Guitar Center..... when will I ever learn..... sheesh!

davismanLV

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So I'd heard so much about the Breedlove Concerto E (a larger guitar than the concert that was designed to compete sound-wise with the dreads) that I was dying to play one. So we went to Guitar Center on Tuesday and .... the guitar is everything they promised. Strings were BAD (almost rusted for cripes sake) but the guitar sounded so nice and the ALL Myrtlewood guitar was so loud and clear and beautiful! They had it marked down to 1999. I can get it online new for that so I said, "Hey, this has a few little pick scratches and a small divot here on the lower bout. How about I give you $2000 out the door, guitar, case, and tax." Nice Tanner of course couldn't do that deal so he had to go to the (A$$HAT manager) who ran me around for my LAST attempted purchase of my Breedlove Oregon Concert Rogue (the blue one, that TX helped me get a super deal on from Musician's Friend) and surprisingly he came back all smiles and said, "Hey, you have a DEAL!!" So I said write it up, and he said, "Oh there's no case." I said, of course there's a case. They ship them in cases. You have a case for it. He said, No, I think they lost it.....

I just said, OKAY FORGET IT!! You guys are just too much, and started to leave..... and he said, "Wait, how about I order you a new one and you can just come get it when it comes in?" I said, "Okay, same deal? Same price?"

Oh well I have to check.....

No you have to pay full price if we order it. I can get the guitar online for $1999. New. Full Warranty. With a 45 day return policy. This is TWO TIMES I've tried to give GC my business..... It's pointless!! So I walked out. I was so depressed about it because it was almost in my hand but......

It's no wonder they're going out of business. Why would they play silly games with me like that? I already HATE them and now it's.... I'm done. I hope they go out of business!! I do!! But I hate that. They had so many different guitars in there that people could come in and play and enjoy and test out..... but they're a$$holes!! They didn't used to be.

Oh well, now I'm trying to talk myself out of ordering it online (which I probably will) but I'm just so pissed at the GM of that store!! It used to be super good. Now..... they'll all be outta jobs and we just order online..... sheesh!! :sour::sour:
 

beecee

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I love your after midnight posts!!!!
 

Rayk

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Man I hear ya Tom . Maybe write the them a good thrashing letter.

Last time really dealt with them was when I bought my EPI Dr500 they and the manager were decent But things have changed for sure new people and attitudes.

I tried to deal with musiciansfriend and they worked with me but not any more same as GC now .

Last attempt was on a Guild F40 used or return model , it was a very hard stick stuck in thier backside most likely a vampire stake !
 
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Stuball48

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Tom
They, obviousy, were gonna make SOME money on your offer. They are clueless on how to deal and I plan on visiting a GC near Falls Church, VA and making offer on D40 I strummed there in January. You have me feeling as there is no chance as you gave them a great offer.
 

walrus

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Nice try, Tom! But if they want to go out of business that bad, I guess they will.

walrus
 

Grassdog

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Sorry you had a bad experience. At least you got to hold/play the guitar and now you know that model is what you really want. If they (GC) were smart, they'd have kept your name and contact information and stayed in touch with you. If it's really just a matter of them missing the case, they should be able to get one from another store in a couple of days. Then they could call you back and let you know.
 

txbumper57

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Sorry to hear this Tom. After the run around they gave you on the first Breedlove I wouldn't give them the satisfaction. Find you a great online dealer with an Ironclad return policy and get you a new one that hasn't been worked over by everyone already. I think that would be your best bet and unfortunately it seems that is the way the guitar industry is heading towards online sales. Heck if Sweetwater carries them they may even do a better price shipped than the $2000. They always have some wiggle room and go out of their way to make a sale with a Happy Customer. Not to mention the candy that comes with it!

TX
 

twocorgis

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Looks like there's a nice one on Reverb for $1600 shipped ("mint") if you're interested, and it even comes with a case! Looks perfect, too.

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I'm pretty much done with GC too, even though there's one within walking distance from my office. It used to be a good one a few years ago, but since it's been run like it's going out of business, which at this rate it probably will.
 

fronobulax

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Tom
They, obviousy, were gonna make SOME money on your offer. They are clueless on how to deal and I plan on visiting a GC near Falls Church, VA and making offer on D40 I strummed there in January. You have me feeling as there is no chance as you gave them a great offer.

Do you really expect it to still be there several months later?

FWIW the Fairfax GC staff were pretty up front with me about where there was wiggle room on prices, what they could throw in to sweeten a deal and when they had to consult with the Store Manager or the Corporate Overlords. The Falls Church store pi$$ed me off for some unremembered reason decades ago and I never felt like fighting the traffic to give them a second chance.
 

chazmo

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Sweet looking guitar! I like the myrtlewood look. A lot of character there. Never played it though. Good luck finding what you're looking for, Tom!
 

Stuball48

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It was there when I checked their website on Tuesday. Will know by the end of the day this coming Tuesday.
 

Stuball48

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And Action Music in Falls Church has a new D40 as well.
Nice folks at Action Music.
 

PTC Bernie

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There's a link on their web site for feedback. I had a poor experience a while back and left feedback and was contacted by their Corporate Customer Service Manager, who was very helpful. It used to be a fella by the name of Jeremy Cole, not sure who it is now.

I will say that each GC is different, depending on the manager and the team he's assembled. Some are good, some suck and everything in between.

But I will say that I have been impressed by the Breedlove Myrtlewood. Sounds a lot like Maple to my ear.
 

adorshki

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It was there when I checked their website on Tuesday. Will know by the end of the day this coming Tuesday.

Yeah I suspected you wouldn't have said you were gonna make an offer if you hadn't checked.
If it's still there since January one would think they'd be inclined to deal. Tom's deal was T-boned by lack of case and manager DID screw up some.
Even if ordering up a case from Breedlove might have made it a "no-profit" deal, there comes a point where cash flow trumps profit margin, and now he's stuck with a guitar with no case that he's gonna have to deal on ANYWAY.
Same principle about cash-flow vs profit margin especially on aging inventory should apply for you.
Good luck!
 

adorshki

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Oh well I have to check.....

No you have to pay full price if we order it.
Tom while you have my sympathy and I think the manager did make a goof as I mentioned to Stuball, the one unknown detail I just remembered is: "What if Breedlove has raised their dealer prices since that guitar was purchased by GC?'
I occasionally found myself in an awkward situation of having a limited amount of stock on my shelf for a customer, but since mill had raised price since we acquired it, ironically, I couldn't honor the current price on a larger order.
The corollary is when we wanted to discontinue something and had a 1/4 carton left, but customer wanted 1-1/2 cartons.
At that point we were only going to handle the product as special order in full cartons only , so customer had to decide if he wanted 1, 1-1/4 or 2 cartons.
I would have special ordered the complete cartons at one or 2 and kept my aging 1/4 carton unless they wanted that to get closest to their desired 1-1/2 cartons; but at that point I also had to be sure that there was enough money in the deal to cover all the handling overhead in our warehouse and delivery costs (as well as the personnel overhead for AP and AR, and floating an account on terms for 30 days, but not as big a cost in a cash sale).
But at least I could explain that and still offer some kind of deal on price.
I'm sure that was the "operating principle" behind his "full price if we order it" quote, but I'd be surprised if he didn't have manager's discretion to still deal on the price.
If that really is a corporate mandate, and managers are hamstrung by a policy like that, then there's truly no hope for them.
A manager's supposed to have the experience and knowledge to know when and how much to discount.
And truly it wouldn't surprise me if Breedlove really has raised dealer costs recently, either.
ALL the major paper mills have announced twice in the last 7 months for a total of 10%, that's pretty d--n big hit in such a short time, with at least one more forecast before end of year.
And we all know where paper's primary raw material comes from, so I'd be surprised if Breedlove hasn't had raw material increases in the last 6 months.
But energy costs are in there too of course, (gotta cook that raw pulp) and a new factor is rearing its ugly head for the first time: freight costs.
There've been driver shortages before but now there's actually rolling stock (rail cars but including big rigs) capacity shortage.
A huge chunk of the country's rail cars are so old they're required to be removed from service by federal law.
Federal rules about driver time on road also throw a monkey wrench into things.
They could be 10 minutes away from their destination and required to stop where they are or risk substantial fines or even their licenses, and they're likely to be being electronically monitored too.
That's one cause of the big rig capacity shortage which is driving demand to rail, and ironically, rail heads need to be serviced by big rigs anyway...
So every industry's competing for a shrinking shipping capacity pool right now.
Part of the reason for the price increases on everything everywhere recently.
I can get the guitar online for $1999. New. Full Warranty. With a 45 day return policy.
Yeah but it just ain't the same business model.
An online seller's cost overheads are completely different than a retail chain's. I know, I don't have to tell you that.
This is TWO TIMES I've tried to give GC my business..... It's pointless!! So I walked out. I was so depressed about it because it was almost in my hand but......
Have you considered picketing them?
Sometimes the old-fashioned way's the best way.
:watermelon:
 
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GAD

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I love your after midnight posts!!!!

This made me laugh because it's true. We love you Tom!

Vote with your wallet. The greatest power in a retail transaction is the willingness to walk away. You should see me buy a car. :emmersed: I'm old enough that I don't care if I buy the car right then, and I've gotten up and walked away and had the salesperson run after me into the parking lot. That's power. Don't fall in love with an item, accept that you can get it cheaper elsewhere, then they have no power over you. Sure, that changes if you're looking at a rare or one of a kind item, but for a production guitar? F-'em. Their job is to make *YOU* happy. If they can't then walk. There's always another store.
 

adorshki

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I've gotten up and walked away and had the salesperson run after me into the parking lot.
Sometimes my manager'd make me do that just because he was p---ed at 'em and wanted to f--k with 'em some more.
:glee:
But it had to be pretty dead.
And those were the bad old days.
:glee:
 

bluesypicky

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Serves you right. You should be getting a Guild!

LMAO! Here's the moral of the story! And a vintage one too! They're the best ones and no store will mess with ya..... (unless you find one of these used GC killer deals.... <running for cover>)
 
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Stuball48

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Al:
Been about 90% certain on my third Guild tonewood being Mahogany and D40 is in my price range but something about the D46 (Ash back and sides) has been occupying my imagination a lot, lately. My research says they are a nice guitar. Big hold up is I have never seen or heard one in person. Have you? Thanks
And I have made mistakes before!
 
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