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Musician's Friend .com: We didn't ship to the wrong address -- You just don't know what state you live in.
Posted 11/14/2007 - 11:18pm
or, Why Musician's Friend Sucks.
I prefer to purchase guitar strings in bulk, since buying 10 packs at a time saves about $20 as well as the time it would take to go to the local music store. I placed an order with online music retailer Musician's Friend on Sunday, November 11th. I ordered a 10-pack guitar strings, a space-saving wall-mount guitar stand, a pack of picks and a single pack of guitar strings for a friend. My subtotal was around $59. I was pleased to get my tracking number the following day and when I tracked the package on Tuesday, I felt nostalgic for Colorado -- the package was coming from Commerce City, Colorado, a major shipping hub. On closer inspection, I saw that the package was going _to_ Colorado -- It was being shipped to an old shipping address where I no longer live. I've been busy since moving to New York City, but one thing I've had the time to get a pretty firm handle on is where I actually live. Here. I entered my new shipping (and billing) address when I placed the order, or so I thought... Logging back into their site this evening I found that my billing address still shows up as an outdated address. If I never entered my new billing address, how was the order successfully charged? I used MF's online contact form to notify them that the package was going to the wrong state. The next morning the package was in Boulder and I had no response from Musician's Friend. Hoping to rectify the situation before the package was delivered to someone else's delight\confusion, I called UPS to request that they not deliver the package. They informed me that unless I could refuse the package in person, the shipper would have to cancel the delivery. At this point, I could think of at least 147 things that I could be doing with my time that were far more important than dealing with this mistake. The primary benefit of ordering online, aside from any cost-savings, is that one does not have to take the precious time to make a physical visit to the store.
This time savings is lost when one has to virtually escort the product all the way from Kansas.
Unable to cancel my plans and hop on a plane to Colorado to refuse the package in person, I called the MF customer service line. And based on my current satisfaction with that line, I'd say they earned the title, 'MF Customer Service Line.' I tried to explain to the representative what was going on, but she was repeatedly unable to locate my information using my zipcode.
Imagine that.
Eventually, after I waited on hold, the representative was able to locate the order. She said that there had been problems with some orders placed recently and that she would have to call the courier and request that the package be rerouted. She couldn't tell me what would happen if my order was "successfully" delivered to the wrong address and asked me if I could wait on hold while she called the courier. I asked if she could call me back or email me. I asked if she could expedite the rerouted package. I was told that all of these requests could not be fulfilled because because Musician's Friend isn't "set up for that."
Super Duper.
This was yet another case (link to unwritten articles coming) of a company whose business model is built on using the infrastructure of one or more world-class courier services claiming that they are unable to send an expedited package. I was told that I could call Musician's Friend back to find out the fate of my package. Unwilling and unable to spend more time pursuing the matter, I went on with my day. After arriving home tonight, I tracked the status of the package. Delivery was successfully aborted, but I would have to wait an additional week to get my items. The shipping service I paid for was called 'Ground' not "Road Trip!! Yeah!! R0xx0rz FTWBBQ!" I called the MF Customer Service line and requested that, given this new delay, they simply overnight me a new order and let UPS return the package directly to them. The representative I spoke to said that he apologized that the person I spoke to earlier "didn't know what they were talking about" and that because the order was placed online, the mistake could not have been on the part of Musician's Friend. He even placed me on hold briefly to ask his supervisor what the policy was.
Musician's Friend.com's policy for mistakes like this one, is that in the case of orders placed online, the customer is always at fault.
I explained what the previous representative told me about mistakes made on other orders and that I definitely entered my current address when I placed the order. He said that, "I apologize that you feel that way." He used the same line when I said that I feel I wouldn't continue to use Musician's Friend in the future. He repeated the line when I said I felt like he was showing a lot of contempt for the consumer. Next week, UPS will arrive to a sign specifying that I refuse the package, I will order strings in bulk through a local music store (and not pay for shipping) and hopefully, MF will change their policy, because "the customer is always wrong" is not a good way to stay competitive. Back to the 159 things I should be doing instead of writing about this.
damn!
That is crazy. Musician's Friend has a choice between expediting the package (a few extra dollars) or a pissed off customer. They chose a pissed off customer to save a few bucks. Whoops.
Also, you said MF Customer Service Line. I love it.
Yeah, I'm done with them, too
Here was my latest and last experience with Musician's Friend:
http://www.epinions.com/content_413829402244
I hope you don't mind my crosslinking my review with your blog entry.
Not my "friend" either
Yeah, I had a similar experience. I ordered something I absolutely had to have with several weeks lead time. The item was in stock, and the order immediately went through and was charged (cha-ching!), but on their web site the status showed up as "being packed" for two weeks.
I filled in an online customer service form to ask why it took them two weeks to put something into box. I got an auto-response saying they'd get back to me within 24 hours. Three days later I gave up on waiting for their response (they evidently use a different system of time), and waited on hold over a lunch hour to talk to somebody in person.
I was told that everything was fine, the item was in stock, it's just that sometimes their warehouse computers "get confused." Huh? On top of that he refused to expedite the order for me (I was running out of time), and wouldn't even let me change the shipping, since it was "already at the warehouse."
Even after that conversation, it took them TWO MORE weeks to pack the box. Needless to say, the item didn't arrive in time, it actually wasn't even shipped until after I needed it. Ah well... lessons learned... never use Musicians Friend again.
Never again
I ordered Christmas presents through their website this year, with the added perk of getting a 15% 'bonus bucks' kickback on $1,000 or more. Or so I thought.
I was supposed to get an email confirming my bucks by December 28th. Of course, it never came, so I called customer service as was suggested in the promotion. I may as well have been talking to a tree stump. I asked for his supervisor. I again explained the situation (don't you wonder why the hell service people always react like they've never heard of a problem as bizarre as yours?) and -- low and behold -- the super put in for the credit and 'made a note' in my account.
A couple of weeks later, I attempted to place a phone order using my 'bucks.' Except there weren't any. Gee, super Tim had assured me they were there. Could he have lied to me? Hmmm... After two episodes on hold, listening to an endless stream of 'buy more of our stuff' advertisements, the rep finally located the note on my account. I was relieved that it actually existed. But...my account had not been credited and it would take three business days for that to happen. Sigh...
A couple nights ago, I decided to go test the 'bonus bucks' waters one more time. I lined up a few items I needed and gave 'em a call. Wow. Imagine my surprise. No bucks. This time, the rep couldn't remember if there was ever such a promotion. Really? It's remarkably similar to the one they are CURRENTLY RUNNING! Don't freakin' lie to me. I'm not stupid. I told him to go check my account 'notes' and see that whatever the promotions are/have been, I am due $150 in vapor bucks (new nickname.)
I was then put on hold for more than 30 minutes, after which time the call was disconnected.
OK, this is bullshit. I wrote a scathing email the next morning detailing my extreme dissatisfaction with their service and demanding what I was due. I've yet to get any kind of response, but let's just say that I'm not holding my breath.
I'll freakin' build my own gear before I spend one more nickel with these scamming losers.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
How horrible & frustrating 4 u - It was like reading a short story on sale scams - There's always someone around who can legally sort it 4 u. It's not on a level of respect when people FUCK U OVER 4 want of a better word! All the best with your music... IONIE
Musician's Friend MY ASS!
I just paid what was a lot of money (to me, anyway) for an instrument to be
sent to my daughter for Valentine's Day. I ordered it from Musician's
Friend. I paid extra for expedited shipping. I AM SO ANGRY!
Musician's Friend:
1. Sent the package via USPS parcel post (the cheapest, slowest service possible) rather than FED EX Second Day Air.
2. Sent it to the WRONG PERSON (using my name rather than my daughter's) (And will the mail room at my daughter's dorm figure that out? Fat Chance!)
3. Gave me an invalid tracking number, apparently just making one up.
4. When I asked about the invalid tracking number, said that USPS sometimes just "recycles" tracking numbers.
5. Said that maybe they will give me a refund IF I SEND THE PACKAGE BACK. But I don't have the package!
6. Certainly the opportunity for the once-in-a-lifetime little Valentine's Day surprise is over forever.
Be careful when using Musician's Friend. Or find an honest, reliable company.
I admit that mf doesn't have
I admit that mf doesn't have any idea whats going on, but none of the music stores in my state, Alabama, do either. But if you're too dumb to be carefull filling out an online order, and read over the page before you go clicking onto the next one, you had it coming, you're as big a screw up as you blame them to be. Looks like to me you went out of your way with your "precious time" to keep from admitting you might have made a mistake.
[Edit: The user posted this comment twice. The duplicate has been deleted.]
oops
oops, I double clicked and that posted twice, quess somebody owes me some free shipping or something, cuz there's no way I made a mistake. There are some of us out there looking for good quality reviews so that we can learn something, share some knowledge, but if your opinion is as useless as this guys, just keep it to yourself.
I have been tried to order
I have been tried to order the stuffs from your website but I don't know how to pay for it, I was selected 4-5 items but I confused when I need to pay for them, please let me know how?
I got an auto-response
I got an auto-response saying they'd get back to me within 24 hours. Three days later I gave up on waiting for their response (they evidently use a different system of time), and waited on hold over a lunch kiralık araba hour to talk to somebody in person.
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