Some Customers...WTF

[kevinT]

Had a customer return one of my sets over a week ago. Gave me a bunch of excuses why he didn't like them. He kept hounding me for a refund even before I got the pickups back so I had a feeling something was up. I finally had a chance to open the box and neither one of the pickups is working. Looks like he took the covers off. Also looks like he took a wire brush wheel or grinder and rubbed the hell out of the back of the baseplate ripping off my labels and putting deep scratches in the baseplate. Unfortunately, I refunded his money before I opened the box to check them out....which won't ever happen again

It just baffles me...what the hell is the point of destroying a pickup and asking for a refund unless the dude was attempting to reverse engineer the pickup. The monetary loss doesn't bother me but it kills me the lack of character that some of these folks have. Down right scoundrals.

rant off.

[David Schwab]

Looks like he took the covers off. Also looks like he took a wire brush wheel or grinder and rubbed the hell out of the back of the baseplate ripping off my labels and putting deep scratches in the baseplate.

Are you sure he sent back your pickups? Also if you had suspicions, why did you return his money before you inspected the pickups?

I always tell customers that for returns the pickups have to be in the original condition, i.e., no scratches, etc.

[kevinT]

yeah,....it's my own fault. Believe it or not I was too busy to look in the box at the time. ...busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

[David Schwab]

Busy is good!

[frankfalbo]

I just had a guy return a single coil without calling, just sending a typed letter (yes I said typed complete with whiteout) and his complaints were that the high e string lacked output due to reduced gauss. He went on to describe how he tried to "adjust" the pole pieces to compensate (I'm sure you see where this is going) and that nothing worked. Anyway the pickup was completely trashed. The poles had all been banged out of place, then upon "re-entry" they now had sheared the inner windings, one to the point of having copper "fuzz" around the hole, and the high E was at a severe angle because it did not make it back into the bottom flatwork at all. Our stickers were gone, but I knew it was ours.

He was very disappointed in us, as he's had good luck with Seymour Duncans in the past. I simply HAD to call the guy. I turned him around after talking to him about what he did, and how it killed the pickup. In the end, after I turned him around (because I wasn't going to give anything to someone who was still a sourpuss) the discussion led to stacks and I sent him one of the prototypes of the Custom Stack Plus.

[kevinT]

I agree. My business philosophy is that the customer always comes first. Music and the musical products industry is supposed to fun. Haggling with folks just ain't worth it. It's better to give them what they want whether it's a rewind or their money back.

I just don't understand why they have to destroy the pickup. If the pickup isn't doing what they want it to do, send it back for an exchange. No need to tear it apart.

[Dave Kerr]

his complaints were that the high e string lacked output due to reduced gauss.

Just out of curiousity, was the high E pole weak?

[Zhangliqun]

By far the biggest customer problems I've had is with the 21 and under crowd. They really don't know what they want so it's near impossible to please them. So they basically want their money back when the pickup doesn't play the guitar for them. I've had very few refund requests (like all of us, right?) but luckily nobody has sent back a butchered or tampered pickup. They were all on the up-and-up as far as that goes.

[LtKojak]

By far the biggest customer problems I've had is with the 21 and under crowd. They really don't know what they want so it's near impossible to please them. So they basically want their money back when the pickup doesn't play the guitar for them. I've had very few refund requests (like all of us, right?) but luckily nobody has sent back a butchered or tampered pickup. They were all on the up-and-up as far as that goes.

Consider yourself among the >"VERY LUCKY"< few.

[jason lollar]

the customer does come first and you should be prepared to jump through hoops if you want to be succesful BUT there is a limit- make sure you get the pickups back before you warrantee them so you can make sure you are getting them back before you refund at worse and at best make sure the guy didnt cut them apart with a razor blade etc.
You know I have only had a few instances where someone abused the warrantee but i have had people attempt to not pay me.
Its your responsibility to your customers to make sure you make enough money so you have parts ready when they want you to make pickups and that you make enough money so your shop is still open next time they want you- if you cant do that you are giving your customers a huge diss service so make sure you take care of yourself but dont be an A hole about it !

[Possum]

....

Jason, this is why I DON"T offer refunds under any conditions, period. That policy came about when a customer called me (this was years ago...I don't do phone calls anymore), and said he wasn't that thrilled with the P90's I sent him and he wanted his money back, and oh by the way, his buddy just got some killer weed in and he wanted the money for dope! The week before he was calling me up at 3am and playing the pickups on the answering machine stoned out of his mind saying how great they were. Maybe it was a year later, I changed my policy, no refunds. I also quit taking phone calls then too because of that guy ;-) Too many wackos and time wasters, phone sales were never profitable for me, I can cut to the chase in email sales and take my time with clear concise answers. I found I get a higher level customer base with just email contact.

On my website I put that payment is considered a contract for me to fulfill their order, no refunds, no delivery date guarantee unless they pay a rush fee. If they don't like something they can send it back for free adjustment or exchange, and they pay return postage. No problems since then. I treat my customers like gold as much as I can, I can't always deliver quickly as I want and a very few have a problem with waiting, but I'm only one man, wearing about 40 different hats, so I try to weed out the impatient ones right at the start. Leave a loophole in your service policy and someone will abuse it..

[kevinT]

I can cut to the chase in email sales and take my time with clear concise answers. I found I get a higher level customer base with just email contact.

I found the same thing. And I only use email for contact. I just can't fit phone calls in my schedule. I have my regular 9 to 5 job and pretty much can't talk during the day. Playing phone tag eats up a lot of time and the majority of the time folks just want to BS. Just don't have time for it.

[Mark Hammer]

The disappointment expressed in this thread has to be balanced with the regular observation of customers posting on-line how appreciative they were of company X, because of that company's responsiveness to their problem and "no questions asked" refund policy. I can't begin to count the number of times someone has posted gushing praise for a manufacturer who answered the phone with "No problem", and a new one was in the mail that day, and received within a few days.

I'm not saying that is always the way to go, but one does have to consider generous customer relations as a sort of investment. Sometimes it pays off in better reputation and word of mouth from appreciative people, and sometimes it costs you money and time with dickheads, and the accumulation of unnecessary resentment towards your client base.

Of course, as I'm fond of telling folks: "Never give yourself a chance to resent something or someone you truly love". Dave/Possum's approach would seem to be one that strives to avoid any opportunity for resentment build-up.

[outtahear]

I found the same thing. And I only use email for contact. I just can't fit phone calls in my schedule. I have my regular 9 to 5 job and pretty much can't talk during the day. Playing phone tag eats up a lot of time and the majority of the time folks just want to BS. Just don't have time for it.

My fave-someone who calls anyway-From a cellphone, on speakerphone, driving w/the windows down.
I understand you don't wanna wait to get home and type, but if I can't understand you, we're both wasting our time.

[Ronsonic]

Had a customer return one of my sets over a week ago. Gave me a bunch of excuses why he didn't like them. He kept hounding me for a refund even before I got the pickups back so I had a feeling something was up. I finally had a chance to open the box and neither one of the pickups is working. Looks like he took the covers off. Also looks like he took a wire brush wheel or grinder and rubbed the hell out of the back of the baseplate ripping off my labels and putting deep scratches in the baseplate. Unfortunately, I refunded his money before I opened the box to check them out....which won't ever happen again

It just baffles me...what the hell is the point of destroying a pickup and asking for a refund unless the dude was attempting to reverse engineer the pickup. The monetary loss doesn't bother me but it kills me the lack of character that some of these folks have. Down right scoundrals.

rant off.

Y'know, this moral moron got whatever the hell it is that one gets out of doing stuff like this, and you're out some money, time and parts. But, all in all, buying him off might have been the cheapest way out of that mess in the long run. Seriously, dealing with cranks and loons takes time and energy that's better invested elsewhere.

Watch Spinal Tap and try to remember that those guys are a lot smarter and more successful than most of our customers.