Guitar Center: The Almost Rant
I don't expect this month's blog to be long. It was supposed to be a rant about a purchase I made from Guitar Center in Fairfax, VA. The rant was meant to be a quick and calm discussion with the store manager, John, to resolve an issue.
In late April or early May, I was researching guitar amplifiers. I wanted something for noodling at home, not for gigging or starting a band. I was looking for an amp that wasn't too big and had a warm, bluesy tone. The Fender line of tube amps, including the Blues Deluxe Reissue, NOS, and Blues Junior, is known for their distinct sound and is a popular choice among guitar enthusiasts like me.
After hours and days of reading reviews and watching YouTube videos, I decided on a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue, 40 watts, in good condition from Guitar Center. Although I had many amps saved in my "wish list," I was sure this was the one. I finally placed my order on May 25.
The much-anticipated day, June 2, finally arrived. The UPS app promised delivery by the end of the day. I was unsure if a signature was required, and my past experiences with UPS and FedEx, where they signed my name and left packages on my porch without my consent, only added to my uncertainty. That's a story for another time.
During late April and early May, I was on a quest for the perfect guitar amplifier. I wasn't looking for something to gig with or start a band, just a compact amp with a warm, bluesy tone for some casual noodling at home. The Fender line of tube amps, including the Blues Deluxe Reissue, NOS, and Blues Junior, fit the bill.
After spending many hours and days reading reviews and watching YouTube videos, I settled on a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue, 40 watts, in good condition from Guitar Center. Though I saved many amps in my "wish list", I was sure this was the one. I finally placed my order on May 25.
The long-awaited day, June 2, had finally arrived. The UPS app indicated a delivery scheduled for the end of the day. I was unsure if a signature was required, as both UPS and FedEx have a habit of signing my name and leaving the item on my porch without my consent. This recurring frustration was a story for another time.
So it was no surprise to me to find a box (a huge box) sitting on the front porch. At first glance, the box appeared tattered, torn, and beaten up. No way this was my amp. It had to be something else. Maybe the wife ordered something, and my package was coming later. Nope! further inspection of the shipping label clearly showed it was from GC. My excitement quickly turned to anger, not only at the condition of the box, but also at the poor tape job on the outside of the box, as well, but UPS was not innocent in this. I initially decided to hold off, expecting the contents until the next day, as I had other pressing issues to contend with at the time, but I felt compelled to confront this. So I opened the box.
First off, I noticed the lack of bubble wrap, just one piece lying across the grill cloth; the rest of the packing consisted of wadded up paper, little to no protection for the amplifier inside.
At first glance, the amp looked unscathed, unlike the outer box (eye roll). I started to feel this situation wasn’t as bad after all until I decided to get my guitar and plug it in, hit a note on my guitar, and nothing. Well, maybe I needed to let the tubes warm up, but still, nothing— just the unsettling sound of the reverb echoing every time I moved the amp. So, after further inspection, I noticed that one of the preamp tubes was shattered completely, hanging on by a thread from its socket. Then I saw the impact point on the back left corner of the amp.
I didn’t waste any time, and soon I was on the phone with the Guitar Center. I got to the store and was transferred to someone I thought was located at the Fairfax store. I spoke to someone named Logan and told him my situation. He responded to me with a comment about the poor packing, damaged box, and broken preamp tube. “What do you expect when you buy a used amp?” What?! Are you kidding me?
After serval minutes on the phone with Logan, and me repeatedly telling him it was the preamp tube(s) I needed, what does this young Man do, well to add insult to injury, he sends me the wrong tubes, I received the two larger tubes that are in the amp, I then decided to order the correct ones myself,
Once the correct tubes arrived, I decided to take my amp to a local guitar repair shop, Alpha Music. I told them to do whatever was necessary to bring the amp back to 100%, and they did—wonderful work. There was still one thing I felt compelled to do: call the GC Fairfax store and speak to a manager about my less-than-satisfactory experience, not so much to get compensated for my trouble but to hopefully pass on what I had to deal with so no one else would have to go through the same. It was a Thursday when I spoke to their customer service manager—let's call him “He that shall not be named” (his idea before the blog was written). He then referred me to the store manager, John (who wasn’t in that day), on this matter, so I decided to call back the next day.
There was still one thing I felt compelled to do: call the GC Fairfax store and speak to a manager about my less-than-satisfactory experience. It wasn't so much to be compensated for my trouble, but to hopefully pass on what I had to deal with so no one else would have to go through the same. It was a Thursday when I spoke to their customer service manager—let's call him “He that shall not be named” (his idea before the blog was written). He, in turn, referred me to the store manager, John (who wasn’t in that day), about this matter, so I decided to call back the next day.
On Friday, July 30th, I called John. I won’t go into the entire conversation we had, but I will say it was calm. John checked his computer about my order. The person Logan I spoke to about the replacement tubes, which John told me I must have been transferred to the distribution center, which is why there was no Logan working at the Fairfax store when I inquired. This is where it gets interesting: John also told me that the amp I received was actually not the one I ordered. I noticed this when I looked at some screenshots I took of the one I thought I was getting; it had some marks and showed signs of use, character.
The amp I had in my possession was a newer one. According to John, he had two at the store when I placed my order. One was missing, it seems there was a “new” person they had working at the store, and he shipped me the wrong amp. It should have dawned on me that the amp I had was different; how many used amps come with the little cardboard info sheet that lists the features of the amp?
The bottom line is I know that retail folks always get the short end of the stick when it comes to complaints, they’re treated like crap daily, the store manager at the GC Fairfax store was very attentive, understanding, and showed a genuine concern in what I went through that led to our conversation. All I wanted or expected was to be heard, not just to be acknowledged, but truly understood. I came away from the discussion with that, and it was enough. John also refunded me my shipping, which was very generous. I will be shopping at this store in the future.
