GUITAR CENTER SUCKS

[fjk1138]

Everyone,

I don't know how you all feel, but I personally think Guitar Center totally SUCKS and I am sick of them.
I would like to invite any of you to add to my list of complaints here about what lousy service Guitar Center provides.

Today I went to two GCs in Illinois -- Arlington Heights and Lombard -- to test and (ideally) buy a Mesa Roadster.

The GC in Arlington Heights had ONE Roadster there and lost the sale because....
1. The cabinet was plugged into the wrong Ohms jack.
2. The amp was in a high traffic area where I did not have good room to sit comfortably.
3. The footswitch was tied down to a Mesa 4 x 12 cabinet around the corner from where I was (about 10'), and the cable was buried behind the cabinet and jumbled in with a bunch of other cords. I had to dig through the cords, run the cord to the Roadster, and then get up and down whenever I wanted to change the channels.
4. The guitar cable I was given to play through shorted out constantly and made the amp sound like crap.
5. There were no decent guitars in the immediate area that sounded good through the amp (I tried at least 4-5).
6. I called earlier in the week and told a salesperson I would be in there. When I got there, he was in a meeting and never came out to meet with me. He later called me at home to see if I still needed help (nice job, douchebag).
7. No other sales people offered to help me at any time through the whole process, though plenty of them walked by during my visit and plenty more were standing around talking and doing absolutely nothing else constructive.

The GC in Lombard also had ONE Roadster on display. Despite a proper setup, a good guitar, AND a working cable (hot ****) they lost the sale because...
1. ONE salesperson was manning the guitar area...and he disappeared after he gave me the cable.
2. I went up to the accessories counter and had said sales person paged...he never returned.
3. The accessories counter person looked up the amp for me and said the display was the only one they had. Then he went into some kind of trance or something and totally ignored me (I am NOT kidding here).
4. I went up to a pony-tailed guy who stamps your receipt by the front foor, who was BS-ing with someone about nothing important, to see if he could find someone else to talk about the amp. I tried to get his attention (pointing towards the Mesa, holding up the guitar cord, etc) but he took one look at me and totally ignored me.
5. I went and put what may be the only working GC test cable back on the counter and walked out.


Now, go back about 5 years...

I had the same problem at the Lombard store in 2004 when I tried to test out other Mesa amps. The same Mr Pony Tail was there and was a complete smart *** to me. None of the amps there were setup properly or were in what I would consider to be test-worthy condition. No other sales people offered to help me. At the time, I complained to Mesa about it and their local salesman knew what store I was talking about, who Mr Pony Tail was, and offered to give me a hands on demo at a different non-GC store. Now THAT's service.


And one more smack in the face for the Lombard store:

In 2005, I attempted to buy a Presonus Firepod from the same location. Prior to driving there, I called to check the price and ask for a trade in value for an old sampler I had, and they gave me a reasonable figure. When we got there they changed the story, we dickered back and forth, the sales people kept leaving the area to "discuss the matter" privately, and I left very pissed off. So, I sent an e-mail to the corporate office and sent them an itemized list of all the gear I had bought up to that point (about $20,000 over the years) and told them how disgusted I was. I got a call a few days later from the Lombard store manager who said he would give me the Firepod for the original "over the phone" trade in value, which I agreed to, and the same boneheads had to ring up the transaction. Needless to say they were basically terrified at that point and were very nice to me. Everytime I see the Firepod I am reminded of this happy endeavor.


How about another location?

In 2006, at the Aurora, IL location I decided to buy a Marshall head (the model number escapes me, sorry) but it was definitely not a cheap one. I tried it for a week and decided that the amp just did not inspire me to play and had this annoying ground hum that none of my other equipment caused or experienced. So I returned it, and the sales guy gave me a really hard time about it. Long story short...after he was done interrogating me, I held up the receipt and pointed out his own store's 30 day return policy. He had no reason to refuse the return. I was about ready to ask for the store manager....

Same location. about 2 months ago -- I wanted to get a Vox Tonelab. They had ONE in stock but supposedly it was a new one. I get it home, and it was definitely a USED one -- there was a footprint on the expression pedal, and the digital readout was extremely scratched up like someone had rubbed it with steel wool or something. Guess where that wound up going back to....


So there you have it. Guitar Center customer service at its finest.

Oh and I did get a Roadster today, but not from Guitar Center...

If anyone from Mesa Engineering is reading this, please feel free to send me a message and I will gladly discuss all this with you, as I feel your product is being totally misrepresented by Guitar Center.

Thanks for reading.

 

[MrMarkIII]

You know, I feel the same way when I repeatedly hit myself in the head with a ball-peen hammer...
It feels so good when I stop.
Isn't there a word for folks who do the same bad thing over and over, expecting a different result?
This is by no means a defense of GC. We'll all be better off when Wal-Mart puts them out of business. But if you have such a crappy experience, why keep coming back for more? A bit confrontational, aren't we?
And please don't natter on about the "only game in town", there's a bazillion places on-line with the same or better return policy. Only half of them are owned by GC/MF, and everyone has the same prices. At least prices will go down at Wal-Mart. I can't wait to buy my Mesa Mark VIII there.
If you buy anything but picks and strings at GC, you're asking for it.

 

[fjk1138]

But if you have such a crappy experience, why keep coming back for more? A bit confrontational, aren't we? And please don't natter on about the "only game in town", there's a bazillion places on-line with the same or better return policy. Only half of them are owned by GC/MF, and everyone has the same prices. At least prices will go down at Wal-Mart. I can't wait to buy my Mesa Mark VIII there.
If you buy anything but picks and strings at GC, you're asking for it.

Believe it or not, I have had some good experiences at a couple different locations, but on smaller items. If you can find a good salesperson there and build a relationship with them over time, that's half the battle. As for being confrontational, I don't think expecting decent customer service (especially when I'm willing to drop $2000 for a new amp) is asking too much. Actually in my town, if you want the name brand gear, you absolutely have to go to a Guitar Center - nobody else carries any of it. And that GC is one of the smaller ones that have limited items. I have to drive minimum 40 minutes to the next closest one that has more gear, and the two I referred to above are the closest ones (50 mins and 1 hr each) that carry Mesas. For the cost, I would never order one of these online without hearing it first.

Dear God, I hope you're kidding about Wal-mart...

 

[ryjan]

Same story here in Denver. I went to go look at a mesa 2x12 recto cab and I even had the courtesy to call ahead and make an appointment with their "boogie expert". When I got there I had to wait a half hour before this guy even came out to say hi to me. Upon initial inspection, I found that someone had unscrewed the speaker jack so then I had to wait another 30 minutes for some idiot to forrest gump another one in. (why did I make an appointment?)Then he asked me what amp I will play though this cab and I told him a triaxis and 290. So he tries to have me demo the cab though a lonestar! At this point Ive lost all confidence in the world and am just fed up so I just play. I get about 5 seconds into the demo when guru-boy interrupts me to show me the features of the amp. In a very polite way I tell him to go eat his sister and let me hear the **** cab that I came down to hear in the first place. So he leaves me be for 2 minutes and I play a little and tweak the amp, trying to get something that sounds like a mark amp. Keep in mind also that its like 8pm on a tuesday so theres me and about 3 other people in the store. All of a sudden I overhear the intercom guy tell all three of us that for the next 10 minutes all gear over $500 will 0% finance. Wow, how convenient. Then my little sales ***** returns to ask me if I had just heard this amazing offer. Well I told him as a matter of fact, yes I heard all about it in this months sales brochure. Then he started in on the old sales tricks, asking me how I wanted to pay, calling over another sales guy sayng that he would help us carry the cab out to my car, all before I even said that I liked it. So then another customer starts playing on a little frontman with some kind of pedal about 15 feet away from us. My sales guy tells me to start playing something heavy and when I do he reaches over and cranks the amp to 11! When I ask him what the **** he giggles like a little girl and says "we blew that dudes *** away, dog". I told him that was rude and very un-proffessional. and that it just cost him the sale. He whined that they do that kind of stuff there all the time and it was all in fun so I told him he just lost all of my future sales too. I wont step foot in another gc again. The people I have always delt with there have no knowledge of the products they are selling. I mean when I have to teach them how to work a stompbox or that it usually is a bad thing to plug a 8ohm cab into the 4ohm jack. Gc is just a parts warehouse with some kids working there after school

 

[clutch71]

GC is a love hate relationship with me. Two things I expect from GC...

1) Sales people that know nothing about the equipment they are selling
2) Bucket heads who get hold of amps and have no idea how to dial them.

I've been in GC's all across the US and this is true in everyone I've been in. I deal with them for two reasons, Return policy and line of credit. At my local GC I deal with 2 salesmean and 2 only. If they don't know something they tell you and for that they have my respect. I've passed on some pretty good deals because they were not around.

I had an experience at Sam Ash that has put me off and I haven't bought anything there in a couple of years. I was trying a RoadKing and let the sales guy know that I was really interested. This is usually code that hey, I want to crank this thing and see what it can do. The store was nearly empty. I started off quiet as I always do as that's very important in my particular situation. I'm no shredder, but I'm a pretty decent rythmn player; Migs back me up here. So I got about 30 seconds of cranked tone out of it and the sales man yells from behind the counter. "Hey turn that thing down." How rude. Guess he didn't like Tool. This was a used amp. You have to get into the power section to look for volume swell right? Any way I shut the amp down and gave him back the guitar. The salesman said so what do you think. I said are you serious. I really didn't have an opportunity to put it through it's paces. I know they have to put up with wanking all day but it was not near as loud as it could be.

Getting back on track I agree with the original poster. I have joined GC's survey group in the hopes that others, more mature (and by this I don't mean age wise) players, will join to voice their opinons. Let's face it. I much prefer the Mom and Pop store. Within the next 5 years. I'm willing to bet that they won't exist. GC and Sam Ash's of the world are making it difficult for these places to exist. They buy at a volume that smaller stores can not keep up with. If we say nothing we'll be stuck with it.

 

[Tfunk Ian]

And please don't natter on about the "only game in town", there's a bazillion places on-line with the same or better return policy. Only half of them are owned by GC/MF, and everyone has the same prices. At least prices will go down at Wal-Mart. I can't wait to buy my Mesa Mark VIII there.
If you buy anything but picks and strings at GC, you're asking for it.

I much as I'd like to agree with you on this one, I can't. Maybe I'm just old school, but I like to be able to actually go to a store and try something out. That way, I have a good idea whether or not I like it. I would NEVER buy a guitar amp online without playing through the same model in person first. That's just a bad idea. For example, let's say I ordered a Roadster from some online shop. I get it in and decide that it's not the amp for me. I have to re-pack it and send it back, most likely paying for shipping both ways (shipping can be quite high on something like that).

So now I've just paid for 2 x shipping and spent the time to box the amp up. Plus, I have to figure out how I'm actually going to ship the amp back. Do I take it to a FedEx or UPS location, or do I have a call tag issued. Do I rely on the driver to have a label for me to fill out or do I can I print one online. However, if I just went down to the local music store, I can try out a bunch of different amps and determine which one is right for me. After doing that, if you don't want to give your business to the store that you are demo'ing amps at, then you can buy one online, knowing that you like the sound of the amp because you have heard it in person first.

That said, I've come to grips with the fact that I know more that almost anyone that works at GC, at least at a local level. I understand that when I go in there, I'm not going to be helped, so I have to take matters into my own hands. Besides, who wants someone hovering over you when you're trying something out. I certainly don't.

My best advice is:
Do the research in advance, that way you don't have to ask too many questions.

 

[jdurso]

You guys are going to love this. I was at GC East Brunswick, NJ for some cables and they had a Mark IV there. One problem... the cabinet sheels was split and clearly made the amp vibrate more than it should which is a tube killer. Anyway wanna know the price tage?? $1500!!!!!! i went to my buddy Jeff who's one of the managers and asked him about hit... lets just say his response started with a big sigh. Apparently GC corporate wont let him discount the amp anymore than $300 (value of the cab shell i guess) because the amp was damaged during shipping and the shipping company wouldnt pay for it (apparently i think thats just bogus). So long story short i told him I'd pay $1000 right then and there... he laughed because he would love to move it but GC Corporate wont let them sell it for any less than $1500 because that would be considered discounting it which they're not allowed to do for Mesas. I understand the buerocratic side of the business but come on now... your selling a broken amp for much more than they should. If they wanted I'm sure they could get a spare cab from Mesa to sell along side the amp as is for close to $1500 but at that point if the cab is that busted then my mind thinks what else is busted? Consider the traffic through that store with the idiots who play their amps in the store and the fact that the amount of extra tube vibration, its just makes for a big problem down the road.

 

[MusicManJP6]

I only talk to the bozo GC employees if I need them to get a guitar down for me, cant find a cable, or need some strings from acessories. Other than that they are just a bunch of wannabe know-it-alls in black shirts... a 'waste of space' if you will...

Aside from being an easy place to get accessories (strings mostly although I bought a speaker cable this weekend) there's usually nothing 'cool' to check out as they are not a Mesa dealer where I live. They have a new but EXTREMELY PLAYED (basically used) PRS CE24 that i've been playing when I go in there. It has me GASing like hell. Other than that the extensive VOX and FENDER amp stock doesn't do anything for me...

 

[ketiov]

If you ever want to check out Mesa or any other nice amps in the Chicagoland area, go to Make'n Music. I went there once, and the guys are amazingly helpful. They won't try to push anything on you either, since they don't make commission (at least that's what they told me).

When I went to try out a Mark IV, I had never played a tube amp before. The guy that helped me sat down in front of it with me and explained in-depth how to dial it in.

Since Mesa is fixed price, you might as well go to a place like this instead of GC. They also had stuff other than the 300 Rectifiers you see at GC.

 

[Turumbar82]

ewwhhh Guitar Center.

Someone complained about a salesman not paying attention to them when they are trying stuff out. Personally I love that. Leave me the F alone and let me try it out the stuff on my own. They just annoy me by talking to me and proving how little they know about the equipment. It actually deters me from going to GC if I know they are going to talk to me and bother me. Now if they actually knew their product and didn't act like a know it all then maybe I wouldn't mind talking to them.

There are have been multiple times in GC in West Palm, here in Orlando, and when I lived in DC that equipment was hooked up wrong or already broken. Guitars were hanging from the wall with broken strings, scratches, and nicks and amps with broken knobs or bad tubes.

I don't think I have ever had a good experience at a Guitar Center and have never bought anything other than strings and picks from them. Good music stores are hard to find.

 

[Turdwrangler]

I went to GC the other night to try and trade in my Mark III. I kid you not, they said the MOST they could offer me on it was $400. That implies that they may not even give me $400 for it. GC FTL

 

[lerxst88]

Im from the northwest suburbs so I have been to that Arlington Heights one a bunch of times. In fact my dad is a dentist and does work on one of the employees so we can always get some kind of deal on big purchases.

I'll add to the list of GC complaints:

Recently I was in the process of selling my Marshall and buying a Mesa. I had tried out an Express a while ago and I was hooked. I was at GC because I had a gift certificate for $100 and i was thinking of picking up an Ibanez Demon Wah or an Electro Harmonix knockout, both which were clearly listed on their website. I got there and asked the guy behind the counter and they said they dont carry them. THEN WHY IS IT ON THE WEBSITE!? Now with nothing to spend my gift card on I figured I'd see what Mesa selections were available. They had a mint condition F-50 and I was playing around with it and it was so nice. A salesman happened to see my girlfriends shirt (Phish) and started up a conversation with us and since we were talking I figured I'd be polite and put the guitar down for a second. He picks it up and just starts playing!!! Then hes commenting on how great the amp is. Well good for you that you like the amp but hello Im the customer and I have a buyer lined up for my Marshall and a gift card!!! I tell him that I'll do 650 for it and he says maybe and it would be a lock if I came back the next day with 700. I sell my marshall and Im back the next day with 700 so I say Ill take the F-50. He gets a manager and she says no way can they let it go for less than 800 (sticker was 899) so i say that the other salesman said 700 would do it. I try to offer 750 out the door but still no. after hours of arguing with them they finally say 750 plus tax. THAT WOULD COME OUT TO MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL 800 IDIOT!!! So I tell them forget it and the amp can sit there another month or two. I was pretty dejected at this point because I had every intention of leaving with my first Mesa Boogie. I spied a dusty old Nomad 100 lumped together with the mismatched halfstacks and I figure Ill try it out. Same jackass sales guy comes by and starts talking and eventually he ends up playing half-learned Phish licks while me and my girlfriend just stand there and watch. I guess I was kind of desperate to leave with something nice so I figured Id take it and they dont even bother to talk about price with me! they just rang it up for $750 since they knew thats all I had! The nerve! I guess I won in the end because less than a week later it needed new tubes and I got them to give me a new quad for free!

Anyway cool to hear another person on here is familiar with the Arlington Heights GC! I think every cable I've ever used has been crackly. I think they break them intentionally.

One cool thing about GC is we were invited to a Mesa/PRS Demo night where reps from Mesa and PRS came to GC and did demos and taught us about how their products work and stuff. Also I got a ton of Mesa picks which are actually my favorite and I got to play a $25,000 PRS so theres the one cool thing about GC.

A great guitar store is down in Champaign. I forget the name of it but its on Green and University I think. They have a bunch of nice Mesa amps (Stilletto Roadking Express Dual Recto) and the sales guy was really helpful and nice. Plus he knew how to set up Mesas to sound really nice so they get a +1 from me for sure! And they have a puppy there!!! It doesnt get all crazy either, itll sit there and listen to you play haha.

 

[SonOfIAm]

The GC here in Spokane, WA is of no use to me as well. I am big on customer service and don't like feeling as though I am cutting in on their break or chops building. I have yet to have anyone help me without feeling as though I am inconveniencing them by asking a question.
Why is it such a common experience for most? I am amazed that a company with such a poor reputation of customer service is still around and being halfway successful! The only reason I go to GC is if the other guitar shops in town don't have what I'm looking for and I need it right away. BTW, my local GC doesn't carry Mesa. I had to drive 3 1/2 hours to the nearest dealer, which had some of the best service I've seen in a while.

 

[boogieslayer]

yeah man that sucks

the only thing GC is good for is selling stuff at best,....and thats very very iffy...

unfortunately they are just there to sell ...salesmen...nothing more

 

[Thrash Till Deth]

There are alot of DUMB sales people working at guitar center. Everytime I go there one always trys to sell me a strat and then they give me a look a disgust when I go to try out any of the mesas almost like they think I have no idea how to use such an amp even though I bought a 3 channel dual there about 6 months ago.

That being said about the only thing they are good for is trying out gear. I would never buy an amp or guitar from there because its been sitting on the salesfloor for who knows how long with every idiot on the planet beating on it. Although on occasion they do have some good deals on used gear. I got a neck-thru BC Rich mockingbird for $199 one time and a Randall 200 Watt head for $80 another time.

 

[MusicManJP6]

That being said about the only thing they are good for is trying out gear.

This is the only reason I go to GC... that and to buy strings...

 

[guitardirky]

Guitar Center Sucks for sure but Ive managed to get some killer deals out the door. First in Indy I was testing out a Marshall speaker cab and Marshall plexi asked one of the guitar dudes if they had an attenuator so I could crank the amp up and not kill them all and he said what is that? So I said well dont worry about. hopefully you brought your ear plugs to work today and went back to playing. While in Chicago I spied a Older reissue (about 1993) 50 Plexi in the "platinum room" along with some other high dollar vintage and custom shop stuff. now $950 is pretty much the ebay rate on those amps and I decided after about 30 minutes of playing I shoot these guys a low ball offer in hopes to conteract a price negotiation with them. The dude came back and said we can sell that to you no problem. Dude rang me up and I got the door looked at the reciept and he gave me the amp for $730 plus tax which put it at $800! Talk about a steal!

 

[Old BF Shred]

I have also posted some 'less than inspiring' experiences with GC. :x

I have not been to the Chicago area stores mentioned, although I originally hail from Wayne's World (Aurora).
Left the area decades ago for sunny weather (San Diego).
I have had a 'decent' relationship with our local GC's....La Mesa, San Marcos.
I used to know the folks there on a first name basis and they knew me (I have spent many $thousands over the years).
Now things are different...only one face I recognize (one of the managers). They rarely stock what I need to buy anymore.
New, young sales people with attitude (and I don't mean good).
They are too immature and ignorant to know they are pissing off one of their best customers.

I have pretty much given up on them and now try to give my business to Music Power. They act more like they want it.

I am not saying I'll never buy from GC again, but I certainly won't beg them to take my money.
There are other stores in the area and there's always internet retailers that want my $.

Looks like GC's future is in their own hands! 8)

Good luck!

 

[JF Omalycat]

Someone complained about a salesman not paying attention to them when they are trying stuff out. Personally I love that. Leave me the F alone and let me try it out the stuff on my own. They just annoy me by talking to me and proving how little they know about the equipment. It actually deters me from going to GC if I know they are going to talk to me and bother me. Now if they actually knew their product and didn't act like a know it all then maybe I wouldn't mind talking to them.

I'm pretty much in that camp, as well. There's nothing I hate worse than having some guy hover over me while I'm checking something out.

Funny, what Clutch said about Sam Ash, because I had the same experience, with the same Road King, at the same store. (probably the same salesman, too).
What I did was crank the thing while making random noises and stared at him like "What?" until he went to the back.
Good times.

 

[RR]

In my experience seems like 4 out of 5 Guitar Center I visited, service sucks. But there will be always one with exceptional service and that's well managed.

To the remaining 4 ...