# Question about Returning a Guitar to Long & McQuade



## nobuzz67 (12 mo ago)

Hi everyone, long time lurker here.
I've been playing electric guitar for years, but just bought my first acoustic a week ago.
It's now obvious the neck is not right for me, and I'll never be comfortable playing it.
I drove two hours to a Long and McQuade because that store had it in stock.
Would I be able to return or exchange it at my local L&M instead of making the two hour drive each way again?
Wondering if anyone has done this.
Feeling a little foolish for not spending more time with the guitar before buying it.
I know I can just ask the store, but I thought I'd ask here first and prepare myself for what to expect.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Yes to should be able to return it at any store.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

They list the returns info on the site too.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I have returned many things over the years to a different L&M store than where I bought it, including guitars, amps, pedals, etc.


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## OttawaGuitarGuyGSA (Jan 13, 2020)

You can return it at any store.
I ordered a guitar from the Kingston store and it arrived damaged with a cracked neck ( I purchased the ship insurance)
I returned it at my local Kanata store as I just live down the street .. no issue , they were happy to help.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

nobuzz67 said:


> Hi everyone, long time lurker here.
> I've been playing electric guitar for years, but just bought my first acoustic a week ago.
> It's now obvious the neck is not right for me, and I'll never be comfortable playing it.
> I drove two hours to a Long and McQuade because that store had it in stock.
> ...


You can return it to any store within 30 days.
If you paid cash and didn’t ruin it, you can expect a full refund.

If you financed, they are going to fuck you over the longer you have it. I think it’s 15% week one up to 30 or 40% week 4.

I have an over all positive relationship with L&M, but they burned me bad in the beginning when I was the most vulnerable to being ripped off and had to finance everything. Learned my lesson, now I show up with cash and use their policy to benefit me.

** I’m not someone who missed payments or damaged gear etc. I had automated payments, never missed a beat, absolutely cherished what I brought home, I simply didn’t have the capital to buy outright. Returned a Martin and a Loop pedal on two separate occasions after a couple of weeks, lost a total of $700.. which as a first year uni student working 50 hours a week was a devastating blow. Now they are my personal loan service and I take back 70% of what I take home after trying it out.

Same goes for Cosmo. Got up sold on a $800 mic when that was a huge purchase for me, got it home, it was not at all suitable for what I was told it would be, tried to return it the next day, they wouldn’t even have a discussion about it. Probably spent about 70k in stores since. Not a single dollar ended up in Cosmo’s pockets. * I will say that their repair department is fair and I recommend them. But pretty much anything else should be bought in cash at a store that will let you return your item if it’s not what you want.


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

OttawaGuitarGuyGSA said:


> You can return it at any store.
> I ordered a guitar from the Kingston store and it arrived damaged with a cracked neck ( I purchased the ship insurance)
> I returned it at my local Kanata store as I just live down the street .. no issue , they were happy to help.


That's also my local store and with one exception they've always been very good to me.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Always12AM said:


> You can return it to any store within 30 days.
> If you paid cash and didn’t ruin it, you can expect a full refund.
> 
> If you financed, they are going to fuck you over the longer you have it. I think it’s 15% week one up to 30 or 40% week 4.
> ...


There’s using a policy to your advantage and then there’s abusing the policy. If you’re returning 70% of the stuff you buy then you’re abusing the policy. You should probably do a little more research before buying instead of trying things out at someone else’s expense. They have a rental department for, you guessed it, trying things out somewhere other than the store. But I guess, that being at YOUR expense, it’s less appealing to you.

If you like the no hassle, 30 day return policy they have and would like it to still be available to you and others in the future, then it’s probably best not to abuse the privilege.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

JBFairthorne said:


> There’s using a policy to your advantage and then there’s abusing the policy. If you’re returning 70% of the stuff you buy then you’re abusing the policy.


I hate to be judgmental but I tend to agree. For me its more like 20% of what I've purchased from L&M over say the past 10 years was returned. I usually do not buy anything I don't think I will keep but sometimes it just does not work out.
For example several months ago I bought a new Tone Master Twin Reverb thinking maybe I'd finally be ready for a modeling amp. After a couple of weeks it just didn't work out. I took it back and ended up getting a Mesa Fillmore instead, which was almost double the price of the Tone Master. The Mesa worked out. So in most cases when I return something I end up with something else and my second choice pretty much always works out. I think this is what this type of policy is designed for. Not for bringing home most of what you buy so that you can try as much gear as possible.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

20% is a vastly different number than 70%. No offence intended but even returning 20% seems a little high but not what I would call an abuse of the policy. I might chalk that up to being a little impulsive and rethinking the decision later.

Personally, there have been times that I’ve been on the fence about something, particularly in the used department, and the return policy was the tipping point that let me pull the trigger. I’ve never returned anything I bought new from them. I would if there was a defect or something, but that hasn’t happened with L&M yet.

It’s a fantastic policy that I use sparingly because I want it to continue to be available to me in the future.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

JBFairthorne said:


> There’s using a policy to your advantage and then there’s abusing the policy. If you’re returning 70% of the stuff you buy then you’re abusing the policy. You should probably do a little more research before buying instead of trying things out at someone else’s expense. They have a rental department for, you guessed it, trying things out somewhere other than the store. But I guess, that being at YOUR expense, it’s less appealing to you.
> 
> If you like the no hassle, 30 day return policy they have and would like it to still be available to you and others in the future, then it’s probably best not to abuse the privilege.


I hate to knock you off of that high horse captain saves the day, but I didn’t say that I expect to redeem 70% of the money that I spend there. I said that I return 70% of the items that I’ve bought. monetary value of $1,200 per year which is about 15% of what I spend there any given year.

items are returned pristine and sell for full price.. they don’t lose a cent. Not that their multi-millionaire owners would notice it if they did.

They bent me over a barrel when I was desperate and trying to turn my life around. I remember all of the places and people that showed me mercy when I needed It. I also remember the ones who didn’t.

I try my best to buy everything from other stores, but the Yorkville mafia has a pretty good hold on the supply chain and I don’t lose a wink making them abide by the same policies they could have waived when they see a young person pulling up to their store in a 24 year old Buick and spending every spare cent they have to try to have music in their life.

My point is: They will fuck you if you finance and they will fuck you on a trade in if you are an easy target.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Since when is thinking that returning 70% of stuff you buy at a store is an abuse of the policy considered to be on a high horse? It’s common sense. Are there any other stores where you have such a high return percentage? Is this the norm now? I don’t generally see people returning 70% of their groceries because they just wanted to see what they looked like in their fridge.

It’s a bit excessive is all I’m saying. Perhaps it’s because your original post came off like you abusing the policy now, because you can, do that in some way you can get even with them for screwing you with fees in the past…that were clearly defined in the financing contract you signed…without reading first.

Most people understand, even struggling college students, that in store financing ALWAYS has some catch that’s always going to be greatly in favour of the lender…right along with the ridiculous interest rates. I’ve been sucked in too, I recall a ridiculous car financing fiasco. I never blamed the lender though and I certainly never felt the need to really “give it to them”. I just traded in the car, rolled tue negative equity into my next loan at a much lower interest rate and moved on with my life.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Always12AM said:


> I hate to knock you off of that high horse captain saves the day, but I didn’t say that I expect to redeem 70% of the money that I spend there. I said that I return 70% of the items that I’ve bought. monetary value of $1,200 per year which is about 15% of what I spend there any given year.
> 
> items are returned pristine and sell for full price.. they don’t lose a cent. Not that their multi-millionaire owners would notice it if they did.
> 
> ...



I don't know for sure, but I'm sort of sure that if someone returns something within the 30 day period, after using it for 30 days I don't think they can sell it at full pop. I, myself have bought gear there that I was told had been out previously and normally its discounted about what a rental would be. 
Best buy will do the same thing. If it has been returned in the 30 day period it ends up on their open box table at a discount. 
I'm not judging. If L&M lets you do it then its on them.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

guitarman2 said:


> I don't know for sure, but I'm sort of sure that if someone returns something within the 30 day period, after using it for 30 days I don't think they can sell it at full pop. I, myself have bought gear there that I was told had been out previously and normally its discounted about what a rental would be.
> Best buy will do the same thing. If it has been returned in the 30 day period it ends up on their open box table at a discount.
> I'm not judging. If L&M lets you do it then its on them.


It’s likely that everything anyone has ever bought from them has already been bought and returned.

If something is marked down, that’s because someone paid that restocking fee.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Always12AM said:


> It’s likely that everything anyone has ever bought from them has already been bought and returned.
> 
> If something is marked down, that’s because someone paid that restocking fee.


Even the use that instruments take with customers playing in store could be as much if not more use than someone taking it home. 
A few years ago I bought a custom shop R7 Les paul that had never been sold and had been in the store for probably about 4 years and had suffered what they called "Shop wear" I got it for a fantastic price. Supposedly it was never previously owned. I ended up returning it as I had financed it over 3 years (Gibson month) and just decided I didn't want to be tied to a monthly payment. Looking back I really wished I'd kept it based on what they go for now.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

guitarman2 said:


> Even the use that instruments take with customers playing in store could be as much if not more use than someone taking it home.
> A few years ago I bought a custom shop R7 Les paul that had never been sold and had been in the store for probably about 4 years and had suffered what they called "Shop wear" I got it for a fantastic price. Supposedly it was never previously owned. I ended up returning it as I had financed it over 3 years (Gibson month) and just decided I didn't want to be tied to a monthly payment. Looking back I really wished I'd kept it based on what they go for now.


I don’t won’t to give off the impression that I think it’s ok to abuse peoples policies. I don’t think that taking something home for a night is going to be worse than the 700 people with poor shop etiquette scratching items with their jackets and pulling out their aluminum pick and taking it to a brand new guitar etc. In my case, L&M is a 3.5 hour round trip and YouTube can only offer me so much insight as to what a product will operate like in recording conditions.

I don’t think you are abusing the policy either if you are a regular customer and simply wish to try something in a more controlled environment and return it in good shape.

My wa to the OP was that it’s always better to save longer and show up with cash. The same is true for every purchase in my experience.

This country is no longer a community, it’s a business and prosperity is sold as a commodity to the highest bidder. Music helped me to turn my life around when I was young and had a lot of negativity happening. I have always tried to bring the best version of myself to deals and affairs regarding music because of how much I respect it.

My negative experience early on with stores and private sellers has given me a healthy perspective on where I draw the line and how much of the old me I need to bring into situations etc.

The R7 and the ‘59 ES330 are two of the most interesting Gibson products that I’ve ever seen. I’d love to own one of them in the future. For now, the Maestro Fuzz-tone is the only Gibson product I can afford lol.

I feel like I was a bit defensive in my response to @JBFairthorne I didn’t intend for that to come across as an insult towards you. I felt that what you were saying has good intent, but I felt as if you were insinuating that I’m being a low life and that would make me sad if you or other people had that impression without having more context to the story.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

I've never returned anything.... anywhere. That's my policy. I have a shed full of epic mistakes, but one day.... one day I might need those things.

No wait, I lied. I did buy a used Roland Electronic drum kit once that in store was fun (because I was excited) and when I got it home just felt wrong, so wrong.

Either way, vendors aren't dumb. The second the relationship of you returning stuff all the time costs them more money than they are profiting off of you, even in a situation where there is a high return rate, they will shut you down. They know what you are worth to them.

If I'm profiting 4k off someone in a given year, it won't hurt my feelings too badly to lose 500 from them. I do it in my business all the time, not that people can borrow floors... but you get the idea.

If anyone is interested.... that roland drum kit, it as L&M and they were super easy about returning it.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Brunz said:


> I've never returned anything.... anywhere. That's my policy. I have a shed full of epic mistakes, but one day.... one day I might need those things.
> 
> No wait, I lied. I did buy a used Roland Electronic drum kit once that in store was fun (because I was excited) and when I got it home just felt wrong, so wrong.
> 
> ...


L&M has a more detailed understanding of my financial situation than the government does.

Also more than half of the employees in any given GTA location have nude glamour photos of me on their phone - not by choice.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

I still have a set of bagpipes i bought from L&M because I was on my way in there to buy a tenor sax and they didn't have one. If that wasn't a prime example of impulse shopping gone totally wrong then I dont know what is.

Problem is I still don't own a tenor sax. Got an alto... but thats not the same.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

Brunz said:


> I still have a set of bagpipes i bought from L&M because I was on my way in there to buy a tenor sax and they didn't have one. If that wasn't a prime example of impulse shopping gone totally wrong then I dont know what is.
> 
> Problem is I still don't own a tenor sax. Got an alto... but thats not the same.


I have no idea where you are located, but the fact that you have bagpipes at your local L&M is impressive.

I want to open a L&M location myself one day and only sell bag pipes and swords.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Nanaimo L&M, I have no idea why they had a set and I had never seen a set before or after.... but they had then that day.

I typically try my best to hate L&M simply because they are the wal-mart of music. That being said, I find myself shopping there more often than I like because they have the gear I want, or the baubles or what have you. I will always check the local shops first.... but what can I say. They know their market


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Something something restocking fee.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I’ve found the restocking fee to be negotiable under the right circumstances.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Always12AM said:


> My wa to the OP was that it’s always better to save longer and show up with cash. The same is true for every purchase in my experience.


This is my policy as of a couple years ago.



Always12AM said:


> Music helped me to turn my life around when I was young and had a lot of negativity happening.


You and me both. I followed the "Merle Haggard" method to music, with the exception that I didn't find fame at the end of it.



Always12AM said:


> The R7 and the ‘59 ES330 are two of the most interesting Gibson products that I’ve ever seen. I’d love to own one of them in the future. For now, the Maestro Fuzz-tone is the only Gibson product I can afford lol.


I still kick my self for not toughing it out and paying out the monthly payments and keeping that R7. It would have been long paid by now. I'd love another but with the prices where they are I likely can only afford a 50's standard which currently is the same price that the 2013 R7 was.

[/QUOTE]


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## Duntov (Apr 2, 2021)

I'm thankful that L&M has a generous return policy. I have never needed to use it and don't foresee myself using it, but it's good to know that it's there. 

Now - how about that Costco return policy?


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Not sure if it was mentioned but L&M also has a lemon law. If there is something wrong and you send it out to be fixed and you're not happy they give you 100% refund for 1 year.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

So, how did it go? Money back or store credit?


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Brunz said:


> Nanaimo L&M, I have no idea why they had a set and I had never seen a set before or after.... but they had then that day.
> 
> I typically try my best to hate L&M simply because they are the wal-mart of music. That being said, I find myself shopping there more often than I like because they have the gear I want, or the baubles or what have you. I will always check the local shops first.... but what can I say. They know their market


Curious if Ferguson Music is still around Nanaimo?


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

MarkM said:


> Curious if Ferguson Music is still around Nanaimo?


Not to my knowledge it is not... but I shall expand my knowledge and get back to you.


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## nobuzz67 (12 mo ago)

tomee2 said:


> So, how did it go? Money back or store credit?


Spoke to the store -- they said no problem, full refund if I choose to return it. I paid in full when I bought it.
Gonna try the guitar for another week and see if I can adapt to the neck, I really like the look and sound of it.
I am being careful to keep the guitar looking brand new, in case it goes back.


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## Eric Reesor (Jan 26, 2020)

nobuzz67 said:


> Spoke to the store -- they said no problem, full refund if I choose to return it. I paid in full when I bought it.
> Gonna try the guitar for another week and see if I can adapt to the neck, I really like the look and sound of it.
> I am being careful to keep the guitar looking brand new, in case it goes back.


Because you are adapting to playing an acoustic with a heavier neck profile that requires a heavier left hand attack a change to how you place the thumb is crucial to achieving stability with the fingers. On classical wide necks even more so.
Try first to play easy melodies that don't require a lot of string crossing on the bass strings. You will find that if you wrap your thumb around the neck like most electric players do playing everything, is what impedes good tone production and most importantly your flexibility and accuracy.

Take your hand away from the neck of the guitar and do this: touch your thumb to the second finger in as if you were holding a tooth pick with it. Then think of the neck of the guitar as a very big tooth pick. If your thumb is bent at the last joint it will cause strain holding on to the neck, if it is straight and the tip of the second and longest finger touches the inside pad of your thumb then you will find that you can easily press your finger into the pad of the thumb without causing strain.
Now simply think of it as a new way of depressing the strings without the strain caused by an unnatural position of the when when the wrist and the hand are not vertical to the strings and the guitar is being held by the left hand instead of dancing with a tension free hand and thumb position.

If you carefully watch a real master like Joe Pass, he switches freely back and forth between techniques. He did not play thumb chords unless absolutely necessary and tried to avoid them but holy cow batman he could shred.

I am certain he would have played acoustic more often on stage if during his time there had been decent amplification that reproduce the entire dynamic characteristics and sound colour of an acoustic steel string guitar.

First audio is of him on an acoustic.
The second vid is of him on semi acoustic electric using mikes and an amp and you can hear the acoustic quality of his amazing technique shine through. Soloing he sounded like a little jazz group cutting it at the Ritz.

Even if jazz ain't your thing, his unrivaled technique is a lesson for us all regardless of acoustic or electric.


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## patski (Feb 7, 2018)

Always12AM said:


> I have no idea where you are located, but the fact that you have bagpipes at your local L&M is impressive.
> 
> I want to open a L&M location myself one day and only sell bag pipes and swords.


I would apply to work at your store! "Bag pipes and swords, all day long, step right up!"


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