I HATE FENDER

[Banjowarrior]

Re: I HATE FENDER

Prices over here have pretty much halved (DK-2 down from ~650 to ~350). Not sure about USA's offhand. At least they are a guitar company, which IIRC the previous owners weren't.

[sully]

Re: I HATE FENDER

Originally posted by Deneb:
I am complaining about fenders Customer care.

Their lovely 3-4 week evaluation period AFTER a gold level tech tells them it needs replaced, then they make a desicion, and then get around to doing it, and when they feel like it, shipping it out.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">hmmm...wanna know how long jackson had my rhoads when it went back to them due to quality reasons?

3 months.

wanna know how many phone calls i got from them that were initiated by them (in other words, not just calling me back)? one...to tell me it was being shipped, only to find out a week and a half later that it wasn't.

ask greg crowe how long they had his.

no factory cranks repairs out; they're done on a "as we can get to it" basis, imo. if that's your issue with fender, i'd get over it.

sully

ps...are you from ohio? the only people i've ever heard say (or type) things like "needs replaced" were from ohio. it's an odd grammatical phenomenon. [img]graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

[Deneb]

Re: I HATE FENDER

It is in need of replacement due to severe manufacturing defects that were not apparent at the time of purchase.

Lets see these guitars are around 1500$. It takes a tech 2 weeks to look at it, the service center ships it out when they feel like it, Fender gets a month to look at it, Fender takes anywhere from 2months to 6 months to take care of it.

Meanwhile, all shipping incurred is your responsibility.

I do not like your statement telling me to get over it. Wth is that all about? I am a little upset, you spend the kind of money on a USA Jackson, now I am not made of money either, and only to have this crap happen?!

Customer care if very important to me. What good is a lifetime warranty, when you spend half your life dealing with it.

And the phone call thing, I am going through it as well.

You damn well know Fender just wants us to give up on the guitars, but what can you do?

[sully]

Re: I HATE FENDER

Originally posted by Deneb:
It is in need of replacement due to severe manufacturing defects that were not apparent at the time of purchase.

Lets see these guitars are around 1500$. It takes a tech 2 weeks to look at it, the service center ships it out when they feel like it, Fender gets a month to look at it, Fender takes anywhere from 2months to 6 months to take care of it.

Meanwhile, all shipping incurred is your responsibility.

I do not like your statement telling me to get over it. Wth is that all about? I am a little upset, you spend the kind of money on a USA Jackson, now I am not made of money either, and only to have this crap happen?!

Customer care if very important to me. What good is a lifetime warranty, when you spend half your life dealing with it.

And the phone call thing, I am going through it as well.

You damn well know Fender just wants us to give up on the guitars, but what can you do?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">hey, i'm by no means telling you not to be upset about it, my point was that customer service, in my experience, was something that was lacking even before the buyout. i was pissed too, but my shipping was picked up by the dealer. (thanks lloyd!)

i honestly doubt that anyone is sitting on a guitar, it's just that imo, warranty repairs may not be a primary focus. i'd like to hear from BM, as he did a lot of warranty work from what i understood.

sully

[lerxstcat]

Re: I HATE FENDER

I know "Get over it" sounds harsh, but it is also a realistic thing to say regarding dealing with warranty repairs for the rest of your life, whether dealing with guitar companies, car companies, or when you buy your brand-new house that develops issues.

There are likely companies that focus on top customer service in all these fields, but most are going to focus on what they see as the "paying" customer (as in the one that's handing them money TODAY. For
many companies it's a cashflow issue; the crew needs to work on the guitars that you want to ship to collect on orders, and warranty repairs will be pushed back until they can get to them. It sucks, but it's the rule in anything from plumbing supplies to guitars to cars. If your car's in for a computer repair, under warranty, but they only have 3 units in stock and 3 paying customers with that problem that came in after you,
those 3 are getting the parts on hand and you will wait for the next shipment.

Yeah it sucks, but it's a fact of life and will be so probably for the rest of all our lives. That's why I like to buy used and get repairs done promptly and locally, so the "fixed" guitar doesn't get broken again on its way home. t's not that we don't sympathize, it's just best to not give yourself a headache over
something that's somewhat built into the system.

Anyway, best of luck getting them off their ass and on the stick. When I have dealt with customer service issues as a customer, I've found frequent nagging and cataloging every person's name I spoke with, date and time and what they said, really helps. Asking for the next guy up the food chain helps too. Don't lose your cool, but keep on them insisting that you have a right to prompt service. The squeaky wheel will usually get the grease if you squeak politely but constantly until they're anxious to get you out of their lives. It works for me,
and I use just a couple of ideas such as, when I'm quoted "company policy" like it's a dead end. I'll say I'm in business and know company policy is a GUIDELINE, that exceptions can be made for. If the person I'm speaking to isn't authorized to make that exception, ask to speak to a person who CAN make the decision. Doesn't always work, but you'd really be surprised. I figure I'd rather stay calm while I piss THEM off, then the other way around. If you get upset that gives them a reason to hang up on you, but if you politely but calmly upset them by refusing to go away, they'll fix your guitar/car/plumbing just to get you out of their hair!

Works for me 90% anyway.

[ September 08, 2003, 07:47 PM: Message edited by: lerxstcat ]

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: I HATE FENDER

Most of products increase thier retail prices every once in a while.
We knew this will happen especially Fender bought Jackson.

How much do you think these Charvel or Jackson costed 15years ago?

Cost of producing quality instruments like Jackson,No surprise seeing the inrease of the current retail price.

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: I HATE FENDER

Really, if you compare todays "dollar" compared to the 80's, it is comparable really.

I remember walkin into music stores years ago and the Jackson's were all super expensive...up there with the Gibson Les Paul's etc.

I just think the retail prices/MAP prices are nuts though.

[Deneb]

Re: I HATE FENDER

Prices are not a problem. As Crowe said, I aint buying fukking sh1t new from Fender.

Yeah that attitude sucks, whatever, But customer care makes a company.

The gold level tech told me today that I aint makin fender money by sending them warranty work, and thats sadly why its going to take forever.

I said, doesnt the fact I am a walking Fender endorsement get me anywhere, and sadly, since I spent the fukkin money, no it dont get me dikk.

[Deneb]

Re: I HATE FENDER

btw, I played a dean evo and really liked it, I would like ot get one of those USA flame top super nice looking guitars, what the hell is it, a double cut looking one with an arch, and all are pretty as hell, but I just cant afford one.

If dean would sell me one at dealer since after all I do have a music repair shop, I would buy one [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Jim Shine]

Re: I HATE FENDER

Originally posted by LesPaulCustom:
Really, if you compare todays "dollar" compared to the 80's, it is comparable really.

I remember walkin into music stores years ago and the Jackson's were all super expensive...up there with the Gibson Les Paul's etc.

I just think the retail prices/MAP prices are nuts though.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">To judge inflation, you have to also take into account the buying power of a dollar. Cost of living is way more expensive today than it was in the 80's. Here is a handy rate calculator that is pretty damn accurate.

Inflation Calculator

[etaeniura]

Re: I HATE FENDER

I agree that customer service is very important. I have a part-time job in retail and my main duty is to make sure the customer is happy 100 percent of the time, even if the store loses money on the deal. Mind you, we are talking about products that don't cost anywhere near what a custom guitar would, but the same principle applies. Sooner or later, they will realizre that even if people love their Jackson's, thhey will hesitate before buying another if their experience witht he company was rotten. The only warranty work I have ever had done on a guitar was on my Washburn acoustic, and they were great. My dealer picked up the shipping and I had my guitar in like 2 weeks or so, good as new.

With as many Jackson owners as there are out there, you would think the company would have staff dedicated solely to repair work? wouldn't you? Just like a car dealership-they don't build the cars there, but they sure will fix them.

[Greg Crowe]

Re: I HATE FENDER

Originally posted by jsullysix:

ask greg crowe how long they had his.

[/QB]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">They had it long enough and gave me the runaround so long that I won't be buying any more new USA Jackson's period. When you've got the head of the company telling the custom shop to sit on your guitar and not fix it, it's time to move on and associate with a guitar company that cares about their customer and has something Jackson is entirely lacking --> Customer Service..... enter DEAN!