Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Really, Guitar Center?

Today was my birthday. My wife, who is amazing, bought me a Yamaha THR10 tabletop guitar amp from Guitar Center's web site. She bought it new, as you can see on the receipt - not used, and not scratch 'n' dent:

This unboxing post shows how it's supposed to look when you get it. I'm not gonna steal anybody's photos, so just click the link.  The amp is nicely wrapped and packed in foam, everything is in a separate little baggie, and it comes with Cubase AI software. And obviously the manufacturer box.

Well, here's my unboxing:


Already doesn't look quite right, does it?

No manufacturer box, no wrapping for the amp or power cords, and no software.

So, ok, you're thinking "they just sent a used one by mistake. Shit happens in a big warehouse." And I'd accept that and just exchange it with a little grumbling over the inconvenience, but then what's up with this?

Ok, now they've just gone and pissed me off. Because they're clearly claiming this is a new item, which it just as clearly is not. This is a used amp, which they stuck this little card in with in the hopes that I wouldn't return it and they can keep their extra profit. And seriously, even if it was new and the manufacturer box was in that bad of shape, how is it acceptable to just take the product out and then repackage it? What if I want to resell it later?  What if the product is internally damaged just as the original box is? And where is the software and why are all the individual parts out of their original baggies? Were those damaged too? When I used to sell electronics, we'd send stuff like that back to the manufacturer, not sell it at regular price. Even if I believed their explanation, it's still ridiculous.

This was a birthday gift, Guitar Center. Not everybody who orders from you is ordering for themselves. You made my wife feel really bad and you tried to rip us off, and that makes me mad.

Also, read that last sentence on the card and then check this out:

Their packaging worked really well to protect from damage, huh? It's a little hard to see there but the metal is actually cracked, not just the black plastic.

The only real packing they used at all was a small crumpled up piece of paper near the handle. You see those dents in the box? That's from the amp just being slammed straight down face first against the cardboard. You see how perfectly those dents line up with the front of the amp:

Well, I'm exchanging it tomorrow and I have little doubt they'll just give me another one - and one that's actually new this time, without claiming otherwise. Still, people should watch out for stuff like this. Don't let them pull a fast one on you.

UPDATE: Exchanged.

New one in a real box. This one's undamaged, came with everything wrapped and packed properly, and included the software. The guy at the store agreed it looked like they sent me a used one, but I didn't show him the card that claimed otherwise. He had nothing to do with that and I just wanted a new one, so I didn't think it was worth saying anything.

I'll post some thoughts on this thing soon!

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About This Blog

This is increasingly not a blog about Alphabet City, New York. I used to live in the East Village and work on Avenue B, but I no longer do. Why don't I change the name if I'm writing about Japan and video games and guitars? Because New Yorkers are well-rounded people with varied interests, and mine have gone increasingly off the rails over the years. And I don't feel like changing the name. I do still write about New York City sometimes.

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