So 3 days ago I find out there's a guitar center approx 10 minutes from my house. i was incredulous at how i didn't know about this. I've been under a rock for a while but come on. then I found that it's only been open a couple months. I found all this out because i was looking online for a new strap for my new Lester. so i drive over there and while I'm driving I think to myself; I could probably get a job there for some discounts or something fi I wanted. I know my shit. I'm a pretty proficient player. Then I walk into the place and my first interaction was "if I had to work with the dude who greeted me. I'd kill him" And then the music playing in the overheads hits me and my toes start to curl. i buck up and walk all the way in and kinda peruse the shiny glittery things and I notice someone at the register with dark hair up in kind of a loose bun. thin, white blouse. Ok ass. The head turns and there's the scruffy beard. Fuckn shit! A dude! goddammit! (not that there's anything wrong with that) so he walks over doing some finger exercises to show me that he's a wizard guitar player or some shit. so I order the strap I want and leave. Gotta go back on Monday to pick it up.
You wonder how living in the Portland Metro area how I could never really set foot into a Guitar Center. well I rarely buy anything new and my buddy owns a music gear only pawn shop. the only one like it around. So that's usually where I buy my gear. that or CL.
/guitarcenterblog
Yeah it's rough. I find it to be a shameful process not unlike entering an adult bookstore. :-[
But my favorite description of GC was offer by the diddler when he complained that the bus route was too close causing the place to be swarmed by junior high kids :D
I stopped in GC today after work because I wanted to try the Gibson SG bass that was there.
As soon as I walk in I hear some dude slapping and popping the shit out of a bass. I have never been a fan of slap pop shit so right away I was annoyed. Not to mention that he was playing loud as fuck.
So I tried the Gibby out, decided that I dug it, and left.
GC is good for trying stuff out, but unless I got a really really good deal on something, I would never buy an instrument there. The people that go in there and just beat the shit out of the stuff with little regard. And the employees could give less than a shit because they are making slave wages. And most of them are douche bags.
Minimum wage + commission (rarely), It's total garbage pay.
Details on the strap, good sir.
I just ordered a bass rig online which I had to pick up at Guitar Center, unfortunately. While I was there, I also picked up some AIDS.
You can get good deals on used shit online from them
Sign in GC Keyboard Dept: "If you play "Jump" you will be ejected from the store immediately" :D
Remember, stores closing down is your fault for not shopping there, not the stores fault because fuck shopping in that place full of cunts.
Well, that
+ the internet
+ manufacturer exclusivity contracts
+ Obama ruined everything!
guitar center and musisiansfriend 15% off sales USED to be great! now they have like every name brand excluded from the sale.
Quote from: Lumpy on September 09, 2012, 05:20:27 PM
Sign in GC Keyboard Dept: "If you play "Jump" you will be ejected from the store immediately" :D
We put "No Stairway" on the Marquee.
Quote from: Instant Dan on September 09, 2012, 04:22:20 PM
Details on the strap, good sir.
It's a mono cases gs1. Looks comfy and able stand up to a 12 lb Les Paul. The
Main strap I use on all my number 1's is the same one I've had for 20 some odd years
Quote from: everdrone on September 09, 2012, 07:18:05 PM
guitar center and musisiansfriend 15% off sales USED to be great! now they have like every name brand excluded from the sale.
They tried pulling that shit on me. About a month or so ago they were running a special where they would give you a "better" deal when trading in any used gear.
So I had a bass wah that I never used and I wanted to pick up an Xotic ep boost (which is a fantastic pedal by the way)
I told them that I wanted $50 for the wah which would go towards the Xotic EP. Dude was cool with it. So after about 10-15 minutes of standing at the counter waiting to pay the remaining balance he, and at this point, the manager told me that they couldn't do it because this deal that they were running didn't cover that brand.
So I basically raised a little hell and ended up getting about $45 for the wah plus 3 patch cables and a 30 ft instrument cable.
So like I said, guitar center is good to try stuff out at. But unless you are willing to give the people there some shit, you're not going to get any kind of a deal.
Quote from: Demon Lung on September 09, 2012, 04:54:07 PM
You can get good deals on used shit online from them
Truth. I got a $1200 Larivee parlor for $600 + shipping.
Also, their print ads show deals that don't show up online. I once walked out of my local GC with $100 worth of free strings because I bought two $30 instrument cables. Employees hadn't even heard of the promotion until I showed them the ad.
Quote from: RAGER on September 09, 2012, 08:18:49 PMIt's a mono cases gs1.
I did that mono schtuff. Nice moves.
I just purchased a used 1959 Reissue Marshall Plexi with a Splawn Mod at GC, purple color. I won't say the price, because I probably over paid, but it was a massive sounding amp and I could not resist.
I probably drop in GC 2 or 3 times in a year. The one by my house does have some decent used stuff every once and a while, and i bought a guitar stand before. I just close my ears to the noise playing around me.
I have one about four blocks from my house, but I only stop in to buy strings/cables. I do need to pop in this week and check out used cabs.
Repugnant business practices aside (and if you're a stinkin' pinko like me, they'll turn your guts) I stop in once in a purple rain to check out gear. Having said that, I haven't been in our local in a few years...
The swoophairs playing 13 string guits don't bother me, tune it right out...
guitar center is the sears of music stores..
Quote from: Metal and Beer on September 09, 2012, 10:01:30 PM
The swoophairs playing 13 string guits don't bother me, tune it right out...
:D :D :D
Guitar center doesn't exist here. Life is beautiful with the mom and pop shops. ;D
Nice. I wish we still had some here. The ones that are left don't carry shitte.
My only other option for buying gear is getting ripped off on evilbay, or grabbing deaners sloppy seconds.
Quote from: Dave J on September 09, 2012, 09:02:14 PM
I just purchased a used 1959 Reissue Marshall Plexi with a Splawn Mod at GC, purple color. I won't say the price, because I probably over paid, but it was a massive sounding amp and I could not resist.
I probably drop in GC 2 or 3 times in a year. The one by my house does have some decent used stuff every once and a while, and i bought a guitar stand before. I just close my ears to the noise playing around me.
I know what you mean cuz i own a '69 Super Bass but my next 100 watter will probably be a Hovercraft or Dunwich
Evil and although they always have a good selection of guitars there are seemingly no good amps set up to plug them into, just cheap combos which make the guitars all sound cheap. Bizarre. The employees at the Madison store are all very nice though which is cool.
delaylab was $269 at gc
so i brought online listings at $219 so i should have got 10% off the $219
i even brought a printout of their beat any price policy
girl rings it up at 199+tax or wahtever it was and im ready to pay
all of a sudden manager comes over and says
"oh wait thats a mistake we're sellin it for $219 too"
after some cursing and mumbling to myself
i ended up paying $219+tax+80miles round trip with tolls
saved -$37 and decided never to go there again
when i said anything about "thats messed up""hold on ,i think youre in the process of ripping me off"
they said yeah they know but thats the way the computers work
and started putting it back under the counter
That right there is some shady business. Ain't there some kind of government consumer protection agency that protects consumers from that sort of predatory...stuff?
States Attorney General
i always thought it was the government doing this to me in the first place
in my head, if i call some govt agency to complain(about anything)
they call me down,say theyll straighten it out for me
and i end up in the middle of circle of five or six g-men with suits and badges
giving me wedgies, purple-nurples,noogies, and take my lunch money
It's shitty but legal; a behemoth that size is highly unlikely to leave a hole like that. Read the fine print (if you have a microscope) on the receipts or elsewhere and you'll find some disclaimer that says, essentially, "We don't guarantee anything and you agree to...." ad nauseum (add nausea )
Quote from: ryansummit on September 11, 2012, 10:08:55 AM
i always thought it was the government doing this to me in the first place
Guitar Center is close to being a monopoly, but they're not government agency.
Yet.
What bothers me the most about Guitar Center is how horribly they care for the instruments. Every time I go in there I'll pick up at least one decent bass ($800+) that's poorly set up, has scratchy pots and/or switches, and is out of tune. It's not all of them, but man... I'll be damned if it's not a slight majority. Really sucks & makes me not at all want to buy from them. Last thing I bought there was a $20 boom stand during one of their big sales.
My wife got me a $100 gift card there for Xmas. When I went in all I needed was a set of strings and some fretboard oil. Since then I can't find the fuckin card that's got over 80 bucks on it. I fully blame guitar center for this. But seriously, I think the tool didn't give my card back. And this tool walked out without it.
Last fiddle I bought (NOT from GC) I wanted to get the nut replaced and took it to a nearby fiddle repair dood. He tells me he refinishes/touches up guitars as well of a laundry list of other shit he does. Then proceeds to tell me how some brainiac at GC put a shipment of PRS guitars within reach of every customer. PRS figures this out when GC wants them to refinish the entire shipment due to dings and damage to the finishes, SHOCKING! PRS pays him to retouch all the guitars. GC=clown shoes.
Oh, the guitar store I bought my Tradition Lester was owned by a Jazz Cat, real friendly dude. His wife on the other hand was a nazi. He stocked Eastman Jazz Boxes, very cool indeed. I really dig the Tradition, it's built by Samick, nicer than any Epi I've ever picked up, unplugged sounds like it should be playing Sweet Home Alabama, and the company that sells'm is in Fort Worth. I kind of buy into that local connection gimmick.
:D
Can you elaborate on naziwife?
Quote from: dogfood on September 11, 2012, 09:00:20 PM
Last fiddle I bought (NOT from GC) I wanted to get the nut replaced and took it to a nearby fiddle repair dood. He tells me he refinishes/touches up guitars as well of a laundry list of other shit he does. Then proceeds to tell me how some brainiac at GC put a shipment of PRS guitars within reach of every customer. PRS figures this out when GC wants them to refinish the entire shipment due to dings and damage to the finishes, SHOCKING! PRS pays him to retouch all the guitars. GC=clown shoes.
I think Sunn Jake does something similar for his local GC.
Quote from: The Shocker on September 12, 2012, 07:56:53 AM
Quote from: dogfood on September 11, 2012, 09:00:20 PM
Last fiddle I bought (NOT from GC) I wanted to get the nut replaced and took it to a nearby fiddle repair dood. He tells me he refinishes/touches up guitars as well of a laundry list of other shit he does. Then proceeds to tell me how some brainiac at GC put a shipment of PRS guitars within reach of every customer. PRS figures this out when GC wants them to refinish the entire shipment due to dings and damage to the finishes, SHOCKING! PRS pays him to retouch all the guitars. GC=clown shoes.
I think Sunn Jake does something similar for his local GC.
Used to do overflow and amp repairs for them under the table!
when i shoppin around for an sg i went to gc in brooklyn with a buddy of mine to try some stuff out
really wanted a used, cheap beater so perusing the clearance wall
there was a g400 that looked brand new but had a red tag so i was pumped
it was only $10 off the exact same model in the new section 5 feet away(new $399,this $389)
the headstock had been broken clean off and repaired, but SOOO crooked
back and to the left and a little bit of a twist
ended up losing my ipod in there that day too
do they haggle on the prices in the used section,is there like a trained in house haggler?
the problem though, just like local hardware/building supply and home depot,is my local shop
has a bunch of bullshit that the owner is fixated on at the moment,and expensive
and because no one buys shit there, he doesnt buy/trade in,hes currently into buying(free?) broken ass amps,rigging them to make some noise,and labeling them as vintage
Quote from: Instant Dan on September 09, 2012, 04:22:20 PM
Details on the strap, good sir.
Picked up the strap today. really nice well built. it will last longer than me. pretty serious strap, I mean it came with a carabiner so.....
But seriously recommend these. mono cases GS1. $50 from the mfr. $40 from GC
I swear by these:
http://www.couchguitarstraps.com
those do look nice. Gee i wonder what one you use? ;)
I'll look into those the next time.
Thanks for the suggestions. I really need to move away from Ernie ball straps. They work fine, but if the strap isn't directly on my shoulder, the nylon material tends to rub my neck raw.
Im diggin the "none more black" strap. 1/2 foot longer than most others.
edit: I do not have one yet, was not endorsing it. Just gassing.
I like guitar center for the fact that it's one of the only places where you can truly touch and feel what you are buying with out some sales person standing over the top of you making sure you don't smudge the pickguard.
A fun thing me and my old drummer used to do was go into the drum department get them to give us a couple pairs of sticks then proceed to jam out at as hard as we could and play the newest slipknot tune. It usually took us about 30 seconds to clear the room and another 30 before we were asked give it a rest but it was always pretty funny ;D
I dig'em for a couple reasons. First, if you're looking to buy stuff like Peavey, it's almost always way under priced. I bought a USA Predator in need of paint for $25. Their EH pedals are always that way too. I bought a PolyChorus for something like $30 because they didn't have the power supply. The second thing I like is they do lotsa pickup swaps, so I'm always getting good deals on pickups for resell projects. I bought a set of Teisco pickups for $20. I can get Epi chrome covered buckers for $5 usually.
Quote from: RAGER on September 12, 2012, 06:22:43 PM
those do look nice. Gee i wonder what one you use? ;)
I'll look into those the next time.
heh.
Believe it or not, I don't own one of the RacerX straps, just 2 of the deadstock vinyl (None More Black, Red 80's Mercedes). I will eventually get one, though, probably black w/ red stripe. I really dig red & black.
Quote from: spookstrickland on September 12, 2012, 10:05:05 PM
A fun thing me and my old drummer used to do was go into the drum department get them to give us a couple pairs of sticks then proceed to jam out at as hard as we could and play the newest slipknot tune. It usually took us about 30 seconds to clear the room and another 30 before we were asked give it a rest but it was always pretty funny ;D
That right there is one of the exact reasons why I hate going into GC
Quote from: bbottom on September 12, 2012, 11:56:58 PM
Quote from: spookstrickland on September 12, 2012, 10:05:05 PM
A fun thing me and my old drummer used to do was go into the drum department get them to give us a couple pairs of sticks then proceed to jam out at as hard as we could and play the newest slipknot tune. It usually took us about 30 seconds to clear the room and another 30 before we were asked give it a rest but it was always pretty funny ;D
That right there is one of the exact reasons why I hate going into GC
(http://cdn.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/730195/82773119.gif)
I went in there a few times when I was starting out with my guitar playing. I always felt extremely uncomfortable. Too much noise everywhere (not just the wanking, but fucking loud music overhead), hipster douches that couldn't be assed to help anyone besides the occasional cute girl, or old guys that were fucking snobs and acted like any basic question was beneath them. Fuck that place.
I have no fond memories of mom and pop shops around here. They are all gone inside the limits of Charlotte.
Exceptions: Coleman music in China Grove NC -dude is an old school
Orange nut, and always has a line on the cool stuff ( Sunn, hiwatt, lawsuit guitars, decent players quality used stuff). He is still in business, but he's 45 minutes up the road.
There was also a cool place that dealt in old school band equipment where awesome deals could be had on drum stuff. Cymbals mostly, but hardware and thrones and pedals and shit, if you needed them you could totally afford them. They went away long befor Mars, Sam Ash and GC came to town.
Everybody else in town I don't have good memories of. And by that I mean most of them I didn't care for. Didn't deserve to get Walmarted out of town by any means, but I don't really miss them. The best places from back then are still around today, just not inside the city.
Fat Sound in Cary NC (Raliegh)
2112 percussion in Raliegh
Coleman Music in China Grove NC
Mullis Music in Concord NC
Elderly in Lansing MI
Gruhns in Nashville TN
Capital City Guitars in Olympia WA
Guitar Maniacs in Tacoma WA
Kenelly Keys chain in the Seattle area.
All still alive and great places with cool stuff. And those are only the places that I've been to that I thought were cool.
Ok that's it...
I call thread jack.
List out your favorite music stores so that the jet set might visit one of these cool places and give the finger to the man.
I'd add that place in Dallas I went to, but all the cool shit was hanging on the wall, not for sale as it was part of the owners collection. Lame.
My first time was in San Jose in 1981 and as a teen hesher from the mountains I was devastated! Gibsons everywhere and you could play 'em ! Flying V's, Explorers, fuuuuuuck !
;D at the memory
Quote from: bbottom on September 12, 2012, 11:56:58 PM
Quote from: spookstrickland on September 12, 2012, 10:05:05 PM
A fun thing me and my old drummer used to do was go into the drum department get them to give us a couple pairs of sticks then proceed to jam out at as hard as we could and play the newest slipknot tune. It usually took us about 30 seconds to clear the room and another 30 before we were asked give it a rest but it was always pretty funny ;D
That right there is one of the exact reasons why I hate going into GC
We were pretty rowdy back in the day but, we did do a lot of good too. My drummer would always give lessons and encourage the little kids that came in and were just starting out. One time I even sold a Les Paul for them because the sales people were too busy to deal with what they thought was a costumer who they thought had no money and could not play but In reality his wife made a good living and wanted to buy him a real nice guitar for a present and because I was just sitting there jamming out on some bluesy stuff like they liked and not on the typical guitar center wanker shredder stuff they approached me to demonstrate the Les Paul he wanted, I said sure and played it and answered all their questions and after that they when up and bought it.
Was one of their questions, "Hey, can you stop raping Stevie Ray Vaughan songs for a second and clean up the poopdrips that just slid out of your jeanshorts?"
Spook saves the day day but takes all the doughnuts :-\
QuoteOne time I even sold a Les Paul for them because the sales people were too busy to deal with what they thought was a costumer...
A dude approached me outside my local GC & tried to convince me to buy a Billy Gibbons costume & wear it into the store. I wonder if it was the same costumer?
Quote from: RAGER on September 13, 2012, 05:28:49 PM
Spook saves the day day but takes all the doughnuts :-\
If they had free donuts I'd never leave LOL :D
i can see a dunkin donuts in the front o the store like walmart
they already got greeters
I'm resurrecting this to share an encounter I had at a local GC just this afternoon.
Me: Hi. I just need a pack of strings. I've got a gift card and wanted to try a more expensive kind just to see what they're all about.
GC: No problem. (grabs the kind I wanted and scans them)
Me: Thanks.
GC: Can I have your phone number please?
Me: Sorry, but I don't have a phone. (I don't. I use VoIP for voice conversations and don't think they need to be calling my computer. Ever)
Can't I just swipe my gift card?
GC: Uhhh...I think I'm going to need a phone number at least to be able to ring you up.
Me: Really? That seems a little unnecessary.
GC: So, what's the number then?
Me: Thanks but I think I will be buying these somewhere else.
Quote from: Jake on November 19, 2012, 03:37:40 PM
I'm resurrecting this to share an encounter I had at a local GC just this afternoon.
Me: Hi. I just need a pack of strings. I've got a gift card and wanted to try a more expensive kind just to see what they're all about.
GC: No problem. (grabs the kind I wanted and scans them)
Me: Thanks.
GC: Can I have your phone number please?
Me: Sorry, but I don't have a phone. (I don't. I use VoIP for voice conversations and don't think they need to be calling my computer. Ever)
Can't I just swipe my gift card?
GC: Uhhh...I think I'm going to need a phone number at least to be able to ring you up.
Me: Really? That seems a little unnecessary.
GC: So, what's the number then?
Me: Thanks but I think I will be buying these somewhere else.
Dude, just make up a fake one. That's what chicks do.
Fuck that noise. I'm more principled than a spineless skirt.
Quote from: Jake on November 19, 2012, 03:37:40 PM
I'm resurrecting this to share an encounter I had at a local GC just this afternoon.
Me: Hi. I just need a pack of strings. I've got a gift card and wanted to try a more expensive kind just to see what they're all about.
GC: No problem. (grabs the kind I wanted and scans them)
Me: Thanks.
GC: Can I have your phone number please?
Me: Sorry, but I don't have a phone. (I don't. I use VoIP for voice conversations and don't think they need to be calling my computer. Ever)
Can't I just swipe my gift card?
GC: Uhhh...I think I'm going to need a phone number at least to be able to ring you up.
Me: Really? That seems a little unnecessary.
GC: So, what's the number then?
Me: Thanks but I think I will be buying these somewhere else.
"Sorry, I'm in a relationship"
If even one in 10 were to walk out instead of giving their phone number (he said "at least," so I have no doubt street address and/or email were next), then they would stop asking for (requiring, actually) that info altogether. Those who capitulate, even with a fake number, are part of the problem.
/soapbox
I relish these little interactions. And people think principled guys like us are assholes. Fuck em. No you can;t have my phone number, mailing address or email. This is a simple cash transaction. you savvy?
I'm always being accused of being "too intense" or "too much" about stuff like this.
But, but...
Don't you guys want to get the GC flyer in the mail every month?
Quote from: RAGER on November 19, 2012, 04:30:51 PM
I relish these little interactions. And people think principled guys like us are assholes. Fuck em. No you can;t have my phone number, mailing address or email. This is a simple cash transaction. you savvy?
I'm always being accused of being "too intense" or "too much" about stuff like this.
Bob Villa is the name ive been using there for years. I get defensive on fuckin' job applications, y'know? Too much for too little.
I just walked in from a Best Buy and Radio Shack trip (I know, I didn't dig it either!) and both times I pre-empted they shit with a stern "Can I buy this bullshit without giving you my name, rank and serial number? I ain't cool with getting bombarded with a bunch of shit" They backed off... :P
^^ma nigga! das what im sayin. Step!
I once watch a guy walk out of a great clips because of the phone number deal. With them, it's helpful as they store your haircut info for quick reference when you come in. He got all pissed and stormed out.
"For a fuckin' haircut!?!?" :D
Just called Guitar Centre today to cancel my first and only transaction with them. Ordered an Orange OR-50 head on a price match over the phone about a month ago. At the time of order I was told, and I confirmed twice, that delivery would be 5-8 business days. Ilet that time pass and then called them to find out what the fuck? At this point, they told me that it was actually being dropped shipped from Orange, and they have no control over delivery date. I got a little pissy, told them I didn't buy it from Orangebut from them, and that they better damn well call Orange and get an ETA. They told me then that it would be delivered Nov. 22nd, which if you can probably figure out as well me that is in about 3 days and I don't have so much as a tracking number yet.
This is all a pain in the ass to me because I live in Vancouver and have to cross the border to pick the item up at a post box service. I also want to combine that with a mini vacation so I can claim a 48 hour duty exception when I bring it back. So I need to plan the time to do that. I can't just sit around waiting for it to show upwhenever the hell GC finally follows through on their end. Not to mention their accounting is all fucked up, and the total on my email receipt (the total I agreed to) doesn't match the total in my account on their website which is higher. Still waiting for my Visa statement to see what hey actually charged me.
So today I emailed Humbucker music, who have the things in stock and will ship today at a price that is $50 lower. They responded to my email within minutes. I call GC and tell them I've decided to buy the product from someone who gives a shit, and cancell my order please. Sure, expect a confirmation within 48 hours or so. Excuse me? You took my money instantly, but it takes two days to give it back?
Currently waiting for a cancelletation from those fuck tards so I can buy it where I should have in the first place. Guitar Center is a joke. They managed to totally screw up the one and only transaction I've done with them.
They're fucking awful bro. I have bought from Guitar Center: 1 Danelectro Heresay Strat/Mosrite guitar in '99 $150, 2 Levy's extra-long straps $60 each, 1 SKB Les Paul case $200. Otherwise, fuck no. I'm in Ontario now and I buy all my big purchases privately.
But I hear Guitar Center is having a sale?
Quote from: agent of change on November 19, 2012, 09:21:50 PM
But I hear Guitar Center is having a sale?
Yep, and it's "THIS WEEKEND ONLY!!!!!!!!!11!!"
What color is the current sale? ;D
Quote from: Metal and Beer on November 19, 2012, 06:27:44 PM
I just walked in from a Best Buy and Radio Shack trip (I know, I didn't dig it either!) and both times I pre-empted they shit with a stern "Can I buy this bullshit without giving you my name, rank and serial number? I ain't cool with getting bombarded with a bunch of shit" They backed off... :P
ya, but you got the squids visualizing being snapped like a pretzel when YOU say it. heh,
me, they are probly imagining, "I could arm wrestle that twig boy for all his info"
however, to compensate, I have super subtle snarkiness AND the eye look that burns the back of their skull if they look too long
btw, I bought that new pc at best buy. I only had to take the ePencil and decline w/e, and change+rcpt+"abbagooday!"
same thing when I went back for the better video card
same thing when I went back for a way better power supply(all within 24 hrs) I can report, as of Monday evening, there were no campers outside the Strongsville store ( the heart of Romney country, like w berlin was vs e Germany heh,but it trips me out how dumb people end up pretty well off)
-----------------------------
I will be scoping GC for the dozen sets of strings for $29 deal. they have had GHS before, but it varies year to year.
our best buy has a music department. how bout them apples.
After talking to both the fuck tards at Guitar Center for an hour, and the friendly people who issue my credit card for all of 3 minutes, this is the sternly worded email I just sent to Guitar Center regarding this clusterfuck.
After speaking with Aaron this evening, I contacted my credit card company to verify what has been charged with regards to this order, and what my options are for stopping payment with my credit card company. They advised me that they had no record of any transactions from Guitar Center at all.
At that point I called back in to Guitar Center to verify the credit card info that was supplied at the time of order. While my credit card number was correct, my billing address was entered incorrectly by the agent that took my order over the phone.
I have now confirmed with my credit card company that if the billing info is incorrect, payment would have been denied. They only keep a record of denied payments for 3 days, and this was over a month ago.
In my opinion, the extensive delay on this order is entirely the fault of the incompetent handling of the transaction by your staff. In the following ways:
1) Incorrectly entering the billing address at the time of order
2) Failing to notify me of the denial by my credit card company
3) Issuing me two different totals, two different order numbers, and two different receipts for the same order. I called in to question this twice, and was told some vague excuse that "it's two different computer systems" and that the lower total is what I would be billed. For the record, the two totals and order numbers that I have, that have NEVER been corrected are: #S1107189, $1293.32 - the total agreed to with the sales agent and emailed to me in a receipt, and 100671847, $1366.02 which to this day shows on my Guitar Center account when I log in, and was NEVER agreed to
4) Failing to notice the fact that payment was never authorized by my credit card company, even though I have contacted Guitar Center staff DOZENS of times in the last month to inquire as to the status of this order, both on this correspondence system and over the phone
5) Failure to notice that the order has never properly been processed even when I called in to cancel it
6) Failure to cancel my order in a reasonable amount of time
This is formal written notice that my credit card issuer has never received nor approved any charges for Guitar Center, and that at this stage I revoke authorization to all claims for payment by me or my credit card issuer to Guitar Center.
Further, if I do not receive clear and concise notices of cancellation to both of the orders noted above, for the full totals noted, I will formally issue grievances with regards to your credit card practices with both the PCI Security Standards Council and the Federal Trade Commission.
I trust that this matter is now closed, and I will receive confirmation that both orders have been canceled no later than 5pm PST, Nov 21 2012.
What if the reply you get is TLDR?
C'mon it would be a little funny.
The response was actually to cancel my order within an hour of sending that message - exactly as I'd intended.
heh, nice :)
12 sets of martin strings for $25 and some throwaway 1/4" cables is my only goal
but hope springs eternal......
SO I have a$15% off anything coupon for GC. who wants to bet shure mics are on the dealer exclusion list? I am going to check and get right back...
edit: ER MER FERCKING GERD!!!!!!! GTFO! whattajoke. this is the %15 exclusion list:
65amps, A Designs, ADAM Audio, AKG, Allen & Heath, Alvarez, American Audio, American DJ, Ampeg, Antoine Courtois Paris, Aphex, Apogee, Apple, Armstrong, ART, Arturia, Audio-Technica, Audix, Auralex, Avalon, Avanti, Avid, Azumi, B&S, B3 Guitars, Bach, BAM, BeatKangz, Bedell, Behringer, Belkin, Benchmark, Benchmark Media Systems, Benedetto Guitars, Besson, Bixonic, Black Cat, Blackheart, Blackstar, Blue, Bogner, Bosch, Bose, Boss, Breedlove, Bricasti, Brio, BSS Audio, Buffet Crampon, Bugera, Bundy, Carl Martin, Casio, Cerwin-Vega, Chameleon Labs, Chandler Limited, Charvel, Chauvet, Cleartone, Cloud, Conn, Cordoba Music Group, Courtois, Crate, Crown, Cusack, Daking, Dangerous Music, dbx, Dean, Death By Audio, Diamond, DigiTech, Disney by Washburn, DLS Effects, Drawmer, Dunnett, Drum Workshop, EBS, Eden, Edirol, Elation, Electro-Harmonix, Electro-Voice, Elysia, Emerson, EMG, Eminence, EMMA Electronic, Empirical Labs, Empress Effects, Engl, Epiphone, ESP, Euphonix, Eventide, EVH, F. Loree Paris, Fano Guitars, Fender, Fishman, Focusrite, Fox, Fuchs, Fulltone, Furman, Gallien-Krueger, Galway, Gator, Gemeinhardt, Genz Benz, Getzen, Gibson, Gibson Custom, Gibson USA, Giffin Guitars, GNI Pedals, Godlyke, Gold Tone, Golden Age Project, Grace Design, Great Divide, Great River, Gretsch, Guild, Guyatone, Hagstrom, Hans Hoyer, Hao, Harden Engineering, Harman, Haynes, Hercules, HHB, Hohner, Holton, Ibanez, ISP Technologies, J Puchner, Jackson, JamHub, Jasmine by Takamine, JBL, Jet City Amplification, Jody Jaz, Jupiter, K&M, Kanstul, Kawai, Keeley, Keilwerth, Keith McMillen Instruments, King, Koll Guitars, Korg, Kramer, KRK, Kurzweil, Kush Audio, Langevin, Leblanc, Lexicon, Line 6, LovePedal, LP, LsL Instruments, Ludwig, Luna Guitars, Mackie, Mad Professor, Malekko Heavy Industry, Manley, Mapex, Markbass, Marshall, Martin, Martin-Leblac, Maxon, Meinl, Meinl Weston, Mesa Boogie, Millennia, Miraphone, Mixosaurus, Mogami, Mojave Audio, Moog, Morgan, Music Man, MusicXPC, N-Tune, Neumann, Neve, Nord, Novation, NS Design, Olympus, On-Stage Stands, Option 5, Orange Amplifiers, Ortofon, Ovation, P. Mauriat, Pacific Drums & Percussion (PDP), Paiste, Parker Guitars, Pearl, Peavey, Pelonis Sound and Acoustics, Perris, Phonic, Pigtronix, Pioneer, Powell, Prelude by Conn-Selmer, PreSonus, Propellerhead, PRS, Purple Audio, QSC, Quik Lok, Radial Engineering, Rainsong, Randall, Rane, Reunion Blues, Rickenbacker, Rivera, RME, Roc-N-Soc, Rockbag by Warwick, Rockbass by Warwick, Rockcase by Warwick, RockStand by Warwick, Rode Microphones, Roland, Royer, Rupert Neve Designs, Sabian, Sample Logic, Schecter Guitar Research, Scherzer, Schilke, Schreiber, Schroeder, Schroeder Guitars, Selmer, Selmer Paris, Sennheiser, Serato, Shure, SKB, SM Pro Audio, Softube, Solid State Logic, Sonare, Soul, Soundcraft, Squier, Stanton, Steinberg, Steinberger, Stephanhouser, Sterling by MusicMan, Summit Audio, Sweet Sound Electronic, SWR, T-REX Engineering, Takamine, Tama, Tapco, Taylor, TDK, Tech 21, Telefunken, Thermionic Culture, Toadworks, Tobias, Tone King, Tortuga, Traveler Guitar, Traynor, True Systems, Tube-Tech, Two Rock, Ultimate Support, Universal Audio, Vestax, Violet Audio, Vito, VMI, Voodoo Lab, VOX, W. Nirschl, Waldorf, Wampler, Warwick, Washburn, Weber Speakers, Western Digital, Xotic Effects, Yamaha, Yamaha Band & Orchestra, Yanagisawa, Zildjian, Zoom, ZVex Effects
WAIT hold the horses...12at7 fender amp for $99. 2 tube 2 watt amp $99.
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Pawn-Shop-Special-Greta-2W-1x4-Tube-Guitar-Combo-Amp-107444366-i2256339.gc (http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender-Pawn-Shop-Special-Greta-2W-1x4-Tube-Guitar-Combo-Amp-107444366-i2256339.gc)
shit, grab that and one of those blackheart 12" celestion mini cabs and the sm57 and..fuckin' a...I think GC had those baby stacks last time...just have to do some homework on what the impedance of that speaker is.
I actually have some things to do at gc..need a couple more cheapo straps too. that overpriced 2 bit accessory crap is nice to get at these sales. they really drop the prices, since they are pure profit anyway.
I hate to say it but i think my girl is getting me that Greta for my birthday on Sunday. :D
Quote from: RAGER on November 22, 2012, 12:48:29 PM
I hate to say it but i think my girl is getting me that Greta for my birthday on Sunday. :D
sweet.
edit: that was fast lol. greta dahling has a little 4" 8 ohm speaker ..awwww...purrrrrr fect :) for sleazing the speaker wires out of the box to an external 8 ohm cab
more edit: mod opportunity, put a 1/4" speaker jack that cancels the internal 4" when ext jack plugs in. this is also fuck-up proof, unless you plug an empty cord into the speaker jack, in which case you need a lesson anyway.
more edit: I said in the xmas gift thread in general I was getting my son a mixer and something random if I see something cool..well if this is decent..that's what i'm talkin'!!!1!
way more edit: the great northern shopping mega-zone looked like any Friday at 7am = deserted. slid right in to GC and right out with 2 of those amps, back home in 1 hr and 10 minutes. I aint afraid of no black Friday.
good news, now that I looked at it, the greta amp has the ext speaker jack that disables the main speaker already. no mod required ..yay heh.
btw, that GC sale is shit. mic stands and ukelele's, not even electric strings on sale. and really thanks to the exclusion list NOTHING on sale lol.
there is a $10 rebate on shure sm57/58 but there's no big deal there.
I have to run to GC in a little bit to pick up a new mixer before practice. So I'm sure that I'll be beating my head into the wall by the time that I leave
If I never walk into a GC again, it'll still be too soon.
If you live near Pittsburgh try Pianos N Stuff, you'll never set foot in a Guitar Center again.
It's a local place been there since the 60's.
Nicest part of that place is every guitar in the store is properly tuned and set up.
Yeah, but do they forbid people from playing "Stairway to Heaven"?
PnS is about the best guitar shop on the planet. Very well organized, great selection, and the dudes there really know their shit. I always walk out of there with something. Second best, that I've seen, is House of Guitars in Rochester, NY. Not organized at all, great selection, and the dudes there really don't give a shit. Killer record shop, too.
Guitar Center is 1.6 BILLION dollars in debt, comes due in April.
They are in effect downgraded to junk status and cant pay the interest on their loans.
------
Where are we now?
Guitar Center is more than 1.6 billion dollars in debt. I'll say that again so that you can fully grasp what I'm saying. Guitar Center owes 1,600,000,000.00 dollars to other people. As of March of last year, they had been on their knees begging to get a 2.5 year extension on $650 million of that total debt load. For an extension to April 2017, GC agreed to a 9.9% total interest rate.
Much of Guitar Center's debt is coming due in April of 2013, which is not that far away. I guess we'll just have to see what happens then. I would be surprised if Guitar Center didn't go down. But if there are enough people who are willing to throw money at them, then I guess they'll stay in business. If they do go down, I just hope they don't take the rest of us with them.
http://thetoneking.com/wp/life-support-how-long-until-they-pull-the-plug-on-guitar-center/ (http://thetoneking.com/wp/life-support-how-long-until-they-pull-the-plug-on-guitar-center/)
fixed the link
404 Not found.
Guitar Center was bought by Bain Capital (Mitt Romney's firm). I think they call it 'vulture capitalism' -- they raid the new company's assets and load it up with debt, and if it goes out of business, no biggie. Because they've already milked it.
Oops...fixed it
http://thetoneking.com/wp/life-support-how-long-until-they-pull-the-plug-on-guitar-center/ (http://thetoneking.com/wp/life-support-how-long-until-they-pull-the-plug-on-guitar-center/)
Quote from: Lumpy on March 31, 2013, 02:08:36 PM
Guitar Center was bought by Bain Capital (Mitt Romney's firm). I think they call it 'vulture capitalism' -- they raid the new company's assets and load it up with debt, and if it goes out of business, no biggie. Because they've already milked it.
Yep. See Kay-Bee Toys also.
awesome. I have a small mountain of aliens and Hercules-xena figurines all sealed in the box put away. I scored heavily at kay-bee as they were on their way out. all the items were stupid cheap
I will surely pick GC's bones if given half a chance also.
Quote from: Kauser Bari on March 31, 2013, 01:43:54 PM
Guitar Center is 1.6 BILLION dollars in debt, comes due in April.
They are in effect downgraded to junk status and cant pay the interest on their loans.
------
Where are we now?
Guitar Center is more than 1.6 billion dollars in debt. I'll say that again so that you can fully grasp what I'm saying. Guitar Center owes 1,600,000,000.00 dollars to other people. As of March of last year, they had been on their knees begging to get a 2.5 year extension on $650 million of that total debt load. For an extension to April 2017, GC agreed to a 9.9% total interest rate.
Much of Guitar Center's debt is coming due in April of 2013, which is not that far away. I guess we'll just have to see what happens then. I would be surprised if Guitar Center didn't go down. But if there are enough people who are willing to throw money at them, then I guess they'll stay in business. If they do go down, I just hope they don't take the rest of us with them.
http://thetoneking.com/wp/life-support-how-long-until-they-pull-the-plug-on-guitar-center/ (http://thetoneking.com/wp/life-support-how-long-until-they-pull-the-plug-on-guitar-center/)
fixed the link
Does this mean Guitar Center will be having a sale? ;)
lol, yea let's see how this "going out of business" thing works. it's not going to happen.
Whenever I visit family in Vermont, I would stop in at an independent guitar joint in whatchu' talkin' boot Wiliston.
This time around it has become a Guitar Center - strange because it's a bit of a small space.
Right when you walk in you are hit with strobe lights from the DJ gear.
Strobe lights in the pedal showcase.
Smelled of Radio Shack.