[Bryan Rankins]

Being a Taylor dealer for a number of years, I have dealt with several case issues, but oddly enough, haven't ran into some of the problems you've brought up here. We were all so deeply saddened when they stopped using the pink poodle interior and went to the monkey-but fur, but we were elated to see the much better (larger) hinges that replaced the quaint little ones that would pop off every once in a while. As far as a Taylor guitar not fitting properly in the case that the guitar was shipped in, I haven't seen it ever be an issue. Also to address the situation that NJay was referring to about waiting over 3 weeks to get a replacement...unless Taylor was on their long break over the Christmas holiday, I would say that the fault may have rested on your dealer, and not on Taylor. When I or one of our techs call customer service for a problem, no matter how big or how small, it is handled. I received a case the other day that had a ding in it, and 2 days later I have a replacement. When I have to order a replacement part like a tuning machine or an electronics kit, they typically overnight it to me. I have yet to see Taylor's customer service dept drop the ball on us. Zach, Mike, and the guys (and girls) have always had a genuine concern that something in the field isn't working quite right. And to address the alligator motif that MattJohnPaul brought up...it is a great sales tool when I bring out one of the GS cases or a T5 case and the girlfriend or wife sees it. If she has a purse like, why wouldn't she want you to have a guitar case that matches.
I had a man call me not long ago to tell me his frustrations with the expression system in his guitar. He had it in to the dealer several times and it never was right. He said he would never buy a Taylor again. Turns out the dealer never callled Taylor a single time. He wasn't a warranty center, and didn't do any repairs at his shop. That's not Taylor's fault, but it sure made them look bad until we got to the bottom of things. My suggestion is that you find a local dealer who you can trust, and then patronize the crap out of him.