Annoyed at bad customer service!
 

In the big picture, it's only $20 so not worth fighting about but I am pretty annoyed out of principle.


I am working on a project and need some braces. I have to resize them down so initial size is flexible.

I went to a very well known source, that I buy a lot from.

They have "torrified sitka spruce uncarved braces" I pay the $10 or so for these and the outrageous $9 s/h.

Now, note carefully the title of the merchandise I bought "uncarved braces", plural.

What arrived was a single piece of 1"x1" lumber 12" long.......ummmm.....what?

They advertised this as uncarved braces. What they sent me was a single slab of raw brace lumber/stock/material. Not discrete braces (plural) but brace material.

I had a back-and-forth with their terrible customer service rep that didn't understand the wording problem.

I carefully explained that they explicitly called this "braces" as in these are the braces that are not final finished and there are multiple of them. But they sent me a piece of rough cut wood.

He explained that sometimes the wood is a little rough from sawing and if I want to pay to ship it back to them they will send me another.

I explained that it's not a quality issue but a product description issue.

He said he would notify the marketing department but if I want a refund I have to pay to ship it back to them.

I explained that they misrepresented the product and it was like showing a picture of a log and calling it an unassembled house.

He replied by asking me to send him a picture of the defective merchandise.


There were more back-and-forth exchanges but the gist is this:

they don't care
they don't get it
they don't understand simple issues and terminology
they have no interest in trying to help a repeat customer
if they make a mistake you are stuck with the return shipping cost to cover their mistake

That story is sad - REALLY SAD. There is no excuse for a "reputable" supplier to be misrepresenting products. When they make a mistake, and we all make mistakes, they should do everything to make the customer happy.

'Here you go sir'

https://sep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-4446577...s4s-1x6-12.png

'No I asked for a guitar'

'Yes there you go sir.'

'But it is a piece of lumber.'

'A very nice piece it is sir.'

'But I asked for a guitar.'

'If you deeply you will see your guitar sir.'

'But I do not want to look deeply, I just want a guitar.'

'If you do not channel your inner self you will never be able to play this guitar well sir.'

'How am I suppose to put strings on it?'

'Strings are extra sir. We have a course in stringing the guitar, would you like me to transfer you to the educational department?'

'Ahhhhh....'

I feel your pain Fazool, I just got back from the license bureau trying to fix a title issue that should be a simple swipe of a pen but turns into a registered letter, wait 45 days, and then some more documentation to fix. :confused:

Common sense is not so common these days.

Go relax and play a guitar for a few minutes and it will be all good again.;)

If you had purchased more than one, would that then be called uncarved braces?
Truly not trying to stir the pot, as I don't know. Language and mutual understanding can often be difficult.

If you are stewed at StewMac I would say it's pretty plain what they were selling. http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and...ar_Braces.html

Agreed, people need to put their pitchforks away. OP is not making an argument worth supporting.

OP, even if it's from somewhere else, the description is clear as day. This confusion is entirely your fault. The product name is plural because most people will split the board into 2-6 braces, depending on your needs.

Using your faulty logic, you could have also claimed that you expected to receive one torriefied and one standard spruce board... since the IMAGE CLEARLY SHOWS BOTH.




Here's Stew-Mac's description, for those who don't care to click:


Uncarved torrefied Sitka spruce for shaping your own guitar braces.

Sold per piece; three pieces will yield a set of Dreadnought guitar top and back braces.

Approximately 20" x 2" x 3/4"
(508mm x 50mm x 19mm)

OK... maybe they should have titled it "brace billet" or "brace stock..." Whatever it is, there's a PICTURE of the stock, and DIMENSIONS of said stock in the description!

That said, I'd be more pissed off about having to spend $30/bf for some Sitka someone threw in the oven... You can buy EIR for that money!

I might have to sue McDonald's because my hamburger does not contain any ham!

"coincidentally" I got an email just now that they understand and are changing the name of the product.

OK, I don't care who you are, that's just funny!

It might be a dumb way to describe it but a guitar supplier that sells wood to luthiers would understand that luthiers brace guitars to their own dimensions and as such there really is no such thing as selling braces. Selling braces for what? A OOO? A dred? A Parlor? You always buy brace stock unless maybe it's a kit guitar. And it is almost always rough cut lumber. It's good that they are changing the name though, it should be called something like brace stock.

that doesnt sound like Stew Mac customer service. They have always gone above and beyond for me. What company are you talking about??

Thank you on behalf of other people who might misinterpret the misleading product description.

I once encountered a similar "don't bug me" attitude from them regarding a product design they might have been interested in. I was stunned at their lack of interest and "just go away" handling of it. I've not viewed them the same since.

He is talking about Stew Mac.

I deal every day with customers who are unable to read and understand descriptions, regardless of how clearly written they are.

I can fully empathise with the Stew Mac customer reps.