Typical GAK...returning to old ways? (wish I'd never started this....just having a rant and whoosh!)

Babones

Even on, say, hardwired Fender amps (ie not IEC cables)?

Fortheloveofguitar

Babones;647764" said:

Even on, say, hardwired Fender amps (ie not IEC cables)?

They just send you a 2 pin to 3 pin adaptor.

UnclePsychosis

That is a really, really irritating thing for then to do and it is not acceptable service.

That said, given how many companies seem to be bad for this, if I ever need something in a hurry I phone them to order. It's no guarantee of success but there's less chance of an unpleasant surprise.

underdog

UnclePsychosis;647792" said:

That is a really, really irritating thing for then to do and it is not acceptable service.

That said, given how many companies seem to be bad for this, if I ever need something in a hurry I phone them to order. It's no guarantee of success but there's less chance of an unpleasant surprise.

The oddest order I've made was last year, ordering an Amp and some place was cheapest so rung them up and asked was it next day delivery, got asked what amp and heard them tapping away on keyboard, yes will have it tomorrow.

Put the phone down and clicked pay on their web site, 20mins later got phone call to say they had no stock.

Went to order same thing from guitarguitar and card was blocked for security reasons because last shop had taken my money. Right pain in the arse to sort out.

capo4th

With all due respect if I needed something urgently next day etc I would phone up the store and speak to a human and get personal service.

underdog

capo4th;647839" said:

With all due respect if I needed something urgently next day etc I would phone up the store and speak to a human and get personal service.

See my post above

guitarfishbay

Yeah the only way to be sure is to physically go to the shop and buy it.

Fortheloveofguitar

I learnt the hard way and now if i'm caught short and need something quickly i will have to drive somewhere.

However the fact still remains that too many of these stores are doing this. We can't be expected to ring up all the time, even then I've had so many sales staff that can't tell shit from pudding.

To any of the shops that use this forum, mainly for spam might i add...... Sort your shit out! 

Catthan

Can the bank not claim money back for their customers? They can credit the money to the customer's account and then claim the amount back from the business that fucked said customer

Unless paying with paypal, why would anyone wait and take any shit from a shop re refund policy, clearing times etc and not just go straight to the bank?

My understanding is that if the customer is eligible for a refund and not taking the piss, the bank should be able to help, no?

Rockhopper

There is one problem with calling to order over the telephone.

I will not name the store but there is one large music store where I rang up and ordered over the phone. Everything was fine until a couple of days later I get a call from my Credit Card company informing me of 'suspicious' activity on my card. Card was cancelled and everything put right. No problem. Thought nothing of it.

Made another order (over the phone) from said store and everything was fine....until a few days later when I received a call from my credit card company and there was suspicious activity on my card again. Money refunded, card cancelled.

Now that could be coincidence but I haven't bought anything from them since and I haven't had any 'suspicious activity' either.

usedtobe

+1 for Thomann.

underdog

Fortheloveofguitar;647881" said:

I learnt the hard way and now if i'm caught short and need something quickly i will have to drive somewhere.

However the fact still remains that too many of these stores are doing this. We can't be expected to ring up all the time, even then I've had so many sales staff that can't tell shit from pudding.

To any of the shops that use this forum, mainly for spam might i add...... Sort your shit out! 

exactly, if you're stock levels are wrong on your site what point is there in having them there at all? This is yet another area thomann have got 100% right and most UK retailers can't.

Sassafras

Maybe if they invested in a new Sinclair ZX Spectrum they might be able to keep track of their stock more efficiently.

Hertz32

I love GAK but their website is fucking shite, Available to order delivery isnt the same as Out of stock but it is according to their website. Their website also lacks the ability to sort by price, and the pictures are realllly tiny.
Yoseph not using the forum is a bit of a bummer too, Mark was ace and PM'ing him was practically as good as calling them up.

Fortheloveofguitar

Hertz32;647980" said:

I love GAK but their website is fucking shite, Available to order delivery isnt the same as Out of stock but it is according to their website. Their website also lacks the ability to sort by price, and the pictures are realllly tiny.
Yoseph not using the forum is a bit of a bummer too, Mark was ace and PM'ing him was practically as good as calling them up.

Too much like actually doing some work and customer relations.

Gru

Rockhopper;647897" said:

There is one problem with calling to order over the telephone.I will not name the store but there is one large music store where I rang up and ordered over the phone. Everything was fine until a couple of days later I get a call from my Credit Card company informing me of 'suspicious' activity on my card. Card was cancelled and everything put right. No problem. Thought nothing of it.Made another order (over the phone) from said store and everything was fine....until a few days later when I received a call from my credit card company and there was suspicious activity on my card again. Money refunded, card cancelled.Now that could be coincidence but I haven't bought anything from them since and I haven't had any 'suspicious activity' either.

Not sure why it would cause a problem naming the store. Just another case of crap customer service especially with something suss going on.

meltedbuzzbox

To be fair if it says to available to order on an item and GAK orders it for you upon purchase is that bad customer service or the customer being a bit of an idiot?

As mentioned previously this sort of thing can easily be addressed by a phone call. 

GAK are GREAT to deal with over the phone, they price match Thomann, they do try to make a deal better and they are based over here. They even got themselves a presence on this very forum and Mark was great to deal with. I dont see Andertons, GuitarGuitar on here and PMTs interaction is purely to drive their own promotions. 

As always the knee jerk reaction train has pulled up to the station and the passengers are climbing over each other to get aboard. 

Dave_Mc

^ You could say just the same about the blind shop defenders- "Yet again someone has made a legitimate complaint about a shop, and someone else comes in with a strawman argument to act like all consumers are whiners."

Rockhopper didn't buy something which GAK said had to be ordered- all the items were described as being in stock (at least that's what I assume from his opening post). They also sent half the order without checking that that was ok (as he astutely pointed out, he can't check if half the order will work without the other half, and that could screw up his DSR rights to return the thing).

I also think GAK could make it clearer as to whether things are in stock or not- instead of saying "Next Day Delivery" and "Available to Order Delivery", why not just say, "In stock" or "Out of stock- can be ordered"?

Regarding the phone thing- why have a website if they can't run it right? "Oh, everyone should know you get better service by phone!"- No, if the shop has a website it should run said website properly, again IMO that's the shop's fault, not the customer's.

FWIW I haven't ordered from GAK recently but I was very impressed with them when I did about a year to two years ago (IIRC).

Fiftyshadesofjay

meltedbuzzbox said:

To be fair if it says to available to order on an item and GAK orders it for you upon purchase is that bad customer service or the customer being a bit of an idiot?

As mentioned previously this sort of thing can easily be addressed by a phone call. 

GAK are GREAT to deal with over the phone, they price match Thomann, they do try to make a deal better and they are based over here. They even got themselves a presence on this very forum and Mark was great to deal with. I dont see Andertons, GuitarGuitar on here and PMTs interaction is purely to drive their own promotions. 

As always the knee jerk reaction train has pulled up to the station and the passengers are climbing over each other to get aboard. 

Well in my case it specifically said 'In Stock', that's hardly me being an idiot is it?

guitarfishbay

Yep all 4 times this year it said in stock - one time I even confirmed on the phone! Edit - to confirm as per my earlier comment this was 4 different UK online music shops, not GAK x4. Still pretty bad luck though!