If you’re like me, you dread calling up any company’s customer service center. Nowadays you never know if the person on the other end of the line is even in the same country as you. But when customer service is good; that is, the rep listens attentively to your problem, and can offer a solution, or short of that, does his or her best to solve your problem, you come away feeling good. Perhaps more importantly, the “feel-good” image you get about the company will most likely make you a repeat customer.
About a week ago, I called up the Jim Dunlop company in search of some parts. I stupidly misplaced the extra wires that came with my Dunlop DC-Brick, and needed to get replacements (and some extras just in case). I got routed to a tech support guy who helped me get the right part numbers, and he transferred me to a sales rep who promptly took my order – all in the space of about 3 minutes. Very quick, very efficient. I was impressed.
A couple of days ago, the wires arrived. I excitedly opened the box, and my heart sank as I realized that they were the wrong wires! I didn’t get mad mainly because I thought that I might have not provided a good enough description for the tech to get the right part. But I resolved to call the company and make a new order for the right wires.
I called them up yesterday, and mentioned to the tech that I probably ordered the wrong wires, and said, “What I need are the wires with the 1/8″ male on one end, and the center-negative female on the other. The part number for the ones I ordered were […].” The tech replied, “Hmmm…. that’s actually part number for those wires, but you got 1/8″ males on both ends. Our mistake. In that case, I’m going to take your information down right now and we’ll ship you 4 of the correct parts free of charge.”
Wow! I was so impressed with that level of customer service that I offered to pay the shipping, but he insisted that since it was Dunlop’s mistake, they needed to rectify the situation. Now that’s great customer service, and even though I hadn’t been a Dunlop customer prior to this, they’ve moved to the top of my list for companies that I know will provide great customer service should I have a problem.
Customer care is important, folks. Since I’ve become a real gear addict, it is one of the things that I consider before purchasing anything. Especially if I’m going to buy something that’s expensive, I call up a company’s customer service to ask questions and see how they respond. If I don’t feel comfortable with their customer care, I don’t feel as comfortable with buying the gear. Take, for instance, this review about the PRS DGT. A reader, Jimi Ray Clapton, had been waiting 9 months for his new DGT, and it still hadn’t come. He even spoke to PRS himself at a show with no results. Every time he called, there were further delays with very little action or follow-up. Consider that if you spend a few thousand dollars on a piece of gear, you want some attentive customer service! I would at least…
I know it’s a bit of a pain, but do yourself a favor and include customer service as part of your buying decision. You’ll want to know that the company you’re dealing with is going to be responsive to your needs.
Guitar Gear 
G-dawg, another good observation. One thing I’ve found really troubling over the last decade is the amount of these new “Walmart-like” chain stores selling guitars, specifically Guitar Center. One recently popped up by me about a year and a half ago. I checked it out and found the usual young shredders from the local bar scene with the latest haircuts selling christmas guitars to young wanna-bes. For once I like an informative conversation regarding one of their products without the word “dude” as part of the dialogue. The most troubling thing I noticed as I walked around the store was the complete lack of regard for the instruments. Living not too far from Green Bay, the climate, temperature changes and humidity can really wreak havoc on any wooden instrument. I saw nice high end Gibson’s so dried out that the frets protruded the side of the neck by nearly an eighth inch. Troubling indeed. But the most troubling of all is how this Corporate machine is affecting the little boutique shops that serviced their committed clients for years. I have no data on this, but I assume it’s significant for those who dont have a thriving internet sales business.
In Wisconsin, we’re very fortunate to have one of the best guitar shops ever assembled (an I say this from experience, I’ve been to Gruhn’s, Willcutt’s, Elderly, Eddie’s, Norm’s in Receta, and the original Guitar Center in Hollywood). When I need to make a major purchace, I have no problem driving the 3.5 hour one way to Dave’s Guitar in LaCrosse. Not only does he have one of the coolest collection of American Guitars and Amps ever assembled (and on display on his second floor), but the customer service is top notch, pricing is straight up (they dont try to pull a fast one by assuming you dont know what your trade is worth), and knowlege, the love of the instrument, and service are second to none. About two years ago I was on a new amp quest. Not only did they let me take anything I wanted into the back shop and A/B stuff while their shop guys were fixing things (for about 2 or 3 hours), but they brought me coffee while I was doing it! Salesmen I deal with are excited to come in on their day off if one of their customers are in town. I’ve also gotten calls when cool stuff comes in that I was interested in, and they’ve given me first rights on nice limited addition stuff.
With the way the corporate greed seems to be taking over the gear industry, my only hope is that the cream rises to the top and that shops like Dave’s will always be there, and worth every mile of that 7-hour round trip. I’m sure there will always be a market for Christmas guitars, but we as gear-heads need to demand customer service and accept nothing less.