Weird email from GuitarGuitar

jeztone2

Just under two weeks ago I ordered a Keeley Halo. I was after a secondary delay for my B rig. Anyway. Spent a couple of days with it and it’s much too complex and doesn’t suit my needs. So repackaged it after I checked the factory settings were intact. Then did my guitar guitar return. Have done this before and never had a problem. Last time was a Soldano pedal that frankly had thought was awful. But hey, plurality of taste & all that. 

Then I get this weird condescending email offering help with understanding my purchase or the offer of an exchange. So I explained distance selling rules and that I wanted a refund. 

I’ve probably spent tens of thousands of pounds at GG over the years. I’m really shocked at this. I posted the pedal back today special delivery. 

But frankly as a fully paid up member of the Gen X , Dinky semi retired set. I’m a little confused as to why a guitar shop would seek to alienate me on the edge of a recession?

Brio

They are trying to compete with Thomann's return policy?

willo

Did you not put a battery in? 

I've had some good service from GG lately, so surprised to hear it.

There is an issue that almost all online retailers have around fulfilment costs. Old model: one van takes everything to the store, and customers travel in. New model: 100 vans take everything to every individual customer. 

My guess is it's why they are doing this - some sort of triage thing to minimise returns processing. 

mgaw

I had the same email about a return request, bit odd but understandable 

Fishboy7

I had a similar interaction recently.  I won't bore you with the details but it's put me off using GG for the foreseeable future.  After having spent circa £35k there over the last 10 years.   Its a bit weird. 

Wazmeister

Its a standard email.

- they can help sort out your needs
- its help to buy the right peDal
- it keep the money in house if you px or keep it

Nothing sinister

EvansDrD

From a slightly different angle, I sent an enquiry about an item recently. I asked a few questions and their response to each of them was an outright lie. I spotted one which led me to check and push on the others. When I pointed this out, politely, their response veered between snotty and not seeing the problem 

TheBigDipper

EvansDrD said:

From a slightly different angle, I sent an enquiry about an item recently. I asked a few questions and their response to each of them was an outright lie. I spotted one which led me to check and push on the others. When I pointed this out, politely, their response veered between snotty and not seeing the problem 

Every business runs the risk of ending up with someone customer-facing who can't be bothered and just wants to get your enquiry off their desk. The problem is that it's hard (these days) to escalate it past them so their supervisor can understand what they're doing in the name of the company. And most of the time we just get with our lives and don't bother - which doesn't fix anything, obv. And when you do, the supervisor often wants to suppress knowledge that it happened because that makes their supervision skills look weak. 

It's annoying as hell when it happens to you, isn't it? 

impmann

As someone who has been running service centres within the MI since 2005, I can tell you that you’d be amazed at the number of people who *do* need help in using the most simple of kit… therefore I’m not surprised GG are trying to mitigate the number of spurious returns by offering assistance. 

I don’t think it needs pitchforks and anger - or to stop using them, tbh - in a troubled market, it’s understandable. Perhaps the wording needs to be tweaked to make it more friendly and less condescending by the sound of things.

Cols

Maybe you could post the content of the mail?  Then we can all sit here and pick it apart

StefB

I've had this e-mail from them more than once - was it from David Turnbull?

I'll qualify the more than one return request, like others have already, by saying I've spent thousands at GG over the years so there is bound to be the odd return.

The tone of the e-mail is quite unnecessary I find, as though they'd really rather you didn't send anything back and that it's a huge inconvenience.  The e-mail seeks to double check why you want to return the item, even though you've already advised the reason from a drop down list on the website's return portal.

I get the 'educational' side to it as in do you need any help with your purchase, but most buyers will already have made their mind up that they want to return the item if they've taken the process that far, and the general tone of the e-mail is more "please do your research before you buy anything next time".

Well yes, I will, but I'll also buy the item from elsewhere too.

UnclePsychosis

"Alienated" by a fairly standard automated email?

Don't you think you're being just a touch over dramatic? 

m_c

I'm intrigued about this email.

idiotwindow

Blimey, of all the things to be "shocked" and "alienated" by.

I'm beginning to understand the meltdown in that recent '59 duosonic for sale thread in the classifieds. 

downbytheriver

It sounds like a reasonable response to me but I guess the actual wording could be significant. I don’t think they actually refused you a refund, just offered possible alternatives. 

prlgmnr

UnclePsychosis said:

"Alienated" by a fairly standard automated email?

Don't you think you're being just a touch over dramatic? 

I have been deeply wounded by this post

jeztone2

StefB said:

I've had this e-mail from them more than once - was it from David Turnbull?

I'll qualify the more than one return request, like others have already, by saying I've spent thousands at GG over the years so there is bound to be the odd return.

The tone of the e-mail is quite unnecessary I find, as though they'd really rather you didn't send anything back and that it's a huge inconvenience.  The e-mail seeks to double check why you want to return the item, even though you've already advised the reason from a drop down list on the website's return portal.

I get the 'educational' side to it as in do you need any help with your purchase, but most buyers will already have made their mind up that they want to return the item if they've taken the process that far, and the general tone of the e-mail is more "please do your research before you buy anything next time".

Well yes, I will, but I'll also buy the item from elsewhere too.

Yes it’s David Turnbull. 

jeztone2

impmann said:

As someone who has been running service centres within the MI since 2005, I can tell you that you’d be amazed at the number of people who *do* need help in using the most simple of kit… therefore I’m not surprised GG are trying to mitigate the number of spurious returns by offering assistance. 

I don’t think it needs pitchforks and anger - or to stop using them, tbh - in a troubled market, it’s understandable. Perhaps the wording needs to be tweaked to make it more friendly and less condescending by the sound of things.

As someone who spent 7 years of the 1990’s as salesman of the year selling Hi Fi & Cameras. The MI industry is about thirty years behind most other retail sectors. See Richer Sounds & John Lewis as examples of how to do it right. 

There’s a way to do things. Mr Turnbull has failed to understand that.

Cols

I’m now sorely tempted to buy something from GuitarGuitar and promptly return it, just to see what terrible torrent of abuse I get by email.

impmann

jeztone2 said:

There’s a way to do things. Mr Turnbull has failed to understand that.

I think that was exactly what I said in the last paragraph. 

I'd also suggest that based on my experience Musos (in general) tend to be highly emotive by nature, and take things the wrong way - then get aggressive when challenged. 

jeztone2

impmann said:

jeztone2 said:

There’s a way to do things. Mr Turnbull has failed to understand that.

I think that was exactly what I said in the last paragraph. 

I'd also suggest that based on my experience Musos (in general) tend to be highly emotive by nature, and take things the wrong way - then get aggressive when challenged. 

It depends on the day.