice mail basically reflecting the same "drop kick to the groin" message. Evidently Brian still commands a ton of respect from, and exercises a lot of influence upon, this store's guitar buyer.

The outcome and effect of Brian's actions will not be known until next Tuesday/Wednesday. That's not the point. Point here is that MY dealer went way out of his "way" to try an make a difference in my situation and effect change.

Why would Brian Harris do this?

Because Brian cares. He's passionate about WHAT he sells, HOW the gear is presented, and WHO he sells it to. It's called integrity and professionalism. Beyond that, the guy cares about his customers. This is the kind of treatment that instills loyalty. (sound familiar? Not unlike Tom and Roy's daily mission of producing "top shelf" tone machines). And you can bet I'll be a Brian Harris supporter for a very, very long time!!!

Thanks Brian!

[John Price]

I think it's great that a store would take the time to inspect the guitar before it ships!! I wouldn't want my new guitar to arrive with lets say a broken headstock or maybe stress cracks in the neck joint or how about a ding in the finish! The guitar might need a tweek in the setup! the case has a hole in it! Or making sure the specs are correct for the costomers special order! "Chrome hardware instead of Gold!" What's this!!! Damaged in shipping to the dealer that he would have to take action with the shipper before it gets to me! the list is endless and I see it everyday! you have to have trust in the dealer hoping that he/she knows what's going on! I know that this is not always the case, but I do believe inspecting the guitar before it goes out is a good thing!

Hope your guitar arrives safely!

[pluto]

Let me guess-your Charvel has finally arrived? Congratulations!! Cool that Brian went out of his way to help you out. Want more stories-just saw Dan at Dan's Guitars on Saturday. I was playing a cheapo but great acoustic that he's now selling-he offered to give the guitar to me for a 100 bucks less than the cheapest price that I've seen on the internet. Prior to his offer, I hadn't even asked about the price yet. Needless to say, I walked away with another guitar I don't need. I then told him the badcat hot cat amps he carries are pretty cool. He tells me to take them home to try out more if I want. That's the kind of service that makes me go back to Dan's all the time. It also doesn't hurt that his store is centrally located, so when my daughter has to use the restroom and we're in the car, we stop over at Dan's who surprisingly has one of the cleanest bathrooms around (there's also a cool old, pre-cobra TAG poster on the bathroom wall!).

[michaelomiya]

Originally posted by pluto
Let me guess-your Charvel has finally arrived? Congratulations!!

naw... the OTHER one's comin'


Originally posted by pluto
just saw Dan at Dan's Guitars on Saturday. I was playing a cheapo but great acoustic that he's now selling-he offered to give the guitar to me for a 100 bucks less than the cheapest price that I've seen on the internet. Prior to his offer, I hadn't even asked about the price yet. Needless to say, I walked away with another guitar I don't need. I then told him the badcat hot cat amps he carries are pretty cool. He tells me to take them home to try out more if I want. That's the kind of service that makes me go back to Dan's all the time.

yup, that's what I'm talkin' about. BTW, what kind of axe did you pick up now? That's makes 3 this year so far? You're as bad as I am. NOOOOO self control. Hey, whatever. Life's too short to play crappy gear.



Originally posted by pluto
It also doesn't hurt that his store is centrally located, so when my daughter has to use the restroom and we're in the car, we stop over at Dan's who surprisingly has one of the cleanest bathrooms around (there's also a cool old, pre-cobra TAG poster on the bathroom wall!).

amen to dat brah. Eh, when come time fo' keiki 544, eh gotta find clean 'kine spot! Dan's on Berentania?.....eh, get one pen? no, no, not fo' da address, gotta go scratch funny kine stuff 'bout Mark on da Cobra posta!!

[pluto]

Ahhh, the Wolfgang. I thought that order was really messed up! Congrats-what color is it in? That guitar into the VH Phase 90 into your Marshall! WHOA!! Just gotta get that echoplex-Dan has the Fulltone and said it rocks! As for my purchase-a cheap Breedlove Atlas made in Korea acoustic. Believe it or not, I thought it sounded better than the Breedlove US models he has in the store and are set-up just as well. I hardly ever play acoustic, so I'm not sure why I needed it, but the price was cool, it had a pickup, it sounded nice, and best of all-no bridge pins!!!!! :D Oh yeah, maybe next time I use Dan's Guitars' bathroom, I'll draw a cobra, cobra s, and a crowdster on the poster. Gotta update those things!!

[andersonguy]

:o Caution!! This could end up turning into a Brian Harris Appreciation Thread.
My list of things Brian has done for me is a mile long. I will simply put it this way. Brian's first priority is getting you what you want/need. Your satifaction it the utmost priority and he will do anything in his power to make your transaction satisfactory. Honest, to the point, fare. A rare person, has my loyalty for life!!:)
I am lucky to have found him. (you guys ready to puke yet):cool:

AG

[michaelomiya]

Originally posted by pluto
Ahhh, the Wolfgang. I thought that order was really messed up! Congrats-what color is it in? That guitar into the VH Phase 90 into your Marshall! WHOA!! Just gotta get that echoplex-Dan has the Fulltone and said it rocks! As for my purchase-a cheap Breedlove Atlas made in Korea acoustic. Believe it or not, I thought it sounded better than the Breedlove US models he has in the store and are set-up just as well. I hardly ever play acoustic, so I'm not sure why I needed it, but the price was cool, it had a pickup, it sounded nice, and best of all-no bridge pins!!!!! :D Oh yeah, maybe next time I use Dan's Guitars' bathroom, I'll draw a cobra, cobra s, and a crowdster on the poster. Gotta update those things!!

yes the Wolfie! It's Cajun Red, and for the record, I sent pix of Chuck's work over to Meridian. They went NUTS. Evidently, many of the PV Custom Shop guys idolize Tom's work.

Regarding the Breedlove, whoa, those ARE expensive acoustics! I love the body shapes and that headstock. Let me know how it works out.

[michaelomiya]

Originally posted by andersonguy
:o Caution!! This could end up turning into a Brian Harris Appreciation Thread.
My list of things Brian has done for me is a mile long. I will simply put it this way. Brian's first priority is getting you what you want/need. Your satifaction it the utmost priority and he will do anything in his power to make your transaction satisfactory. Honest, to the point, fare. A rare person, has my loyalty for life!!:)
I am lucky to have found him. (you guys ready to puke yet):cool:

AG

hey Rich, make room over at the sink, 'cause I'm gonna be sick too!;)
And regarding the thread, I think it's too late!!:p

[BrianH]

While all this love is much appreciated, I have to point out one thing that I feel is very important. My dear old friend Jeff Ballow, the evil buyer previously mentioned, means absolutely no harm or malice in his intent of opening the box before turning around and shipping it to Michael. And it’s his company’s policy to boot.
From soooo many past experiences both Jeff and I have learned the hard way that not inspecting a customer’s special order before shipping can sometimes bite you. And also remember, Jeffey went out on a limb and busted balls at P.V. to get this order processed (unlike the previous buyer).
While Jeff is no saint, and a far cry from being me, he’s a very good person and I’m proud to have work beside him for many years. He was a great partner and I wish him well in the corporate shark tank that he has to swim in every day. And anytime Jeff wishes to get his hands dirty selling guitars and amps again, I will make a spot for him.

As for customer service; we do it at Charley’s like we did it at the Pro Shop (way back when)….we try to treat people like we would like to be treated…That’s it.

[BrianH]

...And voice mail and email beatings handed to Jeff are something I enjoy from time to time, and obviously he enjoys dishing it as well as receiving it (this is in response to his recent email to me).
Ah…….spreading all the love, or lack there of.

[michaelomiya]

Originally posted by BrianH

And also remember, Jeffey went out on a limb and busted balls at P.V. to get this order processed (unlike the previous buyer).


For the record, I concur wholeheartedly. Jeff went out of his way to motivate the VP of Sales to move my order to the "front of the line" in August. His initiative was greatly appreciated.

So to clarify, if it's the store's rather than the buyer's policy to inspect before shipping, then so be it. What I don't want is to have guitar played. Plug in to test the p/up's, but don't wank on it before me. Again, I have no quarrel w/ Jeff nor his actions to date.

Poor communication coupled w/ impatience has exascerbated this situation to unprecedented levels, and apologies to the board for amplifying it further.

What's ultimately going to happen is that Hurrican Ivan will remedy everyone's pain by wiping out the distribution facility w/in which the guitar currently sits (wherever it is). If you guys only knew the saga/legacy of this poor custom shop axe and it's "birthing" challenges!!;)