NASTY EBAYER SELLING Ashdown ABM EVO III's - WARNING!!

[PinStripe]

I purchased this amp from a seller on ebay by the name of p-hill. His store is Butler Music located in Butler MO. He is selling Ashdown EVO III's for below MAP pricing. But is a deal really a deal if you don't get what you expected??

 

The amp arrived in a clean box, but when I opened it the bag was torn, the amp had numerous fingerprints on it and the screws looked like they were tampered with.

 

So I go and plug it in and it did not sound good. I called the store by phone and the owner Jeff, the owner says to me, no one else has complained. He said I could send it back but I would have to pay the shipping. OH GREAT! So I said I will try it out some more and hung up.

 

I then played it for a while not liking what I was hearing and then went to bed. I got up the next morning and turned on the amp and it sounded the same for about a minute and then it started humming and I checked all the cords and everything was fine and all of a sudden, it made a loud ping noise and POP POP FLASH and OUT it went!!

 

I called Jeff and he asks me what did I do to the amp. I said nothing other than turn it on and play it. He says I must have done something. Well long story short, he argued until I said I will file a Paypal claim and I hung up. He told me that he would NOT take it back now that it was broken and that he doesn't RENT equipment, especially for free!

 

RENT EQUIPMENT???

 

I just paid hard earned cash for this head and he was leaving me to rot in the pits of hell!! This seller is one nasty excuse for a human being!!

 

A WORD OF WARNING! Do NOT buy from him, you WILL end up regretting it!! I actually think they are refurbs.

[PinStripe]

Just posted a RIP-OFF REPORT!

 

See it here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/music-shops/butler-music-in-butl/butler-music-in-butler-mo-doi-939c3.htm

 

 

Help spread the word! We need to stop jerks in their tracks who think they can get away with this kind of crap!

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

 

I've bought one thing off eBay - my Boss harmonizer pedal. It arrived on time and like new. I considered myself lucky and haven't used eBay since.

 

If the price is too good to be true, and it's on eBay, well, I ain't gotta tell ya.

[WCriley]

I've also had only one ebay experience, and it went well.

 

Bought an onboard preamp that was advertised by the store as "used". When it arrived, it obviously had never been installed. Must have been a "return".

 

Semms that some of us are luckier than others.

[b5pilot]

Out of curiosity did you check out the feedback and their ratings? I would deal with nobody lower than 99 percent.

I've bought a few things through Ebay and generally had success. Only once did I have trouble and it was someone selling a bass for a relative who didn't like the final price and was balking. He finally honored it after some "persuasion" from me, Ebay, Pypal and the relatives that were doing the selling who didn't want their rep smeared.

[PinStripe]

Yes, I always check feedback and do not bid unless over 98% positive.

 

But I have been dealing with several people on ebay and most of my experiences have been good.

 

It is NOT "ebay" that I have an issue with... I am warning about this certain seller who is evil and has had a couple other negative feedbacks from people purchasing musical gear. But I had to really dig to find them.

 

This seller has MANY good feedbacks from selling barbie dolls and I had emailed the seller and suggested he halt his musical sales and stay home to play with his barbie dolls!! He'd be much better off in the long run!

[d halfnote]

One more reason to support LOCAL music stores & their personnel.

Even if they might not have everything you want at every moment, they will generally make deals for trying out gear at home or even on gigs with a return policy & sometimes order gear for you to try (since they can usually sell it to someone later).

 

They also often have qualified repair people & will work to solve problems just because they wanna keep yer business...something you seldom find online.

 

[fingertalkin]

It is unfortunate d, that I can't afford to support my local music store. Sure, I will buy strings and cables and such, as well as get my kids orchestral instruments taken care of by them, but I work too hard for my money to pay sometimes 4-500 dollars more for the same thing I can get at the local big box store. Luckily, the local guys here have just about the only thing in town for the school kids to rent. They make a killing on that.

 

I know this argument has been beat to death again and again, but on a more granular level, I have to support those little short people that call me daddy and this other person that still thinks the money tree is bearing fruit. I can take that $500 dollar savings and put it to good use supporting the local music store by having my kids take lessons there.

[b5pilot]

This seller has MANY good feedbacks from selling barbie dolls and I had emailed the seller and suggested he halt his musical sales and stay home to play with his barbie dolls!! He'd be much better off in the long run!

 

Barbie dolls? Now see thats a possible tipoff. If they don't have a favorable history of selling musical equipment, mostly if not all musical equipment, then you never know what you'll get.

 

Anyway, I preffer to shop for musical equipment with any large dollar value at stores where I can inspect it first-hand before I buy. I will mostly buy low risk items like pickups or hardware and parts from ebay.

[d halfnote]

Dear, FingerT, I can completely sympathize w/ yer economics...but consider this: there's an old saying (aren't they the best kinds ? they never wear out !) that can be quoted in several forms..."cut yer nose to spite yer face"..."what's cheap in the short term turns expensive in the long"..etc.

 

The value of a local business may not be in their single item cost vs. savings but in their existence as an additional option, their help to you as someone who needs you (consider both of those nest time you try to get something repaired) & in many other ways.

 

Consider this as an analogy: is food better when it comes from a traceable source or from some crappy fast food place ?

 

If you establish any kinda relationship with a local store, they will generally give you a significant discount on what you buy (you alrady mentioned them as a source for strings, cables, etc) & they will let you try things that you might never have any chance to use from some mail order source.

These are people, in many cases, who are like you. They are interested in music, not just selling stuff.

 

The more we look for a cheap deal the more we are likely to find exactly that: a cheap deal.

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

... and all the IBEW pinheads I used to work with at the glass manufacturing plant used to bitch and moan about how nobody bought American anymore. When they needed a new TV, they ran across the street to Wal-Mart and bouth the 27" Sanyo for $187 US.

 

We want $25 and hour for our time to play MS solitare and then want everything we buy to cost a nickle. Newsflash, kiddies. It ain't Obama killing small business in this country. It's us going to eBay to buy all our stuff from Xuan Young Dong at a 30% discount, and then go on line and start carping about it when it shows up all boogered up.

 

At least when my G/K GLX115ii showed up damanged, it was damaged by an American store, poorly packaged by Americans, poorly shipped by Americans, and the abysmal customer service was performed by Americans (sorry, you CAN'T fake that accent).

 

Someone please tell me Guitar Center is owned by the Koreans.

[fingertalkin]

I am trying to avoid an argument. While I understand your loyalty to local business, the basis of your argument is wrong.

 

To use a different analogy, if I went to buy a new Mustang, should I buy it for say 25k at the dealer 4 miles away from me or for 22k from the dealer near my work? According to your logic, I should spend the extra 3 grand because the one closer as the one further away is different and/or of less quality?

 

The big box music stores give people that might not have the resources to buy gear at a cheaper price. The people that work at the big box stores need to provide for themselves and family too.

 

I don't know how the local music shop around you works, but they don't cut deals here...because the manufacturers don't give them one. They could make more money buying gear from GC and reselling it than the "deals" the sales reps give them.

 

Until you can show me how a QSC 2450 at GC is different from a QSC 2450 at my local music store, the cheap deal wins.

[jeremy c]

For most musical equipment there is a M.A.P. price.

 

I don't see how you can get the same product at a different store for less, unless it is some kind of factory second, returned merchandise, or something else.

 

If you told the dealer near you that you could get the new Mustang for less at another dealer, he'd probably match the price.

[hotlix86]

... Newsflash, kiddies. It ain't Obama killing small business in this country. It's us going to eBay to buy all our stuff from Xuan Young Dong at a 30% discount, and then go on line and start carping about it when it shows up all boogered up.

 

Wow. Do you really believe that? How do you suffer yourself?

 

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

It aint easy. I drink heavily.

[WCriley]

For most musical equipment there is a M.A.P. price.

 

I don't see how you can get the same product at a different store for less, unless it is some kind of factory second, returned merchandise, or something else.

 

As the page JC linked states, retailers suffer consequences only for advertising below MAP, not for selling below it.

 

Many retailers get around this by putting "Call for price" in catalogues and "Add to cart to see price" on websites.

[fingertalkin]

First, you are taking my mustang analogy out of context Mr. C.

 

Second, I wanted to buy some amp, don't remember which one now as I have wanted so many, the local music store was going to charge me retail. He looked through some pricing catalog he had and gave me the price. The same brand new item at a non sale price was cheaper at GC.

 

Thirdly SNF, that is pretty funny.

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

I think this thread has officially goin around the bend.

 

In the event that anyone takes me too seriously, I should not suffer someone other than me.

 

Thanks, fingers. It was all meant tongue in cheek. Although this has got to be close to a record for a "I got ripped of on eBay" thread.

[kenfxj]

...and these new "supermarkets" like Piggly Wiggly and King Kullen are gonna kill all the dry-goods stores and butcher shops and green grocers... <grumble grumble>

[jcadmus]

With the Internet, pricing is pretty much an open book anymore. So most of the local music stores near me know they need to match Web pricing or they'll be out of business pretty quick.

[picker]

In the event that anyone takes me too seriously, I should not suffer someone other than me.

 

Aw, don''t pay any attention hotlix, nobody else does.

[Paul K]

...and these new "supermarkets" like Piggly Wiggly and King Kullen are gonna kill all the dry-goods stores and butcher shops and green grocers... <grumble grumble>

 

And here I thought that Craigslist was the root of all evil.

[Danzilla]

You're the root of all evil.

[Paul K]

I've been called worse....I have an ex-wife.

[Groove Mama]

I've been called worse....I have an ex-wife.

You're an ex-wife.

[Paul K]

[d halfnote]

I am trying to avoid an argument. While I understand your loyalty to local business, the basis of your argument is wrong.

 

To use a different analogy, if I went to buy a new Mustang, should I buy it for say 25k at the dealer 4 miles away from me or for 22k from the dealer near my work? According to your logic, I should spend the extra 3 grand because the one closer as the one further away is different and/or of less quality?

 

If that point was directed to me, I also don't mean to argue; nor to condemn you for doing what y'gotta do to afford something but the comparison of 2 stores at various distances is specious & misses the point. It's not closness but relative interest in providing their service & establishing a long-term customer.

A good local music store will work with you on prices, trying gear at home before final sale, repairs, etc., in ways you'll never get from one that is just selling "stuff".

That is not uncommon, though there are greater pressures on them now than ever before, precisely b/c so many buy online

They are generally staffed with musicians or at least people with a genuine musical interest.

 

I'm sorry if you haven't found such a place (whatever stores where you buy cables, etc., at, do you ever chat 'em up, ask opinions or is it just in/out ?).

When people need your business or feel they know you, they can be quite accomodating.

[fingertalkin]

I spend hours in this store. I know the guys pretty well and have even subbed on some of their gigs. The "problem" with them is they make their money on instrument rentals to school age kids. They sell a few instruments but mainly starter kits. They also make money on lessons.

 

When the Fender Rumble series first came out, they were selling the 100watt 15" version for retail. They will not budge but maybe 10% off of that price, which doesn't compete with anybody else.

 

That's just the thing, they don't need my business. They supply 20-30 schools with rental instruments.

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

Everybody comes of the MSRP. Everybody. If you get the blank stare when you state that "I can get it on line for $75 less," they don't want your business.

 

Mis Amigos at Ted Brown's comes down some, but I get strings, picks, little odds and ends. If three sweaty, gooey fingered, post-pubecent geeks show up wanting to see the BC Rich Bich and I walk in the door, they guitar guys drop what they're doing and cater to me. I'm flashin' cash, packing plastic and I'm here to rock, baby.

 

For me, the "special" customer service is worth a couple/twenty bucks by itself.