NGD :) My experience with Thomann

chrishill901

UPDATE: It has arrived this morning. Expect photos later!

OP:

I have been reluctant to post about this, partly because I wanted it resolved first and partly as I've always been a loyal Thomann customer.

I decided out of panic when Jacksons went up in the UK to buy a Jackson SDX from Thomann - I have never bought a guitar from Thomann before but I have bought amps and other large items which have always been delivered in 3 working days. About 15 minutes after ordering it I received the email saying it had been despatched. Classic German efficiency I thought. I switched on email updates for the tracking and went about my business.

5 days later i had received no updates - now im not expecting delivery in 5 days but from my experience of Thomann you get updated when it arrives at the German export location, and again when it arrives in the UK and also when its out for delivery. Curious as to why i hadn't heard anything I emailed Thomann (I was penny pinching and should have rang them). They responded the following day saying they didn't know where it was but would ring DHL immediately and get back to me ASAP. That was 5 days ago, although admittedly only 3 of those were working days. At the weekend the tracking finally updated and the parcel was in Koln, a whopping 3 hour drive from Kitzingen where it originally tracked. According to the tracking it is still in Koln - it took 8 days to travel 3 hours, and has been sat for a further 3 days in Germany doing nothing. I have no estimated arrival time and still no response from Thomann, who I have emailed back asking why I hadn't heard from them 'ASAP'.

Am I being overly critical or overreacting? Is it wrong of me to expect a parcel to have travelled slightly further than 3 hours down the road since being despatched 11 days ago? I appreciate that this is mainly a DHL issue and not Thomann, but they haven't been too helpful. Is this a standard Thomann experience these days?

Chalky

Call Thomann. But I suspect they have a problem with DHL.

Rox

You could be the greatest retailer in the world, but if your courier loses a parcel, or doesn't load it, you look like a chump.

Get on the phone and ask!  People are always more responsive to direct communication.

chrishill901

I'm going to call tomorrow, I've been busy at work and figured id give them the entire day to process the weekend backlog

hotpot

That Sucks, I've bought three guitars from Thomann lately & everyone has arrived within three days & the tracking was accurate on each one.

siremoon

For years I bought stuff from Thomann with no problems.  However in the last six months I've had the same experience as you with parcels being stuck for days in Koln, I've had stuff arrive damaged due to bad packing and really lousy customer service in the aftermath.  My own view is that they are nothing like as good as they were even a year ago. Maybe they've got just too big, I don't know.  What I do know is that they'll be getting far less business from me than they used to

Gru

Hopefully they are trying to get it sorted,although 11 days suggests to me it might be lost. That would be rubbish, but do they have another in stock?

I don't buy mail order guitars any more (one shop is an exception), even if if means missing out on something. Purchasing for me is about the shop experience, although the Dawsons thread shows that isn't guaranteed either.

chrishill901

Gru;612554" said:

Hopefully they are trying to get it sorted,although 11 days suggests to me it might be lost. That would be rubbish, but do they have another in stock?

I don't buy mail order guitars any more (one shop is an exception), even if if means missing out on something. Purchasing for me is about the shop experience, although the Dawsons thread shows that isn't guaranteed either.

The only good shop for customer service near me only really caters for beginners. There is another shop that shall not be named but is run by a total bellend and I don't want him having my money. And I had to get from thomann anyway due to the price and the fact that neither local shop stocked Jacksons!



Like sods law the tracking has just updated to say its in this country, but then 2 minutes later said it wasn't. It is quite possibly lost but they do have more in stock

chrishill901

Super - the thread has had its desired effect (that of sods law) - nothing for 11 days, post a thread on here and in under 24 hours it has arrived with an apology email from Thomann blaming DHL. The two are linked only by the law of sod.

Now I just need to get through a full working day, tea and small talk with the missus and then I can get her our of the box tonight! (the guitar that is)

Expect photos. Ill try and wipe up the drool before I take a snap

not_the_dj

Nice one, glad it's arrived!

OilCityPickups

My own Thomann experiences

Bought a Digitech Jam Man from them last year full price and as new .... took best part of a week to arrive ... and was very clearly a demo example ... battered box, thumbed instructions ... 

Bought a Harley Benton Jazz Bass B stock, maple neck and fingerboard, ash body ...

again around six days later an alder bodied rosewood fingerboard jazz bass ... one of the cheaper models... arrived in the box marked for the more expensive model ... 

I complained and got a refund of the difference.

Bought my SG Future Tribute from them ... took eight days to arrive and had a comedy high action and sharp fret ends ... but otherwise okay.

My experience of Thomann is that they are a bit of a bargain basement lottery ... you can get lucky or have frustrations ... 

chrishill901

TheGuitarWeasel said:

My own Thomann experiences

Bought a Digitech Jam Man from them last year full price and as new .... took best part of a week to arrive ... and was very clearly a demo example ... battered box, thumbed instructions ... 

Bought a Harley Benton Jazz Bass B stock, maple neck and fingerboard, ash body ...

again around six days later an alder bodied rosewood fingerboard jazz bass ... one of the cheaper models... arrived in the box marked for the more expensive model ... 

I complained and got a refund of the difference.

Bought my SG Future Tribute from them ... took eight days to arrive and had a comedy high action and sharp fret ends ... but otherwise okay.

My experience of Thomann is that they are a bit of a bargain basement lottery ... you can get lucky or have frustrations ... 

I can't wait to get home now!

Like I say, my experience has been positive thus far, but I am hearing increasingly more negative reviews of the service. Luckily a badly set up guitar is an easy fix, but I am dreading if there is any damage as I don't want to have to deal with them again.

Im hoping for the opposite of your Jazz bass experience. Hopefully they have accidentally sent the USA model of the Jackson Adrian Smith.... haha

ToneControl

They've resolved any issue I ever had with manufacturing faults

Excellent service

Chalky

Me too - good service always. Can't blame Thomann for the Gibson SG - comedy high action and shoddy workmanship is Gibson's way to prove its genuine

OilCityPickups

Nope ... one smooth deal ... out of three ... a 75% failure rate ... go them ;-)

Dave_Mc

Sorry to hear that I was hoping when you said the tracking was finally updated in that other thread that that might be it sorted

meltedbuzzbox

I've bought 2 guitars and  pedal train and they were excellent.

andy1839

Bought my last LP Supreme from them last year. Brilliant from start to finish.

More surprising was that it was brilliantly made and finished.

Hey ho, that's the gibbo lottery.

Thankfully I won this one.

Iamnobody

First class service and they gave me vouchers for my reviews (thanks to the heads up on here).

rossi

Thomann are box shifters and  sometimes it ges wrong .They  dont check each item out of the store .Most issues are corrected  quickly .I got vouchers for my reviews too
     .I used to work delivering fitted kitchens to public customers.The deal was we didnt waste time checking the contents of the  boxes when delivered as we would never get our round done .The company always made good .I suspect Thomann works on that principle

OilCityPickups

rossi said:

Thomann are box shifters and  sometimes it ges wrong 

Exactly ... if you take them for what they are, that's fine ... one can't expect perfection for silly cheap prices ...