Guitar Center Visit: Lying or just Stupid?

[TDavis]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

In fairness, Martin has come out with so many different models in the past twenty five years that I find it virtually impossible to keep up, and I’m neither lying nor stupid. If the manager didn’t know what he had, maybe he had a few thousand other things to keep up with that day.

By the way, back when I was working retail, if a customer got that vitriolic about one of my fellow employees, whether my manager or anyone else, I would have said: “Nice talking to you, sir,” and walked away.


whm

As usual, Wade...on the nose. I’m a retail sales manager (automobiles) and I’ve fought the stigma of the “lying, cheating & stealing car salesman” for 34-years. If a customer calls me or one of my guys stupid, ignorant or accuses them of lying...I try to keep my mouth shut, and walk away.

[hairpuller]

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

Wow. I've never experienced anything like this. My GC staff have always been great. My Platinum rep is one of the nicest guys I've ever met and a great guitarist as well. Most of the people working there are also working musicians trying to make it and GC is where they can work and get health benefits while working gigs at night. I wish everyone who feels like you, those who would never buy a guitar at GC, would stay away so those of us who actually purchase there had fewer people to wait for.

I'm in this camp, too.
scott

[CoffeeFan]

I always get a kick out of people who waste so much of their life demeaning Guitar Center.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

I’ve never, and would never consider buying any acoustic guitar from GC. Their sales staff is typically young know-it-alls who are unwilling to admit that they don’t know what they don’t know. Sadly, most of their customers know even less, and are easy “marks”. While picking a cable or strap I’ve heard some “interesting” conversations between two people intent on convincing the other they know what they’re talking about. 😁

I wonder if young know-it-alls are worse than old know-it-alls.

[RP]

Originally Posted by TwoMartinMan

...Makes me wonder: was the manager lying or just stupid?

Why does it have to be one OR the other and not both? My guess is that someone overlooked the discrepancy when taking the trade-in, and the manager conjured up an explanation that wouldn't be questioned by most beginning guitar shoppers....

[mdshax]

Let me guess--it was the younger guy with the wavy black hair, looks like he weighs a buck fifty soaking wet? I live in the area and that particular GC is problematic at best. Outside of a couple exceptions, all of the employees there are either completely apathetic, woefully uninformed, or both. I've passed up buying a couple guitars there just because of the one younger manager who I suspect is the culprit here (a person who refused to discuss a discount on a $2k+ used acoustic that had been sitting there for 6 months, but said he could throw in a pack of strings and I would have to take it or leave it--I left). I much prefer dealing with the Towson store, where the employees might not have a great deal of knowledge but are at least eager to be helpful.

That said, there's an African-American female manager named Nicki who works at that store. If you call her, she is pretty good about trying to work out anything. She also came from the Towson store originally. She also shreds metal on an electric, but that's another story.

[guitarxan]

On Friday my old playing partner, who was visiting from the east coast, and I went into the Scottsdale GC to pick up a mike stand. Of course we took a trip to the acoustic room.

What a disappointment.

We played 3 Taylor’s including a 317 GP,414ce ,a Martin D18 and a Gibson J45 Studio. ALL of them were virtually unplayable with action so high and strings so dirty they were disgusting. My partner and I just shook our heads and walked out.

I do t think I’ll buy anything there again.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by guitarxan

I do t think I’ll buy anything there again.

Have you bought anything there in the past?

[pdidmh1]

I don't know. I have bought a lot from my local Guitar Center. Just bought a new 814 Taylor. They take care of me just fine. YMMV

[Larry Mal]

Originally Posted by TwoMartinMan

I pressed the salesman for his own opinion, which he would not give me, referring only to what the manager had told him to say. He looked up the guitar on the inventory computer which had it listed as a D-16GT and quoted me a price of just under $900. I told him that a DM went for less than that brand new back in the day. He said the best he could do was knock off another 10%.

Makes me wonder: was the manager lying or just stupid?

What do you really expect these people to do? You think the salesman will contradict his boss? Why?

Just move along... there's plenty of D-16s out there with gloss tops you can buy. None of this stuff is all that rare or that interesting to get worked up at the Guitar Center employees over.

Originally Posted by TwoMartinMan

It was clearly a DM model from the old Road series from a few years back... clearly marked "DM, Made in USA" label inside the sound hole, no finish...

So it was raw wood? Sounds like there was just a total breakdown of communication and expectancy around Guitar Center that day.

[DukeX]

Originally Posted by TwoMartinMan

Caveat Emptor, people...

That is true for any purchase, anywhere, any time.

[guitarxan]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

Have you bought anything there in the past?

Yes, lots of things. A Fender Hotrod 52 Tele, A Fender Blues deVille, a Baby Taylor, countless pedals, strings, a Yamaha Mixer and 2JBL Eons. So over the years I have been a GC customer. over the past year I have watched my local one go downhill in terms of service and quality. I get it’s a vicious circle with big box stores, but I walk into my struggling small guitar store in my hometown and every guitar is playable, unlike the acoustic room I experienced last week.

[roylor4]

"Makes me wonder: was the manager lying or just stupid?"

Could be none of the above. Could be:

A) Doesn't care
B) Has no wish to have a debate with a customer that may/may not even be buying
C) Doesn't want to get it wrong and chewed out/fired for losing GC money
D) Just dealt with a difficult customer or employee and doesn't care to engage w/someone

Along with myriad other reasons.

Personally, the folks at my local GC are typically friendly and more often than not, helpful. The guitars in stock are mostly in pretty poor shape for new guitars. Missing knobs, missing strings, (SUPER) high action, rusty strings, etc are the norm.

[sakar12]

I'm a fan of GC. I've purchased many things from them over the past few years and met their regional manager. As a lefty, I've lamented to him that I have to special order my guitars and therefore can't return them. He gave me his personal cell number and guarantee that if I special ordered from the factory through them, didn't love the guitar and wanted to return it, all I had to do was give him a call--he'd take care of me no questions asked.

Yes, the strings on their guitars are old, but I've made friends with most of the workers in 2 local stores and have zero complaints whatsoever.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

There’s also the old-time Charlestonian usage of the word “pixilated” - to indicate someone who’s slightly daft, or perhaps just marches to their own drummer...

I like using the word - numpty. Has a nice ring to it.

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

I’ve never, and would never consider buying any acoustic guitar from GC.

I bought my custom Martin from my local GC several years ago. The two sales droids that was "working" with me each had their own, incorrect, (lying? who knows?) stories regard the history of the guitar. In the meantime, I jotted the S/N down and when I left the store, I did my own detective work, before going back and buying the guitar. Turns out, both of those droids were lying, or at least, coming up with a couple of pretty tall tales about the guitar. Oh yeah, did I mention they had no idea what it really was they had.