I'm constantly amazed at how bad GC service is...

  • Thread starter Thread starter kid klash
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B_rad said:
.You cant judge the chain cause of one store.
Peace
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You're abosolutely right.

Don't take me wrong - I'm not saying the GC chain is bad, I'm saying I've had reoccuring issues with the service at my closest GC, and I'm not going back unless it's for strings or picks or some other small walk-in item.

I've been in three other GC stores, including one in Seattle, and they were all very helpful with their walk-in, point-of-purchase sales.

As a side note, I've always had excellent luck with MF, which is the internet sister company of GC. Go figure! ;)
 
I would not blame the company as a whole either because every store is definately different. Some stroes have good people working, some have shitty people. However, I do think that management and upper management are to blame here. Just who's problem is it when a store has idiots working for them? It's the managers fault for hiring them. But then again, whos fault is it that there is a bad manager working? It's upper managements fault for allowing those bad managers to keep their jobs. What I really hate is all the idiots that work there that do not understand anything about what they are selling. If I come in asking about a Neumann M150, don't try and sell me an Oktava tube mic instead. The problem is that a lot of the people who get hired at Guitar Center do not know much about what they are selling and have no experience with any decent equipment. As a result, they try and force feed you the shittiest equipment on the market. They don't seem to understand that the most important thing is to take care of the customer even if it means losing a sale. In the long run they would make more money off of a lot of customers by treating them right and NOT selling them some items than selling them the wrong thing with a full reccomendation that the client ends up hating. I have noticed that dealing with GC pro is MUCH better.
 
djhead said:
I worked in the Phoenix store. Small world. Been there long?
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Hey dj, This is my second go around in Tempe. Been there two weeks now. Doing pretty well and trying to gain clients buy doing what xstactic said. If someone walked in and asked for any high end mic I would know they have researched or used or heard this mic personally, and it would be idiotic to try and sell him anything else. In fact those rare instances are just beautiful. I do have a PT LE studio and been a musician for many years. Peace
 
I should listen to my own advice...

...so I went into the infamous GC in my neck of the woods Saturday morning, right at opening time, to buy some picks and a bunch of cords. I picked out the cords and walked up to the counter... and waited 15 minutes... NOBODY waited on me (and there were more "sales people" than customers), so I put the cables back and walked out.

When I got home, I ordered the stuff through MF online.

Some things never change. No more Clackamas GC (pro audio section) for me.
 
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Musicians Friend

They are owned by Guitar Center....my local Guitar Center is AWFUL as far as service and knowledge and employee turnover is common. I rarely shop at GC unless its an in stock need it now part.
 
Customer service was a serious problem at the New Orleans Guitar Center on my last (and final) visit. I think poor management and poor training is the key issue at this store. I'm sure all GC's can't be as bad as the New Orleans store.
 
I've had good and bad service at GC and SA. One thing to remember, is to do some research before you go to the store. Not all salesmen are crooks, or well informed on all merchandise. Some really nice guys may have good intentions, but not know what he's doing. The other night, I bought the last K2 and the case was in the back. The assistant manager tried to tell me it didn't come with the shock mount that was in the case and I pulled out the manual from the case and showed him the included accesories. Had I listened to him, someone would have got the shock mount with a cheaper mic, and I would have been stuck with the little stand mount that went with the cheaper mic. I looked it up at the Rode website before I went, to see what was included before I went to the store. He even tried to convince me that the 30 foot cable (essential for its use since its a tube mic) was a free gift he was "throwing in" since it was a display model. I wouldn't have bought it without the discount I got. Just try to know all you can before you go.
 
Consupmtion versus Production

B_rad...yeah GC's making tons of money no doubt.
Can Consumption versus Production remain balanced?
WalMart, Target, ALL the online stores!!!, Guitar Center openning up more and more stores, Best Buy has a guitar music shelf area too. :eek:

I was exposed at work to some of the marketing & sales issues and how hard it is to get "shelf space" at these Mega Mart stores; competition is brutal. But if you get even a tiny bit of "shelf space" real estate your selling a lot of shit..MEGA SALES$$. 1.4% of the HDTV market is a Billion$$ a year!!! So is music gear selling quantities like TV's, HiFi stereo's, Vacuum Cleaners and refrigerators? the shelf space would imply..yes. :confused:

being an old fart...
I was in Fullerton, CA and visited Leo Fenders starting place and museum.
(yes, I was one of the 3 people in the museum on a Saturday...)
a paper there stated like 5,000 guitars for a few years of 1950's sales, now I can only guess that Fender builds, say, 5,000 guitars an hour?to supply all the Guitar Centers, and Online stores??

Its hard to find the sales figures on guitar sales and gear but I'd love to see them.
 
kid klash said:
... I picked out the cords and walked up to the counter... and waited 15 minutes... NOBODY waited on me.
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In that case I'd just say, "Hey, Manson! (Stevie Ray, David Lee, etc.)... I'm ready to check out with these cords and stuff! Service, front counter, pronto!!!"

Customer service is a dead concept at many of these stores, but y'gotta get in good with one or more sales-jerks & spend LOTs-a cash to get their attention and/or best treatment.

F/I, 'round 2000/2001/2002, I was buying lots of guitars. At that point, it was like I had my own dedicted GC sales rep, and service was fine! This was the Sherman Oaks GC, and may "favorite" sales guy made lead/manager in the guitar department,... (Doug Diamond).

It's funny that most of the best reps from GC seemed to go by "stage" names: Doug Diamond, Ethan Allen,... Ozzy,... etc. Hahaha.

Anyway, I spent lots'a dough, and I got GREAT service.

I've easily spent $10K at the Sherman Oaks GC since 1982, and as long as you spend the dough, service is good.
 
alba123 said:
Customer service was a serious problem at the New Orleans Guitar Center on my last (and final) visit. I think poor management and poor training is the key issue at this store. I'm sure all GC's can't be as bad as the New Orleans store.
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Uh duh! :o

Everything in NO sorta went upside down. Until Katrina, I travelled to NO every year and bought a guitar from that store. The customer service was always great. Try the red light district for the service you're looking for :p
 
I agree that the N.O. GC had great management, customer service and knowledgable people at one time. I live on the North Shore. Our city of Slidell got hit bad by Katrina. The eye passed very near our town. Lake Pontchatrain did it's worst to many in our city. I know first hand. It did not stop the people I work for and with from giving our customers great service. We lost quite a few workers but it is no excuse for poor customer service. I am proud to have been an employee of The City of Slidell. Unfortunately Katrina has taken an emotional toll on many of us from which some may never recover. I feel blessed to have a healthy family, a roof over my head, food and music. I pray that no one has to go through this. I am not the same person that I was before the storm. Please excuse my rambling, for some reason I felt that I had to say this to someone.
 
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I don't trust the sales people at GC to know more about the product I am looking at than I do. I do the research, walk in, ask for what I want, HAGGLE :D , get the best price I can get (better than mail order), pay, then leave.

My point is this. To ask a kid that works at GC's pro audio dept. to recommend a microphone etc. is rediculous. They just don't have the knowledge to do that (for the most part). They are sales people, they sell!
 
I had to update, the fhkd up GC that I refered to was cleaned up the other day! maybe a new manager?

thought it only fair to divy up to the plano,tx store. good job.

the sound room was decluttered and you could walk thru the store without knocking guitars and amps over. pretty cool...
PA room was organized. more like the LBJ site.

just read a dewd getting ripped off on a ebay purchase....this makes GC sound good, clutter or not....GC won't run off with your PayPal money! :eek:
 
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