VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

[WAR IN D]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Well, I don't know if their records system is computer based or not.... but when I was on the phone with the guy, he had to actually get up and go get the work order out of a filing cabinet. That is what he told me. I had said to him "I have my order # here, if you need it" and he told me he needed my last name because the paperwork was filed. So I'm assuming it's not.

Shape Shift's story sounds very familiar to me, basically because that is exactley what they told me!! Sounds like SOP when they screw up and play the CYA game... I Emailed them last night and if I don't get a reply within a day or so, I'll be calling back again. I was fairly nice the first time, but I'm gonna unload with both barrels if I have to call again.

As far as the neck being used, I don't think it was. The holes are drilled but there has never been a screw installed, you can see that the hole is clean with no "ridges" in in where the screw would have bit in. Regardless, the more I think about it, the more it's pissin' me off and that's not good. I checked the Warmoth site yesterday and on the Website, under "Will it fit my guitar?" it clearly says:

Note: All of our necks are supplied without mounting holes drilled. This allows you to perfectly match it to your body.

So as far as I'm concerned, they don't have a leg to stand on.

[sully]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Originally posted by Trillian Guitars:
that whole thing is odd.....you CANT predrill holes for a neck.....you have to lign it up first .....ive never seen a warmoth comeout like that.....either they used a used neck on you or someone there made a huge mistake...id call them on it again and ask to talk to someone in charge......ive dealt with warmoth on hundreds of occasions and have never had any trouble....

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">well, i'd agree with ya, but i got a predrilled neck too...that i special ordered. not a thrift shop neck. again, i didn't know to tell them not to drill for it...i've also had it for a few months, so i'm pretty much sol.

thanks for the tip gary, i was actually thinkin of doin something like that. i'll also just try the measurin it out first.

and if all else fails.... 1" bit it is! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

sully

[trillian guitars]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

well, i tell ya...its weird....i just got a neck from them too, i ordered it for a template so idont really care....it had holes drilled in it too....and....they are pretty far back in the pocket.....i cant believe they are doing this now.......i bet it wont last for long

[deviltronix]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Stephan,

I sympathize with you. Similiar situation, and when I called they were obnoxious as all hell. Once something is shipped, you don't have a chance in hell of returning it or exchanging it regardless of who made the error. I will never buy a warmouth product again.

[shreddermon]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

I can vouch for Warmoth's customer service needing improvement. I once ordered some parts from them. Received same parts, and all was well.

Weeks later, I received a "legal" notice effectively saying my order was being referred to a collections agency. [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] WTF? Many e-mails and phone calls later, it was discovered that the clown at Warmoth who took my order wrote down the wrong credit card #. Apparently, he transposed a couple of digits, which turned out to match some other dude's CC#. And when that guy contested the charge on his bill, they immediately flipped and referred it to collections without even trying to contact me. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] (My credit is top notch all around, BTW.)

Bottom line: good parts and prices, but customer service could stand some improvement. Particularly in the way they approach resolving problems after the initial order.

[ May 14, 2003, 12:05 PM: Message edited by: shreddermon ]

[WAR IN D]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Well, I finally got an Email response from the Sales Manager and they offered to refund the money for the neck.... MINUS the $39.50 for the Nut Prep and shipping. I told them I'm not gonna take a $39.50 hit on this neck because they failed to mention the fact that they are predrilling all the necks now (So that answers that question!!). I informed him that I was gonna keep it and that Warmoth had made it's last penny off of me!!

I also wrote him a nicely worded Email (really) telling him how the Warmoth Company has a really bad reputation concerning it's Customer Service Department and that if they don't change thier ways, Warmoth will eventually go the way of the DoDo Bird. I also forwarded that Email to Ken Warmoth too, so maybe that will get their attention..

Don't matter to me now, it's all under the bridge and I'm moving on!!

[Chuckracer]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Hooo boy. Bad days ahead for Warmoth. The last time Stephan got pissed at a business, it ceased to exist a short time later. A certain Mail Shipping business as I recall.
If I worked at Warmoth, I'd be opening my desk drawers VERY slowley... [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[Econ]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

As far as I'm concern, when it comes to doing business, THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT! I've been tempted to buy stuff from Warmoth, but after reading this, hmm! I don't think that is gonna happen. And this message can be forwarded to Ken Warmoth, the man himself.

[Kamo]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Kinda reminds me of Earcraft here. They're Wizards in the tech department!

[skidd]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Econ,
Being an owner of a small business trust me the customer is not always right, but you do have to find the best way to make both sides happy. It sounds like there customer service needs alot of work. Stephen was very cool when I 1st came on the board when I caught heat from ALZ
over neck plates, he a stand up guy, and it sounds to like they drop ball. But as of late, it just seems that people are trying to get over on me in my business and I'm just sick of it.

Scot

[Econ]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Hey Skidd:

I do understand your predicament and actually agree with you. I guess what I tried to say is that IMHO businesses should always try to accomodate a customer (within reason) because it is the customer that actually supports the business. From what I read here it seems that Warmoth drop the ball, and instead of turning away customers (I'm certain after what I read I won't buy anything from them, so now it is Stephan and myself at least who wont shop there anymore)they could have just exchange the neck for a new one. So poor customer service is costing Warmoth a lot more than a neck. I feel strongly about this because I feel Warmoth behavior is almost abusive to the customer.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Businesses that want to be successful over the long term will bend over backwards to satisfy their customers. No force in retail carries a stronger positive or negative than word of mouth. Wal-Mart is a prime example: They'll take returns of almost any item, with or without packaging, with or without a receipt, even if they didn't originally sell the item to the customer and in some cases if they don't and have never stocked the item. Their success is not an accident.

The manner in which Warmoth has chosen to respond to their customers demonstrates a great deal of arrogance. It's not the customer's fault that Warmoth hasn't updated their web page to reflect their new construction practices. It's also not the customer's fault if Warmoth employs people to man the phones who are incapable of taking a customer's order without making mistakes. Presumably Warmoth has a great deal of expertise in their field, it should therefore fall to them to ask enough questions of their customers to avoid mistakes and miscommunications.

The really crazy thing is that Warmoth would probably still make money on a neck if they paid shipping both ways, marked it down and liquidated it through their thrift shop. There's just no reason they should be acting with this hostile an attitude towards their customers.

[ May 15, 2003, 06:43 PM: Message edited by: YetAnotherOne ]

[skidd]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

I agree with you guys about the neck. I was just venting on general.In my business and on my site EVERYTHING is spelled out, cost of shipping, return policy, sizing ,how and when we ship, our price policy etc. I have my site set up,so every question is there for you. When I made my 1st post I had just gotten my head ripped off a guy over shipping cost,when I told him at checkout it gave him a shipping total as well as the email conformation,he said over and over again "I didn't know shipping would be $8.OO on a $4.00 item I thought it was free, you say free shipping on your site." But in big red letters at check out is says very clearly our shipping rates policys etc. He just wouldn't let it go. i gave him his shipping money back and was very nice to him, but lets face it I lost money all the way arounfd on that one and he probley won't buy from us again even though we did the right thing. Thats all I'm saying some people are just always trying to get over. I be honest I will be very careful with Warmoth if I by anything in the future from the. Thanks for letting me vent.

Scot

[WAR IN D]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Originally posted by Chuckracer:
Hooo boy. Bad days ahead for Warmoth. The last time Stephan got pissed at a business, it ceased to exist a short time later. A certain Mail Shipping business as I recall.
If I worked at Warmoth, I'd be opening my desk drawers VERY slowley... [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Yeah, That little piece of property is still uninhabitable!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

As I said, I'm done with them and I really hope they can do something to improve on their Customer Service. I don't wish anything bad for the company itself, but I can't see anything good coming from their current practices concerning Customer Service. I told them this in my last Email and I hope they take that into consideration in the future.

I too, work in the "public" domain and there are alot of times I would like to tell people to take a flying leap, but if you want people to come back and pay your salary, you have to do what they want, within reason of course, and if it's not possible they way they want it.. you have to find an acceptable "middle ground" that is beneficial to both parties involved. You'd be surprised how people can go from mad to happy if you just put out some sort of effort showing them that your at least trying to get what they want done.

My old boss told me one time that the definition of "Tact" is the ability to tell someone to "kiss your ass" while making them smile the whole time. There are many ways to keep the customer happy but the one sure way to piss them off is to not even try.

[roodyrocker]

Re: VERY dissappointed with Warmoth right now !!

Stephan, I read this thread kind of late. Sorry to hear of your troubles, I hope it all works out for you.
I can't say anything about Warmouth because I've never dealt with them before. But I can tell everyone on the board that I have dealt with Stephan and I would say if he specified the neck be built a certain way, then I tend to believe he specified it a certain way.

YetAnotherOne, I agree with your point about having people with expertise guide the customer. Tim Wilson at the custom shop is such a person. When I ordered my custom shop and was unsure of a couple things, he went over it with me on the phone and helped guide me so no screw ups occured. I had the order form in one hand and the phone with Tim Wilson in the other.

Rudy