Guitar Center just lost me as a customer

HeyMikey · #1 01-22-2018, 03:27 PM

Sorry for the rant, but I need to vent because my head is about to explode over the sheer stupidity of this.

I recently spent close to $3K on new guitar and other gear, and planned to spend more this Spring. Much more spent in the past. On Jan 1st I placed a little $50 online order for some humidification products, and had it 2-day express shipped to my house. It was due on Jan 3rd but never showed up, and I’ve been fighting with GC for a refund ever since.

FedEx claims that it was delivered to my “garage.” I explained to 5 different FedEx customer service reps that since I DON’T HAVE A GARAGE the package was obviously delivered to the wrong address. I also looked everywhere for it. However, their driver claims he delivered it to the correct address so they closed the case. I’ve had 100% successful FedEX deliveries before AND after this event, so it’s clear the driver was mistaken or lied.

After explaining this to GC multiple times they insist that they can’t refund without FedEx approval. I paid through Paypal so opened a dispute, but with FedEx claiming it was “delivered” who knows. The weeks go by and GC still won’t refund a lousy $50 order. Stupid.

They just lost me as a customer, and about the only thing I can do is tell other guitarists about their fantastic customer service. End of rant.

ahorsewithnonam · #2 01-22-2018, 03:32 PM

The problem isn’t GC. It’s FEDEX.

If I sold you a guitar here in the classifieds and you told me it didn’t arrive and Wanted your money back. I would have checked with FEDEX to confirm delivery and that you weren’t trying to rip me off. If FEDEX said it was delivered too bad. Otherwise I’m out a guitar!

Athens · #3 01-22-2018, 03:32 PM

Sorry to hear about your problem. The first thing the sales person should do is look at your history in the computer. With that level of sales, just send the freakin replacement.

Very short sighted of them.

Which store was it? They have a link on the corporate web site for complaints and you might actually get a response from someone in Corporate on this. I did once, kind of nice to know that they actually read those comments.

Goodallboy · #4 01-22-2018, 03:33 PM

I’m sorry for your loss but I’m afraid it won’t change the small amount of business I do with GC.

Could they have had the wrong address? Who supplied it, you or GC?

Hope you win your appeal.

Guildman · #5 01-22-2018, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahorsewithnonam

The problem isn’t GC. It’s FEDEX.

If I sold you a guitar here in the classifieds and you told me it didn’t arrive and Wanted your money back. I would have checked with FEDEX to confirm delivery and that you weren’t trying to rip me off. If FEDEX said it was delivered too bad. Otherwise I’m out a guitar!

Ditto me as well after I read OP and before this. It would be an exception for GC to do otherwise.

3woodengulls · #6 01-22-2018, 03:36 PM

Not sure how this is gc problem. It's fedex not them. What is gc just supposed to take your word that it wasn't delivered and not fedex their carrier service? I get it it's only 50 bucks but still they have a business to run and from the sounds of it they may need your 50 bucks!

llew · #7 01-22-2018, 03:39 PM

Sorry for your experience with GC. I'don't have a GC anywhere near me so I never use them or MF for that matter. If I have to go "big box" Sweetwater is fallback position. I always try to use our forum sponsors as they excel at customer service and have the best pricing to boot.
I've had issues with both FedEx and UPS lately. Just coming off of their busiest time of the year I think the drivers are beyond overworked and may be more prone to making delivery mistakes. Still, you'd think they would go the extra mile to help you find your shipment? I received an e-mail notification from FedEx stating a package had been delivered to my house when it hadn't. They contacted the driver who was no help and basically told me to contact the manufacturer. They were about to re-ship (at their expense and file against FedEx) when a neighbor from up the street showed up with my package that had been sitting in his house for almost a week.
So...it happens. Hopefully your's will show up or at least GC will make it right? Best of luck!

Seagull S6 · #8 01-22-2018, 03:43 PM

That is exactly why you include in the shipping instructions the phrase "No Driver Release". If they claim it was delivered and you didn't sign for it then the Fed-X reps next question would be how would you like your loss paid?

jweave69 · #9 01-22-2018, 03:44 PM

Having driven for FedEx at one time, I can tell you the driver either accidentally hit the garage button instead of front door and someone swiped the package, or he delivered it to the wrong house and is covering his butt. FedEx drivers are mostly contract and the quality is not as consistent as UPS. Hopefully if it was delivered to the wrong house, it will get reported and the package will eventually get to you!

Shades of Blue · #10 01-22-2018, 03:46 PM

Obviously it was delivered to a different address, but I'm shocked GC won't do anything about it. I'd ask for a supervisor.

Toby Walker · #11 01-22-2018, 03:46 PM

This is the problem when dealing with a large music store chain, especially one that deals online. You're working against the bureaucracy and in this case, no matter how much it's FedEx's fault, you're still stuck. It is, as someone has said, not GC's fault.

That being said, I would suggest going down to the local FedEx depot and speak with the supervisor of deliveries. At that level, you may very well get the documents you need in order for GC to issue a refund, or, the FedEx supervisor will instigate an investigation.

I once had a guitar delivered to the wrong address. When I called FedEx customer service, all they could do was to look at the screen on their computer which told them that the guitar was indeed delivered to the 'garage.' I also explained to the agent that we don't have a garage, but to no avail. I then drove down the block, only to find out that the guitar was misdelivered to a house two doors down, that had a garage.

I took it upon myself to drive down to the local depot anyway, where the supervisor in charge promptly apologized.

HodgdonExtreme · #12 01-22-2018, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jweave69

Having driven for FedEx at one time, I can tell you the driver either accidentally hit the garage button instead of front door and someone swiped the package.

This is what I think, also.

Rmz76 · #13 01-22-2018, 04:01 PM

Sorry to hear about your situation. Although I agree that the problem is FedEx (I assume you had a tracking number at some point), the reality is Guitar Center has an opportunity here to step up and they are choosing not to. When you buy from someone on-line the carrier who delivers is a partner in the transaction. Guitar Center made the choice to use FedEx as their carrier and in situations like this Guitar Center has the choice to make a customer happy or to wash their hands of it and point you to the carrier.

I'm guessing you took this up with their customer service reps over the phone and they told you to take it up with FedEx? They've probably been trained to do that and to disregard the amount of money you've spent with them in the past. Sadly, this level of customer service disconnect is a big part of what I suspect has hurt Guitar Center (they are really teetering on the brink of bankruptcy). For the business owners who may be taking Guitar Center's side on this I get where you are coming from, but I'd like to share a story. Last year I purchased a television from Amazon. The TV was delivered by UPS and when I opened to box it was shattered.

I got angry and contacted Amazon's customer service. I was upset because the UPS delivery person in my area is horrible and I had already arranged return and had been given a time window for the UPS driver to show up twice which he had missed (without so much as even leaving a note). So I contacted Amazon explained he situation and requested to drop the set off at UPS's service center myself. Amazon apologized (for UPS's behavior mind you) and then they did something that shocked me. The customer support rep did a "refund without return" and made the funds available immediately for me to buy a different model TV. Amazon could tell I was angry, they knew how much I had spent with them and also knew that in my 10+ years doing business with them that I had never made such a claim. Amazon has the software to analyze customer behavior so their customer support staff could easily assess my level of integrity (at least for their purposes in responding to this event). Guitar Center is a big box retailer with the resources to empower their customer service department with the same technology. Their competition does. I'm pretty confident had the OP been dealing with Sweetwater this would be a non issue.

Look at Amazon continuing to blast into the stratosphere, meanwhile Guitar Center is trembling in the gutter waiting to be rescued by investors or to be put to death.... When the world innovates and you refuse to invest in keeping current and end up handling a customer service claim one way and your competition is bending over backwards and setting the bar at a new high, then your business deserves what it gets. Retail at any level is highly competitive. If your competition has found a way to take care of customers in a way that you can't then they win and you loose. In the end no one cares what you as a business owner can afford or can't afford to do. If you can't afford to match their level of customer service then you better have something else significant to offer.

It's stories like this one I'll be remembering as I'm driving by the abandoned Guitar Center buildings this time next year.

rokdog49 · #14 01-22-2018, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Athens

Sorry to hear about your problem. The first thing the sales person should do is look at your history in the computer. With that level of sales, just send the freakin replacement.

Very short sighted of them.

Which store was it? They have a link on the corporate web site for complaints and you might actually get a response from someone in Corporate on this. I did once, kind of nice to know that they actually read those comments.

I disagree. Why should GC pay for Fed Ex's error.
If GC had to pay for every lost or mis-delivered package GC ships by Fed Ex over a years time they wouldn't be making money for long.
As much business as Fed Ex does with GC I would contact GC and ask them to intervene with Fed Ex and throw their weight around a little.
If they decline, ask to speak to a regional at GC.

phavriluk · #15 01-22-2018, 04:22 PM

Same thing happened to me with UPS. Driver delivered the package to the wrong address. But there was a bit of a silver lining in the technological cloud. When my package was shown as delivered inside UPS's package-management system, the GPS coordinates of where the truck was when the delivery was made and the transaction closed out were noted in the system. I guess that happens every time UPS logs a package as delivered. So UPS could verify that the truck wasn't sitting in front of my house when the package was identified as delivered.

In my case there was concrete evidence that the package was misdelivered. Next week the errant package is sitting on my porch, no fault of UPS I think.