Washburn WD114S with broken tuner button

[Quinn Spalpeen]

Dear Washburn,

Though I really like the guitar I bought last week (with a broken tuner button that everyone says can't be replaced) I must tell you that the customer service person I had to deal with on the phone was very, very rude. Not just a little rude, I mean very rude. Stacy was his name.

He insisted on anticipating my every second word and interrupted me repeatedly making it very difficult to explain what should have been a very simple situation. During a five minute conversation I was not allowed to finish even one sentence without his interrupting me to finish the sentence for me. (And his getting it wrong every time made it even more frustrating.) He insists I must go out and buy a camera to take a photo of guitar before he can help me. I live in an assisted home on disability due to severe social phobias and agoraphobia so that's not an option. I've not been out in several years, so going to a repair  shop is out of the question and it's such a small thing I could fix myself.

A week ago I bought a Washburn WD114S from Musician's Friend which was a clearance item and they have no more. It arrived with a broken tuner button on the low E-string. Musician's Friend now tells me my only option is to spend $20.00 to return it and a 10% restocking fee. That would be $35.00 total because of a 50 cent part. Which really doesn't make much sense as I like the guitar a lot.

All I want/need is a button (50 cent item) or a replacement tuner. It's a Grover 'clone tuner' that I've measured up and down and has the exact same dimensions, screw sizes, post sizes as a Grover 14:1 Rotomatic or 18:1 Rotomatic. That's all I need, pretty simple right. Why should I have to spend $40 to $60 to fix a 50 cent part that arrived less than a week ago in two pieces? That really is not fair.

Stacy, besides the annoying habit of thinking he knew what I was going to say before I said it, refused to let me deal with another person or his supervisor. You really should let this guy go because Washburn has a great reputation for customer service (which is one of the reasons I chose this guitar) and he's trying his best to change that reputation. Please prove that you deserve that good reputation by responding to me.

Thanks for listening,
Quinn Satterfield
quinn.nemo@gmail.com
C/O Clinton House Assisted Living
P. O. Box 1107
Clinton, NC 28328
(910) 592-0154

   

[magoo99]

Wow! I'm a little shocked.  Quinn I really hope this get worked out for you.
Good luck.
Magoo.

[Mike Beatty]

Quinn,
I have sent you an e-mail response.

[deltacaster]

I am sorry you feel this way Quinn.

I was simply relaying the request for a photo of the tuning machine to ensure we did not send you the wrong one, since we do not have one of these model guitars readily available in our showroom.

I apologize, we have what we hope will be the right tuning machine on the way out to you.

Enjoy!

Stacy

quote:Originally posted by Quinn Spalpeen

Dear Washburn,

Though I really like the guitar I bought last week (with a broken tuner button that everyone says can't be replaced) I must tell you that the customer service person I had to deal with on the phone was very, very rude. Not just a little rude, I mean very rude. Stacy was his name.

He insisted on anticipating my every second word and interrupted me repeatedly making it very difficult to explain what should have been a very simple situation. During a five minute conversation I was not allowed to finish even one sentence without his interrupting me to finish the sentence for me. (And his getting it wrong every time made it even more frustrating.) He insists I must go out and buy a camera to take a photo of guitar before he can help me. I live in an assisted home on disability due to severe social phobias and agoraphobia so that's not an option. I've not been out in several years, so going to a repair  shop is out of the question and it's such a small thing I could fix myself.

A week ago I bought a Washburn WD114S from Musician's Friend which was a clearance item and they have no more. It arrived with a broken tuner button on the low E-string. Musician's Friend now tells me my only option is to spend $20.00 to return it and a 10% restocking fee. That would be $35.00 total because of a 50 cent part. Which really doesn't make much sense as I like the guitar a lot.

All I want/need is a button (50 cent item) or a replacement tuner. It's a Grover 'clone tuner' that I've measured up and down and has the exact same dimensions, screw sizes, post sizes as a Grover 14:1 Rotomatic or 18:1 Rotomatic. That's all I need, pretty simple right. Why should I have to spend $40 to $60 to fix a 50 cent part that arrived less than a week ago in two pieces? That really is not fair.

Stacy, besides the annoying habit of thinking he knew what I was going to say before I said it, refused to let me deal with another person or his supervisor. You really should let this guy go because Washburn has a great reputation for customer service (which is one of the reasons I chose this guitar) and he's trying his best to change that reputation. Please prove that you deserve that good reputation by responding to me.

Thanks for listening,
Quinn Satterfield
quinn.nemo@gmail.com
C/O Clinton House Assisted Living
P. O. Box 1107
Clinton, NC 28328
(910) 592-0154

   

[Pike]

I'm surprised to hear that Quinn. Every time I have had dealings with Stacy I was treated with a great deal of respect and professionalism.

[magoo99]

There you go Quinn, A quick response with answers and a apology.
what more could you ask for..way to go guys.

once again good luck Quinn, keep picking.

[Quinn Spalpeen]

Thank you so much,
I stand humbled,
Pleased and very thankful.

Quinn

[ship of fools]

I am so glad it worked out for you Quinn, sometimes we have to look for the big picture to understand the smaller picture and really what is important is for you to play your guitar and one day it will all come together.
I hope one day you find the courage and the strength to over come your difficulties and that you are able to come back out, my thoughts are with you and I send good cheer your way my friend.louis

Millenium Brigade
Rover Brigade
Another WAGJammer
Timbercraft Brigade J52SW
D78-SW
and other great sounding and playing guitars

[Quinn Spalpeen]

Just a short note to update the tuner button situation. I put a set of Grover Rotomatics on today and boy are they sweet. As I had so much difficulty trying to explain to Stacey on the phone,, they are an exact match, no tweaking required. I had measured all the dimensions very carefully and compared them to the Specs on the Grover website and they are the same. Stacey didn't give a chance to explain that.

With some new ebony bridge pins and the D'addario  semi-flats it sounds just so wonderful. So, so wonderful. The set of Grovers can be had for about $40.00 and they are just such a fine addition I would recommend that anyone who bought WD114S get them,,,.. Even the little securing screw on the back of the Rotomatic goes right in the existing hole. And at the same time I found it convenient to go ahead and replace the plastic bridge pins, which I would also suggest.

Bottom line: I've a guitar that I would have paid double what I paid for it, but it could be a reverse lemon, (made to well by accident).

Oh yeah to onewileyfool, you asked what I thought of the semi-flats? Nice, very nice, they eliminate about 50% to 75% of the finger noise (for me anyway) and sound very soft yet distinctively present. I'm not sure what I mean by that, I like them so far,,, played 'em a couple of hours.

Since everyone lists their instruments, heres mine.




WD114S (with new Grover Tuners)
Scott Cao STV-950 (Hellier)
Eastman Master Model 905 (Stradivari model)
Fender EV-3

[Quinn Spalpeen]

P.S. The full size Rotos not the mid or mini.