# My two cents......... and



## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

I received a new Gison hummingbird for Christmas . I was thrilled, elated,overcome with joy; I was downright emotional. I even had a nip of the good scotch. My happiness however , was short lived . Upon inspection I found the top to be warped,(not bad but not flat either), a crack in the headstock, the pick guard lifting off, raised wood grain around the edges of the top and twisting of the side near the sound hole. It did not come with a manual, letter of authenticity or warranty card. ( I later found out that the guitar was not covered by the Gibson Gold Warranty as advertised). I also was a little surprised to find out the guitar was manufactured in 2014. Furthermore, the action was way too high. It didn't play well and it didn't sound great either.I took it back to the dealer and asked for my money back. He willingly agreed but not before charging me $400.00 restocking fee .( curious though, he sent it back to the distributor to be replaced) I have since contacted 3 other dealers with the same make and model. They all said the ones I was inquiring about had lifting pick guards aswell. I went back to the same dealer and inspected the other Gibsons. I found a lifting pick guard on a J 200 and little pock marks on the front of a J45. What is this stuff they are passing off as high quality instruments? I'm not a guitar expert by any stretch but I can certainly tell when someone is passing off junk. Hey Gibson this has got to stop. Just because we are Canadian does not mean we have to put up with the substandard shite you are dumping on this side of the border. Especially since We Canadian consumers don't rate the life time warranty. Remember that song by Johnny Paycheck well that's what applies to your guitars to.


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## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

went back to the same dealer who willing charged you 400 bucks for a defective return ? did you buy something ?


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I would have took it back to be exchanged for one with no issues. If they could not provide this I would have wanted my money back no restocking fee.
Who's the dealer. I'd want to stay clear of that dealer.


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

jimmy c g said:


> went back to the same dealer who willing charged you 400 bucks for a defective return ? did you buy something ?


Sorry Jimmy I posted that before I was finnnished. No I didn't buy anything.


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

guitarman2 said:


> I would have took it back to be exchanged for one with no issues. If they could not provide this I would have wanted my money back no restocking fee.
> Who's the dealer. I'd want to stay clear of that dealer.


Hello guitarman2 I asked for an exchange guitar initially but was told I would have to pay more . Something about how the loonie had declined since he got the guitar. He also said it would take up to a month to complete the exchange. (We live in Northern Ontario. ) I then said well you are gonna tie up our $4000.00 bucks for a month but you're gonna tack on the exchange rate? He seemed a little peeved when I questioned him like that and said almost threatening that he could send it back on warranty but that could take much longer. He said he would have to pass the cost onto me but it shouldn't be to much. He also said if I wasn't happy with the new one he would get me my money back. But when I asked for my money back that's when he brought up the fee.( only 10 percent not the usual 25)


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## NSStratguy (Jan 9, 2017)

That is very bad service. Pathetic actually. Did you try calling Gibson yourself ? I know some people who have done that and Gibson have looked after them. As for Gibson their prices are constantly going up but their Quality keeps going down.


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## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

sad storey I hope ends well and you get what you like, not all my experiences with exchanges have gone great either...and sometimes Ive purchased again from the same dealer, taking the hit, mainly because in Canada we dont have tons of choice, particularily for gibson guitars....


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

guitarman2 said:


> I would have took it back to be exchanged for one with no issues. If they could not provide this I would have wanted my money back no restocking fee.
> *Who's the dealer. I'd want to stay clear of that dealer.*


I would never and I mean never deal with that shop again. Charging a restocking fee for a damaged guitar that he could send back to Gibson to fix and then sell it for the new higher price? Ridiculous! That guy needs some instruction on how to treat customers.


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

NSStratguy said:


> That is very bad service. Pathetic actually. Did you try calling Gibson yourself ? I know some people who have done that and Gibson have looked after them. As for Gibson their prices are constantly going up but their Quality keeps going down.


Hi NSStratguy ... yep I called Gibson customer service and a guy named Victor told me to try and resolve my issue either with the Canadian distributor or the dealer and if I had no luck to call back and ask for him personally. I called the distributor and left a message . No response yet. I called Gibson back and got another agent he said "you called hear before right"? I said yes . Well sorry there is nothing we can do for you and referred me back to the Canadian distributor to resolve any warranty issues. They hung up on me . I called right back . I explained I understood about the Canadian warranty and all. I just wanted them to know about their quality and their dealer and how they had cost me. No luck. They said they could do nothing for me.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

That's a major disappointment. I would have gone up one side of that guy and down the other. Was there a return policy posted anywhere?


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## NSStratguy (Jan 9, 2017)

Kenute said:


> Hi NSStratguy ... yep I called Gibson customer service and a guy named Victor told me to try and resolve my issue either with the Canadian distributor or the dealer and if I had no luck to call back and ask for him personally. I called the distributor and left a message . No response yet. I called Gibson back and got another agent he said "you called hear before right"? I said yes . Well sorry there is nothing we can do for you and referred me back to the Canadian distributor to resolve any warranty issues. They hung up on me . I called right back . I explained I understood about the Canadian warranty and all. I just wanted them to know about their quality and their dealer and how they had cost me. No luck. They said they could do nothing for me.


Holy crap. That is not good. I would not give up till I talked to the CEO lol. I hate when big companies say they cannot do anything for the customer. This is simply not true. The problem is they don't want to do anything for you. They can in fact do plenty. Well man Social media is a powerful thing I would make sure so many musicians knew your story and I would do everything in my power to drag that store and Gibson through the mud. A lot of companies get so big they forget their routes and who gave them their start. We the customer are the reason they exist. I feel for you bro. I really do.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Sad story to hear. I wouldn't have paid the 400 restocking fee.


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## LexxM3 (Oct 12, 2009)

Seriously, please name the dealer and shop. That bridge is totally worth burning.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

Steadfastly said:


> I would never and I mean never deal with that shop again. Charging a restocking fee for a damaged guitar that he could send back to Gibson to fix and then sell it for the new higher price? Ridiculous! That guy needs some instruction on how to treat customers.


The distributor for Gibson in Canada is yorkville so Gibsons warranty doesn't apply. There should a be a 1 year warranty from yorkville that covered it. If I was you I'd contact yorkville and mention what happened. Restocking fees usually only happen when you special order an instrument and return for a change of heart or financial situation. Being charged a restocking fee for a defective product is just robbery and I'd report it to the better business bureau.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Kenute said:


> Hi NSStratguy ... yep I called Gibson customer service and a guy named Victor told me to try and resolve my issue either with the Canadian distributor or the dealer and if I had no luck to call back and ask for him personally. I called the distributor and left a message . No response yet. I called Gibson back and got another agent he said "you called hear before right"? I said yes . Well sorry there is nothing we can do for you and referred me back to the Canadian distributor to resolve any warranty issues. They hung up on me . I called right back . I explained I understood about the Canadian warranty and all. I just wanted them to know about their quality and their dealer and how they had cost me. No luck. They said they could do nothing for me.


Wow! That is almost unbelievable but knowing who you're dealing with, maybe not.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)




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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Hard to believe this situation. I was aspiring to one day buy a True Vintage Hummingbird, but I think I'll go through a small builder for it. Too much money to risk on Gibsons questionable quality and poor after sales customer service.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

The dealer needs to be outed, and you deserve some justice.


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## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

You need to discuss this with Yorkville, not Gibson USA. Is the dealer even authorized to sell Gibson?


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I think if you had bought this at Long and Mcquades you never would have had this problem. At least I hope it wasn't an L&M you bought it at.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Chitmo said:


> The distributor for Gibson in Canada is yorkville so Gibsons warranty doesn't apply. There should a be a 1 year warranty from yorkville that covered it. If I was you I'd contact yorkville and mention what happened. Restocking fees usually only happen when you special order an instrument and return for a change of heart or financial situation. Being charged a restocking fee for a defective product is just robbery and I'd report it to the better business bureau.


This! Crawl up Yorkville's butt until you get someone who a) cares about their reputation and good customer service and b) can do something about it. That dealer (reprehensible, heinous, pick an adjective - please name them for all of us to see) sells Gibsons because Yorkville approves them as a legitimate dealer. The distributor should be willing to represent you if the dealer won't, and the distributor should make your situation right and should rain bloody hellfire on the extremely poor dealer for putting Yorkville and Gibson in disrepute. IMO, that's the way it should work.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

it sucks, but caveat emptor


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Not really fair to blame Gibson at this point for poor workmanship. There's a good possibility the guitar left the factory as it should have but the dealer didn't know how to care for it. The problems you state in the OP suggest a humidity issue (or lack of). I've seen the same thing with Martin and other high end guitars that aren't cared for at dealers. Sorry, it doesn't solve your problem.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I'm beginning to really question Yorkville Sounds practices as well here guys. I had a n issue last year just getting a part for a defective guitar (a simple nut), that took over a month to get. This was through L&M. I told them to phone Ernie Ball after I'd had enough waiting time, and it was resolved quickly. Still had to send the guitar back, but thanks to L&M's no lemon policy, which I was fully unaware of, I got a full refund. Sorry to hear your story, it sucks.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Kenute said:


> ... Just because we are Canadian does not mean we have to put up with the substandard shite you are dumping on this side of the border. Especially since We Canadian consumers don't rate the life time warranty. Remember that song by Johnny Paycheck well that's what applies to your guitars to.


It's not just here. There's a lot of problems with their guitars everywhere you go. They are an equal opportunity shite distributor.


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

I know Gibson's quality can be hit/miss but is there any chance it was a fake?


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## StratCat (Dec 30, 2013)

I'm with Swervin55 on the poorly cared for since 2014, but as I've stated in another post (J45), I want to love a Gibson, but can't bring myself to do it as I'm shaking my head at the quality and price every time I pick one up.

Prices on vintage Gibson in good condition should be skyrocketing in light of apparent current quality control issues.

This is probably the worst of the worst; poor quality and poorly cared for.

The fact that you received this as a gift suggests the dealer possibly sold it / took advantage of someone without detailed knowledge of guitar defects (my assumption) and we're happy to unload it, and cringed when you walked in the door with the issues.

Suggest you give Larivee, Taylor, or Martin a try....from a different dealer.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Who's the dealer?!


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

Scotty said:


> That's a major disappointment. I would have gone up one side of that guy and down the other. Was there a return policy posted anywhere?


Greetings Scotty... I did think about that and that may still happen. I just thought it better at the time to get most of our money back rather than paying more for an exchange that I might not be happy with I never noticed any sign for restocking fees. But after the fact I did find it on their website
Thanks Kenute


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

Budda said:


> Who's the dealer?!


I don't want spit that out just yet Budda. Give me time 

Kenute


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Kenute said:


> Greetings Scotty... I did think about that and that may still happen. I just thought it better at the time to get most of our money back rather than paying more for an exchange that I might not be happy with I never noticed any sign for restocking fees. But after the fact I did find it on their website
> Thanks Kenute


In my opinion restocking fees were never meant for someone returning a piece of crap guitar. To be fair the music store should be given the chance to make it right by either having the guitar fixed or replaced.
I once bought a Martin D-28 and after a month the finish started peeling away all over the guitar. I guess it was a mistake at the Martin plant that some kind of solvent accidentally got under the finish. This is what I was told after they examined the guitar.
I was with out the guitar for six months. Yeah it sucked but thank God I dealt with Long and Mcquade. Long and Mcquade sent it back for me then let me take a really nice used Martin HD-35 off the floor to keep for as long as my guitar took to get back to me. The HD-35 was so nice I almost bought it. It was hard to return. The moral of the story is that this is what service should be all about. I'm not sure if this was a policy of L&M or just the Cambridge, Ontario store but I was awfully grateful. Having said that even if I didn't get a guitar on loan, I guess its fair that the guitar goes back and the manufacturer makes it right.


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

guitarman2 said:


> I think if you had bought this at Long and Mcquades you never would have had this problem. At least I hope it wasn't an L&M you bought it at.


Hey guitarman2 .....l and m had nothing to do wit this.


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

guitarman2 said:


> In my opinion restocking fees were never meant for someone returning a piece of crap guitar. To be fair the music store should be given the chance to make it right by either having the guitar fixed or replaced.
> I once bought a Martin D-28 and after a month the finish started peeling away all over the guitar. I guess it was a mistake at the Martin plant that some kind of solvent accidentally got under the finish. This is what I was told after they examined the guitar.
> I was with out the guitar for six months. Yeah it sucked but thank God I dealt with Long and Mcquade. Long and Mcquade sent it back for me then let me take a really nice used Martin HD-35 off the floor to keep for as long as my guitar took to get back to me. The HD-35 was so nice I almost bought it. It was hard to return. The moral of the story is that this is what service should be all about. I'm not sure if this was a policy of L&M or just the Cambridge, Ontario store but I was awfully grateful. Having said that even if I didn't get a guitar on loan, I guess its fair that the guitar goes back and the manufacturer makes it right.


I agree the dealer needs a chance to make it right, but he said the exchange guitar was going to cost more money. Pay the difference for the new guitar or pay the restocking fee. Not much choice. Anyway , I'm disappointed with the dealer alright, but I Have lost all confidence in Gibson. No more we Gibsons for me. How's the D 28 now.

Kenute


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

Wardo said:


> It's not just here. There's a lot of problems with their guitars everywhere you go. They are an equal opportunity shite distributor.


Yes Wardo I think that may be true. I do hope however that Gibson gets the message that there are a lot of us out there that have waited a lifetime to own a new one, just to be disappointed now. I think the shite is about to hit the fan .


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

I'm wondering if improper care/storage over the last few years was a big contributor here. I was recently peurusing a local Shop and picked up a Larrivee with a 1K plus price tag. OK I know we're not talking high end Gibson or Martin here, but I had it in my hand for only about 30 seconds because I noticed the top was horribly warped at the sound hole. I I am not a acoustic connoisseur but I was under the impression that these were decent guitars and was very surprised that the store had it hanging up and on sale for 100 and some odd bucks off ( considering it's condition) I would not touched it for $300. 

I also wonder if the dealer that sold the OP's guitar was not actually an authorized dealer, or someone with proper backing. As Yorkville owns Long and McQuade I'm sure they're not so quick to back independent dealers (???)


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

BSTheTech said:


> I know Gibson's quality can be hit/miss but is there any chance it was a fake?


Could beBSTheTech, and I did mention this to Gibson customer service. There was no manual or letter of authenticity or warranty card with the guitar. And now that you mention it it came in at Taylor box.


Kenute


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Kenute said:


> Could beBSTheTech, and I did mention this to Gibson customer service. There was no manual or letter of authenticity or warranty card with the guitar. And now that you mention it it came in at Taylor box.
> 
> 
> Kenute


That sounds ridiculously lazy, and thus suspect.


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

Unless the guitar was special/custom ordered the restocking fee is bullshit. Out the clown.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

That's my belief too. If its stock and hanging on the wall, why a restocking fee? Especially such an excessive one. Crook. Custom orders, sure, I can't blame the store for that - they now have stock they wouldn't usually have so a restocking fee makes sense.


Also, I'm sure everyone's aware that a 'flat top' acoustic guitar isn't flat, it is slightly arched. Or should be. Mind you, this is so slight it wouldn't likely be confused with warping. But if you're using a straight-edge, don't be surprised if it doesn't lay flat.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Sorry, but I have a thing about paragraphs. Precise, the shorter the better. I just wasn't up to reading the post today. It is one of the few things I am anal about.


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

pattste said:


> You need to discuss this with Yorkville, not Gibson USA. Is the dealer even authorized to sell Gibson?


I have called yorkville several times and left messages. The guy I have to speak to will not be back in the office till Monday Yes the dealer is authorized .


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## RedFenderBender (Oct 7, 2016)

Wow! Thats a F'ckn Horror story....Shame on Gibson...moral of the story ::::::::Only purchase Guitars in person ::::::::

Sent from my LGMS330 using Tapatalk


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## Kenute (Dec 31, 2016)

StratCat said:


> I'm with Swervin55 on the poorly cared for since 2014, but as I've stated in another post (J45), I want to love a Gibson, but can't bring myself to do it as I'm shaking my head at the quality and price every time I pick one up.
> 
> Prices on vintage Gibson in good condition should be skyrocketing in light of apparent current quality control issues.
> 
> ...


Hello StratCat you pretty much nailed it. My wife trusted these guys;we've dealt there for many years. We have since purchased a Martin from a different dealer.


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